My name is Mark Sumimoto; I am Sumocat. I dabble in all areas of mobile computing, but my focus is Windows-based Tablet PCs and pen input. They’ve been part of my arsenal since 2004, and I’m proud to have pioneered the field of ink blogging, earning a spot as a Microsoft MVP for Touch and Tablets in the process. My current tools include a Fujitsu Lifebook T900, TEGA v2, and iPhone 4. Email me: sumocat [at] notebooks.com
Sharing service Bump, best known for helping you share contacts and photos across smartphones, has launched a service to bump photos to your PC over the web. Fun! Plus, I have a tip to make it work better.
Continuing their celebrity-based ad campaign for the iPhone 4S, Apple has released two new spots featuring John Malkovich, an actor so renowned for being him there’s a movie about that, and they are everything you’d expect.
Rugged tablets are on the march. DRS Technologies is deploying three new models, a slimmed-down update to the Windows 7-based X7, one with a similar body running the Android OS, and a good old Windows 7 convertible.
While iCloud helped make my Hawaii trip worry-free tech-wise, the element of my iPhone I found most relaxing was Voice Control. If you ever question the value of voice control, an easy cure is to use it while walking to and along the beach.
Took a trip home to Hawaii the other week. A bit last minute so I had to leave the wife (and cats) behind. It was basically a repeat of a trip I’d taken six years ago. Not much changed there, but my connectivity options this time sure did.
In February, I said all eyes should be on Verizon this quarter to see if the Droid refresh could push back the iPhone’s advance. Well, it helped but iPhone still beat all other Verizon smartphones combined. Good news for Apple, not so good for Android.
With the news that Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn will raise wages to compensate for cutting hours, people are starting to wonder what this will mean for manufacturing costs in China. Everyone who builds in China is worried. Except Apple.
James Kendrick asks the question “Android: Is it even a real platform?” I respond with a solid “sort of” as I explain how Android has become a meta-platform*, a platform for other platforms.
Marvel Comics rolled out a three-pronged digital strategy over the weekend intended to use digital power to save print comics. Will it work?
Today’s touchscreens may seem instantly responsive, but Microsoft Research shows us how they could be so much faster.
Apple has something for us to see today. And touch. Could that “touch” be textured touchscreen technology from Senseg?
By now there has been so much speculation leading in to today’s Apple event that almost nothing could surprise us. Almost. But who knows what shocks the super-secretive company might have in store? Here are ten Apple announcements that would be truly surprising.
“Real artists ship” is one pearl of wisdom left by Steve Jobs that Apple seems to have taken to heart lately, and it’s one that everyone else really needs to apply. OS X on the fast track, Windows in the slow lane The big tech news of the week is announcement of OS X Mountain [...]
After losing on its home turf to the iPhone last quarter, the Droid brand is stepping up with its strongest showing yet, backed by new models and great deals. But will it be enough?
No support for current Windows applications. Office is still desktop-only. Windows on ARM (WOA) is a compromised “no-compromise experience” at a time when Microsoft needs to show more strength.
Geotagging with your smartphone is a useful tool for remembering where you parked your car, but only if you remember to geotag it in the first place. That moment of memory lapse is what Find My Car Smart aims to patch.
Bigger, better, blottier. Our own Warner Crocker has thrown out all boundaries of breadth and length in this year’s Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards, his annual look back on the “achievements” of the year in tech, web, and culture.
Can Face Unlock on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich be fooled by a photo? Google says no, but one person has video proving otherwise. Sure looks convincing, but there’s a trick.
Bloomberg reports that Samsung’s head of PC sales and marketing said in an interview that the company is targeting the second half of 2012 for a Windows 8 tablet launch, and it will probably be a mod of their current Series 7 slate.
Dell took the semi-transparent lid off their new Windows 7 slate, the Latitude ST, today and it’s already been reviewed.
Finally digging itself out from the geek niche, The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is rebranding the latest version of the Bluetooth wireless standard, version 4.0, to make it easier for consumers to understand how different BT devices relate to one another as this new standard aims for broad adoption.
Following news that the Dell Latitude ST is on the way comes a marketing video from Dell showing the advantages of this Windows 7 slate. No surprise, it’s not targeted at consumers.
Among the many new features sneaking into Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is built-in support for stylus input, specifically the kind needed for tablets with active pen digitizers.
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang calls Microsoft Office “the killer app” for ARM-based Windows tablets and claims a new version for that purpose would be “wonderful”. After ten years of not having a tablet-centric version of Office, I’d call it “miraculous.”
In yet another potential entry in the “Big Book of Dumb Things Steve Ballmer Said”, the CEO of Microsoft took a potshot at Android claiming you need to be a computer scientist to use it. Definitely sounds dumb, yet recent examples indicate there may be a kernel of truth to that.
Just received a tip from Giacomo at il Tablet PC Italico that Dell will launch a new Windows 7 slate next month, dubbed the Latitude ST. He’s not at liberty to share specs, but previous leaks have us covered on that. Maybe.
Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute have taken the wraps off a new project that projects a hover-capable, motion-tracking, multi-touch interface on any surface, even your own hand. It’s called OmniTouch and it’s a step above anything I’ve seen before.
Chippy at UMPCPortal has shared his view on the Windows 8 Metro UI in a tablet in words, as well as a video to demonstrate specifically the problems it faces with portrait oriented usage.
Patching a hole in their promise of “PC-free” functionality on iOS 5, Apple has released AirPort Utility, a new app that allows setup and management of AirPort Wi-Fi devices.
New to the iPhone 4S will be a software personal assistant named Siri. Simply by speaking a request in natural language, Siri will perform a task to the best of its ability. This is a big deal. If you don’t believe me, just ask Bill Gates.
Steve, I was pulling for you. I really was. When your second leave of absence was announced, I knew you were on the decline. When you stepped down as CEO of Apple, I’d hoped you were getting away to savor the important things in life. Seems you had less time for that than I’d hoped.
Four months ago, if you’d asked me what to expect from the next iPhone (and quite a few people did), I would have described pretty much what we saw yesterday with the iPhone 4S. Of course four months can be such a long time in the Apple world.
With the reports that Sprint will carry the iPhone 5, it’s almost certain that this coming new iPhone launch will destroy every iPhone launch before it (which have crushed every other phone launch ever). One has to wonder if Apple is up to the supply challenge, but also if their competition is ready to face [...]
Wacom’s line of Bamboo pen + touch input tablets has new names, new color schemes, and a new wireless connectivity option to cut the tether between tablet to PC.
Skype pushed out an update to their apps for iPhone and iPad adding highly desired support for Bluetooth headsets, somewhat desired camera stabilization for the iPhone, and not quite as desired advertising. Bluetooth support means no more getting caught up in cords or having to share your conversation with everyone in the room over the [...]
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Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE Review: A Worthy Successor to the Original (Video)
When Sprint had debuted the original WiMax-capable HTC EVO 4G nearly two years ago, it was an instant hit on the Now network. Not only was the HTC EVO 4G the first 4G smartphone in the world taking advantage of Sprint’s then speedy WiMax network, but it brought some new features and pizzazz to the [...]
Last year Toshiba waded into the Android tablet market with the Thrive, a 10.1-inch slate that served as the company’s response to what they deemed missing in the then current crop. Thus, it had several full-size ports, a rugged-ish exterior, and a thick chassis to accommodate both. Though a decent tablet, the Thrive didn’t generate [...]
Samsung Shows That It Is a Software Company
As exciting as it has been to talk, postulate, and speculate about the Galaxy S III’s hardware and specs before the third-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone was announced on May 3rd in London, once the device was announced one thing became apparent: Samsung is now a software company. That doesn’t mean that Samsung is shying away [...]
Autumn Dynasty Review: A Great RTS for the iPad
With its large touchscreen, the iPad seems like the perfect platform for Real Time Strategy games, and Autumn Dynasty proves it, mostly. Autumn Dynasty is an RTS iPad game with art that looks like tradition Chinese painting. The story involves quelling a rebellion while solving a mystery of shady noblemen. The story though, just serves [...]
Griffin GuitarConnect Pro Review: Record Your Jams with Ease
The Griffin GuitarConnect Pro interfaces with your Guitar and your iPad or iPhone so you can record your music easily using apps like Apple’s GarageBand. My son Daniel, who’s learning to play guitar, helped me test it out and he loved it. When he gets as good as Jimi Hendrix, I’m sure he’ll steal my [...]
Google Search App iPhone and iPad Update Looks Beautiful (Video)
Google just delivered a beautiful update to the company’s Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad The Google Search app for iPhone and iPad replaced Safari as my browser of choice, earning a spot in the iPhone and iPad dock. It’s faster and offers a beautiful new full screen image search which looks awesome on the [...]
