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
Last week, between packing up the HTC Flyer for return and unwrapping a Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 for review, I found myself in tablet heaven with five – FIVE – slates at my fingertips. How could I not share the marvelous sight with you?
My time with the HTC Flyer has come to an end, and my extended live and un-live review goes with it. It’s not a perfect device by any means, but overall I found it quite good, and I see many ways it could be truly great.
Sharing video taken from the HTC Flyer is all well and good, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share video of the device as well. In this InkShow, I run through the special pen features of the Flyer. Yes, it’s an InkShow that shows ink! Plus: bonus commentary.
I have, as I hope my ongoing review has conveyed, enjoyed my time with the HTC Flyer immensely. But of course, no device is perfect, and the Flyer has not been without its flaws. Part of that is due to an unrefined, “raw” feel about the device, a roughness around the edges that can be [...]
During my live, as in ongoing and on-the-job, review of the HTC Flyer, mobility and portability were vital to getting my job done. I was in the air and on the move for hours at time. Would the Flyer be up for it? Could I carry and use it comfortably? Would Wi-Fi be enough? I [...]
With front- and rear-mounted cameras, the HTC Flyer begs to be used for capturing and sharing video. As luck would have it, that’s exactly what I was tasked to do for work this past week. I was glad to have the Flyer in hand to do it, and I’ve got the YouTube videos to prove [...]
As an ink blogger, the feature I’ve been most enthusiastic about testing on the HTC Flyer is ink. The Flyer is designed for pen input in a way unlike other pen tablets before it. What I’ve found is the experience breaks out into quantity vs. quality. It’s easy to spill a lot of ink, but [...]
As you may have already seen, I am now evaluating the HTC Flyer, a 7″ Android tablet with a twist – active pen input. That makes it of special interest to me, Sumocat, The Father of Ink Blogging, and I’ve wasted no time spilling ink on this thing with realtime reporting. Let me tell you [...]
Well, Microsoft took the wraps off their touch tablet strategy yesterday and if I had to describe the effort in one word, it would be “impressive”. They addressed several key problems with touch in Windows, including my main one. But there’s a rub that we old schoolers may not like and still unknown is how [...]
Superhero movies got you thinking about jumping back into comic books, but you aren’t sure how? Well, DC Comics has a big opening for you: a full relaunch of all titles at issue #1! Better yet, they’ll all be released in digital and print versions on the same day! And yes, the digital versions are [...]
Windows 7 enthusiast Justin Campana has put together a wonderful custom interface for a fully touch-optimized environment using a combination of ObjectDock, widgets, themes, and the right applications on his ASUS Eee EP121. Beautiful.
You may recall Steve Ballmer talking crazy a few months ago about how Android isn’t free and that you gotta pay Microsoft to use it. Well, now there are numbers to back that up ranging from HTC’s licensing fee of $5 a pop to asking prices of $7.50 to $12.50 from others.
Though he’s probably best known as one of the original XBox founders, Otto Berkes was a key figure in the Tablet and Mobile PC world. Yesterday, he announced his departure from Microsoft, leaving a big tablet-shaped hole in their brain pool. Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times broke the news. As lead developer on Origami [...]
Tim Bray, Google’s Developer Advocate for Android, has taken a stand on tablet orientation, and he says portrait mode is the way to go. I wouldn’t go that far, but he makes some good points. Unfortunately, the problem isn’t with how people are holding their Android tablets, but how manufacturers are designing them.
I had the opportunity to speak with Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product management for Fujitsu America (this guy), regarding the Stylistic Q550 slate due to start shipping June 3rd. Given the wealth of information already released about this Windows 7 tablet, I figured there wasn’t much new to cover, but I learned more [...]
In an interview with the BBC about his philanthropic work, Microsoft chairman and co-founder Bill Gates was asked about something non-philathropic: living in a post-PC era of smartphones and tablets. His response? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t a surprise.
Yesterday, Fujitsu announced the follow-up to their T900 convertible, the Lifebook T901 Tablet PC. While it is a straightforward spec-bump in many respects, there are a few notable changes, including five-finger gesture support and optional NVIDIA Optimus graphics.
Watching the announcements streaming out of Google this week, I could not help but notice a certain trend. There were a slew of accessory devices and gadget applications shown off in what is unofficially being called “Android Everywhere”. They’ve bolstered their offerings with music streaming and movie rentals. They seem intent on breathing new life [...]
As we’ve reported before, tablets make a great tool for dealing with autism. They are ideal for non-verbal communication, such as working with symbols and drawing out ideas. Motorola has also recognized this and have provided XOOM tablets to 46 families for a test program. Good job, Moto!
Got my hands on another rugged Tablet PC recently: the ARMOR X7 from DRS Technologies, the smaller brother to the X10gx I reviewed earlier. But don’t let the size fool you. It may be petite by comparison, but it’s just as rugged. Definitely tough enough.
News flash! “Service launched for publishers to evade Apple cut!” That was the headline as digital publishing service YUDU announced a way for publishers to sell subscriptions for content in iOS apps without paying Apple a 30% cut. Which is great news if you didn’t know that was already possible.
Today at RIM’s BlackBerry World, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that Bing will be the first name in search on RIM’s BlackBerry devices, including the Playbook tablet. This places Microsoft Bing on top of rival Google on yet another major smartphone brand, adding more fuel to the mobile search fire.
Buyers of the Wi-Fi only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab are reporting on Amazon and other venues that 3G isn’t the only thing you give up with this tablet. It appears processing power and Bluetooth connectivity have also been downgraded.
As promised, I am on-the-spot for the launch of the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 slate Tablet PC, announced about an hour ago by Fujitsu through their social media outlets. It’s available through their online store now, starting at $729.
By now everyone has read something about the controversy about Apple tracking people through their iDevices. Unfortunately, most of the information out there is misleading and/or wrong and has been from the beginning. Furthermore, not only does this misinformation not help, but it’s clouding the serious, legitimate problem.
Just got word that the ARMOR X10gx rugged Tablet PC is now certified for the Sprint 3G network. While built-in mobile connectivity is falling out of fashion due to mobile hotspot and phone tethering, not many of those devices are designed to take a beating. For reliability in harsh environments, on-board connectivity in a tough [...]
At a UK event showcasing a selection of Windows PCs called The Collection, Pocket-Lint spoke to Microsoft’s UK managing director Ashley Highfield who put the skids on talk that Microsoft was jumping into the tablet market… not counting the tablets at The Collection… maybe.
They say the single most important thing in retail is location. I found some truth to that with the tablets at my local Best Buy last week, highlighted by the abysmal placement of the Motorola Xoom, but contradicted by the in-store tablet usage I saw.
As screenshots from Windows 8 circulate around the ‘net (round-up at Notebooks.com), I feel as if I am unable to appreciate the new elements being introduced because I’ve seen them before. They were already introduced five years ago. By Microsoft. On tablets. What’s being called “Immersive”, I call Origami 3.0.
For the best April Fool’s Day stuff on the Internet, ThinkGeek is the place to be. Like last year, they mocked up a bunch of fake products complete with slick video promos. But sometimes, these fake products are so popular, that they become real. Through magic. Well, no, by generating demand that they then meet [...]
You know what’s better than playing Angry Birds on a Windows 7 tablet? Playing Angry Birds on TWO Windows 7 tablets at the same time. Well, not really. It’s actually pretty hard to get past a level that way. But as they say, if you got it, flaunt it, which I do in this YouTube [...]
In an exclusive interview with ASUS product management specialist Julie Cheng, TechRadar reports that the company is receiving requests for tablets running Windows 7 and plans to continue offering the OS as part of their line of tablets. Oh good, because I thought they might want to flush their deal with Microsoft on the EP121 [...]
If you were disappointed that the iPad 2 gained video mirroring but only through HDMI (and you know who you are), a couple of techies have the DIY solution for you: a wireless video mirroring system that requires no internal hacking.
Microsoft Advertising (I know, I’m still getting used to reading those words together too) has posted a couple of case studies promoting the money part-time and amateur developers can make with ads in their Windows Phone 7 apps. The key, it seems, is sheer volume.
The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and Slate EP121 just got officially official in the UK. Pre-orders for the April 6 launch of the Transformer start today with prices starting at £379, increasing with keyboard, more storage and/or 3G (available later). The Slate EP121, which is already being advertised here, will launch April 10.
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