Rob and I just headed over to the Sands Hotel to pick up our Press credentials, which we’ll be wearing the entire time we’re here. We’ve also picked up this year’s CES bag swag (yep, Rob has another gadget bag. Don’t tell his wife.)

The Press Room has table set up with Lan lines galore for mobile computers and a few desktops. I’m getting a good Sprint signal here on the OQO Model 02, as well as my Sprint Mogul. Rob on the other hand is not able to pull a Verizon signal in at all.

And now we’re going to poke around a bit prior to the Press Briefing this afternoon.

Warner and I are headed to the Venetian to get our press passes and attend the CES Unveiled Press Conference. We are going to give the HP iPAQ 310 Travel Companion (on eval ) a go and see how it does in getting us from the Luxor to the Venetian.

Then again, Warner does have a knack for getting us sidetracked.....

I'm off to CES and looking forward to seeing Rob this afternoon - and meeting Warner for the first time in person! My gear bag is stuffed full for this trip just in case I need anything special to keep everyone up to date with the new stuff at CES. This promises to be a great show! I can't wait to see what Tablet Kiosk is revealing and get to play with all of the newly announced Tablet PCs in person.

Call this one of those things you learn on the way to learning something else, I guess. The great team at ActiveWords has finally released version 2.0 of the ActiveWords InkPad, which allows Tablet PC and UMPC users to Ink their ActiveWords triggers.

If you aren’t familiar with ActiveWords, this is a great application for any computer but with the InkPad is a fantastic application for a Tablet PC or UMPC. By creating shortcuts you can use the keyboard or the InkPad to enter those shortcuts and navigate to a web page, substitute text, open a program, or perform other functions. ActiveWords has been one of my most used applications for sometime.

As Rob and I are busy setting things up on the OQO Model 02 units we will be using to cover CES 2008, we were both installing ActiveWords to help make entering text for blog entries a bit easier. Much to both of our suprise, version 2.0 of the ActiveWords InkPad has been available since November 9. I’m glad it is available. It will save quite a bit of time this week at CES 2008.

Here’s the link for ActiveWords. There is a trial so you can check it out and also some tutorial videos on the site. Take my word for it, (for whatever that is worth) this is one handy application that can really save some time.

I was really surprised yesterday when my package arrived, it wasn't scheduled to be here until Monday...  I was disappointed when that date was showing in my tracking because I had paid for Express Shipping.  Thanks to the UPS guy I have them for the plane ride!!

So what did I get?  I picked up some Bose In-Ear headphones.  When I opened the package it contained 3 different sizes of ear buds, lanyard, clothes clip, and case to carry everything.  I have them hooked up to my Zune and I can say that I am very impressed so far.  I've never had a good set of headphones, never thought I needed them...  I can now say that there IS a difference in sound quality out of a premium set of headphones.  The lows are incredible - that much of a thump coming out of something so little??? And the crispness of the music...  Now those Dave Matthews Band live shows sound like I am really there!

They will be great for the plane ride while traveling to CES!!!

Another year has past and that brings us to another month for us to pick a Forum Member of the Month.  Again, this award is to recognize and celebrate Forum Members that are part of the community and contribute to the growth of the forum.

This months forum member is one of the top contributors on the GottaBemobile.com forums.  His posts are full of directions and steps to help work past problems.  This member also has a knack for running a multiboot system with Kubuntu -  His efforts with Linux and helping others is spread all over the "Other OS" forum.  This recognition is to signify the efforts in helping others, fostering communication, expressing concern, following up and giving their opinion on topics.  These qualifications are what we feel make a wonderful member of the GBM community, and the greater Tablet PC and UMPC community.

Each GBM Forum Member of the Month can choose to display the  'Forum Member of the Month' logo as his or her avatar. And of course they will receive their very own Splotch.

The whole GBM Staff is involved in this process of selection and we will review and pick a FMOTM for each month.  So, fireworks and cannons as we recognize our second GBM Forum Member of the Month.

And that is:

K0LO !!!

Thanks for all of your contributions to the GBM community. We look forward to many more great contributions in the future. Keep up the great work!

Just a quick Congratulations to Craig Pringle (Blog) and Josh Einstein (Maker of TEO).  Both have been awarded their MVP status again for another year. 

Good Job Guys!!

Rob is a real slave driver. Here we are in Vegas for CES 2008 and he insists on getting work done. That’s him, hunched over his OQO Model 02, pounding away at the keyboard.

We mentioned several weeks ago that TabletKiosk was planning on unveiling a brand new eo ultra-mobile pc running Intel’s new Menlow platform at CES. Well, a quick look at their homepage indicates several potential announcements. If the shapes are any indication, one looks like a rugged unit.

As always, stay tuned to GBM and we’ll bring what we learn as soon as we find out – let the speculation begin!

What's new at CES this year? In addition to new toys that are smaller, shinier, and faster, you'll find gadgets that are "greener." This AP story echoes a theme being carried across major media outlets:

Finally got settled in after waiting about an hour for my luggage. The Las Vegas has to have one of the slowest baggage claims ever.

Got settled in to the room and am waiting on Warner to show up. He’s probably waiting on his bags, too.

I’ve got everything all set up and ready to go – can you guess everything in this picture? Click the picture to see a high res shot.

First person to name everything correctly will get a Splotch and their very own GBM Shirt.

Rob and I are spending time together in two separate airports, as we head to Vegas. Should be fun and productive, especially since Rob is lugging around super secret Tablet PCs.  I'm actually enjoying using the OQO Model 02 on my travels so far on this trip.

Hopefully I'll be able to be as light as Rob as we make our way around the floor, but I guess it depends on the size of that super secret Tablet PC. See you in Vegas.

I’m sitting in the Colorado Springs airport waiting for my flight to Las Vegas, cruising the internets on my OQO over my Verizon aircard. I also have a secret, unreleased Tablet PC in my backpack that I am playing with, too…..

All the CES press events start tomorrow, so we will be hitting the ground running first thing in the morning. Warner is flying in today, too. Sierra will come in on Saturday, followed by Matt on Sunday. So the entire team will be in place for the official opening of CES on Monday, and then it will start to get crazy.

I am purposefully walking the floors really light this year: OQO Model 02, USB air card, Canon SD630 camera, Flip Video Ultra with a monopod, HTC Tilt phone, some Splotches, and a few extra batteries and power adapters. I will be carrying it all in my Tom Bihn Buzz Bag.  That’s it – lightweight, mobile, and connected – all the essentials to bring you the mobile pc coverage of CES.

I will post all the ways you can follow us later in the day ( Flickr, etc ). Until then, if you Twitter, follow my travels, thoughts, and every move here: http://twitter.com/rbushway

Gotta run….about to board.

The GPS PC market is about to change with GPS heavyweight Garmin entering the space. This will be another on our stop at CES.

Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced Garmin Mobile PC, a navigation package that turns laptops and other mobile PCs into powerful navigators. Garmin Mobile PC was announced in conjunction with the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and will be on display at the Garmin booth (#35832, South Hall 4).

“Garmin Mobile PC gives travelers an easy and inexpensive way to get more from a device they already own – their laptop,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Plus, it offers many of the same real-time features found on high-end portable GPS devices like weather and fuel price information.”

The Garmin Mobile PC with GPS 20x bundle will be available in April for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.99. The software only version of Garmin Mobile PC is expected to be available for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59.99. For more information, visit www.garmin.com.

via LapTopGPSWorld.com

Tiffany Boggs over at Tablet PC Review has some more information on the HP tx2000 Tablet PC Release and their First Look Review.  There are some great pictures over there if you want to get a close up look at the Tablet PC.

Popular Mechanics has worked up a fantastic video prototype of the optimal Apple Tablet, and goes into great detail explaining it all in a text article.

Head over and check it out. It is some totally Wow! stuff.

This would be the answer to MANY people's dreams for the UMPC - I know Warner would be a big fan.  InPlay Technologies will be showing their 7 inch active digitizer next week at CES 2008.  If there was a UMPC with this type of screen, it would be a huge hit right from the start.  Keep an eye out next week as I am sure we'll be finding this for sure!!

From InPlay Press release:

Enhanced user experience with active RF, digital pen technology.
Introduced in 2006, the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) platform ushered in a new generation of mobile devices. Early specifications only included a passive stylus. InPlay has developed a solution to bring the benefits of active digitizer technology to the UMPC market.

System overview:
  · 7" digitizer: InPlay's single-board solution fits easily behind the LCD screen
  · Active RF pen with InPlay's digital technology
  · Customizable from low-cost corded pen with basic handwriting input capability to feature-rich cordless pen

InPlay's active RF pen adds greater accuracy and enhanced functionality such as hover, tilt and pressure sensitivity, creating a more user-friendly interaction versus a passive stylus. Additionally, there is less wear and tear on the writing surface than experienced with traditional touch screens.
The UMPC platform takes the functionality of a full-size laptop PC into a light, portable device about the size of a paperback book. Most UMPC devices currently on the market offer a touch screen interface with a passive stylus. By adding InPlay's active digitizer and pen, OEMs can offer an enhanced user experience in their next-generation products.

Thanks to JKK for the heads up!!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 GottaBeMobile Awards. These winners were nominated by and chosen by the readers and staff of GottaBeMobile.com. Congratulations to all winners, who will also get their very own Splotch.

Tablet PC of the Year
HP 2710p Tablet PC

Runner ups:
Lenovo X61T MultiMode Tablet PC,
TabletKiosk Sahara i440D Slate Tablet PC

Ultra-Mobile PC of the Year
OQO Model 02

Runner Up:
Fujitsu U810 / U1010 UMPC ( aka Storm Trooper)

Software of the Year
Microsoft OneNote

Runner up:
Bluebeam PDF Revu

Mobile Gadget of the Year
Amazon Kindle

Runner Up
Apple iPhone

Wow! of the Year
Asus Eee PC

Runner up:
Dell’s XT Tablet PC Pricing

Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Dell’s XT Tablet PC Pricing

Runner up:
HTC Shift

You can tell that CES is quickly approaching when HP announces a whole slew of new computers, including the just announced TX2000 Tablet PC.

HP has also announced a new online trip planning service, called iPAQ Navigate, that can also integrate into their iPAQ GPS solutions. HP is outfitting GottaBeMobile.com with a couple of iPAQ 300 Series GPS units to use during CES, so we’ll give their trip planning site a try and put the data on the iPAQ 300. Regardless of whether you own a iPAQ or not, check out iPAQ Navigate Online when planning your next trip.

HP today launched HP iPAQ Navigate (www.ipaq.com/navigate), a trip planning website allowing users to create custom travel itineraries that can be printed for easy reference or loaded to the new HP iPAQ 300 Series Travel Companion personal navigation device for dynamic trip management.

Before embarking on business or personal travel, customers can log onto the free HP iPAQ Navigate site to search for attractions, restaurants and hotels to add as points of interest to personalize trip plans – all from the comfort of a computer at home or in the office. The intuitive interface makes it easy to add, rearrange or delete destination points along an itinerary.

Unlike most mapping and navigation sites, itineraries need not stop at the printer with the HP iPAQ Navigate website. Once plans are completed on a PC, they can be printed or conveniently loaded onto the HP iPAQ 300 Series personal navigation device. If trip plans change along the way, travelers can edit itineraries directly on the device and instantly share updates with friends, family or colleagues by simply logging back onto the site.

HP has just announced the new TX2000 Entertainment Notebook PC, which improves upon the TX1000 by supporting touch and an active Wacom digitizer – YEAH! We can now officially call this a Tablet PC! Official press release and full specs at the Read More link.

The pen is quite unique in that it recharges while you write, but does not require a battery. Pricing will start at $1299, depending on configuration, and will be available for ordering at HPShopping.com on January 8th and other retail outlets in March.

You can bet your bottom dollar we’ll be at HP’s booth first thing Monday morning to get some hands on with this new Tablet PC.

Here the official specs:

• Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate
• AMD Turion ™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Processors
• 12.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Touch-screen Display
(1280 x 800). Panel rotates 180° and folds flat. Built-in digitizer
for handwriting with battery-less rechargeable eraser pen (dockable).
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics with up to 559MB shared video memory
• Up to 4096MB 667MHz DDR2 system memory
• Up to 250MB (5400 RPM) hard disk drives
• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support (LightScribe optional)
• Up to Wirless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n & Bluetooth

Follow the Read More link for the official press release, and more complete specs, along with a link to the official data sheet PDF.