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Saturday, September 30, 2006
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- Warner Crocker
So, I and fellow GBM Team members, Rob and Matt, want to know something from our vacationing fellow GBMer, Dennis Rice.
You look pretty mobile but where’s the UMPC?
- Warner Crocker
 Blogging in ink can certainly add a little spice to your blog entries, unless of course your handwriting is as bad as mine. With the Beta release of Windows Live Writer which allowed developers to come up with their own plugins, Ed Holloway jumped at the chance and created the InkBlog Plugin that allows Tableteers to fill the blogosphere with their ink creations. In this Inkshow I take a tour of Windows Live Writer and show how to create an ink blog entry using the InkBlog Plugin. Do note that after this Inkshow was produced the Beta of Windows Live Writer was updated and Ed Holloway took the InkBlog Plugin from Beta to Gold, so a number of the rough edges I mention have been ironed out.
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Watch the video ( 10.27 minutes, 30.3mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download).
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Let us know what you think and comment with your questions!
Enjoy!
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
Friday, September 29, 2006
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- Rob Bushway
 We’ve got 4 VIP tickets to the Digital Life conference that is being held at the Javits Center in New York from October 12 – 15. It is being billed as the largest consumer technology, gaming & entertainment event of the year.
To win one of the four VIP tickets. listen to the GBM Forum Audio InkShow that was posted last night and tell me what Dennis was doing in California on the Pacific Coast Highway. Email your response to rob@gottabemobile.com . The first four correct entries win!
Winners of the VIP tickets will be eligible for the following events at the DigitalLife Conference:
VIP Day takes places on Thursday, October 12 (9:00am - 4:00pm) and the VIP ticket-holders are entitled to an exclusive tour of the show floor, special sponsor product unveilings prior to the public opening as well as access to the following keynote addresses:
10:00 AM - The Beauty and Power of Windows Vista?Mike Sievert, Microsoft corporate vice president and head of the Windows Vista marketing team, will provide an in-depth look at the revolutionary and much-anticipated new Windows operating system and the impact it will have on consumers.?
11:30 AM - HD World: The Fusion of Entertainment and Electronics?Stan Glasgow, President and COO of Sony Electronics Inc., will demonstrate how high-definition audio and video technologies are continuing to transform our entertainment experience.
In addition to the 4 VIP tickets we are giving away, DigitalLife is offering GBM readers FREE tickets to the conference ( regular price is $15 ). To redeem these tickets, just use the source code “INSIDER” when you print your tickets at http://digitallife.com/tickets.html
- Rob Bushway
As some of you might now, my family was recently blessed with the addition of two new children: my nieces from Mississippi, ages 6 and 11. I traveled to Mississippi a couple of weeks ago to pick them up and they are living with us indefinitely. So, that raises the number of children in my house from 4 to 6.
Besides the need to look at a new vehicle that seats 8, clothing for the girls, and all that goes along with bringing two new kids in to the house, we also have a need to get at least one more computer. We homeschool our children, and the older kids do a lot of their school work on the computer.
My requirements:
- Low cost ( under $1400)
- Convertible Tablet PC
- DVD / CD ready
- 1GB of RAM
- 14” screen
- Will handle Vista well
Bottomline: you cannot beat the prices and features of the Gateway CX2724 at Best Buy; plus, I can go in and pick one or two up TODAY for $1249 each. That is a a heck of a price considering the feature set and the CX2724 makes for a fantastic notebook with Tablet PC features. I’ll also be installing NetNanny on the computers as well for Internet monitoring.
Why not the Toshiba R25 from CompUSA at $1299? I like the screen on the Gateway much better. It doesn’t have the graininess that the Toshiba’s are known for. Plus, I can save $50 each.
So, a little insight into my picking a Tablet PC for my family….
- Warner Crocker
Intel is showing off “reference designs” of the next generation of Tablet PCs at the Intel Developers Forum supposedly scheduled to ship sometime between the end of the year and mid-2007. According to this Engadget report, the newer models aren’t Core Duo units, but a ultra-low voltage Core Solo with 1MB of L2 cache, that delivers 1/2 the power at 1/4 the size. Note that all the models in the pic have a keyboard. Intriguing.
- Warner Crocker
Ed Holloway, of InkBlog PlugIn fame, links to a fun quote from David Gaw that is an early indicator that “You know you’re spending too much time on a Tablet PC when…”
Gaw’s answer: “…you’re reading a book and you catch yourself glancing at the bottom right corner of the page in an effort to tell what time it is.”
So here’s the question for GBM readers. When do you know your are spending too much time with your Tablet PC? Leave a comment and let us know.
- Warner Crocker
 Down Under Tableteer Hugo Ortega is jumping around with excitement like a mobile marsupial over the news that the Samsung Q1 is now being distributed in Australia. That’s a good sign for the good folks down under. Now, if we can just get Samsung to expand their retail presence here in this former British colony, along with the other UMPC OEMs, so folks can put their hands on a UMPC. Wait, where have we heard that before?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
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- Rob Bushway
Earlier this week, we let everyone know that forums were coming to GottaBeMobile.com on Friday, October 6. In this Audio InkShow, Warner and I sit down to talk about the decision to do forums, the Tablet PC community, Vista, and Tablet PCs in general. During the recording, Warner accidentally used the “podcast” word and the police sirens started going off at his house – hilarious! Apple must have been listening in….
- Listen to the Audio Inkshow (direct download: 31:03, 35.5MB-MP3 format)
And don’t forget you can now subscribe to GottaBeMobile Podcast Inkshows in iTunes. Here’s the link.
Thanks to Aubergine for the rocking intro music, Pursuit.
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
- Warner Crocker
Engadget is reporting that Sony has finally stepped up to the plate in the exploding battery fiasco and will be launching a global battery replacment program. Details are still sparse at the moment. With the recent news of IBM/Lenovo joining Dell, Apple, Panasonic, and Toshiba in the battery recall derby, some might say it was only a matter of time before Sony stood tall, or got pushed into making a play. My $.02? It has taken Sony far too long to step up, but I’m glad they did. The lawyers will have a field day.
UPDATE: Dell and Toshiba have increased the number of units they are recalling based on Sony’s new plans. This brings the total number of units recalled to over 7 million worldwide.
- Rob Bushway
The battery saga continues. This time, IBM and Lenovo are entering into the recall party by issueing a recall for 526,000 batteries that were manufactured by Sony.
Here is the specific information regarding the recalled batteries, followed by a story on it on MSNBC.com. Based on this information, it doesn’t appear that the X41 Tablet PCs are an issue.
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According to the CPSC, the recalled batteries were sold with, or sold separately to be used with, the following ThinkPad notebook computers between February 2005 and September 2006: T Series (T43, T43p, T60); R Series (R51e, R52, R60, R60e); and X Series (X60, X60s).
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The batteries have the following part or model numbers, which can be found on the battery label: ASM P/N 92P1072, 92P1088, 92P1142 or 92P1170; or FRU P/N 92P1073, 92P1089, 92P1141, 92P1169 or 93P5028.
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Consumers are advised to stop using the batteries immediately and contact Lenovo to receive a free replacement battery. For more information they can contact Lenovo at 1-800-426-7378 or log on to www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram.
From MSNBC:
Some 526,000 batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers worldwide are being recalled in the latest problem with batteries made by Sony Corp., the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
IBM Corp., based in Armonk, N.Y., and Lenovo Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., recalled the rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad computers because they may pose a fire hazard. About 168,500 of the batteries were sold in the U.S., while the rest were distributed worldwide, the CPSC said.
It was the fourth recall in recent months involving Sony batteries believed to be defective. In August, Dell asked customers to return 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries and Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries worldwide, warning they could catch fire. Last week, Toshiba said it was recalling 340,000 laptop batteries due to a problem that caused the laptops to sometimes run out of power.
In the latest recall, Lenovo cited a potential risk following one confirmed report of a Sony battery overheating and causing a fire that damaged the notebook computer. The batteries were sold between February 2005 and September 2006, separately or along with ThinkPad computers. They were distributed by IBM until Lenovo, a Chinese computer maker, bought IBM’s personal computer division in May 2005.
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- Rob Bushway
Here is some good news on the mobile UMPC front, especially for those depend on high speed access to the internet. Embedding 3G connectivity is going to be key to the success of the UMPC :
From Unstrung:
Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR - TSX: SW) today announced support for Intel Corporation’s 3G-enabled Ultra Mobile PC platform, shown today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Sierra Wireless collaborated with Intel to incorporate Sierra Wireless WWAN modules into the UMPC platform architecture, which is designed to provide integrated wireless 3G connections for ultra-mobile devices (typically defined as small form-factor Tablet PCs). With wide area wireless embedded modules from Sierra Wireless integrated into the UMPC platform, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) can take advantage of proven, reliable 3G connectivity solutions to simplify product development and expedite time-to-market.
“Sierra Wireless is pleased to collaborate with Intel to provide seamless 3G-enabled connectivity options for the UMPC platform,” said Trent Punnett, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Development for Sierra Wireless. “Bringing high-quality 3G connections to Ultra Mobile PC devices allows for true on-the-go applications. We believe this will lead to the development of many innovative mobile devices, and we look forward to working with our OEM customers to bring these leading edge products to market.”
- Rob Bushway
 Marine recruiters across the country are getting Tablet PCs to increase their “speed of execution”, according to Brg. Gen. Richard T. Tryon. The best I can tell from the picture, they are using Fujitsu convertible Tablet PCs.
From TabletPCTalk.com:
The Marine Corps Recruiting Command began the initial distribution of more than 3,200 new Tablet PC style laptop computers primed to aid recruiting process.
The purpose of the Tablet PCs is not to replace the systematic recruiting process that has made recruiters successful for the past 33 years. The Tablet PC is a tool to enhance systematic recruiting by speeding up the enlistment process of applicants.
“These Tablet PCs will enhance the success of our Marine recruiters,” said Brig. Gen. Richard T. Tryon, commanding general, MCRC. “The systems will help recruiters with speed of execution.”
The Tablet PC is a laptop computer with a rotating screen and a stylus pen that enables recruiters to capture digital signatures. The computer has a special feature where the screen folds down and upright so that the keyboard or mouse doesn’t have to be used, which allows the Tablet PC to operate entirely with the stylus pen.
“These Tablet PCs will replace a lot of the pen and paper methods currently used by recruiters,” said Sgt. Charles J. Fackler, data network specialist, MCRC. “The tablets will offer an automated enlistment package, the capability to fill out security forms, the ability to show advertisements anywhere, as well as the opportunity to check where a recruit is during their training.”
- Warner Crocker
 Dennis might think this is heresy, but what the heck. Matt Miller (The Mobile Gadgeteer and MobileTech Roundup podcast co-host) has installed Vista RC1 on a MacBook pro using the latest version of Parallels Workstation’s virtual machine software. Doesn’t sound like it is quite a smooth process yet from this post on jkOnTheRun, but I’m betting down the road things will get ironed out on this move to convergence. I know there’s also another GBM’er doing something like this on his own Mac lurking around here somewhere. Once all the bugs are ironed out, I am seriously considering a Mac desktop that can run Vista for my next desktop purchase. How’s that for heresy?
- Warner Crocker
 It must be the end of the month and and the end of the quarter and a few companies are probably trying to clear out some inventory, because specials on software are popping up all over. Chirs Pirillo has a list of coupon codes for software from Computer Associates and Nuance Software that expire soon. The Computer Associates codes covers their security software titles and give you 10% off. The Nuance codes give you $10 off products like Dragon Naturally Speaking, OmniPage, and PaperPort. Follow the links above to get the codes.
- Warner Crocker
Do you listen to audiobooks? Then you might want to check out this site. Audiobooksforfree.com offers 8kb MP3 versions of classic authors for free. They have a rather large selection of fiction, non-fiction and children’s titles. You can also pay for higher bit versions. If you’re a real audiobook fan you can get the entire colleciton on a 9 DVD set for $100 in a limited time offer.
Hat Tip to Things That Make You Go…Hmm.
- Warner Crocker
 Slingmedia has released new Slingbox editions and those who like to sling their media to wherever they journey are rejoicing. There are now three new editions to the lineup.
- Slingbox Pro is targted for those with multiple AV devices (including HiDef)
- Slingbox AV is for those who already have a set-top box(cable, satellite, DVR)
- Slingbox Tuner is targeted for consumers with basic analog cable who don’t require access to a set-top box
James Kendrick is attending the Mobius conference and is blogging lots of details and pics of the devices on jkOnTheRun.
Here’s a question. How many GBM readers use a slingbox, ORB, or other media shifting device? How many don’t know but are planning to in the future? Leave a comment and let us us.know.
- Warner Crocker
 If watching Dennis Rice’s InkShows of the eo7210 (here, and here) isn’t enough UMPC goodness for you, then you might want to head over to CarryPad and take a look at the array of pictures that Steve has posted of his just arrived eo7210. I don’t think there is an angle he hasn’t covered.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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- Rob Bushway
Motion Computing and Intel just announced at IDF plans to develop a product on Intel’s mobile clinical assistant reference design. Unfortunately, there are no other details other than this press release that was sent to me. All specs, configurations, and pricing will be announced Q1 2007.
From Intel’s press release, they indciate that the Mobile Clinical Assistant Plaform is:
the outcome of hospital workflow studies, nurse and physician interviews, and ethnographic research among nurses at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif. It focuses on the healthcare community’s needs to enhance patient safety, reduce medication-dispensing errors and ease staff workloads.
Products based on the mobile clinical assistant platform could offer a variety of features and technologies including: an exterior casing that can be wiped clean with disinfectant; radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for rapid user and patient identification; and barcode scanning to help reduce medication-dispensing errors. The platform could also include a digital camera to enhance patient charting and progress notes; Bluetooth technology to record patient vital signs; wireless connectivity to access electronic medical records systems. In addition to having a lightweight design, ergonomic features such as an integrated handle, and a spill- and drop-tolerant enclosure, the mobile platform could provide shift-long use made possible by to swapping batteries while in a docking station.
Here is the press release on Motion Computing’s site and also Intel’s own press release.
Motion Computing®, a leader in ultra-mobile computing and wireless communications, today disclosed plans at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) to extend its family of award-winning tablet PC products with a mobile clinical assistant, a new computing category created to advance the effectiveness of nurses, physicians and other clinicians. Motion’s product will be based on Intel Corporation’s mobile clinical assistant platform design.
“Motion is the first company to collaborate with Intel on the new mobile clinical assistant category,” said Motion CEO Scott Eckert. “We chose to innovate in this category because it closely aligns with our tablet PC and healthcare industry expertise. It is all about technology integration and ease of use, with relevant and innovative features, software and design elements chosen to help nurses and clinicians deliver patient care more safely and efficiently.”
Eckert today joined Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Health Group, in an IDF keynote to discuss Motion’s commitment to work with Intel in the creation of this new category of mobile computing for use in clinical settings.
“Intel is excited to be working with Motion to bring the mobile clinical assistant to the healthcare market segment and to address the unmet needs of nurses and physicians,” said Burns. “We share a common vision for innovative, ground-breaking platforms and how technology can transform healthcare.”
Motion will launch and ship its first mobile clinical assistant product in the first half of 2007. Product specifications will be available at that time.
- Warner Crocker
John Hill of Allegiance Technology Partners informs us that ATP will be hosting a second Webinar on Tablet PCs. This Q&A on October 11, 2006 will give you an an opportunity to ask questions of Tablet PC experts on any subject Tablet PC related.
Sign up for the Webinar here. We’ll be publishing more info as it becomes available.
- Warner Crocker
Loren Heiny links to a podcast featuring an interview with two Intel UMPC Team members, Rochelle Whelan (echosystem marketing manager) and Pankaj Sinha (Program Manager.) I haven’t listened to this yet, but Loren states that in the interview there is news that UMPC battery life will be headed to between four and five hours next year due to advances in processors. Here’s the link to the podcast.
- Warner Crocker
 Olya Veselova is a member of the OneNote Team and has started a new blog.
I love her description of what she is going to cover:
I will try to cover various OneNote how-tos, best practices, and troubleshooters that fall under the general category of "not-obvious-how-to-do-and-I-bet-some-people-are-wondering." So apologies in advance for the apparent lack of theme :).
In many ways that sounds very much like how I use OneNote.
Subscribed. You should be to. Check it out here.
- Rob Bushway
We are pleased to announce that community discussion forums are coming to GottaBeMobile.com and will be live by Friday, October 6.
We have actually been working diligently on this for several months, and now recognize the need to launch them sooner than originally planned.
We are very excited about this new addition to GottaBeMobile.com, and you can count on us pouring as much energy and professionalism into the forums as we have our feature stories, news postings, and InkShows. Look for an official launch announcement from us sometime on Friday, October 6. In the meantime, help us spread the word to the Tablet PC and Mobile PC community that there will be a new, fresh place to gather together and talk Tablet, and that place is GottaBeMobile.com !
Team GBM
Rob Bushway
Dennis Rice
Warner Crocker
Matt Faulkner
- Warner Crocker
 Intel is showing off a new UMPC protoype at the Intel Developer’s forum that has the makings of being very mobile. Equipped with a swivel keyboard, this UMPC also has integrated WiFi and WiMAX and in this short CNET video is shown paired up with an automobile controlling navigation and music playback. Check out the video here.
Hat Tip to jkOnTheRun
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
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- Warner Crocker
Ok, if you have as much difficulty as I do keeping up with the processor advances this will make your head spin. Intel is forecasting a processor with 80 cores in five years. I’m confused enough with Core Duos and Core 2 Duo but when you read this article on CNET you’ll soon see that what we are just getting a taste for will be old hat sooner than we can think about it. Here’s a snippet:
Notebooks will get a face-lift next year with the Santa Rosa platform, which will provide notebooks with new technologies like 802.11n wireless and flash memory. Intel believes that it will be the first to add flash memory to a notebook motherboard, which will improve boot times and reduce power consumption, Otellini said.
We live in interesting times.
- Warner Crocker
 PC Magazine’s Cisco Cheng writing for ABC News is reporting on a new ruggedized UMPC from Black Diamond. Built to military specifications, the Switchback UMPC boasts a number of features for working in the rough and tumble. Here’s an excerpt:
The Switchback has some promising features that were missing in the Samsung Q1, the first UMPC to hit the U.S markets. For one, it has a built-in keyboard. Black Diamond is calling it a condensed QWERTY keyboard, similar to the one found on the latest BlackBerries. It's basically a thumb board with two letters on each key, and it learns your typing habits as you go. Still, you'll need an external keyboard to do any sort of real work on this thing.
The screen is a sunlight viewable display measuring at 5.6 inches and sporting a 1024-by-600 resolution. Other impressive features include built-in GPS, Bluetooth, and WLAN. The hard drive and batteries are hot swappable. And Black Diamond has something called a User-Defined Module which attaches to the back of the unit and lets you define your hardware needs. You have a wealth of modules to choose from, such as modules for extra USB ports, high definition audio outputs, terrestrial radios, barcode scanners, digital cameras, breathalyzer, joystick controls, and the list goes on.
The Switchback will run a Celeron processor. (Hmmm?) and I’m guessing you won’t find this model in your local big box.
Hat Tip to UltraMobile PC Tips
UPDATE: Dave Ciccone at Mobility Today has exclusive photos on the Switchback. (the photo listed above is one of them.)
- Warner Crocker
 Ed Holloway’s Ink Blog Plugin has gone gold. The Ink Blog Plugin works with Windows Live Writer to allow you to blog in ink. I should be doing this post in ink, but I’m between rehearsals at the moment, and thought the news was good enough to pass on right away. Note that if you are using the Beta it will expire on October 1, 2006, so go and grab the new Ink Blog Plugin V1.0. Here’s the link.
I’m working up an InkShow of the Ink-Blog Plug-in for later this week, so keep your eyes peeled. Great job, Ed!
- Warner Crocker
 GBM reader John Cherekijan sends word that Toshiba’s new Core 2 Duo Tablet PC, the R25–S3513 can now be had on-line from Circuit City for $1499 (which is the same price as the earlier Satellite models Circuit City carried.) Interesting news. The Core 2 Duo packs a bit more punch, but the earlier models (Core Duo) can now be had on Toshiba’s site starting at $1,259. And curiously, the R25 isn’t available on Toshiba Direct just yet. (Can you say clearing out inventory?) If you’re interested in this larger size Tablet PC and have an eye on Vista, this is a tough price to beat.
If you, like me, find it hard to keep up with the difference (the biggest one is 64 bit support) between Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors, you might want to check out this CNET UK article.
- Warner Crocker
 Lots of Sony news on Engadget today.
Sony follows Samsung with news that it is introducing a new model of the VAIO UX that contains a 32GB SSD (solid state disk.) They’d previously annoucned a 16GB SSD model, so this model looks like it will be aimed at those who need a little more HD space, and who have a few extra bucks to drop. The cost of these solid state drives will drop one  day, (if I repeat that enough times, maybe it will become true,) but in the meantime it remains an expensive proposition to say the least.
And also via Engadget, comes new pictures of the Sony PRS-500 eBook reader. Still no price and still no release date. I still question the market for this type of device, but with the news that the device will support RSS feeds that might change a few minds.
- Warner Crocker
RingCube’s MojoPac certainly sounds like a promising concept for mobile warriors. It is being shown at the DEMOfall 2006 conference, so it will be interesting to see how folks respond. Here’s the idea. The MojoPac software mirrors a computer’s personal settings, programs, and data on a USB stick, an iPod, a cellphone, etc… You take it with you and plug it into any PC where you are. The software works with a virtual operating system and supposedly works with any off the shelf XP software program. MojoPac also won’t leave traces of your work on the computer you plug in to.
The intriguing sales pitch is that laptops are too bulky to carry around, and this promo site is targeted at gamers, so look for some interesting marketing hype when this gets rolling.
You can try out the software for free here for 30 days.
Via MSNBC
- Warner Crocker
I miss Lyn and Olga. They haven’t been too active lately with their blog, Tabletolgoy, which includes, among other things, a series of wonderful photos featuring their Tablet PCs. But when the do post, they come up with some dandies. Some ad agency working on Tablet PCs should hire these two for their creativity. Check out the latest piece of Tablet PC photo art at their blog here. Just don’t ask about the dwarves.
- Warner Crocker
 Ed Holloway thinks that Line Rider might be the coolest game ever and that we should do an InkShow featuring this silly little novelty. Well, if you like sledding, or like to fall off of sleds, and like games you can play with Ink, this curiosity is quite fun.
Line Rider is just that. You draw a line (or lines) and your character hops on his sled and rides the line, until of course he (maybe a she) crashes, soars through the air, or simply falls off the end of the line. Fun little time waster.
- Rob Bushway
Last night I told you about Active Ink’s new blog, and today Active Ink Software has announced an SDK for integrating custom forms into 3rd party applications.
From their press release:
Active Ink Software, Inc., a Microsoft Premier Tablet PC Partner announced the general availability of the Active Ink Software Development Kit (SDK) for integrating custom forms into 3rd party applications.
“The ability to include custom forms quickly and present them to users in a powerful way just got a lot easier,.” said Allan Warren, Head of Development for Active Ink Software Inc. “Developers can now concentrate on the business rules of their application instead of the intricacies of collecting data on a Tablet PC.”
The Active Ink SDK is a programming tool that allows software developers to incorporate the Active Ink Client into their application by including a DLL that can be distributed as a runtime client license. The SDK allows you to customize and control the client assembly by modifying the user interface with your own custom menus, buttons and toolbars. The SDK notifies the 3rd party application when the user takes specific actions allowing the developer to implement business rules.
The Active Ink SDK works in conjunction with Active Ink Form Designer, a form-building application that enables end users and developers to build electronic forms for the Tablet PC platform. The Active Ink form is an ink-enabled document that can be used to collect data, drawings, images and signatures for 3rd party applications. The form can be filled out using a digital pen with the handwritten ink automatically being converted to text. The form can then be saved as an XML, PDF, JPG or TIF document and exported to an Excel spreadsheet or saved and retrieved from an Access or OLE-DB database (Oracle, SQL Server, etc.).
Monday, September 25, 2006
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- Rob Bushway
 While driving on I-70 headed west to Colorado Springs today, Steve Hoffman of Active Ink Software gave me a ring. Steve and I met several years ago at CES and got to know each other a bit better at the Mobile Partners conference in Redmond this past January. Active Ink Software was one of the very first sponsors of GBM, totally supporting what we were attempting to launch. Active Ink Software makes forms based software for Tablet PC users. I produced an InkShow of Active Ink Forms Designer when it was at version 4.2 and I’m doing another one on version 5 sometime in October.
Steve called to let me know that he has finally started blogging and is really enjoying it. The blog will be mostly focused on Active Ink’s core compentency: forms and Tablet PCs. My encouragement to Steve was to not let the blog become a PR machine. Instead talk about your software, talk about problems with your software, talk about successes, talk about your clients and how they use it, find out what businesses are struggling with and talk with them – engage the readers in a conversation. I’m subscribed and I’d encourage you to subscribe.
After talking with Steve about his blog, I started thinking about companies with blogs and what makes them successful. The ones I really enjoy reading are those that don’t outright try to sell me their product, but instead leave me with some tangible reasons to keep reading: hints and tips about their software, stuff they are doing in the industry, a little bit about the person writing the blog, people in the company, etc. A couple of corporate blogs I follow are:
What are some of your favorite company blogs and what do you like about them?
- Warner Crocker
 TabletKiosk is getting their act together and taking it on the road. TabletKiosk Demo Days is a roadshow for Tablet PC and UMPC enthusiasts that will be making stops in Anaheim, CA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Orlando, FL, and Houston, TX beginning Oct 19 and running through November 30. Check this link for specific dates in the specific locations.
We mostly hear about TableKiosk in the UMPC space, but don’t forget that TabletKiosk also has the excellent Sahara Tablet PCs with both active digitizer and touch screen models. If you’re close by, you really should check out the roadshow and get a chance to go hands on with their products.
If you can’t make these locations (I can’t) and want to see the roadshow come your way, drop them an email with your suggestion for where future roadshows should sit down.
- Warner Crocker
 I bit the bullet this weekend and installed the latest release of Vista. Build 5728 (or as I refer to it RC1 +1) on my M200. I was going to install RC1 but this build was made available Friday and I figured why not. (It is now available to the public.) I’ve installed several other builds before, both in dual boot and full installations and my M200 just wasn’t up to the task and I wasn’t up to turning over my main machine to that experience at the time.
Things are different now. The new build is running surprisingly smoothly on my M200 at the moment and I have to say I really don’t have too many complaints. Yes, some functionality is missing as Toshiba doesn’t have M200 drivers for the M200. (I haven’t tried this suggestion yet as things appear stable at the moment.) But so far, the one real nag is that I can’t get the screen to come back from a suspend or a hibernate. I’m not the only one with this issue.
For what it is worth with the latest WDDM drivers from Microsoft I’m able to get glass on my M200 and the performance hit isn’t as bad as I thought. In fact things are running pretty snappy on all fronts, which is a surprise. Although quite honestly, Aero Glass is a novelty more than of real practical value at this point for my testing purposes. And yes, the new UI takes some getting used to. You have to hunt and peck to locate a few things in different locations. Now that Microsoft has moved the Tablet PC folder up in the Start Menu hierarchy, I find it strange that Windows Journal and Sticky Notes don’t appear in that folder, as an example.
I’ve also got Office 2007 B2TR running as well, and quite honestly not much else at the moment as I continue to explore and discover. I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of Office 2007 B2TR on the M200 with XP. I’m even more surprised with the performan | | |