Kevin Tofel takes a look at the inking experience on the Vye S37 for all of the UMPC inkers out there.  His post, Inker or Stinker takes a quick look at his experience was like.  He has already adjusted his ways for inking on the Q1P, and it seems like he might have to do the same on the Vye as well. 

Back to the original "inker or stinker" question then. Here's my conclusion: the inking experience for most people will be sub-par at best. Does that mean the Vye should be crossed off of your UMPC wish list? Absolutely not unless you're a heavy duty inker, in which case you'd be better suited with a Fujitsu U810 or P1610, both of which should be better for inking. If you're an occasional inker or are looking for a sub-notebook device, the marginal inking experience shouldn't be too high on your list of cons. It all comes down to finding the device that meets your needs best. True, all-day inkers won't be happy, while folks that rely on a keyboard and occasional touch won't be disappointed.

Keep a close eye on Loren's blog!  His Silverlight based whiteboard application is getting close by the moment.  Sounds like it's still a couple of weeks away for cleaning up a little.  I bet GBM could use this for some of our 'virtual' meetings we have from time to time.

Warner put up a picture of Rob earlier today, but man, look what came to my door this evening with a candy bag in hand!!  Cut and a perm since this morning, but still no shave...

I think we're done now, back to Tablet PC's - Happy Halloween!

And here is another take on the Internet Tablet or MID. The NVX3000PC (they’ve got the not so sexy naming convention down at least) from Audiovox/Jensen is described as a 7 inch Windows XP personal computer with built-in portable navigation and WiFi. From the product page it looks like it is targeted for the automobile. They are also touting the usual media playback with mp3 and video playback (well if it is running XP you’d expect that) as well as two USB ports, a full function remote control, and an included windshield bracket for mounting. All of that isn’t cheap as it will set you back $1500.

Via CrunchGear

Lora over at WhatIsNew is also very interested in Tablet PCs in the education space, so I was very interested when she posted about a new book she found titled "The Impact of Tablet PCs and Pen-based Technology: Beyond the Tipping Point (2007)". The book is an update to a version printed last year, and the new edition appears to be a complete re-write.

From the Amazon editor's description:

A wide variety of disciplines are embracing Tablet PC's and similar pen-based devices as tools for the radical enhancement of teaching and learning. Deployments of Tablet PCs have spanned the K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels and have dealt with an amazingly diverse range of subject areas. This work is aimed at identifying best practices in the educational use of pen-based computing so that all educators may benefit from this next generation of technology.

You can get your own copy at Amazon.com (affiliate link for GBM)

There's been a lot of rumors flying around about a possible Google cell phone being in development, nicknamed the gPhone. Today's article at the Wall Street Journal suggests that the phone is a reality and might not be that far in the future. Google is reportedly in talks with Verizon and Sprint to offer the device.

As interesting as a Google phone might be, which really has me interested are the rumors about the operating system. According to GigaOM, the phone will run a special Google Mobile OS based off of an optimized Linux build. This could be an interesting development. With the Intel/Microsoft Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) being based off of Linux, this seems pretty well positioned to be the first MID available. From a cell phone carrier, no less.

I can fantasize that the Google Phone will actually have a real web browser. It really ought to...

via Engadget, GigaOM

Sometimes things can get down right spooky in the Tabletscape and Matt Faulkner and I spend this week’s GBM Podcast (that’s GBM Podcast #38 for those who are counting) talking about a number of developments, as well as a few tricks and a few treats. So, while you may be waiting to dish out your Halloween treats to your local ghosts and goblins, give GBM Podcast #38 a listen.

Are you waiting about news from Dell? Well, if you’re a Purdue student or educator maybe you got to take a sneak peak. Wonder what is going on in UMPC land? Chippy seems to be covering all the news on UMPC TV (and creating a fashion faux pas as well.) Well Asus’s R2E UMPC be a hit? Is Apple going to finally produce a Tablet PC? Who knows, but we sure love to speculate, especially with all the news that’s fit to touch bouncing around these days. We even talk a little football, just for fun.

The Tablet PC people in the Oregon / Washington area will be meeting this Sunday, Nov 4. Everyone is welcome!

Date: November 4

Time: 2pm  (remember to change your clocks!)

Place: Bella Espresso coffee house.  (My favorite!! Try a French Kiss Latte - yum!)

http://southwaterfront.com/retail/bella
The Meriwether West building
3550 SW River Parkway Portland, OR 97239
Free Wi-Fi and LOTS of seating

Email Sierra if you need directions!

via TabletPCBuzz

Well, maybe the Tablet PCs aren't directly protecting national security, but indirectly, in a totally different type of GottaBeSecure way, this is a prime example of how Tablet PCs can improve work flow.

The Maryland State Police have identified more than 150 potential terrorist targets that they check regularly for possible problems. Maryland State Police Sergeant Don Teasedale decided that there had to be a better way than filling out endless paper forms. Enter the Tablet PC.

By preinstalling important data into the Tablet PC, including red lines to indicate the identified threat points, the MSP is standardizing how their officers check for threats. This reduces time and increases efficiency, both key to the overall reduction of the threat to security.

The original article from wjz.com has a video that shows the officers in action. They're obviously using a touch screen Tablet PC, but it's hard to tell what brand.   They are using touch screen Sahara Slate PCs from TabletKiosk. (Thanks Gail!)

via jkOnTheRun

Loren Heiny picked up a great piece by CNET on the "white book" pc makers. Loren takes it further by asking if we'll one day build our own Tablet PCs / UMPCs, and lays out the challenges, but why it will be a good thing for the market and the mobile space.

But it’s not because Intel and others haven’t tried to inspire this market. They have. They’ve tried working with the channel to bring about standard notebook components. But it hasn’t worked. Why? Because I think Intel and others have focused on lagging designs rather than the prosumer market. That’s where the action is.

What do you think?

GBM just keeps adding team members and contributors in our quest to cover as much of the mobile computing scene as we can. I’d like to introduce you to our latest, who bears a striking resemblance to someone already on the team. Meet Robin Treepath, who will be helping us cover all the mobile goodness we can find.

Especially today, on Halloween.

Over the last year or so there has been much talk about low cost computing solutions targeted at the education market and emerging nation markets. First there was the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) that was intially ballyhooed as the $100 computer. Then came the Asus Eee PC, (aimed somewhat at education, but also as a low price consumer model) which originally had a price target of under $200. Both prices climbed a bit in reality, (the OLPC to under $200, and the Eee PC to between $299 and $500.) Packard Bell is also weighing in, but at a little steeper price and that price seems to keep fluctuating a bit.

Om Malik asks the same question I’ve been pondering for awhile about these low priced portables. What impact will they have on the mobile computing market? I’m not sure and I think the jury is a long ways from giving a verdict. Although Asus is making a huge pitch during the upcoming holiday season. But, if these devices achieve any sort of market penetration at all (even in specialized situations) I’m sure some will take notice. Om thinks, and I agree, that the price point of the Eee PC qualifies it as an impulse buy, and if all you’re looking for is the Internet, email, and some light document work, it could certainly be an attractive option for those on a budget.

Intriguingly, yesterday, InfoWorld reported that adding Windows XP to the Eee PC would double the price of that device, which is a real puzzler.

What are your thoughts? Will these low priced alternatives have an impact? As they take advantage of open source applications, will this push open source solutions, and Linux, forward as a viable option? Remember, we’re going to see a lot more about Linux with the release of the MIDs soon.

It will all be interesting to watch.

This looks like a winner. The Eye-Fi is a 2GB SD memory card that adds Wi-Fi to most digital cameras. The free Eye-Fi service allows you to then upload your photos directly to your computer or 20 different web-based photos sites. According to all I’ve read about this, it seems to work as advertised (haven’t tried it personally yet).

The beauty of this is that it allows you to snap your picture and if you’re in range of WiFi up go your pictures to the target you designate. No more card swapping, no more cradles, no more cables. One caveat, the Eye-Fi doesn’t support hotspots. Price is set at $100. I’ll have to give this a go.

Three of the most influential Nokia Internet Tablet bloggers got together to share their brief experiences with the new Nokia N810 Internet Tablet on a podcast. You have to love their slug line, which I’ve morphed a bit for the headline of this post. Reggi Suplido of InternetTabletTalk.com, Jonathon Greene of maemoapps.com and atmaspheric endeavors, and Daniel Gentleman (aka Thoughtfix) of Tabletblog.com share their views on the new device.

Worth a listen.

I'm always interested in seeing what PC Mag's Cisco Cheng has to say when reviewing Tablet PCs and UMPCs. His reviews leave me scratching my head sometimes.

I have to say, though, I'm pretty impressed with his treatment of the Fujitsu U810 UMPC. He is right on track with what a lot folks have to say about the U810, and praises it for it is designed for: ultra-portable computing. Pretty fair and balanced review, if you ask me. Give his review a read if the U810 has your interests piqued.

via UMPCPortal.com

Warner posed an interesting question today regarding the oft-rumored Apple / Mac Tablet, touch, and Leopard: Is Apple Stacked Up for Touch on a Mac?

I've never been shy of the fact that I enjoy using a MacBook, and have written about my frustrations with the MacBook Pro. Like many people, I've also been waiting impatiently for Apple to enter the market with a tablet, and for the much-delayed ModBook. Nobody can accuse me of not being fair and balanced in my writing when it comes to Microsoft, Apple, and others. I just want a good mobile tablet experience, and I don't care who comes out with it.  I'm actually tablet pc-less right now, as I've loaned my Vista-based tablet pcs out to friends to try, with much success I might add.

So, what about Leopard and touch? Is it primed and ready? Well, I'll be honest, there are many aspects of the OS X user interface, as currently implemented in Leopard, that just frighten the heck out of me when I think about navigating it with my finger. Things like resizing, dialog controls, closing / minimizing / maximizing windows, scrolling, etc; and, don't even get me started on Ink Well. However, there are features like Cover Flow and Stacks that feel like Apple is showing us a little bit of their hand. Navigating Cover Flow feels a lot like flipping through album covers on the iPhone.

I'll create a short video within the next day that will demonstrate my concerns about touch being implemented on a Leopard based Mac, as well as those things that seem to pave the way for some interesting user experiences.

Stay tuned. 

I’ve been watching much of this year’s Apple news from afar, and vicariously living through the blogs and posts of others. One of the benefits and curses of seeing things from the outside is that it makes you ponder on what you see. So, I’m pondering.

With the advent of multi-touch on the iPhone and subsequently the iPod Touch, Apple has certainly taken the world of touch computing forward in a big way (in my opinion). As I look at, again from afar, the UI in the recent release of Leopard, which includes Coverflow and Stacks, (to name two) it makes me wonder if Apple isn’t setting the decks for that long and oft rumored Apple tablet, albeit with touch and not the pen. Both of the two examples I mentioned above seem a natural for a touch interface, and certainly Coverflow has proved that on other devices.

Those rumors of an Apple tablet come and go with a regularity that it is almost predictable, and certainly borders on the boring. Who knows if and when something like that will come to be. But, if you add the multi-touch functionality to an OS that has those UI features, I can’t help but think that it isn’t too far a leap to create a Mac or Mac tablet that uses touch to manipulate those features.

So, I’ll put this question to Rob, who I know just upgraded to Leopard on his Mac. Do you think that the Leopard UI would work will with a touch tablet? Any other Mac users out there feel free to chime in as well. What do you think?

Or at least that's what I call them...  There was a lot of fun going on the other night with Live Chippy and I got on the show really late.  There were still a few people on the chat, so I joined in with the rest.  It's still crazy to think that when you are talking to others they could still be half a world away.  One thing doesn't change by location is how/where people wear their devices...  I know Rob really likes to wear his OQO Model 02 on his belt, but I didn't realize that him and Chippy shared the same fashion statement...  Some kind person on the chat happened to take these screen shots of Chippy showing off his favorite way to carry the devices he owns. 

Antimatter posted up an interesting link in the forums last night.  I got to play around with it for a while with a mouse, not a pen, but ended up clicking a couple of times...  The site portrays an environment where there aren't any mouse 'clicks'.  As I posted in the forums, I like the idea, but would it be possible to change the way millions of people are trained to interact with a computer???

Make sure and test it out with your pen and report back if you like the idea!

The new Vye Mini-V S37B continues the utterly incomprehensible naming conventions that seems to be a requirement for UMPCs. Aside from its "snappy" name, it appears to be a worthy entry into the UMPC constellation. Hot on the heels of JKOnTheRun's Unboxing, Chippy over at UMPCPortal has posted an in-depth review of the Vye. He praises the standard convertible form-factor, bright screen, and touch-type keyboard - and that's just in the beginning! Chippy includes a video showing off the externals and form factor and dives deep into the internals and software.

Worth noting about the Vye - it includes a standard 2.5" hard drive. Although it ships with a 5400rpm drive, it might be  possible to upgrade to a 7200rpm if you are so inclined.

For the geek-fashion inclined, it's available with a shoulder/hand strap for carrying. The strap connects via Kensington lock slots on either side of the system. I think this is a pretty innovative way of having an easily removable carrying handle with a very limited overhead to the system itself. I can easily see myself using something like that.

GottaBeMobile should be doing an InkShow on the Vye soon - stay tuned!

More pictures and the full review over at UMPCPortal.

I just saw this in the Lenovo forums - Some good deals there right now!!  Thanks Yonatan!!

I saw this on slickdeals.net.  Better move fast while the limited supplies still are available. I've heard a lot of stuff is gone already.  If you've been holding out for a deal, this might be your day.

Lenovo tablet deals

Here is an example of one of the options:

Sale price:$1,364.91
List price: $3,006.00

x61T
Core 2 duo 1.6Ghz
2GB RAM
120GB HD
12.1" MultiView + MultiTouch WVA XGA TFT, 2x3 UltraConnect II antenna
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
ThinkPad X6 Tablet UltraBase, ThinkPad X60 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery
Vista and Office Business
1 year depot warranty

Technorati Tags: Lenovo

We all spend time looking for charging solutions and extra juice for our mobile devices. Whether that be a search for an AC outlet, a portable charging solution, or just lugging around extra batteries it is something we all think about. And of course these days, finding a solution that is also environmentally friendly is always a plus. The Solio Hybrid Solar Charger will offer mobile warriors some help on both fronts and I really enjoyed the opportunity to check out this product for this GBM InkShow.

All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:

Craig Pringle, a Microsoft Tablet PC MVP, recently checked out TabletKiosk's Sahara i440D Slate Tablet PC, and got to experience the joys of multi-mode touch and active digitizer. Watch below, as Craig checks out the only slate on the market to support multi-mode touch and active digitizer..

Google is making big moves on the big email front in the cloud. They began rolling out IMAP support last week (I just got it yesterday, others are still waiting for it to show up) and now comes word that they are starting to roll out a 2.0 version of the very popular GMail. Phillip Lenssen of Google Blogoscoped as quite a bit of coverage and quite a few pictures of what’s coming in GMail 2.0.

From what I’ve read the big advances in 2.0 are improved speed and better contact management.

So, how many GBM Users rely on GMail?

I must have missed this a week or so ago, but nonetheless, this is good news for digital photo bugs. The latest beta of Windows Live Photo Gallery now includes Flickr integration, allowing you to send your photos to Flickr with one click. The integration allows you to use the same tagging in Windows Live Photo Gallery in Flickr, so you don’t have to do double duty there. I’ve been using Flickr and a variety of uploading tools for some time now, and I’m glad to see this integration roll out.

Via Channel10

If the consonants  j, k, h, t, and c, mean anything to you, then you know you are a follower of the mobile tech scene. HTC is a company to keep an eye on, as we’ve said many times. They’ve brought the Advantage to market, and are now rolling out the Shift, (now in Europe and hopefully soon here in the States). And of course the letters j and k can stand for either James Kendrick of jkOnTheRun or jkk of jkkmobile, both of who cover the mobile tech scene like a blanket. Both have recent HTC news posted on their respective sites.

James Kendrick has posted one of his Day in the Life reviews of how he uses the HTC Advantage.

And on jkkmobile, jkk is linking to coolsmartphone, who has put up a look at the HTC Shift, including a raft of videos and pictures.

Now if someone could only buy a vowel.

Asus’s successor to the R2H UMPC, the R2E, is getting ready to hit the market. In fact, according to Steve “Chippy” Paine it should already be out in Italy. CTitanic is reporting on Mobility Site that the R2H stock is just about played out, and that the R2E is coming soon. The big difference? The R2E is running the A110 processor and not the Celeron 900Mhz or the Pentium M (the two previous verisons of the R2H). And also the R2E will include HSDPA.

No word on whether or not Asus has fixed that infamous bug on the touch screen that reads the x,y coordinates the wrong way and causes crashes in programs that use WPF. By the by, my Asus R2H is up for sale.

WhatIsNew just wrote up a good discussion of using Windows Journal as an index card. The article mostly talks about using Journal on a UMPC, where the reduced screen size gives a good effect of having index cards. However, I think people tend to dismiss the capabilities of Windows Journal too quickly. It's a simple application, but it can be really powerful in its simplicity. Often I don't want the overhead and breadth of capability of OneNote, and Journal steps right up to many of these lighter tasks.

via WhatIsNew

This article was originally going to be about batteries and battery management. Well, it still is. But not in the way you might think. I wanted to write an awesome article about how I changed a few settings and all of a sudden I went from an hour of battery life to five hours of battery life.

This will not be that article.

Chippy over on UMPC Portal noticed an updated picture of the WiBrain B1 UMPC.  Looks really nice, but for some reason I don't like that split keyboard design.  When I had the Q1, I really didn't like that type of input.  It might be something to get used to, but having to look back and forth between each side made me feel dizzy or like I am watching a game of tennis...

The specs look really interesting and the size looks about right and I don't think you could ask for any other type of connectivity.  Check out the specs page for more information.

Cartoonmonkey has his hands full, full of slate Tablet PC's that is...  It's not very often that you get to see this many slates all in one place at the same time.  Take a look over on his site for a nice little rundown comparing the M1400, LE1700, LE1600 and the Sahara.  There are quite a few pictures over there, with some great comparison points between each model - enough for others to make a better informed decision if looking for a slate.  I was kind of surprised at the result of the article...  but, reading the article is the best way to tell what his decision was at the end!!

Thanks for the head up bmhome1!!

When going mobile, one of the things I get the most benefit out of is my WWAN modem card. I used to think that integrated WWAN was the way to go, but for how I work and how frequently I switch between tablet pcs and umpcs, I have found USB based WWAN modem cards to be the most portable and cost effective. I recently purchased a USB727 Novatel modem from Verizon and have been enjoying that flexibility immensely. I can use it in my MacBook, my OQO Model 02 Tablet PC, the evaluation Lenovo X61 Tablet PC, and my Samsung Q1P UMPC.

The ultimate in flexibility and portability, though, is being able to share that WWAN broadband signal across WiFi for others to enjoy. Cradlepoint Technologies to the rescue.

Cradlepoint Technologies CTR350 Cellular Travel Router ( $149 ) accepts USB based WWAN modems and mobile phones, then shares that broadband connection over a 802.11 b/g WiFi signal. If a phone is being used as the cellular modem, then the router also charges the phone. It is a great size and solution for traveling, and also for home use. With the strong EVDO signal I get at home, I'm considering using it in place of my Comcast connection, and saving $40 a month.

I'll have a more detailed InkShow review in the coming weeks, but for now, checkout this GBM Shortcut for the unboxing, size, etc, and visit Cradlepoint Technologies for more info.

Click To Play