Dell's new Tablet PC making is making it out into the the hands of a few people.  Nathan has one and has posted up a few pictures of the x61 and XT sitting right next to each other.  I'm sure if following the blog might be good thing to do for a while so we can get some impressions on the unit.  We're going to be hitting up Dell at CES, so if you don't see the pictures you want we'll have a bunch coming to you next week!!

I'll add my thoughts into the 2008 guessing game:

• We will still be waiting at the end of 2008 for another Tablet PC with dedicated graphics card (I really hope this one is wrong)
• InkSeine will jump up to the top of many 'must have' Tablet PC application
• Apple will come out with a Newton replacement
• Eee PC style machine will be coming out of the woodwork
• More laptops will incorporate 'touch' without a swiveling screen - just touch on a normal laptop
• With the move of more people on Mac's, there will be an increase in virus attacks on that platform
• Slate UMPC and Slate Tablet PC's will become fewer in number of offerings as more with keyboards are introduced
• Kindle will be forgotten about soon into 2008
• iPhone will get 3G and Exchange Sync
  • I will purchase an iPhone after 3G and Exchange support
• There will be 8 new Tablet PC's released this year
  • Most new Tablet PC releases will be a refresh with a new Intel package
• N-Trig will be a contender in the Tablet PC space after positive reviews of their offerings
• MID will become the new UMPC
• Linux will be offered on more systems from OEM's
• We will still be complaining about battery life
• Google will come out with more cool 'cloud' applications
  • Something will happen, either an Internet outage, data loss... something for people to question the idea of not having a local copy of their data/photos/information

Don’t forget to get your nominations in by midnight tonight for the 2007 GottaBeMobile Awards. After the GBM staff reviews all the entries and puts their heads together, we’ll announce the awards within the first week or two of January.

2007 GottaBeMobile Awards:

We’ll be keeping an eye out for this at CES. LG is going to be showing off multi-touch displays at CES in both 52 inch and 84 inch varities. Supposedly they are the largest multi-touch displays yet. From what I’m reading in this Electronista article they use an IR interface to register only two points of contact. With Bill Gates reported to be showing of the Surface Table during his CES Keynote, it should be an interesting CES for multi-touch enthusiasts.

Pocketables is showing a new UMPC on their site.  It includes an interesting shot of the keyboard that has a some sort of input with the keyboard turned  backwards.  We'll be sure and check this one out while at CES.

The specs are listed below, but check out the other marketing shots on the Pocketables site.

• 7" LCD - LED Backlight
• VIA 1.0
• Ubuntu 7.10 (Windows XP Compatible)
• 10/100 Dongle
• Wireless G
• 512 MB RAM
• 1.8" 30 Gig drive
• Microphone and Stereo Speakers

Here’s my take, hunches, best guesses, and coin flips for 2008.

• Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) will dominate the conversation for the first half of the year. What happens in the 2^nd half is anybody’s guess.
• Call it Ultra-Mobile PC, call it UMPC, call it Origami. Call it what you will, but by the end of 2008 call it in its dying throes. The ultra mobile vision will remain, but in other devices. 
• Unlike Rob, I don’t see Dell re-evaluating their price point on the XT Tablet PC so soon. The high price point is consistent with the markets they have been targeting from the beginning. If the prices drop it will be a year from now at the earliest.
• Apple will not market a Tablet PC in 2008.  Instead it will be a communication device that takes advantage of the iPhone’s features as well as the Back to My Mac features for users to grab their data on the road. Because it will have a touch interface and be able to take advantage of InkWell, Tablet PC aficionados will call it a failure.
• Touch will again be a dominate feature and news story. The real question is will anyone develop an application that makes it more than a fancy way to play media, turn pages, or manipulate photos. Or is that enough?
• Multi-touch is still a ways off. Someone, somewhere, needs to develop a real use for it on the Tablet PC and mobile devices.
• With the exception of the MID and whatever Apple will do in 2008, next year’s headlines will be about technologies that change or provide new content delivery methods, similar to the Amazon Kindle.
• Microsoft’s marketing will continue to be mediocre at best and miss the mark more than it will hit.
• DRM will continue to cripple operating systems and content delivery methods. Most consumers won’t notice. Those that do will root for Amazon, Walmart, and Independent music producers to keep putting the pressure on.
• New releases of new products across the board will slow down in 2008. Some consumers will remember Apple’s iPhone price drop form 2007, companies will try to get a better handle on delivery inadequacies. Consumers are starting to notice that their voices can be heard, and companies will start to slow things down a bit, to hopefully improve on what they eventually release.
• The word “open” will get bandied around a lot. As in Google’s efforts to make mobile devices more open with its Google Android mobile OS. The word open will lose all meaning in the marketing miasma.
• OneNote 2007 will continue to remain a secret.
• The Asus Eee PC story is just getting started. It will have much more impact in 2008.
• The companies to watch in the mobile space who will have the greatest impact will be Apple, Nokia, HTC, Asus, and Google.
• HP, Toshiba, and Lenovo will continue to dominate the consumer Tablet PC space, although we probably won’t see anything really new until 2009. Fujitsu nees to make some noise here.
• Inking on Tablet PCs will continue to remain the ultimate niche in a niche product.
• There will be a major Internet outage or Bot Attack in 2008, prompting all sorts of chaos and howling. This will lead to a renewed interest in client apps vs. the cloud.

Images of this have been floating around for a few days. The Optimus Tactus Keyboard from Art.Lebedev Studio certainly looks intriguing. Apparently, in addition to the flat keys (they aren’t physical keys), the surface can be programmed to show or offer an function or display images. And since it is “a keyboard” that adds an interesting dimension to touch typing I’m guessing.

Looks like Asus is starting to roll out some accessories for the Eee PC. The 6 cell battery apparently looks like it can give you an extra 5.5 hours. According to the product site they’ve added a mouse, headeset, AC adaptor for different countries, and the battery.

Via jkkmobile

Well, I’m not sure if it is an “Ultimate” challenge or not, because I really am only checking out three devices here, but play along.

There are a lot of closet Stall Surfers out there. You know who you are. In fact, it is, in my considered opinion, one of the reasons that folks love mobile devices so much is the opportunity for a bit of Stall Surfing. Forget all the talk about making you more productive at work. It is all about being able to cruise the Internet, read an eBook, or check email in those very private moments. With the advent of touch devices, even those touchy about the subject are coming out of the closet on this issue. And don’t feign modesty here. You know I’m talking to you.

As soon as Sierra returns MY Kindle to ME, I’m going give these newly uncovered Easter Eggs a try. You are returning it, aren’t you, Sierra? Sierra?

Check this out courtesy of Interface.Puhala.com and Igor Skochinsky:

- Google Maps, show current location (Alt-1 while in the browser)
- Play Minesweeper (Alt-M)
- Make a screenshot (Alt-Shift-G)
- show time from the home screen (Alt-T)

Alt-2 find gas station nearby
Alt-3 find restaurants nearby
Alt-5 find custom keyword nearby
Alt-D dump debug info to the log and toggle highlight default item
Alt-Z toggle zone drawing and show log

The government has issued new rules for air travel with spare lithium batteries. These rules are effective January 1, 2008:

The following is a direct copy and paste from the SafeTravel.dot.gov site, which you can read for more details

• Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare batteries.
• You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage
• You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry-on baggage – see our spare battery tips and how-to sections to find out how to pack spare batteries safely!
• Even though we recommend carrying your devices with you in carry-on baggage as well, if you must bring one in checked baggage, you may check it with the batteries installed.

The following quantity limits apply to both your spare and installed batteries. The limits are expressed in grams of “equivalent lithium content.” 8 grams of equivalent lithium content is approximately 100 watt-hours. 25 grams is approximately 300 watt-hours:

• Under the new rules, you can bring batteries with up to 8-gram equivalent lithium content. All lithium ion batteries in cell phones are below 8 gram equivalent lithium content. Nearly all laptop computers also are below this quantity threshold.
• You can also bring up to two spare batteries with an aggregate equivalent lithium content of up to 25 grams, in addition to any batteries that fall below the 8-gram threshold. Examples of two types of lithium ion batteries with equivalent lithium content over 8 grams but below 25 are shown below.
• For a lithium metal battery, whether installed in a device or carried as a spare, the limit on lithium content is 2 grams of lithium metal per battery.
• Almost all consumer-type lithium metal batteries are below 2 grams of lithium metal. But if you are unsure, contact the manufacturer!

Here goes – my best shot at what 2008 holds for us mobile pc enthusiasts:

• Dell won’t sell many XT Latitude Tablet PCs to the small business sector, and will reevaluate by spring / early summer; just in time for their competitors to one up them on price and features. Dell will finally understand what the community has been saying: multi-touch will be great, but I’m not going to pay $1000 more for it.
• Like James, I don’t believe multi-touch for Tablet PCs will come into its own for several years, but I do see a market, and Dell is smart to be the first on the scene with a solution.
• We’ll see something from Apple in the touch / tablet MacBook line
• The ModBook will finally ship, but considering Apple’s less than spectacular Ink Well support, I don’t expect it to be a huge success.
• The Ultra-Mobile / Ultra-Portable platform will explode. The “touch” differentiator will be moot. Asus Eee PC has changed the game in regards to value vs price. Devices spec’d and priced like the Asus Eee PC will become the Ultra-Mobile PCs of the Year in 2008.
• We’ll be asking in 2008 if 2009 will be the year of the Tablet PC
• The Amazon Kindle will become the gadget to own, and I expect we’ll see an upgrade to those funky buttons. The key to the Kindle’s success is access to content and connectivity.
• Tablet PCs will continue to find success in the vertical space, and consumers will still have trouble finding them in stores. Allegiance Technology Partners to the rescue!
• Connectivity and mobile computing will be the story of 2008, and the MID devices will get a boatload of press and interest – assuming connectivity is seamless with either USB or SIM card. See Amazon Kindle above…
• Devices like the HTC X7501 will steal thunder from Nokia’s Internet Tablet series. I’d expect more from HTC along those lines as they look at the MID platform, too. Seamless connectivty, built-in applications, and syncing are key. Price will need to get more attractive, though.
• No brainer – We’ll see refreshes from all the OEMs, with just a few “finally / wow” releases. Beyond that, though, I’m expecting evolution / refresh only announcements. I know, I’m pessimestic. Prove me wrong, OEMs!
• Convertible Tablet PCs will continue to outsell Slate Tablet PCs
• We’ll still see more folks using MacBooks vs Tablet PCs when we visit the coffee shop
• Developers will continue to churn out great OneNote add-ins, and InkSeine will get released to the public.
• N-Trig will make some major announcements as OEMs look to them as a feasible alternative to Wacom. However, Wacom will continue to dominate the digitizer market.
• Businesses will begin to implement Vista in full force as new PCs get ordered and they try to stay away from mixed environments. SP 1 will play a major role in spurring implementation on.
• Microsoft will fly Warner out and ask for his help in marketing Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs, and OneNote
• Matt will figure out a way to use Vista speech recognition to keep from calling an InkShow a podcast
• Sierra won’t return my Kindle
• Terry Bradley’s home network will get hacked due to all the auto-installing intenet bot’s he’s unknowingly installed
• The GottaBeMobile readers and community will continue to be the best around
• GottaBeMobile.com will continue to dominate the Mobile PC news space, bringing everyone the best in Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs, Ultra-Portables, mobile software, and mobile connectivity solutions!

There isn't much to say on this...  but get your words right if you are going to post an article like this one.  It caught my attention, but these being classified as Tablet PCs???  Somebody needs to do a little more research or understand what the products actually are...

This is from the article labeled: 2007 Top Ten: Techs That Flopped

10. Tablet PCs
Two of the biggest cellphone makers, Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK - message board) and Palm Inc. , tried to break into this market and ended up falling flat on their faces. Palm ditched its Foleo device only months after initially promoting it as a groundbreaking new product.

Nokia, meanwhile, in what some analysts called a sign of weakness, tried to jumpstart sales of its high-end business phones by going around the traditional distribution channels of cellphone carriers and selling them directly to consumers.

In both cases, tablet PCs were a bitter pill to swallow.

Foleo?? Tablet PC?????

How would you like an interactive mirror to greet you in the morning while you’re going through your bathroom ritual? This video shows off just such an idea from Phillips. So, I’m just asking here. If this kind of thing comes to be, how long before there are webcams installed in this? I’m not so sure I want to see a two-way conversation in my bathroom mirror in the morning.

I picked this up from UltraMobileLife.com who picked it up from CTitanic.

Mary Jo Foley is reporting that Microsoft is prepping a $300 million consumer product blitz in early 2008. (I smell a CES roll out.) She’s speculating that this will include Microsoft’s Zune’s, XBox, and Windows Home Server. She’s also curiously suggesting that Microsoft Surface might be in the mix, although I’m not so sure that will be a part of the consumer push this early. (Apparently Gates is going to demo Surface technology as a part of the CES keynote.)

Here’s my question though, and the eventual answer will be quite telling. Will Microsoft include Tablet PCs and UMPCs in the big consumer push that is about to happen? I’m optimistic that we will at least see UMPCs as a part of the campaign, but if we don’t… like I said, that will be more than telling.

Thoughts?

Despite the appearance of biometric security devices in many new mobile computing platforms, password security still remains the Achilles’ heel of the computer security world. Why, you ask? Because even if you rely on a biometric device for authentication and / or encryption of your data, nearly all biometric security devices rely on a back-up “master password.” So, you may feel extra safe and secure logging into your tablet PC or ultra-mobile computing device by swiping your finger across its built-in fingerprint reader or other biometric gadget, but unless you choose a strong account passwords for your mobile device, the bad guys might be able to bypass your high-tech security measures.

Well this was a nice Christams surprise. When we got to our first stop in Chicago (there are many) we were greeted with the usual family fun, and new addition. The in-laws have added a wireless network to the house, which makes communicating and working much easier while we are crashing at their house.

Of course that’s not where the fun started. When we tried to log on, we were asked for a password, which was freely given. Until we found out it was the wrong one, and that no one in the house remembered it. So, being the dutitful son-in-law that I am, I had to open up the router’s settings and change the password. Which necessitated a guessing game until we came up with the one that had been put in originally.

And of course, after getting that taken care of, I spent some time looking at the two new laptops that have shown up at the house. Let me rephrase that. I spent some time removing CRAPWARE from the two new laptops. My goodness, these things were bogged down. Everything is running smoother now and I’m some sort of hero for showing folks a few lessons on a few things. But hey, that’s a geek’s job at the holidays when visting relatives.

Jkk is at it again, this time moding the Asus Eee with internal 3G HSDPA.

Asus has to be watching these mods. Good stuff, Jkk.

Ubergizmo is reporting that there is a new style of 12 inch touch screen coming our way in 2008.  Measuring in at the same thickness as a regular LCD screen it might make it into more devices...  or maybe not depending on the price of it.    What makes this special is in-cell touch input, meaning there isn't a need for a separate layer on the screen.  Look for mass production starting sometime in the middle of next year.

From the original article, there is also a company looking to produce the same technology in a 15.4 inch screen.  Bigger Tablet PCs or more laptop's with touch ability??

One of the best things to happen to OneNote was the release of their API.

I just received word from GBM reader Steven Eisenhauer about a new OneNote addon called Xiipy. I don’t know much about it beyond what is on the product page, but hope to learn more after downloading it .

Here are the features from thedownload page. It is in beta right now.

Update: I have installed it and am getting some errors when exiting the application. Pretty cool app, but like I said, it is beta.

1. Automatic Content Analysis   Xiipy automatically reads through the text of your OneNote page and determines the most relevant terms to help guide its resource search.     

2. Automatic Searching   Xiipy starts searching the web for pages and images related to your OneNote page without you having to open up a single search engine or type in a single key word.  Let Xiipy be your research assistant today!     

3. Integrated Interface   Xiipy integrates smoothly with OneNote 2007.  The Xiipy controls and toolbars sit on the right and lower sides of OneNote and can easily be minimized to allow maximum viewing area of the notes page.    

4. Quick Resource Preview   Thumbnail images of image resources found and search engine descriptions of website resources found can be easily viewed by expanding any item in the right pane to allow you to preview the data before deciding whether to use it in your notes.    

5. Tag Cloud   Xiipy displays all the key terms it found in what is called a "Tag Cloud".  This shows the relative importance/weight of each term based on how many times it shows up in the document.

I did some followup with my contact at Other World Computing regarding the January 8 availability on the ModBook. This looks really promising – the date is solid!

Presently, all the pieces are in place for shipments to begin January 8.  We delayed as long as possible before updating our site status and sending our notification e-mail to ensure we wouldn’t have to change that expected date again. We appreciate the fact that there have been delays on this,  and wanted to make sure could give a date that would hold solid.

I’m attending Macworld on January 15, so I’ll be sure to head over to Axiotron’s and OWC’s booths to get some hand’s on with the ModBook. Our name is still on the list to get a review unit.

Check out this great video of the new Wacom Cintiq 12WX monitor.  This would be a great addition for us Tablet PC users to have hooked up to our desktops, or even an additional screen to write on with our Tablet PC's!!  Nice video and well written summary - I've been trying to get one of these to look at from WACOM, but no luck yet - I think us Tablet users would really enjoy one of these things. 

Here's the video review for the new Wacom Cintiq 12WX, a tablet that allows you to draw directly on the screen with extreme precision, great feel and amazing results (even with butter fingers like mine). The Cintiq 12WX is probably the best peripheral I have ever tried. If you are not a professional illustrator or photographer, you may want to get one. If you are pro, however, you will be wondering why have you been waiting for so long for this 12" wonder.

As a side note, we have a 21 inch WACOM in our office and I love to play around with it in my 'free' time :)  Makes going back to my 12" Tablet PC screen seem REALLY small to ink on...

Well, I don’t have a typical day, but it is a good way to title an article, huh?

I normally wake up around 5:00, grab my OQO Model 02, and head down to the kitchen to make some coffee from my Senseo machine – best coffee I’ve ever had!

While my wife is watching the weather, I’ll be scanning news feeds in Google Reader and flagging stuff for posting later in the day, hitting FoxNews.com, scanning emails, flagging emails for follow-up, etc. I’ll take some handwritten notes in OneNote of stuff on my mind, things I’m already thinking of, etc. We’ll spend some time talking about the kids, each other, the day ahead, etc.

By 6:00, Kathi and I head down to our workout room. Depending on the day and the rotation, we are either cycling, lifting weights, or doing some other type of circuit routine. I normally have my Zune on listening to some music or audio books. I use my Model 02 and OneNote to take notes on my workout, improvements I made, things to work on, etc. To ensure I get a good workout and not get distracted, I close down email and messenger. When I’m feeling too connected and want to minimize technology in my life, I’ll leave the Model 02 upstairs, and I’ll use a Moleskine instead.

By 8:00, I’ve finished my workout, showered, had a protein shake, and headed out the door to my office. A couple of days during the week, I take my kids to a homeschool study center, so I’ll drop them off before getting to the office. I’m either on my phone or the OQO checking email for client emergencies, breaking news, etc. My day can take a sudden change of direction based upon the freakiness of technology.

That’s where my typical day ends.

I wear a lot of hats during the day, and depending on what fire is brewing, I may find myself taking care of multiple issues either at the office, at home, or at a client site. The beauty of tablet pcs is that I can work from wherever I need to, and I always have my notes with me. Having my notes with me is key to my success for getting things done.

• Managing Editor of GottaBeMobile – Throughout the day, I’m watching Techmeme.com, my Google Reader subscriptions, email, Messenger, etc for news that breaks and needs posting. I normally leave Messenger running throughout the day and will have 2 – 3 conversations with Warner and other staff members of GBM about news that is popping, InkShows in the works, scheduling, etc. Using Windows Live Writer, I’ll post news stories that I flagged earlier that morning. I find that I’m filling that role in multiple locations throughout the day – working from my OQO in the car or library, the X61 at the office, or from either machine at home.
• Programmer – I work on a variety of programming projects, from web based systems, to reporting engines, to custom developed apps. Most of that work is done at the office, but I do have to go offsite frequently to work on specialized reports and custom apps. I typically do that type of work on a more powerful Tablet PC like the X61 or 2710p. Days like today, when we are expecting a major snowstorm, I’ll be at home, working from the  dining room table on those projects, while going back and forth in my GottaBeMobile role.
• Tech  Support – this role is becoming much less frequent for me. As GBM has grown, I’m doing less and less tech support. However, I do maintain a few key clients, and there is no telling when something will break and I’ll need to leave to go take care of it. When I’m on the road, I have the Model 02 sitting in a Pro Clips auto mount, plugged into my Novatel USB727 modem.

I try to be very diligent about getting home by 5:00, so we can all have dinner together, go to TaeKwonDo, go to Scouts, attend church functions, have movie night on Fridays, etc. My computers are normally off from 5:00 until 9:00. Depending on where we are and what is going on, I’m checking email periodically on my phone of the day ( iPhone, HTC Tilt, etc). It is a huge weakness in my life and one that I am constantly struggling with.

By 9:00, the kids are in bed. Kathi and I catch up and just chat about the day. We are both either reading a real book, reading on the Kindle, browsing the web, or just vegging out. I browse my feeds and check my email, making notes of what the next day will hold, drafting some articles, or whatever. I’m a night owl and will typically stay up until 11:30 - 12:00 drifting between work, reading, and instant messenger. Besides working in OneNote, I also find myself in MindManager mapping projects out, to-do lists, etc.

The biggest drains on me are email and instant messenger. At any time during the day, people will chime in and ping me about stuff. I find that I have more control over those interruptions when I leave my messenger status to “Appear Offline”. That way, the virtual door to my office remains closed except when I want to open it. Email is another one of those things that I either live or die by. Most of my communication is by email, but for me to get work done throughout the day, I have to leave Outlook closed and only check it when I want to. I have not been very successful at doing that, but I am making progress.

I’ve found that having access to mobile computers and the ability to work from anywhere can have negative ramifications as well. The mobile phones, tablet pcs, ultra-mobile pcs can be with you always, and so the perceived need to be in touch, available, and constantly checking on things is always nagging. I try to guard my time between 5:00 and 9:00, and the weekends, as unplugged time so that my body and mind are both present with my family, and I have opportunities to be refreshed and renewed.

Successful mobile computing is a balancing act. It provides tremendous freedom and flexibility, but it is a freedom that can be abused if not handled correctly.

Today and tomorrow is EverNote Portable day – get it for free from GiveAwayOfTheDay.com

Details below ( anouncement says 27^th, but it does run through the 28^th):

To follow up on the record breaking success of its November 15th GiveAway of the Day promotion, EverNote Corporation today announced an opportunity for customers to get its EverNote Portable product free for one day only.

EverNote Portable allows users to store all of their notes, snapshots, emails, and web clips on a PC, USB drive or an SD card, allowing them to keep everything with them wherever they go. In addition, EverNote Portable gives customers access to all of their notes without installing any software on the host computer.

EverNote Portable offers mobile users most of the popular features and functionality of the desktop version of EverNote including the Universal Clipper, note search, with the added ability to access their notes from any computer—at any time.

To be one of the first to take advantage of this great offer, visit: www.giveawayoftheday.com on December 27^th.

This has been rumored, hoped for, and forecast for some time now and it looks like it is going to come to pass. The Financial Times is reporting that Apple is going to start “renting” movies on line through its iTunes store. Apparently an announcement is scheduled for MacWorld in a few weeks, so you never know, it might not happen. But FT.com is reporting that the deal is with 20th Century Fox, and that there is also a component of this that uses Apple’s Fair Play DRM technology to allow consumers to purchase a DVD in a store and then rip it to their computer or iPod. (Like that doesn’t all ready happen.)

So, would you rent movies online?

Terry Cole, a GBM reader, received an email from Other World Computing letting him know that the ModBook is finally coming on January 8th – that’s right, a whole year later. James Kendrick received a similar letter, so check out his thoughts, too.

The timing is quite interesting, especially considering that the Macworld Expo starts a week later, and the much-rumored ultra-portable MacBook / Mac Tablet is rumored to be making a debut. Does this signify that whatever tablet / touch thing Apple is working on won’t look like a traditional slate, support a Wacom digitizer, and be high-powered? The timing on this speaks volumes.

I’ve got an email in to my contacts at Other World to check on the review unit we’ve been requesting since this past January. I wouldn’t hold your breath on this one, but seeing as January 8 is only about a week away, it sounds like Other World and Axiotron might finally have their act together.

Pricing starts at $2279 for a 2 Ghz Core 2 Duo, 13.3” Wacom Digitizer supporting 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, and GPS.

Thank you for your patience regarding your order for the Modbook OS X
Tablet Solution. This e-mail is to inform you that the product is nearly
ready to ship and that new configuration options are now available. As
of the latest available information from Axiotron, we anticipate being
able to ship your Custom configured Modbook solution on or before
January 11th, 2008. On a first in, first out basis - Modbooks are
expected to begin shipping on or before January 8th, 2007.

As is our standard policy, we do not charge your credit card for an
order prior to it shipping. While your credit card will be authorized
when it goes into build, no charge will occur until the day it is shipped.

Before we can queue up your custom Modbook solution, you will need to
select from our new and updated offerings. To do so, please login with
your account information and order number at the following URL:
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Modbook

You may also use the above information to officially cancel your order
if that is your preference at this time.

Your order qualifies for the special 'early bird' discount. You will
receive an $80 discount your ModBook system(s). You need only select your
final system configuration and your order will be updated to reflect this
discount of $80 per Modbook in your basket.

In relationship to the system you previously selected, the following
changes have occurred:

**WAAS Enabled GPS (formally a $99 option) now STANDARD Built-In!**

Apple OS 10.5.x Leopard Included & Preinstalled (was 10.4 'Tiger')

Memory options available up to 4.0GB (was 3.0GB)

Internal Hard Drive options available up to 570GB (was 500GB)

Standard Intel GMA X3100 Accelerated Video (was GMA 950 Video)

New top-end processor speed of 2.2GHz (was 2.16GHz)

Apple iLife '08 Included and Preinstalled (was iLife '07)
---------------------------------------------------------

Although we cannot turn back the clock, the current system features and
options updates, as well as new lower pricing for various available
options, is reflective of updates possible as a result of this time. We
apologize for the delay and appreciate your understanding.


Thank you,

The Other World Computing Team

I've been playing with some programs over the weekend and would like to do two things: Share and Ask

One of the programs I've been playing with is Ergo.  Very interesting program that does searching, and is very Tablet PC friendly.  It's a little slow with loading the thumbnails (Flickr search was fast though), but it's kind of a cool idea that's for sure.  I like how it gives a nice view of the results - and there's also the option of picking from a variety of search providers or even your local machine.  There are also a great feature where you can annotate anything in the search - with text or ink.  I don't have a touch based Tablet PC, but it sure seems like it would work well on a UMPC or a Tablet PC with touch.  Check it out at YourErgo.com, it's a Beta 2, so tread lightly (but I haven't had any problems)

The other program is a tool to look for in the coming weeks.  It's a program called Shozu that allows photos to be uploaded or blogged straight from your phone.  I have the AT&T 8925 running MW6 with a 3 MP camera with the Shozu client running full force.  There are lots of other phones supported as well so check for your phone here.  It's a very cool tool, and make sure to look for MANY updates on our GottaBeMobile Flickr feed...  I will be uploading photos "on the fly" the whole time we are at CES. 

So my question to you - any interesting programs you have been exploring lately? Cool stuff for your Phone, Tablet PC or Mac??  I found these from some feeds that people have been sharing on Google Reader - that's a cool tool as well!!  Oh, and one more, if you don't like iGoogle for your home page??  Check out Pageflakes, I've been playing with that one since this morning.

I’m actually only slightly worried. Ever since my wife, Thomasin, got to try out Rob’s Asus Eee PC, I haven’t been able to pry it out of her hands. In fact, I had to purchase it from Rob and give it to her as a Christmas present. She has become quite attached to it.

We’re on the road and freshly checked into a hotel somewhere in Ohio, on the way to Chicago, and we hadn’t been in the room more than 10 minutes before she whipped it out and began checking her email. The funny part is she kept insisting that we find a place with free WiFi so I could check my email. Yeah, right.

Not only that, but on the trip today she loved using the iPod Touch. I had stored up some podcasts containing interviews with presidential candidates for the drive and once she got started she was off and running. I may not see that device again either.

I’m beginning to think I’ve created another full fledged geek in the house.

EverNote just let us know that EverNote Portable will be featured on GiveAwayOfTheDay.com  on December 27^th and 28^th. The announcement below indicates just one day, but EverNote has told us it will be offered for the 27^th and 28^th.

To follow up on the record breaking success of its November 15th GiveAway of the Day promotion, EverNote Corporation today announced an opportunity for customers to get its EverNote Portable product free for one day only.

EverNote Portable allows users to store all of their notes, snapshots, emails, and web clips on a PC, USB drive or an SD card, allowing them to keep everything with them wherever they go. In addition, EverNote Portable gives customers access to all of their notes without installing any software on the host computer.

EverNote Portable offers mobile users most of the popular features and functionality of the desktop version of EverNote including the Universal Clipper, note search, with the added ability to access their notes from any computer—at any time.

To be one of the first to take advantage of this great offer, visit: www.giveawayoftheday.com on December