Loren Heiny is wondering

Loren wonders if there would be more success if they launched today with something that sounded Netbookish about them as he correctly points out that naming conventions do follow trends. I’m guessing the name wouldn’t make much difference as to acceptance, regardless of the convention. That said, I’m also thinking about just how much of an impact Netbooks have had on all segments of the mobile market for Loren to be pondering the way he is.

Thoughts?

“Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple anti-virus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult.”

To be fair here, Apple is saying that the malware gets in not from security flaws but from users downloading software that contains malicious wares. Apple is recommending the following anti-virus packages:

• Intego VirusBarrier X5, available from the Apple Online Store
• Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh, available from the Apple Online Store
• McAfee VirusScan for Mac

There is also a free AV program called ClamXav

I’ve never heard of using mutlitple AV solutions before as I thought they usually conflicted with one another, but maybe that’s just me. Regardless, this will undermine, to an extent, the Apple is invulnerable to malware mantra that has achieved myth like status. I’m guessing we’ll never see that I’m A Mac, I’m A PC commercial featuring a sneezing PC again as well.

Via Brian Krebs Security Fix

The new laptop will be one of the same value as what you originally purchased. Fujitsu is also figuring in inflation and upping the ante by 10% each cycle. An individual or business can buy up to 10 notebooks in the promotion, and of course there are some conditions involved. If you do any upgrading you’ll need to do so with Fujitsu authorized parts.

Via Slashgear

istartedsomething
The Gadgeteer

Here are the winners of the two Camtasia 6.0 licenses, courtesy of TechSmith. In case you don’t remember we had two categories of entrants. Both winners were chosen at random. One winner was chosen for a text entry and one for a video entry. And without further delay the winners are:

Text entry: Evan Brammer (you can read his text entry here.)

Video Entry: Jane

Here is Jane’s video entry:

Congratulations to both winners and a big thank you to TechSmith.

Both winners send me an email at warner at gottabemobile dot com and I’ll get you your licenses. And remember, we want to see the results of your work in Camtasia Studio so we can post them up!

It has 3.5 inch touch display and al full QWERTY keyboard. Nokia is jumping on the social and location based computing bandwagon with its location services called ‘So-Lo’, short for social location. So-Lo uses integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass to know where you are when you connect to your social networks. The widescreen format of the 3.5 inch 16:9 screen can be fully customized with widgets and yes, the device will run Flash.

The N97 supports up to 48GB of storage with 32GB on-board, expandable with a 16GB micro-SD card. It supposedly will support continuous music playback for 1.5 days. It, of course, includes the now familiar Carl Zeiss optics in a 5 megapixel camera that will allow DVD quality video capture. It looks like Nokia followed the button-less approach of Apple as the device has only one button

Look for this to ship in the first quarter of 2009 and cost around $550 before subsidy in the US according to Robert Scoble. That may change as the price in Euros is listed at 550 which currently translates to just under $700 US.

Nokia seems to be striking right at Apple and the iPhone’s dominance and while it certainly seems to have more features (video, keyboard, etc…) the price will be a big factor.

Robert Scoble has a video up of the device as well as pictures.

Here is a YouTube video of the Nokia Presentation.

For our $6,000  HP Magic Giveaway contest, we are accepting entries from people who are nominating others in need or those they want to recognize – people they would like to bless as a result of winning such a huge prize. They win as a result of your winning. How cool is that? It could be a person who is unemployed, a financially challenged family without the means to buy products like these, multiple people with various issues, multiple families in need, an organization in need of mobile computers, a disconnected person that would value from being connected to the mobile social world, a person / organization donating their own time / money / energies to help others in need, a children’s hospital, a church, a soldier, a pastor, a nurse, a hero you want to recognize, etc. You get the idea. You tell us why you are nominating them and, if you win, what portion of the prize package you will give to them. Video submissions are also accepted, and highly encouraged. We don’t expect you to give the entire prize package away, but we are pretty sure you can find someone to help out or recognize. For a complete description of the prize package being sponsored by HP and Microsoft, visit the HP Magic Giveaway site.

Here are the two steps for entering our contest for your chance to win over $6000 in computers, software, and accessories. In addition, be sure to read below for how to earn “bonus points”.

Steps

1) Submit your nomination entry

2) Subscribe to our email news update.

Bonus Points

There are several ways of adding bonus points to your entry. These are completely optional, and the lack of bonus points will not hurt a truly outstanding entry. Who knows, though, it just might be enough to put you over the edge! Conversely, bonus points will not help an absolutely lousy entry, so make sure your entry is up to snuff. Now on to the details about how to earn bonus points.

Entrants who followed steps 1 and 2 above will receive bonus points on their entry for forum participation. Reply to or create at least one topic in either our HP or Vista forum categories. The more participation, the more points.  If you are not already a member of our forums, register here. We think you’ll like our community….

In addition, if you create a video to go along with your entry, that will be looked upon very favorably. It must be unique to GottaBeMobile’s HP Magic Giveaway contest, and mention GottaBeMobile, HP, and Microsoft somewhere in the video. There is a place in the entry form for you to put a link to your hosted video from YouTube, Blip.tv, etc.

Rules

1) Staff and customers of GottaBeMobile.com and Zoe Technologies, Inc. are not eligible to enter GottaBeMobile.com’s HP Magic Giveaway contest. Entrants who have won this prize package at one of the other 49 blogger’s websites involved in the HP Magic Giveaway will be disqualified.

2) The winner agrees to submit a 500+ word article, with pictures, by December 31, 2008, describing how you presented your gift, their reactions, etc. This article will be published on GottaBeMobile.com. News media in your local area may be notified.

3) This contest is open internationally

4) Entries will be accepted through midnight MST, December 7. The winner will be chosen subjectively by various writers at GottaBeMobile.com. Bonus points will be distributed at the sole discretion of GottaBeMobile.com, but will be based upon the criteria laid out above. The winner will be announced on December 8th and notified via email. The winner has 48 hours to respond from the time the email is sent. If no response is received within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. One entry per person. A qualified entrant must complete steps 1 and 2. A valid email subscription is one that has been verified through the email validation that FeedBurner sends.

5) All taxes and duties, as the result of winning this prize package, will be covered by HP, Microsoft, and Buzz Corps

6) Portions of the prize package will have been previously opened and reviewed on GottaBeMobile.com

Be sure to visit the other sites for 49 other chances to win.

Entry Form

cforms contact form by delicious:days

"Eventually, we’ll give customers instant access to any movie on any device with an Internet connection and a screen," said Keith Morrow, Blockbuster’s chief information officer.

There’s not a lot of hard info yet and certainly no word on when and how, but this type type of delivery mechanism was the promise of Live Mesh plus Sliverlight when it was first being talked about. One of the possible features being talked about is allowing a customer to begin watching a movie on their TV and then being able to pause it, then pick up where the left off on a mobile device.

Via ReadWriteWeb

Via Electronista

Note from the picture that this looks very similar to the Google Chrome Browser. Also notice that a dock featuring app icons is inside of the browser, which allows the user to run apps like Skype, a Media Player by opening them in new tabs, again very Chrome like. Supposedly users can also switch between the Cloud OS and Windows with just a click.

Via jkOnTheRun

Dear Sir or Madam:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Laura Grock/Martin E. Janis & Co.

Monday, August 18, 2008 (312) 943-1106
Xplore Launches New iX104C4 Rugged Mobile Computer
(AUSTIN, TX) - Xplore Technologies Corp. (OTCBB: XLRT), a maker of award-winning rugged mobile computers, today announced its new iX104C4 Tablet PC. “Our new iX104C4 has the best indoor/outdoor viewable display in the market today and signifies another milestone for Xplore as we continue to innovate in the rugged tablet computing segment,” said Mark Holleran, President and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore.

One of the first users of the new iX104C4 was Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution company in Ontario, Canada, where the new units have been tested for several months. "The Xplore tablet is a champion in design, and the newest generation is no exception," stated Blain Smith, Hydro One, “We tested the new iX104C4 and experienced 20% greater performance than other rugged products.” With more than 1,200 Xplore iX104 systems deployed, Hydro One has seen nearly 100% accuracy for data collected in the field.

The iX104C4 design implements best in class sunlight readable display technology, Dual Mode flexible user interface, redesigned antennae, new integrated wireless modules, Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition/ Vista® Business compatibility and improved overall performance. The iX104C4’s key features include:

1.2 GHz Intel® Core™ Duo processor
50% brighter Dual Mode AllVue Xtreme display technology
Integrated RS232/422/485 serial port
2X improved reach with 802.11n Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz
2X more memory capacity

“With the challenges today’s companies face, the need for rugged computing devices has grown significantly. Based on customer input and the needs of our target markets, we developed the iX104C4 to be a computing tool to address the difficult extremes of any situation – in the field, on a forklift, in a vehicle, on a mobile cart or in a tank,” said Holleran. “We wanted to develop a product that would adapt to our customers’ ever-changing situations with enhanced benefits and we have proudly accomplished that task with the iX104C4.”

Xplore Technologies Corp. is engaged in the business of developing, integrating and marketing rugged mobile wireless PC computing systems. The Company’s products enable the extension of traditional computing systems to a range of field and on-site personnel, regardless of location or environment. Using a range of wireless communication media together with the Company’s rugged computing products, end-users are able to receive, collect, analyze, manipulate and transmit information in a variety of environments not suited to traditional non-rugged computing devices. The company’s end-users are in markets that include utility, warehousing/logistics, public safety, field service, transportation, manufacturing, route delivery, military and homeland security.

While we were all being jolly together, we swapped some ideas around about what we’d love to get or give for Christmas. Here is everyone’s list.

Matt Faulkner

• Incase Extended battery for the iPhone - 99.99 available now - cause we’ll need it while we are in CES doing some coverage of all the new toys.  120% added battery to the 3G is never a bad thing, maybe we can go 2 days with this bad boy on there.
• 16 gig USB key - becuase the 2 gig just isn’t big enough anymore…. plus this gives about anybody a chance to test out a mobile OS:)
• Sanyo HD camera - not a bad price for a HD camera and while the Flip Video is nice, this thing is rockin!
• Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone - great unit for talking while on the go!  CLipping right to the visor, pair it up and you don’t ever have to worry about loosing that headset again.
• The i-Knock - funny little guy that will notify you when you get an im, e-mail or skype call.  It would either be fun or it would be on there for a day and never come back out of the drawer!  Probably the latter of the 2 though, but sure looks like a fun gift.

John Gannon

• Lenovo X200 Multi-Touch Thinkpad Tablet maxed out with anything and everything.  Because more is always better!
• Steinway speakers for the tablet.  Wretched excess.  Again, more is better
• Someone to buy my Sirius stock at the initial price I paid for it.  $7.50 a share  Now—-
• M-Audio speakers for a tablet.  Reality check.
• Santa’s special gift just for me only.  Open on December 26.

Matt Dillon

• MSI Wind Netbook - The MSI Wind is one of the best netbooks on the market and by far the best netbook that I have used.  I have previously owned an Asus Eee PC 701 and had hands on time the the Acer Aspire One, Eee PC 900 series, among others.  The large keyboard, 10″ LED backlit screen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a 1.6 ghz Intel Atom processor provide a great computing experience in a small package and low cost.  The 6 cell version of the Wind provides 5+ hours of battery life, plenty of juice to get your tasks done.  The price on the U100 has dropped significantly since it was first introduced as a new version of the Wind, the U120, debuts.  The 3 cell MSI Wind can be purchased on BestBuy.com for US $350.
• mySoldius Soldius 1 - The Soldius 1 charging unit is a fun, green way to charge your cell phone or mp3 player.  Although it takes direct sunlight, the Soldius 1 is a great tool to have for avid outdoors people.  Check out this GBM review of the Soldius 1 charger to learn more.
• iPod Touch - The iPod Touch is undoubtely the coolest mp3 player that I’ve ever played with.  Amazing, smooth user interface and navigate, great sound quality, full HTML web browsing, email, and thousands of applications make the iPod Touch a must have device for any tech enthusiast or music lover.  The iPod Touch starts at $229 and there are occasionally better deals posted through Apple’s refurbished outlet.
• SkinIt.com - SkinIt is a website that allows customers to create custom “skins” for their favorite electronics.  Skins can be selected from premade designs, pro atheletic teams, religious themes, or custom designs.  Skinit offers the highest quality and most durable product in the market place. The Scotchprint Graphics 3M logo assures photo quality imaging, residue free removal and air bubble free application.  Skinit Skins provide a thin, photo quality protective membrane, buffering your device from occasional nicks and scratches from every day use.
• Eye-Fi - Make your digital camera wireless with Eye-Fi, a Wi-Fi enabled SD Card.  Upload photos automatically from your digital camera to your computer & favorite photo site with the Eye-Fi Wi-Fi SD memory card.  The Eye-Fi is easy to use, eliminated the need for USB cables, and saves time.  Learn more by visiting the Eye-Fi web site.

Sierra Modro

• Mobile Edge ScanFast Onyx Checkpoint Friendly Briefcase for women - I could finally get through the airport without having to empty out my bag. Maybe.
• Microfiber cloth - for cleaning all of those glossy screens I have around
• HP TouchSmart IQ816t - okay, it’s not precisely mobile but this would be a fabulous addition to my home. Call it the family present. 25″ screen, Blu-ray, and HD TV with a full touch-enabled computing experience.
• Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive FireWire 400/FireWire 400/USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Ruby Red) - External USB HDD for backup and it’s red.
• Samsung SPF-85H 8-Inch Digital Photo Frame UbiSync USB Mini-PC Monitor - not only is this a great digital picture frame, but it also acts as a USB auxillary screen

Truc Bui

• Samsung NC10 netbook - With CES coming up in January, I’d rather have a netbook that’s smaller and less critical to me than my tablet. The T2010 is a great tablet, but experiencing the MSI Wind’s performance and miniscule footprint makes me long for a good netbook with a usable keyboard for those times I don’t need tablet functionality. The $490 Samsung is great because of its big keyboard and extended battery life. Having an MSI Wind with the 3-cell battery that runs out after 2 hours is frustrating to say the least.
• Microsoft Zune Phone - With my T-Mo Wing getting long in the tooth, something faster and more user-friendly (a la WinMo 7?) is definitely on my wish list. I hope the new Microsoft phone will actually give the G1 and iPhone a run for its money. The current crop of WinMo devices is lackluster in comparison with the much improved GUIs coming from RIM, Android, and Apple. It’s gotten so bad HTC has come out with newer UIs that are still unfortunately bound by WinMo 6.1’s limitations and doggish performance. It’s time for a thorough shakeup, Microsoft. Let’s make this happen!
• Parrot Minikit Slim - California’s hands-free law has me using the original Minikit. One of my main complaints for this otherwise great plug-and-play speakerphone is its rather thick profile. When I get in my car, my head knocks the speakerphone. With Parrot’s great new ultra slim design, this issue should be addressed. I appreciate Parrot’s use of noise reduction and simple user interface. Parrot has actually improved on speaker performance on this new model. At $100, it’s not a bad price for such a useful accessory that allows me to stay legal and, more importantly, keep more of my concentration on the road.
• Garmin nuvi 755T - I’ve been using OnCourse Navigator on my Wing for the last year and a half. Although it’s a great piece of software, the recent purchase of a nuvi 255W showed me how nice it is to have a dedicated PND with a large screen. The new 755T improves on the 255W with 3D maps and lane choice guides to make driving in unfamiliar places that much easier. $400 is not a bad price for something this useful.
• Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Speakers - I’ve had iPods since 2003 and my quest for a good set of home speakers started shortly thereafter. After the disappointment with iHome’s iPod speaker solution, I recently moved on to an Altec Lansing m612. Although much better than the iHome, it is nothing compared to the B&W unit at the Apple Store that I played with. The sound quality coming out of the speakers was nothing short of awesome and its looks make the $600 price of admission well worth it.

Craig Pringle

• I want want to film some new videos using…The Flip MinoHD
• Getting a steady shot, anywhere with…The Joby GorillaPod
• ‘course my videos will need a killer backing beat…USB Drum kit from ThinGeek.com
• Then I can play back my home movies on this..The R2D2 Projector
• After all that sitting around watching videos I’m going to need some exercise, but I want to take my sounds with me! Enter the Griffin Streamline for iPhone 3G

Warner Crocker

Gadgets I own and love

• GorillaPod Go-Go. Great flexible tripod stand for small devices allowing you to prop them up or attach them anywhere.
• OpenIt: Who needs Amazon’s frustration free packaging when you have OpenIt to save your fingers from the perils of opening blister packaging.
• Eye-Fi Card: Great for moving pictures to your on-line services or your network via WiFi. This is a real time saver for me.
• Blue Snowflake Microphone A great portable microphone with excellent quality.
• The iPhone 3G: A game changing device that still needs to catch up to features we see in other smart phones. That said, it is my Mobile Internet Device of choice and the enjoyment of use is as much a part of that as are the features.

Gadget I’d love to own:

• Drobo: A storage system that expands as you need space and always keeps you backed up. Add up to any 4 drives of any capacity and the total is available for usage. 1/3rd of your total capacity is used for backup purposes. If a drive fills up, simply pop it out and replace it with a larger size on the fly and all of your data is still there.

Rob Bushway

• Clarifi with Easy Dock for the iPhone - because anything that can improve the iPhone’s camera is a good thing
• TomBihn Buzz Bag - my favorite bag of all time, and it was recently redesigned to fit the new MacBook Pro
• Wall-E - My new favorite movie. What geek from the 80’s wouldn’t love this movie?
• HP TouchSmart PC - I can’t keep my hands off this 25.5″ multi-touch screen
• Moleskine Journal - because I just love a great paper notebook

Are you a gamer or wanting to get your kids a little mobile-gaming love? What about your teenage daughter? Then head over to Amazon and check out this amazing Cyber Monday deal - a Limited Edition Pink Ribbon Nintendo DS for $99, which is $30 off the normal $129. Nintendo will donate $5 for each Nintendo DS sold to the Susan G Komen for the Cure.

UPDATE: That price didn’t last long - back up to $129.

via I4U, via Engadget

Check out BMW’s video below. Notice the use of color blocks that change the color of the car.

via BMWBlog

What about you?

Intel created a monster with the Netbook. The Netbook is like a Frankenstein’s monster terrifying the locals. Now Intel, with VP of Sales and Marketing Stu Pann as the point person,  is leading the pack of villagers carrying torches and pitchforks to storm the castle where the monster they created resides. Others, like Michael Arrington, are looking at why Netbooks are not up to snuff. Let’s take a look at both of these recent kerfluffles in the Netbook-scape.

First up, Mr. Pann says that Netbooks are really only good for an hour or so of use due to their small size, screen, lack of power. (Maybe that’s why these things have such poor battery life.) What Mr. Pann is really doing here is trying to stake out a position so that Intel can back off a bit from the Netbook craze, before it eats away at its larger strategies. Why? Profit margins are at risk as consumers opt for these devices that can only offer good returns if volume is high. Intel thought these would be handy companion devices and also a boon for emerging markets. Little did they realize that the American economy (and others) would quickly go south and that most of the countries in the world would find themselves qualifying as an emerging market. Intel may have viewed Netbooks as ‘incremental’ to their overall strategy, but they somehow overlooked two huge factors here. The first is that computing habits are changing and changing fast as more and more users need applications less than they need a browser to access cloud apps. Second, they opened a Pandora’s box when Netbooks came out with low prices that threatened their existing lines. Somehow, and this is speculation on my part, Intel thought that most users would see these as a toy and that the weaker performance of Netbooks wouldn’t appeal to users. But price, even before the economy took its plunge, has always been a key factor, and the explosion of Netbooks is due more to price point than it is to anything else. Maybe Microsoft was correct when they called the category Ultra-Low Cost PCs (ULCPC).

Michael Arrington picked up on this in an off hand way by listing three reasons why Netbooks don’t cut the mustard at the moment.  He lists the keyboard, the small screen, and the lack of horsepower. Aside from the fact that their isn’t a device out there with at least three reasons why it doesn’t measure up, Arrington, like Pann, misses the point. It is tough to argue with his logic, but he forgot the context. Price and convenience are the driving factors that are making consumers look at these devices as handy alternatives to the status quo. Arrington says developed markets don’t care about price. I don’t think that’s true anymore. In fact, I don’t think it has ever been true. Consumers bought computers at the higher price points because that is what was available. The exception there was the discounters market, which proved to be popular at various points. The difference now is that the Internet can offer users more options that make what just a short time ago look like crippled and underperforming devices into machines good enough to accomplish a variety of tasks. Of course, it might be that Arrington is just trying to lay some smoke before the TechCrunch tablet makes its debut, if in fact it ever will.

The law of unintended consequences has changed the landscape at a time when price points are becoming even more key decision points on every purchase every human makes these days. And like Frankenstein’s monster, this new creation threatens to disrupt and destroy the world it was brought into. But unlike the finale to that tale, this monster is eschewing all of the old norms in a way that looks promising to the villagers who toil each day, no matter what the village elders say.

I’m betting on the monster in this case.