Linda over at TabletPc2.com has just posted up a first look of the new Lenovo ThinkPad x61 Tablet PC.  She says it's most notable difference is the 'pure speed'.  Another observation she had from the get-go is the lack of "IBM" on the deck of the x61.  The Vista index score is a little higher on that machine over my x60t - the x61t rated a 3.4 under Desktop Performance for Aero , where my x60 rated a 3.2.  Gaming graphics got a bump from 3.1 to a 3.5, but I don't think you will be playing any hard core games still.  Her preliminary conclusion is:

The Lenovo X61 Tablet PC is a product of evolution and I have to say from where I'm sitting....its evolving very nicely.    If this is any indication of what the production units have instore for us...then you can expect a new Editors Choice Tablet PC in the near future.

The UMPC sites are all over this. Both UMPC Portal and Ultra-Mobile PC Tips are reporting news that that the successor to the Raon Digital Vega, the Everun has been announced. Intriguing looking form factor for those who like their keyboard keys right at their fingertips.

UMPC Portal has tons of info on this inlcuding these specs:

• LX900-based (600Mhz AMD Geode)
• 4.8" 800x480 screen (Touch)
• HDD and SSD options
• Full qwerty keypad
• Wifi and BT2.0
• HSDPA integrated
• 7 hours of battery life with the standard battery.
• 500g (with standard battery)
• 170mm x 25mm x 83mm

Here’s a link to the product site.

Of all the news yesterday from D: All Things Digital, the Livescribe Pen has captured quite a bit of folks imagination. Thanks to Michael Parekh, here is a link to some animated demos and also this embedded video from the conference. The video shows how the pen interfaces with a computer.

Note that we didn’t mention this in our post yesterday. Yes, you’ll need special paper to make this work. (There’s that business model that makes the cost of the pen at $200 seem reasonable.)

This was a big announcement last night (more will come today) and the impact is just starting to be acknowledged in the mobile tech world. Google announced a Beta (of course) of Google Gears which is an open source browser plug-in that allows developers to take their applications offline. Where’s the impact? Take Google Reader (Google’s feed reader) for example. Now with the click of an icon, users can download up to 2000 of their feeds (minus pics and graphics) and have the same reading experience offline as they do online. I gave this example a try last night and it is a real winner that I can see saving me a bit of time by allowing me to perform the simple task of reading feeds when I’m not connected. Some are calling it a paradigm shift or game changer. I’m not sure about the degree, but it is going to have an impact depending on how the development community responds.

If you’re looking for more on this Marc Orchant has some good info, and TechMeme is filled with a series of links.

In one of the worst kept secrets in the Tabletscape, Lenovo is debuting its new Thinkpad X61 Tablet PCs, and yes, Dennis already has one of the newer models to evaluate. The Thinkpad X61 is a Core 2 Duo that runs either the L7300 chip (at 1.4GHz) or the L7500 (at 1.6Ghz) with a 800 MHz front side bus and a 4MB cache. In addition to a choice of processors, Lenovo, has a number of options for you to choose from depending on your needs.

Here are some of the options available:

• OS: 32 bit or 64 bit Vista; or Windows XP
• Communications: 2x3 802.11n or 2x2 MIMO
• HD: Up to 160GB 5400rpm or up to 100GB 7200rpm
• Display: 12.1 wide-angle SXGA + with indoor/outdoor viewing or XGA Mult-Touch

Among some of the other new features:

Lenovo is touting a new “Direct Bonding” technology called SuperView. With the SXGA + screen that includes low reflectivity, less susceptibility to scratching, and more durability under harsh conditions.

They are also touting an improvement in battery life with up to 12 hours on the 8cell battery which now is listed as standard. There is also new software control that promises to allow more flexibility in configuring power management.

This is all due to be announced today and we’ll update as we have more. (The US site doesn’t seem to have a page for it up yet.) Dennis is already running some comparisons between the X61 and the X60 (I believe he has the Multi-touch model with WWAN) and you should look for those results over the next few days.

UPDATE: Here’s that link to the product page.

Well, I got home from a long day out on client visits, etc., and there was a box from Lenovo at my door.

Let's see here ...:

Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 1.60 ghz
2gb RAM
Hitachi TRAVELSTAR 100GB 7200RPM Hard drive
Verizon WWAN
Windows Vista Ultimate (3.0 Vista Experience Index)
Mobile Intel965 Express Chipset
MultiTouch XGA Touchscreen

Dennis is a happy boy today.  The first response is that it sure seems pretty snappy!  Let's see what happens when we load it up with a few real apps!

More later as I have a few minutes to start putting it through it's paces!

I’ve heard all sorts of comments on Palm’s new Foleo Mobile Companion ranging from “how cool is that” to “who needs another device.” Now that the Foleo is coming out from under wraps no matter how you feel about it on an initial impression it, you have to at least acknowledge that it is an interesting development.

The Foleo Mobile Companion may look like a notebook, but it is bascially a display that connects via your smartphone and allows you to work with a 10 inch screen and a full size keyboard. It runs on a linux based os and does have some connectivity via WiFi. It supposedly has instant on technology and a five hour battery life. It will be priced at $499 (after a $100 rebate.) I’m guessing the target market is Treo users who want a little desktop action with their devices and from early reports this seems like it will do the trick. Still early in the game here, but one question that springs to mind is this: If I browse my favorites on my handheld using mobile versions of respective websites that make them easier to view on the small screen, what do I get if I browse them on the larger screen?

Here’s a link to the press release on the device.

If you want to get another video look (and avoid the silly issues with Channel 10’s use of Quicktime, which doesn't work with Vista) at the newly announced Surface Technology PlayTablet check out this video from Popular Mechanics. 

With all of the hullabaloo focusing on announcements from Microsoft, Palm, and the Steve Jobs/Bill Gates combined appearance at D: All Things Digital conference there is another announcement forthcoming that should be of some interest to those who enjoy pen based computing. Livescribe is about to unveil their Digital Pen. And they are calling this pen based computing. Instead the mantra is Paper Based Computing. 

We seen digital pens before that can capture notes and transfer them to a computer, but check this out. According to this CNET report the pen has a camera and speakers. You can record as you take notes. If you draw a calculator on paper and make it work by tapping the keys with the pen. You can draw a piano keyboard on paper and play music.

Jim Marggraff, who is behind this, has been working with LeapFrog for quite some time. The technology is slated for a fourth quarter 2007 release. More info in this article from Crave. 

(UPDATE: I swapped the earlier picture of a prototype out with this one that is an artists’s rendering of the pen. Given that this is aimed for a Q4 2007 release things could still change.)

Yesterday CTitanic posted this picture of the Yahsin US702W and it certainly looks cool.

This morning I discoverd this video of the same device from CeBit. Check it out.

Don’t know much else yet.

This looks like it can only be a good thing for the future of mobile entertainment. Apple has releasd version 7.2 of iTunes and iTunes Plus. As previously announced, this is in prepartion for making DRM free and higher quality audio tracks (right now only from the EMI catalog) available for a steeper price of $1.29 per track. Users can upgrade (for a fee) previously purchased tracks to the new format. Tracks aren’t available yet, but look to be soon.

Hopefully this move, along with Amazon entering into the market in a similar way, will spur a greater degree of user control over digital content.

Via Gizmodo

GBM Forum user jamesf has occasionally seen a weird hiccup when it comes to battery life being reported. As we all seek answers and discussion around the problem of poor battery life, this just seems bizarre. Check out the time remaining.

It ain’t mobile, that’s for sure, but it is touch in a whole new way. How about multi-touch interaction that can be shared among multiple users? Last night, Microsoft announced its new Surface Computing platform featuring the PlayTable that we hinted about yesterday. (Check out this video on Channel 10.)

Picture a surface that can recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Today at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer will unveil Microsoft Surface™, the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Beginning at the end of this year, consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues.

The intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way.

“With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,” Ballmer said. “We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.”

Don’t look for this in stores soon, as the price point will initially be a bit steep. Initially you’ll be seeing them in some interesting partner locations like casinos in Vegas, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and T-Mobile stores. Read more in this press release.

What’s the take away from this? Microsoft is opening up an entirely new category of sharing information. The mutli-touch, mulit-user approach is something that will certainly open some new avenues for interaction with their data in the future. We’ve been seeing these types of things in prototypes for awhile, so it will be very interesting to see how quickly this catches on.

Gateway is offering their CX210X Tablet PC for only $899.99 on their website now.  Not a bad deal if you are looking to get into the Tablet PC arena without having to shell out a lot of money.  Below are the specs of the base unit you will get for this price.  If you want the latest and greatest offering from Gateway, make sure and check out the video of the E155C Tablet PC that Warner put together.  Thanks for the tip on the CX210 Josh.

• Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2350 (1.86GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium (32-bit)³
• 1024MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-512MB modules)
• 80GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
• 14.0" WXGA TFT Active Matrix (1280 x 768 max. resolution) w/ Gateway Executive Stylus w/ Continuous Sensing Technology
• 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD Combo Drive
• Integrated Intel® 3945 802.11a/b/g wireless networking
• Chassis w/ Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 945GM Chipset
• 65 Watt AC Adapter
• Microsoft® Works 8.5⁴
• Cyberlink Power2Go (Download only)
• Primary 8-Cell Lithium Ion battery w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warranty¹
• One type II PC card slot
• (3) USB 2.0, VGA, IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
• 90-day America Online® Internet access
• Full-Size Keyboard and EZ Pad® Pointing Device
• 7-in-1 media card reader (Memory Stick®, MemoryStick Pro®, MultiMediaCard™, Secure Digital™, xD-Picture Card, Mini Secure Digital®, RS-Multimedia Card™)
• Integrated V.92 56K modem
• Integrated Intel® 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
• Windows Vista™ Home Premium Backup Media (32-bit)³
• McAfee® 90-day Internet Security Suite Complimentary Subscription with VirusScan, Personal Firewall Plus, SpamKiller & Privacy Service v. 1.2 (for Windows Vista™)
• End User License Agreement for Non-Microsoft Software
• Adobe® Acrobat Reader® 7.0 and Google Toolbar
• 1 Year Value Plan (Tech Support - Parts - Factory Labor)¹

We’ve posted about this concept Tablet PC before, (although I can’t seem to find the post at the moment) and when I see it pop up I still think it is worth a look-see. I’d love to see something like this on the market. Talk about “Wow” factor.

Via Notebook Italia