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Over 1,000,000 Media Downloads, Top 30 Videos for 2008
2008 has been a very busy year for your tireless servants at GottaBeMobile.com. In 2008 alone, we published 2,727 articles, produced 147 InkShow and Shortcut videos, and 22 Podcasts. Across all those mediums, we looked at mobile pc hardware, software, tablet pcs, inking, accessories, brought you news from CES, and much more. And just this past week, we surpassed 1,000,000 downloads of our videos and podcasts since launching in March 2006. Wow!
The following represents the 30 most downloaded InkShows and Shortcuts for 2008. Continue reading
Stay Up To Date With GottaBeMobile Media Content
We produce a ton of media content. Keeping up to date with everything we are doing can be quite challenging. Want to easily download the latest GBM InkShows and Shortcut videos to your computer, iPod, iPhone, Zune, etc? We’ve got you covered!
Our InkShow and Shortcut videos just got listed in the iTunes directory. Just launch iTunes, head to the Store, and do a search for GottaBeMobile. You’ll see our Podcast and Video InkShows listed - subscribe to both so you’ll have them everywhere you go! If you are using version 2.2 of iPhone / iPod Touch, you’ll see them listed there, too.
You can also use the appropriate links below to get what you need depending on your device or software:
Green Mobile: Soldius1 Charger Reviewed
The past week I had the opportunity to test the Soldius1 mp3 player and cell phone solar charger from mysoldius. This device sells for 89.95 at mysoldius.com and is available in a variety of colors. They have an excellent frequently asked questions section that might dispel some misconceptions about charging devices with the sun’s power. With the new trends to go green, I wanted to see if this device lives up to the hype of a green-tech lifestyle.
I subjected the Soldius1 to one week of intense use. The first goal was charging my Motorola Q cell phone. One good thing about the Soldius1 is that it includes many different adapters to charge your favorite devices. Additional adapters can be purchased at a nominal cost. The mysoldius folks sent me an adapter for my Motorola Q but added that it was not officially listed as a supported device. I wanted to put it to the test anyway and find out what results I might have.
I began charging my Moto Q at 11:26 a.m. with no bars and frequent warnings about no battery life remaining. I plugged in the Soldius1, waited about 30 seconds, placed the unit into direct sunlight, and saw that my Motorola Q was charging from the sun’s power. I was getting juice off the grid. After an hour, my Moto Q indicated 2 out of 4 bars of battery life. Two, three, and four hours of charging all indicated 3 out of 4 bars of battery life. It might also be noted that during the last two hours of charging (as seen in the video), my Motorola Q was resting on the dashboard of my car. The sun’s power could have been impacted by my car’s windshield, although I doubt that had much influence. It was a very sunny day, and I had overall similar results with my wife’s Motorola Razr.
I also put the Soldius1 unit to the test with my old Samsung SCH-A670 cell phone. This phone had been turned off with a dead battery in my closet for at least two years. The Samsung, like my Moto Q, was not listed as a supported device likely due to the fact that most of them are no longer used. I started charging at 4:10 p.m. with no battery, and the Samsung was fully charged after an hour and ten minutes. It was a super bright day and there was no cloud in the sky. It should be noted that if there is no sun this device will not work. There is no internal battery to save additional power accumulated from the sun. However, when the sun is in full-force, the Soldius1 worked flawlessly.
Pros:
- Solid construction
- Small size, extremely portable
- Lots of adapters for various devices
- Great for making emergency phone calls
Cons:
- No battery to save additional power generated from the sun
- Only works under very sunny conditions
- A little pricey
Conclusion:
For a vacation where you’ll have limited access to power or if you’re in need of an emergency source of power, the Soldius1 is worth considering. It won’t be a replacement power source to fully charge your device, but it will enable you to make a few calls if the sun is out. I was very pleased that it provided enough juice to place a call on a dead battery. The Soldius1 charger is a well constructed solar charger that would be great for avid outdoors people or folks who live in very sunny areas. If you live in a cloudy area or don’t see much sunshine, I’d suggest looking for alternative power sources. An area like Phoenix, a city that receives over 300 days of sunshine a year, would make a perfect home for the Soldius1.
The mysoldius FAQ indicates that they are currently working on a solar charger for laptop computers. It may be a few years away, but it will certainly have a place in the market with smaller mobile Internet devices. The Soldius1 is a step in the right direction; it is a step towards more green-tech devices that have a practical place in our lives.
Would you consider buying a solar charger?
UltraMobileLife Weekly Video News
UltraMobileLife is begun a new weekly video recap of ultra-mobile news. In this first edition, they point to my InkShow video review of the Amtek T770 UMPC.
Subscribe here and watch the first edition below:
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The HTC Shift
Earlier this week I asked “What do Hugo Ortega and Steve Ballmer have in common?” and today I share with you the answer - The HTC Shift! I must admit that I have been blessed many times over in the last few years with the devices that have crossed my path. I still remember being the first to showcase the Raon Digital Vega; and first with the Fujitsu P1610. On this occasion however I have yet to feel more honored than by being given the opportunity to look at what is billed as one of the most anticipated releases this year, i.e. The HTC Shift.
Back in March this year I placed my thoughts down about The HTC Shift. This was more of a virtual wrap-up than anything else as very little information was available, let alone a device to feel and touch. So when I was given permission to take the HTC Shift to TechED Australia as part of my UMPC Awareness Presentation (which was a huge success) you can imagine what I said…ummmm…YES!
I had The HTC Shift for a little over 60 hours and was able to play with many of its great features, which include Pocket PC, HSDPA, Vista Business, Tilt Touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard and more. It is an incredible device with 
many possibilities, this video will hopefully showcase some of that. I managed to literally squeeze it into a very tight schedule I am running at present and did what I could to cover off some of the burning questions folks might have.
Machine specs (as tested):
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Windows Vista Business (3 hrs battery)
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Intel Santa Rosa A110 Processor
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1GB DDR2 RAM
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40GB HDD
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HSDPA (Data only) ready
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Web Cam
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Biometrics
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Windows Pocket PC (over 5 days battery life when used exclusively) -
Qualcomm 400MHz Processor
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64MB RAM
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and more…
In summary I would have to say that this is one of the BEST Ultra Mobile PC I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. If I were a manufacturer of a UMPC, or with a UMPC about to hit the market, then I would be shaking in my boots given what The HTC Shift is capable of. “I put my order down right away!”
Watch or download the High Res InkShow Video Review (34 minutes, 256MB, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
or watch the embedded video from Blip.tv below:
Tags: HTC, HTC Shift, HTC Shift Video Review, InkShows
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet PC MultiTouch and Ultrabase
Well, the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet PC InkShows just keep on coming!
In this installment, Dennis Rice takes a look at the MultiTouch XGA / Outdoor screen option, and also the Ultrabase mobile docking solution. The X60 Tablet PC is very much a unique device, and these two options are a couple of very strong points to consider.
It was a real challenge for me to do a good representation of how the touch screen functionality works, so please bear with the quality on this one a bit, but I think you will get a good idea of how well this works if this is an option you are considering for your next Tablet PC purchase. What you see on camera and what you see in realtime are a bit different (with things like screen brightness and outdoor viewing, probably due to camera angle), but I think you will get the idea. I also really like the mobile docking solution “Ultrabase”, and go over it in pretty good detail as well. I imagine most of the GottaBeMobile crew will own one soon.
Lenovo has put a great deal of effort into these options, so I hope this will enlighten you on their functionality!
To get the full specs, prices, options, etc., head over to ThinkPad.com.
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Watch the MultiTouch / Ultrabase InkShow here
(33:26 minutes, 159mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
Once again our special thanks to the team at Lenovo for providing equipment, and a really great product!
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
Lenovo x60 ThinkPad Tablet PC InkShow Exclusive Interview on GottaBeMobile!
Well, we are pretty excited at GottaBeMobile, and we have got some great exclusive video for you! If you have been following our site for the last week or so, you may have seen several references to a secret mission we have been mentioning, and we can now bring you information on what the big mission is all about. Well, the mission is officially over, and it was a raging success! Here’s the scoop on what all the fuss is about.
A few weeks ago, we posted some early information on a as of yet unreleased Tablet PC from Lenovo. Dennis and Warner put on their best sleuthing outfits, geared up with cameras and a a GPS (another story, we won’t go there), and took off to Lenovo Corporation headquarters in Research Triangle Park, NC. We were on the trail in search of X60 ThinkPad Tablet PC information and video, and boy did we ever get some great stuff for you guys! We went hunting, and Lenovo coughed up the scoop for us. Drumroll, please!
Today Lenovo is introducing the new X60 Series ThinkPad Tablet PC >, and it has been well worth the wait! We are very excited to be helping Lenovo Corporation today to announce this awesome piece of hardware, and in the process have managed to produce some great videos for you, our GottaBeMobile readers and viewers. To get us started, the first one up today is a great video of an interview we did at Lenovo headquarters. We spent time talking with Mr. Mike Hagerty (our special thanks to Mike!), who is the WorldWide Segment Manager for the ThinkPad X series at Lenovo. In this video Mike will 
introduce you to lots of new features, specs, options, etc of this great new product in the highly successful line of ThinkPad computers, plus give you the heads up on official launch and delivery dates and how to get your order in at ThinkPad.com! If I were you, I would order early (and often 
).
As an added bonus, Lenovo also supplied us with a couple of different configurations of units of the X60 ThinkPad Tablet PC to try out and bang on for ourselves. Warner has a Hi-Res version, Dennis has a touchscreen/outdoor model! In the hands of a couple of inquiring tablet PC users like Dennis Rice and Warner Crocker, these things have been going through the wringer for the past week or so, and I gotta tell you, we are LOVING them (no Rob, I am not sending you mine yet!). Be sure and check out the interview video with Mike, but also be ready for a couple more videos here very shortly. Warner will be doing a very comprehensive review (and I mean very — I have seen it!) of most anything you want to know about this machine, and Dennis will very shortly follow that up with a video of a some special features of his configured unit, namely the “Multi-Touch” touchscreen and Outdoor viewing screen, plus the great new “X6 Tablet Ultrabase” mobile docking solution (yes I said “mobile” docking solution) that makes this tablet PC very special. Here is a quick list of some of the general specs just to whet your appetite:
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Base Unit Price |
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| Processor
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Up to 1.83GHz Core Duo L2500
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| Memory
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Up to 4gb PC2-5300 / 667MHz or higher RAM
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| Hard drive
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Up to 100GB 7200rpm or 120GB 5400rpm drives (2.5” SATA)
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| Platform / Chipset
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Napa / 945GM
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Display / Screen (all 12.1”) |
XGA (1024×768) XGA(1024×768) MultiTouch/Outdoor Option SXGA+ (1400×1050) |
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> > |
> > |
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|
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Batteries |
X60 Tablet 4 Cell Li-Ion Battery X60 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery Advanced Ultrabay Battery (for use in ThinkPad X6 Tablet UltraBase) |
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Options |
X6 Tablet Ultrabase $199: Ultrabay Slim port for Optical drive/ extra battery 4 USB 2.0 ports VGA Microphone in Headphone out Speakers RJ-11 modem RJ-45 Ethernet Parallel, serial Cable lock slot Key lock security ThinkPad X60 Tablet Sleeve $49 ThinkPad X60 Tablet Digitizer Pen $49 X60 Tablet Digitizer Pen 21” Tether – Straight w/Standard Loop $10 |
To get the full specs, prices, options, etc. on this model, head over to ThinkPad.com.
So if you are of the “inquiring mind” type, then you will not want to miss any of these extensive reviews we are doing. Just to get us started, here is the interview with Mike Hagerty:
- Watch the Interview with Mike Hagerty ( 44:19 minutes, 245mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
- Visit the Lenovo ThinkPad Website
Once again our special thanks to the team at Lenovo for their invitation, hospitality, and really great product!
And be sure and stay tuned for MORE InkShows on the Lenovo X60 Tablet PC coming VERY soon!
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
Where Do You Go When You Need Cables?
I know in the mobile tech world one of the big attractions and big keys to achieving Zen in a Mobile Tech lifestyle is becoming un-tethered and cable-lite. But we still need more cables than I think any of us what like to admit or carry with us. So, where to you go when you need to pick up that cable? The local big-box? Radio Shack? On-line? Well, via Zatz Not Funny, I discovered this link to MonoPrice.com this morning. They seem to have some great prices on that extra USB cable, as well as quite a few other accessories. Anyone else got a good source with good prices for these kind of mobile tech purchases?
Office 2007’s Minimized Ribbon: A Boon For UMPC/Origami and Small Screens
Lots of good discussion in the Tabletscape about working with a small screen, led by Craig Pringle’s excellent series revealing some neat tips to maximize screen real estate when you’re working with minimum screen real estate. One item Craig mentioned and Josh Einstein also pointed me to today, is the Minimized Ribbon feature in Office 2007. Josh pointed me to Jensen Harris’s article on the Office User Interface Blog, (more info than you could ever want to digest on the new Office UI) where there are a couple of videos of the Minimized Ribbon and Menu Tabs in action. All good info worth checking out and hanging onto as a reference.
Links from Jensen Harris
- Nice for Mice: Menu Tabs
- Menu Tabs video: Hi Res, Low Res
- Taking The Minimized Ribbon to the Max
- Minimzied Ribbon video
Links from Craig Pringle
Tablet Enhancements for Outlook 3.0 Inkshow
I’ve been trumpeting the newly released and eagerly anticipated Tablet Enhancements for Outlook 3.0 (TEO 3.0) as if I owned stock in Einstein Technologies. (I don’t.) The reason for my cheerleading: this Tablet PC application is more than worth talking about and demoing. It is essential for you to add it to your Tablet PC toolbox if you use Microsoft Outlook.
This InkShow takes a look at the UI and a number of features in TEO 3.0. I take a brief walk through of creating Ink Contacts, Appointments, and Tasks. I also take a look at the very powerful note-taking abilities now added to TEO 3.0, as well as Mappoint Integraton. I think you’ll discover why I say this must have application for The Tablet PC has moved into Killer App status. But don’t take my word for it. Watch the Inkshow and download and try TEO 3.0 yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
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Watch the InkShow (21:44 minutes, 69mb, .wmv streaming or direct download.)
Let us know what you think and watch for a contest to be posted shortly where you can win a free license to TEO 3.0!
All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:
Our #1 Video Review and InkShow
We only had a couple of guesses to the most popular shows, but here they are:
# 1 Video Review – TabletKiosk eo Video Review @ 2,132 viewings
# 1 InkShow – MindManager InkShow @ 1,115 viewings
Tablet PC and Windows Vista 5308 article and video
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Stéphane TORRES published an article and video Monday on the french Tablet PC site TabletPCCorner.net about Windows Vista 5308 and tablet PC functionality. Once again, the site is in French, but still most definitely worth checking out! Here is the info he sent to us:
“I published on Monday an article about Windows Vista 5308 and the integrated tablet PC functions at:
>There is also a screencast Video (14 min, 22 MB) link to investigate Windows Vista 5308 with tablet PC functions”
>
Grab your favorite language translation tool, and see what he has to say!
What is next on the video review slate?
Since I’m receiving the eo Origami / UMPC today, I need to get that review posted first. I have to return it by Thursday of next week. I’m planning to install GoBinder, OneNote 2007, and Outlook 2003. I’m also going to try to get Camtasia installed so I can do some actual InkShow stuff featuring the TouchPack and how the above apps run on the eo. I’ll do some comparisons between it and the LS800, as well as the all important inking functionality. I’ll give my honest opinions regarding potential use as a companion device for business notetaking purposes. I’ll be using it through the weekend, installing software, etc and plan on getting the video posted by Tuesday.
After the eo gets done, I’ll do a video review of the X41 tablet pc and post that by Friday of next week. I’ve heard from many of you that you are waiting to make a decision on whether to purchase the X41 until I do that review.
So – that is the schedule and what I plan on doing.
Dennis is wrapping up a video review of the Acer C200 Tablet PC ( generously loaned to us by Allegiance Technology Partners ) and should have that posted soon.