TabletKiosk EO i7210
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| Examples of SD Cards - Image courtesy of Wikipedia |
I’ve been hiding from you all wanting to scream out “surprise” and yet the only surprise I had this week was on me. It seems FedEX had clearance delays so my new arrival turned into a new debacle. So with several emails, phone calls, attachments and a recent drive to the FedEX warehouse I am proud to say that the HSDPA Raon Digital EVERUN is with me!
Master spokesman and class act, James Kendrick, has today started to post from within the realms of SSD Q1 land. What is that you may ask - well just before heading over, its the latest Today we heard from Nicholas White from Redmond. Nick has an interesting role in that he works with all Non Traditional Media, i.e. like this blog! He is a great guy that some of you may recognise (virtually) as the author of the WindowsVistaBlog.com and an active organiser on The Hive. While the Vista blog is not overly "techy" it does delve into some subjects quite well. A white paper that Nick wrote really caught my attention regarding Direct X 10 (DX10) so if youre interested and want to read more on Direct X 10 go to this white paper. DX10 will ONLY be available on Vista and will ship as part of a Windows Update shortly (not sure if Im allowed to say that).
Richer scenes and complex environments
Picture 6: Windows Vista wallpaper rendered in DirectX9
Picture 7: Windows Vista wallpaper rendered in DirectX10
Then there was a surprisingly enthusiastic presentation by Microsoft Chinas DPE General Manager named Nigel Burton. He gave a personal account of major Corporations and Chinese Companies working to develop "rich" mobile user experiences. I am not sure how NDA this is so I will not go into it further however if you are a developer and think you have a killer application for a mobile device then maybe contact Nigel as he has an active market place waiting for you!
For me, the highlight of the day was Binggong Don, of Microsoft China, who gave a great talk on Text-to-Speech (TTS) in Windows Vista. While Windows XP only had one language supported (English) it seems that TTS has added Chinese too. XP had a voice in it called Sam while Vistas launch will see Anna added and in Chinese our Asian counterparts will get a chance to hear from Lili! Here is brief history of TTS up to the present date:
Seems like TTS has been of interest for a long time...way before Vista
The interesting thing about TTS I that it is not created by a massive database of words stored and cut/pasted together. Firstly it is created by Text Analysis, then Unit Selection and finally Wave Generation. In the first portion the word needs to be broken down into pronunciation and Normalization. The second portion of the equation takes the best "most suitable" candidate of each sound, then places it into a combination of sounds that help generate the intended word , e.g. an "E" sound may differ dramatically in different words, so via the above mentioned algorithm TTS plays a role in judging how and when to best describe that "E". Finally the wave generation portion takes into account the word formation as best practice while forming Sounds Waves, i.e. inflections.
You think that sounds complicated?!?! You try explaining it! LOL...OK guys, Im off to bed after having a banquet/feast at a very classy restaurant! Let me know if you want me to chase anything else up for you.
For your enjoyment download video here!
Or watch it on YouTube.com!
Dan Warne of APC Magazine Australia recently helped the Uber Tablet blog hunt down a Toshiba UMPC. It eventuated in Matt Codrington, Toshiba Australia’s Product Marketing Manager, jumping on the blog and saying hello. While the response confirmed that Toshiba was not taking part in UMPC, it did highlight how important the communication between vendor and community really is.
Good job Matt, great job Dan!
For me the slide out keyboard by far is the biggest winning feature on this device. When in Redmond last week I held a Medion UMPC and regrettably it struck me as heavy and awkward. The weight however is not what I mean when I say “heavy”; it’s actually the weight distribution. Because the keyboard slides the monitor up and away from the user it is implied, by manufacturers like Medion, that a user will use the keyboard with their thumbs. Sitting next to Craig Pringle I witnessed something very different and intuitive to him in that Craig tried immediately to touch-type on the Medion instead of dealing with the top-heavy body under his thumbs (very clever). This insight got me thinking that the slide out keyboard is still not the solution we are all waiting for…until The HTC Shift that is.
If you look at the slide out keyboard on the HTC device you will notice that it also tilts and lays flat on the workspace in front of the user. Therefore the implied usage is that of a touch-typist as opposed to that of a SMS-ist! The one thing I hated about the 7” Medion UMPC was this top-heavy weight distribution model they had adopted. It is almost ridiculous for manufacturers to expect this to work. I think HTC has done a great job of this concept and time will only tell if they have pulled it off or not. Interestingly it will come down to the action on the keys and the physical layout too.
So as a look at the Ultimate Mobile Office I wanted to share with you my Samsung Q1P and HSDPA enabled Dopod 838pro combo! Does it get any better than this!?!? Why would anyone Blackberry anymore? I’m kind of glad CES is over because of two reasons.
1. I couldn’t attend (jealousy is a curse), and
2. Because of the information overload.
I conducted my first wrap up here and this is my final. The show was awesome. There were obvious developments in the UMPC space that warmed the heart. The two blogs I followed on this front were JKOntheRun, an GottaBeMobile. Lets point at a couple of their posts I liked recently:
I really enjoyed coverage of the Switchback UMPC by Warner Crocker:
We were all anxious to find and talk to the folks at Black Diamond about their ruggedized Ultra-Mobile PC, the Switchback. The wait was worth it. Dennis and I were able to get our hands on these units (a very clever display where they had some of the suspended from chains dangling in the air), and also film a video interview which we’ll be posting up shortly. I have never had the opportunity to hold a ruggedized anything in my hand until this CES, and let me tell you, in my opinion the Switchback is an amazing device to hold.
Read more
The Medion UMPC has a home, or does it???
Warner covered it here, and Kevin Christopher Tofel did an exceptional job here. But is it a device worth buying? You tell me…I’m interested.
The screen slides smoothly, revealing something that I wouldnt want in my UMPC. At least thats what I thought. The keyboard is the most standard looking and feeling keyboard over anything Ive seen yet, and weve seen em all here. The keys have a nice feel and travel; just like a standard keyboard, only much smaller of course. Youll be using your thumbs, but I have to say after using the device for about 10 minutes: you can quickly get used to the approach and start tapping out text faster than youd think.
Source: Kevin C. Tofel
The Toshiba R400 appeared to be the stickiest blog catcher though.
Warner started it, Dennis kept it going, Rob dove into the action, and then Warner brought it up as a best-of-show experience! At the JK Camp James saw it on Day 2 and focused on the Docking Station, and so too did Kevin.
I think Warner got it right in that CES was all about Media, i.e. videos and streaming, and stuff. Even Bill Gates Keynonote was run through a Tag Cloud Generator designed by Seattle PI (way cool Frank for posting this) and the strong buzz words from his speech were all about video, music, ipTV, photos…MEDIA, MEDIA, MEDA. Looks like Toshiba is on the case in the Tabletsphere.
The Toshiba Wireless Port Replicator was the most impressive piece of new hardware I saw the entire conference. I hope others follow Toshiba’s lead here and soon. Being able to set your Tablet PC on your desk and have it connect to a 2nd monitor, or any USB device wirelessly could be a real boon. And if there is any doubt that media is what everybody is thinking about, the fact that the wireless dock is optimized for streaming media and the reps actually recommend moving large files through a USB connection should tell you something.
Source: Warner Crocker
I also liked Bjorn Strombergs presence at CES. Bjorn works for VIA Technology and has done a passionate job of talking up the C7M mobile processor from VIA. Here he is in this video of the OQO 02 - another much loved CES 2007 device.
Then there was the S-Xgen. Not only did this appear to be disliked by several but it was also a little misunderstood, or at least misrepresented by its own staff. (now Im not sure if it runs Windows Mobile 5.0 or Pocket PC). If you watch this InkShow you’ll see that Rob managed to stump the Sales Rep on several occasions…come on Seamless what are you doing??? I want to know where the place is for this device. It’s a Windows Mobile 5.0 phone/PC that needs a dial pad (separate) and headset (separate again) to make phone calls. It main features touted by the manufacturer are battery life and full size keyboard. What do you guys think?
Rob Bushway saw it here, and put it on video here, and Kevin Tofel almost walked straight past it here.
One product that was really exciting was the new screen technology from Sony; these will no doubt play a role in notebooks and Tablets in the near future. I came across this via these clowns in the UK. (Who are these guys?) Anyway have a look at just how thin the screen is!!! While another favourite of mine, and by no means were these guys clowns, was the CNETTV Team. I couldn’t help but watch each video a couple of times over.
SO thats it for my AdHoc roundup with a little taste of what I followed/liked/disliked. While I having got heavily involved I still wanted to give you a flavour of what CES meant to me in a token sort of way...now I have to go a do some "real work!"
Some of the most compelling features of these devices are inclusions such as Intel Core Duo, support for up to 4GB of RAM, a PCMCIA slot, and the ability to accept both Active Digitizer and Resistive Touch…yes, on the same machine.
Enjoy Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
watch the video
When it was time for dessert I decided to take the pulpit and preach Tablet PC. As we sat by the swimming pool on a warm Sydney summer night, I began! The rest of the evening my friend Kevin was charmed by tales of Tablet and servings of InkGestures. Knowing that his firm is focused on eLearning I couldn’t help but showcase ActiveWords running on my favourite Slate PC, and also InkGestures now enabled for PowerPoint.
As Whitney Houston once sang: “I believe that children are the future.” With that being the case I’m focused on converting them to ink from an early age. My goal is for kids to go home and say “Daddy, where’s the pen?”
It seems that engadget got Dennis Rice and Warner Crocker talking about a possible Fujitsu "mini tablet" called the Biblo LOOX. If you take into account that James Kendrick pointed to a fantastic Linda Epstein review of the P1510D only days prior then it seems Fujitsu is on everyones lips.Since the release of single sticks of 2GB of RAM I have enthusiastically grabbed a handful and attempted to put them in every Tablet PC and Ultra Mobile PC known to man! So in keeping with my theme I am on a RAMpage and not afraid of very much at all.
Here is the history:
So who will we add to this growing list? Who else but my new Toshiba R400! Click here to see the results: Im on a RAMpage.
One of my readers, Nicole, from Australia, left a comment on the Toshiba R400 video I posted (Toshiba R400 in the hands of two Aussie Influentials). Because Nicole left such a big comment I thought it would make more sense to share the answer with you all as it may assist several of you.
Here goes :
(Look for my answers in red)
______
Hi Hugo, enjoyed your site and vlogs esp this one, love the paperless idea and the practices Jon uses. [Why thank you]
I have a few questions after watching the vlog that I would really like your help and opinions on:1. what was that mobile phone device that Jon mentioned about being a great paperless tool? I am shopping for a mobile upgrade, would like some food for thought. [Both Jon and I use the Dopod 838 pro – otherwise known as the iMate JasJam. I never realised I bought the phone he uses until someone that watches my videos pointed it out to me. I must have been convinced, by Jon, rather subliminally. LOL.]
2. I am also shopping for a tablet pc, and struggling. mainly btw the fujitsu P1610 + T4215, this toshiba R400, and the lenovo x60 tablet. [Nice shopping list.]
top of my considerations are:* weight (cos I am a small person, hate lugging bricks around), * CPU (i work in the the finance industry and would like to be able to run simulations on my pc, which requires CPU speed), * battery life (short battery life anything * price (i am not a millionair, but i dont mind paying for quality).# P1610 - love the weight, love 3G, concern over CPU performance; [Great choice here – the processor is only a concern if you are a compulsive multitasker. Otherwise it is pretty good with 1GB of RAM in it which is standard now. Some of my readers may be interested to know that today I found out that the P1610 with 3G in it is a few weeks away. SCOOP FOR YA!]
# T4215 - got everything except for weight, Rob Bushways inkshow said it felt heavier than the x60, and I felt x60 during my travel earlier this year to asia, and that was so close to my weight limit. i cant find a review you did on this model. please point me to the right site, or please do one if you havent already; [Yes Mam! Right on it. Until then however look at the review I did of its predecessor, the T4020. While it is a very different machine in the internal specs it is the same machine in the external build. Here is a link to the video – oh, who is that guy in the video!!!]
# R400 - sounds fantastic, concern over battery life, over CPU which seems similar to P1610 in ghtz, and over priciness; [R400 is one of those “Exec must haves.” It has heaps of sex appeal and looks. What it does not have in specs it makes up for in lightness, sleekness and pure funk! Battery life is probably not as big a deal as initially expected. Since Microsoft forced down a patch on Windows Update for Vista, regarding battery usage, I believe the R400 has had a slight improvement. If you watch Dennis Rice on GottaBeMobile he does a great job of showing off his legs showing the extended battery option. This is the one to buy if you do not need specs but prefer looks.]
# X60 tablet - n/a in Australia according to lenovos website or only one model available which is the most expensive top of the range fitout with too much HD space I dont need; reviews rave abt battery life; and after watching Dennis Rices inkshow, X60 and R400 seem to have similar dimension + weigt, except X60 with better CPU and battery life, so why should one choose R400 if X60 is also available? [If you watch Dennis Rice’s show closely (linked in my previous comment above this one) then you will notice that the R400 has a wider much brighter screen. These are big benefits if you are someone giving demonstrations on your laptop or needing to make colours look their best on screen. Don’t forget that a notebook is no longer just about you; it is often about people around you too. If you’re in finance you’re proably doing demos for folks around a tablet – with a wider brighter screen there are obvious benefits for you.
Having said all this however I believe the X60 is hard to beat. The best news is that in Australia they only offer the top of the range X60. In my humble opinion the others in the range do not stack up to the top of the range X60. In fact if ou were looking at one fo the lesser ones and you were not in Australia then I would almost prefer you bought the Toshiba M400 – as it is a far more stable machine.]
# any other tablets youd recommend me to consider?oh, and I would need an external cd rom just to run applications. only the T4215 ticks this box. but i would pay for it separately, just want a good overall package that will "last me a while" - or is that a myth and a wrong way to approach technology these days? [I think the DVDRW is a myth. How often will you really use it? If the answer is often then you’re doing something wrong with the way you use your technology. The reasons HDD are getting bigger is so we can use them!
With regards to your comment about how to buy technology I tend to agree with you. Shop around as if this is the last laptop you will ever own. If it were, then I think you would be better off concentrating on the T4215 with its hotswappable DVDRW, or if you get another device then look at getting the best external BUS-powered DVDRW you can find; something like the LaCIE Slim line bus powered range design by Ferdinand Porsche – that’s what I use.]
3. on this note, I would also like advice on recycling notebooks. i feel terrible dumping my old dead units in the household waste bin whenever i do an upgrade (which could be freq for technology of this type). i made some good effort searching the web for e-waste recyclers around sydney(including planet ark). most recyclers come up in the research are for commercial scale and for still working units. mine are "dead" by the time i upgrade cos i sometimes break it up to see / take inside components before i trash them, or they simply died from being soaked in tea or coffee or something like that. i am more looking for a "e-waste 4 planet ark" type program similar to the "cartridge 4 planet ark" one at the post office. one with a place i can easily visit and dump the dead units. is there one? whats yours or Jons recommendation? [Regrettably I don’t know the answer but I will see what I can come up with. I will ask Jon to address this one for me. I know Dell was doing some of this in the US of A, and Australia, but I am not sure if this is still present and continuous. Anyone know???]
thanks so much for helping develop the tablet forum, esp in australia. sorry about the very long rambling and for so many questions. viewing your blog has been most interesting and helpful. please keep up the great work you do... [Thanks Nikky. As long as there are readers like you requiring my assistance I will keep doing what I am doing. Otherwise I will go away and do something else - that’s a threat!] cheers, nicole
As far as "the final word" goes I would always put my money on the T4215 first, the Lenovo X60 second, and the R400 last. The T4215 I like the most because of the capabilities and the battery options. Becasue the battery sits in the machine (in place of the DVD RW) and not outside and cumbersome like the others, I believe it makes for a compelling buy. The X60 is an awesome choice however and better if you need a lighter machine as your main priority.
R400 - well the R400 it NOT worth every cent but you sure WOULD buy it if you had the money!
I know lots of my readers would include the ASUS R1F based on specs alone but if you have ever held one you would proably know why it is not in my list. Ergonomically, it and the HP beast, are about as ergonomic as a Hummer in a shopping mall car park.
Hope Ive helped - cheers!
ROAM Magazine with UMPC on cover
Hugo Ortega (me) on a U.S Army Tank - in Kosovo 2000A lot of you may not know but I actually spent two years of my life as a volunteer in Kosovo. When I saw Rob Bushway had posted a Tablet Tale from Kosovo I couldnt help but point to it. Although while I was in Kosovo I did not have a Tablet PC with me I do know that it would have made life a lot better while there. Enjoy this article as Jeff Singfiel, of the Missionary Geek blog, takes you through Tablet PC in Kosovo, and how its help make his life more productive (great job Jeff! I think you and I will have a lot to talk about).
The Opening of the Gjilan Municipal Park - Kosovo 2001
My role in Kosovo mostly revolved around kids; I helped them deal with post traumatic syndrome by organizing activities and exercises. The culmination of my work was the construction of a Municipal Park in the town of Gjilan (pronounced: geelan), it even made the . For your interest I am posting a couple of photos from my years in Kosovo, and you can also listen to my tale here, as I was interviewed by a friend for his podcast titled: "Extraordinary Everyday Lives".
UNHCR had lent me a vehicle for a few days - Kosovo 2000
The article is part of GottaBeMobile’s “Life With Ink” series, of which my mate Warner Crocker will be the new henchman. Go get em’ Warner! I’ll be logging in daily. I think a great additioan to the spot will be David Wallace and his “Life with Ink” as a Quadriplegic Tableteer.
More soon. Yhanks for your great support UberTablet Family.
Slash Gear recently announced a new Slate by a Taiwanese OEM named Amtek. The model number is the T200 and the branding is iTablet; Warner was quick to spot it too. What I found interesting was that I have had the exact same model under my pillow for over two years. I even blogged about some Tablet PC surgery I performed on her (don’t try this at home folks). Over this period the only negative about the device, other than the retro specifications, was that it was never built to run Windows Vista, that is until I received an email from a friend recently.Now when I say UMD (Ultra Mobile Devices) are HUGE in China, I mean that quite literally. Tonight after the Labs had finished we caught a wild taxi ride into the heart of the city and made it to the Tech Centre. While there we were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people and high energy buying and selling that occurs. Not only did it resemble a stock exchange floor trading in the middle of the day, but it also seemed like every manufacturer and subsidiary had strong representation on the ground.
To me one of the obvious stand outs were the Bill Boards and Advertisements on the streets. There was Windows Vista, and Lenovo…Vista, Intel, AMD…Vista, ATI…and did I mention Vista! It’s EVERYWHERE. However, it was a massive sign on our left that truly warmed the soul. I managed to spot it before anyone in the car did (which came as no surprise) as it was the biggest poster of an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) I had ever seen. The advertisement was for VIAs C7-M processor, and the device was the TabletKiosk (Amtek) V7110. Take a look at just how big it is!
Also a sight for sore eyes was the Samsung Q1. I found it on sale in not only one, but two different stands inside the massive Tech Bazaars. That was sweet!
Blooging from the Northern Hemisphere was always going to be fun. Not because of any benefits in timing, weather or orientation, but mostly from the people point of view. Now probably most of you would not believe me but I have never met 98% of the Tablet PC MVPs in the globe. So when you hear me on a first name basis with James, Rob, Dennis, Craig, Marc, and others, it really isn’t based on real-world friendships but mostly on virtual ones. Today I got a chance to shake hands (real ones) and share smiles with the gang. It was awesome having Dennis and Marc come up to me this morning and say “HEY HUGO!” It was enough to make me go weak at the knees (lol). What did the movie say…”you had me at Hello!”
So this video is a quick glimpse of the world’s most passionate Tablet PC evangelists sitting round a Tablet sharing tales. It’s mostly a hello video with no real depth or message other than a shout-out. Tonight we have Regional Dinners but you will be pleased to know that The Tablet People are actually going out on a separate dinner…a Tablet Dinner. We will be rude and turn our backs on our regions with the intention of getting to know each other just a little bit better. I’m looking forward to posting more from there.
Thanks for your support guys! (By the way is there anything you want me to ask them in particular?)
Tablet People talking Tablet things
CeBIT Fair is just around the corner and there is a real buzz in the air. I have been asked to play a significant role again so sleep is really something I have little time for. For your own reference my duries include: I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes but for now all I can say is this: “thank God for the Samsung Q1P and 8 cell PowerBank. I’m gonna need it!”
Dr. Neils Notes 7
Show 7
Happy coding!
