CutMeLoose.com

I could live with the 512mb ram limit for portable purposes (although I bet it’ll take 1 gb chip with expected heat / reboot issues), but I couldn’t live without the pc card slot. Address the pc card slot issue and I think I’ll bite – later next year :-). I’ll wait to see what the next LS800 series looks like.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:25 AM 0 comments

I was talking to Josh and he pointed me to his blog where he talks about his new Layout Manager in TEO 3.0. I love seeing a developer address usability issues for different resolution types. More websites, especially those that deal with tablet pc’s, should do the same. Great to see him designing for the 1400 x 1050 all the way down to the 800 x 600. From Josh:

Made a ton of progress last night (thanks, Stacker 2) but I'm still having some trouble with DynamicRenderer.Refresh(). It's just an annoying visual glitch right now. But anyway, the new window management is completed and working and TEO forms are loading much faster in 3.0. I had to scrap the standard XP-themed tab control (again) because it does not paint quickly when using transparent controls. Since there's alot of tab switching going on, there's alot of paint operations. So I'm back with SandDock again.
All of you who have asked for larger input areas will get your wish! But those of you with ultra portables, don't worry there is a special layout manager for smaller screens that will optimize the UI for your display.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:10 AM 0 comments

Overall, I’ll say that I’m pleased with the LE1600 Convertible Keyboard. I’ll summarize my thoughts as a series of bullet points, rather than a very long post.

Likes:

• It props up the tablet and allows for a wide range of angle placement, much like a regular laptop.
• No messy cables
• The keyboard is much better and types like a regular notebook. The keyboard keeps up really well with my typing and I don’t feel like I have to “pound” the keys to get them to work, like the hardtop keyboard does.
• I’ve used it as my primary keyboard for the past two days. Although, I plan on hooking up my natural keyboard for normal use, I could use this keyboard all day if I had to.
• It has a USB, power, and accessory port.

Dislikes:

• I’m also using the extended battery with my tablet pc. The convertible keyboard will not attach to the back of the tablet when the extended battery is being used. That is a very bad move. It removes the ability to use the tablet as a slate and still keep the keyboard attached “just in case” you need it.  When I went to a client site yesterday, I left the keyboard in the car because I knew I would be writing notes, but I really wanted it “just in case”
• To use the accessory cable ( cd / dvd for example), you have to remove the accessory port cover – a piece that is very easy to lose, and one I would rather not put back on. But you really need it on there because without it, there is a gaping hole on the side of the keyboard
• To use the keyboard, you have to remove the docking connector cover – another piece that is very easy to lose.
• When I move the keyboard back and forth, I hear a very loud “pop” as the hinge moves. I’m calling tech support about this issue.
• My eraser head lost about half of its’ sticky grip after the first day of use – under normal use
• I’ve not determined whether I’m truly losing an hour of battery after using the keyboard – it could be due to some calibrating settings on the battery monitor. There is a thread on Tablet PC Buzz about that.

Overall Impression:

I’m pleased enough with the keyboard that the Likes outweigh the Dislikes. It has made my purchase of the LE1600 worth it. The most glaring disappointment for me is the fact that I can’t attach the keyboard to the back of the tablet when using the extended battery – for the most mobile users who need the keyboard and the extended battery, the usage scenario would dictate that it should be able to attach to the back of the tablet.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:49 AM 2 comments

IE7 nukes Google, Yahoo! search The Register

Give me a break. Its’ beta 1 for goodness sakes. Doesn’t the Register have anything better to report on rather than rumor spreading and mere speculation.

Update: Scoble has a good post with Microsoft's reply. As usual, had Andrew done his footwork on this and actually called the development team, he would have learned otherwise.

Update: The

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:41 PM 7 comments

Warner has a great post going on stands and Tablet PCs. Slates, in my opinion, desperatly need some type of folding stand that can be used as a prop.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:24 PM 0 comments

The Tablet PC is/is not doing just fine - Engadget - www.engadget.com

From Engadgety, a good look at those two conflicting stories from TechWeb on the same InStat study. The two conflicting screen shots are pretty funny.

Gotta love how TechWeb can publish two stories about the Tablet PC with completely conflicting headlines within hours of each other. Better still, both have the same source, namely a research firm called In-Stat.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:36 PM 0 comments

The Mindjet Blog » Managing Your “To Do List” with MindManager

From the MindJet Blog:

One of the many daily uses of MindManager I would recommend everyone should consider is the management of your "To Do List". It can be done both at the individual and at the team levels and really keep things organized.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:31 PM 0 comments

Got an MSDN subscription and want to test the IE 7 beta…check out the IE Blog:

IEBlog : Windows Vista & IE7 Beta 1 Available

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:41 AM 0 comments

I’ve been getting about 5.5 to 5.75 hours of use with my extended battery (wireless on). When I’ve used my convetible keyboard the past two days, I’ve noticed it dropping to about 4.5 hours (with wireless on).  I expected a drop in battery life, but I didn’t expect that much of a drop.

Considering that I was only getting about 2.5 hours with my standard battery, 1.5 hours would be really bad.

I’d highly recommend that everyone purchase the extended battery with their le1600. I used to take my ac adapter with me when I went off site – I haven’t carried it with me once since getting the extended battery. It adds about a pound of weight to the tablet ( a noticeable increase), but the benefit more than outweighs the cost (pun intended).

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:17 PM 0 comments

I’ve been working with Chad and John with Motion’s Tech Support regarding my rub marks on my tablet caused by the bump case. I sent them some high res pictures, and they decided to send me a replacement bump case.

With every instance I’ve had with their support, they’ve always gone the lengths to satisfy the customer.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:06 PM 2 comments

Well, my convertible keyboard just arrived. This keyboard does not have the earlier issues that I reported in my le1600 review.

I have found that the side latches are easier to grasp and pull when the keyboard is on top of the tablet, so you can grasp the latches from the bottom.

It still types really well. Very quiet. The tilt angles are still the same as in my first review. The hinge as a lot more play in it than I would like, but its’ not that big of an issue. If you were on a plane, I could see the screen bouncing back and forth a little – more so than what a regular laptop would.

I’m going to run it through its’ paces for the next week or so with the typing and report back. Overall, though, I’m much happier with this keyboard than with the old hardtop keyboard. 

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:47 PM 7 comments

seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog: Windows 'Vee-sta'?

Thought this was pretty good. From Todd Bishop:

In online forums and on at least one Microsoft employee blog, there's some suggestion that the company may be pronouncing the new Windows Vista name as "vee-stah" instead of the more traditional "vis-tah." I don't have any official word on this, but going with the more unusual "vee-stah" would seem extremely awkward, and in my conversations with Microsoft people about the new name, everyone has used the normal "vis-tah" pronounciation.
Meanwhile, on a related subject, one of the Inside Microsoft bloggers jokes that the company should start referring to the control-alt-delete combination -- used for terminating frozen programs, among other things -- by the term hasta la vista. Or would that be hasta la vee-sta?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:34 PM 0 comments

Hilton Locke of the Tablet PC team at Microsoft posts the following: He’s seeking some input on these usage scenarios and pain points. Lets talk these up at TabletPCBuzz.com, blogs etc. Hilton will be watching.

Our user research team just published the results of an internal survey of 4500 Microsoft tablet users, asking what their top Usage Scenarios and Pain Points were.
Some of the results were:
Usage Scenarios: (in no particular order)
* note taking
* web browsing
* sketching or drawing
Pain Points: (in no particular order)
* slow input and recognition
* poor recognition
* "doesn't feel natural"

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:14 PM 0 comments

I went to remove myself from an email newsletter (self subscribed). After doing the removal, I get the following:

Your removal request has been received and is being processed.  Please allow 1-2 weeks for your email address to be removed from our list.

What’s up with that? 1 – 2 weeks to remove my email address from a database? Come on…

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:26 PM 0 comments

Anybody heard of the indie band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah? I downloaded three of their songs and they sound really good. They are getting really good reviews on some of the indie record sites.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:11 PM 0 comments

If microsoft wants to really make a hit with the student market, they will ink enable Outlook Express. Think of it: a student is in CompUSA, looking at Tablet pcs. Salesmen comes by. The tablet is hosted up to the internet and he inks an email to him right there. Not only does he see the great interaction from inking an email, he also has something waiting for him back at the dorm.

I bet most students are using Outlook Express for email. - built in inking communication right off the bat.- no extra money required. Students love that!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:45 AM 4 comments

Yahoo buys 'widget' maker Konfabulator - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Hoping to pave a new path to its popular Web site, Yahoo Inc. has acquired Konfabulator, a tiny software maker that provides a computer platform for monitoring the weather, stock prices and a wealth of other customized information without opening a Web browser.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:33 AM 0 comments

Incremental Blogger: Free Microsoft Education Pack for Tablet PC available

I'm so glad to see this get released. Looks like a great set of tools. Thanks for the heads up, Loren.

Another free download from Microsoft is available here. This time it's an education pack that includes:
* Equation Writer--Converts your handwritten equations to typewritten images.
* GoBinder Lite--Keep track of your schedule with this planner.
* Hexic - MSN game that's Tablet enhanced
* Ink Flash Cards--Create flash cards to help you learn facts or study for an exam.
* Send to Microsoft Office OneNote 2003--Print web pages, pictures and other files to OneNote so you can annotate them.
Like the earlier Experience pack, this is an English only download.
The download is a little hefty at 41MB, but the price sure is right--whether you're a student or not.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:00 AM 0 comments

Tablet PC Buzz member, graye, has written a nifty utility to collect data points on battery usage. check it out.

It creates a CSV file that you can import to Excel for graphing purposes.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:19 PM 0 comments

As I’ve stated before, the most anticipated accessory for my LE1600 tablet pc is the convertible keyboard. The prototype I tried out typed excellent and was very quiet, although I had a few prototype-like issues with it.

Well – my own keyboard is now on its’ way. It shipped yesterday, should be here on 7/26. Since I’ll be in the hospital with my daughter during the nights the week after next, I’m going to be heavily reliant on the keyboard for work purposes. It should give me a lot of time to give real-world feedback.

I’ll report back on how it goes.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:35 PM 0 comments

Many of you who follow my blog have also been following the journey that my daughter, Maggie, has been on the past two years. I won’t rehash everything here, but you can go back and read the highlights here. In short, she was dignosed with a brain tumor in August of 2003, been through brain surgery, gamma knife surgery, and chemotherapy, and countless tests. The tumor is finally gone, the cancer is gone, but the seizures remain.

We met with Maggie’s brain surgeon, Dr. Grabb, this week regarding all of Maggie’s latest test results, etc. We heard back from him today with the next steps.

After reviewing all of her tests and clinical history, and also consulting with some of the leading seizure testing facilities in the country, Dr. Grabb has decided that he needs to remove the right temporal lobe of Maggie’s brain. Based on everything that has been reviewed, everyone is certain that Maggie’s seizures are coming from that area. By removing that section of her brain, they are hoping for an instant cure. They are viewing the remaining scar tissue as a non-issue and will not be dealing with it at all – unless they find later that they need to.

The surgery will be the first week of August. We will get the exact time and date next Thursday when we meet to go over pre-surgical issues. The surgery will be done at Memorial Hospital right here in Colorado Springs. He’s expecting about a 4 – 5 day hospital stay, along with a 6 – 8 week recovery period.

The obvious question is: what will Maggie be like after surgery, especially since they are removing such a large portion of her brain. Maggie’s side effects will be very minimal. She’ll likely have to continue speech therapy, probably going backwards about 6 months in progress. Overall, she should be able to function a lot better with the temporal lobe gone than she is right now. Assuming no mishaps during surgery, no-one should be able to tell that she no longer has the right temporal lobe of her brain.

Maggie will be attending Basketball Camp at our church next week. Its’ really the only thing she has asked to do this summer. Its’ going to be loud and could cause seizure issues. Please pray that Maggie will have fun, be able to go the entire week, and enjoy this next week before she has to have surgery the following week.

We love all of you and are so thankful for all of your support and prayers. It has been an exhausting 2 years. For Maggie’s sake, we are very hopeful that it is finally coming to end and that she will have her life back.

When this is all over, we are planning a big party at our house. Everyone will be invited.

You can follow any additional updates at Maggie’s site:

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:32 AM 4 comments

In this post about some new features coming to OneNote, Josh Einstein, of TEO fame, has this to say to the One Note team:

Look out, One Note. I got's you in my sights! :)

Version 3 is going to be some kind of upgrade!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:36 AM 1 comments

CNN.com - O'Connor calls nominee 'first rate' - Jul 20, 2005

"I have watched Judge Roberts since he has been an advocate before our court, and I and my colleagues have been enormously impressed with his scholarship and his skills," O'Connor said in an interview Wednesday during the annual conference of the 9th U.S. Circuit in Spokane.
"He's earned an excellent reputation as a lawyer, so I think he's very well qualified."
"I am disappointed, in a sense, to see the percentage of women on our court drop by 50 percent, but I can't be disappointed in the quality of person nominated. He's first rate," she added.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:30 AM 0 comments

Bill Gates finds it too sexy; do you?- The Economic Times

Good article on the future of Tablet PCs.

It’s a PC that is virtually without limits, and within five years, I predict it will be the most popular form of PC sold in America.”

Gates at the Comdex show in Las Vegas in 2001 where he displayed a prototype tablet PC ahead of its launch in 2002.

It was Bill Gates’ pet passion. And despite its lacklustre show, it still remains. Although tablet PCs have failed to break into mainstream computing yet, Gates remains its strongest supporter: he still believes in the design and recently repeated a prediction that, with better hardware and software, it could still dominate over traditional laptops.

While domination may be far-off, the segment has been definitely witnessing some buzz — globally as well as locally — after remaining dormant for almost close to three years.

Product innovations (read: convertible tablets), backing of tablet-PC specific software and drop in prices have led to a resurgence of publicity, and some volume growth.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:17 AM 0 comments

I love playing fantasy football. Take a look at these tips before setting up your draft.

SI.com - Magazine - 2005 Fantasy Football Preview: Secrets to Success

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:40 PM 0 comments

From Chris Pratley vis tabletpcbuzz :

krypticide: beta is coming up quickly - before the end of the year. Since I know you care deeply, I'll let you know that documents imported into OneNote 2003 using any virtual printer (even scans of docs) will be automatically "upgraded" in-place to be searchable in the next rel without you doing anything. So you can collect as much as you like now and know that it will all be searchable later. Do we rock or what?

That One Note team does rock indeed.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:21 PM 1 comments

I'm really liking the extended battery. Adds a little weight, but nothing to worry about. I like that it includes a meter on the outside for a quick look at the status.

That is what bugs me about the Standard battery. It has a meter as well, but guess what? you have to take the battery off of the tablet to see the meter. What good is that? With everything Motion did right on their tablet, they sure messed that up.

their accessory page leaves the impression that they are really proud of that meter.

Never be caught without power when you need it most. An additional Standard Battery for your LE-Series Tablet PC is the perfect companion if you use your tablet for extended periods of time away from power outlets. While OFF or in SUSPEND mode, this powerful lithium ion battery can be quickly and easily exchanged on your LE-Series Tablet PC. Take the guess work out of available battery life by using the handy power meter included on the battery.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:44 PM 0 comments

In the 3 or 4 weeks since receiving my LE1600 tablet pc, the only thing I have used my Powerbook for is:

1) iTunes

2) photo work

3) Flash programming

I could theoretically do all of the above on the my tablet, but I find the Mac to handle Flash MX 2004 much better than Windows. Its’ good for me to have that backup computer to test my websites against for Safari compatability; but for right now, its’ serving as a backup system, and multi-media workhorse.

My overall disappointment with the PowerBook has been Virtual PC. I installed Windows XP on it, 2GB of RAM, and it was a dog. You can only dedicate 512mb of ram to it. I could not rely on using Virtual PC for any of my windows work. It was that bad. Now, I’ve heard that Windows 2000 was much faster and less of a resource hog, but I wanted XP on it – not 2000. If you are planning on buying a mac and using Virtual PC for your windows work – take some advice and get pc for that work instead. 

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:11 PM 1 comments

For those of you who followed the Tom Cruise / Oprah incident, you’ll really get a kick out of this.

Josh Einstein sent this to me ( via restless.org ). This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in months.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:02 AM 1 comments

My extended battery arrived for my LE1600 tablet pc. I was very surprised at how thin it was. The pictures on the Motion website do not do it justice.

I’ve got it charging right now and will be on the road later today. I’ll report back on real battery life experiences. I’m getting 2.5 hours on the regular battery with wireless on.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:31 AM 0 comments

Super-speed broadband could arrive as early as '06 - Jul. 20, 2005

Broadband Internet access via TV cables will be able to hit 100 megabits per second as early as next year, 50 times faster than the average broadband speeds now offered to cable TV homes, a Finnish firm said Wednesday.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:50 AM 0 comments

Looks like Josh Einstein is getting an LE1600 as well. He’s going to love it. I’m especially envious of the 24” monitor.

Very soon I will be the proud owner of a new Motion LE1600 (ViewAnywhere) Tablet PC and a larger-than-life Dell 24” Widescreen LCD. This will serve as my new development system and will be the birthplace of TEO 3.0. Can't wait!
Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor
Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:36 PM 0 comments

I really like the Motion Bump case, but I’ve noticed something lately that is starting to concern me.

My LE1600 has develped these scratch marks from being in the bump case. The inside part of the bump case has a hard plastic liner that is rubbing against the face plate. If I continue to use the Bump case for much longer, the paint on the front face plate is going to be worn through at various spots.

I’m going to call Motion’s tech support and see what they are doing about this. I know I can’t be the only one.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:23 AM 0 comments

Hewlett-Packard to cut 14,500 jobs - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com

Personal-computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. on Tuesday said it will cut 14,500 jobs, about 10 percent of its full-time staff, as part of a restructuring plan designed to save $1.9 billion annually and boost business performance.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:21 AM 0 comments

Terri Stratton has posted some great photos of the x41 ThinkPad Tablet PC

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:26 PM 0 comments

Dear Microsoft I am Dumping You

From Steve Rubel's blog:

Dear Microsoft, For years I have been a big fan of your company, products and people. In fact, I own Microsoft shares.

And I've even been to the Microsoft Museum. Unfortunately, I am dumping you for OS X and Web 2.0.

Let me say first that I understand the position you're in, really. You're trying to please all the people all the time. There's a lot of pressure to perform like you did as an adolescent. Unfortunately, for all of the wonderful changes that are taking place inside, I still feel that you're not at the center of my life as you once were. And I am not the only one who is fed up. Just look at Jeff Jarvis. He bought a PowerBook too.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

Tech companies jumping on podcasting craze - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

The runaway popularity of blogging, which has turned everyday people into online news outlets, caught the media establishment off guard. The industry is trying not to make the same mistake with podcasting — which lets nearly anyone "broadcast" on the Internet.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:00 AM 0 comments

Josh is offering up a few hints on how he is improving TE0.

Better recognition in the Tablet PC OS

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:24 PM 0 comments

I’m speechless after this article from MSNBC:

A T-ball coach allegedly paid one of his players $25 to hurt an 8-year-old mentally disabled teammate so he wouldn’t have to put the boy in the game, police said Friday.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:53 PM 1 comments

I just got an invitation to beta test PlanPlus for Windows XP. I havn’t accepted yet, but here are some high level features coming out. I’d assume these will come out in GoBinder 2006 as well since they are basically the same product.

These look like great enhancements, especially category support and flag support.

• Categories – Assign categories to Task, Appointments and Contacts. Filter by assigned categories. 
• Reoccurring Task - support for reoccurring Daily Task.
• Enhanced Note Feature – Taking Notes has now been taken to the next level. Add objects, Flags, Drawings to your notes.   
• Expanded Import/Export capabilities – Import data from various types of files including CSV, VCF or TXT.
• Added interface flexibility – Customize your workspace to the way you work, with drag & drop you can view the combination of modules which are most important to you.
• New Palm Applications – View Mission/Values, Goals, Weekly Compass and Role builder on your Palm device.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:40 PM 2 comments

Incremental Blogger: If you had $10 million, how would you promote the Tablet PC?

From Loren Heiny:

If you had $10 million, how would you promote the Tablet PC?
How would you improve the marketing of Tablet PCs? Would you pick a few areas to focus on? Make a broad push?
If I could snap my fingers and give you $10 million, how would you allocate it to increase Tablet sales?
What if the amount was only $1 million over a one year period?
What if the amount was $1? Yep, how would you encourage the adoption of Tablets with just one single dollar to spend?
How about this....

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:05 AM 0 comments

A good article on CNETon Shark, a software-based keyboard that many of us tablet pc users have been trying out the past year.

It may not be long before you can input data into your smart phone using a space-age Etch-a-Sketch. IBM has come up with an experimental keyboard system that lets users write by connecting the dots.
Shark (Shorthand-Aided Rapid Keyboarding) is an advanced pen-based shorthand method that allows users to input words into mobile devices by tracing them letter by letter on a virtual keyboard. Instead of tapping independently on four virtual keys with a stylus to spell "word," for example, consumers would put the stylus on "w" and then carve a continuous trail all the way to "d."
"What we are doing is creating a human-machine code," said Shumin Zhai, a research staff member at IBM Almaden Research Center, said during a presentation at the New Paradigms for Using Computers conference in Silicon Valley on Monday. "It uses geometrical patterns to represent words." As an aside, he added, "We're back to carving symbols on rocks."

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:49 AM 0 comments

The iPod Flea - Hilarious! Thanks, Scoble.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:14 PM 0 comments

Get these folks some View Anywhere Tablet PCs

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:38 PM 0 comments

Thanks to Warner for pointing these printing utilities out to us. I need to check these out. Being able to print 2, 4, 8 up would be great. In addition to full web page printing.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:18 PM 0 comments

Wow. I didn’t think the Handango charges were that I high. 40 – 50% cut of the sale. Josh has a lot to say on the subject.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:03 PM 0 comments

I was reading an entry on the GoBinder SDK today, and Scott Lemon has said that the GoBinder SDK will likely be free. That is fantastic news. Its’ the best way to ensure a wider audience of developers will actually write programs against the SDK now. Great move, Agilix.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

TabletPCBuzz.com member Krypticide asks what's the big deal with podcasts. Post your thoughts. I’ve already told you mine.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:00 PM 0 comments

Looking for info on the new GoBinder 2006? Check this Agilix forum.

In my opinion, GoBinder has always been the best ink note-taking app for the tablet pc. I’ve been playing around with OneNote lately, and the inking experience still bugs the heck out of me.

I can’t wait to see what Agilix does with the new version. Having the ability to plug-in apps will be tremendous. It’ll open up the door to wide variety of productivity boosters, and allow GoBinder to be highly extendible.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:54 PM 0 comments

Agilix has just launched their new support forum site. Check it out.

Forums @ Agilix Labs

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:26 PM 0 comments

This from Hilton Locke on the “conspiracy theories”:

I just heard about some conspiracy theories floating around our recent memory leak fix. Said theories revolve around the line: "Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing."

I recommend you view his post to understand that these “conspiracy theories” are pure bunk. Hilton encourages anyone to contact him if people experience ill effects due to the fix.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:19 AM 0 comments

Arizona school won't use textbooks - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

From MSNBC:

TUCSON, Ariz. - A high school in Vail will become the state's first all-wireless, all-laptop public school this fall. The 350 students at the school will not have traditional textbooks. Instead, they will use electronic and online articles as part of more traditional teacher lesson plans.
Vail Unified School District's decision to go with an all-electronic school is rare, experts say. Often, cost, insecurity, ignorance and institutional constraints prevent schools from making the leap away from paper.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:25 PM 1 comments

Tablet PC Buzz.com is reporting that Slate Glove is working on a new unit for the LE1600

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:25 PM 0 comments

Curious about why Tablet PC sales are sluggish? checkout this thread over at TabletPCBuzz.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:18 AM 0 comments

I believe that Mark Cuban is right-on in regards to the future of Podcasting -those that are repurposing for podcasting are those who will succeed. The average Joe podcasting won't make money at it.

I think that the IT pros who Podcast are just getting another publishing medium like blogs, writing articles, etc. It'll add to your credibility , maybe provide for a few speaking engagements, but I don't see too many IT pros quitting their jobs to podcast

I believe blogs have more potential for IT Pros than podcasts. Why? The content is searchable, easy to skim, quick to do, and its' contents can spread rapidly, creating immediate buzz much more quickly than words hidden in a 50 minute podcast , whose content is usually much more dated.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:21 AM 0 comments

I picked this up from Paul Thurrot who posts this very interesting article from Pocket PC Thoughts on the non-existent future of Palm OS

PalmOS, as we know it, is dead. We reported last week that PalmSource had halted all non-Linux development, but at the time I didn't fully grasp what that meant. I am still not sure I do, but after thinking about it for a few days and reading additional reports, it is clear to me that the operating system we are all familiar with, the one that is for personal information management, portable computing and wireless connectivity is dead.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:54 PM 0 comments

Rob Stevens'  blog looks like it will be an interesting one to follow as he pursues a Tablet PC :

I'm going to be having some fun stuff sent to me in the coming months to review, and while full reviews will end up at Gear Live (and a few other places), I'll be posting some unfiltered stuff here, just for the heck of it. I'm going to be trying a project for my first quarter at the UW, using a Tablet PC to go as paperless as I can. I'll be scanning all of my textbooks, assignments, etc., and using the Tablet to keep track of everything, as well as taking notes with digital ink.

I sent a note over to Robert Scoble to find out if the Longhorn beta (due at the end of the month) will have some of the Tablet PC enhancements that I saw some concept stuff of a while back. I haven't gotten an invite yet, but considering how long I've been beta testing for Microsoft (I was one of the original 200,000 testers Microsoft selected), I can't imagine that I won't get one.

What say you, Scoble? Can you got him in contact with the right folks?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:04 PM 0 comments

From James Kendrick on the latest Tablet pc Show

Join me as I spend another lovely morning chatting with co-host Marc Orchant about a wide range of topics, some of them even related to the Tablet PC. You never know what you’ll hear us talk about and we have a good chat about the Denver Broncos and the Albuquerque Isotopes and even get a history of the fine city of Albuquerque. Marc wipes his Tablet clean and rebuilds it and shares that lovely experience with all of us. The new Motion LS800 mini-Tablet PC was released and we can’t help sharing our thoughts and opinions about this innovative little slate. Enjoy the show and let us know how we’re doing.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:55 PM 0 comments

Incremental Blogger: Enhanced comments for developers

Checkout what Loren has developed for developers who have a Tablet PC. Very cool, Loren.

I've heard it said many times: "I'm a developer. I type code. Why do I need a Tablet PC or even ink?"

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:57 AM 0 comments

History's New First Draft - Newsweek World News - MSNBC.com

Even as the last shockwaves of Thursday’s horrible bomb blasts ripped through London, the first photographs and eyewitness accounts had begun to circulate. But it wasn’t through the mainstream media that many of these stories and pictures first gained traction. Through photo sharing Web sites like flickr.com and individual and group blogs, the citizen journalist played as vital a role in disseminating information this week as any brand-name media outlet.

...What happened Thursday is not done happening yet, nor will it be for a very long time. But one lesson that may already be gleaned is this: it is no longer newspapers, as the old maxim goes, that write the first draft of history. Cable news may offer instant images, but it has always been the role of the written word, meaning newspapers, to capture fleeting events and distill them into historical record. But by the time the first editions of print newspapers hit newsstands Friday morning, citizen journalists had already written that first draft, and in some respects the second and third draft, online. Factoring in Wikipedia’s coverage of Thursday’s terror, you might even say today’s papers are finally getting around to offering history’s 2,801st draft.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:17 PM 0 comments

Yahoo! News Photo

An amazing picture. From Yahoo News:

The Union Jack is reflected in raindrops on a car window from the electronic message sign at the NASDAQ Market Site in New York's Times Square July 8, 2005, which has been displaying the flag as part of a tribute to victims of Thursday's bombings in London. Explosions in London's mass transit system early yesterday killed at least 50 people and injured more than 700 during the morning rush. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:23 PM 0 comments

The LS800 sets a "Fair" rating from PC Magazine

Motion Computing adds to its slate repertoire with the introduction of the LS800 ($2,167 direct as tested), a mini Tablet PC. The LS800 is reminiscent of its predecessor, the LE1600 ($2,199), though it's half the size and weighs just 2.2 pounds. Unfortunately, we ran into some issues with this miniature beauty—like excess heat in the base and short battery life—that keep it from fulfilling its potential.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:33 PM 0 comments

Barry Doyles' full review of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet PC

Excitement over the Tablet PC has gained steady momentum over the first half of 2005. Instead of existing soley for adoption by vertical markets such as the health/medical industry, law enforcement, academic and associated fields, awareness of the Tablet PC platform among general consumers has made a mad jump. Demand for Tablet PC's has fianally increased to the point that several brand name mobile computing manufacturers have entered the market with a variety of Tablet PC models, paving the way for many more to come. Enter Lenovo's IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC and mobile computing consumers have a further renewed interest in the Tablet platform. Our read counts here at TabletPCReviewSpot.com have peaked in response to this exciting new model. The red carpet has been rolled out for the grandest welcome for the X41 Tablet. Still many people are wondering "what's all the fuss about"?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:56 PM 0 comments

seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog: Status change for Claria

This is not looking good at all. From Todd Bishop:

This was the story last week in the New York Times: "For the last two weeks, Microsoft has been in talks to buy a private Silicon Valley company, a move that underscores just how eager Microsoft is to catch up with Google, the search and advertising giant. The company that Microsoft has pursued is controversial: Claria, an adware marketer formerly called Gator, and best known for its pop-up ads and software that tracks people visiting Web sites."

This was a story today in eWeek: "Microsoft's Windows AntiSpyware application is no longer flagging adware products from Claria Corp. as a threat to PC users."

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:27 PM 0 comments

Robert Scoble interviews Steve Ballmer on Channel 9

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:21 PM 0 comments

Michael from SpiveyWorks is looking for some beta testers for Spivey Works Notes 3.0. Apparently, it has been totally redesigned from the 2.0 version.

Checkout the website for more info.

From their website:

SpiveyWorks Corporation released a new beta version of its note-taking software for the Tablet PC. The software allows users to handwrite notes, emails, and web pages. It also allows users to search for keywords in their handwritten notes so they can find any note in seconds. Handwritten notes can also be read back to the user in a computer-generated voice. The reading can also be saved to a CD so users can listen to their notes in their car. The beta version of the software can be downloaded for free at www.SpiveyWorks.com.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:32 PM 0 comments

The Student Tablet PC: Let's Get This Sold Already...

Tracy, from The Student Tablet, is selling her Acer 302XCi Tablet PC for $1300. – Great price. It comes with a lot of extras. For those looking to get into a Tablet PC pretty cheaply, you can’t pass this up.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:07 AM 0 comments

Michael: It has arrived!

Looks like Michael’s LE1600 has arrived. He’s taking the Eric Mack approach and not opening the box until he gets all his other stuff done. What’s the deal with all this self-control!

Congratulations, Michael.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:43 AM 0 comments

Looks like Omar’s next computer will be a regular laptop instead of a tablet pc. Omar is a Microsoft Lead Program Manager on Virtual PC for the Mac, working in the Macintosh Business Unit.

I actually don't care much for the extra overhead of all the processes that come with my toshiba m200 tablet. I figure you pay at least a 256 MB memory stick in overhead. But my biggest problem is that the screens on these things are blurry, dim, and not very sexy when compared to a widescreen 4lb laptop with a DVD drive and an XBrite Screen. My next laptop is going to be a laptop. I've gone so far as to disable tabtip.exe from starting up on my machine. When I click the button near the start menu it comes up anyway.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:38 AM 2 comments

Miracle in Redmond! Tablet PC memory bug fixed | The Register

But after our June 28 update, Redmond swung into action. A Knowledge Base article popped up on Friday, July 1. Now a patch is finally available, here: KB895953 - Memory Leak in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition - 722kb of relief.

Give me a break. I know for a fact that the fix was being tested weeks before the Resister "reported" a fix wasn't coming.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:12 PM 0 comments

Download the TIP memory fix - Finally!!.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:17 PM 0 comments

Looking to go VoIP in your home? Check out Mike Wendland’s article:

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:19 AM 0 comments

I picked this up via SlashDot. This guy has created beautfiul African hardwood replacement cover for his ipod.

bit-tech.net | Real Wood iPod by ZapWizard

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:55 AM 0 comments

A good, “call it as you see it” report on the tablet PC, using Toshiba's R10 as an example.

Hard to swallow - Upgrade - Reviews - Technology - smh.com.au

Many new technologies are so heavily hyped that when they finally hit the shelves we cannot help being disappointed. The Windows-based tablet PC rode high on the hype wave and was dumped hard when the first under-powered and over-priced models hit Australia more than two years ago. Since then, Microsoft has polished the tablet PC operating system and manufacturers such as Toshiba have improved the balance between price and performance.
But tablet PCs are yet to redeem themselves in the eyes of users and Toshiba's Satellite R10 is a good example of why.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:38 PM 0 comments

Checkout Josh on the Tablet PC Show!

ThePodcastNetwork :: The TabletPC Show » Blog Archive » The Tablet PC Show #15

Welcome listeners joining us from the iTunes Podcast library! You’ll find a great source of information about the Tablet PC here on The Tablet PC Show on The Podcast Network. This is a very special Tablet PC Show #15 as Josh Einstein of EinsteinTech, the developer of the Tablet Enhancements for Outlook (TEO) joins us for a fun discussion about his program, his Tablet PCs and a host of other topics. TEO is a program that corrects a function missing from Outlook by adding natural ink capability that turns Outlook into a totally ink-enabled program for the Tablet PC. Josh bit the bullet and even installed Skype so we could do this interview and we thank him for that, even though he is not a fan of Skype. Marc and I do our best to embarrass Josh with gushing praise for the program that both of us use daily and Josh gives us insights into his development of the next version of TEO, version 3.0, and shares some of the upcoming goodies he is adding to an already solid program.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:00 PM 0 comments

Checkout the new iTunes Motorola phone

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:34 PM 0 comments

Warner Crocker

It was one week ago today that I performed the reinstall on my Toshiba M200 Tablet PC. The majority of my experiences are chronicled in the five preceding episodes. This is a summary of lessons learned, interesting info picked up along the way, and a few comments about the entire process.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:50 AM 0 comments

TabletPC Buzz member Jgan solved the intel wireless drop issues by installing the latest drivers from the intel site. checkout the link

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:37 PM 2 comments

AP Wire | 07/02/2005 | News in brief from western Pennsylvania

While other Roman Catholic schools are losing students, an all-boys high school in northwestern Pennsylvania has seen its enrollment steadily climb.
Freshmen enrollment at Cathedral Preparatory School is set to jump by about 44 percent next year over the enrollment two years ago. In the 2003-04 school year, there were 127 boys in the freshmen class, and 183 freshmen are expected to start school in August.
Leaders of the Catholic school in Erie credit its tablet PC program for the enrollment boost.
Since 2004, the school has given all incoming freshmen wireless computers that are about half the size of laptop computers. Students use them to take notes, write papers and download research, school spokesman Chris Hagerty said.
The school's two-year-old, $3 million capital campaign has paid for the computer program, as well as building renovations, financial aid packages and other improvements, Hagerty said.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:34 PM 0 comments

Etch-A-Sketch goes mobile - Wireless World - MSNBC.com

For doodlers who can't get enough etching and sketching at home, Etch-A-Sketch is coming to a cell phone.

The nearly 50-year-old classic toy, adapted for the mobile phone by a company named In-Fusio, is being introduced in Britain on a wide array of handsets by the cellular carrier Orange

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:32 PM 0 comments

Post your thoughts on how you would change the Tablet PC:

How would you change the Tablet PC? - Engadget - www.engadget.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:14 PM 0 comments

I just spoke with Motion tech support. They are seeing this issue alot especially with customers who have LinkSys WAPs and the Intel card. There is an incompatibility between the LinkSys G routers and the Intel Proset cards. Their advice:
1) Modify the router to force it to B and the connection will remain strong at a steady 11mbps.
2) or get a different WAP. They are using DLink and do not get any drops in data rates, even as far as 100 feet away.

Every tablet I've had that used the Intel card, I've had issues with. I also use a LinkSys WAP.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:02 PM 0 comments

Supreme Court Justice O'Connor retiring - Politics - MSNBC.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:35 AM 0 comments

Its' been two weeks since I received my Motion LE1600 Tablet PC. Still loving it. My favorite yet. I wish my convertible keyboard would hurry up and ship.

Couple of issues:

1) Motion needs to work with Intel on fixing the wireless issues. Lots of reports or TabletPCBuzz.com regarding connectivity issues.

2) Fingerprint verification is a major pain. After talking with Trevor, he had the same issues on his M1400 until they released as update.

3) realistic battery life after 2 weeks is about 2.5 hours.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:08 AM 5 comments