News Week of March 16, 2008

Hewlett-Packard Pavilion tx2011AU Entertainment Notebook PC

The Pavilion tx2011AU Entertainment Notebook PC is from HP's new range of 'creative' notebooks, which have funky patterns printed on their lids. More than a notebook, however, the tx2011AU is also a Tablet PC and it rates well in almost every aspect – it's stylish, very functional and costs less than most equivalent Tablet PCs because it uses an AMD CPU.

Indeed, inside the tx2011AU is an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core TL-64 2.2GHz CPU, an integrated GeForce Go 6150 graphics adapter, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB, 5400rpm hard drive. The benefit of the AMD CPU is mainly its price rather than performance; with a retail price of $2199, the tx2011AU won't blow your budget as much as other Tablet PCs might.   (Source: PC World)

HTC Shift X9000 UMPC info leaked

Information has leaked regarding a semi-full-featured hybrid tablet ultra-mobile PC from HTC, called the Shift X9000, a 1-inch thick, 2 pound device that features a 7-inch touchscreen and Windows Vista Business. Laptop Magazine recently had a chance to review the unit, noting that the built-in Sprint EVDO connectivity and push email make the device quite interesting. While not officially released, the HTC Shift X9000 is expected to sell for $1500, according to Amazon.   (Source: Electronista)
Posted Thursday, March 20, 2008 by ChrisD
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Dell's Latitude XT2 plans revealed

That's Dell's product rendering for its second generation Latitude XT convertible tablet. Expected in November 2008, the XT2 will ship with Intel's latest Montevina, er "Centrino 2" architecture in your choice of ULV or LV CPUs, new UMA graphics supporting Vista Aero, and possibly the option of an ultra-thin, optical drive integrated directly into the laptop instead of the optional Media Base. Dell also plans to replace one of the three USB ports with eSATA, a definite trend for Dell laptops in 2008. Otherwise, it brings the same 12.1-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display found on the original XT -- which is fine by us.  (Source: Thomas Ricker, Engadget)

First Look: Mobile Demand xTablet T8700 Rugged Tablet PC

With a Solid State Drive and an amazing outdoor screen this rugged Tablet PC can take you to places no other Tablet PC has gone.

The xTablet T8700 I have here has a Intel® Core Duo ULV U2500, 1.2 GHz  with 2Ghz of ram, Shock Mounted, 2.5 inch SSD (Solid State Drive) and the xView Sunlight Readable.  It has been a long time since I've had a Tablet PC with a true outdoor screen here and I have to tell you that I absolutely love flexibility that the outdoor readability of this screen gives me.  This go anywhere, do anything Tablet PC makes me re think my decision not to have a rugged Tablet pc as part of my everyday Tablet arsenal.     In fact the screen alone makes this tablet Pc worth owning for anyone who likes or needs to use their computer outside in sun.

So far I've let it fall down a flight of stairs slinky style, put it in a stream, knocked it off my desk and its still working perfectly and shows no signs of wear and tear, so It's easy to see why company's such as Anheuser-Busch, General Motors and the Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts are so fond of the Mobile Demand Rugged Tablet PC line.

For those of you who need or a rugged Tablet PC Mobile Demands new xTablet 8700 is a an amazing piece of equipment with enough accessories and options to meet the needs of anyone who uses it.

Crayon Physics Deluxe

Crayon Physics Deluxe lets you draw objects on the screen by clicking and dragging your mouse, or by drawing with the stylus of a tablet PC, as in this video. The objects you scrawl become part of the game world. The goal is to create objects that propel a crudely drawn ball toward a crudely drawn star. There is no single correct way to scoot that ball around; the fun is in exploring the options. Within seconds of hitting start, you're furiously scribbling blocks and ramps and wedges and seesaws, whatever it takes to reach the goal. Some players may get sidetracked creating hilariously inefficient Rube Goldberg devices. Others will forget the objectives altogether and just draw. (If you want to try it yourself, you can download a simpler demo version of the game here.)  (Source: Chris Baker, Slate)
Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by ChrisD
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Review: Toshiba's Split Personality Notebook

Looking at the $1,799 Toshiba Portégé M700-S7002 notebook PC, it doesn’t seem a whole lot different from other compact business-class notebooks on the market. But it’s got a secret that might make it your road-going weapon of choice, especially if you’re just as likely to jot a note as type an e-mail: This unassuming notebook converts to a tablet PC with just a twist-and-fold of the screen.

In traditional notebook mode, the glossy-gray M700-S7002 has all the comforts you would expect. The 12.1-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD is sharp and bright, delivering crisp text and vibrant colors. And unlike some other tablet PCs, the digitizer (the overlay that makes navigating and writing on the screen possible) is visible only if you look hard to see it; otherwise, it’s barely noticeable. The full-size keyboard is comfortable and quiet, and the touchpad and mouse buttons make navigating Windows the old-fashioned way easy.  (Source: Jamie Bsales , Internet.com)

Wacom Cintiq 12WX

For many computer artists, Wacom's Cintiq 21UX is indispensable. Its beautiful 21.3-inch display offers draw-right-on-the-screen interactivity with a highly flexible physical setup. The Cintiq is the closest digital substitute to good old-fashioned pencil and paper. It eliminates the awkward sense of disconnect that comes with a regular digitizing tablet. But for those late-night work sessions, the one thing the 21UX isn't is cuddly. It weighs nearly 19 pounds without the stand—try propping up your feet up with this thing in your lap (as I have) and you're likely to find it carving divots into some portion of your anatomy before long. Of course, a regular non-display pen tablet like the Wacom Intuos3 is much easier to curl up with, but after using a Cintiq, anything less feels like a giant step backward. Enter the Cintiq 12WX, Wacom's attempt to wed the small size of the Intuos3 with the interactivity of the Cintiq 21UX.  (Source: Galen Fott, PC Magazine)
Posted Monday, March 17, 2008 by ChrisD
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Enhancing Business Mobility with Convertible PCs

Moderator:
Stan Gibson, Principal, Stan Gibson Communications

Speaker:
Paul Moore, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Fujitsu Computer Systems

For years Pen enabled computing devices have enjoyed great success and acceptance in highly vertical industries like delivery services, auditing and POS.

The primary limitations of early pen computing devices, which were the hurdles to early mainstream adoption, were the power limitations of the devices, no stable OS environment for application development, and the lack of a keyboard for traditional input.

Now, with the availability of Windows XP Tablet PC edition and Vista, which are both Pen Enabled operating systems, the flexibility afforded by dual function convertible notebooks and a host of 3rd party applications, Pen Computing has expanded into areas like healthcare, insurance, education, retail, and sales force automation. What used to be strictly vertical has now caught on as a preferred alternative to standard notebooks. Is now the right time for you to consider pen computing? Tune in to find out what these amazing mobile devices can do to simplify tasks, expand the utility of a traditional notebook, and increase the ROI of traditional notebook computing.

Register now!   (Sourec: Computerworld)

Toshiba Portégé M700 Review

I've never been completely convinced by the Tablet PC concept. It may look good in medical dramas and sci-fi shows when characters busily tap away at tablet devices, but you have to remember one thing about that - they're not doing anything! If you've ever actually tried to control a PC in portrait tablet mode you'll be well aware that it's far from a simple procedure. The other issue I have is that Tablet PCs aren't particularly light either, so if you're planning to spend your entire day wandering around work holding one like a clipboard, you might want to put some time in at the gym first. It's therefore with some trepidation that I'm looking at the Portégé M700 - Toshiba's latest thin and light Tablet notebook. (Source: Riyad Emeran, Trusted Reviews)
Posted Monday, March 17, 2008 by ChrisD
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HTC Shift X9500 Review

The HTC Shift, available in GSM 3G HSDPA version from importers. HTC tells us they wanted to roll out a US version at the same time as the worldwide version but the US lawsuit between Broadcom and Qualcomm has effectively halted 3G Qualcomm-based device sales in the US (when are those two companies going to settle!?). The Shift sells for approximately $1,500 to $1,700 US (and you thought the MacBook Air was expensive). This makes it one of the more expensive UMPCs, but HTC is betting that a few of its features will sell you on the device. First it's not only a Vista Business Edition ultraportable, but a pared-down Windows Mobile 6 Professional device that HTC calls SnapVUE. The Window Mobile portion is powered by a 400MHz Qualcomm processor just like the Tilt, and it can make use of the 3G modem for Exchange sync and email. It offers instant-on functionality, even when the Vista notebook in the Shift is powered off.  (Source: Lisa Gade, Mobile Tech Review)