News Week of October 28, 2007

EverNote 2.2 Available Now!

Dear EverNote User,

We are pleased to announce the release of the latest and greatest EverNote, version 2.2, which offers the following new features:

- Improved search for printed and handwritten text within images
- Auto-import snapshots from your camera phone
- Google Desktop Search compatibility
- Universal Clipper with image markup
- Arranging and editing notes in separate windows
- Note List with sorting by notes attributes
- Image editing
...and numerous other enhancements 

Current users, please open EverNote and check for updates from the Help menu. Paid users of desktop and portable versions and beta testers of version 2.2 are eligible for a free upgrade to 2.2.

Users of the free version of EverNote can buy EverNote until November 30th, 2007 for only $19.95, a 60% discount!

Buy EverNote for only $19.95.  (Source: Press Release)

Mitac E100 Rugged Tablet PC Gets FCC Approval

The Mitac E100 rugged tablet PC has recently been blessed by the FCC. This portable device offers IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless network connectivity as well as on-board class 2 Bluetooth. For added security, the tablet comes with TPM (Trusted Platform Module). It runs on an Intel Stealy 80MHz processor, and 1GB DDR2 memory. The display is an 8.4" TFT LCD, and there's a shock mounted hard drive.  (Source: MobileWhack, FCC)
Posted Friday, November 2, 2007 by ChrisD
Rating: 3 (Rate it) 1 Lowest 2 3 4 5 Highest Comments (0)

Fujitsu lifebook T2010 Tablet PC @ ozhardware

The lack of any sort of optical drive as a standard inclusion, even an external one, is a disappointment, if you want one you need to either buy one separately or buy the docking station which has a DVD-RW drive built-in.

Overall it’s a very well featured notebook/tablet PC that has (almost) everything you need built-in as standard, has reasonable performance and an excellent screen and digitiser interface. Its price is high, but you get what you pay for and this should definitely be on the list for anyone who is looking for a small tablet PC.  (Source: Jimmy Barge, TechZine.nl)
Posted Friday, November 2, 2007 by ChrisD
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BLUEBEAM® SOFTWARE INC. RELEASES BLUEBEAM PDF REVU® V 5.5 WITH PDF TEXT EDITING AND 64-BIT COMPATIBILITY

Bluebeam Software Inc., a leader in innovative PDF solutions, announced today the release of Bluebeam PDF Revu v. 5.5 with new technology that simplifies PDF creation, enables PDF text editing and improves PDF markup for greater efficiency. New functionality in Bluebeam PDF Revu allows professionals from any industry including AEC, Legal, Government, Education, and Finance, to communicate ideas and share information more effectively with PDF.

According to Richard Lee, President and CEO of Bluebeam Software, Inc., “As Bluebeam continues to develop innovative PDF application tools, our customers are discovering the power of PDF in an electronic workflow. With each new release, Bluebeam makes it easier to work natively in PDF. 5.5 breaks new ground with PDF viewing and markup efficiency, rendering speed and text editing to improve the way our customers work.”

Bluebeam’s new suite of advanced text editing tools take a giant leap towards standardizing business communications in PDF and make PDF editing as simple as word processing applications. Built-in PDF text editing tools add, delete and modify text in the PDF content stream for permanent text changes, while text reviewing tools mark PDF documents with common proofreading annotations.

With the release of Bluebeam PDF Revu v 5.5, Bluebeam introduces MultiView™ and Dynamic Default™, proprietary technology for faster PDF rendering, navigation, and markup. MuiltView displays multiple PDF documents at once and allows for panning and zooming in unison. Dynamic Default technology automatically remembers settings such as color, font and line thickness for intuitive PDF markup.

Bluebeam PDF Revu v 5.5 is compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows® XP and Windows Vista, as well as AutoCAD® 2008 and SolidWorks® 2006-2007 through Bluebeam PDF Revu CAD Edition.

Bluebeam Software sells its desktop PDF solutions direct to customers and through a network of over 200 authorized resellers worldwide. Visit www.bluebeam.com or contact Bluebeam Sales at 866-496-2140 or sales@bluebeam.com for more information.  (Source: Press Release)

Portable Tablets Help MSP Secure Homeland

Before it turns an idea into hardware, they ask does it meet a need technically--can it be done, at what cost, and how fast.

"And in this case all of those things were just about perfect," said Boyd.

The tablets cost about $2,000 each.

"The real beauty of this product is that I don't have to do any fancy integration with the airplane you carry this thing on the aircraft and you're set to go," said Boyd.  (Source: Mike Schuh , WJZ.com via Gotta Be Mobile)
Posted Thursday, November 1, 2007 by ChrisD
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Is that an Ultra-Mobile PC in your Pocket?

Almost two years ago, Microsoft started a bizarre viral marketing campaign for something called Origami, which was later revealed to be part of the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) initiative. UMPCs are basically touch screen-capable ultra-small form factor mobile computers--sort of sub-sub-notebooks that eschew traditional keyboards and pointing devices in favor of a smaller, highly portable form factor. If you've ever seen the original OQO device, which was sort of a proto-UMPC, you get the idea: It's larger than a PDA but smaller than the smallest slate Tablet PC.

The first generation of UMPC devices ran Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and was criticized for being somewhat directionless. Part of the problem, of course, was finding the right fit with users: Microsoft had this notion about a portable computing experience that would use a 7-inch screen and weigh less than 3 pounds, but it wasn't clear what the audience was. So with the first-generation UMPC, the company targeted consumer enthusiasts--thus the viral marketing campaign--but that proved to be a mistake. The devices sold poorly when they hit the market in early 2006.

What Microsoft was doing at a software level, however, was interesting. The company had created a finger-friendly software front-end to XP called the Origami Experience and had optimized XP for both the capabilities and limitations of the devices at the time.  (Source: Paul Thurrott , Windows IT Pro)

Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Review

From a design standpoint, the 1.5-pound U810 will draw oohs and ahhs when seen by itself, but less so when compared with the OQO model 02 or the Sony UX180P. For one, it's larger in width and length (6 by 6.7 by 1 inches, HWD)—only the Vulcan FlipStart is thicker (by 0.3 inches)—and the four-cell battery sticking out of its back is awkward. Though not as pocketable as the OQO model 02, the U810 is fits nicely into a coat pocket. The device looks like a miniature laptop, similar to the FlipStart in that it's a clamshell with a lid that protects the screen and the little keyboard. The OQO and Sony UX, on the other hand, have screens that slide upward, like a T-Mobile SideKick 3. The U810 adds one more feature to its repertoire: The screen can rotate 180 degrees, essentially making it a convertible tablet. At 5.6 inches, it has by far the largest screen of the devices I mention here, though reading text on it is still a recipe for eyestrain.

The integrated QWERTY keyboard is essentially a 66-percent laptop keyboard, not the BlackBerry-style keys you find on the OQO and FlipStart, and definitely not like the flattened keys on the Sony. Interestingly, the U810 offers the best typing experience of the crop. Though extensive typing would feel brutal, at least you can touch-type on the reasonable-size keys. Also, performing a Ctrl-Alt-Del isn't difficult at all (though the FlipStart has a dedicated key for this function). I will say that the Space Bar on the U810 is the only oversize key, which means that the Enter, Shift, and Backspace keys are the same size as the rest of the keys. As with the OQO model 02, you can place the device between your hands and thumb-type the way you would on a BlackBerry, except that the keys feel a little mushier. For thumb-typing, the OQO is lighter (one pound) and better equipped for this task.  (Source: Cisco Cheng, PC Magazine)

People notes

De La Salle Institute was recently nominated for a 2007 Chicago Innovation Award for its tablet PC program in which students use computers that have preloaded software and textbooks. The tablet PC program began at the outset of the 2006-07 school year. Guiding the program is Jorge Pena, De La Salle's associate principal for Learning & Technology.

As one of the 250 entities nominated for a 2007 Chicago Innovation Award, De La Salle was honored at a reception at the CME Group's Chicago Board of Trade trading floor.  (Source: nwi.com)
Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2007 by ChrisD
Rating: 3 (Rate it) 1 Lowest 2 3 4 5 Highest Comments (0)

How I’d use Classmate PCs in the States (and why I really want a UMPC now)

 learned 2 things using the Classmate this weekend. The first was that there really is a market for the Classmate and its competitors (which I hope extend beyond the Asus Eee and the OLPC XO) here in the States. Teachers at the conference were already imagining what they could do with sets of these laptops in their classrooms, even though I made it clear that they weren’t going to be here any time soon. No one was talking about giving one to every student in a true 1:1 model, but everyone was talking about how they could use readily available computers that the kids would have a tough time breaking and could use in new, collaborative ways in the classroom.

The second is that I really want a UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC). The ability to pull a small, fully-functional computer out of my bag and begin working no matter where I was proved incredibly valuable this weekend. Need some quick information from the Web? Got it. Can someone write that down? Already done and emailed out. Does anyone have a copy of that document? You bet - I’m downloading the PDF right now. All that happened on a computer designed for little kids, most of whom have had very little experience using a PC before. Am I willing to sacrifice some performance for total mobility? You bet your Intel stock. (Source: Christopher Dawson, ZDNet)

Crazy Rugged SwitchBack UMPCs Hit the Market

Roper Mobile announced that it was buying Black Diamond Advanced Technology, creator of the SwitchBack super-rugged UMPC. The machine debuted last fall, wooing fans with its hot-swappable batteries, all-weather reflective screen and full waterproofing to three meters underwater. But until now no one could actually buy one. Though not many knew it, SwitchBack was also the brains used in Intel's Satanic Chopper. Today the computers are finally for sale. We talked to creator Todd Einck about his uniquely kick-ass UMPC:

The problem the company dealt with was this: how do you build a PC capable of withstanding extremes of temperature, moisture, impact and dust, but then let some dude in the field plug in his iPod or digital camera, and screw it all up? Says Einck: "How do you hang on to a tablet if it has all this junk hanging off it? We embed all that stuff in BackPacks."  (Source: Gizmodo)

Xplore Technologies iX104C2 rugged Tablet PC slate

Competition is always a good thing. Witness Hertz versus Avis, Coke versus Pepsi, Ford versus Chevy and so on. In the ruggedized mobile computing arena, slate division, the competition is between Xplore Technologies and WalkAbout Computer. The fierce battle between those two veterans of the pen computer field may be stressful to them, but it sure has elevated the state-of-the-art in rugged pen slates far beyond what we thought possible just a few years ago. And as usual when competition gets tough, the primary beneficiary is the customer. Xplore's latest is the iX104C2, a freshened-up version of the company's superb iX104 platform. Applying the vast experience Xplore had gathered over the years with its rugged GeneSys pen slates, the iX104 sports exemplary industrial design. This is a rugged machine that is not only tough, but also undeniably attractive. No matter what angle you look at it, every detail of the iX104 seems like some clever engineers thought about it for hours and days, and then went to the designers to come up with the perfect solution. 

Just like WalkAbout offers the rugged RT and the ultra-rugged XRT series of essentially the same computer, Xplore uses the iX104 platform for both the economical Renegade as well as the top-of-the-line C2. In our 2004 Buyer's Guide we marvelled at how Xplore managed to seal the iX104 Renegade's generous complement of ports and connectors from the elements, achieving an IP54 rating. Apparently no problem. With the iX104C2, Xplore raised the bar again. The machine sports a stellar IP67 rating. This means you can submerge it in a foot of water for 30 minutes. And, of course, it also passes the requisite tests for blowing rain, drip, sand and dust, salt fog, contamination by fluids (such as detergents or brake fluid) and solar radiation.   (Source: Conrad Blickenstorfer, Rugged PC Review)