News Week of May 4, 2008

ASUS R2E First Impressions

To date the R2E has not had a full review done on it and since I owned an R2H largely to my satisfaction for over a year I felt I was the best person in the team to take a good look at ASUS�s latest UMPC offering.

ASUS Holland were kind enough to provide a review sample for short term testing. Today�s report will not be a full review however. I will give a short overview and some first impression to give a general picture of what this machine is about and can do. Keep a look out for the full review in the next week.

The postman delivered the R2E to my door exactly 20 minutes before I had to leave for work. It is annoying how these things go but all I had time to do was look at the contents of the package and hook up the R2E to the mains in order to charge. Inside I found,   (Source: Thorsten, UMPC Portal)

Samsung Q1UP gets a BIOS upgrade with... something.

Nosing around the Samsung Download center, I see there's a new BIOS version available for the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC, both the XP and Vista versions. My device is currently running Vista but I noticed that my BIOS is version 01MI, so I've just downloaded 02MI. The under 2 MB file ran in under five minutes and then the UMPC rebooted. Bear in mind that you'll want to have your unit plugged in to an AC outlet and the battery must have at least a 30% charge or the BIOS update won't run.  (Source: jkOnTheRun)
Posted Friday, May 9, 2008 by ChrisD
Rating: 3.42 (Rate it) 1 Lowest 2 3 4 5 Highest Comments ()

Dell Latitude XT

And if you decide to lower your screen resolution from its native 1,280 x 800 pixels to a business projector friendly 1,024 x 768, for example, you can about using the touchscreen or stylus to flick through your PowerPoint slides. The panel is calibrated to ignore the native resolution, and changing it means it's incapable of accurately mapping physical input to the displayed image.

Our current A-lister, HP's 2710p, wasn't without its limitations, but it was still a fine example of a typically flawed breed; light, compact and beautifully finished. But, in the Latitude XT, Dell have taken what made the HP 2710p great, and made it even greater. The battery life is a disappointment, but we'd happily suffer the bulk of a secondary battery in exchange for the XT's super ergonomics and far superior touchscreen. The three years of next business day international travellers warranty may be a bit of a mouthful, but it's a welcome cherry on top.

This Dell's excellence comes at a cost, of that there is no doubt, but the XT is more accomplished than any tablet PC that comes before it. If you can forgo the Tablet functions, then ultraportables such as Lenovo's Thinkpad X300 are more compelling but, as it stands, the Latitude XT is almost enough to make even the most ardent Tablet cynic think twice.  (Source: Sasha Muller, PC Pro.UK)

TabletKiosk GETAC G840XT Overview Shortcut

This shortcut I am taking a quick overview of the TabletKiosk GETAC G840XT Rugged unit.  In the video, I go over the specs of the unit that was sent to me to review.  After the specs, we take a look at the outside of the unit - ports, pen, buttons and feel. 

I am currently finishing up some testing using the GPS unit that I will post up too.  So far, it's been really fun to have this unit out in the field.  Enjoy the shortcut.  Expect more video soon!!  (Source: Matt Faulkner, GottaBeMobile)

Intel Atom supply squeezed

OEMs may have trouble getting their hands on Intel Corp�s upcoming Atom chip through Q3.

Specifically, Intel has reported better-than-expected demand for Diamondville Atom chips, which are shipping to customers now and awaiting formal launch by the chip maker. 

Diamondville targets ultra-low-end, inexpensive PCs, which Intel has dubbed �netbooks� and �nettops.� Intel�s Silverthorne Atom, which targets mobile Internet devices (MID), launched in April after the company branded the Atom family in March.  (Source: Suzanne Deffree, EDN)

Sized to go anywhere

Fujitsu LifeBook U1010

NO SELF-RESPECTING tech geek could see this computer and not desire it.

It's so tiny, cute and fully featured that it renders itself almost irresistible.

The Fujitsu LifeBook U1010 3.5G is currently the smallest and lightest laptop in the world. It weighs only 630g and is only 17cm long, making it roughly the size of a paperback novel and equivalent to Penny's Computer Book in Inspector Gadget.  (Source: CourierMail.com.au)

UMPC and sub-notebooks screen-size, resolution: the trend

It's interesting to watch the trend of screen size and resolution in the UMPC and sub-notebook market. Every initial UMPC in 2006 that I can think of had a 7-inch display, which was the standard size defined the Origami Project. Over the next one to two years, designers learned that 800 x 480 wasn't optimal so we've witnessed resolution bumps to a more useful 1024 x 600. The trend-setting Asus Eee PC started at the less than optimal screen size and res, but the next-gen model is already at 8.9-inches and the higher res. The HP Mini is an outlier with an even higher resolution on the 8.9-inch display.  (Source: jkOntheRun)
Posted Wednesday, May 7, 2008 by ChrisD
Rating: 3 (Rate it) 1 Lowest 2 3 4 5 Highest Comments ()

Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC Review

With so may Tablet PCs available today what makes the Latitude standout?

It's all in the details.....ease of use, an exceptional screen, there is no question that Dell paid careful attention to detail when designing the Latitude XT Tablet PC and its accessories.    Its sleek, sturdy and powerful, has a great pen and ink experience and the largest selection of connectivity options to date. Those are just some of the features that made the Dell Tablet PC stand out from the crowd.  (Source: Linda A. Epstein, TabletPC2.com)

Beta Test New Tablet PC Input Panel - Inker

What is Inker?

Inker is a replacement for the Windows pen input system. Inker is more efficient to use and more customizable than TIP.

Inker includes all of the functionality of TIP and more, however Inker and TIP can run side by side. Installing and using Inker does not disable or remove TIP, however we suggest you turn off the automatic pop up features of TIP.

Inker uses the same writing recognition engine as TIP does, however Inker focuses on reducing pen clicks for input and corrections through a streamlined user interface. Inker is written in C# and WPF.

Distinctive features

• Text Tap Activation - No need to hunt around for the TIP icon that appears in random places, simply tap the text field with a pen and Inker activates. This functionality works in most applications, but for those that it does not, simply tap the Inker icon in the system tray.
  
• Text Corrections - Need to correct existing text? Just select it with the pen when Inker is empty and it will load the text and allow you to correct it.
  
• No Tabbing - Handwriting and corrections are performed in a single place and handwriting is replaced while you write with recognized text. No need to move around through different modes or screens.
  
• Improved Recognition - Inker is more accurate than TIP. While it uses the same recognition engine, Inker does more analysis of the input and uses this information to better choose when the recognition results return many candidates..
  
• Copy/Cut/Paste - Inker has buttons for quick copy/cut/paste. No need to wait for right click functionality, and thus no interference with text selections.
  
• Correction Gestures - Using simple up/down gestures you can change the case of a word or a letter, using left/right gesture you can insert new letters.
• Advanced Eraser Support - Tap words or letters with the eraser to delete.
  
• Sizable Input Area - Inker can be zoomed in and out to adjust for your screen size and resolution and achieve best balance between readability and space usage.
• See Through - Inker makes effort to not stay in your way - it becomes translucent and positions automatically on the screen when appropriate so you can see behind it, yet access it again quickly.
  
• History - Inker keeps texts you have inserted so you can easily reinsert again when needed.
  
• Favorite Words - You can define custom words or phrases that you can quickly insert in the writing area.
  
• Input Navigation - Inker allows you to easily fill forms by inserting the text and move to the next or previous form field through specialized insert buttons.
  
• Specialized Characters - Inker includes several virtual keyboard layouts that can be combined allowing you to optimize the size of Inker window
  
• Keyboard Corrections - Unlike TIP, you can use the virtual keyboard to correct handwriting recognition.
  
• Leading Space - To add a leading space, simply write after the leading space marker. No need to use a gesture or the virtual keyboard.
  
• Quick Alternate Word Selection - Alternative words are conveniently situated in a circle so you can easily find the one that you meant to write.

(Source: Press Release)

MIDs, UMPCs and what mobile users really want

Some of these MIDs looked like mini-notebooks. Some looked like tablet PCs. Neither looked like something a person who enjoys a smart phone or a tablet would actually want to carry around, but whatever. Intel is not alone in wanting to create a new device category in a hardware industry starved for additional unit sales. And that's part of the problem too, because there's no indication of how a MID really differs from an ultra mobile PC, or UMPC such as those promoted by Microsoft and its partners.

Earlier this year Thomas Ricker at Engadget got an Intel exec to try and clarify things. A UMPC, he explained, is a business-class device for enterprise users (even if no enterprise I have ever, ever spoken to has heard of them, much less bought one) runs a "heavy" OS like Windows and is optimized for office productivity tools like Word or Excel. A MID, in contrast, is more of a consumer toy running Linux and is intended primarily for Web surfing. That's why it's using Intel's Centrino Atom platform and not, say, it's higher-end processors.   (Source: Shane Schick (ComputerWorld Canada) , ARN)

'Natural Interface' will Become Affordable - Bill Gates

"The tablet device is just one thing that shows up in this next digital decade; screens will be everywhere," the chairman said, underlining that prices will drop as the devices become more ubiquitous.

A tablet PC, or a slate-shaped mobile computer, allows the user to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen, or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or mouse, on its touch screen.

"If you're in a meeting and want to take notes, it is far more effective," Gates said, while highlighting efficiency of interfaces such as stylus pens used in tablet PCs.(Source: T_Korea, Telecoms Korea)

First Impressions: Lenovo IdeaPad U110

Feather light & feature rich Lenovo's IdeaPad U110 raises the standard in mobile computing

The first thing that came out of my mouth when I removed the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 from box was "This is Amazing."   The U110 is light, sleek, sexy and it comes in brilliant shade of red.

The Aluminum top cover with its textured pattern is durable and fingerprint resistant.

The U110 is not a Tablet PC.  It is an award winning ultra portable ideapad notebook designed with the style and power for those that want their own sense of style reflected in their choice of mobile computer.  (Source: Linda A. Epstein, TabletPC2.com)

FIRST LOOK: HTC Shift makes us weak at knees

If you've been fantasising about a slate PC that would look at home in Arthur Dent's satchel, the HTC Shift could be the one.

Toshiba Port�g� M700 Convertible Tablet PC: As Practical as a Writing Pad

Tablet PCs were designed to be as easy to use a writing pad whilst having all the comfort and convenience of digital data storage. Toshiba�s new 12.1inch Port�g� M700 Convertible Tablet PC is a true all-rounder. It can be used in tablet PC mode, as well as in normal laptop mode. Inputting data when working with files or writing e-mails with the Port�g� is made easy though using your finger, the special PC input pencil or the typical laptop keyboard. The integrated high speed UMTS function with 3G Broadband WWAN makes it easy to surf the net everywhere. This tablet PC can use WLAN of course, in the 802.11a/g/Pre-N version. It is also compatible with Bluetooth wireless technology.  (Source: Sarah, Idealo.co.uk)