Origami Experience Download Link

Here is the Link published just a few minutes ago by Dustin at Origamis Project!

First Magazine About UMPC

The first Magazine about UMPC that I know of in the whole World has been released today in Spain!

A group of UMPC enthusiasts have worked for 20 days to put together this first number in PDF format that can be downloaded here.

What's included in this first number? First of all a detailed explanation of what's a UMPC, what software can be used on it, what are the different brands and models currently in the market and what version of Vista can be installed on them. In a few words all the information need to understand this new world opened to us by Microsoft back in May 2006!

This magazine is sponsored by todoUMPC , it's written in Spanish and it's free!

External DVD Burner LaCie

I just received my external DVD Burner LaCie and I'm very impressed and satisfied with this accessory. The external design of this burner is really good and it has the perfect size to be considered a companion for any UMPC.

It comes with Easy CD Creator, a USB Cable to power the device, a USB cable for data transmission, and a power adapter. I tested it with my Samsung Q1 and it works very well. And the best thing is that I paid for this burner 3 times less than what I would have to pay for the original Samsung Burner which is just a CD Burner/DVD Combo. This one was refurbished and I paid only 50 dollars including shipping. The new one can be bought here and the price is $129, 55% less than Samsung's.

You can check my pictures of this device here.

Encoding in a Q1 with Vista

It's not a secret that you wont be able to run Movie Maker in our Q1, R2H, and i7200 once we install Vista. All we are getting is an error message saying that we don't have a good enough graphic card. Well, could somebody then explain me how this person is encoding video in this Q1?

This is a picture of the Q1 SSD running Vista.

Q1 is Vista Certified

Samsung revealed at MS Windows Vista experience center in Seoul, Korea, it's Q1 SSD as Vista-Certified, according to news posted at AVING USA. The device shown was the Q1 with Celerom processor and SDD. This is a really good news because the only difference between the Q1 (NT-Q1) and the SDD is just the disk. And that means that probably we are going to see the Vista drivers at anytime soon.

[Source: Pocketables.net]

Hugo, Q1 and Vista

Hugo Ortega has installed Vista in his Q1 and the new Q1b. He did not give any details in his latest post at his blog but I'm sure he will be back with more details and of course a good video!

One day away from Vista

We are one day away from Vista Official Release and all the media is talking about it. But... The UMPC picture does not look too good to me. So far nobody has released any Vista Drivers. The Amtek T700 is the only one that with a few tweaking can use 100% Vista, but as all we know the performance in this device under Vista won't be that good so I do not advice the installation of this OS in these devices if you really care about performance. I installed and it seems to me fine but I have seen comments from other T700 owners that have gone back to XP because of this.

Installing Vista in Samsung Q1, Asus R2H, Tabletkiosk eo i7200 is an adventure with an end that is not so happy taking in consideration that few features will not work thanks to the lack of Vista Drivers or programs compatible with Vista released by these OEMs.

So, here we are, one day away from Vista and no drivers have been released for UMPCs. BTW, CompUsa is having a Vista Celebration Party tonight in many cities. That means to me one thing, many users will be able to walk away tonight with Vista from these celebrations.

I never have seen a better slogan than this one. Yes, but the "wow" that Microsoft is going to listen it is going to be followed by "some of my programs do not work, and many of my drivers do not work either!" And this cry is not going to be from UMPC owners alone. This is a general situation, this is not something present in our UMPCs only.

Slim USB 2.0 DVD Burner for 50 dollars

Multi-format, double layer recording / Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface / Store 8.7GB of photos, MP3s, videos on DL Disc / Comes with PC recording software DVD speeds (Write, Rewrite, Read) - DVD-RW - 8x4x8x; DVD+RW - 8x4x8x; DVD+R DL - 2.4x CD speeds (Write, Rewrite, Read) - CD-R - 16x; CD-RW - 10x; CD-ROM - 24x Writing Methods - DVD-R - Disc-at-Once, Incremental recording, Multi-border recording DVD-RW - Restricted Overwriting CD-R/RW - Disc-at-Once, Track-at-Once, Session-at-Once, Packet Writing Writing Compatibility - 4.7GB DVD-R, 4.7GB DVD-RW, 4.7GB DVD+R, 4.7GB DVD+RW, 700MB CD-RW Disc Format - CD - CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-DA, Photo CD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-Extra, CD-Text / DVD - DVD-ROM, DVD+R, DVD-R (General Use only), DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-Video High-speed CD-RW Compatibility Buffer - 2 MB Access Time - DVD - 140 ms / CD - 130 ms Unit Dimensions (WxHxD) - 135x20x162 mm / 5.2x.75x6.3 in. System Requirements - Pentium III 500MHz processor or greater; Apple Macintosh PowerMac G4 500MHz processor or greater128MB RAM (256MB RAM recommended) Double Layer recording - PC - Windows 2000 or XP / Macintosh - 10.2.3 or later Bundled Software - Easy Media Creator 7 (WinXP, 2000), Easy CD & DVD Creator 6.2, DVDMAX 2.0 player Warranty - 90 days

Box Content - Hi-Speed USB cable, USB power sharing cable, power supply, LaCie DVD Utilities CD // Mac software not included

No free upgrade to Vista for Q1

I just got some information from a well connected source confirming that Samsung will not offer any free Vista Upgrade to current Q1 owners.

Swapping accessories between UMPC

Yes, you can use some accessories designed for some UMPCs in others. That's what Hugo Ortega shows us in this post.

Off Topic: A really cool software

News about UMPC Market

AMD is about to release a new processor for UMPCs according this report published in DigiTimes.

AMD is said to be launching the Geode LX 900 CPU with a clock speed of 667MHz in an attempt to boost its share in the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) market, where competitors Intel and VIA Technologies are already selling processors with clock speeds of 1GHz or above...

In another hand, SmartOfficenews is reporting that Samsung is abandoning the Notebook market in Australia to dedicate all its efforts to UMPC Market.

The move is part of the company's decision to focus solely on the ultra mobile PC (UMPC) platform, according to IT and CE sales director Norman Krieke.

"Samsung believes there are a number of emerging markets for the UMPC platform, such as education, health care and government," Krieke says.

"The notebook market here is extremely competitive and? we have made the internal decision to channel resources towards the UMPC," he adds.

Who says that the UMPC idea was a total disaster? For sure, was not me. Probably, it's somebody writing for PC Magazine ;)

UMPC Summary by JKK

JKK has just posted at OrigamiProject a summary about what he think of all the UMPC in the market. Good to read, very fair in his comments.

Upgrade to Vista is virtually impossible

I finally received yesterday the media kit for Vista Business, which I bought almost a month ago! As you can probably remember I tried to upgrade my Samsung Q1 using the ISO file I downloaded from my eOpen account with Microsoft and I could not because of an error message saying that one of the installation files was corrupted (error 0x80070241).

Well, Yesterday I spend one hour of my time trying to upgrade my Q1 again, this time using my brand new CDs - yes, they are 3 CDs instead of One DVD - sent to me by Microsoft. One hour to end this time with a new error code 0x80070017 saying basically the same thing than error 0x80070241: An installation file could not be copied because it's missing or corrupted.

As an IT Manager to me the only possible route to Vista is an upgrade of my more than 150 computers that I support. And this incident with my Samsung Q1 is letting me thinking about what is going to happen to those IT Managers that are thinking about jumping to Vista Boat as soon as it become "fully" available if they get these kind of errors.

So far I have done all that can be possible done and have been advised to me by anyone without any luck. Of course I could just go for the Clean Install Route but being a person as you know I'm, I want know to upgrade my Samsung Q1. I do not want a clean install. I want what I paid for.

Is there anyone testing to upgrade the Samsung Q1 to Vista? I want to know if this is a problem that I'm having alone or it's something that is happening to everybody that tries this route.

Vista Business for only $149

You can buy and have in your house in 3 days your Vista Business DVD for just $149 dollars. NewEgg is currently running this deal for the OEM version of Vista. As far as I can see from their site, they are not requesting to buy any piece of Hardware to complete the deal.

Q1P uses LED Backlight

Today Kevin at JKonTheRun has posted some battery benchmark from his Samsung Q1P and from his post can be seen clearly that this UMPC is using LED Backlight. The Battery Life of the Samsung Q1P according to BatteryEater is 158 minutes. 53 Minutes longer than in a Samsung Q1 with a Celeron Processor. All this saving thanks to the implementation of this new technology!

7 days from Vista

We are about 7 days from Vista being released to the big market... And I have not seen any new drivers compatible with Vista posted by any of the OEMs or resellers.

That's bad, really bad. I have not received either any response from Samsung to my email about the HID drivers. That's bad too.

The good news is that I finally received the Vista Business Media so probably I'll test again the Upgrade route in my Q1. The last time I tried that using the downloaded file from MS I ended with an error message. Lets keep my fingers crossed.

Steve did it again

Chippy did it again... I don't know how he does it but he gets the news before anyone. I think that he is paying for the tips..... Anyway.... He found more pictures of the US700 UMPC. The perfect UMPC!

I fired Cingular!

After 3 months full of mistakes from my side (a teenager with a phone) and their side (they disconnected my phone and then reconnected back when I told them about their mistakes but they still charged me for their disconnection a cancellation fee) with a total of around 1000 dollars paid in bill in those 3 months, I ended Yesterday canceling my wife and my phone with Cingular.

Cingular just sucks. I asked them to cancel my daughter phone and they ended canceling her and my phone. And after that they charged me cancellations fees for both phones even when one of them was accidentally canceled by them. They refunded me, but too late. After many years with them I was just tired of them and their "dropped calls" and not reception areas everywhere.

So now I'm shopping for a new phone provider. Here in South Florida I have T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. I have a Cingular 2125 phone which is a HTC Phone with WM5 unlocked so I need somebody with a GPRS/EDGE Network, and I need a data plan cheap that I could use to THETER with my UMPC. Any recommendations? Best Plans?

A program to turn Q1's 8-way controller into a mouse pointer

I tested it and it works very well!

I suppose there are plenty people who like me in time wish Q1's 8-way controller is a mouse pointer instead. While Q1 provide such operation if you press the setting button at the same time, the cursor response is very sluggish. The following little program is designed to overcome this inconvenience:

http://www.ticoneva.com/programming/mpm/MPM.exe

You can find more information at Origami Project.

What devices do not have HID Drivers?

Here is the list:

• Samsung Q1 - No
• TabletKiosk EO 7210/09 - No
• TabletKiosk EO 7110 - Yes
• Asus R2H - Yes

New US700W Video

Steve is going to be the cause of my divorce. Yes because my wife is going to kill me if I say to her that I'm in love again! Damn, I love this device!



You can find the specifications of the 3 models of this UMPC at Carrypad.

It´s time to do something

Even without Vista, it's a totally different experience using XP Tablet PC Edition with HID Drivers.

I just sent this email to Samsung Tech Support (I'm removing the name of the person I sent the email...)

Hi XXXXX
I recently bought for my Company Windows Vista and I´m having problems installing it on my Q1. I contacted Microsoft about it and they told me that the error I´m getting is because Samsung has to release a BIOS upgrade and drivers for Vista so this OS could work properly in the Q1. In another hand I´m worry about the fact that the Samsung Q1 does not have HID Drivers and without these drivers we will have issues in Vista:

• different onscreen keyboard no loginscreen Some of these
  

• keyboard


• no Automatic learning on handwriting


• no floating tip


• no focus on text field after opening tip


• no panning hand on IE


• right click menus popping while scrolling


• no pen flicks


• Tablet PC software hided in accessories


• all tablet PC software not accessible


• crappy looking handwriting

and the list goes on..

Some of these issues are currently present in XP, so even if Samsung does not support Vista Upgrade in current Q1, the HID Drivers still an issue that needs to be fixed. Under XP Tablet PC Edition we have:

• no floating tip


• no focus on text field after opening tip


• no panning hand on IE


• right click menus popping while scrolling


• pen flicks


• crappy looking handwriting.

Please could you help me in anyway with these issues (Vista Drivers and HID Drivers)?

Thanks in advance

Frank J. (CTitanic)

==============================

http://ultramobilepc-tips.com

http://www.tweaks2k2.com

Why HID Drivers are needed?

Probably you have seen me writing everywhere I can about the need of having HID drivers for Samsung Q1, eo i7209 y i7210. And I know that many of you, including my fellows bloggers and other UMPC relative sites have not given any importance to this issue. Well, here is a post that tells what is going to happen after Vista Upgrade if these companies do not release HID Drivers for these devices:

Without HID drivers in Q1 and i7210/09:

• different onscreen keyboard ( this is with HID drivers )
• no loginscreen keyboard
• no Automatic learning on handwriting
• no floating tip
• no focus on text field after opening tip
• no panning hand on IE
• right click menus popping while scrolling
• no pen flicks
• Tablet PC software hided in accessories
• all tablet PC software not accessible
  
• crappy looking handwriting

and the list goes on..

Vista will be released in about two weeks and I have not seen any clear indications from the makers of these devices about HID Drivers or Vista Compatible Drivers. One point, as far as I know to have HID Drivers working in any of these devices a BIOS update is needed.

Stolen i7209

It's a pleasure to help in a case like this.

Frank

Could I ask you to post the following on your blog?

Stolen = TabletKiosk eo i7209.
Stolen from = Frankfurt Airport or Slovenia.
TabletKiosk eo i7209 serial number = 98R01000028Q63300062.
If anyone gets offered this please could they email sales@tabletkiosk.co.uk.

Thanks

Glyn Evans

So, please, if you are buying a eo i7209 check the serial no.

A mysterious UMPC found

Steve spends some time hunting in YOUTUBE. And look what he found today.

There are not too many details about this mysterious UMPC and it's maker. It seems to use a Intel Celeron processor and a 7 inches display. I have to admit that I liked the design.

Update: Wow, that was fast, here are the specifications found by Steve

Specs:

OS - Microsoft Windows Vista Business/Ultimate
Processor - Intel Celeron M 1.06G MHz
Display - 7", TFT-LCD,WVGA
LCD - 800 x 480 Pixels
Memory -- 1G MB SODIMM
HD-1.8"20G/30G/40G/60G
Bluetooth-V2.0+EDR
Wireless LAN-802.11b/g
USB 2.0 *1
VGA OUT *1
WebCam 1.3M
Memory Expansion- SD/MMC
Battery- L-Polymer 1,800 Mah(IN) /3,400 Mah(OUT)(6 hours)
Size-198 L x 114 W x 20.5 H mm (Max.)
Weight-560g ... (more) (less)

Why you should be using a UMPC?

I'm too busy today so I can't write a long note about it, but in another hand I could not let pass this big news.

Hugo Ortega just posted a video about why he replaced his Desktop for a UMPC.

eo v7110 docking station pictures

Here are two pictures of eo v7110 docking station. The latest news I had about this station was that TabletKiosk was waiting for the FCC approval.

Ultramobilepc-tips.com

Ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com is too long, don't you think. Well, to help you a little bit I got the domain ultramobilepc-tips.com which will send you to this page.

Protect your UMPC with BlueAccess

The developer of BlueAccess came out with a method to protect your UMPC that seems to me new. How this program works? Basically, you pair your UMPC with your BT phone and activate this program for the first time, configuring it in the way you want. After that, the only way to access your UMPC will be having your phone close to it. In another words, if the phone is not close to your UMPC or it's OFF. or the BT is OFF, no matter what you or somebody do, nobody will have access to your UMPC, keeping in this way all your data, programs, confidential information, etc, safe.

You can watch a video of how it works here. As you can see in there, if you turn off the BT in your phone, the device locks it self. Warning... The video has a horrendous music playing in the background, so be prepare to turn off the audio, you won't needed anyway.

You can download the demo or buy the program here.

UMPC Life Style

Katrina is giving me a massage while I'm working in my weekly video for www.todoumpc.com

are you a photographer or just a blogger?

Today when I was going out for lunch, I found a green guy standing close to my car.

I'm talking about this huge Iguana.

In the lake near the company where I work we have close to 50 or more of these animals living in there and since few weeks ago I'm carrying in my backpack my digital camera looking for the opportunity to get some good shots of these animals.

And today was my day. The proof are these 3 above pictures.

I'm sure that by now you are asking yourself, what this has to do with UMPC? Simple. I took the pictures, went into my car, turned on my Q1, connected it to my Work WiFi, connected my digital camera to it and uploaded these pictures to my webpage. All that took a little more than 4 minutes.

I know that professional photographers have cameras that can do this without having a PC involved in the process. But, what about if you need to edit your pictures? What about if you need to add a Water Mark to them before you send them as a demo to a newspaper or blog? Now do you understand why I'm asking if you are a photographer or a blogger. Because I really think that UMPC are the perfect companion for these persons.

My UMPC and my camera have a permanent place in my backpack. And the best thing is that the total weight of them is about 2 pounds!

Posted Originally by me at TodoUMPC.com

Amtek T770 coming soon

Amtek is preparing the T700 successor to be released probably in May: the T770.

This UMPC will be using a VIA processor and Vista and the target price will be around 900 dollars. I hope that Amtek will do a better job in this T770 than what they did with the T700 where they did not got it right the first time and a recall was needed to fix few things and even after the recall we have a UMPC that does not have the battery life close to what we see in the Samsung Q1b which use also a VIA processor.

The use of a VIA processor will result in a better battery life but if you are a power user you may not like the performance that you are going to get from that chip set. But... basically there are two points that have been criticized by the "specialized press": Battery Life and Price. The use of VIA takes care of these two points. And do not get me wrong, VIA Chip set is good enough to handle Web Browsing, Email, Office, the majority of the programs that you may use but will be extremely slow handling other programs like PhotoShop, programs using DirectX, certain high quality movies, etc. That's why I said that if you are a power user you may prefer to have less battery life but a better overall performance.

[Source: Carrypad.com]

Mediom UMPC

I think that the UMPC star in this CES has been the Medion UMPC.

It has been sharing the show with the OQO 02. The Medion should hit the market in about two or three weeks coinciding with Vista release. You can find more details about this UMPC at JKonTheRun where Kevin has posted a mini Review. I really like the design of this UMPC, so far it's the only design with keyboard that I like.

OQO 02 uses "touch scrollers"

According to news published today at PC Advisor:

...the 02 features numerous improvements over its predecessor. It's up to four times faster, and has a significantly brighter display (up to six times brighter than the model 01). The improved keyboard is now backlit and has capacitive TouchScrollers for easy navigation. The model 02 also provides an array of wireless connectivity: EV-DO Wireless WAN, 802.11 a/b/g, and optional EV-DO 3G support.

This clarifies the doubt from some users that saw in a demo somebody touching the OQO 02 screen.

2007: UMPC Year!

I just read a nice article by Layne Heiny that clearly shows the differences between Notebook and Tablet PC concluding that TabletPC and UMPC are in fact a more advanced "computer system" than a notebook and of course a laptop.

It seems to me that he did not like this year Bill Gates' speech and me either. To me this speech showed us that Bill is not longer "the man". I would be glad not to see him any more at CES. He just did not transmit the enthusiasm needed in this kind of event. So Bill, next year you better stay at home or in "Afrika" with your philanthropy.

I really was not expecting to see this year at CES something really new in the UMPC field, it was just too early. The technology for a second generation like I have been saying has not matured yet. The price still too high. But I agree with Layne, 2007 will be definitely the UMPC Year. This "computer systems" with lower price have came to show the world what Tablet PC could not due to a higher price: TabletPCs and UMPCs are more advanced systems than Notebooks.

New use for Origami devices

JKonTheRun posted few pictures from CES. And there is one that make me think a lot.

Origami-Bar? Origami-Saloon? Sounds interesting enough for opening a new business!

Origami Experience Screen Shots

Sears, one of the members of Origami Team just posted a lot of screen shots of the Origami Experience aka Vistagami.

I have to confess that I never have used the Origami Touch Pack but I'm dying to check this one. Will Vistagami be good enough to make me used? Lets see when it's released by the end of January - if I can pass the error 0x80070241.

Origami Experience Video

Video: UMPC - Samsung Q1P demoed at CES

Source: OrigamiPortal.com

TabletKiosk at CES

UltramobileGeek has published a very deep report of what is going on in TabletKiosk's KIOSK at CES.

The above is a picture of the eo v7110 docking station (at last ;)). Another interesting picture is this one with Gail Levy showing a port replicator for TabletKiosks eos.

Definitively TabletKiosk is showing at CES that they are not abandoning their customers. Bravo!

CarryPad talks about OQO 02

More about error 0x80070241

Look what I found here.

The Prayer Of Windows Vista Ultimate Installers

Dear Lord,

I bow before you as your humble servant, faithful to your word and command.

Please bestow peace on our troubled world and let all mankind see the folly of their ways and vices and return to your fold and live their lives as your sacred words dictate so that we may all be worthy to face you in heaven and receive your blessings.

O Lord, I pray to you today that whomever designed and worked on Windows Vista may be struck down with a funny sickness such as premature balding, impotence, or constant diarrhea, so that they may also suffer as we do when everytime Microsoft releases a new software, even the bloody installation won't work.

Oh Lord, please enable Bill Gates and his team to awaken and realize that even though they are copying other peoples work with the Vista (bless those people at Mac), please let them know that they still need to do some work of their own to ensure that the bloody thing installs correctly and does not give an error code of 0x80070241 during installation.

Smite them O Lord, smite them so that when we contact Microsoft support or post on this forum that we are having this error code: 0x80070241, at least somebody from Microsoft can help us - us the people who have purchased Windows Vista Ultimate corporate edition.

O Lord, bless us and please smite all those technicians who created Vista, and do not provide help with error code: 0x80070241. Open their eyes so that when in the future they copy another Operating system from Mac, may they at least copy it correctly.

Amen

Another Attack?

Check this new attack from Forbes:

Is Microsoft backing another dead-on-arrival format (remember the Tablet PC?) or a cutting-edge design whose time will come soon?

The good part of this article is that it ends in a question, that means doubt. This means one thing, Forbes is re analyzing the whole concept and at this moment they are not so sure about their "fiasco" claiming of the beginning of the last year right after Microsoft Press Release about Origamis.

N800 Manuals

Our French friend Jeff has found the N800 manuals.

English

Spanish

Origami Experience

Origami Team just presented to the public the new Origami Experience!

What I can say? It looks good. My question is when it will be available to current UMPC owners with Windows Installed?

OQO 02 at Dynamism

Dynamism.com announces the OQO Model 02 is now available for immediate purchase at Dynamism.com. Measuring 5.6 x 3.3 x 1.0in and weighing less than 1 lb, the OQO 02 is powered by a 1.5GHz VIA ultra low-voltage CPU that breezes through Windows XP, or Windows XP Tablet. It features 1 GB (max) RAM, and up to 60GB hard drive.

The new OQO 02 is interesting from a review standpoint. OQO comprehensively addressed the complaints that dogged the original 01 -- adjustments that are outlined at www.dynamism.com/oqo02, which also features an excellent comparison of the OQO 02 and the Sony UX.

Featuring a hard drive with three useful features, the OQO 02 is shock mounted, has automatic drop detect to minimize the risk of data loss and the ability to create a hardware-encrypted virtual hard drive to protect sensitive data.

Video performance, driven by a VIA VX700 with integrated GPU with dynamically allocated RAM is particularly impressive. Users can “zoom in” in order to make small text easier to read and also “Zoom out” to increase screen resolution beyond the native 800x480. This feature is useful when viewing large documents, graphics or web pages. Video output is supported on VGA, HDMI and DVI, up to 1920x1200. Dual-display is also supported.

Customers can purchase the OQO 02 with integrated Sprint EVDO WWAN for ultimate connectivity on-the-go. (Note: Sprint module will work on Sprint-only and not any other carrier. This WWAN option only functions in the United States and requires a data service subscription with the carrier at additional cost to any existing plan.)

As with all products on Dynamism.com, the OQO Model 02 includes unlimited Dynamism toll-free technical support and Dynamism.com Rescue Warranty. Shipping for this new model will begin in February.

For more information or to order, please visit http://www.dynamism.com

I have to confess that I liked the design on this one but the price tag and the 5 inches display are bigs no nos. I also think that the small keyboard are practically useless.

Kohjinsha SA1 UMPC

Steve has posted a lot of information about Kohjinsha SA1 UMPC at Carrypad.

Here is a fragment of his article.

I keep wondering about the price. $1k is a lot of money. Even $750 (the Japanese local price) is quite high. If it was a Via C7-M 1Ghz in there, it would be, well, more comfortable because you'd have at least some Direct 3D support. Many people won't be able to justify it so it leaves only business, niche and rich customers. Digital photographers, frequent flyers and train commuters and maybe a few middle aged round-the-world trippers.

error 0x80070241, my Vista adventure

1. I bought Vista Business about 3 weeks ago
2. After 3 weeks waiting for the media DVD, I got 3 XP CDs
3. I called Microsoft to find that the Vista DVDs have not been released yet even when according to Microsoft Press Releases, Vista was released to Business back in mid December 2006. They advised me to download Vista from my eopen account. I did that. Burned the ISO into a DVD.
   
4. I tried to upgrade my Q1, failed, I got an error 0x80070241
5. Uninstalled Norton Antivirus ( I had it disabled) and tried again ending with the same error.
6. Changed the external DVD for a faster one, just in case, but I got again the same error.
   
7. I downloaded again the 2 GB file. Compare my previous downloaded file with this one and they are identical.
8. Google for this error and I found a lot of people with that problem and not help at all from Microsoft. The funny thing is this error means that one of the installation files is corrupted. But the truth is that all files are fine. The other funny thing is that this error have been present in all versions of Vista. And Microsoft never have posted any solution.
   
9. Mounted the ISO in a virtual DVD and got the same error. This means that the more than 5 DVDs that I burned and throw out were good. Who will pay for all this Microsoft?
10. Copied all files from my mounted Virtual DVD to my Q1 and launched the installation from there with the same result: error 0x80070241

So here I'm. 200 dollars poorer, with 3 Windows XP CDs that I do not need and I can't use, and dreaming with my Q1 upgraded to Vista. Please, do not advice me to do a clean install. I paid for an upgrade and I want that that I paid for working!

More on HID drivers

Nokia N800

The importance of HID Drivers

What is the closest UMPC in the market to a Tablet PC? The eo v7110. Why? Because this is the only device in the market at this moment that have HID Drivers (Human Interface Device Drivers) . Without these drivers many programs do not recognize an UMPC as a truly Tablet PC. Without these drivers the handwriting looks terrible. I know that some of you do not believe this so I asked a friend of mind to analyze two fonts created by me, one from my Samsung Q1 and another created in my TabletKiosk eo v7110. And here is the result.

The font created in the eo v7110 has more natural edges.

Anybody with the opportunity of using both UMPCs will find that it's a lot easier to use the stylus in an eo v7110. After a few minutes using the TabletKiosk eo v7110 and going back to my Q1 I get very frustrated when I see how my handwriting comes out in the Q1, it does not look at all like I'm the one writing on it.

Samsung are you thinking to do something about it?

Note: A friend of mine just told me that the i7210 also has HID Drivers. So here is another reason again to ask Samsung why not to do the same in their devices?

Would you lock your UMPC?

Believe it or not some of us love that much our UMPCs, and here is the evidence sent by our french friend Jeff.

are you taking your love to this extreme?

OQO for $799

This is one of those deals hard to find. Woot! You did it again!

Pepper Software on CES

Pepper Software will be running in "One Laptop Per Child" little notebooks and they will present their software next week in CES according to Carrypad.

Many of you will have heard about the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project that is building a surprising amount of steam [ref. news yesterday] and impressing everyone with its frankly, awesome technology. Well here's some very interesting news direct from Pepper Computer who have just let me know that they have been working with the OLPC hardware and will be demonstrating the Pepper software running on an OLPC at CES next week.

UltraSync V2 Released

Imagine LAN Announces UltraSync™ v2.0 for Windows® Vista and XP PCs

UltraSync™ software from imagine LAN provides comprehensive digital content synchronization (files, music, pictures, video, Outlook® email, and browser favorites) for Vista and XP PCs.

Nashua, NH (PRWeb) January 4, 2007 -- Imagine LAN, Inc., a leading developer of mobility and recovery software applications, today announced UltraSync version 2.0. UltraSync, the PC-to-PC synchronization application for files, music, pictures, video, Outlook® email, and browser favorites, has added support for Vista and Outlook 2007 in version 2.0.

UltraSync combines several categories of synchronization into a single easy-to-use application, resulting in effortless synchronization. UltraSync syncs over your wireless home or office network so you don't need any special cables to connect your two PCs, and UltraSync's unique AutoSync feature knows when your PCs are in range and can automatically start a sync when it detects a connection between the two systems.

UltraSync v2.0 Features
- File/Folder sync
- Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 folder sync (messages, contacts, calendar, tasks, etc.)
- Browser favorites sync
- Sync Selection Wizard
- Deletion Tracking (files and Outlook)
- Overwritten/Deleted file recovery
- AutoSync (automatically start sync process when two partnered PCs are connected via
wireless or wired LAN)
- Skin Selector (decorative skin selection for the UltraSync "dashboard" UI)

Availability and Requirements
UltraSync v2.0 is supported on Windows Vista and Windows XP/SP2 systems (UMPC, notebook, tablet, desktop) with a minimum of 35MB of available space. Retail versions of UltraSync v2.0 will be available from imagine LAN in mid January 2007. An OEM version of UltraSync v2.0 is available now. An upgrade to UltraSync version 2.0 will be available for version 1.0 customers (including Sony UX preload customers) on the imagine LAN website in late January.

UltraSync v2.0 will be demonstrated at CES 2007. Contact Jan Olsen at (603) 889-5889 to arrange for a CES demo meeting or to obtain evaluation software.

About imagine LAN, Inc.
Founded in 1992, imagine LAN, Inc. develops mobility, system health and security applications designed to take advantage of the compact, portable nature of the USB flash drive and other portable systems and devices. Designed for Microsoft® Windows® users with multiple PCs and people with "on-the-go" lifestyles, imagine LAN provides innovative solutions that help users work (and play) more efficiently, productively, and with greater privacy and security. Currently, there are more than 30 million users of imagine LAN products worldwide. Customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Fortune 1000 corporations, government and educational institutions, resellers, small/home office and individual end users.

For more information about UltraSync™ and other imagine LAN products, visit the company's Web site at http://www.imaginelan.com. imagine LAN is located at 74 Northeastern Blvd., Suite 12, Nashua, NH, 03062.

MP3400 Universal Powerbank

Here are some pictures of the Universal PowerBank sold by TabletKiosk. This powerbank can be used in all TabletKiosks UMPCs, Samsung Q1 and the Asus R2H.

Convert your car in a hotspot

This is one of the most important news that I have read today and in the last few months.

SAN FRANCISCO-(Business Wire)-January 2, 2007 - Autonet Mobile (www.autonetmobile.com), the first Internet Service Provider for cars, today announced they will debut a new wireless service that turns the car into a WiFi Hotspot at ShowStoppers during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company also plans to announce an agreement with a world leading car rental company to offer a portable, wireless Internet service by the end of the first quarter.

With the first Wireless Broadband Mobile Network, Autonet Mobile is bringing a new Internet media center to vehicles by letting passengers check email, surf the web, game or communicate via any WiFi-enabled device. The service is optimized for the in-car experience, and is specifically designed to work on 95 percent of U.S. roads, regardless of driving conditions or location. Simply plug the unit into a cigarette lighter or standard wall plug and go.

Autonet Mobile's patent pending TRU Technology enables seamless Internet connectivity so that passengers stay connected while driving. TRU Technology provides intelligent, dynamic automatic session management between high/low speed networks, producing a reliable user experience. The Autonet Mobile Service ensures a secure, broadband-level connection to any WiFi-enabled device within close proximity to the vehicle. The Autonet Mobile Unit is priced to retail at $399 with a monthly service charge of $49.

"We live in a car centric society and our Autonet Mobile Service is directly addressing the communications needs of today's drivers and passengers," said Sterling Pratz, CEO of Autonet Mobile. "Today, 40 percent of all SUVs and station wagons come equipped with media centers, supporting music and DVD's, yet, do not support today's connected lifestyle of the Internet, e-mail and social media. We are putting the connected lifestyle in the car with an easy to use service for executives and families on the go."

According to Dave Whetstone, wireless industry veteran and co-founder of Virgin Mobile USA, "The auto industry has been searching for a practical in-vehicle Internet solution for almost a decade. Autonet Mobile's unique approach has been optimized around the specific challenges of keeping laptops, UMPC's, gaming devices and other WiFi enabled devices connected while driving. The Autonet service will help to fill consumers' insatiable need to stay connected, even while on the road."

About Autonet Mobile

Autonet Mobile is the world's first in-car Internet service provider. Founded by a corporate executive and former race car driver and leading network architect and designer, the company is dedicated to enhancing the in-car experience, and bringing a full, multimedia experience to the 200+ million cars on the road in the U.S. Reliable, secure and fast Autonet Mobile is effective on more than 95 percent of roads in the U.S. The service turns the car into a secure mobile hotspot, allowing multiple WiFi-enabled devices to connect, and giving consumers unparalleled access to data, music, games, chat, and anything else they might like to access in their second home—the car. For more information about Autonet Mobile technology visit www.autonetmobile.com.

Well, all this sounds too good but my main question is, if they have 95% USA coverage how is that nobody has came out with a WiFi Broadband Service to use in our houses? There are few companies offering that kind of service in a few areas of few cities but no in everywhere, and 95% of USA is almost everywhere.

[Source: UMPCBuzz]

Demo Units [UMPC] on Sale

Our friends from PocketPC Solution at UK are having fun selling Demo Units at a very very low price. So if you live in Europe this is the moment. Some of these demos come with 12 months of warranty!

Check their page for more details.

[Source: Carrypad.com]

Dedicated to UMPCs

Mugen Power Battery for R2H

According to this post, UNIFIRM will make a 10000 mAh Extended Battery for Asus R2H .

New UMPC From Tabletkiosk.

According to some sources of OrigamiPortal, Tabletkiosk will release soon a new UMPC.

This device was mentioned by us back in November and it's known in Europe under the name of Akori.

Vega Review at UltraMobileGeek

UltraMobileGeek has posted a very good review of Vega UMPC.

In order to make the Vega a viable option in the market in which TabletKiosk, OQO, and Samsung excel, there are a few changes that are absolutely needed. I consider the following to be the bare minimum in system changes for the next revision:

• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
• Integrated WiFi and Bluetooth
• Better graphics for media front-ends

I completely agree with these points. It's unbelievable that somebody ever thought to release such device without integrated WiFi.

Kensington Lock

Jeff (our French Reader) found a Video on Youtube where can be seen a Kensington Lock used in a v7110.