Microsoft AV Released

I have been so busy that I had posted nothing about the release of Microsoft Security Essentials. I beta tested the product, no bad. The best thing is that it’s free and you don’t have to provide an email to download it or register anything and it does not expire after a year. These are good points, believe it or know. Every time you provide your email you are getting more spam, more chances of getting spywares, etc, etc.

HID Drivers for the Viliv X70

Finally a beta version of a HID Driver for PS/2 that works in the Viliv x70 device has been released to an user that kindly has given it to me to host it.

The driver can be downloaded here.

What happens when you use the wrong tool

Recently the University of Princeton ran an experiment to see how good the Kindle was for the educational system. And read carefully my words, “how good the Kindle was”. And I said this because after reading this comment from one of the students participating in the experiment you will end into the same conclusion where I ended.

“Much of my learning comes from a physical interaction with the text: bookmarks, highlights, page-tearing, sticky notes and other marks representing the importance of certain passages — not to mention margin notes, where most of my paper ideas come from and interaction with the material occurs,” he explained. “All these things have been lost, and if not lost they’re too slow to keep up with my thinking, and the ‘features’ have been rendered useless.”

Well, just by reading this, I can say that the Kindle is not the right tool for this guy. He needs something more flexible, something that will allow him to take notes right on the eBook, highlight, organize his notes and have a search capability within his notes. Everything that can be found in a mini Tablet PC using Windows 7, OneNote and PDF Annotator. Even within the eBook Readers with e-ink technology we have other readers like the iRex iLiad that comes closer to cover the needs of this student (and the majority of all students) than the Kindle. The failure was not in the eBooks, the failure was from the those who planned the experiment by not asking what are the students needs and then pick the right tools to cover those needs. The failure is in the jump to a new technology just because is appealing and new and no because it’s really what you need.

eBook Readers still a long way to go and what is available at this moment is more than enough for having a good time reading but it fails to satisfy the students’ needs because they are under pressure and they need quick results. They have just different needs that are far from reading for pleasure. And that’s what the Kindle is, a tool for having a good time reading.

Installing W7 in a Ruvo MiniCap 7 using a nVidia ION

As you may recall I already had the chance of checking the version of this machine using a SIS graphic chip which was Ok but never up to the level of the one I'm currently checking. The facts that it uses a HDMI port to connect to your TV,an ION chip from nVidia that can handle 1080P without any problem and a size that allows you to perfectly hide it in anywhere makes this the perfect Media Center.

The installation of W7 in the Ruvo MiniCap 7 took a little more them 45 minutes. A total of 53 minutes counting 2 optional downloads for the nVidia chip. Tip: After running Windows Update, you will find an unknown device in the Device Manager, click on driver update and point the search to the CD that came with the device.

My first impressions? The ION chip is the way to go!

You can see playing different video files in this video.

YouTube - Ruvo mini Cap 7 con nVidia ION

Viliv S10 Convertible Netbook

They did well calling the Viliv S10 a convertible notebooks because what's not for sure is a TabletPC. Why? Because this device does not have a HID compliant driver to handle its touch screen and as result you won't ever experience all the touch screen features included in Windows 7.

YouTube - Viliv S10 convertible netbook

Courier, Microsoft’s New Tablet

Courier is a new Microsoft’s Research Project that in my opinion will change the classrooms and meetings in a near future.

To better understand the idea behind this project I would recommend to check this video posted at Gizmodo. I’m sure that once you see the video you will start saving to buy one of these whenever they are released to market.

3 new products from TabletKiosk

IDF: San Francisco, CA, September 22, 2009 — TabletKiosk® , a leading provider of  mobile business computing solutions, today introduced three new systems powered by Intel®  Atom™ Processors: the 7-inch eo™ a7330D Ultra-Mobile PC, the 7-inch eo TufTab® a7230XD Rugged Ultra-Mobile PC and the 12.1-inch Sahara NetSlate™
a230T touch screen Tablet PC.

This new generation of slate-style tablets is built for the Enterprise marketplace, and includes a number of new and innovative features designed specifically to deliver improved productivity and value to professionals working in the office or out in the field.   

eo™ a7330D Ultra-Mobile PC

This newest member of TabletKiosk's family of eo Ultra-Mobile PCs is the first 7-inch tablet to feature an auto-switching dual mode active digitizer / resistive touch screen panel developed by Wacom®, the pioneering leader in pen technology. Business professionals in hospitality, home automation and industrial control systems are also excited about other features of the eo a7330D including its dual, hot swappable battery packs; integrated wireless connectivity; a "fit-in-your-hand" design; and a revolutionary new modular expansion system.  By attaching one of the interchangeable expansion modules, the functionality of the device can be customized for specific business applications including scanning bar codes, swiping credit cards and even connecting to enhanced 3G/3.5G wireless wide area networks. Based on high-speed USB Bus technology, the modules are hot swappable and can be removed or switched out without powering down the system.

“We designed the new eo a7330D in response to the industry-specific challenges which we felt were not being met by the current crop of 7-inch devices,” said Martin Smekal, president of TabletKiosk. “Instead of pushing a 'one-size-fits-all' device that must be paired with external attachments, cords and dongles, the new eo a7330D with its modular expansion system can be easily and cleanly customized to perform specific business functions, thus providing seamless integration with industry standard applications.”

eo a7330D is powered by the Intel® Atom™ Z530P processor and comes standard with 1.0 GB RAM, 1.8" 80 GB HDD (SSD drives optional), sunlight viewable screen, dual hot swappable batteries, built-in wireless capabilities including GPS, 802.11a/b/g/n Dual Channel WiFi and Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR, and the auto-switching dual mode digitizer/touch screen for highly accurate handwriting recognition and finger touch control.

eo TufTab® a7230XD Rugged Ultra-Mobile PC

The new eo TufTab a7230XD is a rugged Ultra-Mobile PC that surpasses MIL-SPEC-810F specifications and is rated IP54 to provide a lightweight and durable solution for on-the-go professionals working in harsher than normal
environments. Featuring the same auto-switching active digitizer / passive touch screen as the eo a7330D, this revolutionary device is ably suited for outdoor fieldwork, data collection, warehousing, mobile point of sale and other work functions which endure extreme handling.

Also powered by the Intel® Atom™ Z530P processor, the eo TufTab a7230XD comes standard with 1.0GB RAM, 80GB HDD (SSD optional), 802.11a/b/g/n Dual Channel WiFi, 2.0 Mpixel Still/Video camera with auto focus, dual hot swappable batteries, integrated RFID reader, built-in 1D/2D barcode scanner, 1Gb Ethernet, RS-232 Serial port, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and TPM v1.2. Built-in 3G/3.5G WWAN module is optional.

Sahara NetSlate™ a230T

The latest addition to the Sahara Slate PC® line of 12.1-inch slate-style Tablet PCs is the Sahara NetSlate a230T. This new, entry-level touch screen tablet is more affordable option for on-the-go professionals and companies looking for a true slate-style tablet solution, but not necessarily with the enhanced feature-set or processing power of the existing Sahara Slate PC® i400 series of Tablet PCs.

The Sahara NetSlate a230T shares the same body design and form factor of its i400 series siblings, but is powered by the Intel® Atom™ N270 processor and comes standard with 1.0GB RAM (upgradeable to 2.0GB) a 120GB HDD (SSD optional), 802.11a/b/g/n Dual Channel WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and an optional built-in 3G/3.5G WWAN module.

Because continuity is an important value when integrating a new client solution into an existing business installation, the Sahara NetSlate is fully compatible with all accessories created for the Sahara Slate PC® i400 series, including the docking cradle, VESA mounting plates, batteries and carrying cases.

“The Intel Atom processor is a great low power design perfectly suited for bringing the Internet to small devices, from MIDs and netbooks to Tablets and smartphones,” said Pankaj Kedia, director of global ecosystem programs in Intel’s Ultra Mobility group. “The Atom processor is helping to accelerate hundreds of innovative designs, like the new eo Ultra-Mobile PCs and Sahara NetSlate products that TabletKiosk is announcing today.” Because today’s business applications vary greatly in their requirements, all three devices come preinstalled with a choice of Microsoft® Windows Vista® Business, Windows® XP Embedded or openSUSE™ Linux 11.

All three systems qualify for a FREE downgrade to Windows XP Professional (or Tablet PC Edition for the two eo UMPCs).

In addition, all three also qualify for a FREE upgrade to Windows 7 Professional if purchased with Windows Vista on or before January 31, 2010.

Pricing and Availability eo™ a7330D can be pre-ordered now and will start shipping the beginning of October. 

eo TufTab® a7230XD can be pre-ordered now and will begin shipping the third week of October.
Sahara NetSlate™ a230T is available now.
For pricing and additional details, please visit www.tabletkiosk.com or contact your Authorized TabletKiosk Dealer.

About TabletKiosk®

TabletKiosk is a registered trademark and wholly owned subsidiary of Sand Dune Ventures, Inc. a privately held technology incubator. The company produces slate-style Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs and a mobile clinical assistant (MCA) marketed through an authorized reseller channel and directly through the company website. For more information, visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

eBook sells more copies than book

Yes, it’s a fact reported by the Spanish Blog Clipset. The eBook “Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown has sold more copies than the actual book in Amazon.

This means a lot. This means that Kindle is the best move that Amazon has done in a long time. This means that we are witnessing a shift in the mentality of many readers that are choosing to go green instead of going with paper copies of their books.

Aspire One, photo review

I always carry in my backpack a digital camera hunting the opportunity for a good shot. Last week one of my coworkers brought her Aspire One and of course, I did not miss the chance to take some pictures of it and compare it to my Fujitsu P1610.

Aspire One Outdoor visibility test

This is one of the most common question asked about any portable device and to me the best way to see the difference is by comparing the device to one with so called “outdoor screen”

Here are two pictures that compare the Aspire One screen with a Fujitsu P1610 screen.

Under the shade

…and under the morning sun

Refurbished Kindle for $149

Mobileread is reporting about the possibility of buying a Refurbished Kindle for $149! Have I ever said that the Kindle is the best gadget I have ever bought?

Standard Shanzhai Style Robustness Test

In my many years working for the IT industry I have read many reviews of all kind of mobile devices from PDAs to Notebooks including Smart Phones, eReaders and mp3 players. I have seen even unbelievable tests for rugged Tablet PCs but I have never heard about the Standard Shanzhai Style Test.

The robustness test. We had our 70 kilo reviewer (what do we feed these people!), stand on the device. It survived. Apparently this is a standard shanzhai style test, commonly used in markets to demonstrate the build quality.

Tete a tete with Linda A. Epstein

Linda and her page TabletPc2.com are without any doubt in my mind a mandatory stop for anybody researching about the term TabletPC. Her last article is a compendium of all the information found at her page and I'm recommending everybody reading this brief note to click in this link and read it.

UMPC-891A, a new 8.9” Tablet (?)

I put a question mark on Tablet because the UMPC-891A comes with just Windows XP and it’s known yet if it’s Windows Touch Compliant, let’s hope it’s.

The price, according to what Engadget is reporting, is around the price Microsoft dreamed for the first generation of UMPC released about 2 years ago. Are we witnessing a resurrection of the UMPCs?

Unboxing the Viliv S7

JKK has received a Viliv S7 and has posted the traditional unboxing video.

YouTube - Unboxing Viliv S7 UMPC

Having a Beatles Weekend

Oh yeah! The whole weekend listening to a new box set released the last 09/09/09: The Beatles Remastered.

YouTube - The Beatles (Remastered) 2009 - Promo

Nothing compares to this pleasure! The sound is just unbelievable!

Viliv S7 at Dynamism

Dynamism is preparing conditions for the launch of the Viliv S7, a convertible mini PC with a very good looking design.

Launch details are soon to follow, but the starting price will be $629.  All 3 new versions are below:

• 60GB HD Solid State HD (no 3G)  - $629
• 32GB HD Solid State HD, (no 3G) - $659
• 32GB HD Solid State HD, Built in HSPA modem -$799

W7 Commercial

I like this girl, she should be nominated for the next Oscars!

YouTube - Good News - Windows 7 Commercial

Asus Eee PC T91 is Windows Touch Compliant

JKK has installed Windows 7 in a Asus Eee PC T91 and he is talking about his impressions in this video.

YouTube - Asus Eee PC T91 with Windows 7

Just by looking at the video I could see that Asus got it right using HID Drivers for the touch screen. The Asus Eee PC T91 is Windows Touch Compliant.

70 Windows 7 tips and tricks

At Gnoted.com I found an excellent article about 70 tips or tricks that will make your life a lot easier in Windows 7.

Windows 7… …comes with a lot of new features. Unfortunately, some of them aren’t so easy to figure out, so I created a list of the most important tips and tricks and a step-by-step guide that will help you apply all of these great tips and tricks.

Ultra Mobile Bike

The YikeBike does not have anything to do with PCs but it’s Ultra Mobile.

YouTube - yikebike

Now, here is the biggest problem and why to be green is not a popular way of life. The price for this bike is $5500! That’s half of the price of a small car! And you get 4 wheels and a roof! For half of this price you buy a scooter!

Astak EZReader Video Review

This year will end as the year of the eReaders. In the last few month we have seen many new ones being released.

Astak recently released their 5 inch EZReader Pocket PRO that has a fantastic display and lots of functionality.

YouTube - Walk around the Astak EZReader Pocket PRO 5 inch

Car adapter for Viliv X70

Some of you asked about the car adapter that comes with the Viliv x70. Here is a short video that shows how it works.

YouTube - Auto Support for Viliv X70

Android Tablet

Here is a video about an Android Tablet that is being shown in the IFA 2009 Event made by Smit.

4.8” 800x480, Built-In GPS and 8 GB Flash Memory.

At BMW anyone could be a mechanic

This is one of the coolest video I have seen in a while. And think about it, the concept could be applied to almost anything including computers.

Viliv S7 is not Windows Touch Compliant

I have been asking some information about this device at UMPC Portal, and I got this screen shot from the Device Manager of this device.

In there you can see the Jastec RU Touch Screen Controller listed under Mice and nothing listed under HID Compliant Devices. This means that if Windows 7 is installed you will be missing all the Touch Screen features that come in this OS. Another device that is not Windows Touch Compliant.

The Archos 9 may not be a Touch Compliant mini Tablet

I’m going to start calling Touch Compliant to those devices where the hardware/drivers installed is supporting all the touch screen functionalities of Windows Vista and Windows 7.

I was checking one of the few videos of the Archos 9 with Windows 7 Beta installed and found the TouchKit icon in the screen of the device shown in the video.

The full video can be seen here:

From the video I could not see at least one time any evidence of the use of a HID Compliant Driver. In another words, I did not see any of the touch screen features of Windows 7. In fact, for being a Tablet PC, I found extremely weird the fact that nobody has shown at least one time how the Tablet PC Input Panel works in this device. In fact, I find weird to see that they went to the extreme of designing an on screen keyboard when the one in Windows 7 can be docked in to bottom of the screen and used in the same way than the one in the video.

Please, if you are planning to buy this device read this first.