Yesterday, I attended a Microsoft Tablet PC Tour 2004 event sponsored by Toshiba, where they discussed how to enable your mobile workforce and featured tablet PC technology. The presentation was given by Bill Hagen, a Mobility Solution Specialist in Microsoft's Education Solutions Group. Obviously, Microsoft understands that it is important to get students excited about technology so that they will want to continue using technology, and be valuable assets when they join the global workforce. As a college student, I would have benefited from a tablet PC to take notes in class.
As a tablet PC user -- I own a Compaq TC1000, I was curious to see the Toshiba product that was available for hands on demonstrations at the event. The Portege M200 tablet PC, Toshiba's second generation product was available to view and play with, and one lucky winner received one at the end of the show. Recently, I had been to Best Buy and saw the retail version, the M205S810; I thought the unit was very flimsy and cheaply made. I was immediately turned off by the display unit, and felt secure about having purchased my TC1000. Then, at the Tablet PC Tour, my curiosity made me look at the units I had previously written off with a little more scrutiny.
Contrary to my former impression, I found these units to be very well made. I also liked a lot of the features that were available on the M200. I've read up on them, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the M200 will begin to use the new Dothan processors (found via PDA Buyer's Guide).
Now, I'm simply resigned to wait. I'll wait for a new generation of smartphones; I'll wait for a new generation of tablet PCs; I'll wait for a new generation of Pocket PCs. I won't wait forever, just until a little later this year. :-)
/. had a link to this article: Howstuffworks "How the Toyota PM Concept Car Works". How far away is the future? I remember the Segway was a futuristic method of transportation and the world went "whoopee" when it arrived. Are there really people other than the minority of techno-geeks, myself included, that really find these future vehicles interesting?
I've always found vehicles interesting. In grade school, I would look for books on cars of the future. I remember these books were written in the 1950s and 1960s, and they were talking about flying cars and autopilot vehicles coming in the next 50 years. Where are they? Seems like the industry has gotten all wrapped up in having these monstrous SUV vehicles, that they've forgotten about modernizing our vehicles. Get with it fellas! We can't let all those books from the 1950s be wrong...
This is reminiscent of the IBM modularized computer that I saw a few years ago. Although the idea is neat, I don't know if the masses are ready for something like this. Some people have enough trouble understanding how a wireless keyboard and mouse work, and this is a completely wireless computer... Watch the [video] -- Intel pitches pocket-size 'personal server' | CNET News.com and decide for yourself.
Obviously, the Mini has less kinetic force when it hits because it has less mass, but I'm not sure I agree that the Mini would lose head-to-head. Your talking European vs. American manufacturing, and let's face it, European cars are just designed much better. Thanks to Scoble's post for bringing us: Crash Testing: MINI Cooper vs Ford F150.
In the class of weird design, someone has made a boombox complete with a Tablet PC interface. I can't imagine seeing someone walking down the street with this on their shoulder. Read more about the Touchscreen Boombox PC.
Honestly, I haven't been plagued with knowing the answer to this question, but it is an interesting answer. Read more about how they were able to measure the universe.
OPINION: For a long time, I thought that have a TV tuner on my computer would be a great thing, until I realized that I couldn't watch TV on my PC and perform meaningful work that required concentration simultaneously; I guess I'm not such a great multi-tasker after all. Also, no matter how comfortable my desk chair is, I like watching television in a supine position. Sitting through two 2 hour movies back-to-back convinced me that this was something I wasn't going to do often. Then, I got my Tablet PC. Now, I can watch my full size TV in my bedroom, and surf the web comfortably. Do I try to work while I'm watching TV? Sure, but it's easier when the two items aren't on the same screen.
I don't understand the television manufacturing industry. On one hand, you have these great large LCD/Plasma television sets that are becoming thinner and thinner every year, and on the other you have these tiny screens that are now allowing you to roam around your house watching television. We have become a society of wanting creature comforts at all times. Cool factor aside -- and it is cool, check it out here: Sony's LocationFree TV Hands-On -- why would I want to have a TV in my face that I have to carry? A computer is a lot more functional to carry around, but a TV? Sure, now you can have a TV in every room at a moments notice, but how many people can comfortably watch it at the same time? How about making a great large flat panel with this technology built-in, and making it light enough to move around? That sounds a lot more like technology for progress than technology just for technology's sake.
I've seen the DSC-T1 up close and the camera is not only impressively thin, but the 2.5" screen on the back makes it easy to snap photographs. Read a comparative review of the DSC-T1 and its thinner cousin, the DSC-T11, here: DSC-T11 vs. DSC-T1 - Engadget - www.engadget.com
This is the first PC I see that looks similar to Tivo, even in functionality. Tivo could take a cue from these folks and add multiple tuners to their boxes. That's all that Tivo really needs in my opinion to make their units perfect. Thanks to the folks at quantumBlog: Tape It All.
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Well, it looks like they may have done something cool with this site. I'll decide after a few days. At least now I have the ability for people to leave comments and I can post by emailing.
Mary Jo Foley over at Microsoft Watch posted this article with a link to the PC Magazine article here: Windows XP Gets Smart (Networking). Looks like Microsoft is taking the concept of the Network Setup Disk in Windows XP and modernizing it in the age of USB flash drives. I guess this puts another nail in the coffin of the floppy disk.
I came across this article at Sudhian Media describing the changes that Intel is making in its future processor manufacturing. Is Intel really going to take such a major risk to become the top dog in the CPU market? Has AMD really caused such a stir that Intel is going to scrap the design line they have been following? Thanks to Anandtech for pointing me to the article.
I found this over at Wi-Fi Networking News: 802.11i Security Ratification Coming in June. Looks like my worries about purchasing a new 802.11g wireless router are unfounded. I've held on to my 802.11b wireless router with the hope that D-Link would upgrade the firmware for my hardware version. Since I no longer need to worry about a new router becoming immediately outdated, I'm going to be purchasing a new D-Link DI-624. Just like many of my old things, my parents' outdated phoneline network will be replaced with my older 802.11b network allowing more flexibility to the placement of their computers. My parents' phoneline networking equipment will be up for sale on eBay soon.
More on the new software that's coming for the Tablet PC -- Microsoft Reveals Future Of Tablet PC. I'm really interested in the new features that are going to be integrated into the operating system, like the snipping tool. Also, the fact that notebooks and tablets will converge makes sense. If you can get as powerful a tablet pc as a similarly equipped notebook pc for the same price, why not have the tablet abilities available to you?
