Tablet PC2 reviews the MobileDemand rugged Tablet PC

The xTablet from MobileDemand just may be the ultimate rugged Tablet PC that offers complete mobility with its 8.4” screen and its expandability with optional modules such as bar code scanners and credit card swipers.  Linda Epstein of Tablet PC2 has published a thorough review of the xTablet and I must say it is a very interesting device.  I could easily see these devices deployed in a wide variety of enterprises as a complete field system.  Check out the review and see if you agree.

Mobius report- breakfast with Mickey Segal

One of the great benefits of being involved with the mobile tech community is the opportunity to meet with those individuals whom you might not meet otherwise.  I have been corresponding with Mickey Segal for a long time and since he is based in Boston I had the opportunity to meet with him over breakfast and see what he has been up to recently.  Long-time readers of jkOTR have probably run across Mickey before since he’s been a frequent commenter on the site and he has been a long-time proponent of the mini-Tablet PC for the healthcare industry.  Mickey is a physician and his company is currently working on a web-based program that he was kind enough to demo for me using his Motion LS800 Tablet PC.  Mickey is the guy who had a tailor make a special pocket in his sport coat to carry the LS800 unobtrusively throughout his work day and let him whip it out when needed.  It was pretty cool seeing him arrive empty-handed yet pull out the LS800 when he was ready to show his stuff.

Mickey’s company is SimulConsult and their web-based application is a diagnostic tool for physicians to access remotely to aid in the patient diagnosis process.  What struck me as very cool was how the database they use accepts input from physicians who use the service in kind of a Wiki-like way.  The result is a vibrant resource that while already a good source of information for physicians gets even better over time.  I am no physician but even I could see the benefits for those who are and the concepts for the implementation of the service are very clever.  Mickey realizes the importance of the UMPC market for the healthcare industry, especially since physicians need devices that are small and light enough to carry throughout the day, and his company is working to optimize their program for the lower resolution devices.

It was great to meet Mickey and discuss mini-Tablets in general and I want to thank him for coming out to have breakfast with me.  You can check out SimulConsult’s program at their web site and don’t miss the video demos of it in action.

OneNote Mobile, RSS, a UMPC and a broken XBox 360?

I swear I don't sit up at night and think of these uses for OneNote Mobile and a UMPC. They really just happen! Previously I used this hardware and software solution for a pool project at Home Depot as well as my fantasy football draft. I'm 2-1, for the record...not sure if it was the mobile tech involved or I'm just a good coach. ;)

Anyway, today I had to send out my Xbox 360 for repairs based on it freezing up last week. As promised, Microsoft sent me a pre-paid UPS mailer so I packed it up and drove to a UPS Store this morning. Then it hit me: I don't have the tracking number and of course, I never carry an ink pen. Sure, I could have asked for one from the UPS folks, but c'mon! There has to be a mobile solution to capture the tracking number and then easily use the digital data to track the package, right?

Sitting in Logan Airport- good thing I have a UMPC

I have an hour to kill before they herd us up like cattle onto the metal tube that will shoot us up into the sky and if all works out as planned not fall back out of the sky.  These are the moments that UMPCs live for, a little bit of table space, a little free time, and a hankering to capture those random thoughts that pop up from time to time.  The first thing I checked after I fired up Flash (took 10 seconds to remove it from the bag and open it to laptop configuration in the organizer case) was to check for WiFi availability, of course.  Good strong hotspot almost everywhere I check, the problem is it’s $7.95 for a day pass. 

So I did what any red-blooded mobile tech geek would do, I pulled out the USB cable, attached the phone to the Q1 SSD, and hooked up to some EV-DO goodness.  Speed baby, speed.  I have come to appreciate the speed of EV-DO since the hotel I stayed at in Boston had abysmally slow Internet connectivity.  At first I thought it was their WiFi, which they do provide everywhere in the hotel but it was horribly slow even with a wired Ethernet connection.  So for most of my stay in Boston the Q1 stayed tethered to my phone and enjoyed speeds 2 – 3 times as fast as the 200 kbps the hotel network offered.  I have to admit I have been taking EV-DO for granted but not anymore.  It simply worked as expected every time and everywhere I needed it to work.  Like right now, sitting in Logan Airport.  Wireless is good, tethered is good, connectivity is good.  I’m a happy geek.

 

MoGo Mouse has no MoJo for UMPCs but looks nice

What can I say, it's a mouse kinda day. If the micro-sized mouse from Sigma isn't your thing, the new Bluetooth MoGo mouse from Newton Peripherals just might be more your style. Gearlog has a brief "hand on" review (how do you use a mouse with two "hands") and while the mouse sounds interesting, it won't be that helpful for UMPC devices. The MoGo is stored and charged through a PC card slot; something no Origami UMPC has. Still, for an older notebook (or the new Fujitsu P1610!), the MoGo mouse shows promise.

You won't get a scroll wheel on this ultra-thin accessory, but that might be a small sacrifice for a wireless controller that charges in 30 minutes and is stored within your computing device.

UltraSync for UMPCs released

Remember UltraSync, that UMPC synching utility from imagine LAN we mentioned back in August? ctitanic just got word direct that the software is now available! Better yet, you can download a 14-day trial version directly from the company at this link. According to imagine LAN:

"UltraSync v1 is a peer-to-peer, bi-directional PC synchronization application for synchronizing files, folders, Outlook® email, and Internet favorites between an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) and a desktop or notebook PC ("partner PC") via wired or wireless LAN. UltraSync is profile-based, allowing users to select the specific files and folders to be synced. Folder selections can be filtered by age, file type and the inclusion/exclusion of subfolders. Additionally, users can sync their Outlook folders and browser favorites."

This version will only allow for synching between computers on a LAN. WWAN isn't yet supported, but us 3G-totin' UMPC owners can hope, can't we? Downloading now....

Itty bitty laser mouse from Sigma

If these digital rodents get any smaller, I think I'll just embed an RFID tag in my palm and rig that for mousing around somehow. The Sigma Rotino is a wee little laser mouse that measures a miniscule 30 x 70 x 20 millimeters in size. About the weight of 40 paper clips, the Rotino has a USB interface with retractable cord, making it usable on the run. It's only $25; I'd get one for my gadget bag, but my gut says I'd actually never find it in there!

i7210 UMPC roundup: what would you change?

While James and I are both using Samsung Q1 UMPCs as our primary mobile computing devices, that doesn't mean it's "the bestest" model out there. Well...don't tell "Sammy" or "Flash" we said that; it's just between us friends, 'k? Seriously, we're firm believers in the "what works for us might not work for you" theory, so on that note, here's a quick roundup what's going on with the TabletKiosk i7210:

• Steve at Carrypad has his i7210 and is gathering thoughts
• ctitanic points out a video review of the i7210 by JKK (no relation relation)
• In case you missed it, Dennis Rice has an i7210 hands-on video at Gotta Be Mobile

After you catch up on the latest i7210 news and videos, drop a comment and let us know what you think of the device. Is it powerful enough for you? How would you change it? What's missing?

Google Reader updated; good for podcasts too

Feed reading is becoming all the rage these days and it's no surprise: consumer information consumption is clearly changing. I remember when Google Reader came out last year and I thought it was solid for basic aggregation and reading of RSS content. For most folks it's fine; I often look for advanced features that assist with blogging.

The new Google Reader is looking even better with the recent refresh. Google might have added features along the way in the past 12 months or so; I could have missed them. This time around, I see some nice features I either missed the first time around so long ago or were recently added. For instance:

• Simply scrolling past items marks them as read by default (you can turn this feature off, however)
• Counts of unread items in your feeds now appear
• You can quickly and easily share or publish interesting items.
• Podcasts can be streamed via the Google media interface. Here's the latest MoTR podcast for example:
  

I'll watch for additional developments as Google Reader isn't quite powerful enough for my needs; but for most people, it's a great way to read and manage content at any mainstream web browser. Is anyone hooked on Google Reader for their content?

MobileTechRoundup Podcast 70: contest time!

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly.
MoTR 70 is 33:47 minutes long and is a 30.9 MB file in MP3 format.
INTRO: Based on “Time v2.1″ by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick.
HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matthew Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia)

TOPICS:
It's a roundup of schedules for the week as James & Matt head to Boston for Mobius.
Catch up on last season's shows for free via iTunes.
Kevin doesn't own the word "podcast" but he does own his own "miDrive"
Windows Vista drivers are now allowing for video RAM sharing
Would you run a beta OS within a Virtual Machine environment? Matt would.
James gets some hands-on time with new Verizon phones: the Blackberry 8703e & 7250, the LG Chocolate, the Motorola Q, the Samsung A990 and the Migo. Verizon will be allowing tethering on 3G phones going forward....
Enter the "Name Matt's Samsung Q1 UMPC" contest! You can win this mobile tech bundle:

• ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard and case
• Unlocked Orange SPV E200 Windows Mobile Smartphone with Krusell leather case and two extra batteries
• BoxWave retractable mini USB cable
• How to enter: post a comment to this show on the MoTR site (with a valid e-mail address) providing us your suggested name for Matt's Q1
• We'll narrow down the choices in a future show and have the listeners vote.

Freeware of the show: Weather Watcher Mobile for Windows Mobile. [Thanks to Pocket PC Thoughts for this find!]
Bloglines partners up with Skweezer for better mobile feed reading.
Kevin is demo'ing the Newsgator Go! client.

If you like the show, please consider voting for us at Podcast Alley. It only takes a minute and it helps us get the word out about the show!

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