NAVIGON (my current favorite in mobile navigation) has launched the first on-board navigation app on the Windows Phone 7 smartphone platform. This means the application won’t consume data downloading maps similar to a stand alone GPS, the maps are downloaded onto your device upon installation. The application is available now in the Windows Phone Marketplace at an introductory price of $29.99 until 11/15/11 when it will return to the regular price of $49.99. This first to platform full featured Navigon app includes spoken turn-by-turn directions, visual lane guidance, live traffic information and rerouting provided by INRIX, as well as many other features. 

NAVIGON’s new app runs on Windows Phone 7.5 and also takes advantage of several new features now made available to developers with this new release. These features include the augmented reality function Reality Scanner, which provides an instant and effortless way of identifying nearby destinations while on foot; an option to select address information directly from the phone’s contact list; and the ability to save a favorite or home address as a shortcut on the start screen.

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 features include:

• NAVIGON MyRoutes: The app includes routing technology built upon NAVIGON’s 20 years of experience in the navigation industry, so users get the most reliable routes available. The MyRoutes feature provides customized route suggestions with up to three different choices based on the user’s driving style.
• Reality View Pro and Lane Assistant Pro: Reality View Pro feature clearly displays photo-realistic views of actual highway/interstate signs, exits, and lane guide markers so users can see lane changes and exits in advance. Lane Assistant Pro prepares drivers to make an upcoming exit or turn with a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
• NAVTEQ® maps: NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 uses one of the most robust and accurate geographic databases in the world, providing the most accurate map data and points-of-interest information. The superiority of NAVTEQ® maps is defined by its verified accuracy, content richness, and its breadth of coverage data.
• Traffic Live: NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7—using real-time traffic information available from industry leader INRIX—alerts drivers to traffic problems and automatically calculates alternative routes so they can avoid congestion and save time.
• Reality Scanner: Reality Scanner is an augmented reality feature, providing an instant and effortless way of identifying nearby destinations. Users simply point their smartphone in any direction to see points-of-interest icons appear directly onto a live camera view, making it easy to find destinations on foot.
• NAVIGON Shortcut: Save any address as a shortcut to the Windows Phone 7 start screen. This allows users to start navigating, for example to their home address, with only one click.
• Speed Assistant: Drivers can potentially avoid costly tickets by receiving alerts when they’re speeding and getting notified of speed and red light cameras before they pass them.

NAVIGON traffic4all Windows 7 App

In addition to its turn-by-turn navigation app for Windows Phone 7, NAVIGON also announced a free traffic app: traffic4all helps drivers to avoid gridlock and save time by providing a clear overview of traffic conditions. NAVIGON developed an intuitive user interface that displays traffic incidents on a map with a single hit of a button. Colored road overlays indicate traffic flow, ranging from green for normal to red for traffic congestion or black/white for blocked roads. The app also allows users to plan ahead and look up traffic forecasts by entering a specific time and location.

traffic4all uses traffic information from NAVIGON’s partner INRIX. The leading traffic expert covers more roads than any other provider, delivering real-time traffic information that extends beyond major highways and interstates covering more than two million miles in North America and Europe.

Pricing and Availability

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 includes on-board NAVTEQ maps for the USA and is available for $49.99 in the Windows Marketplace. NAVIGON offers a special introductory price of $29.99 until November 15, 2011.

NAVIGON traffic4all is available at no cost in the Windows Phone Marketplace. An upgrade option for $1.49 turns off the integrated ads

PRESS RELEASE

NAVIGON Launches First On-Board Navigation App for Windows Phone 7 Smartphones

Premium GPS App for Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Provides Turn-by-Turn Directions without a Cell Phone Signal, NAVIGON also Releases Free traffic4all App

Hamburg, Germany, October 11, 2011,—NAVIGON AG, a leading provider of mobile phone on-board navigation, today announced the launch of the first on-board navigation app for Windows Phone 7 smartphones. NAVIGON’s app is available for Windows Phone 7.5 users and takes advantage of new features made available to developers with this new release such as the ability to save an address to the start screen. In addition, NAVIGON also launches a free traffic app for Windows Phone 7, traffic4all.

Similar to a standalone navigation device, NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 works in areas without a cell phone signal, so users can get directions and information anytime, anywhere. Other navigation apps for Windows Phone 7 are dependent on a cell phone connection to download map and routing data. Therefore, no cell signal can render navigation useless or interrupted until a connection is reestablished.

“We are pleased to bring our award-winning navigation app to Windows Phone 7,” said Gerhard Mayr, NAVIGON vice-president of worldwide mobile phones and new markets. “The app includes many of the same signature features that have made NAVIGON’s apps successful on other platforms, such as Android and iPhone. The user interface is fully customized to the Windows Phone 7 experience, so users of this platform will feel right at home…”

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 includes spoken turn-by-turn directions, visual lane guidance, live traffic information and rerouting, among many other features. NAVIGON’s new app runs on Windows Phone 7.5 and also takes advantage of new features made available to developers with this new release. These features include the augmented reality function Reality Scanner, which provides an instant and effortless way of identifying nearby destinations while on foot; an option to select address information directly from the phone’s contact list; and the ability to save a favorite or home address as a shortcut on the start screen.

Additional features include Google Local Search, which allows users to find local points-of-interest instantly; one-tap access to help users find critical services such as hospitals and police stations in case of an emergency; and the ability to select address information directly from the phone’s contact list.

Sonos has traditionally been mostly available at online stores, several high-end Audio/Video stores and BestBuy, but they have just announced they are now going to be available at Target 

You can order the SONOS PLAY:3, SONOS PLAY:5, and SONOS BRIDGE online now. If you have an Android or iOS based device you can control your Sonos system via the free downloadable app.

If your device supports DLNA you can stream music directly from your device to the SONOS system including different zones over your WiFi network.I have been successful in streaming content from several Windows Phones the LG Quantum via the Play To app, HTC HD7 & Surround via and Samsung Focus & Omnia 7 via the AllShare app.

T-Mobile has announced that they have doubled it’s 4G speeds (HSPA+ 42) in 56 additional markets for a total of 152 markets, reaching more than 170 million people across the country including Baltimore; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Hartford and New Haven, Conn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Lancaster, Pa.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Providence, R.I.; and Washington, D.C., among several others.

T-Mobile’s currently offers a variety of 42 4G enabled devices like:

• 4G Smartphones: the Galaxy S™ 4G, the T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G, the T-Mobile® G2® with Google™, the T-Mobile Sidekick® 4G™, the T-Mobile® G2x® with Google™, HTC Sensation™ 4G and the upcoming T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide and the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900.
• 4G Tablets: the Dell™ Streak™ 7 and the T-Mobile® G-Slate™ with Google™ by LG.
• 4G Laptop Sticks: the T-Mobile Rocket™ 3.0, T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ 42-capable device, the Rocket™ 2.0, T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ 21-capable device, the T-Mobile Jet™ 2.0 and the prepaid T-Mobile Rocket 4G.
• 4G Netbook & Mobile HotSpot: the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G netbook and the T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot.

I talked with John Diefenbach, Vice President and General Manager, of T-Mobile USA yesterday about this boost in HSPA+ and it’s benefits for consumers:

• By doubling the speed of its 4G network in more than 150 markets across the country, T-Mobile customers will have access to the fastest 4G speeds available from T-Mobile.
• T-Mobile has seen average download speeds approaching 10Mbps with peak speeds of 27 Mbps on the T-Mobile Rocket 3.0 laptop stick – the company’s first 42Mbps device.
• T-Mobile’s increased network speed capabilities will benefit its customers using 3G and 4G devices for data services, as the backward compatible network pushes the limits of 3G and 4G devices to achieve maximum speed performance as a result of expanded network capacity without having to upgrade customer’s current devices. Customers have to do nothing to receive this speed increase.
• Increase in speed may result in an increase to an individual’s data speed limit,which can be bumped up for the remainder of the month to mitigate throttling and switched back the next month with out change in contracts or additional fees.
• T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network is poised to continue its aggressive evolutionary path to deliver speeds on par with LTE.
• 80% of T-Mobile’s towers have been aggressively upgraded with fiber backhaul links to its cell sites with a total of 1200+ 4G sites online and an additional 500 4G sites to be upgraded in the next year in the New England area.

T-Mobile 4G markets where 42Mbps service is launching today:
Allentown, Pa.; Anderson, S.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Baltimore, Md.; Barnstable, Mass.; Bellingham, Wash.; Bloomington, Ind.; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Mass.; Bremerton, Wash.; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.; Brunswick, Ga.; Carson City, Nev.; Charlotte, N.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Chico, Calif.; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Eugene, Ore.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Flint, Mich.; Greensboro, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Hartford, Conn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Lafayette, Ind.; Lancaster, Pa.; Laredo, Texas; Lynchburg, Va.; Manchester, N.H.; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; New Haven, Conn.; Ogden, Utah; Providence; R.I.; Provo, Utah; Raleigh-Cary, N.C.; Redding, Calif.; Reno-Sparks, Nev.; Richmond, Va.; Roanoke, Va.; Rockford, Ill.; Salem, Ore.; Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Spartanburg, S.C.; State College, Pa.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Terre Haute, Ind.; Tucson, Ariz.; Washington, D.C.; Wichita Falls, Texas; Winchester, Va.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Worcester, Mass.; and York, Pa.

*T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network, including increased speeds, is not available everywhere. See coverage details at T-Mobile.com for the official press release head here.

One pinnacle must have application that Don and I have both been waiting on for the Windows Phone platform has finally arrived in the the WindowsPhone Marketplace –

EVERNOTE !

Evernote has been committed to building native desktop, web and mobile versions. In the past three years, we’ve build over 13 different versions of Evernote for just about every major platform out there. Today, we’re adding another. Say hello to the much-anticipated Evernote for Windows Phone 7!

Evernote for Windows Phone 7 lets you save and find your ideas and memories any time, anywhere. As you would expect, it seamlessly syncs with every other version of Evernote you use, but there’s so much more. In fact, this is the most feature-rich debut we’ve ever had. Not only is it packed with capabilities, but it’s also beautiful—taking advantage of the innovative Windows Phone 7 Metro interface and its Pivot panels. And, as always, Evernote for Windows Phone 7 is free and available now from the App Hub.

For more information on this monumentous release check out their blog post here on all the features packed into this long awaited app.

Note:

If you are previous user of Evernote and have many notebooks already setup be sure to connect via Wi-Fi first and sync your notes or you will experience the white screen of death.

Sadly yesterday I received an email from FrameChannel that they are no longer providing their service that my family has loved on several digital picture frames. If you are not familiar with FrameChannel they aggregated Facebook photos, Twitter Tweets, Sports scores and RSS feeds from your favorites sites and newspapers right to a wireless enabled picture frame, iPad, television, etc. running their application. Today after serving up news about the Boston Bruins winning the 2011 Stanley Cup, it displayed this image:

Here is the letter I received from them yesterday

FrameChannel Users -

Due to challenges with the economy and our company's financial situation we've been forced to make a tough decision and will be shutting down the FrameChannel service this month.

We have provided a mechanism for you to download any of your photos that are hosted with us in the My Photos channel or that have been emailed to your device via the My Friend's Photos feature.

You may log into your account at www.framechannel.com to download your photos, but the service will soon stop delivering content to your devices. To download your photos, log into your FrameChannel account, click the Download My Photos tab, and follow the instructions there.

For those of you using your devices for commercial applications, you may wish to take a look at the SignChannel service. That service is owned an operated by Scala, Inc., a worldwide leader in digital signage. For more information, please visit www.signchannel.com or email info@signchannel.com

We thank you for your support of the FrameChannel service.

-The FrameChannel Team

It is sad to see this company that had a great service that made my Mother happy everyday with pictures from loved ones and local news from hometown bleed through investment money after raising $2 million in funding from Scala last April bringing Thinking Screen Media,(formerly Frame Media) to a total funding to $7 million. Hopefully they can make a comeback or provide an alternative for its current users, instead of just closing up shop after just after 1 days notice.

Bank of America announced some time ago during CES and again at Mobile World Congress that their application would be coming to the Windows Phone platform and it has finally arrived in the Marketplace already at version 3.0.92.

The free app, is only available to Online Banking Customers (you can create an account here), you can check your account balances and Account activity, transfer money between accounts, pay bills (through optional Bill Pay), and locate ATMs and banking centers via GPS. Bank of America ensures your privacy - "Feel secure with our industry-leading mobile security and our Online Banking Security Guarantee"

The app uses the same double authentication features found with the online application and adds your phone to the list of trusted devices by answering a security question.(Paris, please don't use your dog's name Tinkerbell here). For another level of security don't check the box to save your Online Id when logging in.

The app an be found in Marketplace here.

Congratulations to Pamela Curry, she won the Boston Pocket PC RingCentral Giveaway one year of free service with RingCentral Mobile a $300 value! Pamela will also be entered into a chance to win one of the 5 Grand Prizes (out of 25 entries), an Ultimate Small Business Start-up Packages from Ivy Worldwide valued at over $1100!

The Ultimate Small BusinessStart-up Package includes:

• Virtual Phone System by RingCentral ($300)
• Company incorporation services by LegalZoom ($339)
• Logo Design services by Logoworks  ($339)
• 1000 premium business cards printed by Vistaprint  ($40)
• One year web hosting with BlueHost . ($84)

Again Congratulations Pamela and Good Luck!!!!

RingCentral Mobile is a cloud-based virtual PBX service that enables small businesses to enjoy the same level of PBX service that large companies do without the expense of purchasing and maintaining expensive hardware and software licenses. RingCentral furnishes you with a toll-free number at signup or you can forward your existing phone service to RingCentral that will handle and deliver phone calls to multiple numbers any way you wish. All incoming calls are re-routed as you choose, sending calls to the relevant receivers depending on parameters you have set for them, using its built-in auto attendant. This call routing can be done by groups or as a directory. It can be as simple as having a certain extension for sales call going to a person in your company that handles sales by ringing their office line first for a set number of rings, then their mobile, and then their home office line before going to voicemail or another person. You also have internet fax and voicemail capabilities from any PC you log onto as well as full management capabilities with an easy to use web interface.

Main Features:

Toll Free Numbers
Choose a toll free number that’s right for you: regular toll free (866, 877, etc.) , or a true 1-800 or vanity number (e.g., 866-MYPHONE).

Local Numbers
You can live and work in one city and get a local number in another. Choose the area codes(s) that makes sense for your business. Find out how you can save on inbound voice calls.

Voicemail
You get professional greetings, multiple delivery options and alerts. Pick up voicemail via email or in your online account and play over your computer speakers — or pick up by phone. Calls to local numbers to leave or listen to voicemail are FREE.

Internet Fax
Send and receive faxes by email and online in a snap — even from Microsoft Office and your phone. You’ll also get free fax software to electronically sign and edit faxes.

If you are interested in trying out RingCentral for yourself, you will get 50% off your first 3 months with RingCentral. If you would like to win a year of service to RingCentral Mobile read on. :)

We will be choosing at random 1 winner for 1 year of service at RingCentral Mobile for those that send an email to: ringcentral@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject Boston Pocket PC RingCentral Giveaway explaining why you would like to win 1 year of Virtual PBX service along with your full name and mailing address. It could be something simple, such as not missing that all important call from a loved one or that must-make-important business call. We will choose 1 (one) winner at random from all valid entries.

To gain additional entries be sure to Tweet the following via Twitter (be sure to email ringcentral@bostonpocketpc.com with your Twitter user account to be counted if you don’t have your name listed in your Twitter Profile):

I entered a contest to win 1-yr subscription to RingCentral Mobile by @fyiguy & @DPSJ at BostonPocketPC http://bit.ly/b0uSR4

AND/OR

“Like” BostonPocketPC on Facebook.com

Each additional entry, will gain one additional chance to be chosen at random (maximum of 3 entries per person) via Random.org. All entries must be in on May 1st by 5PM EST. The winner will be announced on May 2nd. If the winner doesn’t respond via email in 24 hours another winner will be drawn.

The prize that will be given away is a one year of free service with RingCentral Mobile a $300 value. Non US-Based winner will be compensated with a cash payment equal to the value of the prize package.  As one of the 25 winners of the RingCentral Giveaway you will be entered into a chance to win one of the 5 Grand Prizes, an Ultimate Small Business Start-up Packages from Ivy Worldwide valued at over $1100.

The Ultimate Small BusinessStart-up Package includes:

• Virtual Phone System by RingCentral ($300)
• Company incorporation services by LegalZoom ($339)
• Logo Design services by Logoworks  ($339)
• 1000 premium business cards printed by Vistaprint  ($40)
• One year web hosting with BlueHost . ($84)

If you want to increase your chances of winning head to the following websites that still have their contests running here:

For you Facebook users out there… BostonPocketPC now has a Facebook page! In addition to the content you would find here, our Facebook page also includes an event calendar for upcoming Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer group events as well as Windows Phone events in the Greater Boston area. The BostonPocketPC Facebook page also hosts Discussion Threads for members.

If you are a Facebook user, be sure to head on over and “like” us today (in case you were unaware – Facebook has replaced “Being a Fan” with “Like” for joining a page).

We will be having our next Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups on Wednesday, March 17th beginning at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor) in Waltham, MA.

Among the topics discussed -

• A wrap-up of MIX 2010. We will be talking about what was announced about Windows Phone 7 and the developer story

See you all there!

Well, congratulations are in order for our hard working friends over at Ivy Worldwide (formerly Buzz Corps), who were selected by Hewlett Packard for the HP Circle Award by HP Worldwide Marketing Executives in an an extensive competition among several other marketing companies. The had also were the 2008 Wommie Award Winner for the 31 Days of the Dragon Giveaway Promotion.

Ivy Worldwide created the "31 Days of the Dragon" promotion in July 2008 - which ran on 31 separate blogger sites for 31 days. We were extremely fortunate to have participated with 30 other websites and blogs, where BostonPocketPC was honored to be selected to be a part of this promotional program for HP.

There were 411 entries of various promotional campaigns from 36 countries, each of which was seeking recognition for their work in promoting HP products. HP Global Marketing Executives were seeking to reward the highest performers that showed creativity, a high return on investment, and brand building via the HP Circle Award.

HP Circle Award

Created to celebrate MARKETING AND DESIGN EXCELLENCE at the company, HP’s CIRCLE Awards have created some fierce internal competition. In 2009, the global technology leader saw an unprecedented 411 entries pouring in from 36 participating countries for the chance to be recognized with this prestigious award sponsored by HP’s GLOBAL MARKETING EXECUTIVES.

Entries were judged according to the CIRCLE criteria of Collaboration, Innovation, Relevance, Consistency, LEADERSHIP, and Effectiveness. The overall goal: to reward CREATIVITY, ROI and brand building. In the first round of judging, review panels from within HP chose finalists in each of 14 categories. In the second round, executive judges were invited to HP headquarters to select CIRCLE Award winners

Again Congratulations! Not only to Ivy Worldwide, but this is something that should be shared with every blogger who participated in the campaign and their online communities!

HP expanded their award-winning HP Mini family with three new models, offering their customers sleek, lightweight companion PCs that come in a variety of configurations and designs - all small enough to easily slip into most purses, backpacks, briefcases or coat pockets.

• The new HP Mini 110 XP Edition and the HP Mini 110 Mobile Internet (Mi) Edition were designed for Internet-centric consumers to stay connected to what’s important to them, while at home or on-the-go. The Mini 110 provides consumers with a choice of Pink Chic, Black Swirl or White Swirl HP Imprint finishes.
• The HP Mini 1101 is ideal as a companion PC for small and medium-size businesses and frequent business travelers. The Mini 1101 offers business users a sophisticated Black Swirl design.

The new Mini models start at 2.33 pounds and measuring just over 1-inch thick coming in between $279.99 to $329.99. With a 10.1-inch diagonal standard or optional high-definition LED widescreen display at 1,024 x 576 resolution. Intel’s , a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard, and a built-in webcam and microphone, powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor and can be configured with and SSD up to 32GB or platter notebook drive maxing out at 250GB. The new HP Minis are designed for consumers and business professionals who surf the web, check email, listen to music and need access to friends, family, co-workers or information while on the go.

HP Mini 110

• 1.6 GHz Intel® Atom™ Processor N270
• Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3
• 10.1” Diagonal LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1,024 x 576)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shared) with up to 128MB total available graphics memory
• 1,024MB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• 160GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
• HP Webcam
• 802.11b/g WLAN
• 5-in-1 Digital Media card reader
• Stereo speakers
• 3xUSB, 1xVGA, 1xRJ-45
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery
• 10.3″x 6.77″ x 1.04 – 1.09″
• 2.89 pounds
• Syncables cable included (this is a cable with integrated software to sync data between your HP Mini and another PC)
• The HP Mini 110 XP is expected to be available in Pink Chic and White Swirl in the United States on July 8 via www.hpdirect.com/go/mini, pricing to be determined.
• The HP Mini 110 XP Edition and the Mini 110 with Mi is expected to be available in Black Swirl in the United States on June 10 via www.hpdirect.com/go/mini with a starting price of $329.99 and 279.99 respectively.

HP Mini 110 models include the Syncables™ Desktop solution, which provides effortless, automatic synchronization of music, pictures, videos and other files between an HP Mini and a primary notebook or desktop PC. Making the HP Mini a true accessory and companion PC.

HP Mini 1101

• 1.6 GHz Intel® Atom™ Processor N270
• Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3
• 10.1” Diagonal LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1,024 x 576)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shared) with up to 128MB total available graphics memory
• 1024MB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm), supports 2GB with Windows Vista
• 160GB / 250GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA) or 32 GB SSD
• HP Webcam
• 802.11b/g WLAN, optional un2400 EVDO/HSPA module
• 5-in-1 Digital Media card reader
• Stereo speakers
• 3xUSB, 1xVGA, 1xRJ-45
• 3-Cell Lithium-Ion battery, 6-cell optional (after June 15th)
• 10.3″x 6.77″ x 1.04 – 1.09″
• Starting at 2.33 pounds with SSD option
• The HP Mini 1101 in high gloss black starts at $329 and is expected to be available June 1.

Previously, a Microsoft Tag had to be a square filled with geometric colored or black/white triangles. These tags could then be read by a mobile application that provided an “easy link” to additional content on a webpage.

The folks at Microsoft research have now added the dot method and add a background image to a Microsoft Tag, like the one shown in the picture Viva Piñata below where the confetti is actually an array of dots that is part of the Microsoft tag. 

You can incorporate the symbols into the overall look by manipulating the Tag in a graphic design application. Breathtaking machine readable codes can be created that provide design flexibility while preserving machine readability. By following the straightforward Custom Tag Creation Guidelines you'll be on your way to creating the most advanced and eye pleasing codes that exist.

Can you see the Microsoft Tag in the jellybean image above?

If you really like these tags and want to see if you can make some cool ones of your own be sure to read up on the Custom Tag Creation Guidelines and enter you design in the The Tag Slaps Design Contest, which challenges you to create an original custom design Tag and a mobile experience creative concept for it.

The Tag Slaps Design Contest challenges you to create an original customized Tag and creative concept for an accompanying mobile experience. Your entry should include a working customized Tag that leads to a mobile web site, as well as a creative concept for a mobile site. The mobile site experience concept should engage your customer and encourage them to take an action such as signing up for a service, getting more information about your product, downloading a special offer or an application, and more.

Semi-finalists are chosen by a panel of Tag enthusiasts comprised of business leaders, online and offline marketers, and designers. The winner is voted on by you-the Tag community!

What is a Tag Slaps, you ask? In the graffiti world, a "slaps" is defined as a sticker with a writer or tagger's tag on it. A slaps can be spread more quickly than other forms of graffiti, making it a favorite in many places such as newspaper dispensers, stop signs, phone booths, and more.

With Microsoft Tag, you can now customize the look of a Tag so that it embodies your brand, a message or theme, or a really cool visual! It's your personal slaps.

Well its finally here the long awaited HP Pavilion dv3t with Intel Core 2 Duo processor the same one we saw at CES 2009, is now available through www.HPDirect.com and select retailers nationwide. Starting at $799, this thin and light, full-powered notebook PC brings the latest in entertainment and performance in a stylish and highly mobile design. At about 1.25-inches thick and just under 5 lbs, the dv3t features integrated optical drive and optional discrete graphics for entertainment on-the-go. Extended battery life and a full range of connectivity options make it ideal for customers who want to work and play without being tied to the office or home. The unit we saw at CES was very well built rigid like a MacBook Pro and had a slot Blu-Ray Drive with a full size backlit keyboard, the first one I had seen for an HP laptop.

Features include:

· 13.3-inch diagonal LED BrightView display with 16:9 aspect ratio for full-screen HD content viewing

· Intel Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6400

· Up to 500 GB hard drive, providing ample room for photos, music and other content

· HP Webcam and microphone for staying in touch with friends and family

· HP MediaSmart software for enjoying photos, listening to music and watching Internet TV or movies in high-definition

· Optional built-in Blu-ray disc drive and remote control

· SRS Premium Sound™ for optimal audio performance

· Optional 9-cell battery with up to 7 hours of battery life

· Full-sized keyboard for comfortable typing

· ENERGY STAR® qualified and EPEAT™ Silver registered

· Choice of two HP Imprint designs – Espresso black or Moonlight white

For more information head here.

Today, millions of people around the globe come together to celebrate Earth Day.  Since its founding in 1970, Earth Day has led to the passage of major environmental protection legislation, the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and many other positive actions for a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment worldwide.

Last month we had the opportunity to tour the facilities of Boston-Power, one of the companies making a difference not only in how we use technology, but also how we take responsibility for taking care of our environment. Boston-Power had announced that HP made available its new brand of eco-certified notebook PC batteries – the Enviro Series – based on Boston-Power’s next-generation Lithium-ion technology, Sonata. This marks the first time a U.S.-based battery company has ever sold battery technology to a notebook PC provider. The Enviro Series battery is compatible with more than 70 percent of HP’s consumer notebook models. As the world’s top provider of notebook PCs, that’s a very large PC user community!

Boston-Power is equally excited that HP is featuring the Enviro Series battery in its Earth Day promotion – providing customers with a great discounted price of $119.99. This makes it even easier for people to experience the great benefits of Sonata such as long life, the industry’s longest warranty (three years) and reduced environmental impact.

We at Boston Pocket PC encourage everyone to consider every day as Earth Day, since environmental responsibility is something that should be observed everyday.

OtterBox introduces two new cases to protect your phone from your active lifestyle and not so active lifestyle (I know a few people that have broke their phones sitting and standing still - you know who you are) One is a sleek, curve-hugging case for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 series smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) part of the new Impact Series™ skin-style case offers recognized OtterBox protection in a slim, portable design.

Recently enhanced to provide even more protection, the Impact Series for the BlackBerry Curve case line now includes a self-adhering, clear film to safeguard the screen of your Curve from scratches, dirt and dust. Durable silicone provides trustworthy protection and inner coring along the spine and in the corners of the case offers extra shock absorption to dissipate impact away from your device.

The “otter” one (sorry I couldn’t resist) is also a new Impact Series™ case for the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger. This new case provides added protection against bump and shock and incorporates a new element with screen protection and is available exclusively in HP’s signature midnight blue.  All OtterBox Impact Series for the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger cases provide added protection against bump and shock, but this case incorporates a new element with screen protection to safeguard from scratches. Both cases retail for $19.95.

I had the misfortune of losing my New Jawbone 2 falling out of my ear and having it run over by a car, because I was wearing it without the earloop and thought the earbud would have been good enough, but I was wrong. :(

Passing car 1 / Jawbone 0

Luckily I still have an older version of the Jawbone as a replacement, but it had a broken earloop(actually several) - after being placed in my pocket the earloop snapped off wear it slides into the pivot hole-it takes a bit of work to get the broken piece out too. I went through them all and tried to get a replacement from Aliph, but they don’t sell them anymore. I contacted them and received swift reply that they could ship me a set of earloops for free with a proof of purchase. I got it as a gift so I have no proof of purchase just a broken Jawbone. However all isn’t lost they have a New Fit Earbud that is also free and just costs $2.99 shipping and handling. I sprung on it and got it in a few days via postal mail.

It comes in a nice plastic bag with directions on the back.

Descriptions from Jawbone website:

You Ask, We listen

• Because every ear is unique, we developed a new earbud to give you more options for personal fit and comfort.
• Want to wear Jawbone without an earloop? For most users, our New Fit Earbuds make using the earloop optional.
• Our New Fit Earbud comes in 3 sizes (sm, md, lg).

The Science

• The New Fit Earbuds are a different shape, made from a US Pharmacopoeia grade material and a rear mounted integrated loop that provides a suspension-bridge effect to fit snugly into your ear.
• The body of the earbud is a suspended form that acts like a pneumatic cushion (or tire), proving to be more conforming and consequently comfortable than the traditional solid round (doughnut)-shaped earbud.
• The rear mounted integrated loop acts like a spring to help orient the headset, gently pushing the headset toward the user’s cheek so that the Voice Activity Sensor touches your face to feel when the user is speaking.

You get three different sizes in the bag and I have found it secure enough to hold my original Jawbone. I personally found the large size to work best for me and it still remains easily pocketable and can fit many makeshift storage cases, where the earloop presented many storage problems.

Many people have modified their Jawbones with Jabra Softgels, but usually required some sort of adhesive to keep them on. Most used CA - cyanoacrylate aka SuperGlue. I am not too keen on having that near or in my ear, so I passed on that mod. If you own or have used the Plantronics Discovery 925 headset, they will look pretty familiar to you because they are simply black versions of the 925 clear ear gels.

It’s enough to hold me over until the Jawbone 3 with Bluetooth 3.0 comes out. :)

I think its great when companies see a flaw and correct it and evolving their product to keep their customers happy.

2 weeks ago Jack Cook (ExperienceMobility.com), Steven Hughes(BostonPocketPC.com) and I went to visit Boston-Power. We had an amazing time there. They showed how the company was made and what their vision is for the future. We first met Christina Lampe-Onnerud and Boston-Power at CntrStg during the CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The news today is that they have their green, longer lasting batteries technology now available to consumers with HP notebooks.

See the full press release below;

"Boston-Power’s longer lasting, Ecolabel-certified battery technology, Sonata, is available to consumer notebook PC customers starting today via HP.

New HP batteries based on Sonata technology are available as accessories for 18 existing notebook models representing approximately 70 percent of HP’s consumer notebook PC portfolio.

In addition to first-of-its-kind environmental certifications, Sonata Li-ion battery cells deliver sustainable performance for three years – three times longer than most other notebook computer batteries. In fact, HP is providing a three-year warranty on the batteries – the first and only notebook computer provider in the industry to offer such a warranty.

Now available at http://www.hpshopping.com/, the new HP battery based on Sonata is available as an accessory priced at $149.99. Later this month, the HP battery will be available as a point-of-sale option for consumers buying new HP notebooks at www.hpshopping.com. The battery’s “drop-in” form factor enables it to be used with existing computers – including models in the HP Pavilion, HP HDX, Compaq Presario and HP G series. A complete list of compatible individual models is available HERE. More information can also be found on Boston-Power’s site at http://www.boston-power.com/enviro .

“From the beginning, our goal has been to help notebook computer users benefit from optimal mobility with dependable, high-performance, environmentally sustainable batteries,” said Boston-Power Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud. “HP’s endorsement of Sonata is a great step forward in popularizing this battery technology.”

“HP delivers customers innovative products that respect our planet,” said Jonathan Kaye, director of consumer notebooks marketing at HP. “The Enviro Series program gives PC users longer lasting batteries that improve their computing experience while reducing the number of batteries that need to be recycled. That’s a win for everyone.”

Boston-Power is the first and only provider whose rechargeable Li-ion battery cells have earned the prestigious Nordic Ecolabel certification. The company has additionally earned a similar world’s-first certification for its battery cells from the Chinese Environmental Protection Agency. Sonata’s patent-pending, whole-system design makes it capable of benefiting a wide range of end-applications – from consumer electronics to transportation. As a result, total cost of ownership benefits inherent in notebook computer batteries prove increasingly impressive in cases where even greater power is required."

Microsoft has  created a SKU line-up for Windows 7,  where each SKU is a superset of the previous SKU. This means that each higher edition SKU will have every feature lower edition SKUs have with a focus on two primary editions of Windows 7: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.

We will continue to offer a few targeted SKUs for customers with specialized needs: for price-sensitive customers with small notebook PCs, some OEMs will offer Windows 7 Starter. For customers in emerging markets, we will make Windows 7 Home Basic available. Businesses have two recommended choices: Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise. Windows 7 Professional is recommended for small businesses and Windows 7 Enterprise is recommended for mid- and large-sized businesses that have a Software Assurance Agreement with Microsoft.

SKUs for Windows 7:

· The SKU lineup for Windows 7 is:  Windows® 7 Starter, Windows® 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows® 7 Home Premium, Windows® 7 Professional, Windows® 7 Enterprise and Windows® 7 Ultimate.

· For Consumers, we recommend Windows 7 Home Premium for most customers and Windows 7 Professional for customers who want additional features and functionality useful for small business activities.

· For Businesses, we recommend Windows 7 Professional for most customers and Windows 7 Enterprise for medium-to-large business and enterprise customers that choose to license Windows through Software Assurance.

· The features in each version of Windows 7 build upon the one before it. As customers move up from one SKU to the next, from Windows 7 Starter through Windows 7 Ultimate, they gain additional features and lose none

Additional Information:

More information on deploying Windows 7 can be found here.

Just last week they announced that they are adding $55 Million in Growth Capital.

"The Funding Will Fuel Lithium-Ion Battery Developer’s Global Expansion of Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing and R&D. The Investment Follows News That HP Will Be First to Deliver Boston-Power’s Sonata Battery in Early 2009"

Please vist the Boston Power website for the full press release.

Today there is only one new contest as part of the HP Magic Giveaway contest.

The Digital Lifestyle

The HP Magic giveaway is about spreading the magic and that is how we are going to do it. So with this in mind all the prizes are going to one winner but the winner must also spread the magic by passing on some of the prizes (and keeping something for your self)

So to win you need to email me magic@thedigitallifestyle.com and tell me who is getting the kit and most importantly why you think they deserve it.

Keep your submission to under 100 words and you can use video (please post to youtube or blip.tv) or pictures to highlight your story

I will then pick out the 10 most interesting entries and pick one at random

So the better the magic the better your chance of winning, it could be a local charity, school or someone else you feel deserves the prizes.

Here are a few conditions for entry of the competition:

1. Entries must be submitted by Thursday 19th December 5pm
2. By entering your agreeing to help me with a follow up story of how the recipients got on with their new kit  (possibly an interview on The Media Center Show)
3. No one associated with this site or families are eligible to win (but free free to enter the other sites competition)
4. The winner will be notified on Friday 20th December by email and must respond in 24 hours or another winner will be drawn
5. Only one entry per person is allowed (Lots of good entries for the Dragon competition got disqualified for this reason)
6. This competition is world wide and open to anyone
7. No complaining if you don't win and no youtube rants!
8. You don't have to be a member of TheDigitalLifestyle.com but if you are make sure you tell me your site user name in your entry

For the rest of the details and rules of Ian’s contest head over to The Digital Lifestyle here.

Radio Shack with the help of  AT&T are offering people a pretty good deal in the form of the Acer Aspire One, an ultra-small laptop with built-in 3G connectivity for $99 with qualifying new 2-year AT&T AirCard agreement on rate plans $60/mo. or more or for $499.99 unactivated.

The 2.44-pound  Acer Aspire One features an 8.9" display, Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, webcam, WiFi (b and g) and a 160GB hard drive in an ultra-compact size measuring 9.8" x 6.7" x 1.1" (W x D x H). The Acer Aspire One runs Windows XP and also features a built-in webcam for video conferencing.The Acer Aspire One includes a built-in cellular modem with quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) support in addition to tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100MHz) support, with HSPA for high-speed data.

The deal is available in Radio Shack stores, as well as through the Radio Shack website, through December 24th, 2008.

Not a bad deal, which is about the same price as a wireless card was last year.

Today there are 2 additional contests of the HP Magic Giveaway contest.

Digital Inspiration

How do I participate?

This is simple. Just fill out a short survey and wait until next week to know if you are one among the seven lucky winners.

How can I win?

I am looking for your feedback, new ideas, suggestions or constructive criticism on how to improve Digital Inspiration. This will be a strong criteria while choosing the winners.

What are the rules?

You can enter the contest any time between December 14 and December 20. Multiple entries per person are allowed. There are no age or country restrictions.

For more information and rules on this contest head here.

GeekZone

Magic Giveaway
This is a "Magic Giveaway" so we would like the winner to share the luck - and happiness - with someone special. You are not required to do this, but if you want to send one of the prize items to someone else - a relative who would benefit from a new PC at school or university, a neighbour in need, a school or doctor - we can ship that on your behalf, with a card and all expenses paid.
How to enter
To enter our competition you have to just answer this question: "List the names of at least five people behind the blogs Sharing the Magic in this promotion". It's easy, you just need to visit the HP Magic Giveaway official site to find out more about the other participant websites.
Enter the answer in our online form and submit your entry.
We have a discussion about the HP Magic Giveaway going on here. You don't have to but it would be great if you posted a reply in that discussion telling us about you and if you are to share the prize with anyone tell us why. Posting will not increase your chances, and not posting won't reduce your chances.
Good luck!

For more information and the rules on Mauricio’s contest over at GeekZone head here.

Be sure to check out the other contests going on for more chances to win.

Today there is only one additional contest of the HP Magic Giveaway contest.

Student Hacks

The Official Rules

The rules for my contest are as follows:

• You have to be a current college or graduate student to enter.
  
• You have to e-mail me by midnight EST on Wednesday 12/17 with a proposal for how you would play Santa Claus at your school this season if you were to win. In other words, make a pitch for how you would distribute this equipment at your school if you were to win the contest. (Of course, I assume that you’ll keep one of the machines for yourself!) Is there a club that really needs it? Do you have an idea for a campus-wide contest? Do you have a plan to use the giveaway to drum up some media attention or raise money for a worthy cause?
• You don’t have to live in the United States to win.

To select the winner, I will start randomly selecting entries to read. The first proposal that I come across that I consider to be “really cool” will win the prize. The definition of “really cool” is left to my discretion, but my threshold will be really high. Please don’t bother entering if you’re a not a student or if you know me — in both cases you won’t win.

For more details and rules on the contest at Student Hacks  head here.

Today 3 more sites have brought their contest online to help spread the Magic as part of the HP Magic Giveaway contest.

Digital Home Thoughts

Here's the important part though: part of this contest is sharing the magic, so this contest is all about you giving away part of what you win. So here's the deal: I'm going to numerically pull one random post here as the winner, but when I review that entry, if it doesn't meet the qualifications, another random entry will be selected. So what are the qualifications? Telling me how you'd share this prize pack, with whom, and why. With this bundle consisting of four computers, three of them laptops, it's really more than one person needs - and in these troubled economic times, there are going to be people around you, charities, schools, etc. that could put some of this hardware and software to good use, right? So if you won this $6000 prize pack, who would you give some of the hardware to, and how would they use it? I'll be looking for a detailed explanation of how you'd share this, but the requirement is only that you give away at least one of the laptops or the desktop computers. As long as you meet the requirement of giving away one of the computers, your entry is valid.

Some other basic rules: only one post per person is allowed, and if you don't see your post appear right away, give it up to 48 hours because if it's your first post, it's probably held in moderation. Anyone in the world can win this contest. All posts have to be submitted by midnight mountain time on the 17th of December. If you're selected as the winner, I'll be contacting you via email and private forum messaging. You'll have 24 hours to respond to claim your prize, or the next person will be selected. No whining allowed. The prizes will be shipped to you directly by HP, so if you're selected as the winner, you should provide me with your shipping address and the shipping address or addresses of the people you're going to share this prize with. If you live in the USA, you will be provided with funds to cover the taxes on this prize bundle. If you have any more questions, please ask them in the original thread.

And here's another important point: I'm going to be posting a YouTube video, likely on Sunday or Monday, and when you subscribe to our YouTube channel and also post your story to that video (you may need to shorten it to fit), you'll recieve a bonus entry. I apologize for not having it up yet, but I have a bad cold at the moment and I'm hoping in a couple of days it will go away enough for me to record the video. When the video is live, I'll update this post, and make a new post on the home page as well.

For more details and rules on Jason’s contest at Digital Home Thoughts head here.

OSNN.net

So what do you have to do?
The theme of this competition is a giveaway in the spirit of the holidays and my idea for a competition stems around awarding others for making great posts.
The regular members and the more astute among you will have noticed that I have been fiddling with the reputation system for the last few days. This system is something that came with vBulletin 3.x several years ago and we have never really had a serious use for it... until now.
The site has two numbers to do with reputation: reputation and power. The first is your total amount of reputation recieved and power is the amount of reputation that you can give others.
Reputation power is increased by post count, join date and reputation as detailed here:

Quote:

Default Reputation: 0
Registration post count factor: 1 power per 20 posts made
Reputation count factor: 1 power per 50 reputation
Minimum post count to give reputation to others: 21
Daily reputation click limit: 20
Reputation spread: 15

The last two are important for keeping things fair and will only allow a single person to give reputation 20 times a day while ensuring that 15 people must recieve reputation before the first can again from that particular person.
Of course existing long term members will have more reputation power but the competition is not about the amount of power you have but the reputation you obtain! Having high power in no way guarantees high reputation (I have clearly just spammed 17,000 posts for example)
How do you get reputation? By making great posts here on the forums. This can be funny posts, answering technical questions or posting anything interesting. What defines you receiving reputation is down to each member who will be giving it.
Sadly this doesn’t leave a winning path for getting an OSNN tattoo on your leg or at least not directly, although I suspect such a post would gain reputation for the novelty.
I also believe the best way of getting reputation is not begging for it so keep that in mind!
How do you give reputation? Simply click on the star to the left of each post and you can leave reputation (which is a total of your power at the time) as well as a little bit of feedback.
To enter the competition you obviously have to have agreed to the points made in this post, so to ensure you do I have created an additional step you must follow to say you want to be part of the competition.
You will need to access your user control panel here: http://forum.osnn.net/profile.php?do=editprofile

For more details and rules on the contest at OSSN.net head here.

SlashGear

We’re looking for a winner who’s generous and thoughtful in how they distribute the prize.  That doesn’t mean you have to give everything away - it comes down to who you choose to give to, and your reasons behind it.   To enter, register on the SlashGear forum and reply to this post confirming you’re taking part: that logs your IP, to make sure people only enter once.  Then email your entry to hpmagic@slashgear.com, making sure to give a link to your forum reply so we know who’s who.

Entries must be submitted by midnight central time on December 17th, and HP have agreed to pay for worldwide shipping so you don’t need to be in the US to take part.  Full rules are below, and remember the forum post to comment in is here.  Good luck!

For more details and rules on the contest over at SlashGear head here.

Today four more sites and blogs have started their contests in the the HP Magic Giveaway contest. Are you ready for some more chances to win and spread some magic?

Eliax

Here is their contest translated into English:

Here it is finally, the official list of which described to compete in the contest of the Magic of Christmas with HP and eliax.

They notice that the offerers whom they have but of a number in the list are because they completed an additional task, like this. They notice that no longer shipments of the Task are accepted but #1, nor to enter the contest.

If your name does not appear in the list it is because you did not send your request before the stipulated date, or because your request did not fill the necessary requirements, or because you did not follow the instructions well when to send the required information.

They notice that it is possible that arises another task but from now until when we publish the winners day 17 of this month, so they are kind. Also they are kind to but the news on the contest in the course of these days, including but engineering data of the prizes, as well as details on as the winners choose themselves.

Meanwhile the important thing that they know is that the number (or numbers) next to your name, is your number of lottery, and if it leaves that number you gain the prize of that drawing. As we mentioned previously, there will be 6 drawings, reason why the possibilities that you win are quite good (approximately one of each 300, or one of each 150 for which they completed the task #1).

Now, some peculiar data:

- 1.222 people are competing.
- 612 completed the first task successful.
- Therefore we have 1.834 numbers in game.
- The offerers represent 27 countries.
- There are offerers of until India and Indonesia!
- The countries with but offerers, from the major to minor are:
Dominican republic - 39,93%
Spain - 11,95%
Mexico - 10,72%
Argentina - 7,04%
Colombia - 6,63%
Venezuela - 6,46%
Costa Rica - 4,66%
Chile - 3,27%
Peru - 1,88%
The USA - 1,31%
- Peculiarly, in daily visits to eliax.com, Dominican Republic it is third party behind Spain and Mexico, and nevertheless in this contest they are those that but are participating!

Luck and we followed in contact!

For more details on their contest in its native form head here.

GeeksRoom

This is also loosely translated  into  English:

It is why the spirit of this contest has like final mission that the person who wins demonstrates her solidarity and shares with they need which it, or a friend, a aid organization, a hospital, in short, always we will find somebody to whom to help and is in you following the spirit of this promotion and contest.

We would like that the one that gains the contest shares some PC and all must be conscientious of which a person is not going to use all the computers and donating one or several of them they can help to whom they need if it.  As or I said in the previous paragraph, a aid organization, a hospital, a friend, a club, in short, all we have near which needs aid and the winner will have the gift to make happy to one or several people.  I clarify to them that they do not have any obligation to do it, but remember that the spirit of this promotion is to help others, to have the power that us dá a prize of this type to be able to make happy to others.  They remember, is not obligation! but it would be a good action from the winner!  In addition, they will see that the desición to donate a PC or several, will give more possibilities them of gaining the prize.

Next they can read the rules to participate in the contest.  They must work just a little bit but he is not nothing of the other world:

1) In order to participate in the contest they will have to send a digital photography in which you with the logo appear of GeeksRoom and the one of the Sponsors, along with the legend in Spanish” I want to share the Magic” or in English “I want to share the Magic”.   They are Creative, but they do not use Photoshop (only for some adjustment of color, brightness, it contrasts, but it does not stop to add other elements to him).  According to its creativity and according to my criterion, they are possible to be won up to 5 entrances (numbers) extra for the drawing!  The logos and the legend must be well visible! and the 150 photographies do not have to exceed Kb (they keep the original ones).

They can unload them to the logos following the connections (they follow the connection All Sizes and they will see the image in his original measurement there):

GeeksRoom logo

Logo HP

Logo Windows

2) Also they must answer 3 questions: A) In which country I was born (it begins with A and it finishes with A), B) in which alive country (if they do not know it to this height, says Cowboy to me) and C) that marks of laptop I have bought the past week.  The first two are easiest and third it is very obvious.

3) All that one that decides to donate one of the PCs, 2 entrances (numbers) to the drawing were assigned to him more

4) If they decide to donate 2 or but PC's receives 5 additional entrances, that is 6 possibilities of gaining the contest.

5) The photo, the questions and if they wish to donate some PC, the name of the person or organization will send, them to the email direction , with subject “GeeksRoom - HP Magic Giveaway”.   In the email, besides the previous thing I will need its complete name, city and country where they reside and email direction that it must agree with the one of the shipment.  The text of the email must contain the data with the following format:

Full name of the participant:

City and Country of Residence

Email:

Question a):

Question b):

It asks c):

In the case of donating part of the prize, the name of the person or organization, email, City and Country of residence.  Besides a small oration with the reason by which they will donate part of the prize! (they do not write a book to me! " src="http://geeksroom.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" /> )

They remember to enclose the photo!

If receipt incompletos data or lacks data and/or requirements, will be disqualified and they will not participate in the drawing.

6) To each one of the entrances arrival of the email will be assigned to him to a number by order.  The same will be the one of the row that occupies in the Excel list which I will take with the object of organizing the contest.  The extra entrances, if to correspond, they were assigned in correlative form.

7) The winner will determine itself by means of the use of the procedure Sequence Generator of the Random.org site.

For the original language post about the details and rules of the contest head here

Living in theory

How?

Each contestant will post their stories on their own blogs or vlogs for all of us to go read or see. Use the Mr. Linky widget below to sign up. Fill out the fields as requested, using the url for your post, not your site. (This is very important... do not link to your blog, but the post specifically written for this giveaway within your blog!!! If you don't know how, please ask in the comments...)

It would be great if all the contestants would visit the other blogs in this contest to show some community spirit. Not saying that I care, but the judges might... Feel free to share your favorite posts back here in the comments section. If you have a Twitter account, follow me and the other contestants. Our hash tag will be #SugarMagic

What?

Tell us what you are doing to make an impact on the lives of others. It doesn’t have to be a Save-The-World kind of story. I just wrote about an ordinary refrigerator that helped me and many others. But saving the world is not off the table, either. Brian Carter will tell you all about One Day for Human Rights today… if you have a minute.

Tell us what you are planning to do with all this great hardware. I mean, there’s A LOT of hardware. More than one person could possibly ever need. How could all of these gadgets impact the lives of others that you know? How could these gadgets help you in personally inspiring or empowering others?

Who?

Winners will be chosen by a secret panel of ineligible (but still pretty nice) people. This group of wise and whacky women will read through all posts and follow the comment trails, so be nice out there…

For the rest of the rules and details on Sugar’s contest head here.

Stop, Drop and Blog

First and foremost, I need to tell you this: while our giveaway is based on a random chance, I want you guys to understand the reason our site decided to participate in such an amazing giveaway. I’ve been blogging all this week about the reasons we are so grateful this holiday season. I will continue to do so throughout the rest of this week. FireDad and I have recognized how truly blessed we have been in the past few years. We have two healthy, happy children. We have a house. We are having a Christmas of our own. We are in love with one another and with our family. We are so blessed. And as such, we want to share that feeling with your family. But we don’t want that feeling to stop there.

We know that we wouldn’t be as blessed as we are if people wouldn’t have taken time to share things with us along the way. The table my parents gave to us when we got our first apartment. The meals the ladies of the church brought to us after LittleBrother was born and I didn’t have enough time to shower let alone cook a healthy meal. The leads for freelancing jobs that others have shared with me because they felt that I would be best suited. The friendship others have extended to us over the years. Without those little bits of sharing, we wouldn’t quite be the family that we are today. And that’s why we believe so intently in the true meaning behind this contest: sharing the magic. While we can’t demand that our winner share the package with anyone, we’d really like to promote that idea. I won’t tell you who and how to share but I will delete all entries that say, “Gimme gimme.” I reserve the right to do so!

All that said: I’ll need you to visit the whole list of rules for the giveaway, of course, but here’s the rundown on how to enter!

1. Leave a comment on this post explaining what winning this package would mean to you and your family in these tough economic times and how your sharing of this package would contribute to the true meaning of the season. This counts as one entry. You may only leave one entry in this fashion. IP addresses are recorded. Obvious spoof IPs will be disqualified.

2. Tweet this contest with this tinyurl ( http://tinyurl.com/sdbgiveaway1 ) and the hashtag #SDBGiveaway. You may tweet up to twice per day. Come back to this post and paste the URL of each individual tweet you post. (I will check every single one at the end of the contest so do not delete.) Each tweet, up to two per day, will count as one entry. (How to get the URL of each individual tweet? Click on the “time” that your tweet was entered. It follows your actual tweet. “3 minutes ago” is an example.) And, not necessary, but feel free to add me on twitter. I’m FireMom!

3. Digg, Stumble or otherwise promote this contest via some form of social media (other than the twitter entry above). Come back to this post and paste the URL of each individual promotion along with your username in case things get confusing. Each promotion will count as one entry. One promotion per social media site.

4. Blog about this contest on your public blog telling your readers a longer version of the comment you left in entry option #1. Meaning: Blog about what this contest means to you and your family this year and how sharing it would impact friends and family. Include a link back to this post. Please come back this post to post the link to your permalinked post just in case my blog doesn’t pick up your track back. You are allowed to do this once and it will count as one entry.

For the rest of the rules and details on this contest head here.

If you are like me and still have no idea what to tell your loved ones what you like for the holidays or still haven’t made up you mind on some new technology Linda over at TabletPC2 has come up with her annual The 2008 List for Santa - Sixth Annual Holiday Gift Guide.

It’s chock full some of the latest gear, definitely worth checking out!

Today there are three more ways to win and spread the magic of giving in the HP Magic Giveaway contest. Some people may consider 13 unlucky, but it will be lucky for 3 individuals.

Gadgetell

Still no information yet, but you can get a start by registering here.

Liliputing

So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask you to tell me what you would do with this prize package. And I’m going to encourage your to share at least some of the love by giving one or more of the computers to a friend, family member, or colleague who could really use it or by choosing a charity, non-profit, or other group that you think should receive one or more of the PCs. The contest is open to anyone in the world (fortunately the sponsors are picking up the tab for shipping costs), and we’ll ship the prize package both to the winner and to whatever second site that person choses.

You can find the complete rules for the contest after the break.
OK, so here’s how to enter.

1. Register for an account in the Liliputing Forums. (If you already have an account you can skip this step).
2. Write a post in the HP Magic Giveaway thread explaining what you would do with the prize package. Whether you have a sob story, a funny story, or just a story to tell, let us know why you want to win and how you’ll use the prize package. Make sure to let us know if yo uplan to give away a portion of the prize.

That’s it. Becoming an active participant in the forums will make me like you more, but I’m not going to assign a point value to the number of posts you leave, because I don’t want to encourage lots of mindless posts in the forums. there’s a great community of netbook and mobile computing enthusiasts hanging out at the forums though, and I’d encourage you to participate or at least read some of the interesting discussions thave have been taking place in the forums over the last few months.

Please read the instructions. Entries must be submitted in the Liliputing Forums. I will delete any entries posted in the comments. Please use the comments to ask questions, or, you know… leave comments.

For the rest of the details and rules head here.

SlashDot Review

The Contest
Only one entry per household is permitted.

1. Examine the Award Package carefully, and determine which of the hardware and software items you wish to keep for personal use or gift to a member of your immediate family.
2. Create an account at Seesmic.com
3. Record a Seesmic video, including the script provided by SDRNews, where you personally describe, with your face on camer. Insure that the scene is well lit and that you have good audio.
   1. Your first name, city, state and country.
   2. Which item you wish to keep for personal use or family gift
   3. For each remaining hardware item
      1. What person or organization you will give the item to this holiday season
      2. Why that person or organization is most deserving of that particular gift and support
4. Embed the Seesmic video on a public web site - such as your blog, MySpace or Facebook page
5. Fill out the application at SDRNews including your full name, contact information, embed posting date, and Seesmic embed code.

For the rest of the details and rules head here.

Goodluck in entering these contests

We all can use a little magic in our lives and when you have a little magic, it’s always good to spread it around. Well today you have another chance to do just that in the HP Magic Giveaway contest, but today there is only one site starting theirs.

Student Bloggers

This is finals season (I bet you thought it was the holiday season) so that’s what you’re going to tell me about. The first requirement:

• Tell me your best finals story. What’s the craziest, funniest, most poignant, most surprising, shocking or just plain interesting thing that happened to you during this week that we all look forward to with equal anticipation and dread? I will then share some the best ones (winner or no) on the site at the end of the contest. This can be the time the guy next to you fainted in the middle of an exam, you aced a test because of a fact you heard on Jeopardy, or the time your computer crashed while on the last paragraph of your paper. If you do write about some computer crash story it had better be good. We’ve all heard a ton of those. Keep it fairly short (2-3 paragraphs).

Second, I am not requiring that entrants be college student bloggers this time, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not looking after our community. The next requirement:

• You must make a meaningful comment on at least one blog in the directory. Maybe there’s one from your alma mater or your school’s rival. Maybe someone just has a cool title. This shouldn’t be hard, but it can’t just be “I agree” or “Cool story.” A substantial contribution to the conversation. You might just find a blog you want to keep following. Send me the link to the post(s) you commented on.

Finally, I want you to join the 50 sites doing this business in the giving spirit. This is $6,000 of stuff and not even the biggest nerd among you needs four new computers. No chance. So the last requirement:

• Tell me about the college student or high school senior who is about to go off to college who you would like to share at least one of these computers with. This can be someone who needs a newer computer to compete in their discipline, someone who can’t afford a computer at all and spends his days resuscitating puppies, someone with a physical addiction to World of Warcraft, whatever. Just make it thoughtful and meaningful. I don’t want to hear sob stories though. I sympathize with what your best friend is going through, but I’d rather hear about how they are a good person and would do good things than the string of tragedy following them. Besides, it’s easy to fake a sob story. No begging. Stay positive. Again, keep it relatively short.

Email your entry to studentblogs@gmail.com with the subject: HP Magic. You must get the subject right as I will be filtering these. Oh, and the final rule: no whiners.

I will then choose 10 or 20  great stories and great people (depending on the number of entries) and let random.org do the final selection. All decisions are final. I will not be listing the final group, only the one winner. I do realize that people could just make up stories and people, but I trust that you are aren’t huge turds who would do such a thing. Think of the children.

So three things: 1) Sweet finals story, 2) link to comment on student blogger’s post, and 3) who you want to share it with.

Entries must be in by Sunday, December 14th. As with the last contest, my friends and family may not enter, but they can certainly do so on the other 49 sites.

Good luck and I look foward to reading your great stories! Full details, including info on shipping and taxes, will be available on the HP Magic Giveaway page above.

For more details and all the nitty gritty details on this contest head here.

Again there are some contests ending today, so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from AbsoluteVista, DigitalMediaPhile, PlanetX64, InfoWester, Merlot Mom, Noticias Tech,TechMamas,Geek.com, Notebooks.com, TechieDiva One Day, One Job, Gear Diary, Geeks to go, Geeks!, Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried,and Moosh in Indy.

Today there are 3 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway contest, each site has their own rules so read them carefully and good luck!

AbsoluteVista

For this contest, I have a few very simple rules:

1. My contest is open to all inhabitants of this planet, known severally as Earth or Terra or Sol-3. Please be advised that we tend to favor sapient inhabitants. However, if a troglodyte’s entry is the best, then we have no choice….

2. Create a short animation describing the HP Magic Giveaway, and the good it will bring to you, and a few lucky persons/organizations you so decide to re-gift to this Christmas.

3. An acknowledgement of HP and Microsoft for this giveaway immediately attaches mondo points to your score.

4. Working in a group of more than one, letting us know that there will be more than one enjoyer of this giveaway is a boon.

5. Gratuitously praising me may or may not work.

6. Staying on points 1 & 2 matter more than anything else.

7. Be prepared to assign certain usage rights to me, and by proxy,  AbsoluteVista.com and all our related websites, including but not limited to SmallBizVista.com, and this website, SmallBizWindows.com. My statement of the assigned rights can be found here, and the assignment of these rights are non-revocable. Your submission  of your original content will be taken as agreeing with that assignment of rights statement.

8. If you are an immediate member of my extended family, sorry, you are immediately DQ’d. for you can certainly afford a system.

9. I am going to attempt to review as many of the giveaway items s possible. However, since I want the winner(s) to have their winnings by Christmas day, I will be mindful of the time constraints imposed on shipping, and make sure that the systems are shipped in time for enjoyment of that day.

10. The contest starts at 12.00 am on December 8, 2008.

11. I will receive submissions until 12.01 am on December 14, 2008, and I will make my decision on the winner before 11.59 pm on the same day.

12. Oh, my decision is final.

For the rest of John’s contest details head here, for an update of the rules head here.

DigitalMediaPhile

I’m holding my Magic Giveaway Contest as a WIN AND SHARE THE MAGIC CONTEST. You’ve probably heard the phrase “random act of kindness”. Well, during this holiday season, I’m hoping that some lucky winner will be able to perform “deliberate acts of kindness”.

My contest starts today, December 8^th. You have until Friday, December 12^th at 6pm Eastern Time US to submit your entry.

If you want to enter my contest, here’s the deal:

First, think about your less fortunate friends, parents on social security, local Boys and Girls Clubs, group homes, senior citizen housing with rec rooms and imagine the joy and surprise that gifting multiple people with a new, state of the art computer might bring to them. I guarantee that as you watch them light up, you’ll light up and that THAT feeling lasts a long time. (You can’t fix the economy, but you can sure help somewhat forget it for a while. My hopes are that you’d keep just one of these great state of the art leading edge machines for yourself, but SHARE THE MAGIC and gift the rest.)

Second, you need to post some images on FLICKR or a Video/slide show on YouTube. (And only on those sites) showing the places these new computers will go or a shot of the computers they are replacing (and if you replace a computer, please give THAT to someone who needs it).

Third, after you post your digital entry, send an email to magicgiveaway@gmail.com with a link to the location where you’ve posted this (full URL, no tiny URL or shortcuts allowed) and the subject: I want to share the magic. In addition to placing the link to your content as the first line of the message, please describe in 150 words or less who you want to gift and why. I don’t want to read sob stories. If you don’t use the correct subject or write a novel, you will be disqualified. Be sure to send your email from an address that you check often for incoming mail and add magicgiveaway@gmail.com to your safe/approved senders list so that if you win, you won’t miss the notification.

Fourth, by entering, the winner agrees to provide me, within two weeks of receipt of the prize, at least a 500 word postable story on what happened when they gifted computers. Pictures optional, but would be great to have along with permission to post. I won’t post names without permission or any other information. The winner agrees to allow me to use the content they provide in any manner I choose.

Fifth, winners must provide a bona fide shipping address and not a post office box.

Sixth, the winner agrees, by entering my contest, to allow me to contact their local newspaper/TV station, etc. and ask if they are interested in running a story on the winner and the magic sharing of the holiday season. You’ll get the admiration of your peers and some local recognition. It would be great if, after the winner is notified, that they provide any info they can on contacting local media in their home town.

Seventh , I will pick a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place entry. I will notify the 1^st place winner via email and they will have 12 hours to respond. If no response is received, I will notify the next in line, who will have 12 hours (etc.). I won’t post info until the winner has accepted. Here is a hint: if you enter my contest, you should check your email every few hours starting on Saturday December 13 so that you don’t miss THE BIG NOTIFICATION.

For more on Barb’s contest and rules head here.

PlanetX64

The PlanetX64/PlanetAMD64/Echenique dot com edition of the HP Magic Giveaway starts right now! Here's what you have to do:

1. Sign up to Animoto (free) and create a 30-second slideshow using your pictures and their holiday music showing the magic of giving - pictures of you and the other person(s) you would like to share the prize bounty with.
2. Post your video to YouTube (free too).
3. Go to PlanetAMD64 and post a link to your video in the "HP Magic Giveaway Begins Now" thread on the home page (requires free membership as well) and include your story (doesn't have to be a novel).

That's all there is to it.

The contest period runs from December 8, 2008 0000 EST to December 13, 2008 2359 EST. The winner will be announced on December 14, 2008 at 1500 EST over at Echenique dot com.

Remember, the HP Magic Giveaway Rules require that you share your prize with someone deserving. The Magic is in the Giving.

Read the rest of Carlos’ rules and enter his contest by clicking here.

Remember some contests are ending, so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from InfoWester, Merlot Mom, Noticias Tech,TechMamas,Geek.com, Notebooks.com, TechieDiva One Day, One Job, Gear Diary, Geeks to go, Geeks!, Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried,and Moosh in Indy.

Well we  have one happy winner on our hands and you can win too as part of the HP Magic Giveaway 4 more blogs and websites have launched their contests today. Here are the details of each:

InfoWester

To be announced.

Merlot Mom

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

ELIGIBILITY:

• My blogger friends ARE eligible.  
• Regretfully family members and IRL friends (in real life for non-bloggers) are NOT eligible for MY contest.  BUT you ARE eligible to enter ALL the other HP Magic Giveaway contests.  See my HP posts or HP MAGIC GIVEAWAY's home page for participating sites.
• International entrants welcome.
• Winners of other HP Magic Giveaway contests are NOT eligible.
• You must have a legitimate shipping address.  P.O. Box addresses will NOT be accepted.  

HOW TO ENTER:

• Make your case!  Tell me why you deserve to win $6000 worth of HP and Microsoft products.  How will you put the equipment to good use?  Who will you share it with and why?  The contest is about the spirit of giving so I ask that you illustrate for me, either in words (250 words or less) OR on video (4 minutes or less) how you will make the most out of this charitable opportunity.  It can be for a friend in need, an organization such as a hospital, a residence home, a school.  Your choice.  Tell me what it will mean to you to have them share in your good fortune.  WOW ME.
• Include a link in your entry to HP Magic Giveaway's home page and to this post on www.merlotmom.com.
• Post your entry on your blog, on Facebook, on YouTube, or in my comment section.
• If you have posted your entry anywhere other than my comment section, please leave a comment with a link to the site of your entry, your name, and a valid email address so I can contact you.

For the rules and more details on this contest head over to Merlot Mom here.

Noticias Tech

To be announced.

TechMamas

When I found out that I was part of the 50 bloggers participating in the HP Magic Giveaway, I did not sleep too well for the next few nights. I had the chance to give away (US) $6,000 in amazing hardware, accessories and software that could really make a difference in someone's life (or a group ). I had so many ideas, so many people I want to share some magic with. Schools(teachers), charities, families and especially moms (parents) that all give so much on a daily basis. Then I saw the CNN Heroes show and was inspired. So I decided I wanted to award my prize package to a "MOM or DAD hero".
CONTEST DETAILS (COMMENTS ARE OPEN, contest has started!!!! Please go to the bottom of the post and comment your "mom hero" story/links):

• You need to be a mom  OR dad
• You can nominate yourself or someone else.
• I prefer that (like many of us) that you can't afford to buy all of this amazing equipment on your own.
• You need to have a powerful use for that technology, that will not only help yourself and your family but a school or charity as well. School and charity are used in loose terms. You can be a mom that works for an underprivileged afterschool program that wants to share some of the package with the program and some at her home to develop curriculum. You can be a mom  or dad that runs a charity that needs technology to take it to the next level or is trying to get their career back on track - and looking to help others as well.
• To enter, just comment on this post with links to as many different types of media  you want to use to tell you story, or just a text comment.
• Please be "for real",  there are people that really need this!
• I request (not require) that you "share" the magic by giving part of your package away to the school or charity that is part of your "story"
• The contest will run from December 7 - December 13. Winner announced on December 14.

For the rest of the details and rules on Beth’s contest head here.

Reminder some contests are ending, so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from Geek.com, Notebooks.com, TechieDiva One Day, One Job, Gear Diary, Geeks to go, Geeks!, Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried, Moosh in Indy, GottaBeMobile, I Started Something, The Gadgeteer.

Wow!!! All I can say is that we are really impressed by the open hearts and amount of giving people are willing to do especially in these tough economic times. Many entries were to give away the entire prize if they won. We at Boston Pocket PC feel really honored and privileged to be part of the 50 participating sites with the help from HP, Microsoft and Buzz Corps, looking to spread some magic to change people's lives for the better in the HP Magic Giveaway. We are also glad that we didn't have to pick a winner (because it would have been too hard) and chose to go with a random drawing from all the eligible winners.

This is how the drawing was done. All eligible entrants were entered into a spreadsheet, then sorted alphabetically to eliminate time of entry, then placed in a list randomizer , which assigned a random number, then a random number was chosen at random selecting our winner.  And the moment you are waiting for...

Our winner is Evan Brammer.

Here is his entry:

Let's start here:

I have the privilege of working for a fantastic education organization in Indonesia that builds high-quality international schools for the wealthier Indonesians and then uses that money to benefit the less fortunate. These are referred as "pelita" schools.  I teach at Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Lippo Cikarang.  My wife and two kids moved with me here half a year ago from the States to be a part of this great work. 

What is great about what the Foundation does is that they take the money they "make" from the higher level "pelita" schools to then build two other types of schools: "dian" schools for the middle class (these schools break even as far as funding goes) and then "lentara" schools (where all of there funding comes from outside sources because the students families are unable to pay for an education).

The mission of the Foundation is to build ten pelita schools, one hundred dian schools, and one thousand lentara village schools.  What is great about the lentara schools are they are completely free to the students, most of which would have no opportunity for an education.  They are in Indonesian villages and while they are staffed with high quality Indonesian teachers, they still have very limited access to quality resources.  That is where the magic begins.

What I would do with with the HP Magic Giveaway computers is to help every level of the schools that I mentioned to give them better opportunities at a world class education.

First, I would set up the Touchsmart in my classroom, giving my students (the future leaders of this burgeoning nation) a jumpstart into 21st century learning; helping them to not only be content consumers, but more importantly content producers.  We would use it to create dynamic kml tours for Google Earth for geography and blogging for English.  We could then use those and many more resources that the students and teachers create to pass down to both the dian and lentara village schools.

We (my class) would donate one of the laptops to a nearby (or faraway) lentara village school so that the teachers and students from both my school and the lentara school can exchange ideas, lessons, and friendships.  This would greatly benefit both parties as the lentara schools would have better access to content and the pelita students would be able to have a greater knowledge of a constituency here in Indonesia that all too often is forgotten: the village poor.

For the remaining computers (and Kung-Fu Panda), they would most likely be used as tools in one of the three levels of schools.  I can see the Mini 1000 being used as a field computer to gather data from the eco-garden that we are trying to build.  The other laptop could be used as a mobile training computer, used to train both dian and lentara staff in new methodology.  Truly, the opportunities in education would be endless.

Thank you for even giving us the opportunity to compete.

Congratulations Evan! We look forward to hearing howthose touched by your magic of winning made out.

Don’t forget to to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site and check back here for other chances from other sites when their contest goes live.

Again many contests have ended we are still going over all the entries that entered our contest and will be announcing the winner today after a random drawing of all valid entrants. The winners of the GearLive contest is actually giving the HP Mini 1000 notebook, Microsoft Office 2007, Kung Fu Panda on DVD, and Corel VideoStudio away in a contest at GearLive, so  be sure to enter for that. Today you have 3 more chances to win from the following sites:

Geek.com

Now is your turn to register for a chance to win all of that gear. Just fill out our survey and make sure to include your e-mail address at the end so we can contact you if you win.

You can enter any time between December 6th (today) and December 12th. Each person is allowed to enter the contest once.

For more details on Sal and Joel’s contest at Geek.com head here.

Notebooks.com

Today we’re kicking off our HP Magic Giveaway contest and hope you’ll help spread the Magic in the spirit of the holidays. As of right now you can enter the contest and win a prize package that includes $6,000 worth HP and Microsoft gear.

There are a variety of ways you may enter the contest, all of which are free and open to anyone in the world as long as participating in a giveaway like this is legal in your locale.

We thought a lot about how we would pick a winner and decided we wanted to leave it up to chance, but allow our readers to improve their chances by completing a variety of tasks. This means you may enter an unlimited number of times if you reallllllllyyyyyy want to win four computers and the rest of the gear for yourself, your family or your organization.

The more tasks you complete, the more entry points you earn. Think of it like raffle tickets, but instead of buying tickets you jut need to participate in the below tasks.

In the spirit of the holiday season you can earn a significant number of  points by sharing some or all of the prizes with the school(s)/non-profit(s) of your choice. You don’t HAVE to designate any of the prize package to go to school(s)/non-profits, but you certainly increase your chances of winning by doing so.

You can spend as little as 10 seconds entering this contest by subscribing to our email newsletter, or countless hours. It’s all up to you.

How to Earn Contest Entry Points:

A) Tasks to enter by spreading the magic to those in need:

You may only complete one of the following tasks. You’ll earn a significant amount of entries and get a chance to help those in need. This is the easiest/fastest way to earn a lot of entry points, but you have to be the giving type. If you want to keep the entire package for yourself you can skip this section and start at the next section of tasks.

1. Designate one of the PCs to a school or non-profit of your choice. Click here to complete this task. (5 points)
2. Designate two of the PCs to the school(s) and/or non-profit(s) of your choice. Click here to complete this task. (10 points)
3. Designate three of the PCs to the school(s) and/or non-profit(s) of your choice. (Click here to complete this tasks) (15 points)
4. Designate all four of the PCs to the school(s) and/or non-profit(s) of your choice. (20 points)
5. Designate the entire prize package to the school(s) and/or non-profit(s) of your choice. (25 points)
6. BONUS-Designate at least one of the PCs in any of the above tasks to Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland. This is my charity of choice because its staff and volunteers provide patients with Leukimia excellent and compassionate care. (15 points)

B) Ways to enter by spreading the word about Notebooks.com’s contest or contributing to the site:

You can earn points ONCE from completing each of the following
tasks. Please don’t complete any of this tasks more than once or you’ll
be removed form the contest:

1. Comment on this post and tell us what your favorite HP product or Microsoft software/service is and why. (1 point)
2. Become a fan of Notebooks.com on Facebook. (1 point)
3. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/xavierlanier (1 entry point)
4. Subscribe to Notebooks.com’s Newsletter so you can receive updates about the site and alerts to future giveaways. (2 entry points)
5. Subscribe to Notebooks.com’s YouTube Channel. (1 point)
6. Post a video to YouTube or another video sharing site and tell us why you (or your chosen school/non-profit) deserves the HP Magic prize package. Cut and paste a link to your video here (2 points)
7. Register for the Notebooks.com forums and introduce yourself. Tell us what kind of tech gear you use. (1 entry point)
8. Write an article about this giveaway on your own blog, or appropriate web site and include the phrase “Notebooks.com’s Magic Giveaway with HP and Microsoft” so we can find it easily. Link back to this post and to http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/blogger-magic/ . You’ll have to post a link to the article in our forums. (2 entry points).
9. Tweet the following phrase: “I entered Notebooks.com’s HP Magic Giveaway: $6,000 worth of HP computers and Microsoft software! http://tinyurl.com/5t2z5s” (2 entry points).
10. Tell us who you’ll share the prize package with, what you’ll give them and why in the forums. (1 entry point).
11. Tell us about your dream notebook. Which one would pick if you could have any notebook in the world for free? Click here to complete this task. (1 entry point)

C. You may earn an UNLIMITED number of entries by completing the following tasks as many times as you wish.

1. Help build the brand spanking new Notebooks.com Wiki.

• Write a brief Wiki entry here. Each wiki entry must be related to notebook computers factual, substantial and original. If you need some inspiration or to get an idea of what makes a great wiki visit Wikipedia.org
• It must be at least 100 words in length and contain one reliable source. (2 points)
• Write substantial Wiki entry that’s at least 500 words long, link to at least one other Notebooks.com Wiki page and cite 3 sources. (12 points)

2. Write a “how-to” or “top-10″ article that’s related to notebooks or technology and submit it to the forum here. All articles must be original and those that are off-topic, plagarized or are otherwise unsuitable for publishing on Notebooks.com will be disqualified. (5 points)

• BONUS: If we really like your article and feature it on the home page of Notebooks.com you will earn additional entries. (5 points)

For more and Xavier’s contest and rules head to Notebooks.com.

TechieDiva

HOW TO ENTER

It’s all about sharing the magic this holiday season, so we highly encourage you to enter this contest with the intent of sharing your prize with someone you care about, be it a relative, a friend, or a charity. We’d love for you to help us spread the word about this contest on your personal blog or social network to let others know how they too can enter this amazing contest. For this reason, we ask that you write a short paragraph or bulletin on your personal blog, social profile, microblog, or favorite forum telling us what you would do with all those computers if you won the contest. We don’t want you to spam anyone though, so make sure you only post your entry on your own blog/social profile.

In your blog post, make sure you include the following:

1. A link back to Techie Diva and a link back to the HP Magic Giveaway page.

2. A short paragraph, telling us why you deserve to win this prize and what you plan to do with it. Would you be selling it on eBay? Sharing it with your family? Start a business? Donate part of it to a charity? Or keeping it all to yourself? We will be choosing the winner at random so there is no wrong or right answer; BUT the best stories reflecting the spirit of giving this holiday season will be published on Techie Diva and receive an additional entry. This means your name is entered in the contest twice!

BONUS ENTRIES (in addition to entry above)

This is your opportunity to increase your chances of winning this package. Do any of the following, and get THREE additional entries. We ask that you send bonus entries to hpbonus@techiediva.com and include your name, phone number, and email address. Make sure you write in the subject line the type of bonus entry you’re submitting (Charity, YouTube, Bake Off, Video Review). You still have to submit a blog post entry to enter. Make sure you use the same email address since we will verify both entries this way.

1. Encourage a charity, school, or church to enter this contest. Have them send us your name and email address in a separate email to hpbonus@techiediva.com.Your entries depend on it.

2. Create a YouTube video or a Web Cam comment below telling us how you would share the magic if you won this package. We highly encourage charities/schools/ministries do this.

3. Bake a cake/cupcake with the Techie Diva avatar/logo.

4. Create a one to two minute video review of your favorite gadget or HP product for Techie Diva.

5. Link back to this post on five or more social networks (ex: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, Bebo). Send all links in one email to the address above. These all have to be your own accounts. Links in comments section don’t qualify. Please include a blurb of the contest in your post.

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY

Send your blog post entry to hpcontest@techiediva.com with the following:

1. Short paragraph mentioned above along with a link to your blog post entry.

2 Your email address, full name, phone number, and shipping address. (We will not spam you or share your information with anyone)

For more details on this contest and rules head to TechieDiva here.

Again as before, today some contests are ending so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from One Day, One Job, Gear Diary, Geeks to go, Geeks!, Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried, Moosh in Indy, GottaBeMobile, I Started Something, The Gadgeteer,  Hack College.

Some contests ended yesterday (remember you have until midnight EST tonight to enter ours) of the HP Magic Giveaway Contest where you have a chance from 50 different websites and blogs to win over $6000 in gear and some are ending today. There are still many open so be sure to enter and not only win, but share what you have won with others!

Today you have another chance to win and share over $6000 in gear.

One Day, One Job:

Last week, my business partner, Jason Seiden, and I were talking about the job search training course that we’re working on. I had told him that I recently received “thank you tweets” from two One Day, One Job readers who had landed jobs at companies that I wrote about. We both agreed that there’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone find and land a job. This sparked an idea. Since the HP Magic Giveaway is all about “paying it forward,” we should build a contest where the winner is rewarded for paying it forward (even if it’s with the end goal of winning a prize).

The challenge is simple.

Help a friend with his or her job search. Leave a comment on this post telling us your friend’s first name and exactly how you helped him or her.

Your entry can be as simple as telling us that you e-mailed someone a link to One Day, One Job, or as involved as telling us how you edited and improved a friend’s resume. We’re looking for creativity and a genuine willingness to help (and ideas that we can use in the course that we’re developing), so we’re going to reward those of you who try harder. Entries will be graded on a scale of 0 (so unhelpful that you don’t even get an entry) to 10 (bending over backwards to get your friend a job), and each point will be equal to one entry in the contest.

We don’t expect you to land someone a job in just a few days’ time - that’s nearly impossible (but if you can do it, go for it). We just want you to lend a helping hand to someone who can use it, whether you already have a job or you’re also looking. The average score will be a 1 or 2, so there will be a huge premium for in-depth/creative/bend over backwards entries.

At the end of the contest, we’ll assign numbers to each entry and use Microsoft Excel’s random number generator to select a winner.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Since you’ve already found a friend in need, you’ll be expected to give part of your prize package to the friend whom you helped, since without him or her, you wouldn’t have won.

For the rest of the rules, check out the One Day, One Job site.

Remember today some contests are ending so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from Gear Diary, Geeks to go, Geeks!, Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried, Moosh in Indy, GottaBeMobile, I Started Something, The Gadgeteer,  Hack College, here, Mediablab, Neowin, Morningside Mom, Thoughts on poetics & tech.

Today is the last day to enter of some contests that started the HP Magic Giveaway Contest a little under a week ago, where you have a chance from 50 different websites and blogs to win over $6000 in gear. Today 3 more sites have started theirs.

Gear Diary

To enter Gear Diary’s Give-Away

Now gather ’round and listen up: We want everyone who would like to enter to have a true shot at winning, so our contest will involve answering a series of questions and performing a few tasks. If you can follow directions, then you can win.

Your reply in this thread’s comments section will be your entry, and the winner will be chosen at random from entrants who have answered the questions and fulfilled the tasks we set forth. For the sake of simplicity when judging, please put all of the requirements together in ONE entry / comment.

Ready? Let’s get started.

First, you must register so that you can leave a comment on this site. If this is the first comment you have ever left, it will be moderated. Don’t freak out if it doesn’t post right away, and don’t leave a second comment; I will approve your entry / comment ASAP.

In ONE comment, you must answer these three questions, and post links to prove that you have fulfilled the two required tasks:

1. What is the best gift you have ever received from someone else.

2. What made the gift special?

3. Who would you share a portion of this prize package with, if you were to win?

Next, complete the following tasks and include a link to the completion’s proof in your comment / entry.

- Twitter the following and include a link proving that you did it:

“I promise that I will make a difference in someone’s life if I win: http://tinyurl.com/6j2yml”

- Post a picture of your current desktop or laptop on Flickr (or your personal blog), and include a link back to that picture in your comment / entry. You do not need to be in the photo, but I’ll be even more impressed with your entry if you are.

That’s all there is to it.

*****

The not-so-small-print, AKA “the RULES”:

1. We will be awarding everything to one person.

2. The winner is encouraged to spread the magic by sharing their prize. I am not going to tell you how to do it or with whom, but if you would like me to ship one or two of the prize items to someone anywhere in the world, I will be happy to do so…and HP’s covering it!

3. Anyone, anywhere in the world, is welcome to enter. HP will cover worldwide shipping and any associated US income taxes.

4. If you have already won one of the HP Magic Giveaways on another site, you are not eligible to win again on Gear Diary.

4. Winner will be chosen at random, by me; there will be no whining. If you don’t win here, keep trying on the other sites!

5. We will announce that there is a winner by Midnight PST on December 10th. I will actually be choosing three - read on to see why…

6. Put judie @ geardiary .com in your address book NOW. I will email the winner shortly after choosing one, and if I have not heard from him or her within 24 hours (I will post the time when the first email is sent), I will email the next person on my list. Don’t suffer remorse for the rest of the holidays and all of 2009 because your SPAM filter ate my email!!!

7. Winner agrees to send us a short follow-up post (300 words or less) with a picture within 30 days, so that we can post on how the hardware was distributed. If you don’t want your real name to be used, then it is quite all right. This is mainly so that people can see that a real person won, but sharing lovely stories about giving portions of the package to deserving people or organizations will definitely earn you some “awwww”s and kudos in the comments. We love happy endings; please be willing to share yours!!

8. The Gear Diary Team and past contributors are not eligible to win, neither are members of their families. Sorry guys and gals, it just wouldn’t look right.

To find out more about Judie’s contest head here.

Geeks to Go!

How?

At Geeks to Go we share the magic. Our tech experts provide free tech help in our forums. We share our technical knowledge with others in need. We get a magical feeling whenever we get a heartfelt thanks from someone we’ve been able to help.

This prize package contains an embarrassment of riches. We’re going to ask our contest winner to share the feeling that comes from giving magic. To enter our contest, simply reply in the comments with what part of the prize package you’d share, and with whom you’d share it (no full names please). The winner will be drawn at random from the qualified entries. So, while there’s no need for a long entry, I and others may enjoy reading them.

The holidays are a time for giving. Many organizations and individuals are in need. We recommend a donation to an organization, not an individual or relative, but the final decision is yours. If requested, we can mail your donation anywhere in the world. We also want to hear your story! If possible, take videos or photos of your recipient, along with a story of the donation. We’d like to publish it, and share your experience of giving magic.

When?

The winner will be drawn from qualified comments posted between December 04, 2008, and December 10, 2008 12PM (noon) CST. Our announcement will be posted shortly after noon (CST) on December 10, 2008 (subscribe to our RSS feed). The winner will also be notified via the email address they used to comment. If 24 hours goes by without a reply, a new winner will be chosen.

Who?

This is an international competition. We will ship the prize package, including any donated portion to anyone worldwide (as permitted by US law). Staff members of this site (including GeekU), previous winners from other sites participating in this contest, and employees of HP, Microsoft, and BuzzCorps are not allowed to enter — bummer.

The Rules

1. Entries accepted as comments in this post only. Entries in any other areas of the site will not be counted.
2. ONE entry per person. Those entering more than once will be disqualified (it’s easy to catch).
3. Contest dates and times. Only comments submitted between 12:01am CDT Dec 04, 2008 and 12:00pm (noon) Dec 10, 2008.
4. Geeks to Go is a family friendly site. Any submissions that break this rule will be disqualified, and removed.
5. This is an international competition. As allowed by US law, everyone is allowed to enter. Not allowed to enter are Geeks to Go staff members, and GeekU members. Nor, employees of HP, Microsoft and Buzzcorps. Previous winners of other HP Magic contests can not win again.
6. You must provide a valid email address with your comment. The winner will be notified using the email address provided. If no response to the notification email is received within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.
7. A US winner will receive payment from HP, Microsoft and Buzzcorps to offset the tax liability.
8. Geeks to Go reserves the right to change the rules of this contest as needed.

For more details on Blair’s contest head here.

Geeks!

Yes, ONE winner from each site will win this amazing package. I have to thank the people at HP and Microsoft for putting together such an amazing contest. Here are the rules for our contest:

1. Be registered on Geeks.
2. Submit a how-to, what-is, or top-five article on ANY subject.
3. The article must be at least 500 words long, with proper punctuation, grammar, usage, spelling. Remember your PUGS.
4. Articles will not be accepted if they require editing, so have someone you trust proofread for you!
5. Entries will be posted on my blog.
6. Whichever post gets the most comments by December 10th at 10pm CST is the winner.
7. Insipid, short, pointless comments will be deleted.
8. Get people to comment on your article, but spamming will not be tolerated.
9. Your article will be cross-linked with your Geeks account.
10. Email the article to me: chris@pirillo.com

For more details on Chris’ contest head here.

Remember today some contests are ending so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from Carlos Alberto,Down to Earth Momma, La Bitácora de Erwin Ried, Moosh in Indy, GottaBeMobile, I Started Something, The Gadgeteer,  Hack College, here, Mediablab, Neowin, Morningside Mom, Thoughts on poetics & tech, Bleeping Computer, Gear Live, and Windows Connected.

Today you even have more chances to win over $6000+ in prizes not only for you, but share with ones you may find in need as part of the HP Magic Giveaway Contest.

Carlos Alberto

Note this is translated from Portuguese so it may not be exact for the full original contest head here.

First everything I would like to be thankful the HP for supplying to these hardwares incredible. This type of equipment in U.S.A. already is expensive, here in Brazil then nor if it speaks. In according to place, he would like to be thankful Microsoft for the offered products and the aid in the campaign. E clearly, the organizadores of the event! They are of congratulations. searching blogs in Brazil to reach a different public.

Now we go for what you are interested in, the rules of the competition:

1. The prize will be delivers only for a winner.
   I will select only one to winner.
2. This winner, following the spirit of magic of the Christmas, must share one or more products of the package with another person. This another person can be a friend, familiar, institution, etc. This does not matter, the important one is to share the package. We of the promotion cannot force the winner to make this, but we desire that this spirit of magic is kept.
   To winner will share the package with others like family, friends, charity. We can't forces to winner you of that but strongly encourage you of only. It's Xmas and we want you spread the Magic!
3. The winner can be of any place of the world and he is not restricted only for Brazil. The organization of the event will go to sponsor the sending of the products and the winner will go to receive the prize in the door from its house!
   The contest it's open worldwide.
4. Each participant must send an email for myspacemagicgiveaway@live.com with the heading “Wants to participate of the HP Magic Giveaway” answering two questions:
   - As mine blog is come back toward Microsoft technologies, you answer must me how many times I wrote the Microsoft word in mine blog, since my first post until post previous to the announcement of the promotion. That is, valley to count the words of post Nokia Connect USP until my first post that wears was the Devil prada. and you donate Unified Comms.
   It found that this was alone? Nãooo, senão went to be very easy! Not valley: Images (type soon of Microsoft or any product), link URL (www.microsoft.com not valley), heading of the topic or Tag of blog. Valley: command line (C:\Microsoft\test can), address web without link (microsoft.com valley), register entrance (HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft… can), name of the product (Microsoft Exchange Server can), copied text of another place (Microsoft is trying you.).
   - Next question, which the name of the product of the Microsoft Research that is being vendido in the store online of the Microsoft, that for signal I already spoke on it. A tip, the product works with images! :)
   You enter the contest you have you click on the link below (It uses this form.) and send me the email with only two lines. In the first line you have you tell me how many teamses I wrote the word Microsoft in my blog, from the post Nokia until Connect USP my first post The Devil wears prada. and you donate Unified Comms. And gets to better! (it's you think easy you win this hole package) You have you count only the valid words. Valid: command line (like C:\Microsoft\test), web page address with in link (like www.microsoft.com), windows registry entrys (like HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft), product names (like Microsoft Exchange Server), text in italic (Microsoft is trying you). Invalid words: images, links URL (like www.microsoft.com), title of the blog post, tag of the blog post, links you embed video (of course, it's link). In the second line you have you tell me what is the name of the Microsoft Research product that is on sale at the Microsoft web store. Tip: image publisher program;)
5. Please, he follows the instructions correctly. An email that will come with the field missed subject, will not enter in the election filter. Example of email:
   Of: xx@yyy.com
   It stops: myspacemagicgiveaway@live.com
   Subject: I want to participate of the HP Magic Giveaway
   Body of the email:
   1024 Microsoft words
   Microsoft Like Image 2003
   It uses this form to send the email correctly!
   Any email with lives than two lines with the answares will not be valid. Only please follow the rules.
6. Each participant will go to receive a number from the email as soon as I to export the Box of Entrance to an Excel (that it will be the number of the line of Excel). Later I will go to select the winner of fortuitous form, using some site in the Internet that generates random numbers. After to select the winner I will go to select more two people, case the winner I do not answer my email.
   Each email will have to number when I export the Inbox you Excel sheet (to number will be the line to number of the Excel). Then I will select to winner at random using adds website like random.org. I will select three numbers.
7. As soon as selected the winner, I will go to send an email for it requesting some personal datas, therefore they are intent to the email as soon as the promotion to finish. In case that the winner does not answer my email in 24 hours, I will go to send a placed email to as, and so on.
   I'll send the email you to winner. If he/she doesn't reply in 24 hours I'll moves on you the next to number I selected to earlier.
8. The winner will have to send me an email counting on who it divided the prize and for which reasons. This is not obligator, but it would be very legal to publish here in the site this email. If to come with photos, better still!
   To winner will be asked you submit follow up email about how he/she split the package with others. Personal Pictures and experiences will be highly encouraged.
9. The requested personal datas are Complete Nome, Complete Address (cannot be alone P.O. Boxes) and Telephone (therefore it is necessary for delivery confirmation). Its data will be safe with me, I will only go to postar in blog nick of the winner.
   I'll ask to winner about personal information you send the package. Real address ploughs required, in p.o boxes.
10. People who already had gained this competition in the others 49 sites automatically will be disqualified. (she goes to have luck thus back in….)
    Who have won this prize at one of to other 49 blogger's websites involved in the HP Magic Giveaway will be disqualified.
11. If you are my friend you forgive, me. Familiar friends and my cannot enter in this promotion. But they are the will to particiar of the others 49 promotions in the participant sites.
    If you're my friend I'm alone sorry but you cannot entry in my contest. But fell free you visit to other 49 blogger's site.
12. The packages that the winner will go to receive can have been open (for me), therefore are part of the promotion I to analyze and to write one review of the product. I am tranquilo, I did not break nothing!
    Or adds boxes bags may have been opened you the write my review. Original Everything has of course been put back into its packaging.
13. My decision will be final and it does not have to be contested.
    Final I will be the sole judge and my decision is.
14. They will only be accepted e-mails until day 9 of December (09/12/2008).
    The deadline is Dec 9.
15. Important OBS: not yet I received some boxes that estao stops in the Federal Prescription. The winner tera that to wait this release. We are making the possible one to speed the process. E after the arrival of the boxes I still will have that to make review of the product and alone then to send to the winner.
    PS: I don't have all the boxes yet but I'm working with BuzzCorp you find solution. This can causes adds delay you to winner. But HP, Buzzcorp and I can guarantee that to winner will receive all the package.

Down to Earth Momma

Many of you know from reading this blog, I am all about making this world a better place.  So, I will make a reader’s world a better place by passing on this entire prize to one of you.  I am asking you to do the same with others.  The ONLY thing I get from this giveaway is the EXCITING THRILL to give it all away (and trust me when I say that I HONESTLY AM BESIDE MYSELF EXCITED TO DO THIS). I want you to feel that same thrill of “paying it forward.”

How do you enter? I am so glad you asked.  Please read carefully.  I will be STRICT about these rules and your entry.  I wouldn’t want you to be disqualified.

• Send an email with the subject “Share the Magic” to hpmagic@dtemama.com answering the following questions.  You may have to do some digging, but hopefully you will find some content you enjoy.  Please organize these in your email to make it easy to read.  (Feel free to comment to other posts as you read as well.  I like comments!  Just remember, your answers must be sent to me via email.)  DO NOT comment to this post with the answers. They will be deleted.
  • 1.)  What was the name of the preying mantis that made my birthday one to remember?
  • 2.)  What did the Wise Guy say when attempting to say “cauliflower? “
  • 3.)  Tell me one thing I consider myself good at.
  • 4.)  Where else do I write?
  • 5.)  How did I teach Sweetie not to throw sand?
• Below the answers to these five questions I want you to write in 100 words or less why you want this prize, with whom you plan to share it, and why.   In other words, the answers to these questions and these 100 words or less must be in the same email.
• You must write this first email before you can enter a bonus entry.
• Bonus entries: Write on a message board or your blog a post about how you have or plan to make the world a bit better.  Have you volunteered?  Are you planning to?   The goal is to inspire those reading it to action.  Paste the link to the blog or message board in an email headed “My Magic Bonus Entry” and send it to hpmagic@dtemama.com.  This email must be sent this from the same email address as your initial entry.

RULES:

• This contest runs from midnight EST December 3, 2008 to 11:59 pm EST December 9th 2008.  All entries MUST be received during this time frame.
• The winner will be chosen at random using random.org from all QUALIFIED entries.  My decision is final.
• My friends and family are ineligible from entering, but are welcome to enter the other 49 HP Magic Giveaways that are running.
• The winner will receive an email upon winning the prize.  That person will have 18 hours to respond to the email with a valid address (international readers are encouraged to enter) and phone number (needed for shipping purposes only…. I will not be calling you).  I can not ship to a P.O. Box.
• If the person has not responded in 18 hours, I will move onto the next winner per list generated by random.org.  I will repeat this as necessary.
• If you have won this prize per another HP Magic Giveaway site, you are ineligible from this giveaway.

Considerations

• I am asking that the winner consider emailing me or blogging a story, photos (you know I LOVE photos), and/ or a video when you receive the goods.  I want to share in your excitement.
• I am also asking the winner consider emailing me or blogging a story, photos, and/or video of the people whom you decided to share your winnings.  I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall for that!
• If you would like assistance in setting up a news story on your gift, I can certainly assist with that.  Good news and happy stories this time of year are always great for the news outlets.  Consider sharing this one!

There you have it!  Go forth and enter.  Share this with others so that they may enter too!  I can’t wait to award this to one of you!  Good luck!

La Bitácora de Erwin Ried

The text below is also translated, the original contest can be found here.

To participate, you must answer the questions related to my site and write a sentence that links HP, Microsoft and my site.  While this is a better phrase, you'll have even more chances of winning the lottery of Dec. 9.

The questions will be true to filter to my readers less fanatical. Anyway I wish you good luck!.  The best sentence would have a score that will be useful to further the draw.

To receive the prize will be necessary to send a short video in which the sentence or say something entertaining.

Click here to participate.

Moosh in Indy

HOW TO ENTER (these are my rules, and they only apply and qualify you for the giveaway here, at mooshinindy.com):

I want to know. Who would you share all this magic with and how would you do it?

1. Compose a post on your own blog, telling me what you would do with $6,000 worth of the latest HP technology. Who would you share with and why? Creativity counts, but it’s not everything. I’m going to be awarding this prize package to whomever captures the magic of sharing the most. Don’t have a blog? Go ahead and compose your entry in 200 words or less and post it here in my comments section, leaving a valid email in the email field. Video entries on YouTube, posts on MySpace and Facebook will also be accepted.
2. Somewhere in your post mention and link to HP’s Magic Giveaway along with a mention and link to this post on moosh in indy. When your post is published, leave a link to your entry, wherever it may be, with your name and valid email address in the comments section below.
3. Contest is open NOW! and will run through 10 p.m. EST December 9th, 2008. Comments will close at 10 p.m. EST on December 9th, 2008. So get to it.
4. That’s it.

THE NOT SO FINE PRINT:

• My family, friends and people I know in real life are not eligible. Sorry dudes. It’s just not fair. But you are more than welcome to enter any or all of the other 49 giveaways. (Although you can only win one.)

• Anyone who doesn’t fall into the above category, in any part of the world, is eligible to enter.

• All taxes will be taken care of by HP.

• You must SHARE part of the prize package with someone who isn’t you, preferably someone who doesn’t even live in your house. While I have no way to police you once the prizes leave my doorstep, I can assure you that if you don’t share, bad juju’s will follow you all the days of your life. Okay, so I can’t even promise that, just don’t be a selfish jerk okay? You’re a lucky fool if you win all this stuff. PAY IT FORWARD.

• The winner must provide me with a real street shipping address, P.O. Boxes will not be accepted. Items you choose to share can be shipped to the person directly at no cost to you (and is actually preferred. Who doesn’t love getting magic surprises in the mail?)

• By entering, the winner agrees to provide me, within two weeks of receipt of the prize,  a 250 word story (at least) on what happened when they shared one or more of the products. Their story will be posted on moosh in indy. at a later date. Stories from those who were surprised with the magic would also be fantastic. Pictures optional, but strongly encouraged. I won’t post any personal information without permission.

• I have been using (reviewing, coveting, checking out) the hardware (dude, I don’t get to keep any of this stuff) but they will all be restored to factory/like new condition before I ship them.

• I will pick and announce a winner December 9th, 2008 at 12 a.m. EST.

I will be the sole judge and my decision is final. I cannot be bought with promises of cookies, lavish riches, goods, products or services. So don’t even try. Okay, so you can try, but just know it won’t work.

For more details on Casey’s contest head here.

Remember tomorrow some contests are ending so get your entries in now so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from GottaBeMobile, I Started Something, The Gadgeteer,  Hack College, here, Mediablab, Neowin, Morningside Mom, Thoughts on poetics & tech, Bleeping Computer, Gear Live, and Windows Connected.

The folks at Sling have listened to their users and are proud to announce the public launch of Sling.com, an online video entertainment destination that could easily fill and your dependency on cable and satellite television providers. Users can go to Sling.com to watch a huge selection of clips, TV shows, films, news and sports in high quality, for free, anytime they want. This includes video programming from over 90 content providers spanning 150 content brands. Most of the content looks to come from a partnership with Hulu.com.

“Sling.com is a wonderful combination of premium video content, television viewing, robust editorial and consumer-friendly access and socialization features,” said Jason Hirschhorn, President, Sling Media Entertainment Group. “Users will have a blast watching great clips, full length shows and movies while customizing the viewing experience to their liking."

Sling.com features:

• Robust editorial programming: Sling.com’s editorial team creates great content including blogs, playlists and clip collections.
• Socialization features: Users can subscribe to any channel, show or user to create a feed of programming and activity that reflects your personal tastes and those of your social network.
• Slingbox access: For the first time, Slingbox owners can now access and view their home television (cable, satellite receiver) and DVR via the Sling.com website, making their Slingboxes available without a software client download.

“Our mission from day one was to enable access to content regardless of screen or source,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, Inc. “Sling Media will continue to link and meld video solutions from the television, computer and mobile device to create seamless experiences for consumers.”

Best of all if you have a mobile browser that supports Flash video like Skyfire, you can watch your favorite television shows and movies right on your phone on demand when the mood strikes you.

Today on Day 5 of the HP Magic Giveaway Contest we again have 3 sites starting their contests today so you now have 3 more chances to win over $6000 worth of prizes for you and others you feel are in need of some new technology!

GottaBeMobile

GottaBeMobile.com, we believe that the true blessing in receiving is found in giving. With so many people and organizations facing such a financially challenging time right now, the opportunity to help someone couldn’t be greater and we are thankful to HP and Microsoft for giving us this opportunity.

For our $6,000  HP Magic Giveaway contest, we are accepting entries from people who are nominating others in need or those they want to recognize – people they would like to bless as a result of winning such a huge prize. They win as a result of your winning. How cool is that? It could be a person who is unemployed, a financially challenged family without the means to buy products like these, multiple people with various issues, multiple families in need, an organization in need of mobile computers, a disconnected person that would value from being connected to the mobile social world, a person / organization donating their own time / money / energies to help others in need, a children’s hospital, a church, a soldier, a pastor, a nurse, a hero you want to recognize, etc. You get the idea. You tell us why you are nominating them and, if you win, what portion of the prize package you will give to them. Video submissions are also accepted, and highly encouraged. We don’t expect you to give the entire prize package away, but we are pretty sure you can find someone to help out or recognize. For a complete description of the prize package being sponsored by HP and Microsoft, visit the HP Magic Giveaway site.

Here are the two steps for entering our contest for your chance to win over $6000 in computers, software, and accessories. In addition, be sure to read below for how to earn “bonus points”.

Steps

1) Submit your nomination entry

2) Subscribe to our email news update.

Bonus Points

There are several ways of adding bonus points to your entry. These are completely optional, and the lack of bonus points will not hurt a truly outstanding entry. Who knows, though, it just might be enough to put you over the edge! Conversely, bonus points will not help an absolutely lousy entry, so make sure your entry is up to snuff. Now on to the details about how to earn bonus points.

Entrants who followed steps 1 and 2 above will receive bonus points on their entry for forum participation. Reply to or create at least one topic in either our HP or Vista forum categories. The more participation, the more points.  If you are not already a member of our forums, register here. We think you’ll like our community….

In addition, if you create a video to go along with your entry, that will be looked upon very favorably. It must be unique to GottaBeMobile’s HP Magic Giveaway contest, and mention GottaBeMobile, HP, and Microsoft somewhere in the video. There is a place in the entry form for you to put a link to your hosted video from YouTube, Blip.tv, etc.

Rules

1) Staff and customers of GottaBeMobile.com and Zoe Technologies, Inc. are not eligible to enter GottaBeMobile.com’s HP Magic Giveaway contest. Entrants who have won this prize package at one of the other 49 blogger’s websites involved in the HP Magic Giveaway will be disqualified.

2) The winner agrees to submit a 500+ word article, with pictures, by December 31, 2008, describing how you presented your gift, their reactions, etc. This article will be published on GottaBeMobile.com. News media in your local area may be notified.

3) This contest is open internationally

4) Entries will be accepted through midnight MST, December 7. The winner will be chosen subjectively by various writers at GottaBeMobile.com. Bonus points will be distributed at the sole discretion of GottaBeMobile.com, but will be based upon the criteria laid out above. The winner will be announced on December 8th and notified via email. The winner has 48 hours to respond from the time the email is sent. If no response is received within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. One entry per person. A qualified entrant must complete steps 1 and 2. A valid email subscription is one that has been verified through the email validation that FeedBurner sends.

5) All taxes and duties, as the result of winning this prize package, will be covered by HP, Microsoft, and Buzz Corps

6) Portions of the prize package will have been previously opened and reviewed on GottaBeMobile.com

For more info on their contest and to fill out their entry form head directly to their contest here.

I Started Something

Today, the HP Magic Giveaway is coming to this very corner of the web. Your chance to win $6000 of the best (sealed and unsmudged) geek toys for this holiday seasons from HP and Microsoft in just a couple of keystrokes and mouse clicks away. For Tablet PC users it’s just a few pen strokes and taps away.

Head over to the istartedsomething.com HP Magic Giveaway contest minisite for the prize package and entry information.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, where no one really has time or effort to do anything, it can’t get any easier than a simple sweepstake. Just register your name and email. But there’s a twist. Users of the Windows Vista (and newer) operating system are given the opportunity to claim a bonus entry. If you don’t use Vista (or tried Vista), might be a good time to head over to a friend’s house and check it out.

The competition runs for 7 days until Tuesday, 9th of December 2008. If the technology works, a winner will be drawn later that day. Good luck.

The Gadgeteer

How to enter - Read carefully

1. Create a completely original piece of gadget inspired techie artwork that includes the word gadgeteer somewhere in it. The artwork can be a painting, a drawing, a sculpture, a carving, whatever you might consider to be art. The sky is the limit, but please be as creative as possible.

2. Take one digital picture of your artwork. Make sure the image is at least 1024x768 resolution. Images smaller than 1024x768 will be disqualified.

3. Email your image to contest@the-gadgeteer.com

4. In the subject line of the email type: HP Magic Giveaway

5. In the body of the email type a short description of your artwork. By short, I mean 10 sentences or less.

6. I will be putting these images up on my flickr stream, so you'll all be able to enjoy them.

Rules and Restrictions

1. This contest is open to anyone on the planet except for family and friends of myself and regular contributors to this site.

2. Enter as often as you like, but each entry must be a completely different piece of artwork.

3. Email your entries to me by 12/08/08 Noon EST.

4. A winner will be chosen by me and announced sometime later in the day on 12/08/08.

Contest Tips

1. Be creative!

2. Be really creative!

3. Impress me with your creativity!

For more on Julie’s contest head here.

Also don’t forget you do have other chances to win as well so be sure to check out all the 50 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Good luck entering the contests for today as well as entering the other contest from Hack College, here, Mediablab, Neowin, Morningside Mom, Thoughts on poetics & tech, Bleeping Computer, Gear Live, and Windows Connected.

The folks at Celio Corp (the maker of the REDFLY Smartphone Terminal, unveiled two new models: the REDFLY C7 and REDFLY C8N after hearing tons of feedback from early reviews and customers of the original REDFLY, the folks at Celio Corp took that feedback and produced these new models. The REDFLY C7 is a new, more affordable model with a power-saving seven-inch display, light-weight five-hour battery, and feather-light design under 1.5 lbs. The REDFLY C8N is the next evolution of the original REDFLY design, enhanced to allow the use of the eight-inch screen by an iPod™, iPhone ™, Zune™, or digital camera. These new Celio products continue to support the smartphone, the most successful mobile computing platform available today, and enable the smartphone’s Internet-based and cloud-computing applications.

As you can see in the pictures above it looks like they have the same size and footprint, but the C7 on the left sports a smaller 7 inch display.

On the back you can see that the C8N (N for NTSC) – the one on the right has an additional port for video (located between the 2 USB ports and the VGA out) in via an accessory cable shown below.

The cable looks to support composite video (RCA) only and looks to have an additional USB port receptacle for charging a portable device such as an iPod or Zune.

Available the week of December 1, 2008, REDFLY C7 and C8N can be pre-ordered today from select Celio resellers listed at www.getredfly.com for a suggested retail price of $229 and $299 respectively. 

“REDFLY has taken off in the smartphone market and these new models are designed to extend this success,” said Kirt Bailey, CEO of Celio Corp. “The REDFLY’s larger keyboard and screen brings the right functionality to the smartphone, making it the netbook of choice without the additional TCO (total cost of ownership) and data loss risk of a UMPC or laptop. Combined with the REDFLY device, the smartphone has become the center of mobile virtualization and mobile cloud-based computing.”

The REDFLY C8N evolved from the original REDFLY design to meet overwhelming customer demand to use the larger screen as an external display for media players such as an iPod, iPhone , Zune, or digital camera. A new REDFLY Media Port and REDFLY Media Cable provide a simultaneous connection as a third USB port and composite video input (NTSC/PAL compatible). Now the REDFLY’s 800x480-pixel screen can be used to view photos, show demos and even watch movies. The REDFLY Media Cable is available for a suggested retail price of $19.95.

Available the week of December 1, 2008, the REDFLY C7 and C8N Smartphone Terminals can be pre-ordered today from select Celio resellers listed at www.getredfly.com including: Amazon.com; Enterprise Mobile; Expansys; MyTreo.net; Treonauts.com and WMexperts.com. For more information about REDFLY, visit www.celiocorp.com.

This is the time for giving for many and this year will be even harder for some people to give than they have in the past. Boston Pocket PC wants to help by giving you a really cool prize, the ability to give to those you find are need of some cool new technology from HP and Microsoft with some help from Buzz Corps.

The HP Magic Giveaway Contest is also about the magic of giving. We are all going through rough economic times and could use a little help to make the world a brighter and better place. The magic to help bring a little magic into the lives of others will be the following items:

• HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC

• HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC

• HP MediaSmart Connect

• HP Pavilion dv4 series Entertainment Notebook PC with Windows Live

• HP Mini 1000 with XP

• HP Photosmart C6380 Wireless AIO multifunction printer

• HP 564 Photo Value Pak

• Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Home Premium or Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed on all units (Mini 1000 runs XP)

• Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Student-Teacher Edition) – 1 DVD with 3 licenses

• Corel VideoStudio X2

• Kung Fu Panda (DVD & Blu-ray)

The total value of this prize package is over $6000 in prizes!

Our contest is part of a group of 50 blogs and websites that are taking part to make this holiday season a special one as part of the HP Magic Giveaway contest. Our contest is going to be a simple one, but you must meet all the requirements to be eligible to win:

1. We all want new technology for the Holiday season and I am sure there are few people you know, that would like or are in desperate need for some new gear as well.  All we ask is that you email a picture of your current desktop/setup and (if possible sneak a picture of the person/place/charity you want to hook up with gear) as well as write a minimum 100 word description of how it will be used, what it is replacing, how it will benefit the recipient, etc.

2. Email your story and picture(s) to magic@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject “HP Magic Giveaway”.

3. We will conduct a random drawing from all those who submitted a valid entry and post the winner as well as some of the more interesting entries received.

4. Follow the directions. We would hate for you not to be entered to win on a technicality. So read them carefully!

5. You will have only one entry per person so make it a good one!  The contest starts 12:00AM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US  on November 30^th, 2008. All entries must be in by 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US December 5th. All entries received after that will not be accepted.

6. No one associated with this site or families are eligible to win, (but are free to enter the other 49 contests) nor are winners of other HP Magic Giveaway Contest contests.

7. This contest is a world-wide contest and open to all that meet the above contest requirements.

8. The winner will then be notified by email and posted here on Boston Pocket PC with their name and winning entry on December 6th 2008.

9. The winner will then choose which item or items they wish to keep and which of the items they want to “gift” and we will wrap it up and send it out for you. There must be a minimum of two other recipients of the prize besides the winner, divided up how ever the winner sees fit and there can be more than two recipients. All shipments must be to valid shipping addresses, no PO Boxes.

10. We request that the winner will submit a minimum 500 word write-up with pictures on how they are using the prize, what they did with the prize, as well as who and how their “gift” recipients are using it which to be posted on Boston Pocket PC within four weeks of receiving their items and distributing their “magic gifts” to others. (If you wish to keep the identity of the recipients and yours confidential you don’t have to include pictures of yourselves.)

11. HP and Microsoft requested that each site also review the items for giveaway so some items may be opened from their original packaging and used for reviews on this site and returned to their original shipping condition. We still have not received our items for giveaway so we may not be able to review any of the items within the time span of the contest, but we will try to review a few - as many have already written in and requested.

Good Luck to all that Enter and don’t forget to stop by the other 49 sites participating in the HP Magic Giveaway Contest to increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize:

Gotta Be Mobile
Barb’s Connected World
Geek.com
Gear Live
Neowin
Small Biz Vista
JK On the Run
Notebooks.com
Geekzone
I Started Something
Bleeping Computer
The Gadgeteer
Planet x64
Digital Home Thoughts
Digital Inspiration
Geeks!
MediaBlab
Geek News Central
The Digital Lifestyle
GearDiary
Last 100
Geeks To Go!
Liliputing
OSNN
Slashdot Review
SlashGear
Gadgetell
Windows Connected
Techie Diva
One Day, One Job
Student Bloggers
Study Hacks - Demystifying College Success
HackCollege
Noticias Tech
Eliax
La Bitácora de Erwin Ried
Carlos Alberto
InfoWester
GeeksRoom
CíberPrensa
Unión de Bloggers Hispanos
Living - In Theory
Moosh in Indy
Morningside Mom
Thoughts on poetics & tech
Techmamas
Stop, Drop & Blog
Down-to-Earth Mama
merlot mom

On the second day of the HP Magic Giveaway Contest, you now have another 2 chances to enter at three different sites. Each site will be conducting their own contest and you have until December 5th to enter each of them when they announce the winner of their respective contests.

Here are the two new contests for the  second day of the HP Magic Giveaway Contest:

Morningside Mom

Hp and Microsoft has delivered the prize package to me - and as of today, Saturday November 29th - the contest has begun. Now it is my turn to explain the rules to you. Here they are:

1) This entire prize package will be awarded to one person.

2) However, this winner will be chosen based on how they plan to use this prize. To be more specific, I will be awarding this prize to a winner who will put the package to positive change or towards a charitable cause. For example, this person might work at an underprivileged school, the winner might know someone working at an underfunded health clinic, or maybe they’ve heard about a Boys and Girls club that might need a donation. Regardless, this person should plan to have these computers affect lives positively.

3) The winner has the option of sharing this prize, it is their choice. In other words, I can mail part or all of the package to the winner or could mail part or all of the package directly to a cause, charity, etc.

4) Each entrant MUST explain to me in 250 words or less why their cause should be chosen. This explanation must be mailed to morningsidemomgiveaway@gmail.com with the subject heading “My Entry to the HP/Microsoft Magic Giveaway”.

5) The entrant is encouraged to be creative with their submission. You could include a link to a blog post, a Youtube clip or FLIKR images. (Please do not send large files or jpegs attached to the email itself.) Through your submission, show me you are an honest individual who truly cares about the cause or person you support. The more you can show me that your cause is real (and not something made up so you can sell it all on e-bay which I strongly strongly discourage), the better your chances are to win. Please remember: this is about giving and supporting a worthwile cause. Please think hard about what kind of good you can do with this prize.

6) I will not hold it against the winner if they would like to keep a portion of the prize themselves. There is certainly enough to go around and it is up to the winner to decide how to spread the wealth. Just remember, charitable individuals will be rewarded in this contest.

7) Real addresses are required, no p.o. boxes.

8 ) International entrants are welcome.

9) While your address and full name will be protected and kept private, I will be posting about the winner and the cause they represent on the Morningside Mom blog.

10) Additionally, the winner will be asked to submit a follow up post about how the gift package was put to good use. Pictures and personal experiences will be highly encouraged. This follow up will be expected within 2-4 weeks after you received the package.

11) While unlikely, press or media could potentially by involved. If they are, obviously, the winner’s full name or address will not be made public or ever shared with anyone.

12) Winners will be chosen solely at my discretion.

13) Entrants who have won this prize at one of the other 49 blogger’s websites involved in the HP give away will be disqualified.

14) A winner will be announced on December 5th.

15) If you consider yourself a friend of mine - I love ya but sorry, don’t bother entering. However, think about entering at one of the other 49 blogger’s sites! (See above.) But tell a friend about my contest (one I don’t know) to come on over and enter.

16) HP has encouraged me to look over the hardware and review it. Some boxes or bags may have been opened. Everything has of course been put back into its original packaging.

Any questions? Please comment below and I will respond as quickly as I am able to. Check back here on December 5th to for the winning announcement. Good luck to all entrants!

For more details on Caroline’s contest head here and good luck to all those entering!

Thoughts on poetics & tech

This week, I'll be running a promotion and giveaway for $6000 worth of HP computers and other software and hardware. I'll give away the entire package to one person who enters my contest.
I love, love, love the idea of being a Magic Internet Fairy, pouring out an amazing abundance of computers, more than anyone could ever need! It's a gift that, by being too big, inspires generosity.
I want YOU.... my creative, intelligent, beautiful reader... to have a shiny new computer or laptop of your own, for the holidays!
And I want YOU to overflow with computers, like a geektastic goddess, making other people happy, people who also dream of having the Internet at their fingertips!
Keep one of these sleek, fast, powerful beasts for yourself... and then share the magic. Give the rest away!
I thought about "magic" and what my computer means to me. It lets me express all the million layers of my ideas and creativity, and helps me put that into the world directly. Because I do that, I can connect directly with other people and their ideas. The magic for me in this contest is in spreading that empowerment and connection. Who could I make the happiest? Who would put something unique and interesting into the world, given the right tools?
50 sites, listed here on http://hp.com/go/winhpmagic, are EACH offering a chance to win a complete package consisting of three HP computers plus a mini notebook, an HP MediaSmart Media Center extender, a Photosmart printer (and a huge pack of photo paper) plus a ton of software, and a BluRay DVD. There will be some U.S. IRS tax offset compensation, where applicable.
The winner of each site’s contest gets it all. Each site will have their own contest with different rules and you CAN enter all of them.
To enter the HP Magic Giveaway on my blog, Composite: Thoughts on Poetics and Tech, please do these three things:
1) Comment intelligently on any post on this blog!
A) Respond to a post. Pick something that interests you: feminism? disability rights? programming? Gadgets? Maybe a specific poet, one of the poems from my Anthology?
Tell me what you think of what I wrote.
I'm impressed if you are smart, engaged, un-boring, and being real! Make me laugh! Make me think!
B) Tell me briefly, in 3 sentences or less, how you would "Share the Magic" - what would you do with the prize? Who will you give the extra computers to? Please use links if applicable.
C) In your comment, include a link back to your own blog, or some other place on the net.
2) Post a link to that post and your comment, somewhere public on the Internet; on your blog, your MySpace or Facebook, your Twitter account, a bulletin board; anywhere you hang out.
3) Email me at compositehpmagic@gmail.com. Tell me:
* the link to your comment in #1
* the link to your post in #2
I won't include anyone as a finalist who I know in real life, and obviously, not my co-workers or family members.
I will be the sole judge and my decision is final.
By entering, the winner agrees to provide me, within two weeks of receipt of the prize, at least a 500 word postable story on what happened when they gifted the extra computers. Pictures optional, but would be great to have along with permission to post. I won’t post names or any other information without your permission.
For me, the "Magic" in this contest will be the list of finalists; the people who I think are especially interesting and creative! Someone will get a bunch of computers -- and maybe I'll get a new blogroll!

For more details Liz’s contest head here and good luck on those entering her contest as well!

You can also check out the other 50 sites participating at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Boston Pocket PC will be announcing our contest shortly so be sure to check back soon and again good luck entering the contests for today at Morningside Mom and Thoughts on poetics & tech the ones from yesterday at Bleeping Computer, Gear Live, and Windows Connected.

There are three different websites launching the HP Magic Giveaway Contest, so you now have 3 chances to enter at three different sites. Each site will be conducting their own contest and you have until December 4th to enter each of them. Here are the first three contests:

Bleeping Computer

As of today, BleepingComputer.com and two other sites, kick off the HP Magic Giveaway promotion. As of November 28th, 2008 at Midnight, Bleeping Computer is now accepting entries into the HP Magic Giveaway.
From now until December 4th, we will be accepting entries into our contest. The winner of our contest will be selected randomly and announced on December 4th 2008. Our contest is easy to enter, but does have a slight twist. Due to the size of the package, the harsh economic times, and it being the holidays we want our winner to share the magic through the spirit of giving. What that entails is that our winner will be required to share some of their prize package with another person or organization.

In a year when the holidays look more gloomy than magical, HP, Microsoft, and BuzzCorps have partnered with 50 sites to help spread the holiday cheer. Starting today, 50 sites will be giving away a prize of holiday goodies that are more than any one person could need. We are not talking about winning one computer, but 4 computers, and some great great software and accessories to use with them. Unfortunately, we cant give too much detail right now on the contests, but rest assured we will be providing that information soon. As there are 50 sites, there will also be 50 different contests, so be sure to get to know and learn the rules of each site when they announce their contests. To stay on top of all the information and updates it is suggested that you subscribe to this topic.
Bleeping Computer Contest Information:
As of today, November 28th 2008, BleepingComputer.com's HP Magic Giveaway contest is officially underway. The purpose of this contest is to celebrate generosity and the spirit of giving. This incredible prize package was designed to be shared with other people or organizations who could benefit from a new computer. With such a harsh global economy, people losing their jobs, and having the holiday season upon us, we have decided that the winner must share a portion of their prize. Whether it be to an out of work friend who needs a new computer, a local charity, or a school, we felt that that with a prize package this large paying it forward would be the right thing to do.
The rules are fairly simple, and we have gone into more details below. In summary, our winner will be chosen at random and announced on December 4th 2008. That winner must share the prize with at least one other recipient. They must then post to this thread the story of how they shared their prize. Hopefully this will continue to inspire the magic of sharing. Please note, depending on available time, we may use the equipment in order to review it. This equipment will be in pristine shape and at factory defaults before it is sent to any winner.
Good luck and have fun with the contest!
Terms and Conditions and Rules:

1. The sole winner of the Prize package will be awarded at random.
2. The purpose of this contest is to spread a little magic into people's lives during the holidays. With that said, the prize package must be shared with at least one worthy recipient or cause. It is up to you how much of the package you wish to share, and we hope you share more than one item, but at least one computer must be given to another person or organization.
3. After receiving the award, the winner must send the story describing how they shared the gift. Photos are not required, but will enhance your story, so feel free to send them. With the story, you give us your express permission to post the story and any accompanying material. If you would not like us to post your real names, please let us know, or do not include them in the story.
4. The recipient of the prize, and the people you intend to share the magic with, must provide a complete name, shipping address, and phone number that can be used to ship the award. We will ship the prize package to yourself and to the other recipients. PO Boxes will not be permitted.
5. Do not enter the contest with multiple accounts. Anyone who is caught doing so will have all of their entries removed.
6. If you won a prize package from one of the other sites involved in this promotion, you will become ineligible.
7. Depending on the value of the prize, you may be required to fill out a W-9 form. This form will be sent directly to the sponsor of the contest.
8. You must be a member of the site in order to enter the contest. Membership is free and you can create your account here.
9. Staff are ineligible for this contest.
10. The winner will have 72 hours from notification to claim their prize. If the winner does not claim the prize, we will award it to a 2nd place finisher.

Official BleepingComputer.com HP Magic Giveaway Thread

To enter the contest simply go here and click on the HP Magic Giveaway contest link:

Click here to start your HP Magic Giveaway Entry

Gear Live

Yes, you do see four computers listed, as well as a Media Center Extender. No, you aren’t dreaming. Yes, we (and HP) are awesome. You want the goods? Here’s how to enter to win - we are making this super-simple:

1. If you don’t have one already, sign up for a Gear Live account
2. If you don’t have one already, sign up for a Twitter account
3. Add the Gear Live Twitter account to your follow list
4. On Twitter, post a tweet about our contest and link to this page. In the tweet, include the phrase “#glmagic”.
5. Once that is done, leave a comment here in this post with a direct link back to your Tweet. Be sure you are signed in to your Gear Live account before you leave the comment.

Here’s an example of an appropriate Twitter entry:
“Entering to win a ton of HP gear! http://jk9.qlnk.net/ #glmagic”

BONUS ENTRIES: Want more chances to win? Share the link to our contests on the following sites, and leave us a comment linking to those as well:

• Facebook: Shared Link
• Del.icio.us bookmark
• FriendFeed: Use Post a Link
• Your blog: Have a site? Link to our contest on it!

Remember: The bonus entries are just that - bonus. In order to be eligible to win, you must complete the core Twitter requirements.

Now, as to the actual contest dates. The contest starts today, November 28th. You have until 11:59 PM PST on December 4 to enter your comments here on this post. We will then announce our winner, chosen randomly out of all valid entrants and bonus points, on December 5th. We are also going to encourage (but not require) you to think about donating a portion of the prize package to someone else. It can be a charity, a relative, friend, a fellow contest entrant - anyone. We can even handle the shipping to that third party for you. It’s all in the spirit of giving, and we will let you play Secret Santa, if you so choose.

The contest is open to anyone in the world, which is a rarity. If you are in the US, you’ll even have your tax burden taken care of. What more could you ask for? Now, good luck to all - comments are open!

Windows Connected

Today we are officially kicking off our HP Magic Giveaway.  We are one of three sites selected to kick off this wonderful event. In the spirit of the event and the season we will be giving this exceptional prize package away to the individual that we think can do the most good with it. Entry will be open from today (Nov 28th) until Thursday Dec 4th at 6am.

How to enter:

To enter you must submit a written entry of less than 150 words to hpmagic@windowsconnected.com with details on how you will put all this wonderful hardware to good use.  We won’t be awarding this to anyone who we think we just turn around an sell it.  We want it to go to a place where it can do the most good, so impacting a number of peoples lives with the hardware will get you the best chance to win. Winner will be selected by the bloggers from the site and an announcement will be made on Dec. 4th of the winner.

Rules:

• WindowsConnected's active bloggers and family are not eligible
• If you have won one of the other HP Magic contest you are ineligible
• Winners of the 31 Days of the Dragon contest are ineligible
• Winner agrees to not sell the hardware, yes Zane we are looking at you..how's that tattoo?
• Winner will have 48 hours from time of selection to claim prize or we will move to the 2nd place finisher
• Winner agrees to send us a follow up to post on how the hardware has been used within 30 days of receiving it.
• We are the sole judge and all decision are final

Prize Package Details

Picture of Prize Package

WindowsConnected HP Magic Giveaway Begins

You can also check out the other 50 sites participating at HP's Magic Giveaway site.

Boston Pocket PC will be announcing our contest shortly so be sure to check back often and good luck entering the contests at Bleeping Computer, Gear Live, and Windows Connected.

We are going to be having another great contest here at Boston Pocket PC just in time for the holidays with 49 other sites. It will be called the HP Magic Giveaway contest.  We had such a big success with the 31 Days of the Dragon Contest, the contest pool has expanded to 50 top blogs and websites to spread over $300,000 worth of prizes to some lucky people to give to others in the spirit of giving from the people at HP and Microsoft.

Here is a list of over $6000 worth of kit that is being given away in each contest:

• HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC
• HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC
• HP MediaSmart Connect
• HP Pavilion dv4 series Entertainment Notebook PC with Windows Live
• HP Mini 1000 with XP
• HP Photosmart C6380 Wireless AIO multifunction printer 
• HP 564 Photo Value Pak
• Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Home Premium or Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed on all units (Mini 1000 runs XP)
• Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Student-Teacher Edition) – 1 DVD with 3 licenses
• Corel VideoStudio X2
• Kung Fu Panda (DVD & Blu-ray)

We will be announcing the details of our contest soon, so come back often to see what we have planned as well as updates on how you can win this prize pack to keep and giveaway yourself from 49 other sites and celebrate the magic of giving.

For many months now we have had problems with the SMTP functionality of the POP and IMAP accounts on the Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. Due to changing towers and service, from provider to provider it would mess up the SMTP functionality within Windows Mobile 6.1. There were some small fixes around which would help(or not) temporary. Thanks to the MVP community Microsoft was brought to the attention of this problem and came out with this fix:


http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9d71b2e-d2dd-44f2-86e5-1e53aad7fb7a&displaylang=en&tm

Hopefully this will solve all these problems. Time will tell.

OK I have been contemplating this press release I received a while ago and I am wondering what constitutes 24hrs of battery life of the HP laptop with the longest battery life of 24hrs and what the profiles are. Granted there has been a lot of tweaking going on by manufacturers to squeeze out extra battery life out of laptops, right?!. Don just got a new Toshiba Tablet PC at work  and was amazed that the laptop had a long battery life and performed well even at the Power Saver level. I too was amazed at how well the HDX Dragon did in battery and usage tests (granted it was only 3hrs, but it also had a 20 inch display and some pretty powerful hardware that goes to sleep as it should. So I don't disbelieve this claim by HP, but would like to see it for myself in a real world setting.

Today I got to talk to an HP Product manager on how they were able to achieve this.

HP had announced an unprecedented milestone in mobile computing: up to 24 hours of continuous notebook operation on a single battery charge. As measured by an industry-standard benchmark Mobilemark 2005 for Windows XP, the new HP EliteBook 6930p configured with an optional ultra-capacity battery delivered up to 24 hours of battery runtime.

When ordering your 6930p HP also offer’s the option of having the computer downgraded to Windows XP with an upgrade to Windows Vista Business disc included or it can ship with Windows Vista Business Edition. The timing for battery life running Windows Vista is of course different, not only because it is a more robust OS, there was a different testing software involved that puts the system under more real world scenarios using Mobilemark 2007. Using the same hardware configuration it was able to net 20 hours and 40 minutes using Vista with the modern testing software.

Surprisingly there was no tweaking in Windows Power Management. HP has a set of HP Optimized power settings that optimizes performance and battery life and this what was used and what they recommend.

During the tests both the wireless radios for Bluetooth, WiFi, (and if equipped with 3G radio card) were all off for best case scenario as a mobile user would use to eek out the longest battery life. So if you are using any of these, (which you aren’t supposed to do on any airline) your mileage will vary depending on usage.

The Elitebook 6930p used in the tests did have some hardware not yet available for the buying public, but will be soon. The greatest energy saver was the use of an HP Illumi-Lite LED Display (planned to be available October 2008) that is a $50 option that nets an energy savings of 4 hours additional runtime compared to traditional LCD displays as well as an 80GB X25-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drive from Intel, which nets another 4%.

So in order to achieve this 24 hour benchmark HP utilizes a 12 Cell Ultra Capacity Battery and customer download of the latest Intel graphics driver and HP BIOS. Notebook must also be configured with optional Intel 80 GB SSD drive, HP Illumi-Lite LED Display and requires Microsoft Windows® XP operating system. We were told that battery life will vary depending on the product model, configuration, loaded applications, features, and power management settings. The maximum capacity of the battery will decrease with time and usage. The Ultra Capacity Battery can also be charged with a separate AC adapter minimizing charging time before a long trip and it will also be compatible with other laptops in HPs lineup. The battery also has charge level LEDs to let you know when you have topped it off. It is also designed to give a comfortable working angle for the laptop when added to the bottom.

Designed and tested to last, HP batteries benefit from a combination of HP engineering and energy-efficient notebook components such as Intel solid-state hard drives (SSD) and mercury-free LED displays. For example, the highly efficient HP Illumi-Lite LED display boosts battery run time by up to 4 hours compared to traditional LCD displays, while the Intel X25-M and X18-M Mainstream SATA SSDs provides up to a 7 percent increase in battery life compared to traditional hard drives.

So in this day it is entirely possible to get 24 hours out of your laptop today with the right configuration of hardware and software and sets a pretty high benchmark.

Here are some excerpts from the press release you may find interesting:

“All-day computing has been the holy grail of notebook computing,” said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, HP. “With the HP EliteBook 6930p, customers no longer have to worry about their notebook battery running out before their work day is over.”

Use an HP EliteBook 6930p continuously on the world’s longest scheduled commercial airline flight – linking Newark Liberty International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport – approximately 18 hours, 40 minutes.

Inspired by aircraft construction and designed for style-conscious mobile professionals, HP EliteBook notebooks feature the latest mobile technologies.

In October, customers will be able to purchase an HP EliteBook with the new Intel high-performance SSDs – HP is a launch customer for new Intel X25-M and X18-M Mainstream SATA SSDs.

In addition to helping achieve outstanding battery life, these new Intel SSDs provide greater durability and reliability as well as faster system responsiveness. Internal HP benchmarks show overall performance boosts of up to 57 percent on industry benchmarks, and data transfer rates almost six times faster than traditional hard disks.

“Intel architected its new line of high-performance solid-state drives specifically to bring a new level of performance and reliability to the computing platform and make significant impact to the way people use their PCs,” said Randy Wilhelm, vice president and general manager, NAND Products Group, Intel. “The HP milestone is an example of the impact of this new level of performance that specifically delivers on lower power consumption for longer battery life.”

The initial ENERGY STAR®-qualified HP EliteBook 6930p configuration starts at only 4.7 pounds (2.1 kilograms). It features a 14.1-inch diagonal widescreen display and is available with an optional, mercury-free Illumi-Lite LED display.

The HP EliteBook 6930p is built for the corporate road warrior as it features a shock-resistant hard drive, enhanced display panel and spill-resistant keyboard to help defend data against bumps, drops and spills. It was designed to meet the tough MIL-STD 810F military-standard tests⁽²⁾ that measure levels of environmental reliability and operation at extreme temperatures, while withstanding vibration and high humidity.

The inner magnesium shell of the notebook’s HP DuraCase is equipped with a honeycomb pattern that is thermally bonded to anodized aluminum for a solid construction.

All HP notebooks are designed with the environment in mind, with energy-efficient features and select materials for easier recycling. For example, HP has set a goal to remove all mercury – a material commonly found in notebook screens – from its entire notebook line by the end of 2010.

Wow, the folks at Velocity Micro, an independent builder of custom, high performance computers, notebooks, and home theater systems announces the immediate release of an innovative new closed-box home media server solution, called the CineMagix FuzeBox Home Media Server.  Utilizing an innovative interface and Velocity Micro’s trademarked expert engineering, the FuzeBox manages, stores, and distributes pictures, music, and video throughout an entire home, making it the first and only whole home media experience on the market.

So the FuzeBox Media Server allows you to stream audio and video into zones including DVD and BluRay content that will be stored locally on a hard drive coming in 2009, hopefully this will be available with the ongoing courtcase  between the major Hollywood studios and Real Media’s RealDVD, which allowed for backing up of DVD’s to one’s hard drive. We hope they win like Kaleidescape did, paving the way for solutions like the CineMagix FuzeBox Home Media Server which looks to provide the same function as a Kaledescape a fraction of the price.

“For years, consumers have been struggling to find a home theater solution that will simply and efficiently help them manage their digital lives,” said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. “The FuzeBox, with its simple interface and dynamic features, provides exactly what that consumer is looking for—a whole home media experience in one system.”

Velocity Micro paired with Fuze Media Systems to create and develop the innovative interface and perfect the meticulous build of the FuzeBox. As a result, the FuzeBox is a home media server device so simple and stable, literally anyone can use and enjoy it.  Key features include:

• Digital Cablecard support for watching and recording digital content without a cable box or DVR(2 in the Fuzebox and up to 4 can be installed in the Fuzebox Pro);
• Multiple audio zones for playing different music selections in various zones throughout a home using either a wireless or wired network;
• The capability to back up and distribute DVDs and Blu-Rays to various video zones
• Whole home storage server capability for music, photos, video, and data;
• Tremendous redundant storage capacity of up to two terabytes means space for over 300 movies and 8000 songs;
• Multiple control options for remote management of all media server aspects including playing and controlling music and video from anywhere on the network;
• Simple installation by end users or media professionals;
• Locked graphical user interface that can't be broken by casual users.

The CineMagix FuzeBox looks like a great Media Center PC with all the functions many users have been looking for quite a while. The system is fully configurable starting at $1,995, directly from Velocity Micro.  Visit VelocityMicro.com/FuzeBox for more details.

One of the things I would like to do in my household is to stream the DVDs to my bedroom. Currently Microsoft Vista’s Media Center doesn’t support direct DVD streaming (there are ways to rip it to a hard drive and then stream it, but that breaks the DMCA). One solution I am currently using is an old laptop with video out hooked up to my television that streams the DVD output of my Media Center PC and DVD changers via SlingPlayer, however there is a loss of video quality in the process. We were also looking at getting another HD DVR cable box for the bedroom, but the SlingCatcher looks like a great solution that pays for itself.

The solution I have been waiting for a few years made its appearance at multiple CES shows called the SlingCatcher from SlingMedia which distributes video and audio without the need of a PC. It also includes software to allow you stream any video from a PC to a television if you have a Slingbox. Currently there isn’t any support for HD streaming support, but it is coming as well as streaming video from various online sources as well are mentioned in the press release:

The SlingCatcher allows customers to watch online video from any popular site on the internet including network television sites like ABC.com, video content sites like Hulu.com and CollegeHumor.com, community video sites like YouTube.com, and even online movie rentals from popular services like Netflix, directly from a PC to the TV for the ultimate lean-back, social viewing experience…

SlingCatcher comes with three built-in applications: SlingPlayer™ for TV, SlingProjector™ and My Media that combine to create a unified media platform capable of delivering content from disparate places for viewing on a single TV screen. This unique approach promises to give customers unprecedented control over their home television experience.

SlingPlayer for TV delivers one of the most requested features from existing Slingbox customers: the ability to watch and control their living room TV on another TV in the home or on a TV in a remote location without using a PC or custom cabling.

The back of the SlingCatcher includes both standard definition and high definition outputs to connect to a TV - including HDMI, component video, S-Video and composite video, and analog and digital audio connectors. SlingCatcher also features a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home network, either directly or via SlingLink powerline Ethernet adapters. The SlingCatcher even has two USB ports for connecting a thumb drive or external hard drive to play video directly through the SlingCatcher.

SlingCatcher can be purchased in the U.S. from many leading online retailers for the MSRP of $299.99. like Buy.com, NewEgg.com and Amazon.com – who has it for $285.02. ;) The SlingCatcher is also on retail store shelves starting today, including national retailer Best Buy, as well as Fry’s Electronics, Microcenter, J&R and other regional retailers.

I saw this over at jkOnTheRun and couldn’t believe my eyes Celio Corporation, makers of the REDFLY have incorporated a special “seeding program” where you can get the REDFLY at 50% off the MRSP of $399 for a limited time. We saw a recent price cut back in August and were told, when I got my unit for review that it would be possible to offer the REDFLY for even less, but I didn’t believe it would be this soon.

Celio Corp. found that a REDFLY Mobile Companion device in the hands of media, developers or mobile enthusiasts has a tremendous viral marketing benefit. So they decided to offer a a limited amount of REDFLY devices for placement into the market atn this special marketing seed program at $199 until October 31, 2008 so you can help spread the word by using the REDFLY at a very low price directly from Celio as well as other retailers like Amazon.

Don told me that you can get it even cheaper, $195 directly from Enterprise Mobile and you get free tech support too! Also check out their unlocked Windows Mobile devices they have for sale here  like the - HTC Touch Diamond, HP iPAQ 910c Business Messenger, Palm Treo™ Pro smartphone, and MOTO Q™ 9h business edition and some mobile PCs like the HTC Shift X9000 and HTC Shift X9501 also with free support. :)

Edit: It is now $199 at Enterprise Mobile.

One of the many things that I have been working on outside of my day job and this site, is an event called CntrStg - pronounced “CenterStage”. CntrStg is a concept that a group of bloggers and online community leaders came up with while attending CES last year. In the past, every Community Leader, Blogger, and Podcaster would be racing up and down the Las Vegas strip rushing to meet with various companies and listen to them talk one-on-one about their plans for the coming year and showing off their latest and greatest. More often than not, we found ourselves crossing paths with one another as we entered and exited these meetings getting the same information and wasting an hour up and an hour back traversing the crowded Las Vegas strip limiting the number of companies you could meet with while at CES. Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to stay in one location and have the companies come talk to all of us in one shot?

CntrStg does just that. We have already signed up companies to present, as well as community leaders from some of the top tech and gadget sites around the Internet to attend. CntrStg will be the place to be during CES 2009! The primary goal of CntrStg is to get more time to write and record stories rather than spending time traveling up and down the strip getting to meetings as well as a place to hang out and relax.

You can read all about CntrStg, including our press release that should be going live on the wire as you read this post, over at the CntrStg website - http://www.cntrstg.com.

Hopefully we will see you there in Las Vegas - CntrStg - the place to be @ CES!

Well rumors have flown across the Internet for some time now on the the release of the new Zune units the new blue 8GB Zune, 16GB Zune,  and the big daddy of Zunes the 120GB Zune! Microsoft has released an official release here.

Some notables to take away from this that the Zune 3.0 firmware will be available for all Zunes on September 16th and the price points of the various sizes; the first 30GB, 4($129)/8($149)/16($199) GB Flash units, and newer 80($229)/120($249)GB hard drive units. Notice there is very little price margin between models phasing out the older models as they are slowly removed from retail, which I see coming in at even lower prices this Holiday season or maybe on Woot!

- It gets a Clock in the upper right hand corner- yeah great for runners and those who don't wear time pieces.

- Some free games “Hexic” and “Texas Hold ’Em”

- Option to purchase or download from FM radio via RDS+ data depending if you have Zune Pass or not

- Link to the Social via hotspots that don’t  require internet browsers to agree to TOS.

- Support for audiobooks including content from audible.com and overdrive.com

There is a great summary of what was added over at the insidecircle.net by Neville Williams.

A few other Zune MVPs have even posted videos worth checking out.

Zune Gaming and Wireless Song Purchasing Experience over at ZuneThoughts

Texas Hold ‘em and Hexic from ZuneLuv

Zune Software Features- Zune Fall 2008 from Microsoft at the Zune Insider

Zune Fall 2008 Wireless Features

Zune Fall Update: Channels

Zune Fall update: buy from FM

Over at Kombo rumor has it that MS has purchased some air time on the g4TV network on September 25th and should be announcing the following:

- Free DLC (Down Loadable Content) for Halo 3, and paid DLC for Mass Effect and GTA IV

- Six free Xbox Originals for download - we all love some of those Xbox original games

- A partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio (please be free for existing customers)

- 12 new exclusive titles, including 2 Halo games (as well as the supposed Peter Jackson Halo project, and the game Bungie was supposed to premiere at E3)

- A new music download service or some gaming music

Hopefully there will be some truth to these rumors, we will have to just wait and see.

According to Engadget it looks like Xbox Live Music Marketplace and Video will be shared with Zune according to Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore and legal measures had to take place in the background before we see a merge of the two services in the future.

According to this job post it looks like Windows Mobile will also be in the Marketplace mix as people have begged and hoped for.

“The Zune team is embarking on the mission to create a “Connected Entertainment” experience, realized through the Zune service, that spans multiple devices such as Zune, Xbox, PC and Mobile phones...Do you dream about having a mobile phone based entertainment experience powered by a unified entertainment service across devices such as Zune, Xbox and PC?”

So if you are looking to compete the tri-fecta of Microsoft technology: Windows Mobile, Zune, and Xbox it looks like the new $199 price for the Xbox Arcade looks pretty good for the bedroom or spareroom.

Also If you would like to win one of the Blue ones Chris Leckness   is giving one away over at GotZune. :)

Note: You also get 20% off any Zune Accessory and $20 off this Speaker Dock at Amazon with this Code: ALTECSAV

TabletKiosk wanting to improve the slate-style Tablet PC user experience on their Tablet PCs and UMPCs is now including the Eyesboard™ on-screen virtual keyboard on all of its systems, which currently ships with all new Sahara Slate PC i400 series Tablet PCs as well as offering it as a free download for existing TabletKiosk Tablet PC and UMPC owners. It is a realistic software keyboard that  looks and performs like an actual keyboard placed on top of the screen of the Tablet PC.

The Eyesboard, created by PlazaLOGIC, is an on-screen, virtual QWERTY keyboard, that enables users to type directly on the screen with their fingers or a stylus. Sporting a realistic "3D" look, multiple language options, easy size adjustment, choice of colors, and optional settings — including opacity, "snapable" palettes, menu buttons and sound effects — the Eyesboard virtual keyboard is highly customizable to best fit each user’s unique needs.

“Given that touch screen kiosks with virtual keyboards are now commonly used in airports and retail stores, today’s Tablet PC owners are more familiar with the idea of on-screen typing,” said Martin Smekal, president of TabletKiosk. “By including the Eyesboard as a standard feature on all of our tablets, we believe that we have greatly improved the overall mobile computing experience.”

Well the buzz has hit the interweb whether it be good or bad about the series of Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld commercials with the first one airing last night. People are talking about it and as those in advertising say if people are talking about it they did their job. The first one seemed to be along the lines of the other humorous segment videos/vignets that were shown at several Microsoft conferences in the past.

Microsoft has a few more than just that video on their newly launched Windows site. Microsoft actually has several other videos that tell more of a story, that I think work much better and really get the word out about their products. Hopefully we will see them not only online but also on your HD television during the new fall prime time lineup. :)

They have a series of videos linking their technologies of Windows, Windows Mobile (which had a slight revamp) and Windows Live performing several tasks. These are really well done and are much better than the 15 second commercials that air on the Windows Vista Media Center when watching streaming video from the Internet Video section. They are very similar to the Digital Lifestyle video that was on the Internet, but never reached television that show the integration and usage scenarios of several Microsoft products and services.

I really like this one called Sharing your Photos, but it clocks in at 1:22. There are several more here.

Work from Anywhere is good too, more of those here. I think some of us have actually experienced this. :)

Entertainment to go isn’t bad either with a few more here.

And lets not forget Gaming for Everyone with more here.

Microsoft looks to have a pretty good ad campaign brewing. It is much better than what has been done in the past especially what wasn’t done after the Vista launch, but they may want to lead viewers to at least check out the rest of these videos beyond the online experience and if they wanted to spread the word they should at least allow people to share links to the videos. ;) Or maybe this is what Microsoft is hoping for increased site traffic with people checking out the rest of these videos online. I guess we will have to wait and see…

I've been spending a lot of time on the road as of late, meeting with a number of great companies with ideas and desires around mobility. While the focus during this time has been on Windows Mobile, the realization is that a lot of these same organizations also support RIM/Blackberry users and environments and (in some cases) are also considering Apple iPhone support as well. It is with this in mind that I (like so many others) paid close attention to yesterday's keynote speech at the Apple WorldWide Developers Conference ("WWDC"). As anticipated, much of the focus of the keynote was the announcement of the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 operating system.

From strictly a consumer perspective, the newest iPhone will undoubtedly create much buzz, interest and sales (and all very rightly so). I was, however, very focused on how this new iPhone incarnation would meet the demands of two specific groups -

1. Enterprise application developers creating Line of Business applications for their enterprise workforce, and
2. IT organizations charged with ensuring that mobile devices meet with security, compliance and support standards.

That being said, I was less than enthused about what was discussed yesterday regarding a device that has repeatedly been touted as "ready for the enterprise". Some reasons for my disappointment -

• The answer to the "no background processing for 3rd party applications" issue. For those of you that are unaware, the iPhone Software Development Kit ("SDK") for 3rd party application development almost immediately raised a "red flag" among developers several months ago when it was announced that no 3rd party applications would be allowed to run in the background. In other words - switching between your 3rd party application and another application would cause your application to shut down. From a data-centric application perspective, this could be devastating if extra application coding did not take place to persist data whenever the user switched applications. In a side note - Apple does allow their own applications to run as background processes; it's the 3rd party applications that cannot.
  
  Yesterday's event found Scott Forstall addressing issue - sort of. Apparently, Apple perceived the background process issue as being important to developers of instant messaging solutions and not much else. The answer to the background process issue was apparently to respond with "background processes are bad." Specifically bad for battery life and performance. OK, I'll grant that, but gasoline-burning cars are bad for the environment. Does unilaterally banning them solve all your problems? What about the problems created by that decision? How about alternatives that do not cripple and potentially worsen the problem beyond the original issue?
  
  Forstall did propose a solution (again, "sort of"). Apple is proposing an application server architecture (maintained by Apple) that apparently will allow an application to register and receive push notifications. I'm not sure if the scope of this even applies to anything other than the instant message developers, but even if it did it seems to leave a lot to be desired. My application would now rely on the occasionally-connected nature of the cellular world and the scalability and availability of a service outside of my direct control to provide me with an application "wake-up call". Listen - I have trouble trusting the hotel front desk for a wake-up call, and you are asking me to accept this proposed architecture for mission-critical applications? In the end, this whole topic and proposed solution came across as something similar to "We believe flying to a destination via commercial jet is very inefficient from a a resource perspective. So, here's a better solution - a giant catapult..."
• Enterprise Line of Business application distribution. A few months back, Apple acknowledged that the consumer-focused application distribution model of the Apple AppStore would not work for most enterprise IT organizations wishing to control distribution of their home-grown applications. Apple is allowing distribution of applications through their corporate intranet, and these applications will be synced to the iPhone - using iTunes. So if I understand this correctly, Apple will require iTunes on enterprise computers? Was anyone at Apple ever talked to a real IT organization responsible for regulatory compliance and security auditing? Wow - I see this as a MAJOR show-stopper for a lot of organizations.
• Device provisioning/configuration. This is one area that I do give Apple some credit with, if for nothing more than clarifying what can be configured via both Exchange Server and Exchange Active Sync (note to Phil Schiller, Apple's VP of Worldwide Marketing - before you bash a technology like "ActiveStink", spend 5 minutes to ensure that your company hasn't licensed the technology as a cornerstone in a major market push. My 7 year-old son thanks you for making him look mature) and Apple's Configuration utility. Essentially, the iPhone will be configurable from an Exchange policy enforcement perspective in the areas of Remote Wipe and Password policies. Other configurable areas can be performed using an Apple-supplied GUI tool that creates the appropriate configuration for distribution via either website or e-mail attachment. If you are interested in more information around this, you can visit Apple's iPhone Enterprise Integration web site for the details.
  
  While I would like to see a larger expansion of policies over time and more information on the configuration internals (is the device provisioning OMA-DM compliant, for example), there is some tangible progress here.

All in all, Apple is making some attempts to address the issues most relevant to the eventual "go or no-go" people in the enterprise world. I really do think a lot of the issues here could be resolved if Apple gains a better understanding of the needs of these IT organizations. Apple has (and likely will always be) a consumer-focused company. Unfortunately, those consumers can only demand so much of their employers when it comes to making iPhones (and other Apple hardware, for that matter) "corporate computing citizens". If sometimes rigid (and often very legal) standards cannot be met to guarantee the security, integrity and management of iPhones, acceptance will end at the front door.

On a related note -  Peter Burrows has written a wonderful piece on Apple and the Enterprise for Business Week entitled "The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit". It really does talk to so much of what I believe are the root problems with Apple and the enterprise today.  

What do you get when you cross a Windows Mobile proffesional Phone (Touch Screen) and  a Blackberry.

"A VelocityMobile 111 phone with all those benefits"

Some previous i-mate employee started up their own company and at CTIA they where giving private showing of their new phones. The Microsoft booth had also one on display.

A touch screen, qwerty keyboard, trackball with mouse pointer on screen and internal GPS on board. This is going to be very interesting.

Just take a look at the specifications

This phone is being set for launch in Q3 but their 103 phone should be coming already in Q2....which can be any day now.

Let's see who has this one first for review.

Remember the old battle between MCI and ATT for their long distance land line unlimited calls.

It seems now that this battle is happing big with the wireless carriers.

ATT, T-Mobile and Verizon came all with their unlimited voice calls for one set fee(around a $100). Of course you add on extra's for your data plan, some had text messaging included........

But as of tomorrow Sprint Nextel is offering "simply everything" unlimited play which includes all the following:

1. Unlimited Voice calls anywhere in the states to any line
2. Unlimited Data
3. Unlimited Text messaging
4. Unlimited E-mail (is Data)
5. Unlimited Web Surfing (is Data)
6. TV (is Data)
7. Music (is Data)
8. Direct Connect
9. Group Connect

And this all for $100 per month.

Read more...

I just opened my e-mail box this morning and a unlocked phone from Sharper Image is looking at me. Of course I noticed the Windows Mobile 6 screen on it, so I looked a bit more at this one.

Accordding to the site this phoen has indeed Windows Mobile 6 on it, but also integrated GPS. The phone sells for $499.95 and is available at Sharper Image.

This PocketPC Executive Pack includes a Bluetooth® mini headset and features:

• 240 x 320 TFT 2.8-inch touch-screen LCD with 65K colors
• 2MP camera with Flash
• MP3
• Windows Media Player with MPEG 4 video
• Wireless Bluetooth® compatibility
• Tri Band
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Microsoft® Office Mobile, Direct Push and Windows Mobile 6 Pro
• Voice memo
• Speakerphone
• Built-in GPS receiver
• Text messaging (SMS/MMS)
• Games
• Calculator
• Alarm clock
• USB 1.1
• PDF viewer
• Smart dialing
• GPRS
• WAP
• JAVA
• Enjoy up to 7 hours talk, 20 hours of music/video, 240 hours standby on a single USB charge
• On-board 128MB memory with Micro SD slot, expandable to 2G
• Speed codec HR/FR/EFR/AMR

Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.6"; weighs 4.3 oz. One-year warranty. A Sharper Image exclusive.

*For subscribers to T-Mobile, AT&T/Cingular and other service providers that use a removable SIM card with all your phone data. Your SIM card will work perfectly in any Sharper Image® "Unlocked" Phone.

According to an article from the Reuters press office Google has entered the race to become a service provider on the mobile market.

Communications regulators have cleared Google to bid in an upcoming auction of coveted wireless airwaves, according to auction documents released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday.

Google was among a list of potential bidders released by the FCC to require up-front payment and be cleared to take part in the high-stakes 700MHz wireless auction.

The auction is scheduled to begin on Jan. 24 and expected to raise at least $10 billion for the U.S. government from airwaves being returned by television broadcasters as they move to digital from analog signals in early 2009.

The list of qualified bidders also included U.S. wireless providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, as well as ventures involving EchoStar, Cablevision, Qualcomm and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The 700MHz signals are valuable because they can go long distances and penetrate thick walls.

The spectrum is to be auctioned off in several different blocks, ranging from smaller regional blocks to large, nationwide ones.

Up-front payments for the spectrum licenses can range from several thousand dollars to more than $100 million, depending on the size of the license a company is seeking.

The auction is seen as a last opportunity for a new player to enter the wireless market. Google and other Silicon Valley leaders see the wireless spectrum as a way to create more open competition for mobile services and devices than those available on existing networks.

Mtech Inc. (www.moletech.us), an innovator of automotive and transportation fuel savers, introduced its innovative Moletech Fuel Saver at the CES.  The technology was first launched in Australia and now makes its introduction here in the US.  A universal system, the Moletech Fuel Saver can deliver fuel savings and emission reduction to all fossil fueled engines.

The Moletech Fuel Saver is the end result of 10 years of research and development,  over 25 million miles and three years of exhaustive testing on 300 vehicles in the U.S., Taiwan and China.  Moletech Fuel Saver’s molecule reaction technology works together with a vehicle’s fuel, cooling and air filter systems to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions.

In July 2007, the California Environment Engineering (CEE) Center for Environmental Research tested the Moletech Fuel Saver using Federal Test Procedures (FTP). 

Results from the CEE concluded, “Analysis indicated a reduction in the tailpipe emissions and an increasing improvement in fuel economy using the Moletech Fuel Saver device.  This included a significant reduction in Total Hydrocarbons (THC) and Carbon Monoxide (CO).  The results of the limited but decisive test series is considered noteworthy and verifies with a high level of confidence the viability of the technology, while indicating that more dramatic improvement could be expected and achieved with time.  The device, as tested, provided results that are more dramatic than similar technologies previously evaluated.”

Mtech’s molecular technology incorporates Molecule Reaction Technology to reduce fuel usage and decrease harmful emissions.   Key features of the Moletech Fuel Saver include:

·         Saves up to 20% on gasoline

·         Saves up to 10% on diesel

·         Saves up to 15% on LPG

·         Improves horsepower

·         Reduces harmful exhaust pollutants

·         Lowers greenhouse gases

·         Removes the engine’s carbon build up

·         Easily fitted at Authorized Installers

·         Lasts for more than 10 years

Easily installed in any vehicle, the Moletech Fuel Saver is a simple solution for fuel saving and emission reduction.  The Fuel Savers are small enough to fit in a pocket, yet deliver certified results. 

The Moletech Fuel Saver is a universal product that can be easily installed in any fossil-fueled vehicle including automobiles, motorcycles, diesel engines, trucks, fleet vehicles, agricultural vehicles, and boats.  The Fuel Saver is available in eight different models for all vehicles from scooter to semi vehicles.  The model is determined by engine size and fuel-type including the following:

• Model #M1027 – gasoline engines under 3 liters
• Model #M1058 – gasoline engines between 3-6 liters
• Model #M1010 – gasoline engines between 100cc-1100cc
• Model #M1003 – gasoline engines up to 100cc
• Model #M1034 – diesel engines under 6 liters
• Model#M1041 – diesel engines over 6 liters
• Model #M1089 – LGP engines all models
• Model #M1096 – LGP and gas (dual fuel) engine all models

When the Moletech Fuel saver was professionally installed in the testing vehicles, the increase of the vehicle’s horsepower and reduction of carbon build-up, fuel consumption, and reduction of toxic and greenhouse exhaust emissions was notable and impressive. 

With today’s gas prices and new laws, the Moletech Fuel Saver is a cost-effective and simple solution for anyone environmentally minded or trying to save money.

Now let see if the car companies are going to snatch this up if it s working as they have tested. It would be a small price to pay for the huge environmental benefit.

Moletech Fuel Saver will be available nationwide in 2008 at select dealers and stores.  For additional information on this revolutionary product, visit www.moletech.us.

BlueAnt launched during the CES a couple of new products. One very interesting one is after the succes of the Z9 the new V1. The V1 bluetooth headset is using a new technology from Sensory called the BlueCenie Voice Interface.

The BlueAnt V1 Voice Controlled Headset allows users to easily control most functions of their headset using the revolutionary ‘BlueGenie™ Voice Interface*’ from Sensory, Inc.Talk to it – and it will talk to you. Ask it for assistance –and it will assist you in getting the right command. This headset eliminates the combinations of button pushes, button holds and flashing lights synonymous with advanced Bluetooth devices. One activation button provides you with total control of the V1’s entire function menu system via an easy to use voice interface.

The V1 also incorporates dual microphones allowing for BlueAnt’s patented Voice Isolation Technology™’, a revolutionary proprietary Digital Signal Processor (DSP) software solution.Voice Isolation Technology™ uses advanced techniques to separate theuser’s voice signal from all other sounds,enhancing and isolating all frequencies that affect voices coming into and out of the headset resulting in outstanding environmental noise reduction, echo cancellation and wind noise protection.Fitting into BlueAnt’s premium headset range, the V1 is small and lightweight and clips neatly onto a tie, shirt or jacket when not in use.

I was told this by Don when he came over for a movie viewing night between the holidays with some friends and their families. Yes I have known Don for over 7 years and never met his family, until now. Anyway one conversation that came up were the new laws for traveling with lithium ion batteries. According to Safetravel.gov effective January 1, 2008, you now have to carry your spare with you and can't pack it in your suitcase (in my opinion defeats the whole purpose anyway unless you are looking to lighten your load racing through the airport. :)

Here are the new policies so be aware of them before traveling this new year:

• Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare batteries.
• You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage
• You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry-on baggage – see our spare battery tips and how-to sections to find out how to pack spare batteries safely!
• Even though we recommend carrying your devices with you in carry-on baggage as well, if you must bring one in checked baggage, you may check it with the batteries installed.

For more information on the new regulations head here:

http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

The new rules are kind of confusing because what is permitted is based on the actual weight in grams of “equivalent lithium content.” 8 grams of equivalent lithium content is approximately 100 watt-hours. 25 grams is approximately 300 watt-hours:

Today WebIS is proud to announce a new partnership with Ilium Software to bring a renewed focus to the Wallet Market. this year we spent some time with Ilium and found a very strong renewed focus on eWallet going forward and with our focus on FlexMail and Pocket Informant and our work on the Blackberry we have decided to team up with Ilium and turn FlexWallet 4 into eWallet 6.0! This provides many great improvements that I'm sure you are going to love and we've made it easy for you to upgrade from FlexWallet to eWallet 6.0. eWallet 6.0 combines the best of FlexWallet and eWallet with a renewed focus that brings greater security and features to all of our users!

eWallet 6.0 brings the following major improvements:

• iPhone/Web version currently in beta.
• Sync your info where you want - to any PC, Windows Mobile or Palm OS device, USB thumb drive, a laptop, even your server at work - there is no limit
• Stronger security - AES FIPS and 256-bit encryption
• Encrypted file attachments
• Sync securely to remote locations using SFTP and other remote syncing options
• Access your data from remote computers using Iomega iStorage
• Prevent intrusion by locking your wallet after a certain number of failed login attempts
• Make online purchases safely! With eWallet's SmartCopy your credit cards and personal info won't be left in the clipboard for keyloggers to find
• Fill in passwords online without typing using AutoPass - protect yourself from keyboard logging in an easy and secure way
• Personalize your cards with background images
• Customize the card design with options for displaying icons on the card, square or round corners, card borders, and more!
• Use eWallet on your U3 USB Smartdrives
• Get Step-by-Step Instructions for basic tasks with the eWallet Companion
• Four free icon packs

For more info you can go the WebIS site

Upon receiving the following press release from Sling Media last night, I felt my heart sink a bit...

EchoStar Announces Agreement to Acquire Sling Media, Inc.

Combination Will Create Industry-Leading Digital Media Solutions Provider

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and FOSTER CITY, Calif., September 24, 2007 – EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) announced today that it has agreed to acquire Sling Media, Inc., a privately-held digital lifestyle products company. EchoStar, through its DISH Network^®, is the third largest pay-TV provider in the United States. The transaction values Sling Media at approximately $380 million and is payable in cash and EchoStar options. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Established in 2004, Sling Media has been a leading innovator in the digital lifestyle space through the introduction of the internationally-acclaimed, Emmy award-winning Slingbox™ and SlingPlayer™ software. Sling Media’s product line is distributed in over 5,000 retail stores in 11 countries.

In 2006, Sling Media created the Sling Entertainment Group with the mission of developing entertainment experiences and business models that reach beyond the Slingbox. The group also fosters and manages relationships with content creators and owners. Its first initiative, Clip+Sling™, dramatically changes the way consumers socialize around TV by enabling users to clip and share limited segments of their favorite television programming.

“As an early investor in Sling Media, EchoStar has been pleased with the progress and commitment the company has made establishing Sling Media and the Slingbox as powerful and beloved digital media brands,” said Charlie Ergen, CEO and co-founder of EchoStar. “With today’s increasingly mobile lifestyle, EchoStar’s acquisition of Sling Media will allow us to offer innovative and convenient ways for our customers to enjoy their programming on more displays and locations, including TVs, computers and mobile phones, both inside and outside of the home. This combination paves the way for the development of a host of new innovative products and services for our subscribers, new digital media consumers and strategic partners.”

“We are psyched to make this announcement. We have worked closely with EchoStar for more than two years, and have come to realize that both companies have similar entrepreneurial cultures and mutual dedication and passion for creating empowering experiences that benefit the consumer and the media industry,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sling Media. “By combining strategies, resources and technologies with EchoStar, Sling Media will be able to rapidly expand our open multi-platform product offerings, not only for DISH Network subscribers, but for digital media enthusiasts around the globe.”

If the folks at Sling Media are happy, then I am happy for them. I can only hope that this new chapter for Sling Media is one that benefits all Slingbox users. I have found myself becoming cynical in recent times regarding acquisitions that supposedly benefit both consumer parties, yet result in only bettering the side of the consumer who happens to own technology from the company making the purchase. Here is to hoping that this acquisition changes my perception.

The folks at HP and BuzzCorps want to know what has been missing in the laptop market today and want to fill that void by asking you what you would like to see in your next laptop and what has been missing.

There have been plenty of new laptops recently introduced and there is a great video by Andru from GearLive featuring an interview with Stacy Wolff director of product design for HP, on what goes into great Industrial Design of HPs laptops as well as some of the innovative features in their next line of laptops.

Stemming from this a website was formed by Gnomedex attendees to get a pulse on what power users and shapers of the blogosphere want in their next laptop. Feel free to add any comments and wish list items and we will pass this link along with links from other community sites participating in this wonderful feedback forum. Tell us if you want DVI-D as a standard so with a little adapter you can use VGA, DVI, etc.; modular bays for optical drives and extra batteries; all day battery life; modular WWAN, processor, and GPU cards; both active and passive touch screens; memory up to 8GB; lightweight package with a lightweight power pack (why should the power transformer and associated cords weigh more than your laptop?)

This is your chance to let your voice to be heard on what you want in your next laptop. Make your opinions heard!!!!

If your Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Phone Edition Today screen is simply not exciting enough when static, NetWasp has long had an alternative with their FlashThemes Player. While they also provide a wide variety of themes to download, you can take matters into your own hands with their new FlashThemes Generator 2007! 

 

Following on from the enormously successful launch of FlashThemes Player 2007 Netwasp are pleased to announce the release of FlashThemes Generator 2007. This version of the theme creation toolkit is hugely advanced over its predecessor.

FlashThemes Generator 2007 gives you the opportunity to make your own static or animated Pocket PC themes for any Windows Mobile PocketPC device, running on WM2003, WM5.0 and even WM6.0! You can design your themes for whatever screen layouts you have whether for Portrait, Landscape or even square screens.

You can even publish on Netwasp.com and then start selling your own themes if you think they're good enough! Click here for more information: http://www.netwasp.com.

You can find out more about FlashThemes Generator 2007 by visiting its product home page.

If you do alot of online banking with Bank of America you may have noticed several blurbs about their upcoming service for mobile phones. I know this has been a sore point in many peoples sides for some time. Well, they now  launched their new Mobile Banking service to enable its customers to manage their personal finances on the go. Best of all it is free!

The new BOA's new service gives users an ability to check balances on their accounts, mortgages and home equity lines, pay bills, and transfer money between accounts and to other customers of the bank. One of the key issues with mobile banking is security, and Bank Of America promises highly secured environment for all mobile transactions — customers are protected with the bank's SiteKey security service, as well as its Zero Liability Online Banking Guarantee.

To access Mobile Banking, customers simply go to the web browser on your mobile phone and enter www.bofa.mobi. Once on the site, customers enter their Online Banking ID and passcode to access their accounts. For more information and the terms of service head here.

Good news for all you Cingular 8525 owners out there waiting for an update to your phone to actually use that push to talk button. More good news your Windows Mobile 6 update will be available soon... I have a review of the 8525 in Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine available here in case you missed it.

Today AT&Tannounced today the availability of a re-branded and upgraded version of its popular Cingular 8525 now called  the AT&T 8525 Pocket PC (you may have seen the new branded unit in several television comercials for other products like DHL - the one on the golf course)— boasting additional services that will appeal to business customers and consumers alike. 

Now, the AT&T 8525 also comes with AT&T Push to Talk functionality pre-installed as well as the latest multimedia music and video services from AT&T.  AT&T boasts the largest Push to Talk network in America and its PTT service includes several differentiating features, including "availability" icons, quick group-calling and the ability to easily switch a PTT session to a regular wireless voice call.

To turn downtime into playtime, the AT&T 8525 provides access to AT&T Mobile Music — an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers "your music, your way" by providing simple access to the most robust collection of music content available today, including XM Satellite Radio, which comes pre-loaded on the device. 8525 users can easily access and enjoy 25 commercial-free music channels from XM Satellite Radio through the XM Radio Mobile service.

With AT&T Mobile Music, AT&T 8525 users can connect to a one-stop shop for everything music on the handset, such as full-track songs, music videos, ringtones, music news, MusicID, music chat rooms, streaming music and more. AT&T is the first U.S. carrier to offer subscription music to the handset, including music from leading online retailers, Yahoo! and eMusic.

The 8525 will also feature AT&T’s on-demand streaming video service, Cellular Video. Customers can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including such hit HBO programs as “The Sopranos,” “Entourage,” “Sex and the City,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and exclusive mobile content from World Wrestling Entertainment.

Those customers who own an existing Cingular 8525 can download the same software upgrades found on the AT&T 8525. The software upgrade can be found at: www.america.htc.com/products/8525/default.html. The AT&T 8525 will also be upgradeable to the latest version of Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile 6, later this year. 

“Our enhanced version of the AT&T 8525 Pocket PC provides an exciting new array of features that will allow our customers to do more during both work time and downtime,” said Cathy Quaciari, director of wireless B-to-B devices for AT&T. “The lines between work and personal lives are blurring, so end users now not only need a device through which they can access their work e-mail or other corporate applications, but also they want something that has music, video and other entertainment capabilities as a way to unwind at the end of the day.”

The first UMTS/HSDPA-enabled PDA in North America, the AT&T 8525 still features Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 with Direct Push Technology — which allows users to retrieve their important information in the familiar environment found on most desktop computers. 

In addition to Microsoft Direct Push e-mail for business customers, the AT&T 8525 also supports other popular wireless e-mail solutions, including Good Mobile Messaging^TM and AT&T Xpress Mail. 

The AT&T 8525 provides users with both domestic and international 3G capabilities.  In the U.S., customers can use the AT&T 8525 on AT&T’s BroadbandConnect network in more than 165 major metropolitan areas with seamless access to AT&T’s nationwide high-speed EDGE network outside of 3G coverage areas. When abroad, customers can use the AT&T 8525 in 125 countries where UMTS/HSDPA, EDGE or GPRS networks have been deployed.

“AT&T and HTC continue to bring the best of mobile hardware and software innovation together with one of the most advanced wireless networks in the world,” said Todd Achilles, vice president of HTC America. “With the addition of Push to Talk and the latest multimedia services from AT&T on the 8525, customers are able to get the most powerful, fastest 3G-connected phone experience available anywhere in North America, Europe or Asia.”

Pricing and availability

The AT&T 8525 Pocket PC will be available exclusively from AT&T for as low as $399.99 beginning May 14, in Cingular (now AT&T) retail stores nationwide, select national retailers, http://www.cingular.com/, and through AT&T’s B-to-B direct sales team.

Now this is very sad news. I was reading Jason Tsang's blog at lunch today and read this from a post he found in a post by David Bono, a Microsoft employee in the Microsoft newsgroup microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter.portable, that the PMC (Portable Media Center) platform has met its demise and will no longer be licensed. This comes as no surprise since Microsoft is pimping its new portable media platform the Zune, which is based on the PMC version 2.0 OS.

Its a sad day, but we kinda new it when we didn't see all the new PMC units shown off at CES 2006 (LG and Tatung) except for the Toshiba Gigabeat(which the Zune is based on) come to fruition as well as Creatives early bail after the original Zen PMC (which I have two of). This also points more to the dedication to the Zune platform and hopes for a thinner, smaller unit with more storage and functions in version 2.0 of Zune.

Here is the full post from the newsgroup:

Microsoft is no longer licensing the PMC software. Here is an announcement that was sent out last year to our PMC partners:

In early 2006, Microsoft released the second version of Windows Mobile for Portable Media Centers to our partners. The second version of the Portable Media Center software enhanced the end user experience and enabled partners to build smaller, less expensive and more competitive devices.

As part of the ongoing review of our product investments, we have decided to take what we have learned from our investments in Portable Media Center and focus our product and marketing resources on building media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices.

With the re-investment of resources in media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices, Portable Media Center 2.0 is the last version of our Portable Media Center software under the Windows Mobile brand. We do not plan any future Portable Media Center software upgrades or marketing activities.

Thank you for all your support- Microsoft is proud of its work, the work of its partners and the devices and services delivered as a result of those relationships. We will continue to work with existing Portable Media Centers licensees to ensure that devices they are developing come to market.

 

Accessing e-mail and other data wirelessly while overseas is now much more cost-effective as AT&T Inc. announced today the availability of international data plans that offer greatly reduced data roaming rates to customers using any AT&T-powered smartphone or PDA. The new global rate plans range from $44.99 to $69.99 a month, depending on device class and e-mail platform. They include 20 megabytes (MB) of international data use in nearly 30 countries with UMTS, EDGE or GPRS wireless data networks, as well as unlimited domestic access.  The plans apply to such devices as BlackJack™, the Cingular 3125 Smartphone, Cingular 8525 Pocket PC, HP iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Communicator, Palm® Treo™ 680, Palm® and Treo™ 750.

With AT&T’s new Global Smartphone and PDA plans, customers now have plan options to cover international data usage on any business-oriented wireless device sold by AT&T.  AT&T also offers international data plans for BlackBerry® and wireless laptop connectivity.          

“AT&T already has the broadest international voice and data roaming footprint of any U.S. carrier, and now it is the only wireless provider in the nation to offer global data plans to its entire portfolio of business-oriented devices,” said Jeff Bradley, vice president of wireless business data services for AT&T. “These new plans give our customers much greater control over their international wireless costs. They provide a large enough allocation of data and significantly reduced overage charges so that employees can use their smartphone or PDA to check e-mail, browse the Web or access other data applications when abroad without incurring higher pay-per-use roaming charges.”

 AT&T’s new international data plans for smartphones and PDAs can offer customers significant cost savings over traditional, per kilobyte (KB) data charges for use outside the U.S.  For example, 20MB of international data usage at a standard $.0195 per KB rate would result in a charge of $399.36, some $330 more than the highest tier combined monthly domestic/international charge under the new AT&T plans.

Smartphone Connect Global monthly plans start at $44.99 with a voice contract and PDA Connect Global plans begin at $64.99 a month with a voice plan. Customers can sign up for AT&T’s new international data plans for smartphones and PDAs at any Cingular Wireless retail store, or through AT&T’s wireless business-to-business sales organization.

For more information on the new plans, please go here.

To view countries included in the new international plans, please go here.

CBS Corp. announced today that it has signed a new deal with Sling Media to create the CBS Interactive Audience Network along with several other significant companies including AOL, Microsoft, CNET Networks, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Brightcove, Netvibes, and Veoh.   This announcement is set to position CBS as the most widely distributed professional content provider online. Can you say a move in the right direction?

Sling Media’s role will be to distribute free, ad supported, full length as well as clip-based video content from CBS via Clip+Sling and enhanced SlingPlayer software, which will be launched for both Slingbox and non-Slingbox customers this summer. In addition, Sling Media plans to integrate the same CBS content into additional platforms including its forthcoming SlingCatcher.

"We are excited to extend our business relationship with CBS by offering our current and future audiences access to great long form programming from CBS that covers the spectrum from drama and comedy to sports and news," said Jason Hirschhorn, president of the Sling Media Entertainment Group. "CBS is proving they are a leader in the digital media space by embracing new platforms for content distribution. The announcement is an example of true ubiquity as evidenced by the cast of both new and established partners. We are proud to be working with them on this endeavor."

I can see in the future other Viacom entertainment properties moving in this direction as well like MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1,etc. Content will not be no longer be available as live only, but this brings a whole another direction to place-shifting television and Video on Demand. I have been watching "On Demand" CBS content on my Comcast cable box and I am assuming the same content will also be available. Me and my wife were able to catch up on the whole series of Jericho (a season and a half)in a single weekend and we watched it in HD!  I can't wait to see more and via my Slingbox optimized for my Windows Mobile device no less!

I received several emails asking what ZenZui - (where Zui is short for Zooming User Interface) was after it was mentioned by Peter Knook at CTIA a few weeks ago. Some are asking is this Deepfish on steroids? It may be, but it looks more like some of the same technology which also heralds from Microsoft Live Labs technology with very similar code that looks to be used in both Deepfish and Windows Mobile Live Search for their maps and directions currently in beta. ZenZui is a Microsoft backed startup that looks to deliver content to subscribers with mild advertisements geared toward the consumers interests that they indicate via a web portal.

I have yet to use it in person, but the video on YouTube I have seen looks interesting as well as playing with their flash demo here. The opening screen shows a flower-like ZenZui logo, with petals corresponding to the number keys on the phone. When a user presses a number, a corresponding collection of tiles appears and each subsequent keypress zooms the user into more detailed tiles or links to a specific Web site. The cool thing is that the tiles aren't just websites, but can be linked to applications like widgets and gadgets for weather, traffic, sports,etc; games and other media rich content. There can be a maximum matrix of as many as 36 tiles that serve as portals for content partners including Avenue A | Razorfish, Kayak.com, Traffic.com, Nike and the Fox Network (like The Family Guy). The company hopes to offer as many as 1,000 content partners in the coming months, allowing users to go online to pick their favorites and personalize their handsets.

It has an open API and they are looking for developers both large and small to partner with. The way it works is that applications can be suggested as well as sent and received in a "viral" fashion from other ZenZui users, and since everyone's getting paid based on the ad revenue their tiles generate. Could this be the next revenue stream for music and digital content where everyone gets paid? Its also an untapped market for large companies that have mobile advertising dollars, but don't know where to spend it. A few hours to program a ZenZui widget could prove very profitable for them and even a nice revenue stream.

From their products page they encourage developers:

If you’re a developer, bring your coolest mobile app ideas to life using our SDK (available summer 2007), and publish your best Tiles into the ZenZui Ecosystem. If it’s hot, it’ll get sponsored, and we’ll pass along a share of the advertising revenue (we believe in sharing the love). Or, if you’re not out to make a buck but just want to flex your talents of self-expression, just select “Ad-Free” when you publish, and we’ll pair-up your Tile with a message from a non-profit. That way, you can help us create a new mobile channel for community awareness and support charitable giving. At ZenZui, we believe good karma = good business.

The differences in Deepfish and ZenZui is that ZenZui is target toward websites that have been designed to interact with it and have specialized "tiles" of information. Deepfish technology actually allows mobile users to access existing Web pages in their original layout with Zoom,Pan, and a cue map functionality as well as interactivity with links. Basically ZenZui does away with complicated url strings and focuses on content the user is interested with a simple interactive iconized UI.

ZenZui's goal is to reshape the way people interact with and use their mobile devices by marrying the power of the Internet with the personalization of the mobile phone. ZenZui tiles transform the handset and give users the power to acquire information, conduct transactions and share experiences quickly and easily. More information on ZenZui is available at www.ZenZui.com.

Renata Almeida, a spokesperson for Microsoft at Waggener Edstrom, said that the ZenZui technology will be available this fall after a limited, invitation-only beta test.

John SanGiovanni the founder of ZenZui also has a great podcast that is also worth listening to called "sangiocasts" here.

There are alot of other cool technologies percolating over at the Microsoft Live Labs, a research partnership established in January 2006 between MSN and Microsoft Research. Some that look really cool are Photosynth, (which is something I have been waiting for since I saw the demo at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston check out the cool video here or download the tech preview here) a tool for compiling large numbers of photographs into zoomable 3D images; Seadragon, a project designed to optimize the way information is displayed on screens, regardless of their size-yes desktop and mobile devices; and Entity Extraction, a technology already built into the Windows Live Toolbar to help surfers find information related to the web page they are currently viewing.

If you are still wondering what is new with Windows Mobile 6, the folks at Microsoft have provided a pretty sizable description in just under12MB in a very thorough PDF document illustrating the fine details of the new OS as part of their partner program. This product guide is geared to educate Microsoft Partners and help generate the new sales and support opportunities in order to generate revenue as well as information on developer tools as well as resources to help you get up to speed on the new platform's improved features and usability (is that enough as wells for you?). It is also a great reference for end users as well.

The Windows Mobile® 6 Product Reference Guide provides information about the exciting new features included in the release of Windows Mobile 6. This document can be used in two ways: first, to provide a full understanding of both the positioning and messaging as well as the features of the Windows Mobile 6 release, and second, as a reference guide to help understand new features.

You can download the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Reference Guide in PDF format from here.

The AMD/Microsoft Retail Tour 2007 is coming to a city near you! It's your chance to stay up-to-date on the latest industry developments and learn more about Windows Vista, AMD's Quad-CPU technology, ATI Radeon™ Graphics chipsets, and more. They even have a very exclusive bundle available for attendees. In the past they had people pre-order them because they were so sweet.

For $349 you get:

• Energy efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 dual-core processor 4400+, Rev G, 65nm
• Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate OS - NFR
• ASUS M2A-VM with AMD 690G Chipset (this MB has an included Video card with 256MB on board dedicated, HDMI out,DVI and VGA connectors on the board and yes you can power 2 displays with it)

Hear from industry-leading Microsoft and AMD partners such as HP and Acer, and just by attending you may qualify to purchase an amazing Retail Tour bundle. You can also win great prizes at every event, including software, a Zune, an Xbox 360 or an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile-powered HP Pavilion TX1000 Entertainment Notebook PC.

The Boston date will be June 12, 2007 at the Hynes Convention Center.

Here is the current Agenda:

On my flight back from the MVP Summit from Seattle I had the honor of sitting next to a hardware engineer that worked on the Xbox and accessories for it and other devices like the Zune. He actually thought I worked for MS as well (I was sporting a Zune shirt and Windows Mobile bag) until I corrected him and talked about some cool things I had NDA privledge to and other things like my PSP and the accessories I had for it as well as Windows Mobile devices, UMPCs, Tablet PCs and other geek stuff. One of them being the new Xbox 360 Elite which has some new covers and quieter disposition with built-in HDMI support.

It will be coming in a nice glossy piano-black finish and silver trim like the pre-release developer boxes as well as with a black wireless controller(also available separately for $49), matching black headset, HDMI cable- for HDMI ouput, 120GB Hard drive to support Xbox Live HD movies and upcoming IPTV content that was demoed at CES 2007 (it will also be available separately for around $179 retail(US). However it won't ship with a built-in HD DVD drive, which would have been nice and easily warrant an upgrade for the suggested retail price of $479.

Also to match the color schema of the Elite the following accessories for the Xbox 360 Elite console will also be available separately:

Now the question remains on April 29 should I purchase this for $479.99 (U.S.), upgrade my current 360, purchase a 360 core for $299 or less with the 120GB hard drive and save a few bucks or should I wait to add another Media Center Extender to the house? At least there are some options...

At our last meeting we talked about the decision making process of choosing the correct Windows Mobile device and new naming conventions for Windows Mobile 6 and the differences between Classic, Standard and Professional. If you get confused one of our members came up with a simple mnemonic for remembering the differences P->Professional=Pocket PC Phone, S->Standard=Smartphone, C->Classic=Is just simply that, a Classic Pocket PC. I know its helped me remember which was which. There is a great breakdown of the differences of WM5 and WM6 that we disscussed at the meeting with images here and the PDF is posted up by Jason Langridge here

Now to get you hands on using and testing an Windows Mobile 6 device is a bit hard now a days since there are no devices shipping with it yet. To see the new features of Windows Mobile 6 you can use the Windows Mobile 6 Flash demo to get a handle of the new features, UI and how it works. If you want to test your applications you will have download the Windows Mobile 6 Software Development Kits and if you are developing for both the Smartphone, I mean Standard and Professional (includes Classic) there are two separate SDKs to download. Here is the breakdown of the emulators included in the SDKS:

• Windows Mobile 6 Standard SDK
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard (176x220 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard Landscape QVGA (240x320 pixels - 131 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard QVGA (320x240 pixels - 131 dpi)

• Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK
  • Windows Mobile 6 Classic (240x320 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional (240x320 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square (240x240 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square QVGA (320x320 pixels - 128 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square VGA (480x480 pixels - 192 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional VGA (480x640 pixels - 192 dpi)

In order to install the Emulators unlike in the past, this is not a stand alone install and requires Visual Studio 2005 even though some blogs said it was, you will also need to install the following:

1. Device Emulator 2.0 Beta
2. Compact Framework 2.0 SP1
3. Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK (Standard, Professional or both)

So make sure you have Visual Studio 2005 with SP1, the programs will even prompt you if don't have it and will help you along. Note this will not work with Visual Studio Express. Hopefully a newer emulator will exist that is standalone, but I wouldn't count on it coming soon. I am hoping something will be available after MEDC. Also if you are installing it to a Vista machine you may encounter the following: 'Getting Installation Issue --> Could Not Access Network Location Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates.' Frank Zandona has a solution by re-registering the VBScript.dll:

regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\system32\vbscript.dll

With the SDK there are some very cool tools included here are some of them: CabSignTool signs a .cab file and all its executable content; Cellular Emulator v1- emulates voice and data connections; Device Emulator v2 - new and improved SDK emulator, FakeGPS & GPS Settings-allows you emulate a GPS from a text file of NEMA data, Hopper- for stress testing; Local Server Framework- allows development of test application servers that run locally over localhost on the device;

Also for more information on developing applications for Windows Mobile 6 be sure to read this fabulous whitepaper: What's New for Developers in Windows Mobile 6  and check out the Windows Mobile Developers Wiki.

At CTIA Wireless 2007 keynote Microsoft's Peter Knook announced that Cingular aka "the new AT&T" will provide free updates to new and existing customers to three of their Windows Mobile Devices from Windows Mobile 5 to Windows Mobile 6. The devices that will be getting the free update will be 3 of their newer and popular devices: the Samsung Blackjack, Cingular 8525, and the Palm Treo 750. Palm made their offical announcement here.

The update will be a downloadable update (you will need to flash your device) with a projected date of availability being around 2H of 2007. All new devices sold after proper testing is performed will ship with Windows Mobile 6. So if you were waiting on which devices will be supported this may make your decision making process a bit easier. For more CTIA 2007 coverage and pictures of some nice phones and devices revealed be sure to check out the blogs provided by Jason Dunn here and Chris Leckness here.

Motion Computing is gearing up for some business at the next HiMSS conference(booth 5137) in New Orleans that is coming up next week with a release of a Tablet PC designed to turn some heads in the clinical field, by announcing the new C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) at UCSF Medical Center during a joint conference with Intel. The MCA is a new computing category, created by Intel with support from Motion to enable nurses, physicians and other clinicians to do their jobs on the move.

The Motion C5, the first product in the MCA category, which was designed from the ground up to be durable and to simplify workflows, ease clinician workloads and improve overall quality of care. The design is based on input from thousands of clinicians worldwide, the C5 brings reliable, automated patient data management directly to the point of care. Intel and Motion conducted extensive user level, ethnographic, human factors, time/motion and clinical workflow research. This research resulted in clear requirements for a purpose-built mobile device.

This collaborative effort resulted in development of the Motion C5 – designed with and for clinicians – that is now being implemented in clinician usability studies worldwide. The C5 is the first highly sealed, fully disinfectable computer to integrate into one durable device the relevant technologies important to clinician workflow and productivity. The C5 combines multiple devices into one -- including a built-in barcode and RFID reader for patient identification and supply, specimen and medication administration verification; a built-in camera; and a fingerprint reader to improve security and simplify clinician authentication.

Key Features:

Genuine Windows® Vista™ Business or
Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology
- Intel® Core Solo Processor U1400 (1.20GHz)
- Integrated Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 ABG network connection 512MB RAM (Upgradeable to 1.5GB max) 30GB HDD (60GB option) 
 
Key Features and Options
- Highly durable design with magnesium-alloy internal frame
   and elastomer overmolding
- Highly sealed, disinfectable chassis
- Optional integrated 1D/2D barcode scanner
- Integrated 13.56MHz RFID reader
- Integrated 13.56MHz HF passive RFID tag
- Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- One-year standard warranty
   (upgradeable to two or three years) 

 For more information head to Motion's website here

If you are wondering what is new in Windows Mobile 6, Jason Langridge has a great writeup on some of the new features with screenshots called Windows Mobile 6 - What's Cool and What's New. Jaap van Ekris also covered a few things Jason left out in his article, What will Windows Mobile 6 bring for the highly mobile people? over at Modern Nomads. Chris Leckness has put together a pretty good video that is definitely worth checking out at MobiltySite on Windows Mobile 6.

Geek.com and Pocket PC Thoughts have some great gallery of shots and screen captures of the OS in action. Also Darius Wey has found some great news pertaining to the new imate ultimate devices and Windows Vista Sideshow, in that they can be used to display video as Windows Media Center Extenders with special docking stations.They will also be utilizing the AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) band, which T-Mobile took the lionshare of in last year's spectrum auctions.

There are a smorgasbord of new devices coming out on the Windows Mobile 6 platform. Some were covered very well by Engadget, MobilitySite, the::unwired ,  Jason Langridge, GearDiary and others from HTC, imate, and others. There is also a great video with Derek Snyder from Microsoft at on10 covering all the new mobile devices in all their glory. It is great to see so much choice of Windows Mobile Devices. A few years ago you couldn't even purchase one in the United States now I am wondering if too much choice may confuse many and cloud the market for some consumers.

Either way there is much more to come...

Opera Software announced plans to upgrade mobile Web browsing by developing Opera 9 for mobile phones in all major platforms. Opera 9 has enriched Web use on the PC with new technologies, and now the leading browser innovator will deliver the same groundbreaking functionality to mobile phones. The upcoming Opera Mobile edition includes the latest in PC browsing features such as Widgets and Intelligent Zoom.

Opera 9 on mobile phones will add completely new dimensions to navigation. Users can seamlessly alternate between viewing modes to get a birds-eye perspective or dive into the content they want. Users have the choice to see an overview of a Web page or adapting the page to the width of the screen. As first seen with the Opera browser for Wii, Intelligent Zoom allows users to then zoom in directly to a selected area.

Widgets will also debut on mobile phones with the upcoming release of Opera Mobile. These small Web applications running outside of the browser allow users, manufacturers and operators to create and personalize services derived from Web content such as weather and traffic information, news and e-mail. Widgets offer Web applications that are instantly accessible on the phone without having to launch the Web browser, presenting dynamic and engaging content directly to users.

"We are impressed with the constantly evolving experience of browsing the Web," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Bringing Opera 9 to mobile phones will present new capabilities in mobile Web services that will be exciting to see defined."

Opera's JavaScript and rendering engines are built for speed while enabling dynamic AJAX-based applications. Driving standards compliance, Opera Mobile has full DOM support and can smoothly run advanced Web applications on mobile phones.

Opera Mobile is currently shipped on more than 50 million phones from major manufacturers such as Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. For more information, visit http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/.

DataViz officially released a version of Documents To Go for Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones.  This application allow users of Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on their devices and in their native formats. In addition, users can view Adobe® PDF files and decompress zipped e-mail attachments.  Other features include support for password protected Word and Excel files and the ability to view, edit and create Excel charts.

Documents To Go, will now allow users of Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on their devices and in their native formats. In addition, users can view Adobe® PDF files and decompress zipped e-mail attachments.  Other features include support for password protected Word and Excel files and the ability to view, edit and create Excel charts.  Documents To Go is available for a  wide variety of Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices such as the Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack, T-Mobile Dash, T-Mobile SDA, Cingular 3125 and Cingular 2125, to name a few.

"We are pleased to see DataViz bring its industry-leading mobile Office suite, Documents To Go, to the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform," said Will Pinnell, Senior Director of Content, Handango. "As the leading provider of mobile content, we recognize the increasing consumer demand to edit Office files on Windows Mobile Smartphone devices, which lack this functionality out of the box.  Documents To Go provides a reliable and robust after-market solution.”

“We are excited to expand our product line to include Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices,” said Danny Tu, Product Manager, DataViz, Inc.  “Documents To Go provides an effective and reliable document editing solution which retains 100% file formatting with InTact Technology™. Users can have complete confidence when editing and emailing Office files such as a sales contract or year end reports right from their devices.“

DataViz’s commitment to developing Office compatibility for a wide variety of mobile devices began in 1999 with Documents To Go for Palm OS and has since been extended to support Symbian UIQ, Series 80 and now Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices.  In addition, Documents To Go is currently available on all shipping versions of Palm OS devices and most recently on Motorola’s enterprise device, the MOTO Q PRO running Windows Mobile 5.0.  

For more information head here.

Well, the smart2go beta is now live and you can begin downloading now. About a year ago I had reviewed smart2go for both the Pocket PC, Smartphone and System 60 phones and met with the folks bringing it to the United States before it was acquired by Nokia. It was pretty good and loved the natural zooming in and out as you made turns and the small footprint of the maps. The next version so far is free (Navigation upgrades and guides look to be $7.99) and it now has updated maps and a cleaner UI. It has the same Find See Do, City guides available as well.

It is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for an affordable GPS system. You can download it directly from here.

An idea Benjamin Franklin came up with more than 200 years ago and wrote the saying “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” and was later implemented by William Willett, in1907 and has been changed several times up to 1966, when the Uniform Time Act was passed in the United States. Well  Congress has changed the dates for Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 starting in 2007 (If you are in IT this is the new Y2K dubbed Y2K7). Canada has adopted similar DST dates. DST dates in the United States will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).These changes could cause clocks and Microsoft Outlook calendar appointments on Windows Mobile-powered devices to display incorrect times for March 11 – April 1, 2007 and October 28 – November 4, 2007 and again in subsequent years.

You can prevent these problems by installing three Microsoft files on your device and/or PC:

• Microsoft Windows Operating Systems Update
• Daylight Saving Time 2007 Update Tool
• Outlook Time Zone Update Tool  

All users in the United States, Canada and Mexico should immediately install these updates. Users in other countries should install these updates if they travel to the United States, Canada and/or Mexico or if they make calendar appointments that include attendees that are based in the United States, Canada and/or Mexico.

Be sure to follow the step by step directions here.

If you use Microsoft Outlook to synchronize your calendar, download and run the Outlook Time Zone Update Tool.

If you do not use Microsoft Outlook to synchronize your calendar, connect your Windows Mobile device to your PC, then download and run the Daylight Saving Time 2007 Update Tool.

• Pocket PC Daylight Saving Time 2007 Update for Windows Mobile
• Smartphone Daylight Saving Time 2007 Update for Windows Mobile

IMPORTANT: For the tool to properly update the Daylight Saving Time settings, you must manually change the time zone on your device. To properly update the Daylight Saving Time settings, you need to manually change the time zone at least once on your device.

For a Pocket PC:

1. Go to Start > Settings > Clock & Alarms > Time tab.
2. Change the current time zone to any time zone other than the one that is currently selected.
3. Tap OK and tap Yes to save changes to the clock settings.
4. Change the current time zone to the one you want to use.
5. Tap OK and tap Yes to save changes to the clock settings.

For a Smartphone:

1. Go to Start > Settings > Clock & Alarms > Date and Time.
2. Change the current time zone to any time zone other than the one that is currently selected.
3. Click Done.
4. Change the current time zone to the one you want to use.
5. Click Done.

Here are the directions for the 2007 time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems so update your computers too!

For more information on how daylight saving time changes may impact other Microsoft products, visit the following Microsoft Web site:  Preparing for daylight saving time changes in 2007

Taking some notes from the Experience Pack for Windows XP Microsoft introduces one for Windows Vista, called appropriately enough the Microsoft Experience Pack for Windows Vista

Enhance your experience using a Tablet PC with these five new programs, which provide unique functionality and fun. Free download of Equation Writer, Media Transfer, Ink Crossword and Ink Flash Cards. Free download of Ink Desktop.

Equation Writer
Add mathematical expressions to your papers. Handwrite a math equation, and then convert it into a neatly typewritten image to paste into a report or a presentation.
Media Transfer
Copy or stream media files from your home computer to your Tablet PC, so that you can enjoy music, videos, or pictures wherever you go.
Ink Crossword
Solve crosswords on your Tablet PC using your tablet pen. Twelve puzzles come with Ink Crossword. You can also download a free daily puzzle and purchase more puzzle packs online.
Ink Flash Cards
Create flash cards to help you learn facts or study for an exam. Handwrite a question on the front of a card and put an answer on the back. Draw, insert graphics, and add text, too.
Ink Desktop
Take notes and refer back to them at anytime using Ink Desktop on a Tablet PC.

If you are looking for some great step-by-step information about how to build mobile and Tablet PC applications check out these hands-on labs for Windows Vista for Mobile.

Adding Ink and Custom Rendering to Video in .NET Framework 3.0
This lab demonstrates how to create an application in which you add ink to video. You will learn how to add custom rendering of ink on your video. You will also learn how to record the ink and play it back as written while the video is playing.
C#, Windows Vista
Visual Basic .NET , Windows Vista

Windows Presentation Foundation: InkCanvas Element
This lab shows how to create a simple InkCanvas application that demonstrates various editing modes, ink attributes, and means of zooming and scrolling with a Windows Presentation Foundation InkCanvas element.
C#, Windows Vista
Visual Basic .NET, Windows Vista

Using Ink Analysis with Windows Presentation Foundation
This lab exposes you to ink analysis and the InkAnalysis API as they are used in the Windows Presentation Foundation. You add basic analysis to an ink-enabled form, improve ink analysis results by using analysis hints, use analysis hints to populate text boxes, use InkAnalysis APIs to analyze free-form ink, display the results of ink analysis on free-form ink and add a predetermined style to your application.
C# Windows Vista
Visual Basic .NET, Windows Vista

RealTimeStylus APIs
This lab familiarizes you with the Tablet PC RealTimeStylus (RTS) API. You create a pair of RTS plug-ins. The first plug-in is a packet filtering plug-in that demonstrates packet modification by constraining all (x,y) packet data within a rectangular area. The second plug-in is a simple custom dynamic renderer plug-in that renders stylus input by drawing a small circle around each (x,y) point. You then use your plug-ins in a sample application that is provided for you.
C#, Windows XP
C#, Windows Vista

You may have seen some information on various sites indicating that the next version of Windows Mobile dubbed Windows Mobile 6 is coming. Microsoft was waiting to make the big announcement on Monday at the 3GSM World Congress on Monday in Barcelona. However someone released their story early and stole some of their thunder, so they have allowed some of the information to be released.

If you notice some of the screenshots give Windows Mobile a "Vista like" UX(User Experience). There are several added features as well as a change as to what Windows Mobile devices will be called and referred to in the future.

• Email in Rich HTML Format.
• Live links to SharePoint sites.
• Windows Live for Mobile included in Windows Mobile 6.
• New Security features such as remote wiping capablities if your device is lost or stolen.
• Enhanced Windows Vista Syncronization through Windows Mobile Device Center.
• Calendar ribbon gives you your important appoints quickly.
• Contacts with context – call records now attached to individual contact cards in Windows Mobile 6.
• .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server built in to Windows Mobile 6.

You get three flavors of Windows Mobile 6 depending on what kind of device you have. Pocket PC's without phone capability are Windows Mobile 6 "Classic". Smartphones are Windows Mobile 6 "Standard" and Pocket PC Phones are Windows Mobile 6 "Professional". In Windows Mobile 5, phones without touchscreens (Smartphones) were a bit more limited than their high end Pocket PC phone brothers. In Windows Mobile 6, certain changes were made regarding making those limitations less of a problem. Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile work on phones without touchscreens for instance.

There are some other new enhancements and we will cover it all in detail after the offical announcement at the 3GSM World Congress on Monday in Barcelona.

Astraware and PopCap Games are excited to announce that it's open-season on gnomes with the release of Hammer Heads for Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC Smartphones and PDAs.

Hammer Heads is a frantic fun-fest for anyone with an aversion to those pesky creatures that live at the bottom of your garden. As the gnomes rise from their holes, just tap the screen to bash them with your hammer! Meet several types of gnome, each with their own unique quirks, collect power-ups to aid you in your quest, and earn special speed bonuses if you're handy with your hammer! A visit to the Tower of Gold can earn you extra cash to spend on special hammer and life upgrades available at the in-game Shiny Shop.

"For each problem there's a solution, but when the solution involves a hammer, you can be sure that it'll end up being rewarding to the soul," said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware. "What could be better for testing your reactions and tapping accuracy than teaching those pesky gnomes a lesson!"

Hammer Heads features 2 game modes - Classic Bash - progress through 25 challenging levels and defeat the Gnome King, earning special achievement trophies along the way; and Marathon Bash - a never-ending gnome-bashing extravaganza!

Hammer Heads has been one of the most popular PC and online gaming titles of 2006, and now fans of the game can take it with them on the move.

Hammer Heads is available for devices running Palm OS 5.0 and higher, and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003, 2003SE and 5.0, from the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/hammerheads. The game is priced $19.95 with a special release discount for Club Astraware members.

The Pocket PC user interface has not been significantly changed for the last six years. Originally the Pocket PC was a PDA designed for stylus navigation and long but infrequent periods of general use. It has since evolved into many things, including a phone. Along the way, though the people who use a Pocket PC and the tasks it is made to perform have changed, the main interface has not. The goal of Spb Mobile Shell is to close this gap between the old Pocket PC interface and one people should expect from such a smart, modern and powerful device.

Spb Mobile Shell consists of three main components:

Now Screen
The most important information at one screen.

Spb Menu
Phone style menu gives instant access to all device features.

Today plug-ins
Big dynamic tabs, weather forecasts, world time, photo speed dial and more.

Spb Mobile Shell introduces the next generation user interface while keeping all advantages of Windows Mobile. It dramatically improves the standard interface and adds features that most would expect from a modern PDA phone. This program is designed for ROM and it will not be a surprise if in a little while most Windows Mobile devices will bundle this operating system upgrade taking the Pocket PC user interface to the next level. Therefore, Spb Mobile Shell is the first program a Pocket PC user should install on a device running plain Windows Mobile.

Spb Mobile Shell preserves values of an open platform, which is more difficult than creating a closed vertical platform. A few operators and OEMs have tried to customize their devices to look like a consumer phone, but this left some third party applications and built-in system features unusable (for example, adding a full-screen Today plug-in would crowd out other Today plug-ins).

Features:

* The most relevant information is displayed on one screen

* Phone style menu

* Weather forecasts

* Photo speed dial

* World time

* Launcher

* Big dynamic tabs on Today

* Color based themes

* Smart contact search

* Auto-hide mode for Today plug-ins

Pricing and Availability

Spb Mobile Shell is currently available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Polish and Traditional Chinese languages. A free 15-day trial, or the full version of Spb Mobile Shell for 29.95 USD, are available at www.spbsoftwarehouse.com.

*** Further Information and Downloads ***

Further information regarding Spb Mobile Shell can be found at the Spb website:

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/

A free 15-day trial can be downloaded from:

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/download.html

Spb Mobile Shell together with Spb Diary makes a perfect Today screen. Look at this examples:

1. "Classic"
This is the easiest way to configure the integration with Spb Diary.

2. "Diary Addict"
Spb Mobile Shell is in drop down mode and Spb Diary takes the rest of the screen.

3. "Diary Tab"
Spb Diary can be inserted as a tab in Spb Mobile Shell.

Note: Spb Mobile Shell is compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 only! Spb also has a special offer for Spb Diary customers. You can buy new Spb Mobile Shell with 40% discount for $17.97 (normal price $29.95).

Spb also released a new version of Spb Weather 1.7 with special integration support for our new product Spb Mobile Shell.

I am a little behind on this one but check out the link and the press release below. The folks at Phatware are at it again updating their software to add more functionality and ensure that it is compatible with the most current operating systems. They released PenCommander 2.0 last week. This software is for the Tablet PC or the UMPC. It also supports the new Windows Vista.

Check out this PenCommander page for features, pricing and upgrade info.

PhatWare Releases PenCommander 2.0

Upgraded version now supports Windows Vista and provides users with new PenCommander skins and an improved scripting engine

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, January 31, 2007 - PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers, announces the release of PenCommander 2.0 for Windows Vista-based Tablet and Ultra Mobile PCs. PenCommander is a system utility application that features a powerful scripting technology and is now enhanced to support the Windows Vista operating system.

PenCommander allows users to employ the pen to call up commands that can control Tablet PCs and UMPCs in almost limitless ways, such as editing documents, inserting often-repeated text into documents and launching applications. PenCommander scripts are executed by writing a PenCommand name on the PenCommander input panel. PenCommander is the best tool for entering repetitive data, accessing frequently used applications and documents, inserting time, date and signature, and overall extending Tablet PC functionality and user's productivity. It provides a simple and fast way to access functions that typically take longer to complete.

“Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system will create a platform for the next generation of user experiences, and we are excited to see the industry come together like never before around these products,” said Brad Goldberg, general manager for Windows.  “By working closely with partners such as PhatWare, we are able to provide consumers worldwide an experience that is easier, safer, more entertaining and better connected whether at home, at work, or on the go.”

PenCommander 2.0 now supports Windows Vista and includes an updated scripting engine, which allows for new user-level functions and improved performance. Commonly used keyboard shortcuts and PenCommands can now be assigned to single stroke gestures. The application supports 32 gestures. PenCommander also provides users with the ability to select a handwriting recognition engine, which is useful if multiple languages are being used.

PenCommander 2.0 has a new customizable user interface for Visual PenCommander, which provides an IDE-like environment for creating and testing new PenCommander scripts. PenCommander's input panel can be made semi-transparent, allowing a user to view other applications' windows under the panel. New skins are also available for PenCommander 2.0.

“We always strive to leverage the latest technologies to give our users the ability to take advantage of the newest features on the market. As Tablet and UltraMobile PC users upgrade to Windows Vista, PhatWare is excited to have the opportunity to help them control their devices in nearly endless ways with the recent PenCommander improvements,” said PhatWare President Stan Miasnikov.

PenCommander 2.0 for Tablet PCs and UMPCs is priced at $29.95, and it can be purchased directly from the PhatWare Web site or any of PhatWare's network of authorized retailers. Registered users of previous versions of PhatPad can upgrade the product at no cost. For more information about PenCommander 2.0 or any of PhatWare's other productivity solutions for mobile and desktop computing, visit www.phatware.com.

One of the coolest things I saw at CES 2007 this year was the Alpha version of Vongo. Being a huge Vongo fan, I wanted Vongo to work well with Windows Vista and personally wanted it to run well with Windows Vista Media Center. Well now that is a reality in the latest update from Vongo.

They also increased the video quality and now allow for Vongo content to be streamed to your Xbox 360. For a demo of it head here. It is pretty cool! The new UI was built from the ground up with attention to detail as well as where peoples eyes looked when they use it.

For more info head here.

I saw this over at jkOnTheRun yesterday and gave Google Maps for Mobile a quick go on my trip home with one of my bluetooth GPS units. It worked pretty well and is more designed for a co-pilot or navigator to use than a driver. Since there is no voice direction. It requires an always on data connection like Windows Live Local and Virtual Earth Mobile.

Directions work well with data provided by NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas for the GoogleMaps that many love with live traffic updates. You are represented on the map as a blue icon. GMM also lets you know how many satellites are fixed on you in the upper right-hand corner.

To start using a GPS just select Menu->Track Location(GPS). Here is what it looks like before it gets a fix inside of a building on an overcast day. :(  (If I can screen cap an image outside I will update it) It then downloads the map for your current position and lays it underneath.

You can choose to view with either the map or satellite like in Google Maps.You can Zoom in fairly close and can move around the maps with your directional pad. The center directional pad brings up directions if you placed them in before.

Here is a satellite view of Boston.

A little closer.

Maximum resolution of Fenway Park.

What Google Maps Mobile is really designed for is finding things on a map.

Here is a quick search for pizza around Fenway.

You get detailed information on the place including an address and phone number to call for reservations.

You can also look up other things like Location, Nearby Businesses, Directions based on GPS location, address,etc.

Under the options button you can even lookup contacts.

So far Google Mobile Maps looks pretty good for free.

To download it to your Windows Mobile device go here and it will sniff your browser and give you proper CAB file to download. For more info on the project head here.

Well WMDC is finally out of beta and is called Windows Mobile Device Center 6 for Vista in both 32 bit and 64bit flavors. (If you do install the wrong one it just won't work. Just uninstall and install the correct version and it will then work, well this worked during the Beta 3 version).

The WMDC update didn't appear in Windows Update like I would have hoped when the device was connected as a recommended update.

It is a 10.6MB download  for the 64bit version and installs after you remove your older version. I had cancelled and removed the previous version before continuing. Here is a screen shot if you don't remove it first and attempt to install it.

However it didn't seem to work with my 64bit laptop. I am assuming a reboot is needed... That didn't work. So I should have read the Troubleshooting Guide and it said to try again with the device connected ...hmm I would have hoped it told me that earlier.  After RTFM of the Troubleshooting Guide and finding for 64bit version you have to have your Windows Mobile Device connected during installation I performed take 2.

The Windows Mobile Device Center doesn’t work on my 64-bit PC – If you installed the Windows Mobile Device Center on 64-bit Vista, and have previously used the Windows Mobile Device Center, you may need to manually reinstall the Windows Mobile Device Center a second time to successfully update it.

To manually install the Windows Mobile Device Center: 
1. Connect your device to your PC
2. Install the Windows Mobile Device Center from: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx
3. Disconnect and reconnect your device
4. The Windows Mobile Device Center will reinstall and launch

So I reinstalled it again this time with my Windows Mobile Device connected.

Now I have two listings for WMDC in my Programs and Features Unistall or change program directory.And it still doesn't work. So I uninstalled everything. Reinstalled the 64 bit WMDC beta 3. Then uninstalled it, then installed the new 64bit version with the directions above. It still doesn't recognize my Windows Mobile Device. I even tried a repair under Uninstall or change a program and it still didn't work.

UPDATE:

Hopefully you won't have to do this, but I got it to install. I don't think all the drivers were updated correctly on the first install so I ran one of my favorite command lines for botched installs: sfc /scannow from the Start Search/Run. I also restarted for safe measure. If you aren't familar with sfc, this command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service  to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem. I don't know if this fixed it or not.

I then went to Windows/WindowsMobile and ran the setup again hoping at least it would install, but moreover I was hoping I could uninstall and try to reinstall again. So I still had my device connected and ran the setup.

And guesss what it worked!

This is the version that was installed.

This is not a good user experience and the Beta version seemed to work MUCH better than this one actually I had no problems what so ever. I am putting this up in case others fall into this same problem. It looks like another problem with 64bit drivers...very frustrating.   The Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center enables you to set up new partnerships, synchronize content and manage music, pictures and video with Windows Mobile powered devices (Windows Mobile 2003 or later). The Windows Mobile Device Center is only supported on Windows Vista.   The Windows Mobile Device Center combines an efficient business-data synchronization platform with a compelling user experience. Windows Mobile Device Center helps you to quickly set up new partnerships, synchronize business-critical information such as e-mail, contacts and calendar appointments, easily manage your synchronization settings, and transfer business documents between your device and PC. The Windows Mobile Device Center simplifies managing media between your Windows Mobile powered device and your PC. With the picture acquisition wizard, you can easily tag and transfer all of the pictures from your Windows Mobile powered device to your PC’s Windows Photo Gallery.

More info on Windows Mobile Device Center 6 for Windows Vista  is available here.

DEMO is a paid to present conference for 68 companies in 6 minutes present their new companies, products and technologies. The presenters are picked by hand picked by Chris Shipley and a board of experts and they do a pretty good job of bringing all this technology in nice simple to understand forum. All the presentation are available online for viewing and are pretty impressive. I really like Apollo from Adobe , BlingSoftware, TeleFlip and Zink.

As with CES most of the products are now geared toward the Web and Mobility. If you have the time it is definitely worth checking out.

An alternative "free conference" is in the works by Mike Arrington of TechCrunch and Jason Calcanis here are the details so far a few other members of the board are showing up like Robert Scoble:

1. It will be in the San Francisco area.
2. We will have around 250 people at the event.
3. 20 companies will present over two days.
4. The event will take place in the fall.
5. We are looking for a location that can fit 250-500 people. We arehoping we can find a a University that would host the event, or an affordable conference center. Any ideas please let me know.
6. We hope to put together an advisory board of people we really respect to suggest companies.

I would love to see more Unconferences like this spring up in multiple locations like Boston, NewYork, Chicago,Austin,etc, but no so many that it dilutes the content. More like an East and West like VON does.

Spb Software House has released an update to their popular enterprise-oriented application Spb Kiosk with version 4.0.

The Pocket PC is a feature rich device with many built-in programs, games, multimedia features and so one. However, in the enterprise world most of these features are not needed and very often must be disabled. The main goal of Spb Kiosk is to lock Pocket PC to applications required by an enterprise, thus converting a generic Pocket PC device into a specialized enterprise tool. Spb Kiosk is used by more than 250 big companies all over the world, including Microsoft, HP, Shell, UPS and others.

New version brings Spb Kiosk to a new technology level. It uses advanced low-level techniques to work with system drivers and to intercept API calls. Now a device administrator has true control over applications running on the devices: only explicitly allowed executables can be started. This technology effectively prevents all known attacks like using remote tools, malicious programs started via memory card autorun etc.

Whats New

Spb Kiosk 4.0 introduces a number of new features:

 - Full Windows Mobile 5.0 support
 - Improved performance and battery life in kiosk mode
 - Precise control over allowed Control Panel applets
 - Battery indicator
 - Kiosk Start menu
 - Customizable icons and background in Kiosk Switcher
 - URL Filter
 - True full screen mode for Terminal Services Client
 - And more...

Spb Kiosk Editions

Spb Kiosk Engine comes in 3 editions, each providing kiosk mode for a different type of applications.

Spb Kiosk Explorer provides kiosk mode for Pocket Internet Explorer. With Kiosk Explorer enterprises can create kiosk solutions based on web-applications.

Spb Kiosk Terminal provides kiosk mode for Terminal Services Client. Kiosk Terminal allows creating kiosks that run an application from a Windows Terminal Server.

Spb Kiosk Engine can run one or several custom Pocket PC applications in a kiosk mode and provides means to switch between them.

For more information and for a virtual tour of the product head here.

The folks at TomTom have issued a notification that an isolated number of TomTom GO 910’s, produced in one week in the last quarter of 2006, may be infected with a virus. The virus is qualified as low risk and does not affect the navigation performance of the TomTom GO 910 in any way. The virus can be removed safely with virus scanning software. Appropriate actions have been taken to make sure this is prevented from happening again in the future.

Affected devices
It has been confirmed that a small number of TomTom GO 910 devices, produced between September and November 2006, and shipped with software version 6.51, may be infected with a virus.

Known risks
The viruses that were detected present an extremely low risk to customers’ computers or the TomTom GO 910. To date, no cases of problems caused by the viruses are known.

How to detect the virus?
In the isolated cases that a virus was detected, it was found when the TomTom GO 910 was connected to the computer and for example, a back-up of the content on the device was being made.

What to do when a virus is found?
TomTom highly recommends that all TomTom GO 910 customers update their virus scanning software, and if a virus is detected, allow the virus scanning software to remove the ‘host.exe’ file, ‘copy.exe’ file or any other variants.

The above identified files or any variants can safely be removed from the device with virus scanning software, and are NOT to be removed manually, as they are not part of the standard installed software on a TomTom GO 910. The good news is that they present no danger whilst driving with the TomTom GO 910.

The folks at DailyTech have confirmed a work around for installing a "Clean Install" with a Windows Vista upgrade DVD based on information from Paul Thurrott. This is great for the consumer that wants to do a clean install from time to time with their legitimate copy of Vista, but will this hurt Microsoft's bottom line and sales of Vista?

Here are the steps:

1. Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program.

2. When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click “Next” and proceed with setup. This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.

3. When prompted, select the edition of Vista which you have purchased and continue with setup.

4. Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.

5. This time, type in your product key when prompted.

6. When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. Yes, this means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.

7. Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Vista install.”

We all know Microsoft has a points system as a way of purchasing songs for Zunes and games on Xbox Live, but they aren't the only ones issuing points. Club Astraware bursts has started using their version of Points through a Point-popping Party! Everyone can join in and get points for all kinds of things, from purchases,  high scores filling out surveys and much more! And what do these points get you? Free games and discounts from the Astraware store, now that is pretty cool.The Points Party runs until the very last day of February 2007, and they've added lots of new ways to earn points!

To claim your points, all you'll need is the email address that you registered the software with. Simply ask us to add this email addresses to your Club Astraware account. Once they are added, check your products list in Club Astraware, and if all your purchases are listed, claim your points!  Remember, this is a one-time special event which offers long-term Astraware customers a chance to get all the points they would have earned in previous years.

Club Astraware is free to join and only takes a couple of minutes. There are also extra ways to earn points on your account including:

-2500 points just for joining

-Points earned from purchasing games from the Astraware website (1 point for every cent spent)

-1000 points for submitting you highest game scores

-2500 points for recommending a friend join Club Astraware

AND we've now added two NEW ways of earning extra points:

-Submit a post you've written on your personal blog about Astraware and you could get 2000 extra points - everyone likes being talked about!

-Complete our Points Party survey and we'll give you 1500 points. Your opinions matter to us!

Our Points Party survey is available on the Astraware website from 26th January to 28th February 2007 and EVERYONE who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a special edition Palm Z22 PDA with Astraware Sudoku pack - Club Astraware members also get the special bonus of the extra points in their account. Visit http://www.astraware.com/promo/pointsparty for more information

I have mentioned the upgrade for UMPC/Origami devices dubbed now as the Origami Experience a few times. If you own a small screen device running Windows Vista you can install it. We are talking older UMPC devices and small Tablet PC based computers like the Motion LS800 and Fujitsu P1610.The team blog of Origami Project released this news yesterday.

The Origami Experience Pack is a combination of three programs that make your Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) running Windows Vista even easier to use. Upgrade your UMPC to Windows Vista, and then install Origami Experience Pack. You can download it from here.

Origami Experience Pack contains these three programs for an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) running Windows Vista:

Origami Experience
Access your music, videos, pictures, and favorite programs.

Sudoku
Play this popular game using a touch screen.

Touch Settings
Easily view and interact with the touch screen on a UMPC.

And, don’t forget to download Microsoft Reader, so you can read e-books on your UMPC. It’s available separately for download. See Related Resources on the right side of this page to download Microsoft Reader.

Note from Origamiproject.com:

DialKeys is not included in the download version. DialKeys is only available pre-installed on new UMPCs so if you wipe your UMPC or upgrade to Windows Vista, DialKeys will be unavailable.

There is also mention of a new project as well, hmm I wonder what that is...

On a completely seperate note, I wanted to formally announce that my entire team and I (with the exception of Jeremy) have been asked to move off of UMPC and go to work on a new secret project. The new Product Unit Manager (PUM) for UMPC at Microsoft will be Oscar Koenders.

See more about the Origami Experience on Vista with UMPCs here.

Robert Scoble has a pretty cool video of a new wireless hard drive called the Digital Audio Video Experience aka D.A.V.E. from Seagate that looks like it will come in both 10GB and 20GB sizes that communicate and recharge via USB and the wireless capability comes via Bluetooth 2.0 andWiFi in the flavors of b and g. Battery life lasts up to 10 hours of continuous use and it measures in at 3.5 x 4.7 x .47 inches and 2.5 oz.

Definitely worth checking out. A software API on the device is available so software developers can write programs that use DAVE, which was "already used ... to build an interface for Symbian and Windows Mobile cell phones". We should see them on sale in May for around $150-$200.

Here is the official press release. I can see myself pocketing one of these and subscribing to URGE or another subscription sevice for my Windows Mobile device as well as synching the drive to my media center to watch 320x240 video streamed to my device at 768 kbps via its built-in media streaming.

If you already have an RTM version of Windows Vista or just purchased one you may have noticed that several updates were recently made available.

More will come soon in the form of OS and driver updates.

If you have Windows Vista Ultimate you may have noticed some other updates in the form or Windows Ultimate Extras. One being an update to BitLocker and another that was previously part of the Windows Vista Ultimate Extra Beta called Hold 'Em, based on the popular Texas Hold 'Em game.

Texas Hold 'Em doesn't have any Live capability yet. I hope it will like many of the games like UNO that was demonstrated at the CES 2007 Keynote and Worldwide General Availability of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System launch that work on the Xbox 360 as well. I also noticed that it wasn't updated in Windows Media Center under Games. Hopefully these changes will happen overtime.

Also available as optional updates were 15 localized languages.

Most of the updates for my system required a full system reboot to fully update.

So updates are rolling out. I also received several emails today from several hardware manufacturers that updates for their computers will be coming soon. Most said as early as next week. Some also stated that Windows Express upgrade disks should be arriving as early as today. I also received confirmation that several software titles will be coming out this week for Vista as well.

As of Midnight tonight you could purchase retail and upgrade versions of Windows Vista not only in retail stores,but also online for download. I have been asked many questions about Windows Vista by many people some at CES, some at the Boston Launch, and some via email. Here are the top three:

Which version should I get?

Well that all depends on your needs, are you an “average” home user, power user, do some occasional work from home and need to be on a domain. There are 5 versions to choose from. For most people Windows Vista Home Premium will be more than enough for all their computing needs. If you are a power user or a user of more than one computer that is capable of being upgraded you may want to go with Windows Vista Ultimate. If you are a multiple computer user you can upgrade the rest of your PCs (well up to two) to Vista Home Premium for $49 each via the Windows Vista Family Discount (Note this is only available to customers in the United States and Canada who have purchased the full or upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate retail boxed product.) Not bad at all. To compare the versions side by side head here. A nice thing to know is that if you are not sure what version to get you can always upgrade Anytime, Anywhere with the Windows Anytime Upgrade which is a new option that allows customers to conveniently upgrade their existing edition of Windows Vista to a higher-grade edition by way of an online transaction. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices to upgrade to more premium editions of Windows Vista are as follows: Home Basic to Home Premium $79, Home Basic to Ultimate $199, Home Premium to Ultimate $159 and Business to Ultimate $139.

Why should I upgrade?

Another question I was asked. Well why do upgrade any software package? There are improvements. Most notably the answer is not just the UI. Granted 3D flip, Aero interface, new icons, etc are really cool. For me the built-in search from the Windows start is one of the best features, tagging of pictures and videos for easier organization and search, new UI in Media Center, the Security improvements in the OS as well as the Windows Mobility Center. For each person the reason will be different. For a list of all the features head here. Do you need to upgrade? Well that is a personal question. If you want the latest and greatest than yes. If you get by just reading email and surfing the interweb then you should be OK.

How do I upgrade?

Before purchasing any version of Windows Vista make sure it will run on your system by running the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. As Don and I said at our last meeting if you are planning on purchasing a new computer that has the free Express Upgrade until March 15, 2007, be sure to note the difference between Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs. Windows Vista Capable will run Vista, but without all the flash and functionality. Minimum requirements for it are an 800mHz processor, 512 MB of system memory, GPU capable of running Direct X 9 (note Vista runs DirectX 10).Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs are basically a system running Windows XP, 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, DVD drive, Internet connection, at least 40GB Hard Drive, Audio output and 128MB of dedicated RAM on your video card for the full Aero Experience. Note some manufacturers may also opt for different SKUs of Vista as part of the upgrade so be sure to ask which one before purchasing. Most look to be Windows Vista Home Premium.

Upgrading isn't as simple as it was in the past. To find out your proper upgrade path head here. There will be no clean install option available for an upgrade in place if you purchased Windows Vista as an upgrade for Windows XP. So if you are upgrading from Windows XP it has to reside on the hard drive for the upgrade to take place. For upgrading from Windows 2000 or Windows XP64 you will need to do a clean install upgrade. The "clean install" option assumes that you have the OS installed on the hard drive and you are not installing to an empty, reformatted hard drive. If you do upgrade to Windows Vista with a clean install you should use the Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation of Vista is complete, the Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. Then all you need to do is reinstall your applications.

Note: Also note before upgrading your OS be sure to unistall your Anti-Virus Software if you have any or it could cause problems.

Hope these are enough to get you started if you have more. Feel free to ask.

If you have a Windows Mobile Smartphone, one of the glaring aspects missing from it is the ability to cut and paste. Well you have to suffer no more there is a cool new third party program out there that allows you to perform these actions and more with just one hand called Scissors Mobile. The Edit Menu works with Outlook Mobile, Contacts, SMS, Tasks, and their own version of Notepad Mobile.

Based upon the revolutionary editing technology from Notepad Mobile, the world's first notes solution for Windows Mobile Smartphone, you get a simple, easy, and robust one handed editing solution. To select text, simply enable Mark mode and highlight a selection. MarkEdit™ has been fine tuned to work the way you expect, it automatically turns off Mark mode when you cut or copy text, and provides a convenient context menu when you press the action button.

Notable Features

• Edit menu with Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo and Redo
• One handed operation for Smartphone and Pocket PC
• Visual indication of Mark mode with BoldMark
• Select entire words with a single button press with WordMark
• Fully integrated into Outlook Mobile

To try and buy this great new piece of software head here.

If you are unfortunately bogged down with work in the office and regrettably are not able to attend the launch event in New York City’s Time Square today you can still view the video here.

If that isn't enough for you and are looking to get down and really celebrate, there are some local events worth checking out that have some NFL football superstars doing some signing and picture taking in association with FOX Sports new addition to Media Center. For the Boston area at the Framingham,MA Circuit City the infamous 'Master of Hail Mary' - Doug Floutie will be signing autographs and you have the chance to win some cool stuff. To find out what is in your local area head here.

Also if you haven't noticed Microsoft has updated the Windows Vista page for the Launch!

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.mspx

As c|net (and seemingly 2/3's of the world's population) is reporting, Cisco is suing Apple over use of the iPhone name and trademark (owned by Cisco). I guess I need to add 2 more items to my list of obstacles the iPhone and Apple need to overcome for success -

1. This legal hurdle. Obvious, yes. But when I heard about this yesterday evening, I nearly fell out of my seat. The reason is that I have been following this whole thing for a while.
   
   For those that are unaware, there is a little history here. Cisco stole some thunder from Internet rumors a month or so ago by announcing their iPhone, which is a VoIP device. Lots of rumors about an iPhone were flying around, with everyone simply assuming that this was from Apple.
   
   When the Apple iPhone was announced this week, there were quotes that made it seem as though the issues regarding the trademark had been worked out. I know that the first thing I thought when I heard the announcement was "Oh - guess Apple bought the trademark."  Turn to last night, when it appeared Apple's meaning of working something out was "<expletive deleted> you, Cisco. We, by divine right, own anything beginning with a little 'i'." I am happy to see the surprise was not unique to me, as even Cisco's very own SVP and General Counsel Mark Chandler was taken aback -
   
   "So, I was surprised and disappointed when Apple decided to go ahead and announce their new product with our trademarked name without reaching an agreement. It was essentially the equivalent of “we’re too busy.” Despite being very close to an agreement, we had no substantive communication from Apple after 8pm Monday, including after their launch, when we made clear we expected closure. What were the issues at the table that kept us from an agreement? Was it money? No. Was it a royalty on every Apple phone? No. Was it an exchange for Cisco products or services? No."
   
   But wait - it gets better, as Chandler "lays the blog smackdown" on Apple -
   
   "At MacWorld, Apple discussed the patents pending on their new phone technology. They clearly seem to value intellectual property. If the tables were turned, do you think Apple would allow someone to blatantly infringe on their rights? How would Apple react if someone launched a product called iPod but claimed it was ok to use the name because it used a different video format? Would that be ok? We know the answer – Apple is a very aggressive enforcer of their trademark rights. And that needs to be a two-way street."
   
   Why do I point this all out? For new issue #2...
   
2. Arrogance. Apple does what it does very well. At times, however, Apple can behave like the business equivalent of Terrell Owens, complete with all of the arrogance and air of superiority about them. Apple knows media players. Do they know cellular phones? Do they have experience with the cellular industry as a hardware provder AND OS provider AND content provider. Apple cannot afford to simply dismiss these business challenges as trivial, or assume knowledge because they have had success in other areas.

Wow - all of this and still a minimum of 6 months before this device even sees the light of day

If there is one person I would place in a room of tech-saavy people and say "He's your man for information", it's Steve "fyiguy" Hughes. His passion for technology in general is only superceded by his knowledge and ability (as well as desire) to learn more. I have had the distinct honor of working with Steve for a few years now at BostonPocketPC.com, and it has been this experience (as well as the personal friendship we have had) that has been a large part of my continued interest and passion for writing about technology (he is infectious, you know... in a good way ).

Steve has decided to branch out with the launch of a new web site - Techronical. His goals for the web site are quite simple, as can be seen in his "About" page -

"Techronical is chronological log about one’s journey with technology with some hands on tips and tricks on the hardware and software used everyday. This site will also contain reviews, tweaks, and how technology can be used everyday."

Steve plans to continue his presence here at BostonPocketPC.com, so don't you worry now. We'll continue to see his unique brand of news and insight on the world of mobile technology. I would wish him the best of luck with Techronical, but I do not think that luck is needed. Steve' knowledge and ability make luck a non-factor

As we start a new year, one of the age-old resolutions for many people is to get better organized. With that in mind, the folks at Modern Nomads have put together a nice article providing tips for your PDA. "Get more out of your day with your PDA" may be just the thing to accomplish your organization resolution -

Time is a scarce resource so we have to spend it wisely. Most of us do have to put up a daily fight to try to spend their time in accordance with their priorities. Most of us rather reduce the time spent on traveling or working and increase the time spent with friends and family. Some even have the feeling they are constantly rushed and stressed in their work. It isn't a surprise that given a choice, most people would like to spend some extra time with their loved ones or take it just a bit easier at their job. In this article we present timesavers and ways of working that might help work more effectively, allowing you to get more out of your time.

Here's to having more free time in 2007 for friends, family and ourselves!

SD Times is reporting some interesting results from a recent research study conducted by Evans Data. Apparently, application development for Windows Mobile devices is sharply on the rise -

"Specifically, the study concluded that C# usage in mobile application development has surged over the last six months, partly due to the availability of Windows-based smart phones. According to Evans, 40 percent of mobile developers are now using C# somewhere in their development process.

Elsewhere in the study, Evans concluded that 30 percent of mobile application developers are using Microsoft SQL Server as their back-end database, while 20 percent use MySQL. The study was conducted this past November and encompassed 380 wireless developers."

I really don't find this all too surprising. Back in the first few months of the year, I received a large increase in the number of conversations with both enterprise and individual developers regarding the .NET Compact Framework. Time and time again, they pointed to a single event - a key decision-maker in an organization purchasing a Windows Mobile-powered Palm Treo 700w. These new owners were in many cases the same people who either didn't care or didn't believe in the power of the platform. Things certainly changed once they got their hands on a device

Here's to hoping the trend continues in 2007. I look forward to even larger turnouts at Windows Mobile developer events. 

While we are attempting to get things back to nornal, I do want to take a moment and put out the early word for the next Club Pocket PC - Boston meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our next meeting will include:

• CES 2007 Roundup. Steve Hughes will be attending the 2007 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show ("CES") in Las Vegas. Steve will provide us with some of the highlights from the show.
• Windows Vista for Mobile Users. A few months back, Steve Hughes and I covered various pieces of information regarding Microsoft Windows Vista in relation to mobile users. Well, the code has shipped and we will be days away from the official launch. What better time to cover things in greater depth? 

We look forward to seeing you there!

I promised that we would be bringing BostonPocketPC.com back up in time for our 5th anniversary (Jan. 1, 2007). Well, we are getting there. This is the first step in what will be an ongoing process. For now, though, you can update your RSS feeds via the XML button.

Stay tuned... this is just the beginning...