BostonPocketPC

The Tablet PC & UMPC Community Gathering @ CES 2008 put together by Lora Heiny was again another big success! Food and Drinks were supplied by Microsoft, JKOnTheRun, and TabletLawyer. The sponsorship didn't end there. Several Tablet PCs and other give away's were also handed out and several were handed back to the delight of the gathered crowd. People were coming and going through out the event. I did manage to get a quick head count of 86 people during the sit down eating portion of the event. So it was the a nice comfortable size. Biggest complaint of the night was that not everyone got to talk to each other and there wasn't enough time to mingle.

Warren Crocker served as MC for the event. His loud voice soon got everyone's attention and got the word out when needed. We can see that his Life on a Wicked Stage in the theatre has other great uses as well. :)

Conversation and comradery were never short through out the whole event. Old friends and new had much to talk about, well Tablet PCs an their smaller cousins UMPCs of course.

Warren Crocker showing off some of the prizes to be had in the drawing. That is Daniel Gentleman aka Thoughtfix of TabletBlog in the lower right hand corner of several of these shots. He did CES on all Linux based equipment and seemed to be everywhere we were.

Throughout the event the crowd grew and grew and swelled at over 80.

Alot of prizes and Tablet PCs were out on display for people to play and ogle at.

Warren Crocker thinks deeply about Tablet PCs and continues his conversation with Matt Miller.

Otto Berkes, general manager of the Mobile Platforms Division aka Origami at Microsoft Corp. even showed up to talk about UMPCs. It had been a while since we first met.

Mike Temporale of SmartphoneThoughts receiving a demo of the Nokia Tablet the Nokia N810 from Jussi Makinen, the Product Markeing Manager of Convergence Products for Nokia.

There was a lot of talk about the new Tablet PCs that were brought for demo and giveaway.

Warren Crocker from GottaBeMobile welcoming people to the meetup and James Kendrick making sure Eric and Betsy get their drink orders in.

Eric Hicks of BPPC and Betsy Weber of TechSmith sharing some smiles with Eric praising SnagIt and Camtasia Studio and Betsy telling him about all the new features in Camtasia Studio 5.

In the middle of the dinner James Kendrick said a few words about our good friend, Marc Orchant. A toast of warm thoughts was shared as well thoughts and stories of how Marc had touched each of us. If you knew Marc this was something he would have wanted to be here with other influencers and enthusiasts of Tablet PCs and he was!

Kristin Golliher from Otterbox made sure each us got a card in for the drawing however, most of us pulled our cards or got our cards removed for us after winning to let others get the coveted prizes.

Since the open free WiFi access point wasn't working Johan and Eric turned on their Windows Mobile devices and shared their fast connections with the gathered crowd using WMWiFiRouter.

The NoahPad UMPC was a huge hit. Being hung on a coat hanger to show its rigidity and hands free usage when you are doing something else. Also demoed was the blind typing of the inverted QWERTY keyboard simply amazing! The 7" screen also is capable of displaying a 10" screen virtually.

We had several Tablet PCs at our table, many demos were being done.

Somehow orders were placed. Matt Miller and Chris Aarons of BuzzCorps chatting it up.

While items were being shown for giveaway Fujitsu on the fly offered up a U810 with any configuration the winner desires as Rob Bushway and Lora Heiny look on in appreciation. Johan even got into the spirit and gave away a ProClip mount to an owner of an OQO.

After eating there was a gathering for the giveaways.

Tablet Kiosk gives away a few things.

James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel of JKOnTheRun look on as some items are given back for giveaway. Kevin was able to keep his copy of Camtasia Pro from Betsy Weber and TechSmith given in the picture below left with another winner.

Stacy Wolff of HP showing off the TX2000 and limited edition bag. The first winner of the HP TX2000 had to return it since he was a Motion Computing employee! Well he wanted to "regift it", but was told to give it back. :)

Otto Berkes and Sierra Modro look on with hopes of coming away with some new hardware and accessories.

Some lucky Otterbox winners.

Joan Heiny (picture on the left) won a Motion Computing Tablet PC last year and waited until Dec 28th, 2007 to select her Motion LE1700 with View Anywhere display. The current winner(picture on the right) a Medical student was eyeing the Motion C5, but may do the same and hold out until the end of 2008 he told Eric.

Some very durable Tablet PCs were also demonstrated and dropped on the floor several times by Matt Miller (which seemed to be a popular name at this event) of Mobile Demand

After the drawings people stood hung out for a few hours after. A good time was had by all proof showing that community gatherings of this type do work! Thanks to all those that put this together and for everyone for showing up.

Well the folks at OQO seem to time their announcements with CES and other events. This lies partly with partnerships as well as the new modular design of the OQO Model 2. The news announced at CES 2008 is that they have added WiMax aka 4G and a 64GB SSD drive to their line up (a 32GB SSD option is also available). Those opting for the upgrade also get a free $200 upgrade of their sunlight optimized display. A base unit will start at $1499 and the top of the line fully loaded unit will go for $2,349.

Sprint had given a technology demonstration of the model 02 computer with integrated 802.16e Mobile WiMAX high-speed wireless data capability at the Sprint Xohm™ booth. The demonstration was the first trial of Xohm compatible WiMAX capabilities embedded in an ultra mobile PC, and showcased the power of anytime/anywhere access to information, applications, corporate networks and the full PC Internet experience. Typical performance on Xohm’s WiMAX network was given at 1.5 Megabits per second on the uplink and around 2-4 Megabits per second on the downlink all depending on tower capacity and proximity. These speeds are 3-5 times faster than any current available mobile wireless service. Sprint said that within the next 12-24 months, Mobile WiMAX deployment will be available in metropolitan areas nationwide and become the true next-generation mobile broadband network. Xohm technology is not only aimed at computers and cell phones, but also at digital cameras, camcorders, GPS units, and other CE devices. The cool thing they said was that you have many options to pay either by the day or the month, which is great for infrequent travelers and there are no binding contracts or cancellation fees. The also made it very easy to activate and reactivate for the average user. I think this is great finally someone who gets how to bill for data.

The OQO model 02 is currently available with 3G wireless networking capability including EV-DO Rev. A in the U.S. and HSDPA internationally. Many People have complained about their processing power, but the units at CES were pretty snappy running Vista and Office 2007 applications. We are slated for a review unit so we will let you know more when we can use and live with it a bit longer. However when dealing with PCs running Vista memory is a bigger issue than processing power. Hopefully in the future there will be an affordable 2GB version as well. For now here are the specs:

processor

• 1.6GHz VIA C7M ULV (also available with 1.5GHz and 1.2GHz)
• embedded AES hardware encryption

operating system

• Windows Vista® Ultimate
• Windows Vista® Business
• Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
• Windows® XP Professional
• Windows® XP Home

graphics

• chipset: VIA VX700 with integrated GPU
• video RAM: dynamically allocated shared video memory

storage drive

• HDD capacity: up to 120GB (60GB, 40GB also available)
• HDD protection: shock-mounted, drop detect technology
• also available with 64GB or 32GB solid state drive (SSD)

memory

• installed: 1GB (512MB also available)
• type: DDR2 SDRAM
• speed: 533 MHz

input

• backlit thumb keyboard:
  • 58 keys total: 4 SmartLock™ keys, 18 function keys, & number pad
  • dedicated mouse and zoom buttons
• track stick pointing device
• scrollers: horizontal and vertical capacitive TouchScrollers™
• digital pen: included with Windows® Tablet PC Edition, available as accessory for all SKUs

ports

• audio jack: 3.5mm x 1 line out/line in
• video out: HDMI, VGA/Ethernet adapter (included), HDMI-DVI adapter available
• 1 docking/power connector
• 1 USB 2.0 compliant port

audio

• AC97 sound system compatible
• HD audio support
• internal speaker and microphone

battery

• type: removable lithium-ion polymer battery
• capacity: 4500mAh (standard), 9000mAh (double capacity)
• built-in fuel gauge
• estimated life: up to 3 hours (standard), 6 hours (double

display

• size: 5"
• native resolution: 800x480
• zoom: 1000x600 and 1200x720 interpolated modes
• screen technology: Wide VGA LCD with active digitizer
• optional Sunlight Optimized display for bright light environments
• controls: ambient light sensor, adjustable brightness
• external display support:
  • VGA, HDMI, & DVI monitors up to 1920x1200 resolution
  • DisplaySense™ for detection and recall of external display settings
  • simultaneous dual display in mirrored or extended desktop mode

wireless & networking

• Mobile broadband (optional): Integrated EV-DO Rev. A modem
• Wireless LAN: Atheros tri-mode 802.11a/b/g with diversity
• Bluetooth technology: Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• Ethernet protocol: VGA/Ethernet adapter (included)

security

• asset protection: universal security slot
• security engine: VIA Padlock™ hardware AES encryption engine
• trusted platform module: Atmel TPM v1.2

dimensions

• chassis: rugged magnesium alloy
• size: 5.6"(W) x 3.3"(H) x 1.0"(D)
• weight: 1.0 lb with standard battery (weight may vary based on hardware configuration)

service and warranty

• warranty: 1 year limited warranty
• upgrades: 2 and 3 year extended express, 2 and 3 year system care express including accidental damage coverage
• telephone support: toll-free technical assistance
• online and email support: online knowledge base and support available

included accessories

• standard lithium-ion polymer battery
• universal power supply
• replaceable screen protector
• VGA/Ethernet adapter
• spare track stick cap
• digital pen & carrying case (Tablet PC Edition only)

Effective February 1, 2008, the 8GB Zune Digital Media Player gets a $20 Price Drop. Now customers can get all the great features of the 8GB Zune for just $179.99! But, for just $30 more than the 4GB Zune, you can double your music or video content. Now hopefully we will see a price drop across all the players. :)

The 8GB and 4GB Zune devices both come in four colors - Black, Red, Pink and Green.

There are no noticeable difference in terms of physical size or exterior features between the units except double the memory here is a quick comparison.

The main difference is song and video capacity, where storage is doubled. But, notice that pictures aren't doubled. Why isn't that double too? Well. the picture storage capacity is actually a software setting and that is capped at 25,000 pictures. In fact, even the 80GB Zune has a picture capacity of 25,000. However that capacity should be ample room for almost everyone, even proud grandparents.

The coolest use I have heard for one of the flash-units was that a listing/selling real estate agent would leave one in a keybox for a house to be shown and it had a video/audio walkthrough of the property for the showing agent. I am sure there are other cool ways people have used these beyond music and video entertainment.

Ah yes the Zunes were out in a big portion of the Microsoft booth since their launch of pretty new colors and 4GB/8GB flash-based players and larger Zune 80GB model were launched back in November. Zune was back on the scene at CES again sporting their new versions as well as their customized Zunes via Zune Originals. Complete with their graphical lithographs on the wall in gallery lighting with the corresponding Zunes in product light boxes.

They were more impressive in person than online and I wish more people had some way of experiencing them. I really like how they framed each of the prints and they would be a nice addition to any home.

See the detail of the engraving gets one stoked and makes people wonder why they don't offer some of their best selling designs at retail outlets as well. I guess those in the know can get the exclusive designs and personalization, hoping for viral growth.

They also had a ton of their accessories on display as well.

Like the updated speaker dock from Altec Lansing the inMotion iM414, which retails for $99 and updated clock radio from iHome.

It was hard to get a chance to look at the 80GB models(all retail stores I have been to since the release in November have not had them on display to "play" with as they did with the 30GB Zunes-granted those were encased in chunk of plastic that added to its bulk) they were crowded throughout the show. We finally got to get up close to them as soon as the show floor doors opened on Wednesday with only about a 5 minute wait. This was our first time using the touch interface and I was impressed. I will probably order one via Zune Originals and probably not one of the Valentine's Day ones however the red 80GB does look pretty nice.

At CES this year Sling Media made an announcement that they were going to ship the SlingCatcher that was announced at last year's CES 2007. The SlingCatcher is a standalone device that receives video content for display on a television in your house. Video can be received in a variety of ways: The SlingPlayer for TV feature allows the SlingCatcher to display local or remote Slingbox content on a television so it kind of works like an extender and doesn't need a dedicated PC to watch it on your television.

As you can see from the pictures it is a pretty small device akin to the first Slingbox, but with more connection options and video out as opposed to video in. Yes you are looking at Digital audio, typical 3 component connections, composite and (what is that?) a true HDMI connection on the back along with 2 USB ports and Ethernet.

The SlingSync feature allows a variety of video file formats including popular HD content to be synchronized from the PC to a USB storage device (hard drive or thumb drive) attached to the SlingCatcher for television playback. SlingProjector streams any video content displayed on a PC to a television, such as content from popular online video sites lke YouTube, Revver, Blip.TV and Soapbox. The SlingCatcher also comes with an IR remote for pasting your self to your couch and indulging in a true television experience from the comfort of your backside. The folks at Sling told us SlingCatcher will be available in Q2 for $249.99. In Q2 the will also be introducing for $49.99 the SlingLink Wireless which is an optional 802.11g USB adapter designed for use with the SlingCatcher. They had demonstrated the SlingCatcher publicly for the first time at their booth in the Sands Convention Center.

Brian Jacquet told me they will also be having a new version of SlingPlayer 2.0 for PC which will also include the  "Clip+Sling" functionality, allowing Slingbox customers to "grab" clips of their favorite television moments and instantly share them online. Additionally, SlingPlayer 2.0 also adds a new feature that many users have requested(however I have a feeling Dave Zatz had a lot of influence on this!) an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) that displays a customer's television channel lineup and programming based on zipcode and provider information. And something that was desired from the beginning of the creation of SlingPlayer is addition of a 60-minute video buffer that allows local
pause, rewind, and fast forward transport controls so if you are just using the built-in tuner you will now have PVR functionality on your PC. SlingPlayer 2.0 will be available in Q1 (so check your SlingPlayer for updates) at no cost to Slingbox owners. Yes free!!

Dave Zatz also gave a demonstration of SlingPlayer 2.0 to the folks at Sling Community the video is definitely worth checking out here.

Sling also announced they will be working with OEMs to create a SlingModem, which provides a cable customer with both a broadband connection as well as the place-shifting functionality made famous by the Slingbox all in one simple to install package with no router configuring needed. The above picture is not a final product, but a mockup still it looks pretty nice!

EchoStar and Sling Media will also sell for $39.99, a digital-to-analog converter allows analog TVs to receive digital over-the-air broadcasts and comes with an onscreen setup wizard for easy installation called the TR-40 which will operate strictly over-the-air,  Other features include up to a seven-day electronic programming guide (EPG), program search, parental locks and VCR auto-tune timers. The box can also be purchased via the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program.  The program provides U.S. households with up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes, which includes the TR-40. I have some old CRT televisions and may retrofit them with one of these when they become available.

Other big news that hit the wire fairly quickly was support for RIM Blackberry in SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry later this year, which was demonstrated at CES on a BlackBerry Pearl™ 8120 via WiFi and Cellular connectivity.

For all those people with new HD televisions they announced the next generation Slingbox PRO-HD, that is capable of streaming HD content from a home television source, including over the air HD digital signals, HDTV cable or satellite receivers, or HD DVR’s, to a laptop or desktop computer in and around the house. Geared to be paired with Sling Media’s SlingCatcher, the Slingbox PRO-HD will transmit the HD signal to another TV in the house. Also for customers who have a high speed broadband connection with upload speeds of 1.5 – 2 Mbps or higher can even stream their content in HD outside the home to the office, to a hotel room or even to a remote TV when using SlingCatcher. What had me stoked was that the Slingbox PRO-HD supports some pretty impressive and new hardware like a ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner, S-video, composite video, component video and either analog or multi-channel connection, and 5.1 surround digital audio. The Slingbox PRO-HD will be available for purchase in Q3 2008 for a suggested retail price of $399.99.

What I was told at the booth was that the connector on the back is like the previous high-end model the Slingbox PRO with the HD connector being provided by an HDMI connector, but really isn't due to the added costs. Rather it supports a convertor cable to add the ability via the HD Connect Cable from the previous PRO model. Who knows when it finally comes out I am hoping it supports true HDMI like the SlingCatcher for one cable connectivity. Each year at CES SlingMedia seems to innovate and not disappoint, I can't wait...

I must admit that on my list of "Mobile Device Resources", the "How Do I" videos section of MSDN has always been a bit of a ways down. Imagine my surprise when recently visiting this site and discovering that the list of videos is now at 43!

With the availability of these videos across multiple formats and an RSS feed, this resource has now become a "top-of-the-list" recommendation for both new and experienced developers. I highly recommend taking the time to visit this site today!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, February 20th starting at 6:30 PM. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

The featured presentation this month will focus on .NET Compact Framework development in "What's New For Windows Mobile Developers with Visual Studio 2008". I will cover .NET Compact Framework 3.5 enhancements and changes within the Visual Studio IDE.

As usual, we have lots of great giveaways to raffle to attendees!

See you there!

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.