BostonPocketPC

Josh announced his contest at WindowsConnected.com  on how to win an HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook in Day 10 of the 31 Days of the Dragon.

Here are the rules to the contest:

Show Windows Connected Some Love!

This is an extraordinary prize package and so rather than just a random drawing we are going to make you work a little bit. Here is the deal. We are looking for you to help us promote WindowsConnected.com.  This can be in any form that you deem worthy in the physical or the digital world.  Examples, It could be a sidebar gadget, Windows theme, Sky writing over a major city, viral YouTube video, use your imagination. The more creative and extensive the better your chances of winning. 

The winner will be selected by the team here based on overall visibility, creativity, time & effort, long term value, traffic generated, and any other relevant metrics we can think of.

Deadline for entry is Noon (Pacific Standard Time) on Monday May 19th.  Winner will be announced by the end of day the same day.

The Fine Print:

1.) You are ineligible if you have already won in a previous HP HDX Give-a-way, sorry but if you have won I don't think you will mind.

2.) If you choose to do a physical promotion you will need to submit photographic proof. No vandalism and no Photoshop'd pictures please.

3.) Entries must be submitted either via email to enterthedragon@windowsconnected.com or the Contest forum.

4.) Please include contact info with your submission.

5.) Our sites bloggers are ineligible, sorry guys and gals we need to be impartial judges.

To find out the next contest tomorrow head here or over to www.geekstogo.com.

There are 6 more chances to win one of these fabulous laptops from JKontherun, here, The-Gadgeteer.com, thedigitallifestyle.com and DigitalHomeThoughts.com, Windows-now.com

Robert McLaws announced his contest at Windows-now.com on how to win an HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook in Day 10 of the 31 Days of the Dragon.

Here are the rules of the contest:

The Contest:
Here's how our contest is going to work. Lately, there have been a lot of people in the press talking about how horrible Windows Vista is. It's driving me completely mad. So I have to give this notebook away, and I want you to help fight the negative press about Vista.

So I want to see what people are doing with Windows Vista. If you want this notebook, you need to send me a video, no longer than 5 minutes, showing off the cool things you're doing with Windows Vista. Maybe you use Windows Vista to edit together your old home movies and turn them into DVDs with Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker. Maybe you use Photoshop on Windows Vista to illustrate digital comic books. I don't know. But I want to see how creative you can be, and how Vista makes your computer life better.

But I don't just want a monologue in front of your computer. Make it creative. You could do a skit. You could animate it. You could involve your whole family. You could use puppets. Whatever. Just make it funny.

Rules:

• Winner must sign an agreement stating that the laptop will not be sold for one year from date of receipt. If you plan to win it just to sell it, this contest is not for you.
• HDX winners from other sites in the promotion cannot win this contest.
• No nudity or profanity. I don't care what gender you are, it won't get you anywhere. Keep it PG, folks.

What I'm Looking For:

• Innovative Use of Windows Vista: Don't just show yourself playing Solitaire, show us something interesting or unusual.
• Presentation Creativity: I want to see something that totally blows my mind. An example would be Derek Hunter's winning entry from the AbsoluteVista.com contest. BTW, I LOVE special effects, so show me what you're got!
• Effort: It should go without saying, but the more effort you put into it, the more likely you are to win.
• Making a Difference: Special consideration will be given to people who use Vista to make the world a better place.

How To Enter:

• Subscribe to the WindowsNow channel on YouTube
• Upload your video and leave a link in the comments

To find out the next contest tomorrow head here or over to WindowsConnected.com .

There are 6 more chances to win one of these fabulous laptops from digitalmediaphile, JKontherun, here, The-Gadgeteer.com, thedigitallifestyle.com and DigitalHomeThoughts.com.

OK we had so many entries we had a tough time narrowing down all the entrants to just 5, so we have 9 finalists and even that was very,very hard to do and we stayed up way too late doing this, but it was worth it. We want to thank everyone that took the time to enter and we wish we could have given one or at least a prize to everyone that entered, but I don't think that many Dragon HDX's exist!

In the second stage of this contest the final winner of the grand prize package of the HP HDX Dragon will be decided by you! So if you got friends and family who want a chance to win some free gear and help you out winning yours, that is fine as long as there is just one vote per person. Finalists can vote for themselves or another finalist if they feel like it. So good luck to all the finalists and the voters!

All comments, votes and feedback will have to be in by 6PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US May 13th 2008. The winner(s) will then be notified by email and posted here on Boston Pocket PC with their name and winning entry on May 14th 2008.

Again those that give feedback and comment (1 per person) on who should win - (by giving the Finalist# and why they should win) by sending an email with your full name to: dragoncontest@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject "And the winner is" will be entered in a random drawing for some other prizes mentioned here. To be eligible for the random drawing you have to submit the requested information.

And here our our Nine Finalists in no particular order with a randomizer (clicking on the pictures will bring up the original images. This is one long post so be prepared to scroll):

Finalist #1

Here are a few pics of my gear bag and some of the gadgets I carry in it. It is a classic old school leather saddlebag that has a "Indiana Jones" look to it according to my kids

 

This thing is really durable and holds all my stuff when I am out and about.

Here is a list of the items I carry in it:

HP TC4200 Tablet PC

Fujitsu U810 UMPC

Samsung i760 Windows Mobile smartphone

Black Zune 80

Canon TX-1 HD Video/Digital Camera

Garmin Nuvi 200

Verizon USB727 Aircard

Cradlepoint PHS 3G router

Black and Decker Portable Power Supply/Battery Uniden BCD396T Handheld Scanner Yaesu VX7r Handheld Ham Radio Several USB retractable cables to connect my devices/charge them.

Hopefully the pictures show everything okay, I really love this setup and get a lot of compliments on it when I am running around. I can pretty much do anything with this setup, from anywhere. Cell phone, aircard for the pcs, and when those fail I have 2 way coms with my Ham radio.

Finalist #2

I would like to introduce you to my gear bag! It’s a special Windows Live Messenger laptop bag I received as a thank you from a beta program. The bag features multiple compartments for storing my laptop, mobile devices, CDs and magazines. There is even a nice side pocket for storing my umbrella. The only thing I don’t like about it, it does not include a shoulder pad and it’s very heavy to carry around, but that’s the trade off for my daily gear. As for the gears themselves, it’s quite a simple array of tools I use to function on a daily basis. These include my 2003 Dell Latitude c840 laptop, Dell Optical Mouse, ViewSonic v37 Pocket PC 2002 Premium device, Motorola E398 Cellular phone, Motorola C350 Cellular modem for connecting to the Internet if I don’t have access at work/school or on the road and my beloved Canon PowerShot A520 Digital camera (you never know when the unexpected might happen, also used to take a picture of this entry). A few DVD movies, an array of backup CD’s and some mix music CDs I made are also included. I also carry a few technology magazines for light reading. 

My gear bag and gadgets: laptop, cellular phone, pocket pc, camera, dvds, cd’s, camera, umbrella, magazines

My laptop is the centre of my work experience; e-mail, schedules and contact information in Outlook 2003, Internet, and office productivity are all stored on it. Of course, there are the occasions for multimedia whether it’s snapping a few photos at work or school, listening to music or messing around in Adobe Audition. If I don’t have much to do or simply nothing I just pop in a DVD and watch one of my favourite movies, (I have with me now Star Wars Episode II, Spiderman and Michael Jackson’s History collection of his famous videos. When I am out on the road or at lunch, I carry my View Sonic Pocket PC V37 and my Motorola E398 cell phone. These keep me in contact with friends and my schedule under control whether its finding out my next task or next class, in addition to this they help me stay in touch with classmates, co-workers, family and friends.  That’s the gear in my ‘gear’ bag.

Finalist #3

Thanks in advance for a great opportunity! Even the chance to day dream about owning this amazing piece of hardware is worth it!

Oh and that pic of that handsome bloke is me when I was on vacation! :D

My Gear consists of:

1. HP Pavilion dv6000 series laptop upgraded to include 4GB RAM and Windows Vista 64 bit!
2. Microsoft Zune 30GB hacked to include a 100Gb HDD
3. 160GB Encrypted Backup HDD which holds my Norton Ghost Backups and other important files!
4. O2 XDA Atom with custom WM6 ROM which helps me access email and keeps me connected while on the road and helps organize my day!
5. Sony PSP for the usual Gaming fix! :D
6. A USB Converter charger which charges both the Zune as well as the O2 Atom. It saves me space as I just have to carry their respective cables!
7. Panasonic Noise Isolation earphones which help immensely while traveling. Has separate converter for use on the O2 Atom as well!
8. Canon S5 IS which I used to take the pics! I love this camera because it gives me so much more control than a regular point and shoot camera. It is coupled with 4 Panasonic AA 2700mAh batteries with a Panasonic quick portable charger!
9. And finally a Samsonite laptop bag which serves as the "base station" for all my stuff. I love this bag because its got all the various compartments that I need as well as gives a lot of protection to my laptop!

Finalist #4

Here is my gear bag:

The bag is 12 inches high by 9 inches deep and 15 inches wide and was intended to hold four Plano [TM] compartment boxes. When Filled with my gear, the bag weighs is 14 pounds.

This picture shows the bag's general layout. It has two outside mesh pockets where I store photo albums, notebook, and a drogue chute. The lower compartment, accessed through a zip-open front flap, holds two Flowform kites, a frilly tail, the radio transmitter, and a Plano box containing camera cradle and small parts. The top-loading upper compartment contains the rest of the gear shown below.

Contents of the Bag

This set of components is a very workable collection for my aerial work. Having the gear in a compact set makes it easy to take the gear along and thus I am taking more aerial photographs.The bag fits in the diminutive trunk of my Volkswagen and is light enough to carry for a distance. The only addition I'd like to make is a dog stake but at this point there isn't enough room.

Contents of My Gear Bag:

1) Sutton Flowform 16 kite

2) Sutton Flowform 30 kite

3) the empty Cabela Gear Bag

4) a 9" Halo reel with 1500' of 100# kiteline. The bag also holds a second 9" Halo reel with 750' of 200# kiteline (not shown.)

5) A drogue to stabilize the Flowforms in light wind

6) A 30-foot-long 'fuzzy' tail to stabilize the Flowforms in heavier winds.

7) a notebook for keeping random notes and insightful musings

8) two photo albums holding images to show to passerby

9) a mesh bag to organize small parts

10) a climber's strap and carabiner for tying the kite off to secure objects

1) four homemade 'hangups' to attach Picavet suspension to kiteline (requires two)

12) large o-rings (muffler hangers) and sticks used to dampen vibrations on the kiteline in heavy winds

13) my current miniature Picavet suspension rig(stored in ziplock bag)

14) eight film canisters taped together to store film

- typically four rolls of 100 ASA and four rolls of 400 ASA

15) plastic Planto [TM] parts box holds lens brush, batteries, electrical tape, sewing kit,and camera cradle

16) the glove, essential for handling kiteline

17) a Davis Turbometer anemometer (with case) to measure ground level wind velocities

18) Airtronics four-channel radio transmitter

19) camera cradle with Yashica T4 camera and radio receiver(not shown) a small charger for the radio batteries - used for out-of-town trips

I hope I can win HP HDX Dragon

Finalist #5

Here is what I have in my gear bag:

 

First, I sport a Red Wegner SwissGear Maxxum Laptop backpack, it is by far the best backpack/gear bag I have ever owned.  It holds my normal gear, as well as any additional stuff I need for special projects.  Aside from a monitor, I can carry my entire mobile office in it, with room the spare, and yet it isn’t so big that it’s annoying to carry, and the extra padding makes it a cakewalk to carry across my work’s large campus.  This is very nice, since I have to hoof it a few blocks from the parking lot to the office.

The centerpiece of my gear is my Toshiba M400 Tablet PC, with Centrino Duo 1.8gHz processor, 2gb of RAM, Dual Layer DVD-R, 80gb hard drive, and a not-so-impressive 12” display that boasts resolutions up to 1024x768.  I am a major tablet pc fanatic, and love using a pen on my machine.  The one good thing about its small size is that it’s easy to lug around and write on.

My other gear includes:

· Logitech VX Nano Mouse

· 8gb iPod Touch with Griffin case, charger, and sync cable

· Motorola V3 Razr (Unlocked European Version from TigerDirect)

· 1gb Memorex Flash Drive

· 2gb SanDisk Cruzer Micro Flashdrive

· 4gb SanDisk Cruzer Micro Flashdrive

· 8gb Sandisk CF card

· External FireWire Enclosure for Seagate 120gb hard drive

· Sharp VL-Z1 MiniDV camera that I use as a webcam

· Holux Bluetooth GPS receiver

· Cheap GE headset for Skype

· Philips Earbuds with ear clips

· Philips Headphones with ear clips

· Cheap Card reader

· 2 6’ USB extension cables

· Retractable USB A/B cable

· Retractable FireWire 4pin/4pin cable

· 2 USB to Mini-USB cables

· FireWire Cable (4pin to 6pin)

· Short stereo connector cable

· Ancient PC microphone

· Belkin combination laptop lock

· Swiss+Tech Micro-Tech 6 in 1 tool

· Antistatic wristband

· Lens cleaner with microfiber rag in premium vinyl case

· Bandanna

· Assorted Pilot pens and blue Sharpies

· Spray Listerine – I recommend this to everyone, bad breath sucks!

· Advil in a travel tube

· Elmer’s Glue – don’t ask.

· Keys to my wife’s minivan

· Toshiba Portfolio for the M400 tablet, for important meetings.

· Wrist rest for Tablet PC when in Laptop Mode

· Flavor packets for 16.9oz bottles – office water is nasty, and I like to reuse bottles to save landfill space.

What’s Missing: PS2 EyeToy (my other webcam), Sierra Wireless VOQ Smartphone, Mini Maglite (my son stole it)

Finalist #6

I've annotated my picture of my gear bag and (most) of its contents.

 

Finalist #7

My gear bag is actually anything but. Not finding the style and features that I was looking for in a good gear bag, I checked some of the other bag solutions at my local Target. Eventually I settled on the weirdest gear bag I know: a diaper bag by Eddie Bauer.  In fact, I loved that bag so much that I eventually bought a second similar one that I could use for different types of gear.

As a teacher, I often need to be able to transport all of my portable gear on a regular basis.  This can make for a pretty hefty bag.  However, diaper bags are made to carry a lot of stuff (just ask your wife).  The great thing about this bag too is that it looks nothing like a diaper bag. Take a look at the pictures.  The gear list below is all of the gear that you might find in my bag on any given day.  Sometimes more, most often a little less. I interchange the bags depending on what gear I need for that day, whether it be my Infocus projector or student papers.

Gear list:

1. Laptop (Compaq Presario) with power, to be replaced with HP TC1100 Tablet PC when it arrives in the mail on Monday
2. Projector (Infocus IN24+) with power & cables
3. MP3 Player (iPod 30gb 5th Gen) with earbuds & cable
4. Port. Hard Drive (WD Passport, 60gb) with cable
5. Cell Phone (Palm Treo 700wx) with cable
6. Space Navigator
7. Webcam (either Logitech Quickcam for Notebooks Pro or Logitech Quickcam Ultra Vison SE)
8. Digital Camera (Kodak Easy Share 4.0mp)
9. SD Cards (1gb SD and 1gb MicroSD, both SanDisk)
10. USB Drives (2x 256mb and 1x 2gb, all SanDisk)
11. Wallet
12. Lesson plan books x2 (paper still works best)
13. Half notebook
14. Men's Journal magazine
15. LED book lamp bought at Costco
16. Bible (was my Mom's, has her name etched on the front)
17. West Wing DVD (for class & pleasure... I teach gov't)
18. Highlighter
19. Gel pens
20. Titanium reading glasses
21. Small clear gear bag

So that's my bag.  The small clear gear bag is actually a dirty diaper holder (never used), instead it holds all of my cords and stuff.  All of my gear fits comfortably in the green bag but most days I only have 3/4 of the gear.  I don't need the projector everyday. I don't know which one is my favorite as I love them both.

Finalist #8

Being a girl-techgeek is harder than being a guy-geek.  We are expected to adhere to certain "standards" which involve not only carrying our own gadgets and tech toys, but also the rest of the girl stuff we carry.  Then, we have to not look geeky in the process, so we can avoid the fashion police coming to take our stuff away.  Unfortunately, I still run from the fashion police...I still haven't found a gear bag that fits their definition of fashion.

Another thing about being a girl-geek is that you always end up carrying stuff for the family too.  My husband's sunglasses, or dog treats when we take the dogs out and about.  So it's a new adventure everyday!

So I carry two bags - a purse and a gear bag that changes depending on the mood and how big my lunch is.

Here's my daily gear list:

- The new HP 2133 Mini Note in its homemade slip case

- A non-digital steno pad for those times when you just don't need to fire up a tech device to take notes

- Samsung Blackjack  and its USB cord for tethering to the Mini (Because I can't get Bluetooth PAN to work on it...yet!)

- Plantronics bluetooth headset

- 1 tube Loreal lipstick that hardly ever gets used, 1 tube lip gloss that never gets used

- GPS puck for use with Telenav and the Blackjack

- miscellaneous ATM receipts, dry cleaning tickets, and other paper flotsam

- a 30GB 5G iPod

- an iTalk attachment for voice recording to the iPod

- travel tube of ibuprofen

- Bose earbuds

- a Levenger Circa notebook/agenda

- Canon Powershot A560 digital camera (not shown in the pics because it was being used)

- A paperback book (because you don't always need to read digitally)

- a yellow umbrella

- car keys

- sunglasses

- XM radio and remote (an older Delphi SkiFi model.  The DH got the sexy newer model.)

- 15 ink pens

- a portable tea tin and a few packets of Splenda (Hot Cinnamon Sunset)

- A WD 250GB hard drive (contains mostly videos - to play on the HP Mini Note)

- a collection of Coke Reward Points

Thanks for sponsoring this contest!  Good luck with all the entries you're probably getting!

Finalist#9

My Gear

I travel too much and NEED my gadgets.  Games are a must (as you will be able to tell from some of my gear) 

 

Gear bag SQUEEZED closed             Dear god its busted open!!!

So my gear bag contains the following:

The Gear Bag:  The bag is a Kensington Contour.  Not too shabby.  Normal over the shoulder bought because it’s the only bag that could hold my 9300 with the 17” screen ;)

All my gear in its glory (keep it clean)

 

Separate Gear Focus :) For fun

Devices:

1. Cingular 8525

2. PBZ (30gb Brown Zune)

3. G-Sat GPS Receiver

4. PSP  (original version)

5. Saitek Pro Gamer (a must for travel gaming)

6. Bose QC2 (just awesome for plane rides)

7. Dell Inspiron 9300 (2gb ram, 128mb ati x300, 80gb hdd, dual layer dvd burner J) ß Work laptop but games ok

8. Jabra BT800 BlueTooth Headset

9. Microsoft Sidewinder Gaming Mouse (AWESOME by the way.  Just awesome)

Storage

1. 8 gb PNY thumb drive

2. 160gb USB 2.0 external Maxtor drive

3. 1gb MVP Thumb Drive in a nice leather case

4. 2gb Memory Stick Pro Duo (for PSP stuff ;)

5. 8gb Memory Stick Pro Duo (for PSP stuff ;)

Energy Drink  - Monster Energy (always) (not shown in picture ;))

And that’s about it!  Damn I carry too much stuff. 

 

Good Luck to all of our finalists (and voters) and let the voting begin!!!!

The Boston Pocket PC 31 Days of the Dragon Contest is now closed. No more contest entries will be accepted. Starting on Sunday May 11th 2008 at 12PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US we will announce the finalists and you will have a chance to vote and be entered into a random drawing for some prizes in the second stage of our contest.

All comments, votes and feedback will have to be in by 6PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US May 13th 2008. The winner(s) will then be notified by email and posted here on Boston Pocket PC with their name and winning entry on May 14th 2008.

Again those that give feedback and comment (1 per person) on who should win and why by sending an email with your name to: dragoncontest@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject "And the winner is" will be entered in a random drawing for some other prizes listed below:

Oakley Vertical Computer bag aka gear bag that isolates bluetooth so you won't be snarfed if its on.

Gears of War for the Xbox 360 to prepare yourself as a true Mobile Warrior.

 Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini 2.5" 160GB portable hard drive for backing up all your data, keeping two computers in synch, or for bringing it all with you when you are on the go. It also supports full encryption so your data will be safe from prying eyes. Here is what it comes with:

• Portable hard drive with preloaded installation software
• Maxtor SafetyDrill™ Recovery CD
• Maxtor Backup and OneTouch Manager software applications
• USB 2.0 Y cable
• Quick start guide
• Maxtor 5-Year Limited Warranty

Stay Tuned!!!

Jason Dunn has finally announced his contest after experience a slow server move today at DigitalHomeThoughts.com. on how to win an HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook in Day 9 of the 31 Days of the Dragon.

Jason has also posted up a great unboxing and first impressions video of the HDX Dragon here and his contest involves this video.

Here are the rules of the contest:

OK, so you want to win this awesome prize bundle. I've been doing more YouTube videos lately, and as such I want to bump up our profile there. You know how YouTube works: the most popular videos and channels got there by first getting some exposure. I'd like you to help me with that! Here's all you need to do:

1. If you don't already have a YouTube account, create one (it's free and fast). If you have one already, you're golden.
2. Jump over to the YouTube page where the HDX9200 unboxing and first impressions video is posted. Watch the video, rate it, and post a comment on the YouTube page. Your comment should answer this question: "How will the Dragon rock your world?" Meaning, if you were to win the HDX9200, how would it change things for you? Would it allow you to get rid of your current computer, monitor, keyboard, and speakers? Would you come up with creative uses for a powerful workstation that could be moved - could you finally launch that mobile music recording studio business, be a wedding photographer and edit photos on the spot, or would it allow you to achieve some other goal? Or would you just revel in the sheer power of being able to play games and edit movies faster than ever before? Tell me how you'd use this powerful computer!
3. After you've posted your comment (only one comment per YouTube account), click on the yellow Subscribe button to subscribe to the Thoughts Media YouTube Channel.
4. If you want to double your chances of winning, also post your comment here on Digital Home Thoughts as a reply to this post. Please post your YouTube username as well so I can verify that you've subscribed to our YouTube channel and posted a comment there. If this is your first post to Digital Home Thoughts, please allow up to 24 hours for your post to appear.
5. I'll randomly select one person from the combined total of all the YouTube comments and the comments here. That person will win the laptop. Boom! Anyone in the world can win this laptop, thanks to the generous support of HP and Buzzcorps - it will be couriered to you.

The fine print about how I'm doing the random selection: When I do the random drawing, I'll do it from a combined total of all the YouTube subscribers and all the comments posted here on Digital Home Thoughts. Each YouTube subscriber and each comment posted here on Digital Home Thoughts will be assigned a numerical value, and I'll use random.org to pick a random number from the total. That's why if you post a comment both on YouTube, and here, you'll double your chances of winning. When I select the winner I'll be checking it against the comments, so make sure you fulfil all the contest requirements. If the person that is randomly selected hasn't followed my instructions, another winner will be chosen.
If you have questions about the contest, please don't post them here, only post your contest entries - send me a message with your questions using our contact form and I'll update this post with further details if I've forgotten anything. I hope everyone has fun with this contest!

To find out the next contest tomorrow head here or over to Windows-now.com.

There are 6 more chances to win one of these fabulous laptops from OSNN.net, digitalmediaphile, JKontherun, here,  and The-Gadgeteer.com, thedigitallifestyle.com

Ian Dixon has just announced his contest at thedigitallifestyle.com on how to win an HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook in Day 8 of the 31 Days of the Dragon.

 

Ian has also posted up a great unboxing video of the HDX Dragon here.

His contest involves the following:

To win the laptop and prize pack I have been a bit sneaky and posted the details in the forums so you will have to go an hunt down the post. Good luck!

To find out the next contest tomorrow head here or over to DigitalHomeThoughts.com.

There are 6 more chances to win one of these fabulous laptops from Ars Technica, OSNN.net, digitalmediaphile, JKontherun, here,  and The-Gadgeteer.com.

I haven't had the chance to mention things here, but I recently fired up a personal blog at Sorcinelli.net. My goal is to cover - well, anything I don't think might be of direct relevance here at BostonPocketPC.com. You may find things of a more personal nature, technology items outside the realm of Windows Mobile / Microsoft mobility technologies, .NET development (including device, desktop and web) or anything else, for that matter.

As an example of what I am talking about, I did just post up an article regarding demo, screenshots and videos involving the Device Emulator for Windows Mobile. I've been asked on a number of occasions how to "spice up" the bland emulator skin. While you could go down a path in creating custom skins for the emulator, a simpler and more powerful solution can be found in using SOTI's Pocket Controller Professional. There are a few steps to follow in order to get things running, but the results are well worth it. You can check out my complete tutorial here.

P.S. - if you are interested in Sorcinelli.net for only some of the content, be sure to check out the RSS feeds by category (on the lower-left side of the home page). You can subscribe to only what you want. I expect many to filter out my "personal side"

Julie over at The-Gadgeteer.com has posted up their contest to win an HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook in Day Seven of the 31 Days of the Dragon.

All you have to do is display The Gadgeteer's URL (use the-gadgeteer.com) in a public place where other people can see it, take a picture and email it to me. The whole idea is to help me advertise the site. Some example ideas would be to print out the-gadgeteer.com on a 10 ft long piece of paper and tape it on the outside of a building, form the letters the-gadgeteer.com in whip cream on a sidewalk, or maybe climb up the Statue of Liberty and ...

Ok, I know you're not going to be able to get that crazy with this, but please do use your imagination!!! The picture has to be real, not fabricated and the crazier the display, the better chance you will have at winning the prize pack.

Here are a couple of very simple rules that I ask you to follow:

1. Don't destroy or harm public or private property unless you have permission
2. No photoshop fake pics like the one I just posted above as an example. The image you send me can't be an existing picture where you have used photoshop to paste the words the-gadgeteer.com over the top of it
3. The picture has to be in good taste please. No public restrooms pics, etc.
4. Email me (julie@the-gadgeteer.com) your picture before 12am EST on 5/15/08
5. Winner has to be willing to send me a picture of themselves with all the prizes, that I'll post here on the site
6. Enter as many times as you like
7. Contest open to any one living anywhere in the world

All entries will be posted for everyone to see on my Flickr account. The winner will be chosen by me by no specific criteria other than it will be the entry that I like best. I will contact and post the winner at some point during the day on 5/15/08.

Also as of today you now have 6 more chances to win one of these fabulous laptops from AbsoluteVista, Ars Technica, OSNN.net, digitalmediaphile, JKontherun and here.

Well, it's about that time. Time to discuss our next New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting, that is. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 21st starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (6th floor).

There will be 2 presentations this month. They are:

• What's New in Windows Mobile 6.1. Curious to find out what the latest version of Windows Mobile has to offer for users and the enterprise? This presentation will discuss a variety of new features, functions and enhancements for Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and Professional.
• Introducing Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager ("SCMDM"). If you haven't already heard, Microsoft has released the newest member of the System Center product family. SCMDM provides device management and security for Windows Mobile devices to enterprise administrators. In this presentation, you will see and learn the benefits that SCMDM provides to administrators and developers of mobile Line of Business applications.

As always, there will be lots of great giveaways. This month's giveaway includes a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, so don't miss out! 

OK we haven't done a big giveaway contest in a while. As we posted before and linked to other sites participating in the 31 Days of The Dragon with the help from HP and BuzzCorps, we will be getting a fully decked out HP HDX Dragon laptop (with just about every option including a Blu-ray player, 1080P 20.1-inch XHD Ultra Brightview widescreen display, 500 GB HDD, Intel Extreme Processors, etc.) to give to one of our readers as part of the 31 Days of the HP Dragon Giveaway.

 

Hardware

HP HDX Dragon - $4,500 retail value

HDX System Specs

Operating system:

Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)

Processor:

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)

Display:

20.1" diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920x1200)-"True HD" 1080p res

Memory:

4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Graphics Card:

512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS

Personalization:

HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone

Networking:

Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)

Hard Drive:

500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)

Primary CD/DVD Drive:

Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

TV & Entertainment Experience:

Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers +the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer

Primary Battery:

9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Evaluation Software Certified For Windows Vista

   

Microsoft Office Professional 2007
Corel PaintShop Pro X2
Corel Painter Essentials
Corel Ulead Video Studio Plus  11.5 
Symantec Norton Internet Security 2008

Games For Windows

Viva Piñata
Microsoft Flight Sim
Microsoft Flight Sim Expansion Pack
Gears of War - $49.99 retail value

Movies

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl - Blu Ray
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest - Blu Ray
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End - Blue Ray

Total Retail Value is over $5100!

The goal of the contest is not to only give away a really cool laptop, some cool software, and cool movies, but help the online community by bringing new readers to others sites and sharing readers. So as you can guess you will have 31 chances to win one of these beautiful laptops! We will also be giving away a few other things as well. :)

Contest Rules:

So to enter our contest all you have to do is send an email to dragoncontest@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject "Contest Entry" and  tell us about your gear bag, the gear you carry in it and include a picture of it (and yourself if you like). That's it. Only one entry per person. The contest starts now May 7th 2008 and all entries must be in by Saturday May 10th 2008 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US. All entries after that will not be accepted.

Your fate will be determined in two phases of the contest by the staff at Boston Pocket PC will choose a minimum of 5 finalists and you the readers will get to give your feedback on who think should win and why starting on Sunday May 11th 2008 at 12PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US. Those that give feedback and comment (1 per person) on who should win and why by sending an email with your name to: dragoncontest@bostonpocketpc.com with the subject "And the winner is" will be entered in a random drawing for some other prizes listed below:

We also got a cool Oakley Vertical Computer bag aka gear bag that isolates bluetooth so you won't be snarfed if its on.

We have a copy of Gears of War for the Xbox 360 to prepare yourself as a true Mobile Warrior.

We also have a Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini 2.5" 160GB portable hard drive for backing up all your data, keeping two computers in synch, or for bringing it all with you when you are on the go. It also supports full encryption so your data will be safe from prying eyes. Here is what it comes with:

• Portable hard drive with preloaded installation software
• Maxtor SafetyDrill™ Recovery CD
• Maxtor Backup and OneTouch Manager software applications
• USB 2.0 Y cable
• Quick start guide
• Maxtor 5-Year Limited Warranty

Notice a theme???

All comments, votes and feedback will have to be in by 6PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US May 13th 2008. The winner(s) will then be notified by email and posted here on Boston Pocket PC with their name and winning entry on May 14th 2008.

Its all about the gear, so lets see what you got and how you use it and you may be able to add some more to yours! Good luck!