jkOnTheRun

Lunch at Pieros- gadgets on the way stay tuned

Will CES be spoiled by a rotten Apple?

I'm boarding my plane for CES in a few short minutes, but can't get one particular thought out of my mind. Last year, Apple completely deflated the CES balloon with the iPhone announcement at the same time as the show. Those in attendence at CES will likely attest: it was as if the Earth stopped spinning for a few minutes at CES and the show was definitely in the shadows as opposed to the forefront.

In 2008, MacWorld is a week after CES, but I still suspect a masterful PR move from Apple this week. Nope, I don't expect any new hardware announcements as those will be reserved for next week. I said it before, but want to go on record now: I think Apple will provide a killer upgrade to the iPhone this week if at all possible. We've already seen a build of the iPhone firmware 1.1.3, but I wonder if we've seen all of the features in the final version. I could be way off base here, but that's my guess... folks buzzing about new iPhone software with at least "one more thing" in it that we're not yet aware of. Full support for Microsoft Exchange perhaps? Could we see some off-the-cuff comparsion to MIDs with Apple suggesting "hey, that's nothing new... we've had a MID out for quite some time..." Thoughts?

CNET has the ultra-portables

One of the most popular categories of technology at the CES each year is the ultra-portable device category and this year was no exception. OQO announced it's Model 02 at CES and they were everywhere, the SX-Gen from Seamless Internet was all over the place, Samsung had a bunch of Q1s at a lot of the events, and newcomer Black Diamond was showing off their ruggedized UMPC, the SwitchBack.  C/NET has a short video showcasing all of these devices that is worth a look if you like little things.

CES 2007 impressions and gear review

The big show (CES 2007) has come and gone and I am back home and I have been giving a lot of thought to the gear I took to the show and how it performed in the field.  It is important to realize that this show is mammoth, the main show floor is in the convention center and is acres large.  You could take a day and a half to try and cover all of this floor but it's not all there is.  There are a lot of exhibits in the Sands Expo which is a cab ride away and then a lot of the press conferences and OEM exibits are in the Venetian Hotel and other similar locations.  There is a lot of walking of course which means you want your gear to be as light as possible but there is also a lot of cab or bus riding from one venue to another so you also want that gear to be as small as possible.  So how did my gear hold up?  Read on after the jump to find out.

Tablet Kiosk's new Sahara Slate PCs

We met over lunch with the Tablet Kiosk folks yesterday and they've got some exciting news. Availability of their new Sahara line of slate PCs is just weeks away and all of the product specs and details are on their site. Gail Levy from Tablet Kiosk explained that there are three models in the new Sahara line: the i412T, i440T and i440D; each of which weighs a tad over three pounds. Based on what Gail told us, these three models should provide something for everyone if you're looking for a new slate....

Active vs. touch: what I learned at CES

You know what I learned the most about at CES this week? It wasn't about a new UMPC, a hot new handheld nor was it about some software. What I learned the most this week was that the UMPC concept has ultimately and forever changed my computer usability preferences. Due to a minor incident with my Samsung Q1 the day before the show, I had to leave the unit behind and take my ol' Toshiba M205 Tablet PC with me. What an enlightening experience to use an active digitizer this week after eight months of touchscreen computing.

Windows Home Server: nice UMPC companion

At the Bill Gates keynote, we got first word of the new Windows Home Server that HP will first offer; more OEMs will follow. I chatted with a Microsoftie on the floor about the WHS because as much as I like the product I had a concern. The product is great when you're out and about with connectivity. What about when you're not; say you're using a UMPC on the road, don't have 3G at the moment and are far from a hotspot?

My concern was from a companion PC standpoint and synchronizing files that you took "off-line" from the WHS. Maybe you pulled down a Word doc from the WHS on your UMPC at the local Starbucks. You make file changes later in the day and when you later connect, what happens? Does the WHS resolve the changes in the files?

It turns out that the Windows Home Server won't natively keep those files in synch, based on our discussion. Then again, it's really not an issue because I figured that Vista's Sync Center features could handle this task: sure enough, I guessed right.

You'll need to set up a partnership in Vista for the files and folders you want to keep in synch, but once you do that and gain connectivity to your WHS again, Vista will keep everything up to date. The added benefit of the WHS is that you can have your remote machines completely backed up, which I find to be a huge benefit while on the road: no need to connect external drives or burn optical media backups! Remote controlling those home PCs on your network is another boon for us mobile peeps while you're connected.

Microsoft is still finalizing the Windows Home Server software (although the demos I saw looked pretty solid) and once they do that and provide it to HP, you'll see these little self-sufficient boxes for sale. The expectation I heard was the second half of 2007, but we're sure to hear details before then.

Medion UMPC: best integrated keyboard yet

James is in the air returning home and I think 90% of the show is too. Hopefully, they're not all on the same plane. Since I've got the day to myself, I meandered around a much quieter show floor and found the 1.5 pound Medion MD RIM 1000 UMPC in the wild. The device has a smaller footprint than most of the current UMPC models, partly because the screen is a slightly smaller 6.5-inches in lieu of the standard 7.

The screen slides smoothly, revealing something that I wouldn't want in my UMPC. At least that's what I thought. The keyboard is the most standard looking and feeling keyboard over anything I've seen yet, and we've seen 'em all here. The keys have a nice feel and travel; just like a standard keyboard, only much smaller of course. You'll be using your thumbs, but I have to say after using the device for about 10 minutes: you can quickly get used to the approach and start tapping out text faster than you'd think.

Navigation was also painless with both the directional pad and the small mouse touchpad at the bottom right of the device. Once again, the Origami Experience running on the Via-based machine was zippy and enjoyable.

The Medion should hit market by end of month, coinciding nicely with the Vista launch; I couldn't get many more details, but if Medion comes in at or under a grand in price, they'll likely sell a bunch of these. More pics after the jump.

The Microsoft Origami team really does listen!

It's clear by the new Origami Experience that the Microsoft team does listen to user feedback. We were floored when we got the above picture from Sears Young on the team; we just saw the new interface and sure enough he was listening to MobileTechRoundup on it! These guys have put a ton of effort in the new UI for Vista and I can't reiterate it enough: this might be the killer app on a UMPC running Vista. As much as I enjoyed the Bill Gates keynote and all of the great Vista features they demonstrated, I wish the Origami team got to demo this app at the keynote. It's as innovative as any other keynote highlights!

We got a 33% discount on the S-XGen foldy thingy

Hey, maybe everyone else will too based on the conversation we had at the S-XGen booth. We flipped, folded and even fondled the unique Windows Mobile handheld phone and then inquired on the price. We flat out asked about the rumored $1,400 price tag and were immediately told by the Seamless Internet folks that unit will be less than that. We couldn't pinpoint an exact price, but the numbers shared were in the upper $900 range.

Not sure if there's a solid market for a Win Mo phone that doesn't appear to have a mic and speaker. We might have missed those on the device, but even if we did, the booth folks indicated you need a Bluetooth headset for the phone functions. Still, the 20-GB drive and rubberized chiclet keyboard might be compelling enough for you to pick this device up; we heard that it will be available at Buy and Amazon. If we get more deets, we'll put out a quick update.

CES and Tablet PC meetup in pictures

Kevin and I had a fantastic day today between cruising the CES show floor, attending Lunch@Pieros and seeing some cool gadgets, appearing on KPRC 950 Houston talk radio with Michael Garfield, the HighTech Texan, attending the Tablet PC meetup where over 100 people converged to talk digitizers, and capping off the evening with a visit to the BlogHaus in the Bellagio where Kevin, Matt and I recorded the funniest MobileTechRoundup podcast ever. Here is a photo journal of this busy, busy day.

Origami Experience: we got a demo and it rocks!

This is going to sound odd, but I have to repeat something James said earlier tonight: "The best software I've seen at CES is the new Origami Experience app". I completely agree after Dustin and Sears from the Microsoft Origami team gave us the low-down at the Tablet PC / UMPC meetup.

Sears has the official write-up complete with screenshots to give you the visuals, so check them out here.Once I get my Q1 fixed (long story), I'll try to get a video demo up for you. While you're downloading the pics and info, let me share my basic thoughts:

1. I watched the application run on a Samsung Q1 upgraded to 1 GB of RAM and it was by far the speediest and most responsive app I've seen yet. Bear in mind this was running on Vista, which is required.
2. Dustin nailed it when he said the team tried to keep the "level" of the app very horizontal. What I mean by that is: you don't need to tap, tap, tap to drill down to the functions or info you want. For example, when looking at your digital music, every option you could want appears on the same screen, which reduces the navigation effort.
3. The slideshow options are stellar. There are numerous transitions and all are visually appealing. I could easily see many of you turn your UMPC into a true part-time digital picture frame.
4. Adding programs via customization options to the Program Launcher is a snap. It couldn't possibly easier or more user friendly.
5. Everything is geared for a quick finger tap; all of the buttons are well sized and easy to use.
6. The shortcuts to the Windows Mobility Center applet, the Windows Switcher function and the Wireless network status are very handy.

There's much more here, so until my Q1 is repaired and I can demo the Origami Experience for you, check out the great write up and pics provided by Sears. In the meantime, I'm going to struggle trying to find an area of opportunity for the new Origami Experience. So far, the Origami team has knocked my socks off with the demo I saw; I just might have to give up and say "we've got a winner here!" It's obvious that the team has listened to user feedback and matured the new Origami Experience far beyond the original Touch Pack.

Toshiba R400 and wireless dock

Wow, there's literally a radio show going on right behind me in this room; Michael Garfield is interviewing someone from Palm as I quietly blog this. Just before meeting James here at the CES Broadcast Booth, I swung by the Toshiba booth for all of three minutes to catch up with the innovative and well designed R400 Tablet PC shown above. The 12.1-inch LED backlight display is a beauty!

Live radio @ the CES

It's a small world after all: day 2

Last night we gave you a rundown on who we rubbed shoulders with; after that and during the day today we saw more great folks, many of which I've been wanting to meet in person for some time. It's amazing that in this sea of people we actually meet anyone we know, so I'll attribute it to good karma and watching "My Name is Earl".

• Jack Cook and Chris Leckness were seen at the Windows Mobile table of Digital Experience last night; always great to meet the Win Mo enthusiasts.
• I was fortunate enough to have Steven Hughes of Boston Pocket PC walk up to me at the same show. Steven is another great writer and technical resource I've "known" for two years but never got the chance to personally meet.
• Even though Evan Blass is now a Senior Editor at Engadget (way to go E!), he stopped among the little people to say hey. Evan and I worked CES together last year.
• Richard Lawler is someone I brought on board at HD Beat (now EngadgetHD) back in 2005. Being a blogger, you bring folks onto a team sight unseen, so it was a pleasure to meet another high-def addict.
• Randall Bennett and Barb Dybwad from my ol' AOL days were also at Digital Experience; these two very talented people were scouring the area with a high-end video cam; hope they didn't see me take a second crab-cake when nobody was looking!
• James noticed Dave Winer in the CES Press area where we were camped this morning so I decided to walk up to Dave and tell him the coffee was on me. Of course, the coffee is free, so Dave got the gag and graciously sat with James and I for about 20 minutes. Dave's MacBook looks like it's five years old, not the one year old that it likely is. Not a good sign when your Ethernet jack is broken! Dave's pitstop with us led to Doc Searls and Buzz Bruggeman also dropping by for a minute.

I realize that this doesn't have much to do with mobile tech, but it's a big part of the CES experience: the human experience. Each of these folks have shaped the way I blog and the reasons I blog, so I'm hoping you indulge me as I call them out. They're also covering the show from their unique perspectives, so be sure to hit their sites for a different view of the same wild show!

Biggest. Ad. Ever.

OK, maybe not the biggest ad ever, but the biggest ad I've seen here at CES so far. Microsoft is pulling out all the stops for Vista this year; as I was walking from Circus Circus to the Convention Center this morning, I saw that the Microsofties draped this gigunda Vista banner over the front face of a seven-level parking garage. Rumor has it that the ad was supposed to be on the hotel towers in the background, but folks paid extra for "sunlit rooms" and wanted the amenities they paid for. I'll bet all the cars in the garage are much cooler today.

HP Pavilion tx1000: slick, sleek and svelte

We hit up the HP booth and found this demo unit of the new HP tablet chained to a table. Of course, we had to play with it, as evidenced above. The HP Pavilion tx 1000 Tablet PC was running Windows Vista quite nicely on the bright 12-inch screen. I picked the unit up as well and found it to be a tad heavier than I expected; it felt like a 3.5 pound tablet even though it looks like it should weigh less. Then again, I flew in yesterday and my arms are still tired. When I was holding it, I did see some nicey-nice features that made up for my weak arms.

We went to the UTStarcom booth...

...and all we got was this lousy picture. Seriously, James and I hit up the UTStarcom booth early today to see some of the new phones we've been hearing about, but we came up dry. I specifically went in search of the XV6800, which I anticipate will replace my XV6700. We found a few needles in the haystack, but would you believe no XV6800? In fact, we were hard pressed to find any new phones of note; it's almost as if we saw the exact same booth last year, which is a little disappointing. You can sense the let down in the pic above: James is the one with the orange backpack just walking away from the booth.

Day 2 at the CES 2007

Technically, it’s not day 2 of the CES but day 2 of my own trip here to Las Vegas to attend the biggest consumer electronics show in the world.  I have spent the past 2 days attending the Microsoft Vista RTM Lab which has shown us just about everything you ever wanted to know about Vista.  I have never seen so many laptops running Vista in one room and these were owned by the attendees, not Microsoft!  I counted no fewer than 9 of those Ferrari laptops running Vista in the room and they are very sweet indeed.

One of the coolest things I saw up close today is the new Toshiba R400 Tablet PC.  The R400 is a super thin convertible all in white that runs Vista and has a unique hinged screen.  The most innovative thing about the R400 is the wireless port replicator that will ship later this year.  The replicator has 4 USB ports, Ethernet and a wireless DVI video out.  The R400 connects to all the peripherals plugged into the replicator wirelessly at a range of 3 to 4 feet.  I got to see this in action and it is so cool to see the R400 immediately connect to all the peripherals (including the external monitor) simply by moving into range of the replicator.  This is the way it should be.

The highlight of my day today was visiting the Microsoft Partners Pavilion before it opened to the public and seeing all the new stuff that will be announced during the CES later this week.  I saw the OQO 2, the next generation OQO running Vista and sporting a Via processor running at 1.5 GHz.  It also has integrated 3G by Sprint for mobile connectivity.  They addressed a lot of the issues plaguing the first gen OQO including that horrible squishy screen.  The new one has a nice glossy firm screen and still uses an active digitizer, which will get good use since the OQO 2 runs Vista.

I couldn’t take any pictures of anything at the Pavilion because everything was under embargo until after Bill Gates’ keynote address.  Bill dropped by the Pavilion for an interview and stopped and talked to us for about 10 minutes which was very cool.  He seems like a regular guy and it’s the first time I’ve met him up close.  I attended the keynote address tonight and Gates introduced some cool stuff, including a home server appliance for consumers with multiple PCs at home.  The home server will be produced by HP and released later this year.

Kevin attended the keynote address too and we got to visit the Digital Experience event tonight after the keynote address.  We met up with Matt Miller there and had a good time running into people we know and looking at some cool tech.  We stopped by the Fujitsu display and talked to those folks who were very nice.  They were also showing that concept UMPC with the folding keyboard and screen:

Tomorrow the show begins in earnest and Kevin and I will be getting into a lot of trouble and taking lots of photos so stay tuned…

It's a small world after all

We're seated for the Gates keynote; not sure if we'll be able to blog during this. As big as CES is (140,000 folks expected), we're already running into folks we know. This happy camper above is none other than Jeremy Toeman from LiveDigitally. He stopped by to ask what our fave moment of the show is so far; waiting to see Gates and being served a free beer while in line (Sam Adams, no less), has to be number one, but hey, the night is young.

Speaking of small worlds and who we're bumping into, we're literally seated right next to Mary Jo Foley in the keynote audience. If you don't read Mary Jo's ZDNet blog, you should!

Long day of travel but I'm at CES

I woke at 5 am (Eastern time) and hit the road 30 minutes after that. After 6.5 hours on a plane, a hairy taxi ride, quick hotel check-in and badge pickup, I finally hoofed it down the strip to the Venetian for the Bill Gates keynote that starts in 2.5 hours. I bumped into Dave Zatz and we quickly got our Press Vouchers for the keynote. I was thinking of heckling Bill to stake my claim at this year's CES, but James said he was taking my jkOTR business cards if I do, so I'll just lip-synch the heckling. ;)

No posts today so far simply because I've been on the road for hours; hopefully after a little keynoting and some dinner, I can make it up. Before I hurry up to wait in line, I thought I'd post this pic below of two truly mobile geeks. While everyone else in the Venetian is milling around, Dave and I found a cushy bench with an outlet. Does it get any better than that?

Blogging at the CES 2007 in Las Vegas

Well, I am now in Las Vegas for the CES 2007 and will be blogging about fun stuff as I run across it.  The show doesn’t start until Monday morning but I will be attending Bill Gates’ keynote address on Sunday night.  I came out early to attend a two day Vista pre-launch event for Microsoft.  I am staying at the Hotel Orleans off the strip so if anybody is out this way and think you see me walking around you probably do.  Kevin and Matt will be arriving in Vegas over the next two days so the entire MobileTechRoundup cast will be in the same place at the same time which will be cool.

I had lunch with Dennis Rice and Warner Crocker of GottaBeMobile and the conversation centered around, could you guess?  Tablet PCs and UMPCs, of course.  It’s nice to finally meet Warner in the flesh.  More to come later but if you are curious about the rooms at the Hotel Orleans here’s a photo of mine:

Jeremy's CES tips are dead on!

Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend CES as a member of the Engadget team. That trip was covered by AOL and if you want to know how Engadget provides arguably the best coverage, the secret is: hard work. This year, I'm paying out of my own pocket to attend and I'm looking for the best strategies because you simply can't go to CES without a plan. Well....you can GO without a plan, but you won't cover nearly as much ground and you'll miss important keynotes and such.

Jeremy Toeman has six years of CES experience and just provided his 10 tips that are worth reading even if you're not attending simply because it illustrates the sheer size and scope of this ginormous show. I especially like tip number 7: discriminate on swag. I can't tell you how much "stuff" I collected last year between flash drives, pens, towels and the like. I almost needed another piece of luggage!

Speaking of CES; James and I are planning our calendars for the show and I'm curious: whose booths would you list as "can't miss"? If you're unsure of who's who at CES, you can see all 2,700+ vendors here.

Tablet PC meetup is all set for the CES!

Lora Heiny of What Is New reports that the Tablet PC/ UMPC meetup is now set for those attending the CES in Las Vegas this year.  The venue is the same as last year:

Cheeseburger Las Vegas, in the Aladdin Casino Desert Passage.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
3:30PM - 6PM

I know I'll be there as the meetup last year was a lot of fun.  Hopefully Kevin and Matt Miller will be there too as all the MobileTechRoundupers will be attending the CES this year.  Maybe we can even do a little video?  Wouldn't that be a blast.

To make sure they know you're coming be sure and

RSVP to ljheiny at hotmail dot com

Leave a comment here if you are going to be there and we'll be sure and look for you.

(Thanks to Rob Bushway for the heads up.)