LS800 Tablet PC

I could live with the 512mb ram limit for portable purposes (although I bet it’ll take 1 gb chip with expected heat / reboot issues), but I couldn’t live without the pc card slot. Address the pc card slot issue and I think I’ll bite – later next year :-). I’ll wait to see what the next LS800 series looks like.

Layout Manager with TEO 3.0

I was talking to Josh and he pointed me to his blog where he talks about his new Layout Manager in TEO 3.0. I love seeing a developer address usability issues for different resolution types. More websites, especially those that deal with tablet pc’s, should do the same. Great to see him designing for the 1400 x 1050 all the way down to the 800 x 600. From Josh:

Made a ton of progress last night (thanks, Stacker 2) but I’m still having some trouble with DynamicRenderer.Refresh(). It’s just an annoying visual glitch right now. But anyway, the new window management is completed and working and TEO forms are loading much faster in 3.0. I had to scrap the standard XP-themed tab control (again) because it does not paint quickly when using transparent controls. Since there’s alot of tab switching going on, there’s alot of paint operations. So I’m back with SandDock again.
All of you who have asked for larger input areas will get your wish! But those of you with ultra portables, don’t worry there is a special layout manager for smaller screens that will optimize the UI for your display.

My thoughts on the LE1600 Convertible keyboard

Overall, I’ll say that I’m pleased with the LE1600 Convertible Keyboard. I’ll summarize my thoughts as a series of bullet points, rather than a very long post.

Likes:

• It props up the tablet and allows for a wide range of angle placement, much like a regular laptop.
• No messy cables
• The keyboard is much better and types like a regular notebook. The keyboard keeps up really well with my typing and I don’t feel like I have to “pound” the keys to get them to work, like the hardtop keyboard does.
• I’ve used it as my primary keyboard for the past two days. Although, I plan on hooking up my natural keyboard for normal use, I could use this keyboard all day if I had to.
• It has a USB, power, and accessory port.

Dislikes:

• I’m also using the extended battery with my tablet pc. The convertible keyboard will not attach to the back of the tablet when the extended battery is being used. That is a very bad move. It removes the ability to use the tablet as a slate and still keep the keyboard attached “just in case” you need it.  When I went to a client site yesterday, I left the keyboard in the car because I knew I would be writing notes, but I really wanted it “just in case”
• To use the accessory cable ( cd / dvd for example), you have to remove the accessory port cover – a piece that is very easy to lose, and one I would rather not put back on. But you really need it on there because without it, there is a gaping hole on the side of the keyboard
• To use the keyboard, you have to remove the docking connector cover – another piece that is very easy to lose.
• When I move the keyboard back and forth, I hear a very loud “pop” as the hinge moves. I’m calling tech support about this issue.
• My eraser head lost about half of its’ sticky grip after the first day of use – under normal use
• I’ve not determined whether I’m truly losing an hour of battery after using the keyboard – it could be due to some calibrating settings on the battery monitor. There is a thread on Tablet PC Buzz about that.

Overall Impression:

I’m pleased enough with the keyboard that the Likes outweigh the Dislikes. It has made my purchase of the LE1600 worth it. The most glaring disappointment for me is the fact that I can’t attach the keyboard to the back of the tablet when using the extended battery – for the most mobile users who need the keyboard and the extended battery, the usage scenario would dictate that it should be able to attach to the back of the tablet.

IE7 nukes Google, Yahoo! search? Not!

IE7 nukes Google, Yahoo! search The Register

Give me a break. Its’ beta 1 for goodness sakes. Doesn’t the Register have anything better to report on rather than rumor spreading and mere speculation.

Update: Scoble has a good post with Microsoft’s reply. As usual, had Andrew done his footwork on this and actually called the development team, he would have learned otherwise.

Update: The

Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Taking A Stand With Tablet PCs

Warner has a great post going on stands and Tablet PCs. Slates, in my opinion, desperatly need some type of folding stand that can be used as a prop.

The Tablet PC is/is not doing just fine – Engadget – www.engadget.com

The Tablet PC is/is not doing just fine – Engadget – www.engadget.com

From Engadgety, a good look at those two conflicting stories from TechWeb on the same InStat study. The two conflicting screen shots are pretty funny.

Gotta love how TechWeb can publish two stories about the Tablet PC with completely conflicting headlines within hours of each other. Better still, both have the same source, namely a research firm called In-Stat.

The Mindjet Blog � Managing Your �To Do List� with MindManager

The Mindjet Blog » Managing Your “To Do List” with MindManager

From the MindJet Blog:

One of the many daily uses of MindManager I would recommend everyone should consider is the management of your “To Do List”. It can be done both at the individual and at the team levels and really keep things organized.

IEBlog : Windows Vista & IE7 Beta 1 Available

Got an MSDN subscription and want to test the IE 7 beta…check out the IE Blog:

IEBlog : Windows Vista & IE7 Beta 1 Available

battery life with the convertible keyboard

I’ve been getting about 5.5 to 5.75 hours of use with my extended battery (wireless on). When I’ve used my convetible keyboard the past two days, I’ve noticed it dropping to about 4.5 hours (with wireless on).  I expected a drop in battery life, but I didn’t expect that much of a drop.

Considering that I was only getting about 2.5 hours with my standard battery, 1.5 hours would be really bad.

I’d highly recommend that everyone purchase the extended battery with their le1600. I used to take my ac adapter with me when I went off site – I haven’t carried it with me once since getting the extended battery. It adds about a pound of weight to the tablet ( a noticeable increase), but the benefit more than outweighs the cost (pun intended).

Motion’s Tech support is great

I’ve been working with Chad and John with Motion’s Tech Support regarding my rub marks on my tablet caused by the bump case. I sent them some high res pictures, and they decided to send me a replacement bump case.

With every instance I’ve had with their support, they’ve always gone the lengths to satisfy the customer.