Wednesday, March 29, 2006

I Founda' Founder Video

Lora Heiny has published a video of a Founder UMPC in use at Mix 06. What I like about the video is that it seems people are getting better at using the circular virtual keypad that ships with Touch Pack...

Watch here!

1 comment:

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hello Meesh Jones,

Knowing that buying a Tablet PC is sometimes financially challenging I can begin to empathize with your dilemma. The bright side of this scenario is that Tablet PC, unlike any other IT purchase you’ll make, has the potential to transform your life and the manner in which you conduct yourself daily.

When it comes to purchasing a Tablet PC for someone like yourself, an avid writer, I agree that having a keyboard is of the essence. What is often left unsaid on this subject however is the double-edged-sword you’ve just created for yourself. You remember Pavlov’s Dogs don’t you? [Blow a whistle when food is presented to dogs, just as they salivate. Do this often enough and you can make a dog salivate by just blowing the whistle]. Well, the keyboard is like the whistle, and you my friend, are the dog. Like it or not, but every time a keyboard is displayed in front of you, you’ll subconsciously hack away at the keys. All well and good when that’s your only input mechanism, but what about your Tablet PC Stylus nicely embedded in the Tablet’s casing.

The conundrum is this. How do we get someone like yourself mentally stimulated enough to work efficiently, but not loose the passion for the pen? One way to achieve this commitment is to charge you a substantial premium for the ability to ink; while another is to bring awareness of the problem to you upfront. Obviously I prefer the later.

When choosing a Tablet PC I wouldn’t focus so much energy on which Vendor to purchase from, but moreover ask yourself this: “why tablet?” Map out, in your own mind, what it is that the Tablet is providing to you as a solution. Since it sounds as though you’ve considered the logic behind buying a Tablet then I must warn you of this. Learn to think in ink so that you don’t regret having paid the Tablet PC premium that exists so profoundly in the market place of today. If you teach yourself to think in ink then you’ll use the Microsoft Snipping tool to save clippings of relevant research; think in ink and you’ll change pen colors within a hand written paragraph and therefore enhance the way you learn and study; think in ink and you’ll discover just how fun it is to paint with InkArt. If you think in ink you’ll always look for a way to ink your way out of a problem, rather than rotating the screen and reverting to a more traditional notebook input mechanism – the keyboard.

Once you’ve covered all of the above then the decision is simple. Buy a device that supports Bluetooth and perhaps has a card reader encased too. Biometrics is not something that drives my dollar but it may be worth considering. Always look for an extra RAM slot and the ability to house an optical drive is a definitely a winner too. Remember that GPS, EVDO, CDMA and GPRS all require adapters; so look for PCMCIA or CF slots to allow for this expansion. Always throw as much money as you can at the CPU, and go for a screen size that carries a size-to-weight ratio most suitable to your body type.

After that, pick the one you think will look good in your car, and sitting next to you at your favorite café, and the one that will attract the most attention at your next heads of management meeting.

Have a great week, and don’t forget to think in ink!