Saturday, January 09, 2010

Where to begin?



I's been so log between posts it is hard to know where to begin. I know many of you have asked me to post again, and many to put up videos. This year I will make an effort to do both and with enough enthusiasm from all of us we'll make Tablet greater than ever this year.

Currently I 'm playing with a Fujitsu T5010, a Viliv X70 and TabletKiosk Sahara NetSlate a my main devices (all depends where/what I am doing). Here is a small summary of why:

  • T5010: A 2.8GHz Core2Duo Tablet PC with dedicated Active Digitizer screen. Has a nice bright display and the feel and function of the pen is exceptional. This is the machine I use most and with Win7 Ultimate 64-bit, 4GB RAM and Office 2010 there is little I can't do. My favourite Tablet apps are still OneNote 2007 and PDF Annotator, and things like Snipping Tool and InfoPath are a locked in on my Win7 TaskBar. I added a Sierra Wireless MC8790 inside and unlocked GPS function.
  • Viliv X70: This fanless, 6hrs battery-life little monster became a favourite very rapidly in my mobile armoury. It’s ability to connect to 3G networks seamlessly (although I hate it ships with the Huawei EM770W as standard – would much prefer the Sierra Wireless MC8790 with unlocked GPS function). What I like most is the battery life. The fact that we get a true 6hr usage out of this little guy means that in airport lounges and on the road it is a real go-to device. I have installed a set of Australian maps (BETA version) on the unit to take advantage of the GPS module inside which has helped me get rid of my NavMan (I so hate single-purpose devices).
  • NetSlate: This is a discerning an understated device. It has gone under most people’s radars without reason. This 12” slate has one of the nicest  feeling Touchscreens on a Tablet PC and it has this soft and almost squidgy feeling surface on it which makes it really comfortable to hold. For night surfing in bed, or in the toilet (yes, I said it folks!) it is a joy. :-)

Of remorse this last year is the loss of OQO. While it is fairly obvious as to what happened ultimately I hate having lost such an innovative product to the mobile PC space. The sadness is shorted lives however as along comes CES 2010 and many new devices which pail everything we’ve seen so far into insignificance. I’ve been touting the Slate for so many years, as have many of my friends in the blog-o-sphere and it is really funny to see Steve Ballmer hold it up this year at the CES KeyNote as the “latest and greatest” technology to hit the world. I have owned an iTablet since it was released in 2003-ish and a TC1100 soon after. Who knows we may see both of these make a resurgence!!! LOL. It was also sad to see Raon Digital die a miserable and slow and shameless death. With little to no thanks/mention from themselves to the community I found that to be tasteless. God only knows they must have been in the poo to go that way.

Regarding my currently life…I am the proud father of two kids, i.e. Leon and Amber. They are both Tablet  loves and can often be heard asking parent’s of friends, “why is your screen broken??? Every time I put my finger on it nothing happens! And where’s the pen!?!” Tegatech Australia continues to grow thanks to the wonderful commitment of many Australian and New Zealand Resellers, and we will officially open Tegatech Europe this year too (office been open for 3 months getting infrastructure ready). I was awarded the Microsoft MVP Award for the fourth year in a row, and have enjoyed Presenting at CeBIT Australia, Teched Australia and Teched New Zealand and much more.

Moving forward, and as always, I will focus on your needs and thoughts and desires regarding what information I post. Don’t come to my blog for a long winded “latest news”, but join me for a technical chat using everyday examples and everyday terms. If it’s not fun why waste your valuable time and mine. Right!?!

Big hug to you all and look forward to hanging out once again on the Net with you!

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7 comments:

Dave said...

that is super awesome that you are back on the blog! happy new year and may it be an awesomely cool one for you and your family. Currently im on a Viliv S5 - just perfect (a real touch screen would be nice though) - whats your gripe about the huawei. I find it the easiest to use...also got a bargain toshiba r400 which is great.

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hey Dave, great to be back mate! Everyone has been exceptionally patient and I am humbled by the comments.

Regarding your comment I have a S5 too and really like it. Both the X70 and 5 are best with Win 7 through but they are very tricky to get up and running properly. What are you running (OS)?

The Huawei is a nice modem but the MC8790 offer GPS integrated into the same modem (although needs some firmware unlocking and telnet hacking in to release this feature) so it is handy in units that don't have GPS. In the Viliv the Huawei is OK but I am not a fan of the connection software, or the support Huawei offer (at last in Australia any way). Sierra Wireless has a great channel for developers and local support. Huawei doesn't; that's my biggest gripe.

Did you install the 3G in the R400? That was somehing I almost did when I had mine but neve had the tools at the time. I am sure I could ow. :-)

MiKeN said...

Wow 2 posts in 1 year lol.. Just kidding. I just got my Lenovo X200T in the mail last week with single touch. I really like it except for the lack of a trackpad. I just saw the new HP tablet and am thoroughly disappointed now as it seems really nice, better than the X200T. Hopefully it ends up being a poor tablet so I don't have to feel so bad about my purchase haha.

I was about to purchase the X70 but decided to hold off and see what CES brings and see if this "Apple tablet" poofs into existence after the 26th. I'm hoping that it exists, I really enjoy my iPhone and am hoping for the same experience with a slate. Looking for a good one in the 7" range.

Did your last OQO die on you?

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hey MikeN!

I deserve the sarcasm mate, no offence on this side. When I get to 100 pots this year, then we'll call it a come back. Till then lets treat meet like a recovering alcoholic...polite, welcoming but don't present him with distractions. LOL!

Regarding your X200T you bought I wouldn't feel too bad as its an exceptional Tablet PC. I wouldn't worry about missing the mouse pd as I hate them. They can get in the way when inkin (with the screen up) so I don't iss them at all.

The X70 is a great UMPC and it would be hard to replace it with another 7" unit at this stage, unless you don't need GPS and battery life, then the Samsung Q1-EX is nice.

The Apple machine will surely be interesting. I like that all the talk of their release has pushed PC manufacturers and given them the kick they desreve. If it is a big iPod Touch with the Processing pwer of a desktop then that would b cool. If it is something less than that then it may be a little sexy but people will be like... "so what!"

MOBILES & TACTILES said...

Hi Hugo,

You remember me..."your french copycat" ?
Happy new year for you and your family !
I am very happy to see new posts from you on your blog (it is very strange but after several months without any post like you I decided to post a new video last WE)

I am eager to see your next videos to test new tabletpc. As you wrote, 2010 will be certainly the tabletpc year

thank you for your news

regards

Mobtak

Dave said...

im using win 7 on everything - its just such a great OS - why on earth we had to suffer through vista first! i have 3g in everything now - its almost become an obsession! the toshiba has a novatel (i really truely hate them), i have a toshiba nb200 with ericsson module, the S5 with the Huawei. Where on earth do you get sierra minipcie cards? but yeah - windows 7 rocks! i tell you its weird using a tablet nowadays what with such social emphasis on touch. Anyway, we'll keep in touch. I frequent sydney now so we should catch up some time.

Dave

Unknown said...

Hello, can you please tell me, how you unlocked the GPS-feature of your T5010/MC8790? Thanks...