Author: James Kendrick

The end of the week is here so time to share the past week at Mobile Tech Manor with you, my friends. It was a typical week full of gadgets, software and good e-books. I used a different computer every day this week and got a new software tool added to my utility belt that is aiding the creative process. Come on in and lets visit for a spell.

Device agnostic

I achieved a wonderful liberation when I went platform agnostic. The ability to work on either Windows or OS X opens up many options, and it’s only possible due to the software tools that I use on both platforms. I am mostly able to use the same programs on either OS, something not possible that long ago. Even when I use different apps on the two platforms to do the same task, I am able to use the same documents I create which is very cool.

Being platform agnostic has a big benefit given my work, as it means I can carry it even further by being truly device agnostic. This means I am able to use any computer and get the work done. I can also get the work done just as easily no matter the device I use, which is even more important. I don’t sacrifice anything by using a different device or OS, and that means I am just as productive no matter what.

This week I used a different computer every day, as I wanted to put several of them through a real working experience. I used the MacBook with the external monitor when at my desk in Mobile Tech Manor, but every day I also used a different notebook. The notebooks I used in no particular order: ThinkPad x200t, HP Mini 5102, Lenovo IdeaPad s10-3t, ThinkPad X100e and the Viliv S10 Blade.

These 5 notebooks are all small as notebooks go, but that’s where the similarities end. Three of them have 10-inch screens, one 11.6-inch and one a 12.1-inch screen. Four of them have touch screens, which shows how prevalent that feature is becoming in the notebook space. Three of them have Atom processors, one an AMD Neo processor and the last an Intel Core 2 Duo. One of them has an SSD while the rest spin conventional hard drives. Three of them have swivel screens permitting use as a slate, while the other two have fixed notebook screens.

Looking back on this week, I am surprised that none of these devices stands out in my mind over any other. That’s not saying that none are better than any other, just that for getting the work done they all did a good job for me. There were no hardships that plagued me while working, and that says a lot about the quality of notebooks of today. The tools I used didn’t get in the way of getting things done, and that is wonderful.

Sure the ones with the bigger screens were easier to work with for longer periods, simply because I could see more at a given time. But only two of the devices display the standard netbook resolution of 1024×600; three of them are higher resolution. Logically, the higher the resolution and thus the more on the display at once, the easier it is to get work done. But amazingly I found that it didn’t make as big a difference in usefulness as I thought it would. I found I adapted quickly to the given resolution and just concentrated on the work, not the tool.

Ink and writing

As a long time Tablet PC user, it’s no surprise that I enjoy using the pen on the screen. I don’t claim that handwriting on a tablet is more efficient than typing on the keyboard. I am a good touch typist so that’s not the case. But taking the pen to the digital paper is a big part of my writing process, at least for longer analytical pieces such as the Long Views for our research site, GigaOM Pro. I use OneNote on the Tablet PC to prepare for such articles, by outlining in ink. I find that using the pen in my hand stimulates the creative process tremendously during such preparation, and it expedites the process.

I start out with a blank page, and quickly jot down a crude outline. While I am doing this the ideas flow smoothly, much more so than trying to do this with a keyboard. I find myself solely concentrating on the creative process, which is stimulating.

Once I have a crude outline, I go to another blank page and repeat the process. This pass I am more analytical as a rule, and as the first outline is still fresh in my mind I create a more formal outline quite handily. This outline stays in front of me while writing the article, and it’s a great system for me.

Finding MobileNoter this week has been a boon for this process, as I can sync up these OneNote ink outlines to the iPhone. I keep the iPhone on the table in between the keyboard and the screen while writing, so the handwritten outline is right there for reference. The difference this simple tool has made for me is simply amazing.

Cool web choir

The coolest thing I saw on the web this week still blows my mind. Think virtual choir — a choir with members all over the world. Now think of each of these dozens of choir members singing in front of their computer with web cam recording each solo performance. Then take each video stream and magically, carefully mix them all together for a masterful choral performance.

That’s what Scott Haines and Eric Whitacre did and the resultant video is simply spectacular. If you do nothing else today watch this video all the way through. It is stunning.

American Idol sucks

I have been a fan of American Idol for years, I admit it. As a former professional musician the idea that a show like Idol can create an instant world-wide star is addictive. I can only imagine what it must be like for the contestants. I am often derided for liking the show, and I understand why many hate it.

The fact is that Idol pretty much sucks most of the time. The contestants are mostly pretty bad, the show is campy and it gets monotonous. So why does it continue to be a show that I watch religiously? Contestants like Crystal Bowersox.

Bowersox has a rare natural talent that is absolutely awesome. She is a complete musician, and while lacking the flair and glamor that the show is looking for, her performances are great. Music touches me deeply, and great music moves me. Her music moves me.

E-book of the week

This week I started a novel that kicks off what is turning out to be a good sci-fi series. It takes place during World War II, and is an interesting look at that conflict. The story centers around an alien invasion of the Earth during World War II, which is a wonderful premise for a story. Harry Turtledove has done a good job, and I raced through In the Balance. I’ve just begun the second book in the series, Tilting the Balance which picks up where the first left off. It’s a good read.

Wrap-up

That’s my week, I hope yours was as productive as mine. I love sharing the week with you in this column. While it’s largely tech focused, it gives me a platform for whatever is on my mind. I hope you enjoy it. Until next week — peace out.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How Microsoft Can Win Back the Tablet Market
• Better Battery Life Motivates Mobile Chipmakers

I have no shortage of smartphones around Mobile Tech Manor but I have to admit they are all getting long in the tooth. The rash of “superphones” getting announced right and left have my phones looking over their shoulders to see what’s coming to kick them to the curb. I can’t remember feeling such phone envy as I’m feeling now in a long time.

I listed the 5 phones that have my eye, and every one of them is a head-turner. The advances in phone processors being used now have my phones feeling downright puny. There is nothing that makes me feel good like a phone that is lightning fast when I want to do something.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit the HTC EVO has brought this phone envy to the surface. The thought of putting one of the fastest phones, if not THE fastest, on the Sprint WiMAX network is simply irresistible. The performance of the EVO must approach the equivalent of “think about it and it happens.” Imagine the feeling you get when that happens, and then imagine having that feeling all the time. It’s almost too much for a geek to bear.

Why do I have a feeling I see a superphone in my future? I’ve been in this boat before, and the longing will only get worse as time passes. I’ll go from wanting a superphone to “I gotta have one” in short order. How about you? Take the poll and share what you think about these new phones in the comments. Do you see one in your future?

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Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era

We all know there’s an app for that, no matter what “that” happens to be. That’s the party line from Apple anyway, and for the most part it’s true. Heavy users of Microsoft’s OneNote have been left out in the cold unless they also use a Windows Mobile phone, as the iPhone has been void of any good way to access OneNote workbooks. That’s no longer the case with an iPhone app that syncs OneNote notebooks on a PC to the iPhone for reference on the run. MobileNoter is a simple note-taking app that can display any note page in OneNote on the iPhone.

There are two versions of MobileNoter for the iPhone, a cloud version that syncs OneNote to a server and a Wi-Fi version that syncs to any Windows PC directly. I have been testing the Wi-Fi version and while it is a bare bones note taking app it handles my OneNote workbooks quite nicely.

MobileNoter consists of two programs, the iPhone app and the Windows app that runs as a note server. Once installed just tag which OneNote workbooks you want to have available for reference on the iPhone and off you go. Once a sync has been performed on the iPhone side, and this runs quickly over Wi-Fi, all of the OneNote workbooks and note pages are available to view. You cannot edit them on the iPhone within MobileNoter, but they are viewable.

The app does a great job presenting big OneNote pages on the small screen of the iPhone. Tables and complex notes display perfectly, and most importantly to me ink notes look fantastic. Have a look at the screen image included of an ink note in MobileNoter, and you’ll appreciate how well it presents OneNote pages. It’s important to remember that the ink note page displayed was originally a full screen (12-inch) OneNote page.

MobileNoter has basic text note taking capability on the iPhone side. These notes are called Quick Notes and they sync with OneNote back on the Windows PC. It’s a convenient way to get simple notes taken on the fly back to OneNote. The developer has indicated the next version of MobileNoter will allow capturing photos with the iPhone, along with audio recordings to sync back to OneNote. There is also an iPad version in the works, which would be very nice.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How Microsoft Can Win Back the Tablet Market
• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
• Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

E-book retailer Kobo, in a move to better compete with Amazon and Barnes and Noble, announced today both a partner program and a dedicated reader of its own. Kobo needs to extend its reach in order to maintain the sales growth required to negotiate competitive deals with book publishers, which determine what retailers can charge for new books. The move also comes just ahead of the launch of Apple’s iPad next month, which is expected to heat up the e-book space even further.

Kobo started life as Shortcovers; it changed its name last year as part of its push to shed its image as a small, independent bookseller. In addition to offering millions of e-books in its online store, Kobo also offers reader applications for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and webOS platforms, all of which handle content in the standard ePUB and PDF formats.

The company’s electronic reader is aptly named Kobo eReader. Sporting a 6-inch e-Ink display like the Nook and Kindle, along with other similar features, what Kobo’s reader offers that the others don’t is the ability to sync the reader library to a computer via Bluetooth. This inclusion is no doubt to counter the Kobo eReader’s lack of 3G connectivity the Kindle and Nook both include. The Kobo eReader is launching at an introductory price of $149.

Kobo is also starting a partner program to make its reader application available to hardware partners for inclusion on other readers. The “Powered by Kobo” program provides partners with development tools to bring branded versions of the Kobo reader app to dedicated readers, smartphones and tablets. Kobo will also provide a mobile storefront for partners to sell Kobo content.

The timing of this partner program meshes up with similar programs by chipmakers Marvell and Freescale. These companies provide reference designs for e-readers for small companies that lack the technical ability to produce the hardware from scratch. Kobo’s program will offer the software side of the equation to help get new readers from these small companies on the shelf .

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

There are smartphones and there are superphones, and the latter category is heating up to a boil. While it sometimes seems that the release of cool new phones slows down to a trickle, this year it’s becoming more of a firehose. It can be trying to keep up with the Next Big Thing in the phone world, so it makes sense to pick out the 5 best superphones to watch.

HTC EVO. It was only announced yesterday but the EVO became the top superphone to watch. Take an Android phone, put a giant (4.3-inch) display on that baby, throw 4G into the recipe and then stand back. The EVO is expected on the Sprint network “this summer” and already has enthusiasts buzzing like crazy. Sprint and HTC are adding mobile hotspot capability to the EVO, so that high-speed 4G connection can be shared over Wi-Fi with up to 8 devices. Sweet.

Nexus One. The Nexus One is already out on the market, but with Google adding a carrier a week (it seems) it is still a hot commodity. The Nexus One on Verizon is widely anticipated to be arriving soon, and many are excited about getting this great phone on the Verizon network. That will bring the number of carriers serving the Nexus One to four in the U.S., which challenges the old business model.

HTC Desire. If it seems that Android is dominating this top 5 list, it’s because it is. The Android space is white hot right now and many of the hot phones are running the OS. The Desire is a “non-Google” version of the Nexus One, with an updated form and the HTC Sense interface that is so popular. It is only in Asia and Europe initially, but you can bet some U.S. carrier will be bringing this superphone to these shores based on the popularity of the Nexus One.

HTC HD2. This phone has been out for a while, but it’s only just become available for T-Mobile customers in the U.S. The HD2 is basically an EVO without the 4G, and with Windows Mobile onboard for fans of that platform. The HD2 is the best phone I have personally evaluated, bar none.

Samsung Galaxy S. This phone was just announced and it puts Samsung’s mark on the superphone space. It has an Android backbone augmented with Samsung’s own secret sauce, “Smart Life”, which integrates a user’s online networking into the UI. The Galaxy S uses a fast processor and a big (4-inch) AMOLED screen to bring the web home.

This list is by no means complete, and not all will agree with these choices. These 5 phones do demonstrate how far the smartphone has progressed at what seems like lightning speed. All of these phones have a fast processor (1 GHz or better), lots of memory and big touchscreens. All but one of the phones is running Android, which is no doubt the hottest platform currently. Hopefully that may change when Windows Phone 7 finally hits the pavement.

Four of these superphones are made by phone giant HTC, a testament to the innovation the company is bringing to the space. It is almost scary how many great phones they produce, and all of them superphones. It is no wonder Apple is worried about them.

The Viliv S10 Blade is a thin convertible netbook that redefines the term “sleek.” You’ll know what I mean once you view the video of the little tablet. Combining a multitouch swivel screen with augmented netbook components, Viliv has produced the smallest 10-inch netbook with a full keyboard. The 2 GHz Intel Atom processor coupled with the Solid State Disk drive provides decent performance.

This video walk around the S10 Blade demonstrates all of the special features crammed in the thin form. I also demonstrate hi-res Hulu video playback — don’t miss the easy battery replacement.

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Better Battery Life Motivates Mobile Chipmakers

The buzz surrounding the belief we’ll see the Nexus One appear on Verizon today clearly demonstrates the popularity of the Android platform, and the desire to see the best Android phone on the Verizon network. I would pick up a Verizon Nexus One in a heartbeat, and I am obviously not the only one.

One of the best features of the Android platform — for me — is the tight integration with Google Voice. I have multiple phones on different carriers and Google Voice makes it all work well with one simple phone number. It’s so tightly integrated into Android that it turns any phone into a real Google Voice machine. I get quite giddy thinking about the Nexus One, Google Voice and Verizon’s rollout of Skype.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Verizon touting its Skype support alongside the Nexus One launch. It would create a tremendous amount of buzz in the smartphone space, and Verizon is getting better at that. This combination would give Verizon customers a powerful smartphone package, perhaps the best in the marketplace. The ability to use Skype for low-cost calling on the Nexus One is powerful enough, but when you throw in the possibility to use Google Voice in combination, you have a power user’s dream machine.

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Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

Today I made a visit to the doctor that restored my hearing. I never thought I would say this about a doctor’s office, but this one is one of my favorite places to visit. It would be reason enough that this place will always be remembered as the miracle hearing restoration place, but on top of that it is a medical practice that is outfitted with Tablet PCs. Tablets can serve such offices with panache, yet it is rare to see so many of the devices in such an office. After two visits and an extended conversation with the doctor running the practice, I now know why such offices are rare. They’re not needed as a rule.

There are three distinct sections to this practice, and each is using a different Tablet PC. The first section in the practice is where the audiologists use HP 2710p convertible tablets, one of my all-time favorites. They are as thin as can be, and great convertible notebooks. I assumed the practice chose them for the ability to use them in slate mode while moving all around the office, but I was wrong. The audiologists and the doctor admitted to me the 2710p is only used as a laptop, and only in the hearing test rooms. They are in essence thin and light desktop computers, so there is no need for them at all. When the medical practice was set up over three years ago, they were recommended by the consultants employed to get them going. These convertibles were over $2,000 each back then. Very expensive desktops at that.

In the second section of the practice using Tablet PCs, it’s a different story. The nurses and assistants all use HP tc4400 convertible notebooks, and they chose them for the mobility. When a patient is taken to an examination room, a nurse or assistant steps in with the tc4400 and does the prep work for the doctor. They take the vital signs, and discuss the reason for the patient’s visit. Everything is entered in real-time into the convertible, which updates the patient’s file over the wireless network. It works well, and you don’t see a paper file anywhere in the practice.

Once again, these convertibles are only used in laptop mode. This is faster due to the staff’s familiarity with the keyboard. Time is money in this busy practice and they have to spend too much time correcting interpretation errors if they use the pen in tablet mode, I was told. The laptops work well for their use, so it’s no big deal they aren’t using the pen. It is a big deal that they paid for convertibles when they don’t need them, however. Especially considering they have a dozen of them used in this way.

Lastly, the doctors themselves carry Motion slates around with them when visiting patients. Finally I thought I’d see some pen action, since there’s no keyboard on the Motion. That was not to be, as the doctor simply uses the Motion for reference. It’s handy for them as they have the entire patient file at hand (literally). It’s easy to carry around from room to room, and it’s easy for the doctor to show something to the patient when needed.

I spent some time talking to the doctor about this to understand why they have all of these tablets but never use the pen. He admitted he hates the Motion, because he has to dock it in his office if he wants to enter information (with the keyboard). The pen doesn’t work for him and he doesn’t use if for anything but a mouse pointer while walking around. I asked him if he’d looked at tablets with touchscreens, and his eyes lit up at the thought.

Geek that I am, I pulled the ThinkPad x200t out of my backpack and let him play with it. He was pumped up that he could tap things on the screen, eliminating the need to pull out the pen. He was so happy tapping things I was beginning to wonder if I’d get the ThinkPad away from him. He was equally impressed that it weighed not much more than his Motion slate, yet was a full convertible notebook too.

What he really wanted was a notebook computer that could be used as a touch tablet when desired. I explained that this ThinkPad wasn’t the only one that could do this. The new HP 2740p has a touch option too. He had no idea that such technology existed, and sadly this is not an unusual case. One of the obstacles to adoption of the Tablet PC has always been lack of knowledge about them, especially with so-called consultants like this doctor used when he set up his practice. He’s spent the past three years lamenting the big bucks spent on Tablets he didn’t need.

I believe with proper software and training, his staff could get good use out of all these tablets. But it hasn’t happened in three years, and there’s no reason to believe it will happen at all. I find it interesting that a touch tablet is really all the doctor needs to get his work done. Sometimes it’s the simple things.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How Microsoft Can Win Back the Tablet Market

I must admit I rarely miss the consultant’s lifestyle I lived for so many years. Being one’s own boss has many rewards, but dealing with bad clients was too often not one of them. WebWorkerDaily has a great article about how to deal with clients that are firmly in the problem client category. It is a great read for those who are self-employed.

I was fortunate in my past life in that most of my primary clients were big corporations. While the bureaucracy of the big company could be a trial to navigate when things needed to get done, I rarely had to worry about getting paid. These companies deal with freelance consultants a lot, and they knew how to handle them.

The smaller companies were a different matter altogether. Over the years I dealt with so many of them I got pretty good at feeling out which were going to be problems. This made it a lot easier to deal with them. Some of the warning signs that a potential client may be one of those problem children:

Insisting on “per job” pricing. In my consulting world jobs were always priced per hour. This made sense as clients were paying me for my time invested on their behalf. Occasionally I would run into a small client who insisted on paying for the entire job at a price negotiated before the project began. When I first began consulting I was desperate for work and I took in a few of these jobs. Big mistake. These clients ended up taking far more of my time than actually required, and I lost money on every one of these jobs. Reasonable clients understand that they are paying the consultant for his/her time, and should be charged accordingly.

Want to be your only client. There are some clients out there who may not insist that you only work for them, but in essence do so by their actions once work has begun. You probably know the type — they insist you always be available whenever they want you, no matter what. They don’t want to hear that you were tied up when they tried to call, they insist you stop whatever you’re doing and handle them. This basically has you working primarily for them, at the expense of your other clients. Don’t fall into this trap, make it clear from the beginning that you respond as quickly as you can, but that you handle other clients. My experience with these types shows they are often the ones who complain about your billable hours, when you charge them for each of these calls.

Inconsistent payers. You know this kind of client — every single payment to you is delayed for a poor reason (if any reason at all). You find yourself constantly asking for payment, only to be told that it must be hung up in accounting. Or sitting on someone’s desk. Or because the moon phase is not right. The fact is these clients don’t care about the hardship this creates for you. They are playing a game, and the game is to hang on to their money as long as possible.

This list of bad clients is by no means complete, but they are the types I ran into most often. It took me a while to learn how best to deal with them; I fired them. Oh, I finished up projects for which I committed, then I never worked for them again. My mental health improved immensely when I did this.

I know quite a few of you live the consultant’s life, and as I did for years you find yourself running from client to client. How do you handle your own bad clients?

The iPad will be in user’s hands in just a few weeks, and developers are scrambling to get versions of their iPhone apps ready to take advantage of the larger tablet screen. Kindle for iPhone has been a big hit for the phone crowd, and Amazon has made it clear they are hard at work on an iPad version. This new version has peeked out to show what Amazon is bringing to the table, and it looks pretty.

The new bookshelf takes advantage of the bigger iPad screen, and presents book covers in a pleasing format. The reader is receiving a face lift too, with pages turning graphically to mimic a real book experience.

Barnes & Noble is also working on an iPad version of its iPhone reader app. Like Amazon, its goal is to extend the customer experience to as many devices as possible to sell more e-books. While both companies are working on iPad versions, there is a possible fly in the ointment for actually getting them on the device. Apple would be foolish to deny the approval of competing e-book reader apps for the iPad, but that hasn’t stopped them in the past.

While third party readers were allowed on the iPhone, and there are quite a few, at the time of the approval of those apps Apple was not in the e-book selling game. With the release of the iPad and the iBookstore, that is no longer the case. Apple has a nasty habit of disapproving apps for the iPhone that compete with its core businesses, and unfortunately e-books now fit that description on the iPad. If Apple decides to reject these iPad apps we can expect a firestorm of outcries. It’s not clear if they would retroactively remove the iPhone versions of e-book reader apps, since Apple’s iBooks only runs on the iPad.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How Microsoft Can Win Back the Tablet Market
• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
• Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

Korean mobile PC maker Viliv has been churning out handheld computers right and left. The Viliv product line covers all sizes of computers, from the 5-inch slate S5 to the new 10-inch S10 Blade convertible. I just got word from Viliv that five of its mobile computers will be available at Best Buy Mobile beginning tomorrow.

Best Buy will be offering two different configurations of the S5 handheld, the X70EX slate and two configurations of the 7-inch S7 convertible netbook. I have evaluated all three of these devices and found the Viliv build quality to be quite good. If you wish to see these in action before heading to Best Buy take a look at these reviews of the devices offered:

• Comparing the Viliv S5 and X70 on video
• Mobile Tech Minutes — Using the Viliv S5 UMPC
• First Impressions of the Viliv X5 Premium UMPC
• Mobile Tech Minutes — First look at the Viliv X70 UMPC
• Further Impressions of the Viliv X70 UMPC
• Mobile Tech Minutes — Viliv MID Touch Interface
• Mobile Tech Minutes — Hands-on Video with Viliv S7 UMPC

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The mobile tech space is in the firm grip of tablet-mania, fueled no doubt by the emergence of the iPad (s aapl). There is a good reason for this, obviously a product with a thin, light slate form factor is appealing to quite a few. Having used slate devices for years, I can understand the excitement that such a gadget can invoke in consumers. My experience gained using many different tablets makes it clear to me that the slate form factor alone is not enough to make a slate successful. It’s all about the user experience.

The iPad is exciting because it takes a platform that was designed from the ground up to be used in a slate form, albeit one very small, and is intended to be totally controlled by touch. All user interaction will take place using touch on the screen, and the platform was designed for that in every way. This guarantees that working with the interface will not be frustrating, and a handheld device that is frustrating to use will be a miserable failure no matter how useful it might be for consumers.

You don’t have to take my word for it, there have been failed attempts that demonstrate what I am saying. Microsoft had good intentions with the UMPC/Origami devices, but they failed miserably in the market. You can make an argument that there were a number of reasons behind the Origami failure, but the primary failing was the miserable user experience. The Origami Project was a slate/touch interface plopped on top of the Windows desktop OS, and it didn’t go far enough to turn Windows into a good slate interface. Even enthusiasts desperate for a slate device couldn’t get behind Origami because it was too frustrating to use.

More recently we saw the same failure in the smartphone space. Windows Mobile has always been an excellent platform for handheld devices, but all versions of the OS to date were not designed for slate/touch operation. Third party shells from HTC and Spb Software went a long way in turning the Windows Mobile interface into a better slate experience, but they couldn’t go far enough due to the old school OS sitting underneath it all. Like the Origami Experience, once you went beyond the cool touch shell on top of the OS, things got frustrating really quickly.

Mobile devices like slates, that are used in the hands by the very nature of the form factor, cannot be frustrating to use. A device can be a great form and be very useful for many, but if it is frustrating to use it will fail in the marketplace. Users need slates to be pleasant to use while doing the things they want to do with them, and they will not tolerate frustration of any kind.

I have great hope that the iPad will be such a slate, given its platform. I also believe that other platforms can be leveraged on slate devices with good results. Android is a platform based on touch interaction, and slates can leverage that with good results. I also think that if Google makes a totally touch-friendly version of the Chrome OS due later this year, that we could see some awesome tablets using that platform.

I don’t have good feelings about any Windows-based tablets such as the HP Slate. I like everything I’ve seen so far about the HP Slate, but having Windows under the hood is not likely to make for a good user experience. If HP puts a good touch interface on the Slate it will be interesting, but as soon as you have to dive into the Windows underpinnings, I’m afraid it will be just like the failed Origami Experience.

Let’s hope that tablet makers are thinking about this too. I believe that the technology exists to make great slates, even by companies not in Cupertino. The slates need to have a thin and light form on the hardware side, and couple that with an interface that is totally designed to be manipulated by fingers. And above all else do not frustrate the user; even a little bit.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How Microsoft Can Win Back the Tablet Market
• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
• Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

Google this week took another step toward getting its own Android-based handset, the Nexus One, on as many U.S. carriers as possible. Originally released on the T-Mobile network, the device was added to AT&T next, and then Verizon. Sprint said this week that it will become the fourth major carrier to support the Nexus One — which should help boost the lower-than-expected sales numbers of what many feel is the best Android phone on the market.

Google Buzz is one of those services that folks either love or hate. Those in the pro-Buzz camp will love the new Google Buzz widget, which can be placed on the home screen of any Android phone, where users can post text and photos to it with a single tap. The widget also supports geolocation. Posts submitted through it are uploaded in the background, and as such do not impact performance nor usage of the phone.

And the Android OS may be coming to a TV near you! Google, Intel and Sony have entered into a partnership to create Google TV, a venture aimed at bringing social networking into the set-top TV box space. Google TV will be based on the Chrome web browser, which doesn’t currently work with Android. Launch is slated for this summer.

I have been surprised at the level of interest that has been expressed since I’ve been covering the ThinkPad X100e. This budget ultraportable has captured the attention of quite a few, due no doubt to the reputation of the ThinkPad line. The 11.6-inch high-res screen is a nice touch for an ultra-portable, and the ThinkPad attention to detail is present throughout the design.

In the video you’ll get a walk around the X100e, showing just how small and light this notebook is. I discuss my thoughts on the inclusion of an AMD Neo processor instead of a more typical Intel offering, and what my findings have been due to that design choice. You also get a look at the performance of that processor.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Better Battery Life Motivates Mobile Chipmakers

The end of another week is here so time to share my world with you. My home office, Mobile Tech Manor, was the scene of the arrival of two laptops this week. Most of my time was spent with my head down writing for the site, and I didn’t muck around with my software tools as usual. I must admit the week was not hectic without all the software tweaking. It let me focus my attention on the two new toys.

Touch and Don’t Touch

Both of the new laptops were sent by Lenovo for evaluation purposes. The two notebooks are very different and will appeal to different audiences. The IdeaPad S10-3t is the third generation of Lenovo’s netbook line, and has a swivel display with a multitouch screen. It is a nice netbook that is one of the smallest units with a 10-inch screen you will find, although the swivel screen adds a little thickness to the notebook when the lid is closed.

The S10-3t makes a good tablet in slate configuration, but the capacitive digitizer used for the multitouch precludes writing on the screen unless a special stylus is used. Inking will not be precise even with this method, so if handwriting on the screen is important you’d better look at another solution. With very few exceptions, for a notebook to have both good touch control and ink handling a dual digitizer configuration is required. That is rarely found on a device less than $1 – 2k, unfortunately.

There are no mouse buttons on the touchpad, as they are incorporated into the pad itself. This is well implemented and works surprisingly well. The lack of buttons makes it possible for the unit to be as small as possible which is a good trade-off in this case.

The other laptop that arrived in Mobile Tech Manor doesn’t have a touchscreen, but it’s unusual in its own right. The ThinkPad X100e is the first budget device in the ThinkPad line, and Lenovo has produced a good compromise in features and ThinkPad benefits for a reasonable price.

The biggest compromise taken to build this 11.6-inch ThinkPad is using an AMD Neo processor instead of the usual Intel solution. The Neo processor is more powerful than the Intel Atom processor used in netbooks, but at a cost of poorer battery life. I am getting between 4.5 and 5 hours per charge on the 6-cell battery the loaner system is using. The AMD processor runs warmer than Intel processors, but not problematically so.

The best feature of the X100e is the chiclet keyboard; it is one of the best I’ve used on an ultra-portable. The keys feel very natural and give a great typing experience without compromises.  This coupled with having both a trackstick and trackpad provide a versatile control interface. It is amazing that so much was crammed into such a small package weighing barely over 3 pounds.

iPad reservation

A lot of folks have indicated they preordered an iPad for delivery on April 3, which makes sense given the big sales numbers that are being thrown around. I didn’t preorder one, I insist on handling one first before I pull out my credit card. I did reserve one online, so on April 3 I will head to the Apple store near me and play with it. I suspect I’ll be buying one, but this way I can be sure first.

I am a fanatic about the slate form and can’t wait to try an iPad. I believe a device that is so thin and light will revolutionize the slate form. There will be compromises in the iPad due to the iPhone OS being used, but I believe the usefulness will far outweigh any shortcomings. It’s definitely a new phase in the evolution of the tablet, and I’m excited about that. I can’t wait to see the Android-based tablets that will start to appear this year, as well as the HP Slate. I love tablets, if you haven’t figured that out.

The iPad I have reserved is the 32 GB Wi-Fi model. That amount of memory is more than enough for my needs, and I don’t want the 3G capability at all. I will use my Verizon MiFi with the iPad, just as I do with other devices, so no 3G for me.

e-Book of the week

I read a novel by one of my favorite novelists, and I enjoyed it. The Thomas Berryman Number is a different type of mystery by James Patterson, that tells the tale of an assassination in the south from the viewpoint of several of the characters in the story. It bounces around the event after the fact and is a good mystery.

Wrap-up

That’s my week, I hope you enjoyed sharing it with me. Next week looks to be a busy one, so until then take care of yourself.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
• Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

I admit I have been neglecting my lonely Palm Pre the past few days. I have no shortage of phones around here and until picking it up earlier today, I haven’t been giving the Pre much thought. While I was using the Pre, my thoughts centered around the trouble that Palm is having due to low sales numbers. I also was struck once again with how good webOS is from a user’s standpoint. The interface is great, and it would be a big loss to see Palm (and webOS) go away. Then it hit me right between the eyes — wouldn’t webOS be fantastic on a 7-inch slate?

While it seems that tablet-mania has us all in its grip, the more I thought of a slate running webOS the more excited I got about it. The graphical touch interface is already outstanding, but imagine it on a 7-inch display. The multitasking of webOS would enter new ground on such a screen. It would not only be a productive environment to use, it would actually be fun. If you ask me, Palm could use a little fun these days.

I am picturing a thin slate with a 7-inch screen — even a tad bigger would be OK. The great PIM apps on webOS would be stellar if optimized for the larger display. Palm wouldn’t have to add functionality, or even change the way they utilized touch, just optimize the display. The webOS browser is already quite good; It would only be better on a larger screen.

I believe Palm could produce this slate, given its history with device design and production. It should follow the Apple model and make sure all existing webOS apps work on the tablet, and provide incentives to developers who optimize existing apps for the bigger screen. Maybe even make a deal with Amazon to get a solid app to work with Amazon MP3. There are many ways for Palm to go with this slate, almost all of them good.

Palm could produce a Wi-Fi model of the slate, but also a Sprint 3G/4G model. This would compete with the iPad, and with the Sprint data network make a bold statement. I can see Palm making a tremendous splash with such a device, no matter what happens with its phone line. Having given this a lot of thought, I can only see an upside for beleaguered Palm with this. Given the tight integration webOS already has with Google services, this tablet would give Android tablets serious competition.

The only question I have about this tablet venture for Palm is what to call the product. There’s the obvious Palm Pad, but I think they need something clever to make a splash. How about the Palm Pilot? Raise the original product name that made the company famous, and get people talking.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

How To Clean Up the Mobile OS Mess

Smartphone maker HTC has been largely silent since hit by Apple’s suit claiming patent infringement. The company is not satisfied with being silent any longer and sent over a statement addressing its position. Basically they want to remind everyone that when it comes to smartphones with color touchscreens, HTC was first. The statement doesn’t address the Apple suit specifically, but it is seems HTC is preparing to embark on a course calling into question the validity of Apple’s patents. That would be the logical assumption of the “we were first” path.

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA.

The O2 XDA by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the world in 2002, and the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the United States in 2002. [sic] Our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

HTC has a point about having an “iPhone-like” smartphone long before the iPhone shipped, but it may very well come down to proving the Windows Mobile phones of yesteryear are similar to Apple’s phone. Most folks familiar with the HTC/Apple situation believe that Apple is really going after Android, as HTC is the largest maker of Android phones in addition to Windows Mobile. This whole situation is not clear, and lots of eyes will be watching it unfold.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

It is no secret I love infographics, those charts that tell an entire story using pictures. So much information can be conveyed using the right combination of charts and figures. GigaOM has published another great infographic that tells the story of the smartphone market at a glance.

The major takeaways from the graphic:

Symbian — we often overlook Symbian in the U.S. but it is still the 800-pound gorilla in the smartphone space. Even though global market share has dropped over the past 3 years, if Nokia ever figures out how to seriously enter the market here, many players have good reasons to be concerned.

Research In Motion and iPhone– the growth of both the BlackBerry and iPhone over the past 3 years has been outstanding.

Windows Mobile– the platform from Microsoft has continued its downhill spiral. Windows Phone 7 series is hoped to end the skid, but recent revelations concerning what will be missing from the next version aren’t likely to help.

Android — Google’s smartphone platform is growing at a tremendous rate, but it’s still a drop in a very big bucket.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

In just a couple of weeks the iPads will start appearing in owner’s hands, ready to take on the world. Maybe take on the web, as that is one of the tasks the iPad is well suited to perform. I have been using tablets to surf the web for years, and I can state with confidence that iPad owners are going to thoroughly enjoy going online with the slate. I have also been testing quite a few slates and convertible netbooks, and based on that experience I believe the iPad will be a better web appliance. In fact, I find there are 168 ways the iPad will be better at surfing the web than convertible netbooks.

Don’t worry, you’re not going to wade through 168 ways in this post. Convertible netbooks have one feature in common, the touchscreen that swivels into a slate tablet configuration. Surfing the web in slate mode with the web page displayed in portrait orientation is what compares most directly with the iPad. These netbooks invariably have a screen resolution of 1024×600, while the iPad displays a slightly larger 1024×768. That means the iPad displays 168 pixels of extra page width in portrait orientation. That’s the 168 ways the iPad will be a better web appliance than convertible netbooks (like the IdeaPad S10-3t) that are getting popular.

The extra width doesn’t sound like much, as it is hard to visualize how much additional information can be conveyed in 168 pixels. The best way to demonstrate these 168 pixels of extra web page information is to show you.

Note that the 768 page widths were simulated on a tablet that is actually 800 pixels wide. The Windows scroll bars were set to 32 pixels wide to achieve the 768 pixel width. It is easy to see how much more of any web page is displayed with the slightly wider screen resolution of the iPad over that of the convertible netbook.

Another factor that will play a role in web surfing on the iPad is the mobile browser interface. Mobile Safari has been designed from the ground up to be run on a touch tablet with no wasted screen real estate. Videos of the iPad surfing the web show the optimizations that were first put in place on the iPhone have been carried over to the iPad. Pages display on the whole screen, without big browser controls at the top of the screen or big scroll bars on the edges. The browser has been designed to be run totally by touch on the screen, and this is a tremendous advantage over Windows-based slates.

So the iPad has the advantage of better screen resolution and a web browser designed for a slate device run by touch. There’s another advantage the iPad enjoys over convertible netbooks, and that is form factor. The iPad weighs only half what convertible tablets weigh, and since we’re discussing handheld web browsing, this is a tremendous advantage. Tablets that weigh over 3 pounds can get tiring to hold for very long.

Obviously, none of us has an iPad in hand to prove my theory. I do like Windows tablets, but web browsing is not as fluid as I believe it will be on the iPad. Plus it’s easy to see how much value is added by those 168 pixels. I predict that many new iPad owners will see right away what I’m saying, and wonder what took someone so long to produce a tablet like this.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
• Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad