While you slept I hunted down Toshibas UMPC your turn now!

While you were sleeping, Australia was still awake. Knowing that I was nearing Toshiba Utopia (UMPC), infamous bloggers like James Kendrick and Rob Bushway did some investigating of their own. It was mostly Rob that could not let this little Aussie Blogger get away with the UMPC scoop of the blogging era. Even though JK thought I should "get a life," I thought to myself "tonights not the night mate, tonights not the night!" LOL :-)

Barely 48 hours had passed since I sniffed out a Toshiba UMPC and the blogosphere was ablaze. Most of our readers were not nearly as concerned with the significance of such news, but the inside crew made up of Warner Crocker, James Kendrick, the Uberly passionate Rob Bushway and I, were!

So what did I get up to today?

Today I rang Dan Warne, Journalist of APC Magazine Australia, and decided to get more info. Due to copyright protection neither Rob or I were granted permission to publish the article that sparked this riot. Here’s what I did found out:

[The following is a reenactment of the conversation – omissions are the small chit chat]

Hugo Ortega: “Hey Dan, tell me about Toshiba’s UMPC”
Dan Warne: “I know as much as you do.”
Hugo Ortega: “You conducted an interview with Toshiba Australia’s Product Marketing Manager, Matt Codrington, in regards to a new concept device. When was that interview conducted?”
Dan Warne: “Let me check my diary…on the 26th of January”
Hugo Ortega: “That explains all the veiled talk of Origami while other OEM’s are now touting UMPC. What made you write this up; did Matt submit a Press Release?”
Dan Warne: “No, I’ve known Matt for a while. We bumped into each other at the launch of Core Duo in Australia; over coffee we discussed several topics of which this one caught my attention! So I decided to run with it. I contacted him later in regards to the matter.”
Hugo Ortega: “Did you have a face-to-face?”
Dan Warne: “No, we conducted the interview over the phone.”
Hugo Ortega: “When I read the article I felt that it reeked of UMPC…you agree?”
Dan Warne: “Sure sounds like it to me! I’ve pointed Matt Codrington to your blog, let’s see what he has to say!”

Not content with my investigations I begged for more information – Dan put me onto Toshiba’s PR Person in Australia. Anonymous is a lovely girl more than happy to help; I dialed her number and started explaining my purpose. As she perused my blog, laughing at my Academy Award and jesting with my efforts to get Matt Codringtons attention, she realized that I was maniacal, Uberly focused and eagerly hunting information. She’s now pinging Matt Codrington on the matter so we can post his comments on the site.

I know were all excited but I need to ask you to leave Australia to me - it’s my Australia! As soon as Matt Codrington talks with Hugo Ortega you’ll all be the first to know. Till then do what you can with the muscle that is America. We dont want to intimidate the Bunny Rabbit, Toshiba, back into their hole!

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• Would you buy a Toshiba UMPC?
• How much does the Toshiba brand mean to the Tablet space?

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IT forensics Tablet UMPC and my cafe meetings

This week I must have had over half a dozen cafe meetings regarding Tablet PC, and Ultra Mobile PC. Because I’ve been handed the reigns to the Tablet PC Cart downunder I find myself in all manner of conversations. Yesterday, Saturday, I sat with an IT Forensics’ Expert that gets called in to retrieve data from Crime Related PCs. THIS WAS a FUN TALK.

Imagine being flown across the country, as an IT guru, whose job it is to reach into the embers of a petroleum-inspired fire, pull out the remains of what once was a laptop, and start to recover data. He recalls that on one such occasion the spinning platters normally found within a standard PATA/SATA hard drive had to be removed and "almost surgically" re-installed into a new encasement in order to begin the data recovery process. Often these criminals are so desperate to TRASH their PC (and the evidence therein) that they dunk them in sinks full of water and with the power packs plugged-in they turn the electricity on; he also mentioned an occasion where one crim took a sledge hammer to his device and repeatedly beat at while police were breaking down his door.

It made me recall an instance where I performed some Tablet PC surgery myself. I know that firstly there needs to be a love for PC intestines when doing this sort of work. It isnt for the faint hearted and should not be attempted at home. If I were the ‘crim’ Id resort to running (literally) two Tablet PC’s with a copy of Microsoft OneNote 2007 BETA installed on each. This way I could synchronize my handwritten notes over a second PC and burn one laptop while making away with another under the arm!!! LOL

Another meeting I had this week was with a Window Manufacturer. He tells me that the Window Manufacture industry is one of the largest in the world and most lucrative too. The contracts on big high-rise buildings are obviously an example of really good "danger money." This particular guy had an awesome application designed to ‘measure and quote’ a Window job [using Microsoft Windows...sorry couldnt help the punt].

We sat there and enjoyed coffee while he installed hes application on several Tablet PCs, took photos and familiarized himself with several Tablet related products on the market. The one question that keeps rearing its head seems to be that of "active digitizer" vs. "touchscreen" pcs. Talking my way through the XY coordinates of a touch, vs. the XYZ coordinates of the Active Digitizer; it becomes clear that in almost every case the merits of the active digitizer far outweigh that of the touchscreen.

As a project the Microsoft Origami Project was designed firstly to bring down the cost of regular (active digitizer) Tablet PCs. It was apparent early on in the project that the highest consumption of the manufacture dollar was the active digitizer board itself; hence, UMPC was released sporting touchscreens. What weve now created is a new market appeal where the price point has reached a happy medium for Tablet PC (via UMPC) but we are now looking at reversing the excitement due to poor User Experiences with the touch. What Im looking forward to is the day where Wacom, or equivalent, decide to release boards with pricing equivalent to that of the touch; hopefully then we can integrate Touchscreen Tablets with an Active Digitizer too.

Right now we can lock off a touch screen’s "touch ability" via a simple locking mechanism. If therefore that same Tablet had an embedded Wacom style active digitizer board then a user could pick up a pen and enjoy the XYZ coordinate appreciated by so many Active Digitizer users. The only dilemma that remains now is to solve the price issue, and not [contrary to popular thoughts] the manufacture process of such a device. We can manufacture such a device but who would buy it??? Youre already complaining Tablets are too expensive!

This week I helped a fellow blogger with the purchase of a Tablet PC, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4210. I had the pleasure of reviewing its predecessor, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020, but the T4210 sports several new features like multi-directional screen rotation, water resistant keyboard, on-screen biometrics...and a new silver/charcoal colour too. The blogger Mitch Denny even posted about the arrival of the beast! Best to you Mitch.

One unique part of my week was attending a meeting regarding the opening of a new cafe in Sydney. Not only did I floor the group when I started annotating on my Slate but I managed to hand it around too. I had to consult on several IT related matters but most amusing was my talk about the "Power of Blogging for Business." Those of you that run blogs should spend a portion of your week evangelizing Blogging, not just the topic you ACTUALLY blog about. Ive been tuning into Cameron Riley lately, and, as some of us do, he has been making ends meet by consulting. Hes preferred topic is MediaCasting and the power of manipulating the media, i.e. almost becoming the media, around you. Well done Cam! Another legend who spends time evangelizing blogging itself is Frank Arrigo.

Next week I’m at Tech.Ed Australia 2006 helping out (as a volunteer) on Microsoft’s Mobility Stand. Pop in if you get a chance.

I loved my week, it was great.

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UMPC gets firmly planted on Apex

The eo still appears to be orphaned between the United States and Asia somewhere. Now that the time is nearing to partner and expand Ultra Mobile PC worldwide it seems as though the eo is finding a home with Apex Software.

This morning I woke up to an email pointing me to this article about a new partnership between Apex software and Tablet Kiosk, in the United States. Since a lot of you have been interested in whos actually buying these devices in Australia, and beyond, then this article should start to give you some clue.

From Apex Software Site:

Apex sketching and area calculation software is the premier sketching software for the real estate valuation market. Apex allows the user to sketch simple to complex areas, while automatically calculating that area. With Apex you save time and money in sketching the property, while delivering accurate area calculations and a professional rendering of the property. Apex Software can be used standalone, or integrated with any of the major forms vendors

The results have been translated to their website rather quickly too:

Apex Software Australasian Division

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Sunday drive but which UMPC

This Sunday I had the opportunity to spend a little time with a friend, my wife and kids, and take a drive down the Northern Beaches. The location was the Newport Arms Hotel and the distance about 45 minutes. I could have packed a few CDs in the car but I remembered I needed to also prepare some emails. So without much haste, since life is truly Ultra Mobile around my house, I grabbed my Samsung USB-to-USB data transfer cable (no drivers needed) and linked up my Raon Digital Vgea with my Samsung Q1P.

It took less than 10 minutes to get 4GB worth of music that had sat on my Vega onto the Q1P and I was ready to go. The reason I took the Q1P, in case youre interested, is the screen brightness (280 nit), and the fact that I had the latest edition of the Microsoft Origami Experience pack. The reason this is so nice is that my media player is now encapsulated in this Origami Pack and displayed with really large finger-licking buttons. SO no matter who has it in their hands we can all tell the music what to do.

All that was left was to plug in my $6.50 analog audio-in adapter into my cassette tape deck and let the good times roll. (When will car manufacturers learn that an iPod is a stupid device and a UMPC, cradled into the car dashboard as my car stereo and GPS, is much better? Maybe 2010!)

I hope you have/had/having a great weekend too.

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