Tablet PC

Kupa X11 tablet Windows 8 Preview (review) – Liliputing

 amazon, fb, linkedIn, Tablet PC, twitter, Windows 7 for Seniors, Windows 8 for Seniors
Apr 082012
 

Thorough review of a Windows 7 tablet running Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Also, a decent overview of Win8 itself. Lots of photos.

The folks at Kupa sell a tablet called the X11 which features a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a capacitive touch panel for finger input and an active digitizer for use with a stylus, and a low power 1.5 GHz Intel Atom Z670 Oak Trail processor.

The Kupa X11 gets up to 10 hours of battery life, which is something you’d expect from an iPad or Android tablet, but the Kupa X11 runs Windows. You can buy one for $699 and up.

Right now the company sells the tablet with Windows 7. But Kupa loaned me an X11 preloaded with Windows 8 Consumer Preview recently so I could test it with Microsoft’s upcoming tablet-friendly operating system.

Bear in mind, the Kupa X11 is currently aimed at professionals that need the versatility of a tablet as well as the ability to run Windows software. That’s why it comes with premium features such as a fingerprint scanner and digital pen.

That’s also why the tablet can be a bit chunkier and heavier than an iPad or your typical Android slate.

Kupa X11 tablet Windows 8 Preview (review) – Liliputing

 Posted by at 10:41 am

Imagining the Future almost 20 years ago (tablet computers)

 amazon, fb, linkedIn, Tablet PC, twitter
Aug 162011
 

This video is a bit long, but well-done. Keep in mind it was made in 1994. One thing I’m still waiting for: voice both ways – commands and reading aloud. That’s sorta possible but not in every context – it should be.

Newspaper Publisher Predicts iPad in 1994 – Peter Kafka – Media – AllThingsD

Tablets will be a whole new class of computer. They’ll weigh under two pounds. They’ll be totally portable. They’ll have a clarity of screen display comparable to ink on paper. They’ll be able to blend text, audio, and graphics together. And they’ll be a part of our daily lives around the turn of the century. We may still use the computer to create information, but we’ll use the tablet to interact with information, reading, watching, listening.

Newspaper Publisher Predicts iPad in 1994 – Peter Kafka – Media – AllThingsD

 Posted by at 10:27 am

Thinking About Window 8

 amazon, linkedIn, Tablet PC, Windows 8 for Seniors
Mar 252011
 

Today, I told a friend I would be working on a book on Microsoft Windows 8 this fall and he groused, “I just bought Windows 7.” Oh, well, you can’t stop progress or the developmental cycle of a mega-corporation like Microsoft. Don’t expect Windows 8 to be available before August, 2012, although surely before the end of that year. (I’m imagining an ad campaign tying into the end of the Mayan calendar: 12/21/12.) So, although much work has already been done on Win8, the final product has a long way to go. That said, you know that Microsoft is looking at the iPad and grinding its teeth. After all, Bill Gates was an early enthusiast for tablets. There was a tablet version of Win XP ten years ago. But there is no arguing that Steve Jobs and Apple grabbed the prize with the iPad, at least as an information appliance. (Windows has to do more.) And Google with Android (and, maybe, Chrome OS) adds to the opportunities and pressure to develop the “next big thing.”

One safe thing to assume about Win8: it will have a tablet / touch interface. See ReadWriteWeb’s article as an introduction: 11 Features to Watch for in Windows 8 (Part 1) (but don’t take Bubbles seriously). I’ll link to other articles of merit and start writing more of my own soon (category: Win8).

 Posted by at 9:05 pm

The Apple iDon’tCare

 Macintosh, Tablet PC, Windows
Jan 282010
 

I bought my first TabletPC five or more years ago. I’ve had a handheld touch-computer running Linux for at least 3 years. I’m writing this on a convertible touch computer running Windows 7 (4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive). Moreover, I’ve lived near the bleeding edge of computing for 25 years – long enough to see Steve Jobs’ market-triumphs such as Lisa, neXt, and Newton. Still, I think competition sometimes drives innovation and usually brings down prices. I’m a big fan of choice and think the world would be worse off without Apple, although I, personally, wouldn’t miss it.

You can read elsewhere – everywhere, it seems – about the new iPad. (Note: iMac was a fitting and innovative name. Was that 15 years ago or more? Each new iName seems a little more iContrived or iAncient.) iPad is surely the best new iTouch this year, but it would be a failure in the PC (non-Mac) marketplace. PC users would be outraged by the following features of any computer:

  • No USB. Really? I know, Apple was in the lead getting rid of disks and discs. Generally, proprietary connections and adapters such as those for the iPad are user-unfriendly and anti-competitive. Plus, these dongles are surprisingly ugly and – I just can’t believe this – they plug into the bottom edge of the iPad. Perhaps, you’ll be able to buy an Apple iLap Protector.
  • 16GB storage. Really? Your cellphone and camera card have more storage these days.
  • No memory card slots. This would have been one way around the lunacy of both no USB and limited storage: let people insert cards (an easy way to transfer photos). But then, how would you sell the more expensive iPads? Every handheld device I know of takes one or more types of cards.
  • No Camera. This is jawdroppingly uncool from the Company of Cool (or so the fans think). Perhaps this is another innovation: People no longer what to video chat! Every cheap netbook and cellphone has a camera. How in the hell did this happen? (Video eats bandwidth. Perhaps ATT said no or wanted too much for the connectivity.)
  • Non-removable battery. Classic Apple – Thou shalt not open the box! Once again, harshly anti-competitive (therefore, price-fixing) and user-UNfriendly.
  • No tabs in browser. Huh? Is it 1999?
  • No multi-tasking. Well, it’s not a computer, it’s a pretty gadget.
  • $499. For an Apple product, that may seem cheap. But many netbooks cost less than $400 and are real computers with a multi-tasking OS, tabbed browsing, video conferencing, USB, card slots, and a keyboard.

Mostly, this gianormous iTouch looks like a Sony Reader-killer. Granted, the iPant is way better than a Kindle. But don’t worry about Kindle – Amazon could bury Apple in styrofoam peanuts.

(Someone may say, “No Flash – that’s a deal breaker.” Not me – that’s a plus, to me. I sometimes disdain Apple but I loathe Adobe.)

 Posted by at 1:03 pm

Toshiba Tablet Software Updates

 My System, Tablet PC, Windows Vista Solutions
Mar 262007
 

I’ve griped more than once about the fact that various utilities that worked on my Toshiba Satellite Tablet PC (R15-S8222) don’t work under Vista. In particular, I’ve missed Toshiba’s power saving features that draw almost twice the life out of the battery (under XP, at least). I’ve also missed the programming of the buttons along the bezel that act as page up and down, among other options.

Today I found a dozen updates on the Toshiba website. I’m chagrined because some of these are dated late December 2006. I’ve looked several times over the past three months — I don’t know how these eluded me. Certainly, the official link provided by Windows Update didn’t help.

Still, the news is not all good. First, these utilities are largely undescribed beyond the filename. I was dubious about installing some. In spite of claims, some of these don’t install under Vista (on my Toshiba) or don’t quite work. I question the need for the Config free network utility — Vista’s is better. The Toshiba extension to the Mobility Center (which is a great feature for laptop users) is ugly and unnecessary.

It is the TOSHIBA Tablet PC Extension for Windows Vista that restored my use of the buttons along the bezel. After you install this update, a new tab “Buttons” appears on Tablet PC Settings control panel. It is wonderful to have this control again.

The Toshiba-specific power options are limited. A new section is added to Power Options which will throttle the CPU as the temperature rises — good, but doesn’t Vista do that itself? Other options will disable the DVD drive and Firewire. I will be amazed if all these new options get me close to the 3.5 hours I used to get of battery life (instead of barely 2 hours now). mjh

All the Toshiba utilities for the Satellite R15/S8222

 Posted by at 6:07 am

Upgrade to Vista or Not?

 Tablet PC, Windows Vista Solutions
Mar 012007
 

Q: Given your previous blog entry, am I better off staying with XP on my laptop?

It’s a tough call. I don’t *regret* putting Vista on my tablet laptop, though I do regret losing some functionality. I hope that Toshiba will come to the rescue. (I’m not counting on that.)

If you had the Vista upgrade in hand, I’d say do it and, worst case, restore your recovery XP disk later. It’s harder to recommend buying Vista with the chance you’ll roll back. mjh

 Posted by at 7:47 pm

Vista Rejects Many Utilities

 Tablet PC, Windows Vista Solutions
Mar 012007
 

Q: I’ve run the Vista Upgrade Advisor and it reported not problems. I’ve also talked to Toshiba about installing Vista on my Qosmio laptop. Looking at a list of installed programs, do you see any problems ahead?

Most of the Toshiba laptop utilities and drivers on my 18-month old Satellite tablet don’t work with Vista and Toshiba has no updates. They might well say they aren’t ‘aware’ of any problem with my laptop. This includes Config Free (wireless utility) on your list and possibly many more, like Toshiba Power Saver, Toshiba Touch and Launch Utility, Toshiba Virtual Launch, Zooming Utility, Touch Pad Enable-Disable Utility. I don’t expect any of those to work — but I don’t know for a fact.

I especially miss Toshiba’s power saver. Vista drains my battery much faster, even with its power saving options. I also miss the utility that lets me program the Tablet’s buttons — I’m sorely inconvenienced without that.

When I upgraded a brand-new desktop system from XP to Vista, Vista rejected several programs pertaining to the DVD. Anything that might have thwarted MS effort to control digital content. My MP3 player works with XP, not Vista. I’ll wager RecordNow! won’t work. SoundMAX may not work.

With every system but the Toshiba laptop, I’ve had trouble with sound drivers, especially recording but also playback — perhaps also related to MS’ iron grip.

Finally, I don’t think Adobe Reader 5 will work.

When anyone does an upgrade installation, Vista keeps what it wants and gets rid of what it doesn’t. After a clean installation, you may not be able to reinstall programs Vista rejects — or run them after installation. mjh

 Posted by at 3:47 pm

New Tablet PC

 Tablet PC
Aug 022005
 

I bought a Toshiba Satellite R15 at Best Buy. This is a Convertible style tablet instead of a state like Motion Computing.

 Posted by at 11:24 pm