Sony PSP / Phone?

 

I had the chance to try out the Xperia X10 for about 3 weeks and I can say the quality was very good. The only thing holding it back was the lack of Android 1.6 on it. If this new Sony phone / PSP gets released with the specs that we are hearing about. It will be a very nice device for those that want to be able to use as a portable gaming system.This would replace the current PSP go system, as this would be your all in one device. From the website Engadget it shows that it will have 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655, 512MB of RAM for better performance, for any future Android updates that might require more RAM or just to make apps run much better. More is better, and  1GB of ROM. The screen is not really confirmed, but I think if it was no smaller than 4” like the current Xperia X10 it will be perfect size. So hoperfully Sony can pull this one off, since the Xperia X10 is a great phone, but having the older OS is not a good thing, and only has 256 of RAM. This one seem to have multi-touch screen which will again be a good thing. Like I mentioned, I really liked the Xperia X10, but Android 1.6 was just a bit out dated for me. I wasn’t able to run some apps that required 2.1 or above. So lets hope to see this very soon, or at least a more solid release date.

Samsung Captivate with Froyo 2.2 & Tether

 

This was just a quick video showing that using the WiFi Tether app works great on the Samsung Galaxy Captivate Froyo 2.2. I also use the iPhone 4 with MyWi as well to share the internet over WiFi to my Laptops or at times to my 3G iPad. This is very nice to be able to share the internet over the WiFi. This comes in very handy when your out and need to connect, but don’t have WiFi available. You can just fire up the Tether app for the Captivate and in a about 20 seconds later, you will be connected with what ever device needed internet connection over WiFi.

 

Used the iPhone 4 to video tape.

Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet at Best Buy

 

If you really want to get your hands on a 7” Android Tablet. Well then head down to your nearest Best Buy store. This is providing that your local Best Buy has them in stock. I checked a few stores and they didn’t have any available. They did have a display model and decided to check it out, and see how well it compared to my Samsung Galaxy Captivate. For starters the touch screen was not that responsive, compared to my Captivate, iPad, tm2 TouchSmart, etc… At times I did have to click twice for it to launch the app. It was running Eclair, which seemed to do pretty good on the device. Didn’t seem to have a multi-touch screen.

Opening applications also had some very slight delay, but for the $299.99 price tag, you might want to try out Walgreens $99 tablet. It didn’t have the Android Market Place, but instead it has it’s own Cruz Market Place to download apps. The quality was good. It seem to have a nice sturdy housing and all plastic that was very solid. The screen appeared to be some type of plastic. They also had the Archos 7 Home Tablet next to it, so I also compared the size of the Cruz Tablet. It was not heavy at all, which would make a nice e-book reader as well. At this point you might be better to wait for the upcoming Huawei Ideos 7” tablet. From the rumors, the price will be $299.99 for the Ideos 7.

I myself, if I was thinking of getting a tablet. I would wait for the S7, but for now I really like my 3G iPad, which I use daily for work and for catching up on the latest news. I will have to check Best Buy November 7 and see if the S7 is available and give it a try if they have a display model. You never know, I might just bring one home. The 7” display makes it a perfect travel device. Not that my iPad isn’t a perfect travel device, but at times I sure could get by with a 7” device. These lower priced tablets, usually don’t have built-in GPS. I kind of got use to having a device with built-in GPS, but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me, since most my other devices already have GPS.

 

Here is the specs for the Cruz tablet:

Product Height 4.9"

Product Width 7.5"

Product Weight 1 lb.

Product Depth 0.7"

Platform Android

Total Built-In Memory 1GB; 4GB microSD card

Expandable Memory microSD

Modem Included Yes

PC Required No

Screen Size (Measured Diagonally) 7"

Supports Voice Transmission No

Number of Ports 1

Connection Port USB

Supports MP3 Yes

Display Type Color TFT

Keyboard Entry Yes, on display

Calculator Yes

Calendar Yes

Word Processor Yes

Adjustable Font Size Yes

Backlight Yes

Battery Type Lithium-ion

Connectivity Wi-Fi

HTC Knight Shows Sprint?

The HTC Knight showed up sporting the Sprint logo. Could this be heading to Sprint very soon? Looks like it will be running Android with a capacitive touch screen. This looks like it will have the slide out speakers, like the HTC Surround phone. HTC is sure busy pumping out mobile phones of all kinds. Windows Phone 7 is really looking good. Check the review from Engadget.

HP Slate 500 Now Ready for Ordering

Well looks like HP has finally let the Slate out of the bag. I have been reading in many post that say, the HP Slate 500 is the real first slate to run Windows 7 and be able to buy the slate. Well if you really look back, the Archos 9 was in theory one of the first slates available with Windows 7 and you could actually buy one. The specs on the Archos 9 was not great and got no recognition from the consumers. Hopefully the HP having a Atom Z540 running at 1.86GHz processor can do better. 

The HP Slate 500 price will start at $799 and come with a portfolio case and a docking stand. What it does have for a first in a slate PC is, that it will come with a dual digitizer for both multi-touch with finger or pen input. This is great because it can be good for note taking on the small screen. This will be kind of like my HP TouchSmart tm2 that I have been using the past 3 weeks. Makes touch screen times very easy and when need to take notes, just use the pen and works great.

The 2GB of RAM and 64GB SSD, should get most users a pretty decent device for your daily work activities. Seems that HP might have basic model, that will have 1GB of RAM. With RAM prices not to expensive, HP should have just made all models with 2GB standard. It also has the Broadcom’s Crystal accelerator to handle those 1080p videos that you will want to watch on the road, or when you have a break from doing your work stuff. It also has dual VGA cam’s front and back to use with Skype or other video conference software.

Another thing is, many are going to compare the Slate 500 with the iPad. I don’t believe that you can compare both, because they are completely different devices. Yes they do basic things the same, but they are different in their own way. I use my iPad daily, but I also need my full PC at times or my Macbook Pro for those times I need some real power and be able to run both Windows 7 and Mac OS X.

 

Specifications:

• Windows 7 Pro 32bits
• Atom Z540 1.86Ghz
• up to 2GB of RAM (533Mhz bus)
• 64GB SSD storage
• 8.9" multi-touch display (1024x600)
• Broadcom video hardware accelerator
• Front (VGA) and Back (3 Megapixel) cameras
• 5.91 x 9.21 x 0.58, 1.5lbs
• 2-Cell battery (30Whr)

 

Well we will have to wait for the verdict a time goes by and the HP Slate 500 reaches the consumer to use. Right now if you place a order, HP will ship the Slate 500 starting November 13.

Acer Dual Screen i5

 

Just recently Toshiba released the libretto W100 with Dual-Screen, with 7” LCD. Now looks like Acer has its own leaked dual screen laptop. According to Tech Review Source this has a 2.67GHz i5 processor, with massive dual 15” screens. This should give you enough power for all your favorite apps. This won’t be your everyday travel companion, as the weight of this device will be up there. It has multi-touch screens so it will very nice to use.

Viliv X10

 

Looks like Viliv might have another winner in its hands. Laptop magazine got some shots of the X10 and some video of the X10 running some smooth game and video. This will be a 10” tablet with 1366x768 screen resolution. This is the same resolution on my Ferrari One F02 with 11.6” screen. So it will be nice to be able to have such a high resolution. Also they mention about the X10 having USB, SD Card, HDMI, and web cam. That alone will be better than my iPad. Also from reading it claims to have a battery life of 10 hours. Not bad again. The current X10 is running Android 2.1, but Viliv is saying that the final product will have Android 2.2 Froyo. There is also a Windows 7 version of the X10 and Laptop Magazine got some pictures. We will have to keep a eye out for this nice little tablet in the coming weeks or months. Hopefully it won’t be months. The X10 looks pretty well done as in it could be ready to mass produce if they keep the design as the demo unit. Check out the video out at Laptop Magazine.

One BIG iPhone or maybe not?

I have loaded Skype on my iPad and it is working good. I was able to make calls to landlines, mobile phones, and regular Skype calls to desktop Skype users and all the calls came in clear. The Skype app is not yet made specific for iPad, but the regular iPhone one worked great. When you zoom in on the Skype app, it does get a little jaggy edged because its not made specific for the iPad. But never the less it does work and you can use the mic and speaker that is built-in on the iPad to make calls to your family, friends, and others.

Is everyone Ready for the iPad…

Looks like if you didn’t pre-ordered your iPad for April 3rd or reserved your iPad for in store pick up, you’ll have to wait till April 12 for the next shipment. Also there has been some leaks out there that show applications for the new iPad. I can see the average price for the iPad application starting or in the $9.99 price range. One feature that I would really like that Apple would include, or be able to do on the iPad is. Be able to use a mobile phone to create a BT DUN to connect your iPad on the road for internet access, email, etc… But I can see why they wouldn’t provide that feature. Then they wouldn’t be able to sell the 3G version that you would use with AT&T. I guess I will just going to have to see how good of a deal I get a Verizon or Sprint MiFi to use with the iPad, and just cancel my Tether option on my BlackBerry Storm 2. I would only be paying $20.00 more per month than what I am paying now. So let the count down begin. 

Marvell Moby Tablet

The iPad is almost here and everyone is talking about it. Now Marvell has announced, that they are developing a tablet computer as well. The claim this will change the way students learn. This also has more options than the iPad, and does more. The Marvell has named the tablet Moby. Here is the best part. Marvell has made a statement that this high-performance device is going to sell for $99 a pop. Now this will be great for schools like they say. Normally textbooks cost anywhere from $60 - $200 so this would be a great cost savings. The Moby is a 10” tablet that has quite a bit for the $99 price, which will include 1080p HD video playback, full Flash support, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM/GPS connectivity and even 3D-capability. This will all be powered by the Marvell ARMADA 600 series processors. This should give great battery life as well. This also could be a great device for some businesses as well, that need to be on the road and need information without having to bring a laptop along. We will have to wait if this does indeed every get released and becomes a real product for the consumers. So for now, I will have to get my iPad. :)

Inking on the Lenovo S10-3t Now Working Great

 

 

I have ordered the Dagi Capacitive Stylus pen to try out on the Lenovo S10-3t. After using the Dagi stylus, I am really getting use to inking with it. As you can see in this short video how well it works with a capacitive screen like the S10-3t. So far I have been testing and writing short emails, and using it with OneNote, and the inking is very good. I am having better luck using the Dagi stylus vs the Pogo Sketch Stylus. The Pogo stylus has a foam tip which makes inking on the capacitive screen much harder and doesn’t register on the screen as good as the Dagi. As you may notice the Dagi stylus tip is made of semi hard plastic tip, that is clear with a red dot to let you see as your inking on the screen. It does take a little bit to get used to using the Dagi stylus because you have to keep it at a angle. Hopefully you can see it on the video. I might just pick up another Dagi stylus to have as a backup because, so far I really liking this stylus. :)

For now the Dagi Stylus is the best option for a capacitive screen, at least it is for me.

Speech Recognition On the Lenovo S10-3t

 

 

I think most users forget about the speech recognition that is included with Windows 7. Vista also has speech recognition, but for some reason when I tried it on  Vista it didn’t do as good as it did on Windows 7. Here you see that it works very nicely with the Lenovo S10-3t Tablet. I have upgraded from Starter Edition to Ultimate Edition. I also have upgraded from the 1GB to 2GB using the Corsair Gaming 800GHz Memory, which I had from another device. This speech feature is very good for anyone not able to use the keyboard. With the combination of touch and speech you can almost not use the keyboard when using your computer. This also works with any computer that has Windows 7 with Premium and above. You can also create emails, word documents, and a lot of functions with just speech. I’m still testing and having the speech software recognize my voice for better input. I have been doing some short reply to emails with the speech recognition and it is working good. You can always go to Start then type in voice recognition and click on the “Speech Recognition” to start it. I recommend that you go through the tutorial so you can get the hang of it. 

Lenovo S10-3t Inking with Pogo Sketch Stylus

 

 

Here is a quick video of the Lenovo S10-3t using the Pogo Sketch Stylus that I had. As you can see the inking experience with the Pogo Stylus is not great. From what I notice is that the tip is a little to soft for inking. Maybe and I think it would work is if you have a Stylus with a firmer tip. Reason is if you watch the video you can see that using your finger works very good, except that it is hard to try and ink with your finger unless you are just writing a few words.

Lenovo S10-3t 3G SIM Card Ready

 

The S10-3t basic model comes with the SIM Slot ready and also has the empty PCIe for the wireless card to be put in. If you see it also includes the antenna’s ready to put your 3G modem. I upgraded the RAM to 2GB since I had that lying around from a previous Netbook that I had. This seems to help quite a bit for multiple applications open and two web browsers open with at least 3 to 5 tabs open in each browser.

Here you can see that the SIM card is inserted into the SIM slot and is not covered by Lenovo to block it. I do believe that the BIOS might be locked down to certain PCIe modems that you could use.

 

                     Here is the SIM Card Slot without the SIM Card.

So it seems that even if you buy the basic model with the Starter Edition you still have the SIM Card slot to use, of course you still would need to get the 3G modem. I connect the S10-3t to my BlackBerry Storm II with BT DUN and is working good. I have upgraded to Win 7 Ultimate Edition on this one.

Lenovo S10-3t Quick Overview

 

I have been using the S10-3t for a few days now and just a quick over view. I won’t go into too much detail right now since, I only have been using the S10-3t for only a few days. I do want to say is the build quality is really good. The case and all the plastic feels very firm and so does the swivel of the screen feels solid. The swivel hinge in the middle is well built, and just has a small amount of play but not bad as I have seen worse ones. Like the Gigabyte M912 hinge was really bad when I had used for a short time. The screen is very bright and clear when viewing at straight angle. Side view is very good as well when reading text, but if looking from top or bottom it is not as good. Strange enough since this is a tablet and should have good viewing from all angles. The touch screen is good but at times it seems that you need to touch twice or sometimes when you try to scroll a web page it high lights the web page. I have disabled the Multi-Touch; I really don’t use the 3t for that. With the MT disabled it seems to help touch work much better and helped a little for writing short notes. I have a Pogo Sketch Stylus that I have been using for taking notes in OneNote, and Journal which works ok. If you want to be able to take notes using the 3t, you’ll need a Stylus with a tip that is a little bit more firm to be able to write notes. If I use my finger it actually works better than using the Pogo Stylus, except you wouldn’t want to write too many notes using your finger. Lenovo did a good job with the keyboard. You can type with no problem and the keys are big enough to type at a normal speed, and shift keys are nice and big. Keyboard has the PgUp and PgDn keys along with the arrow keys which work great for scrolling when not using the 3t in tablet mode. The touch scrolling works very good with IE8 browser to surf the internet. The 3t has the new Atom N450 1.66, which seems just a little bit faster than my MSI Wind U120, and the Toshiba NB205 with Atom N280. The 3t actually feels just as fast as the Toshiba NB205. When I click to open a Web page in IE8 on the 3t it takes around 4 seconds for the page to load after you click it, then another 3 to 4 seconds, which doesn’t let you scroll down in this time period. I know this isn’t a lot of time but when you are sitting in front of the computer seems like a long time. I have 2GB of memory installed on the S10-3t and have Windows 7 Ultimate Edition installed. The track pad is very small with right and left click right on the touch pad at the bottom of the corners. I have put the power settings to “High Performance” just to check how hot it gets and with 8 applications running with IE8 and 4 tabs open, and Chrome browser with 2 pages open. You’ll be surprised that the 3t runs very cool and just gets warm on the left side palm rest and the bottom is very cool. If you put it on “Balanced” it seems to run a little warmer and that can be because of the fan. When it’s on the “High Performance” the fan actually spins faster, but is not too noisy and on the “Balanced” setting, the fan is a little bit more quiet and fan spins slower; which causes the warmer feel on the 3t. From all the devices that I have I think the 3t is the coolest running device I have used. The Sony P is a fan less device and is a lot warmer than the 3t. The 8-Cell battery is good to have but I think the design should have been done better. Maybe Lenovo could have made the battery extend towards the bottom, which would have tilted the back a little bit and not stick out so much. Lenovo has its own power settings for the 3t which is very nice. On battery power with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and screen set at 5 bars and set at “Balanced” setting I can get 7:00 hours. If I use the Lenovo power saver which has a “Super Energy Saver” I got 9:10 with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. At times it was showing 10:20 hours of battery life. I think if I turn off the radios I can get the 10 hours of battery life. But I think most users will always have the Wi-Fi on since most of the time the use of these little Netbooks are meant for browsing, and doing email. I usually keep Wi-Fi on and BT. One more thing Lenovo should have done the bezel around the LCD a matte finish, kind of like the white that is at the palm rest. This Lenovo S10-3t is very portable and light. Travelers that want to travel light can bring along the 3t and not worry about bringing the power supply since it gets decent battery life. And if you do want to bring the power supply, you’re in luck because it’s a small power supply so it’s very compact and light. This would fit right into a sleeve with your 3t.

The left side palm area gets around 89.7 F with several programs in use.

The right side palm area gets around 79.8 F which is very good.

The heat out at the vent is around 97.6 F and up to 100.1 F when viewing YouTube or Flash videos.

 

 

 

The back side doesn’t get to hot at all. Most of the back gets around 82.4 F give or take a few degrees. This means its very cool for having it on your lap and or carrying it as tablet in your hands. Also if you use the Lenovo “Super Energy Saver” the fan turns on only if you watch some Flash or something that requires some extra Processing power. Other wise the fan is off or is on so low that you can’t hear it, even if you put your ear up to the vent area. At least you’ll know that you won’t burn your ear off! :) So for the money the S10-3t is a good buy since it has Atom N450 processor. Gives you great battery life depending on the settings you choose, and you get a tablet Netbook.