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MoTR 35 is 33:58 minutes long and is a 23.4 MB file in MP3 format.

INTRO: Based on “Time v2.1″ by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick.

HOSTS: David Ciccone, James Kendrick and Kevin C. Tofel

TOPICS:
Sounds of “smooth jazz” with an external mic at James’s house.
Did Dave break his Treo or are there just issues with the EVDO and the lack of resources?
What’s faster than today’s EVDO? Tomorrow’s EVDO of course, coming soon from SierraWireless.
Windows Vista interim build 5342 is out, will the new Windows Mobile Device Center function on this build?
Will Toshiba lead the UMPC pack with an Origami device? Kevin thinks so.
Freeware of the day: OhMyGolf helps you track those many, many golf strokes.
Not so free, but still fun: SPB AirIslands (and it works on the Treo 700’s square screen)

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I know Microsoft has stated that they are aiming Origami devices at the consumer space but there is still considerable discussion about how the UMPC would work for business users.  Rich Schulthess is a listener of my podcasts and left Marc and I a comment about this very thing so I thought I’d bump it up to the front page to start some conversation rolling:

Hey! Just a quick note to let you guys know that my new Creative Zen Vision:M and your fantastic podcasts have turned my commute time into a far more pleasant and informative experience!

I’m a developer who very much shares your love for the tablet PC. I’m typing this on my Acer TravelMate C110 which is my (almost) constant companion.

Thanks for introducing me to Michael Linenberger. I’m midway into his total workday control book and can already see that his ideas will change my opinion of Outlook forever. Thanks also for making me aware of Mind Manager. I was using a mind mapping product named "Mind Genius" but have always felt that it’s integration with Office products was not as good as it should be. Looks like Mind Manager did it right and I have a copy on order. Also ordered JCVGantt and InkGestures because of your excellent podcasts.

I certainly agree with your crystal ball about the future of UMPC but I see another role for this device. I’m currently working with Public Safety systems (Police, Fire, and Homeland Security) in Atlanta. The need for mobility is obvious. Now that "broadband everywhere" is essentially a reality, innovative new approaches to front line support are starting to emerge. As an example, look at the capabilities delivered by InfoKall (infokall.com). They are a great example of one of my sayings: "Computers should work for people rathere than the wrong way around". Well designed apps that place computing horsepower INTO process flow really make a difference!

Unfortunately, the leveraging of broadband everywhere and it’s importance to mobiity by InfoKall and others has been largely limited to PDAs and you have talked about the limitations of screen size and other fact5ors with these devices. My crystal ball sees some HUGE potential for UMPCs to become smart clients in publis safety, healthcare, and many other business scenarios where mobility is key. I bet we’ll soon see ruggedized UMPCs and, when we do, the commercial community will be extremely receptive.

One device that is getting a lot of attention from the software community developing mobile applications for business is the DouCor. I haven’t heard you guys comment on it’s unique design and form factor and I’d like to hear your thoughts!

I first wrote about my "smallest desktop" almost a year and a half ago and the amazing thing is it hasn’t changed much:

The Sony U71 is still a good workhorse for me and when I need to do serious writing requiring a keyboard with full-sized keys the ThinkOutside Stowaway still works like a champ.  The other two pieces to the small desktop I wrote about earlier have been replaced by the IOGear Bluetooth mouse and the Palm Treo that provides EVDO connectivity most everywhere I roam.

Rob Bushway, Tracy Hooten, and Warner Crocker have been thinking about how to get more mobile with a Tablet PC and for me the Origami might be the perfect solution for them.  These peripherals I am using with the Sony are perfect for the Origami devices soon to appear for those who would like to take them on a trip for instance, yet still want the comfort zone created by having a good mouse and keyboard with them.  A setup like this is a real laptop replacement for most of the work likely to be done and prospective owners of Origamis (UMPCs) should not overlook them.  While the keyboard stand in the photo won’t support the weight of the larger Origamis, as I mentioned before it is great that at least some of the OEMs are integrating stands right into the back of the units.  Here’s a couple more photos of my setup (just imagine your dream Origami device in the photos):

The TabletKiosk V-700 UMPC is no more.  Don’t fret, it has been officially named the eo and pre-orders starting at $899 are being taken now at the TabletKiosk web site for late April shipping.  The eo ships in either black or white and the two configuration options are 256 MB (with 30 MB hard drive) or 512 MB of memory (with 40 MB hard drive) for $999.  From the press release:

TabletKiosk™, a leader in Tablet PC and exhibit centric computing solutions, announces the much anticipated launch of their new Ultra Mobile PC, eo™ which will begin shipping the last week of April 2006.

eo™ comes equipped with Microsoft® Windows® XP Tablet Edition as well as with the new Microsoft® Touch Pak, mobile-ready technologies that make it easy to access and use your software on the go. In addition, eo™ sports USB 2.0, wireless networking, and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, a full range of custom accessories are being developed to enhance the eo™experience.

“We are excited to have partnered with TabletKiosk on the eo™ UMPC and are confident in the value it will provide to a wide range of audiences,” said Bill Mitchell, Vice President of the Mobile Platforms Division at Microsoft Corp. “With new touch screen functionality and the power of the Windows® XP experience, as well as the small, portable design, eo™ will be a great choice for many consumers who rely more and more on mobile technologies to accomplish their daily tasks.”

You’ve no doubt heard of Woot!, the web site that sells one product per day at super discounted prices.  You have to get in early because quantities are limited for a lot of their deals but you can pick up some real bargains there.  Soon you will be able to do the same thing with software on a new site, Bits du Jour, which will be appearing very soon.  The owners of the site gave me a heads up and it will be very interesting to see how this plays out.  Bits du Jour will be offering one software product each day in limited quantities at super discounted prices.  Sound familiar?  According to the BdJ web site the software will be downloadable for instant gratification.  First product goes up March 29th so check it early and no, they wouldn’t tell me what the first product will be so don’t ask.

Marc Orchant and I discussed the benefits Office 2007 brings to the Tablet PC in the latest OnTheRun with Tablet PCs podcast and mentioned Darren Strange’s video demo of the integration between Outlook 2007 and OneNote 2007.  Darren has released another "blogcast" that shows a lot of new features in Outlook 2007 that further explains why I am already finding it very powerful and useful.  Nice demo, Darren!

BostonPocketPC sat down with Otto Berkes, general manager of the Mobile Platforms Division at Microsoft and driver of the Origami project, and asked him some questions about the direction the Origami is headed.  Of particular interest was this quote by Otto:

We absolutely plan to work with partners to offer a robust ecosystem around UMPCs. It is too early to share further details, but we do expect UMPC peripherals to provide exciting new functionality and to be a core part of the UMPC category evolution.

I wonder what new peripherals might be produced for the Origami?  Any ideas?

I finally had some time over the weekend to catch up on some interesting blog posts that I had tagged for later reading and am I glad I did.  Tablet PC MVP Tracy Hooten of The Student Tablet PC has been brainstorming about what she feels would be the perfect Tablet PC for her and let me tell you she is on to something here.  Tracy’s concept Tablet is basically a hybrid Tablet PC like the HP tc1100 with an important twist (click image to enlarge):

One of the benefits the tc1100 provides is the detachable keyboard (or slate depending on how you look at it).  The entire screen unit on the tc1100 contains the entire computer with the detachable keyboard as a thin and light keyboard for use as a laptop.  As Tracy points out it is not a perfect laptop since it’s top-heavy and can’t be used in a lap for instance.  Her concept Tablet PC however would address that in a very practical way.  What she is proposing is a convertible Tablet PC where the display screen is a self-contained slate which can be plugged into a real laptop keyboard unit just like standard convertibles.  This could be used as a slate by detaching the screen or as a laptop with a real keyboard.  Since the keyboard base would need to have sufficient weight to keep the slate from making the laptop top-heavy Tracy proposes putting a long-life heavy battery into the keyboard unit that would not only solve the top-heavy problem but keep the slate (with its own internal battery) nice and charged for portable use.

This is such a great concept that I hope the people at Motion are paying attention and thinking about this.  They are the premiere slate OEM and the obvious choice to actually try something like this.  Keep in mind though, like Tracy has written there is no concern about keeping the entire laptop weight down since the slate can be detached and used as a light and thin Tablet PC any time the user wants.  Check out Tracy’s article and the great comments that are being added to flesh out this great hybrid concept.  The more I think of it the easier this can be done.  All of the peripherals Tracy proposes for the keyboard unit, like an extra hard drive, could all be attached by simple USB.  That would just leave a tap into the slate’s AC power for charging the battery.  This is so simple I don’t know why no one has tried one of these before.  Toshiba has been showing their detachable screen concept device for months but in that unit the screen is a dumb screen and not ideal by any means because the screen unit cannot be used without the base where the PC guts are located.  Very nice work, Tracy!

UMPC Buzz is always johnny on the spot with UMPC news and sightings and today they point to a video recorded during Mix06 that gives a good overview of the Founder MiniNote UMPC. The video shows attendees interacting with the Origami device totally by using the hands and gives a demonstration of the integrated camera in the MiniNote. It is worth a look if you are curious about the Founder.

GO HERE to listen (18.2 MB, 53 minutes) or

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Marc Orchant and I are back with this week’s stroll down Tablet Lane.  Listener John Lange let us know that the Fujitsu P1510D is now available in MicroCenter retail stores and we discuss that a bit.  Thanks for that tip, John.  DialKeys is all the buzz on Origami devices but did you know it’s already been shipping on the Fujitsu?  Marc has just returned from a trip to a GTD seminar and fills us in on what’s happening with Eric Mack who also attended.  We want to see that home-brew battery pack, Eric.  Marc’s trip gave him ample opportunities to demo the Tablet PC to a number of people and let him generally annoy the flight crew on his flight.  Lastly, we have a good discussion about Office 2007 and what it brings to the pen and slate for Tablet owners.

Link to Office Rocker’s video demo of OneNote 2007.

Enjoy the show and let us know what you think.

Special thanks to Tiedye Keith for the great song "Vulnerable" with vocals by Tony Lindsay of Santana.

UPDATE:  John Lange did indeed pick up the Fujitsu and has sent us these photos of the Fuji alongside his Portege 3505 and Nokia 770 (click to enlarge):