Belated Yay! for SC3100

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Just to show your how backed up I am with my blogging, I'm only now getting around to mentioning the Electrovaya Scribbler SC3100 is Laptop Magazine's Editor's Pick. Especially late considering it was my pick on the Buzz and I did two major posts when it first appeared in the mag.

Absolutely Nothing Ironic Here

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Ah yes, the "iron fist" crackdown against rebels in your own state. Haven't seen that in Iraq before.

All the news that's fit to ink

Silver, first among my Inklings (or as Warner puts it 'ink progeny') and heir apparent to the vast ink kingdom and all its riches, is putting together a forum for us ink bloggers.

Furthermore, her concept of an ink blogging app is coming to life thanks to Matt Faulkner at Windows in Ink. Very exciting stuff.

Need to redefine the blog

"Partly a 'proof of concept', partly an exploration into the capabilities of the TPC, entirely a waste of time...."

The concept has been proven and improved upon. The capability has reached its limit until new ink blogging apps are developed. Most other innovations, such as Links in Ink, rely on user ingenuity, not tablet capabilities. The ability to create image maps, hidden text boxes, and rollover links aren't tried to the Tablet PC.

Without the former two elements, Scribbles boils down to just a big waste of time. Thus, I have decided to redefine the blog to focus move on its mobile aspect.

As you may have guessed from some of my other posts, I compose most of my entries away from home. I've also added a digital camera and Pocket PC to my mobile arsenal and I should take advantage of that. As soon as I get my act together, look out for a greater mix of content.

What am I up to?

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Still holding at 235. Thanks for asking. [badum-boom] :p

Actually, between my heavy work hours, the Lost season finale, my search for a PC card cage (and upgrades), and other obligations, I have been feeling beat down lately. Quick posts & thoughts are about all I have time for, even though there is so much on my mind. I've posted a map of topics to come. Been pondering a Links in Ink breakdown, but ironically I envision it typed then annotated in ink.

Mindmap: Future Blog topics

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I. What's in my gadget bag?

II. How to Link in Ink

III. Meet Dave

IV. Home office

V. Ideal Ink Blog App

VI. Ink Blog category

VII. Why the SC500

A. How did to choose if?

B. Why do I love it?

C. How does it match my Life?

D. Turtle

1. tough

2. Battery

3. slow but Steady

VIII. What's on my desktop?

A. Taskbar placement

B. One-tap setting

C. Crosshairs cursor

IX. Domino Dropper Joins the fray

X. Three levels of Ink Blogging

A. simple. Image only

B. Intermediate: Image & text

C. Advanced: links in Ink

XI. Holy Moses! Kosher Coca-Cola!

XII. Ink Blogger Links

Hugh's Ink Blog video

Deserves more than a quick post but I
gots no tine. Anyway check out Hugh's
video tutorial on creating an ink blog.
HughSung.com - Music Meets Tech - Video Podcast: How to Make an Ink Blog

Oh Lordi!

Been there, done that

Peter Wright goes a step beyond my "What does it do?" analysis of the UMPC and answers "It doesn't do anything!" I disagree but we share the same philosophy: Devices need purpose.
The secret life of an MS Author: The world doesn't get UMPC! Who's fault?
Sumocat's Scribbles: Obligatory Origami Post

Experimenting with Quick Posts

Falling way behind with my blogging so I'm trying to email them in. Working pretty well so far. This one was written in Outlook Journal using TE0 3.0.

Darren's sofa ate his stylus!

Darren's sofa ate his stylus! Read all about it (and my "advice") at
TabletMinds!

Matt Faulkner testing Blog from OneNote

Quick post: Matt Faulkner is testing the Blog from OneNote tool on his Windows in Ink blog. Added it to my ink bloggers link list. Thanks to Warner for the link.

Who's Your Ink Daddy?

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When Silver dubbed me the "father of ink blogging", at first I was embarrassed and skeptical. Handwritten blogs have been around for a while, so it's not like I really started it. But then I realized I could use the distinction amidst the growing pool of ink bloggers. But then I translated the recent posts on Blogvogel.

It turns out Achim posted his first ink entry in May 2005, while Sumocat's Scribbles started in July 2005. Blogvogel had ink two months before this blog existed! Ah, but here's the rub: this isn't my first blog.

My first ink post was on my vacation blog in April 2005. The message was short and unconverted, but it was inked on my Tablet and paved the way for my all-ink blog. Thus, I retain my claim to paternity.

That said, no doubt early adopters tinkered with posting inked blog entries. I doubt any of them stuck with it since we would have run across such a blog by now. But, not counting product demo screenshots, let's see if we can find the first inked message on the Internet. It'd be fun to add that to the list.

Links to Ink Blogs

Been meaning to set up a section with links to ink blogs ever since there were enough of us to warrant a list.

Also on the list are Tablet PC Blogs, which offers an ink interface in IE but no text conversion or Links in Ink TM, and Incremental Blogger from Loren Heiny who is constantly working to integrate ink into the Internet.
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Outstanding Guide to Ink Blogging

I teach ink blogging by example. Silver teaches by giving you any and every piece of data you could possibly need. Her Guide to Ink Blogging covers a lot more than I ever bothered to write up and even showed me something new about Blogger. If you want to blog in ink, this is the guide to read.
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DualCor cPC: He who laughs last

"He who laughs last laughs best." Keep that in mind as I lead up to the ironic twist at the end of this post.

So, following the news that the DualCor cPC would lack integrated wireless connectivity and the assload of disappointment and outrage it triggered, Dave Ciccone, Director of Strategic Alliances at DualCor and mobile tech expert, has stepped forward to say "y'all should've listened to Sumocat". Not in those exact words, but read my responses and you be the judge.

Me: "I think you guys are missing the point. 802.11b is top-end by PPC standards, but slow for a TPC. Even g is yesterday's tech. Bluetooth is creeping along, but Wireless USB might displace it entirely. Phone carriers do not provide all the same services. Should DualCor lock you into just one? And don't forget Wimax. Plus, not everyone needs BT, wifi and phone in one device."

jk: "I believe that WiFi (b or g) should be in every WinXP device sold. What is the last WinXP mobile device you remember without at least WiFi? I agree that they want to give choices but even so there are certain bare minimums that must be met to be truly useful. There are NO wireless connectivity options currently available for the cPC that provide high speed connectivity, and I am afraid they will be hampered by this."

Me: "I agree with the necessity of wifi, but not integrated does not equal not available (is that too many "nots"?). If you only want wifi, you plug in that card. If you only want phone, you plug in the other card. If you want both, plug in the phone CF card and a wifi dongle. For the wireless trifecta, use the phone card and a USB wifi/BT combo dongle. In the future, perhaps there will be a single card for all three. But for the present, I think plugging in a dongle is an acceptable solution."

fil: "Mark, I hear what you are saying, but the practical application of carrying around multiple CF and/or USB cards minimizes any UMPC/handtop device's ability to be mobile."

Me: "Yes, but that's not necessarily the case here. You can get by with one CF card, which sits in the device, and one USB dongle, which can stay plugged in. You don't need to swap anything. It is a grab-and-go solution."

jk: "Actually, you are much more likely to find yourself needing to use two CF devices at the same time and in this case you can't. ... On my Sony U71 I have integrated WiFi but no BT so I have to use a BT CF card when I am using my keyboard and mouse. If WiFi is not available then I tether the U to my Treo via USB and I can tell you it becomes a bit unwieldy pretty quickly. Integrated BT along with the WiFi would make this much easier, and it would be a nightmare if I also had to provide WiFi with an external solution."

Me: "James, if I have a CF card providing phone and a USB dongle providing BT and wifi, then what else do I need? This setup seems to hit the points in your example just fine. No, it is not ideal, but it is a no-swap, grab-and-go solution. Yes, phone is a low-speed Internet connection and EVDO would be preferred, but EVDO options in general are limited right now and I don't hear a lot of good things about Verizon. :)"

jk: "Sumocat, having to provide third party radios means you will have to make sure that the particular device comes with drivers for both WinXP and WM5 which I believe will be difficult. You will not be happy if you plug in a radio and it will only work on one of the OSes and not both, and a lot of OEMs only provide drivers for WinXP. This would not be a problem if DualCor provided an integrated solution as they would also provide drivers for both OSes."

A legitimate concern which was since been addressed, but it still stems from the not integrated != not available issue, which has caused a lot of irrational outrage. If they say wireless relies on peripherals, it is logical to assume they will offer these peripherals, as does any other OEM. The Mac Mini from Apple is barebones, but you don't have to go third party to get the peripherals.

Admittedly, I am taking an optimistic approach to the cPC. However, I'm not oblivious to the spin factor. Lack of integrated wireless connectivity is a drawback, but I believe there is a simple reason for this...

"In a device this small, you need to pick and choose what hardware to include and features that may not be used and are rapidly advancing are not keepers. Given the choice, I too would have taken the modular and upgradeable approach with the wireless tech (however I usually take the modular approach anyway)."

And this is the approach Dave says they took: flexibility and user option. Maybe space constraints really was not the driving force, but modular design does open up choices and options. Can't say it's a perfect solution, but you play the cards you're dealt.

So here's the twist: Despite my unwavering support for the cPC, he who laughs last won't be me. Rather, it will be the naysaying reviewers who get their hands on the device. I'll be the chump sitting on a park bench reading and/or watching their reviews, looking like someone shit in my cereal because the same experience would cost me two grand. On the plus side, I'm sure the reviews will be well executed and I won't have to recycle my UMPC counter-review.
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Domino Dropper Joins the Ink Fray

Cheryl, the visitor who said "It would be cool if your inked images had links" and who blogs under the name Jezlyn, is stepping into the ink pool. No Links in Ink(TM) due to limitations of her blogging interface, but she has a few large and legible ink posts. Check her out.

Gravity 1, PC Card Slot 0

Score another victory for gravity. My Scribbler slid less than two feet off my couch, landed on my 802.11g card, and broke the internal connector last night.

Fortunately, I was able to come home early today and get into my tablet to fish out the broken part. And while the connector is hashed, I can replace the cage. The trick will be finding a compatible cage, since I'm not at all familiar with these things.

On the plus side, I found that I have an extra miniPCI slot so I might find something to use there and upgrade the memory while I'm at it.

I also need to apologize to my wife who had to deal with my anger over the incident before I could. I can't sleep off anger; I have to work it through and could not do so until today. Sorry gal. Please forgive me.

Another Blogger Links in Ink

Tablet PC crusader Warner Crocker points out that Hugh Sung has posted some ink on his blog. Most notable is the fact that he's included links in ink using the same method as Silver at INKINESS.

This brings several points to my attention. First, links in ink is the killer app for ink blogging. It started with a suggestion from visitor Cheryl Lindo. I first followed through with no-tine image maps before switching to layers. Underlined image mapping is a much simpler solution.

Unfortunately, even with a web editor to generate image maps or a template for layers (which I use), the process to create ink links is labor-intensive. When a quick solution is developed, I think we'll see a lot more interest in ink blogging.

Second, I find it interesting that the three of us are of East Asian descent. I often mention that ink is ideal for character-based languages, so perhaps an appreciation of that connects us. If Andy Lin started ink blogging, we could form the East Asian Ink Blogging Super Team.

Well, good job Hugh, sorry your posts got zapped Silver, and hope you join the team Andy.

iPhone on the way?

Looks like Kevin Tofel was on the money again. It appears the mythic iPhone is indeed in the works. Sounds like it might be a Japan exclusive, but it could make it to the states.

My First Mindmap

Been eyeing MindManager for a while. Also been pondering alternate forms of content. So when Hobart Swan of Mindjet offered me a copy, I had to say yes. And let me say, the experience has been liberating. I posted my first map earlier today and now I'm reflecting on it with another map. It's the closest thing to "brainblogging" yet.

My First Mindmap

I. Catalysts

A. Been interested for a while

1. Repeated praise by Marc Orchant

2. Thoughts need to be collected

3. Keep telling students to outline work

B. Excited about contest

1. Timing didn't work out

a) Mom's visit

b) Mother's Day

c) working 50 hours

2. Personal connection to judge Crocker

C. Need new forms of content

1. Silver kicks my ink blogging ass

2. Not making full use of pen

3. Getting bored of straight text

II. Impressions

A. Highly intuitive and easy to learn

1. tapped the pen button

2. Gesture shortcuts tab

3. Insert sketches

B. Outstanding HW recognition

1. Only four fixes in first maps

2. Export to Word

C. ideas and thoughts flew quickly

1. More material

2. Simple format

3. Instant organization

4. No data loss

III. Brainblogging?

A. Coining a term

Mindmap: Alternate Forms of Content

Alternate Forms of Content
I. Mind maps
A. Approached by Hobart Swan
B. Good for pure thoughts
C. Concise and uncluttered
D. Focus on context, not presentation
E. I keep interweaving ideas anyway

II. News Clips
A. Pseudo-ink fits theme
B. Easily read
C. Fun option

III. Audio?
A. Needs external host
B. Not a great orator
C. Not really my style
D. Prefer roundtable/ group discussion

IV. Video?
A. Maybe for “what's in gadget bag?"
B. Not an every day format

V. Newsmashups
A. Direct quotes
B. Annotative style
C. Blend text & visuals
D. I [love] mash-ups

VI. Photos
A. Worth a thousand words
B. Direct sharing of experience
C. Need to streamline transfer
D. Text conversion unnecessary?
E. Marking up is fun

VII. Reasons
A. Too locked by format
B. Untapped options
C. Getting bored again
D. Concept of ink proven

VIII. comic Panels
A. Out of Practice
B. Makes good use of pen
C. Fits visual/verbal thinking
D. Fun expanded communication

Photo: Disturbing Plate

Anyone else find this license plate a tad disturbing?

Hail, Hail President Gore!

Saturday Night Live kicked off the night with an address from Al Gore, President of the United States of America in an alternate dimension, one where Florida's attorney general, the person in charge of counting their votes, did not work for W. Brilliant stuff, especially when he apologized for letting the budget surplus drop to $11 trillion. If only we really had such problems.

Wanted: TC1100 Design Team

Craig Pringle asks "Where has the TC1100 design team gone?" I wish I knew. If I did, I'd tell them to design convertible keyboards for other slates, like the Electrovaya Scribbler. Better yet, maybe they can add a battery and drives to the keyboard base, like Tracy Hooten envisions. That would be sweet!

Make Firefox Pen Friendlier

More news that slipped by: Loren Heiny (who should receive a big check from Bill Gates) is making great strides in adding ink to Firefox. I look forward to trying the beta.

In addition Malorkus at the Buzz has released updates for GeckoTIP and Grab & Drag, two extensions that make FF extremely pen-friendly.

Between these extensions and All-in-One gestures, Firefox is so much easier to use with a pen than IE. Once ink is added, it might as well come pre-installed on Tablet PCs and Ultramobs (UMPCs).

>> Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Loren Keeps Working On Inking In Firefox
>> Previous: Sumocat's Scribbles: Make Firefox Pen-Friendly

Blogging from OneNote & Word

Been a little preoccupied lately and managed to let this gem slip by without a mention: Word 2007 should have built-in blogging features. Through Word, one could also publish from OneNote 2007. I don't use OneNote now, but between this and its ability to make all documents searchable, it's definitely on my upgrade list.

>> Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: OneNote 2007 Adds Blogging Feature
>> INKINESS » Ink blogging with OneNote 2007?
>> GottaBeMobile.com - Blogging from OneNote 2007

Nice Price on UPS

Staples is selling the CyberPower 260 Watt Battery Backup for $20. Not a whole lot of run time, but I need it primarily for voltage monitoring, flickering outages, and lightning protection. Well worth it for the price. Think I might get one for the TV and DVD player to keep the clock from resetting every time there's a glitch.

Practice Tablet! Cheap!

DualCor cPC on the way

Hang up over the upgradeable connectivity aside, Rob at GottaBeMobile reports that the DualCor cPC will be shipping soon.

Newsclip: Alternate Ink Source Found

Warner links to a nifty web tool that allows you to create virtual newspaper snippets. They have a couple of other fun tools too.
What I especially like is that it fits the theme of my blog. Real newspapers areprinted in ink, so the snippet can be rightfully called virtual ink. All I have to do is handwrite this with the TIP (as I have) and this post can be properly called a handwritten ink entry. Neat option, huh?
Newspaper snippet generator

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta...

I keep bragging that I could have written any of these UMPC reviews two months ago. Well, here's something I did write two months ago in my Obligatory Origami Post.

[Okay, so Origami has been revealed and it's everything we knew it would be, which is not much. Yes, I am glad to see the built-in game controller, on-screen thumb keyboard, and other elements I've wanted, but the prototypes show no advancements and no direction. There's nothing in the hardware we don't already have and the software improvement consists primarily of a new layout for the keyboard. And what is it supposed to do? We've got specs and interface methods. but what do they do? Obviously, I know what a tablet can do, but Joe Average needs a demo, especially if there's any hope of turning the hype into actual interest.]

Was I impressed? Clearly not. Notice my big problem was lack of direction. Microsoft would not define what it does. The reviewers could not figure out what they do. Mass hysteria ensues.

By contrast, look at Apple. They know how to build hype, but they follow it up with money-making interest. How? They tell us what their devices do. It's no accident their top-selling product of all time is their most focused device. A little focus with the UMPC would have helped a lot.

I am officially obsolete

It is inevitable that the student will become the master, but Silver at INKINESS has run me over with a bus. Not only does she (I think she's a she) post in ink and include text, which can be hidden or shown, but she also has links in ink using a simpler process than I do. Ah, tech: cutting edge one day, obsolete the next. I guess this means I'll have to start focusing on content now.

Teacher in Virginia gets a clue

Hmm... I teach SAT Prep to help students get into college... I live in Virginia... I use a tablet PC... Took me a few days but I put the pieces together and realized I really should be a little more involved in the whole Virginia Tech Tablet PC requirement thing. I'll reach out to you formally after I return home, but I'm thinking I should be directing people to alltp.com and The Student Tablet PC. More on this later.

About the keyboard thing...

As a comic book fan, I have an appreciation for the interweaving of visual and verbal forms of printed communication. This also colors my perspective in judging such works. Thus, when I read UMPC reviews that harp on the lack of built-in keyboard and optical drive, I see a poorly designed comic book panel, like the "Superman towing a planet" example from Scott McCloud's book, Understanding Comics. In the UMPC context, it looks like this...

I can see there's no keyboard and pointing that out is fine. But then you (and you know who you are) explain what one might do with a keyboard, as if your lowly readers don't know what a keyboard does.
Yes, maybe you had the printed page in mind and thought they might not include a photo of the new device. But space on a printed page is valuable and I don't see why you'd burn it on irrelevant info.

Predictable UMPC Reviews

If you picked up a baseball and a bat and swatted the ball a few times, you really couldn't form much of an opinion about the game. The recent reviews of the first UMPC have been like that, except they don't have a problem sharing their ill-informed opinions.

It's not their faults really. Microsoft deliberately refrained from giving us specific usage scenarios to prevent the Origami from being pigeonholed. This leaves the reviewers with a piece of hardware and no idea what it does, which results in absolutely worthless reviews. The only exception is Linda Epstein at TabletPC2 [and jkOntheRun, who both reviewed pre-production models] who actually tells us what it can do and shows us more than stock photos and specs.

Gary Krakow at MSNBC gives us some potential uses, which is good, but doesn't really tell us how he used it. Cisco Cheng at PC Magazine gets closer to the mark but doesn't quite escape the same trap all the other reviews fall into: explaining the specs. I understand most people don't know the specs and perhaps they need an explanation. But I could have written most of these reviews a month ago based on the specs. To be fair, I did spend two years writing descriptions for products that did not yet exist. But that doesn't change the fact that these so-called hands-on review read like reviews of the specs.

And what is the hang up on keyboards and optical drives? You show a photo with no keyboard. You mention there's no keyboard. Then you explain what you can't do because there's no keyboard. Mossberg, I'm talking specifically about you, but you have plenty of company. CIO Today stands outside this group because they do differentiate between a physical keyboard and the two integrated software 'boards. A gold star for them.

But getting back to my point, how the hell do you form an opinion on a mobile device by sitting in your office? Did any of these reviewers take more than two steps while reviewing the UMPC? You'd think a review of a mobile device might mention mobility. David Pogue at The New York Times gives hypotheticals in his five W's but he left out HOW he used it, along with everyone else. Overall score: [one star]

[The video review at jkOnTheRun is another outstanding exception I forgot to mention. Can't beat it for "show me" value.]

Office Ink Enablers Unite!

Anyone else think Loren Heiny, Josh Einstein and InkEnable should get together Sentai style and form the "Ink Enabler Super Team"? Between TEO, InkGestures, and now TipX, not to mention Loren's work with IE & PowerPoint, these guys are delivering sensational ink options for Microsoft Office. If they got together to form the Voltron of Office Ink, they could be the invincible champion of the inkiverse (or some such).

Perhaps Bill Gates, being the charitable tablet supporter that he is, could cut them a small check to get started, no-strings grant of a fraction of a percent of his net worth, so they can focus on software, not on money. Let's face it, Bill: these guys are making your software and ideal form factor even better. Let's all spread the word and convince Mr. Gates to add the "Office Ink Co-op" to his list of charities.
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