Get your bum down to GoCeBIT.

I have just finished editing a bunch of great new video content featuring the following speakers and more.

Thanks for letting me be part of such a great event.

They are in no particular order.

A great resource for you to take advantage of, yes my eyes are 16X9 wide screen square now!

There are some top international speakers talking about innovation of all types.

Including:

• AGIMO - Ms Ann Steward, Aust. Govt Chief Information Officer
• Australian Government - Hon. Lindsay Tanner MP, Minister for Finance and Deregulation
• Australian Government - Senator the Hon, Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband
• Sage - Charles Pludthuro
• Saasu - Marc Lehmann, Director and Founder
• Siemens - Eric Hampell, General Manager (Aust. & NZ)
• Sony Aust Ltd - Peter Norman, Group Marketing Manager
• Motion Computing - Brett Gross, Regional Manager (Aust. & NZ)
• Netforce - Scott Atkinson, Director - CTO
• Pronto Software - Paul Goepfert, Marketing Manager
• NSW DSRD - Wayne Sonter, Manager, Innovation and Technology
• Advantech - Brad Waters, Account Manager
• Oracle - Shane Owenby, Senior Director
• Deutsche Messe AG - Dr Andreas Gruchow, Board Member
• Abuzz - Morgan Drew, CEO
• Thomson - Tony Lynch, General Manager
• Jabra - Paul M. Nettelbeck, Marketing Manager (Aust. & NZ)
• Grove Communications - Paul Rankin, Owner
• Trixbox - Tanya Thompson, Marketing Manager
• D-Link - Maurice Famularo, Marketing Director (Aust. & NZ)
• Talkswitch - Michael Sellwood, Vice President International Business Development
• Joomla - Andrew Eddie, Lead Developer
• AussieHQ - Michael McGoogan, Managing Director
• AVG - Lloyd Borrett, Marketing Manager
• University of Wollongong - David Fuller, Director, Innovation Campus
• Fujitsu Australia - Liam O'Duibhir, Programme Manager / Biz3 - Zachary Zeus, Principal
• Netcomm - Danny Morrison, General Manager
• Alloy - Karl Baker, Marketing Director
• Rohde & Schwarz - Simon Haynes, Broadcast Account Manager
• Motion Computing - Brett Gross, Regional Manager (Aust. & NZ)
• Altech - Kevin Hartin & Antony Sheen, Managing Director
• Bluefire - Jason Serda, Managing Director
• Hot Goanna - MArk Tull
• SBS - Mark Boyd, EP World News
• SBS - Paula Marcello, Director Radio
• SBS, Nikki Canning, Radio
• NAB - David De Garis, Senior Economist
• Audi
• Engin
• Yahoo! - Willie Pang
  
• Netgear - Kimberley Odewah
• eWay - Matt Bullock
• Panasonic - Barry Armstrong
• CSIRO - Stephen Giugni
• MIT - Prof. Richard Lester
• ZeROIN - Mark Thompson
• Boeing Company - Al Bryant
• Telstra - Lin Marie
• NICTA - Dr David Skellern
• Navteq - Brent Stafford
• Mahalo - Jason Calacanis
• Melbourne IT
• Motorola
• Optus
• and several keynote addresses from the eGov, Aus Innovate, Transact 2.0, ministerial addresses,experts, interviews AND MORE!.

Hope you enjoy it.

JA

SanDisk anunció en CeBIT 2008 que Motion Computing, fabricante de computadoras tablet, seleccionó la unidad de estado sólido (SSD) de 32GB de SanDisk para su nueva tablet PC móvil F5. Como una adición importante para los usuarios de PCs en industrias como servicio, fabricación, gobierno y construcción, la SSD 5000 1.8 UATA 32GB ofrece a los usuarios mayor durabilidad, mejor desempeño y excelente aprovechamiento de la energía.

El nuevo dispositivo busca ser un balance entre los dispositivos comerciales y PCs resistentes, que cuenta con las características costosas que se requieren normalmente en sólo un pequeño porcentaje de aplicaciones de campo. Además de la SSD 5000 1.8 UATA 32GB, SanDisk ofrece una serie de soluciones SSD que incluye a los ganadores del Innovations 2008 Award de la Consumer Electronics Association (CEA): la SSD SanDisk 64 GB SATA 5000 de 2.5 pulgadas, ganadora en la categoría “Periféricos de Computadora”, y el Vaulter Disk, el máximo ganador de la categoría “Tecnologías Avanzadas”.

Besides being hard as nails, the F5 sports an Intel Centrino processor, is IP54 rated and designed to withstand exposure to dust and moisture, has a View Anywhere outdoor display and built-in handle, and there’s a shock-mounted hard drive and combined accelerometer, designed to detect drops and shocks in order to reduce the possibility of data loss.

To improve workflow there’s also a digital camera, RFID and optional barcode scanner, along with embedded wireless broadband and optional SanDisk 32GB solid state drive (SSD). The system runs Microsoft’s Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or Windows Vista Business and comes with a 3-year ‘field-ready’ warranty (i.e. covers damage from short drops (approx. 30 inches), and ordinary course exposure to rain and dust).

• Semi-rugged, thin and light design with high performance capabilities (approximately 3 lbs.)
• Optional integrated WWAN for seamless connectivity throughout the U.S.
• Shock, drop, vibration and temperature resistance
• Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth^® wireless connectivity
• Vehicular docking capabilities
• Intuitive buttons and triggers
• Integrated barcode scanner (optional)
• Integrated RFID reader offering quick and simple inventory tracking and management
• Natural handwriting interface for convenient data capture while standing or walking
• Bright View Anywhere^® screen
• Speak Anywhere^® audio technology for convenient access to voice notes and advanced communication
• Enhanced warranty offering

Motion Computing hat am Montag auf dem Gartner Wireless and Mobile Summit in Chicago den neuen F5 Tablet PC vorgestellt. Auch in Hannover auf der Cebit ist er bereits zu sehen, beim Systemintegrator Cosys Ident in Halle 7, Stand C02.

Semi-Ruggedized bedeutet beim etwa 1,4 kg leichten F5 ein rundum sturzgesichertes Gehäuse, die Erfüllung des IP54-Standards (Schutz gegen Staub, Stürze aus bis zu 76 cm Höhe sowie Regeneinwirkung", so die Pressemitteilung) sowie eine stoßgeschützte Lagerung der Festplatte in Verbindung mit einem Bewegungssensor.

Die Auflösung des in einem Magnesium-Gehäuse eingefassten Bildschirms des 10,4-Zoll-Bildschirms beträgt 1024x768 Pixel, View Anywhere ist optional ebenso wie ein UMTS-Modem von Novatel. Es gibt nur einen Speicherslot, der standardmäßig mit 1 GB bestückt ist. Offenbar ist eine eigene, spätere Aufrüstung ausgeschlossen, im Datenblatt heißt es, das Gerät sei "am Verkaufsort" aufrüstbar.

Als ich den F5 heute bei Cosys in der Hand hielt, war ich mir erst nicht sicher, ob es der C5 ist - sieht er doch fast genauso aus. Erst ein Blick auf die Rückseite verschaffte Gewißheit. Installiert war Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. Wer weniger Wert auf die Batterielaufzeit legt, kann den F5 auch mit Vista Business bekommen.

Etwas veraltet, wenn auch für den vorgesehenen Einsatzzweck ausreichend ist das Innenleben, auf dem Intel 945GM-Chipsatz werkelt ein nur mit einem Kern ausgestatteter Core Solo U1400 mit 1,2 GHz, siehe das Bild vom Gerätemanager weiter unten. Zu den Kommunikationsfähigkeiten zählen ein langsames 100 MBit-LAN, Intel WLAN 3945 a/b/g, Bluetooth, ein integriertes RFID-Lesegerät (ISO 15693) sowie eine RFID-Kennung (13,56 MHz), ebenso optional wie das UMTS-Modem von Novatel (EU870D, optional) und ein Barcode-Scanner. Gut sind die drei USB-Anschlüsse sowie die 2 Megapixel-Kamera.

Optional ist eine 32 GByte-Festplatte von SanDisk erhältlich, die eingebaute HD ist von Toshiba. Laut Modellnummer handelt es sich aber (noch?) nicht um eine der gerade vorgestellten schnellen 1,8-Zoll-Platten, die 5400 Umdrehungen/min. schaffen, wie letzte Woche verkündet (PDF mit deutscher und englischer Pressemitteilung), sondern um eine langsame MK4009GAL mit 15 ms durchschnittlicher Zugriffszeit, etwa 17 MB/s Datentransferrate und einer Lebensdauer von 20.000 Betriebsstunden (Herstellerangaben).

Kräftig ist der Preis, der je nach Ausstattung zwischen 1800 und 2700 Euro beträgt. Motion hebt allerdings hervor, dass andere rugged-Geräte deutlich teurer seien, hier spielt Motion auf die Toughbooks von Panasonic an.

Produkthomepage:

http://www.motioncomputing.de/products/tablet_pc_f5.asp

Datenblatt

http://www.motioncomputing.de/resources/F5/F5_Product_Specs_DE.pdf

Hersteller-Homepage

http://www.motioncomputing.de

PS: Die in der englischen Pressemitteilung aufgeführte dreijährige "field-ready"-Garantie für Schäden nach Stürzen aus bis zu 76 cm Höhe oder durch "ordinary" Staub und Regen fehlt in der deutschen Meldung.

Praktični C5 ima "vertikalni dizajn", ručku za nošenje, stilus, mogućnost prepoznavanja rukopisa, ugrađenu kameru, i naravno RFID čitač.

U lepo kućište upakovan je 1,2-gigahercni procesor Intel Core Solo U1400, do 1,5 GB RAM-a, od 30 do 60 GB diska, bežična mreža po standardu 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth i li-ionske baterije. Operativni sistem je po izboru Vista for Business ili Windowsi XP Tablet PC Edition.

Dobra strana uređaja je masa od 1,5 kilograma, a loša je relativno visoka cena od 2.200 dolara.

Supplies of the recently introduced 1.1GHz configurations continue to be available for customer purchase in the U.S., Canada, & select Pacific Rim geographies. Unfortunately, supplies have already been depleted for Western European geographies. Motion thanks all of our partners and customers for their contribution in making the LS800 a successful product.
LS800 Supported Peripherals
• The LS800 Tablet, Pen, & Extended Battery will be supported and serviced for 3 years until December 31, 2010.
• Motion has a limited inventory of Standard Batteries for aftermarket purchase. Once this inventory has been exhausted, only the Extended Battery will be available.
• The MobileDock will continue to be available while supplies last (limited supplies exist, so get your orders in quickly). Service and support for the LS800 MobileDock will continue thru December 31, 2008.
• The LS800 Bump Case will be serviced and supported for 90 days. Additional Bump Cases can be purchased from Elegant Packaging after this time.
Peripheral EOL Update
Motion will end of life the following peripherals by the end of 2007 or while supplies last. However, these products will be available for purchase direct from the supplier listed in parentheses.
SEN-CD386 - Cross Exec Pen (Wacom)
SEN-MSBTUE - Think Outside BT Mouse (iGo)
SEN-SBT5E - Think Outside Stowaway keyboard (iGo)
SEN-NBP-3 - Case Logic Back Pack (Case Logic)
SEN-OK-4040 - RAAK Tech Smart Card Reader (RAAk Technology)
504.400.03 -Motion LE-Series Executive Portfolio (similar product from Elegant Packaging)
Reminder:
Service & Support for discontinued products extends for 1 year beyond the associated tablet's end-of-life date. As previously communicated the following items are no longer serviced and supported by Motion.
• The M-Series Hardtop Keyboard
• The M-Series FlexDock
The M-Series Battery is currently on backorder until Mid-November.

Based on Motion's unrelenting commitment to delivering the best customer experience with the highest quality, we have made the decision to not offer the LE1700 WriteTouch feature at this time.   We have worked diligently to close technical and usability challenges, but some manufacturing and supply chain challenges continue to impact our schedule and overlap with key roadmap deliverables.  The decision is a difficult one but is in the best interest of our customers while affording us time to focus development and execution efforts on delivering best-in-class solutions.   

• Hard Drive Transition

Motion will be transitioning its platform hard drive capacities based on an industry-wide platter density transition on select platforms. 30GB will move to 40GB for C5 and LE1700; 60GB will move to 80GB for the LE1700 only and both without a price increase. The LS800 continues to offer the current 40GB and 32GB SSD offerings. The effective dates are targeted for late October to early November based on current sales run rates. The specific timing will be confirmed by platform based on price list update publishes by geography.  

•  LE1600 Celeron End of Life

Given the continued ramp of the LE1700, Motion is announcing the EOL of the LE1600 Celeron platform.   All SKUs world wide are impacted and will be turned off the week of Oct 8^th.

•  LE-Series Extended Battery and M-Series Standard Battery Lead Time

LE-Series extended batteries continue to be challenged from a lead time perspective at ~6 weeks world wide, due in large part to industry wide shortages and demand.   Based on Motion's best outlook,  the current backlog is expected to clear by the end of October with new orders expected to ship by mid November.     M-Series standard batteries are also challenged based on similar circumstances. Based on Motion's best outlook  the current backlog is expected to clear by mid December.  

•  LE-Series 512MB Memory Module Transition- 512MB 400DDR2 RAM to EOL

Motion will soon be transitioning its 512MB memory SKU module from a 447MHz DDR2 to 667MHz DDR2 speed.   Limited quantities of SKU 504.103.01 are still available but will be transitioning to SKU 506.100.01 upon sell-through.  

The Background:

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) aims to be the model for excellence in motor vehicle services.

Long waits and slow service are never fun, but many customers have come to accept it as a fact of life when visiting their local motor vehicle departments around the country.

In 2003, the NJMVC began overhauling its operations and image in an effort to better serve customers. One critical tool it’s using to improve the customer experience is tablet PCs from Motion Computing. The point-of-entry service made possible by tablet PCs has made a major impact on the way the Commission serves customers.

The Challenge:

The NJMVC made the decision to deploy the tablets in three areas: driver license renewal, new driver licensing, and vehicle inspections.

For years, customers waited in line for hours, only to find out that they didn’t have the appropriate identification. Following the enactment of New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Security and Customer Service Act in 2003, the newly created Motor Vehicle Commission began requiring new and renewing drivers to produce six points of identification in order to obtain a digital driver license. Rather than wasting customers’ time by making them wait in line, the NJMVC wanted to help people as soon as they walked through the door. They imagined an electronic, handheld device used to check identification and fill out preliminary forms that would save each driver time and improve the overall experience.

The NJMVC’s IT team first explored PDAs, but the functionality of these devices was limited. Laptops also were evaluated, but they lacked agility and didn’t have the handwriting recognition capabilities necessary to fill out forms. Tablet PCs emerged as the most appropriate solution. After reviewing various devices, Motion Computing’s ultra-mobile, pen-and-ink enabled tablet PCs emerged as the right fit for the NJMVC.

“Once we decided that tablets were the most beneficial solution, all signs pointed to Motion Computing as the tablet PC provider of choice,” says Woody Sisco, NJMVC’s management information systems coordinator.

The NJMVC began implementing Motion’s tablet PCs and soon realized that they would be useful in other areas of the organization - particularly with the mobile workforces of Inspection Services and Driver Testing examiners, who evaluate first-time drivers.

The Solution:

In early 2004, the commission designated greeters at each of its agencies and equipped them with Motion M1400 tablet PCs, 200 tablets in total. In the fall of 2006, they purchased approximately 300 LE1600 tablet PCs, and will eventually upgrade all of the M1400s currently in use. The tablet’s mobility enabled greeters to provide customer service beyond the counter, significantly expediting the customer’s Motor Vehicle Commission experience.

While drivers wait in line to be served at the counter, greeters review and verify identification documents. Customers can ask questions, find out what forms they need to fill out, and take care of preliminary issues, all while they wait. The NJMVC purchased extended batteries that enable greeters to go most of the day without having to swap out the batteries every few hours.

The Division of Inspection Services is responsible for evaluations at inspection stations, as well as mobile inspections of charter and school buses and taxi cab fleets. They use Formulizer software that is ink-enabled and uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to transfer handwriting to searchable text. The software creates a back-end database that is searchable and quite useful for statistical reporting. The inspectors can search all content entered in the form fields and save forms with “ink” intact and in text format.

Driver Testing examiners now score new drivers’ parallel parking and left-hand turning skills with the help of the tablets. The minute the test car is put into park, scores are entered directly into the system and the newly-minted driver just has to pick up his/her provisional license. There is no additional paperwork to fill out.

The Results:

The tablets have been fully deployed by greeters working in motor vehicle agencies and are in the process of being implemented by the vehicle inspection personnel and Driver Testing examiners who will be moving to a paperless environment. According to Sisco, “the applicability for vehicle inspections and Driver Testing examiners was obvious. We knew the tablets would be an incredible tool for them and couldn’t wait to get them in their hands.”

The Motion tablet’s View Anywhere® Display, which allows for easy viewing in any light, is especially useful to the vehicle inspectors, who are often working outdoors to conduct inspections. The View Anywhere feature eliminates glare on the screens and allows for viewing at any angle. They’ve also recently begun using the pen-and-ink tool to conduct evaluations via customized online forms.

A mobile workforce, the Enhanced Inspections Group has incorporated CDMA wireless technology, which allows them to send and receive e-mails instantly while in the field. They also use the tablet to take pictures during site investigations, and take notes directly on top of the image.

Sisco says the purchase of the Motion tablets was “very easy to justify.”

I think I have mentioned (over and over) that I am a big fan of the Tablet PC. I think that in many respects it is far more innovative than anything to come out of Apple in the last 10 years or so. And in terms of the industry as a whole, it has opened up both a hardware and potential software market well beyond Microsoft (take note of that all you Apple fans - what has the ultimate closed source community at Apple produced that has benefited any business other than Apple?).

The problem now, of course, is that the Tablet is old news. It is 5 years old, has not lived up to early predictions that soon "every laptop sold will be a Tablet" (though in real terms has been reasonably successful), there is a shortage of really "tablet specific" or even "tablet aware" applications (notable exceptions of course are OneNote and MindJet MindManager). It has really missed the boat on the hype cycle it could have generated. And now, the primary champion of the platform, Bill himself, is no longer involved in day-to-day operations at Microsoft.

So, whither the Tablet PC? Loren makes a number of good points in the referenced article - and I will not repeat them here (hey, go read the original!). I agree whole-heartedly that the fact that those of us who support the Tablet PC have our work cut out for us if the momentum is to be maintained. I have been looking for projections about the size and growth of the Tablet PC market, but doing a Google search I do not see anything that is newer than about 2004. Are there any more current projections out there?

Another thought I had, beyond Loren's observations, is around open source and the Tablet PC. The hardware specifications for the Tablet are fairly well defined. Unfortunately, the only software that supports it is Windows (not that I dislike Windows, but it means the entire Tablet PC industry is at the mercy of Microsoft's decsions about continuing the platform). how about some of these really innovation open source types take the Tablet PC to new heights? Lets create a Linux-based (or not) OS, put a novel, Tablet-specific UI on it, and drive the Tablet market in that way? I know there are people out there who have put Linux on the Tablets, but I am talking more than just getting so it doesn't crash, and works like a laptop with a funny shaped mouse. Something that really IS a Tablet computer. That would be a really innovative use of Open Source!

Thoughts?   

• In meetings, or when brainstorming, researching, designing, etc., I use my LE1600 as a tablet, and work almost exclusively in OneNote, MindManager, and IE;
• When I am at a desk, I have a stand for my LE1600 (note that the LE1600 does not come with a stand - what I ended up buying was a desktop book stand from a library/bookstore supplier), as well as a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse. Since I have a wireless network, I can just place my tablet on the stand, use it at my desk, and then grab it and take it to a meeting, etc.
• I try very hard to never plug my tablet into anything - to me it sort of defeats the purpose. I have a regular and an extended battery with my LE1600, as well as a second extended battery and a charger. This way, I just keep hot swapping the extended batteries, and keeping the other charging. This also means that when I moving around, I can have 7-9 hoursof battery life. This is one reason I prefer the slate to a convertible - I find convertibles have battery lifetimes more characteristic of a laptop - and I wanted more.

Really the only complaint I have ever had with my LE1600 is with the power connector. Very early on, the connector where the power supply plugs into the tablet developed connection problems, to the point that the unit will not charge or run off AC. This ceased to matter when I got the spare battery and charger, but was part of my reason for doing so. I should point out that I had the exact same problem with my TC1000 - I had it repaired twice by Compaq, and it always came back. it just seems to be an inherent problem with a computer you are moving around like a tablet (I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar problems with other brands of tablet).

There are other applications which I have used with the tablet, but OneNote and MindManager are the main ones. What would I like to see? As I said before, better ink support in Office, IE, and in Windows in general would be great (yes, Vista is an improvement, but the ink support still feels like it is pasted on top of the "real" mode of interaction - I do not know what "better" looks like, or I would have written it!). I would also like to see more ink-aware applications. I think there have been two big challenges to this in the past - one being the development support on the tablet, and the second being marketing of the tablet platform in general. I will not get into either of these now, I think both warrant their own posts. I would also like to see improved voice input on the tablet - I would love to be able to just dictate documents into Word or PowerPoint, and have the results be worth the effort. This has come a long way in the last few years, but does not seem to be quite there yet.

There are several very cool tablet accessories out there, some of which I have tried and just never gotten round to buying. One worth mentioning is InkGestures from Jumping Minds. I suspect I will buy a copy of this as soon as there is a version for Word 2007.