Gigabyte

I really love the design of the Gigabyte UMPCs. The Gigabyte M704 is pretty much my ideal UMPC. It has a sliding keyboard and can operate with it closed. The screen has a nice 1024x600 screen so I don't have to scroll sideways when I surf. It also means less issues running programs that don't fit on the 800x600 screen of my old Samsung Q1. When I do get a new UMPC the decision will be between this one and the Samsung Q1. I just wonder what the price of the Gigabyte M704 will be.



Next we have the Gigabyte M700 which has no keyboard but does have integrated 3g for easy access to the internet. If I didn't want a keyboard I would go for this device. It does have a nice 1024x600 screen also. I wonder how the pricing will compare to the M704.


Last we have the Nokia n810 competitior the Gigabyte M528 which is an awsome device. UMPC portal and JKK have some great videos and pics of this device. It has a 4.8-inch 800x480 screen which is larger than the 4.13-inch 800x480 Nokia n810 screen. I have read that the keyboard is even better than the Nokia. The Gigabyte M528 also has specs closer to a umpc. It has 512MB of RAM and a 4GB SSD which blows away the Nokia. It also runs Ubuntu Mobile which seems to be favored over the Maemo platform. It seems we have the first device that might be able to take down the Nokia n810 platform. If they can price it close to the Nokia then we might see a brutal fight on our hands.

OTG

This accessory was another reason I wanted to buy the Nokia n800. It lets me use thumb drives in my Nokia n800. Not only does it allow thumb drives but also allows for the use of usb keyboards. This functionality is something I wish I had in the 770.

These adapters have been around but it is not common to have the OTG functionality. Without the OTG functionality I would have to run some terminal commands. I have never been a big fan of the linux terminal. So this pretty much enables plug and play usb thumbdrives and keyboards.

I found the plug from the Internet Tablet Talk forums. They can be ordered from here. I recommend this to every n800 owner.

Nokia 800 Software

As requested I will tell all the applications that I run on my Nokia 800. I currently only run Garnet VM and under that program I run eReader. I have been using eReader for years and I just love the software. The drm is not annoying at all. I really like being able to read my ebooks on so many different devices.

I have a few minor software programs. MH Shot Tool is a simple program that I use for taking screen shots. I downloaded the camera program so I can use the web cam as a camera. Thats about it for the programs I have installed. I was thinking of installing Bejewled under Garnet. I really love that game. But for the most part the Internet is the killer app for me. I was also thinking of getting myself a keyboard and see if I could do some blogging from my tablet.

I knew I wanted to install the latest OS before I even bought the device. The installation had one litte hickup. It took me two reboots before I could get the tablet in the right mode. But it was quickly fixed. So I installed the 2008 os and boy was I happy. The whole unit seemed snappier. I am really excited to see what the future brings.

I have very simple needs for my Nokia n800.

HTC Shift

Jkkmobile has a unboxing of the HTC Shift out. Jkk does a great job with this video. I really get a good feel for the device. I have to say that the HTC Shift is the best looking UMPC. It might not have the best specs but it does look like it belongs on Star Trek. I still don't like the resolution and the os of the device. The battery life isn't great either. I do love the slide out keyboard. Version 2.0 is going to dominate the industry. Of course there are those eee priced devices around the corner. 2008 is going to be the year of the UMPC.

Edit: Reggie informed me that the unboxing of the HTC Shift was done by Paul of MoDaCo (http://www.modaco.com), Microsoft MVP for Mobile Devices. Thank you Reggie.

Oh my gosh!

This new Nokia n800 is an amazing device. It is so much better than my old 770. I now have the urge to leave my laptop at home and surf only from my Nokia tablet. I had talked about the many issues with the 770 I had in the past so there is no need to go over them. But a big one happened today. I installed Ereader. This has always been the mobile killer app for me. Now I have an internet tablet that I can use offline. I will also install bejeweled. This device blows me away. I do feel like I am surfing the web in the palm of my hand now. The first thing I did was try out YouTube and the quality is amazing. I tried the 2007OS and thought it was great. But 2008 is amazing. I love being able to use two sd card slots. I do have a few little issues. I do wish I got the n810's slide out keyboard. I also wish I could remap the "j" button to the down arrow for use in google reader. Is there any way to have the down button page down instead of running through the links?

Took The Plunge

I can't believe that I did it but I did. I bought a Nokia n800. I was a big fan of the Nokia 770 and I wanted to get a newer one. I thought of the n810 but I wanted to save some money. The n800 is at an incredible price a little above $200. I paid about $250 after tax and shipping. I had four issues with my Nokia 770. I couldn't read Digg easily. I couldn't use a thumb drive. I couldn't use Ereader. I couldn't watch YouTube videos. All of these issues have been fixed. The Nokia 800 is cheap. I just couldn't resist. I really wanted to save my money for a new Samsung Q1 but I have a laptop now and it is sweet. I could play all of my video games on it. So I can't wait to receive my new toy.

EEETV

Looks like there is some more information about he eeetv. Yea I made up that name.

Link