Prime Time: Cornerstone Technology: Computers

[Cris]

This thread is for discussing computer technology including the actual device as well as peripherals.

[Cris]

Gille said: My grrl Jennifer asked me to look into augmented reality to post here on the forum (since her eyes are bleeding from over-working). I went to post this first.

Did anyone else fall in love with "Caprica" on the Syfy Channel? The touchable paper and paper-pen computers? This digital pen is an option not unlike what we saw (the first step):

Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen (APA-00002)

Information is available at Amazon.com. These are available now.

A step further:

Tap the digital paper icon that launches the Internet for you. This is beamed wirelessly to your glasses or directly to your retina for HU display.

[Cris]

Here's the cool Caprica Paper. Gets you onto the Internet with one touch, but also has possibilities in terms of a "computer"

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3.12.2010 at 4:26am Brianne wrote:

Jennifer? I know you've been looking a lot into the iPad and others like it. Will you post about what you've found?

3.13.2010 at 1:06am Jennifer wrote:

Absolutely, Brianne. I haven't made my final decision yet but the great thing about slates is that they are literally *made* to be hauled around.

See, there are desktop computers (usually called PCs) and then there are laptops and even convertibles or tablets that look like laptops but then -- lo and behold! -- the screen flips around and folds flat against the keyboard to provide a touchscreen computing experience. But what about... slates?

The best slate computers are ultra thin and if you think the iPad (that fun, fun toy due out in April) is the first on the scene, consider again. Slates are thin (about half a laptop thickness) and have no keyboard. Their human interface is an one-screen keyboard (touch compatible) and a stylus (or fingertip).

This excellent blog (http://sondreb.com/blog/post/Showdown-of-slate-Tablet-PCs.aspx) compares several slates and names the Motion LE1700 as best. Why look consider these when none of them will run those nifty iApple (LOL) apps? Um... because they'll run Flash (hulu.com anyone?) and because they run up to a Windows 7 OS. This means all the software you love (and that's running on your other machines) and the nifty little USB ports you rely on to transfer files back and forth.

**Motion M1400 2GB RAM XP Tablet




Motion M1400 - Pentium M 1.1 GHz ULV - RAM 2 GB - HD 60 GB - Mdm - LAN EN, Fast EN, Bluetooth, 802.11b, 802.11g - Centrino - Win XP Tablet PC - 12.1 TFT XGA (1024 x 768) The large 12.1" display with wide viewing angles delivers a peak viewing experience, allowing you to clearly view the display on flat surfaces in both portrait and landscape mode or to share presentations with others more effectively.

Using a built-in sensor to automatically adjust the brightness of the display, the new Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) maximizes battery life and optimizes view ability across a variety of settings.

**Motion LE1700 2GB RAM XP Tablet



Motion LE1700 (Core 2 Duo L7400 1.5GHz, 2GB RAM, 60GB HDD, XP Tablet 2005) Manufacturer: Motion Computing Part number: EB34332322S Product Short Spec: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.5 GHz) RAM installed: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM Weight: 3.3 lbs Display: 12.1 in TFT active matrix OS provided: Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition More information here:

www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_le17.asp

Stunningly, a few of these machines can now be picked up for under $600 (if you don't mind running XP, which, IMHO, can't be beat by anything... err... except maybe Windows 7 but my personal jury is still out on W7).

Now, to be fair, the iPad does sound like a fun toy (kinda like a DS) is that it runs all those nifty iPod apps and goes with iTunes like a hand in glove. So... here's a little about the iPad (which, to be fair, is the lightest and thinnest of them all... maybe because the screen is smaller? Hm.)

**iPad



Information here: www.apple.com/ipad/design/

3.14.2010 at 4:37am EJ wrote:

To weigh in on the slate conversation...

I have to come out in defense of the iPad. I think the big difference is the multitouch and touch-input screen. Though... the screen is smaller than I think it should be. I really like the full-page idea, personally.

Multitouch means that when touching the screen with more than one finger or with a stroke or gesture, you can access additional features. Touch input, specifically, means no stylus -- the keyboard can be on the screen and you type on it like you would with a physical off-screen keyboard. I don't type with a stylus, personally.

In some ways, the best thing to do is wait the few short months for the HP Slate. It's a slate with a touch screen, runs Flash, runs a MS OS, and support touch input and multitouch. Just a thought

EJ

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2.17.2010 at 8:37pm Brianne wrote:

Welcome to Prime Time, baby Here's my newest find:

The iPod Touch

Tech specs:
*Up to a 64 GB Hard Drive
*64 GB holds 14,000 songs, 90,000 photos, or 80 hours of video
*Up to 30 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
*3.5-inch widescreen Multi-Touch display with 480 x 320 pixel resolution
*Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF
*Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 0.3 x 4.3 inches ; 8 ounces

iPods are no longer just music players. On the iPod Touch, you can play music, videos, view pictures, write and receive email, surf the internet using WiFi (at speeds comparable to a laptop), play games (including Rock Band & Fast and the Furious), use Google Maps to find directions, and search directly in YouTube for videos. And last but not least: Read Kindle books. No Kindle required.









The entire screen is a touch screen. In most programs, you can move the screen from portrait to landscape, and your screen moves with you. From Amazon.com: "The accelerometer inside iPod touch allows it to detect when you rotate iPod touch from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display. The accelerometer really shines when you play games, because it immerses you in the action. It's perfect for racing games, where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel, and for tap-and-tilt games such as Rolando, in which your movements control the action."

Other cool features of the iPod Touch:
*An intelligent dictionary/spell checker. It suggests words and does automatic spell check as you're typing, whether you're sending a text message, posting at the forum, composing an email, or posting an update at FaceBook.
*Runs WiFi, anywhere you can find a hotspot. If you are connecting to a secure wireless internet connection, just plug in the WEP. Your iPod automatically remembers the WEP next time you're there.

See even more at: tinyurl.com/yd6ajnv

2.18.2010 at 12:49am Launa responded:

Yeah, my boss has one of these little babies. Pretty sweet (except when the screen stalls). Also, the phone runs the Layers ap posted about earlier (the augmented reality application).

I gotta say. These touchscreen phones look so nice. Though... I did laugh really hard when I heard about the Eris Touch Screen phone by Verizon. I want one just for the name alone Sadly, I have Sprint and my only real touch screen option is the HTC Hero, and I can't switch up for another year or so.

2.18.2010 at 3:12am Brianne replied:

Launa, are you talking about the iPhone? This one is just the touch screen mp3 player. I hear that the iPhone is really similar, but I only have experience with the iPod Touch, so I couldn't really say if they are comparable or not.

When I get on my computer. I'll upload and post the pictures that I took of the forum on the iPod

2.24.2010 at 10:23pm

Brianne wrote:

As promised, here are the images of the forum as it would appear (normal size and zoomed in):











EDIT: I should mention, the pictures are a little fuzzy. That's just my camera The resolution and clarity of the screen on the iPod Touch is gorgeous. You could (literally) watch movies and not feel like you missed anything.

[Cris]

Gille: Jennifer, I fell for your site (dvice.com). I have a bunch of us over for a movie night and we're all going to find our fav. Here's mine:



The D-roll, or "digital roll," is what designer Hao Hua considers to be a "next generation laptop design," as it does away with the book-like form factor in favor of one mimicking an artist's scroll ala the Edo Era in Japan.

3.26.2010 at 1:59am EJ wrote: I think what I love about the D-Roll there is actually that. It looks like an Edo era scroll. Love that.

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3.14.2010 at 4:40am EJ wrote:



Not pretty but it's from Acer. This is an ultra thin, frameless screen, in development. Small guy.

3.14.2010 at 4:48am EJ wrote:

Back to the argument for touch input (which I think is critical, personally). Actually, I think convertibility is critical -- a machine that can move between recognizing my touch (fingertip or typing on an on-screen keyboard) and a sleek stylus.

Jennifer, you snatched up an eeePC and a finger mouse and a pen mouse directly from China before they ever hit the US. Now check this smoothness: a slate with multitouch, touch input, Windows 7, and Flash, all for under $800 (plus info on others, too):

tinyurl.com/yjkam2b

LifeBook T5010 with multi-touch input

The Motion LE1700wt with Core 2 Duo CPU, 1GB of memory, 60GB hard drive and WriteTouch technology starts at $2790.

3.15.2010 at 10:08pm Jennifer wrote:

You make a great point, EJ. I didn't think of that. Obviously, the need for stylus (drawing) and on-screen typing (email, word processing) would be a must. Hm. Hadn't thought of that. A baby running Windows 7 or XP (not Vista!!) would be best, yeah. And the bigger the screen the better. Anything less than 12" would be pretty limiting in terms of graphic design and charting, for instance. More hm... 2GB RAM seems low. I push my machines to the limits and they're at 4GB... oh, but I wouldn't be image *editing* so, yeah, 2GB RAM would be fine. Uh... battery would be the next big thing then. Four hour would be really fine... eight hour unreal cool... iPad's ten hour seems too good to be true LOL!

In terms of Terrapyre use... I would think that they would turn to multi-touch slates, running an OS that accepts general party apps (not just proprietary apps), with a 24 to 48 hour battery (solar charge?) and a trade paperback size (about 6x9) that many folds into wallet size/back pocket-size?

3.15.2010 at 11:12pm Summer wrote:

Not to start a war or anything, grrls, but the iPad is just $499. That's about half of what you'll pay for a Windows OS machine with the same multi-touch, cross-touch options.

I don't think adding the "i" convention in front of all the Terrapyre Prime Time tech is a good idea, mind you, but as for a toy for our sweet publisher, I'd be more than willing to chip in toward throwing her an iPad if it means faster turnaround on email, for instance, and more time for her on the forum. As Brianne pointed out, the forum runs just fine on iAnything.

Has anyone considered using an Apple-like convention for Prime Time tech gadgets such as eSlate, eFone, etc? With e just meaning electronic. Or playful conventions like putting a p in front of everything for a new upstart company called Peach? ;-}

3.18.2010 at 2:32am Olivia wrote: It seems redundant. This statement to Summer and to Becky. Let me offer my humble opinion.

Summer, the lower case convention is so very dated and, some would argue, love, so very Apple. The e or the i (meaning electronic or internet) is somewhat redundant on a device that certainly nowadays and most completely by PT would be standard issue, even unheard of absent. I love Jennifer playing with the idea of a Kawasaki/Toyota merger since my stocks would skyrocket; perhaps one idea would be for a miracle to occur and suddenly we'd have Applesoft or MicroMac or something of the sort. Though equally interesting would be an idea such as both of these giants were toppled by a third company run by an AI construct that was a university thesis project of a circuit geek who programed a construct to be a combination of Jobs, Gates, Wales, and Brin.

Becky, Jennifer purchasing another Windows machine will only lead her to lose more time. I believe, on the appropriate thread, we're trying to steer her away from Windows. Her use and needs for her job actually out-strip Windows.

3.18.2010 at 4:03am LaughingClown wrote: Olivia... where have you been all my life? You have class. You have sass. And you have *great* ideas. Welcome to MG3K.

Eric

[Cris]

10-30-09, Gille writes: Is anyone else following this? Not SF anymore. Gibson's "Virtual Light" was cutting edge back in the day but old news now. Prime Time? Hardly. Not unless Prime Time starts this Christmas. Make sure, by mid-PT your people are using HUD projected, if not from implants, than from ultra small wearables (earcuff, gem in an earring, etc) or nanobots that are ingested or applied (your HUD projector in your eye-liner? Hm...).

















11-2-09, EJ responds: Oh my gosh. Incredible. I love it. Someone could turn on or off their personal tags? Others could crack their filters? You could find criminals this way... or people who don't know how to vote LOL!

Wow... I'm blown away that this is available now.

Thank you, Gille!

EJ

[Cris]

10-26-09 EJ writes: So, yeah, there's the Kindle. But I have to share more. See, here's the deal. I like to stalk our publisher, Jennifer. I like to sneak into her various accounts and look at whatever she's bookmarked. I suppose if she minded, she'd change her passwords or whatever. But as it is, I find out awesome stuff and then I get to share it with all of you because she's swamped and doesn't have the time to. Ready?

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie....e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

This one, my babies, just writes. On anything. You don't have to really write with ink. It just shows up on the screen. The black version is double the price. But whatever! It's swank! Why would you want this and not a tablet with stylus? Because, this is just a pen. It is a pen that replaces your mouse. No tablet or the room for a table needed. Write anywhere. Jennifer's note to herself was: "Sweet baby! No need to map MSJ to tab sz. 8.5/11 graph paper new temp super imposed on any space. Yum."

... I adore her. Bad.

For those of you who don't speak geek: Jennifer is designing operating systems on the side (outside MG3K) pretty hot and heavy right now (probably to earn funds to help the company and good stuff like that) and she's working in a drafting program where she draws with her mouse which is cumbersome. So she's researching pen mouses that don't require tablets which must be mapped to your screen (so you're actually drawing smaller than life... which would be hard for mechanical drawings like you do for an OS).

Moving right along: The IOGear Mobile Digital Scribe GPEN200N (Black) retails for $75.00
www.amazon.com/IOGear-Mobile-Digi....=pd_sim_dbs_e_8





But wait! What if you want that sexy clipboard look! I mean... *I* think clipboards are sexy, don't you? Take a look at this baby:



So... Prime Time? Hardly! These babies are right now. Make them smaller, slicker, more multi-function, and cheaper than dirt and that's be Prime Time. Anyone using a "dumb pen" in 2030 is living in the Dark Ages

EJ <--- loves to be sneaky
« Last Edit: Oct 28, 2009, 3:45pm by EJ »

10-26-10 Jennifer Replies: Jennifer <--- just changed all her passwords

(A note in seriousness: I *will* actually be purchasing one of the digital pen mouses for drafting and charting out CCGs OSs as this seems to be a pretty growing sideline of mine. I am squirreling away funds now. So, please, Gille, Becky, Summer... whomever! ..please don't "surprise" me with one. We'll wind up with two, which we don't need. I'll report on it when I do get it. I'm sure Terrapyres will love it. Oh... too bad, Celestials. No digital pens for you )

10-28-09, EJ responds: LOL!