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Via TechCrunch, The New York Times has a prototype online of a new article skimming system. They’re still kicking around names, but “article skimmer” is a very straightforward description of what it is. After trying it out for a little bit this morning, I find it to be very clean and simple. But as a tablet user, I’m finding it to be a little too simple.

First, I like the look of the reader a lot. Looks beautiful in fullscreen (as in my screenshot). I think they nailed the feel of browsing through a newspaper without losing the convenience of linking. The menu is straightforward. The transitions are smooth and natural. The navigation is as simple as point-and-click. Unfortunately, point-and-click isn’t all that natural for me.

To go back and forward between pages, there are buttons marked “previous” and “next”. Makes sense, but navigation via gestures or pen flicks don’t work. In a tabbed interface, it’s easy enough to open full articles in new tabs and navigate normally from there, but that takes you out of the reader, defeating its purpose.

Tried to test it on my iPhone, but it wouldn’t load, though it wouldn’t load on my desktop either. Obviously still some bugs to work out, but it looks great. If they work in better pen and touch control, I’d like it even more.

Upon the occurrence of an ink phrase termination event, the ink manager notifies the handwriting recognition engine and organizes the preceding ink strokes into an ink phrase data structure…The present invention, in large part, relates to the observation that client applications and handwriting recognition software in pen-based computer systems can make far more accurate ink-related decisions based on entire ink phrases, rather than individual ink strokes.

I will find it more than ironic if the mythical Tablet appears out of Cupertino with some form of Inking that works well, and everyone who has poo-pooed Inking on a Tablet PC has a miraculous conversion and starts hailing it as the next big thing.

Via Engadget

One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.

True, false, partially true, whatever, that’s just something that you’d never expect to hear out of anyone associated with Microsoft. The Redmond spin machine is in full speed mode trying to undo the damage and it looks like Aldous has not only been tossed under the bus, but is probably going to be buried in a deep, dark hole. As he should be.

A Beta News article put a whole lot of emphasis on the needs of blind students.

So what would the universities want improved on the Kindle DX before rolling it out to its student body? Pretty much all the functionality of a textbook, plus improved text to speech capabilities. A university official was quoted as saying:

This version of the Kindle e-book reader missed the mark. It is relatively easy to envision an improved e-book reading device that meets the needs of the entire university community. Such a device would include universal design for accessibility, higher-quality graphics, and improved navigation and note-taking.

The NB205 lost 33 minutes of battery life, which isn’t all that much since it still runs for almost nine hours under Windows 7. But the Mini 311 and 1008HA suffered big time under Windows 7.

Laptop Magazine’s battery test utilizes a script that simulates continuous web browsing.

Read more for full video.

What level of protection do you use on your Droid or mobile device?

Via DroidForums.net

LAPTOP Magazine

Its 16-cell battery lasted 8 hours and 24 minutes on our LAPTOP Battery Test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi). That’s a little more than 3 hours longer than the netbook average, but about an hour short of the Toshiba mini NB205.

8.5 hours? Awesome! An hour less than the cheaper Toshiba netbook? Not so much.The rest of the review is even less favorable. Sorry, Nokia. I could really see paying that premium for an all-day battery, but not when a very comparable (and faster) netbook lasts even longer and is available for less.

MobileNoter

But back to MobileNoter. Version 1.0 promises a host of changes and bug fixes. It also comes with a price tag. While the iPhone app is a free app, in order to take advantage of the syncing functionality (which is the point), you need to subscribe to the service. There is a 7 day trial for those who were in the beta or using this before the 1.0 release. I guess that means if you’re a new user there is no trial.  The way MobileNoter works is that OneNote data you want to sync (you get to choose the notebooks you want to sync) goes to the MobileNoter servers in the sky. That data is then synced to the iPhone version. So in essence you’re paying for the cloud storage and bandwidth. It isn’t expensive. At the moment it is priced at $15 a year. A 3 month subscription runs you $5.

In testing the new version, everything appears to be working as advertised. Do note though that if you had a previous version installed that you’ll have to reset some settings as well as the your data on the server side in some instances after upgrading to the new version. You have to update both your desktop/notebook/netbook/tablet client as well as the iPhone app.  The landscape text entry mode on the iPhone is a nice addition, and I’m sure the encryption will be a plus for many. There is now support for section groups and subpages.

The one thing that I hope happens in a new version is that you could enter a new note in any OneNote notebook that you were using as opposed to just the Quick Notes section. That said, being able to jot down a quick note and have it sync back to OneNote is a plus.

Inevitably this will get compared to Evernote, which I also use extensively. There is no question that Evernote is much more fully featured and much more capable on so many levels. That said, if you don’t use Evernote and are a OneNote fan than MobileNoter at least gives iPhone users a solution to work with their notes on the go.

Below is a list of the new features.

• Landscape mode support in iPhone app
• Search in OneNote notebooks (search is available only when ‘Combine pages with sections’ setting is enabled)
• Support of section groups
• Support of sub pages
• Improved navigation in OneNote notebooks. It is possible to collapse sections now. This is controlled on the app level in settings form
• A passcode lock for the iPhone app. You can set a passcode to protect your data on iPhone. The app asks for it on start
• Optional data encryption. Data can be encrypted using a user-defined key. The key should be entered in both applications, it is not transmitted over the network. We use AES-256 to encrypt your data
• Proxy server support
• Swipe to delete a QuickNote
• QuickNotes synchronization logic was rewritten. The old implementation did not handle some situations, like difference in system time between iPhone and PC
• A new graphic design in the iPhone app

On the exterior of the litl webbook’s box is some text that reads

“Inside you will find an internet computer, not a laptop. We believe computers have become too complex. We hit the reset button by desiging an experience different than a PC. Simplicity over features. Design over options. Entertainment not just work. Sounds like a lot, but actually it’s a litl.

litl webbook unboxing from litl on Vimeo.

As Brad Linder from Liliputing.com points out, the litl employee quickly refers to the device as a laptop in the video.

I think consumers have spoken with their wallets, opting for netbooks that are a lot more like laptops than the litl webbook.

See, the problem with car mounts is that they’re usually cumbersome, ugly, hard to plug in, and/or require wires hanging from places if you want to charge the device. I’ve looked at a number of car mounting solutions for my iPhone, and even sketched a few ideas of my own, but nothing seemed to solve all four problems. But using the wireless charging and magnetic grip of a Touchstone charger, remington870_20ga at everythingpre has solved them all for mounting his Palm Pre.

Sure, the big knob on the dashboard is hardly attractive, but I don’t think it’s ugly either. The one visible wire is tucked away. And the Pre practically mounts itself to the magnetic Touchstone. This is one of the best, if not the best, car mounted charging system I’ve ever seen. I may have to give my car mounting plans another look and toss wireless charging solutions in the mix.

Via jkOnTheRun

Positioned as a move towards green technology (Sanyo’s eneloop program is all about green) the batteries can supposedly be recharged 1500 times before needing to be replaced. It certainly looks small and compact, and perhaps useful. Here’s hoping it makes it to the states.

Via CrunchGear

Yes, Google’s dropped their prices and uppped their limits on web storage. Now, for a mere 25¢ per GB, you can store up to 16TB of data on their mighty, mighty servers. Sounds pricey when you look at it in big chunks, like $256 for 1TB, but when I consider the cost in space, equipment and electricity if I tried to set up 16TB at home, it sounds reasonable enough.

One caveat: Google’s paid storage applies specifically to upgrading the free storage of Gmail and Picasa web albums. You could save almost anything there by emailing the file to yourself, but I think it would be most worthwhile if you take a lot of photos and video at high resolution. Regardless, more storage at lower prices is always welcome news.

Yep, Q3, 2010. That is a life time in mobile years. And if you think about it, it is more than a lifetime in whatever parallel universe Microsoft is living in that bears no relation to the mobile world as we know it now. Things are moving at lightspeed compared to what’s happening at Microsoft. Microsoft’s CEO acknowledged this when he essentially wrote off WinMo 6.5 with some of his comments. If history is any indication, what gets tested in Q1 of 2010 will be outdated by the time that testing begins, which only means that what gets released in Q3 will be so far behind as to make it largely irrelevant.

Microsoft needs to shift gears in a hurry if they want to even think about competing long term in the mobile space moving forward. If Microsoft’s partnership model continues to condemn it to this kind of development schedule it is doomed. If the problem is internal then some folks need to look for other work. The more nimble folks at Google, Apple, Nokia, heck, even Palm are laughing uncontrollably as Microsoft’s slow boat continues to remain harbored. Astounding.

The 10.75-x 8.25-x 1-inch (HWD) device, at 2.75 pounds. is larger and heavier than most eBook readers, thanks to its dual displays and vastly superior connectivity options. The device’s LCD offers a 1024-by-600-pixel resolution, and features resistive touch, responding to anything from a stylus to your finger for navigation. The 1,200-by-825-pixel electronic ink display is Wacom Penabled, so you’ll need to use the included stylus for navigation and note taking.

Whoa, did I read that last part correctly? Are my eyes deceiving me when I look at that photo? There’s a Wacom Penabled active digitizer under that e-ink screen for pen input? Okay, enTourage, you scared me off earlier with that $490 price tag, but now I’m really interested. Instead of seeing a pricey eReader, I’m seeing a mobile ink blogging machine, and I like the sound of that. You extend that pen input over to the color LCD in a future version, and I will be unable to resist.

BTW, I must say, that name is a real pain to write. With auto-correction or predictive recognition, it would take a ridiculous amount of time to hammer out “enTourage eDGe.”

One other thing I’d add is to avoid ad-hoc connections and hotspots with names that are blatantly alluring. At half the airports I’ve visited, I’ve stumbled across an ad-hoc connection named “Free wireless Internet” or something to that effect. Those aren’t hotspot connections but rather are from another person’s computer, most likely set up with the intent to get into yours. I go so far as to turn off my wifi and not connect at all when I see that. No telling what other data skimming activities that guy is trying to do.

Via Lifehacker

No surprise that Chippy from UMPCPortal was quick to try it on his ultra-mobiles. He’s showing it off on his Gigabyte T1028M convertible. Looks like a good fit on the 600×1028 screen.

Jezlyn of Late to the Party loaded Kindle on her Toshiba M200 almost immediately. The side margins on huge on the 1050×1400 screen. Page width, not full page, would be a better pick for that resolution.

Last but far from least, a tablet user previously unknown to me, Lance at AppScout, has a detailed run-down of the Kindle app running on his Lenovo X200 with multi-touch. He also notes the pages look narrow on his screen at 800×1280 resolution, but pinch zooming fixed that for him.

By comparing the three, we can see a clear need for multiple screen aspect options, which we can perhaps press for in future versions. Thanks guys for sharing your literal perspectives. Anyone else have other aspects/resolutions to share?

Update: Chippy’s also posted video of Kindle on his Viliv X70.

Instructables has the whole breakdown complete with step-by-step instructions and a video demonstration of their homemade interactive multitouch display. The design is based on a paper presented by Jefferson Y. Han at the Proceedings of the 18th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (who has posted a video demo of his own if you’re interested).

Requires a bit too much work for me to put together, not to mention a workshop with tools and stuff (and a projector), plus I have no space for one anyway, but if I wasn’t lazy and had all that stuff (and mechanical skills), I’d build one tomorrow. Sure, I could get one of those new multi-touch displays or desktops instead, but I think their big drafting table-looking display looks really cool. Excellent work, people.

Via Lifehacker

"No seriously, it was this big."

Well, no major surprise or revelation here: the unknown tablet device spotted with NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang as been identified as a prototype for what has been called their Tegra media pad.

According to Engadget, the device has a resistive touchscreen and runs Windows CE, but “both Android and capacitive upgrades are in the cards, as well as multiple screen sizes.” Less solid is word that it is targeted for release next year and T-Mobile may be involved, but they’re said to be actively shopping it around, which is encouraging. Hope to see more about this soon.