So, while everyone else is eagerly waiting for the release of Apple’s iPad, us who aren’t really convinced of the iPad’s abilities to walk on water or its promises to cure cancer are looking someplace else. Enter: Microsoft’s Courier. The Courier is being marketed as a “digital journal.” Instead of Windows 7, we’re seeing the Courier has the same software that runs Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series. It makes sense, really. The iPad uses iPhone OS because full Mac OS X will not work well for touch screen interfaces. And of course Windows 7, with all its touch-screen friendly glory, won’t even give the best user experience.

According to Engadget:

The interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We’re also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there’s a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft’s e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading.

Okay, I don’t expect this to kill the iPad – there’s seriously no way anyone can beat Apple right now – but look at the potential of the Courier. Check out the video below:

Okay, this device is pretty and all, and the UI is nothing short of amazing (and totally unexpected of Microsoft – I’m kind of used to seeing them churn out releases with drab interfaces) but if you’re wondering when this will come out, you have to wait a bit. Launch date is expected to be around “Q3 / Q4,” and there’s not pricing yet – I don’t expect this to go head-on with the iPad’s price.

What do you think? Would you choose this over the iPad? I know I would, but I’d like to hear your opinions.

Well, this was unexpected. Nokia and Intel, the companies behind the Maemo Linux-based OS for Nokia Internet Tablets like the Nokia N900, and the Moblin Linux interface for netbooks, have announced that they’re merging the two projects to form one operating system designed for netbooks, tablets, mobile devices, in-vehicle entertainment systems, and internet-connected televisions.

The new OS will be called MeeGo. While nobody has any idea how the new OS will look like or how it is going to run, they have announced that the first version of MeeGo will be available by the end of March. The Nokia N900 will be compatible with MeeGo. Applications from the Intel AppUp Center and Nokia Ovi Store should be able to run on the platform. The Linux Foundation will be hosting the project.

I honestly like this. Moblin has one of the best interfaces of any OS, hands down. In fact, if there was a Moblin-based OS compatible with my Asus Eee PC 701, I would’ve installed it right away, no questions asked. I haven’t tried Maemo yet, though, but everyone who’s used a Nokia N900 attests to it being a rock-solid OS capable of taking over Nokia’s powerhorse mobile OS, Symbian. I do remember of plans of moving the whole N Series from Symbian to Maemo. I wonder if this will still happen or if we’ll see MeeGo-based Nokia phones by next year.

Once the first stable version of this OS comes out, I am seriously going to give it a spin. What about you guys? Are you looking forward to MeeGo, or are you going to pass this time?

[via]

As much as I love Ubuntu Linux and all its open source glory, I really am not a fan of the current logo and the color scheme. Come on, brown. I understand that they took the current design inspiration from the word Ubuntu’s African roots, but that particular shade of brown they used isn’t exactly the most enticing thing to see.

Which is why I’m totally behind Canonical’s decision to change Ubuntu’s branding and the operating system’s color scheme into something more modern and sleeker. They believe that the new Ubuntu logo – which I love, by the way – will “reflect the precision and engineering that sits at the heart of the product. The new logo reflects this but not at the expense of the immediately recognisable circle of friends.”

They’re dropping the brown “Human” theme and introduced a new theme called Light:

The new style in Ubuntu is inspired by the idea of “Light”.

We’re drawn to Light because it denotes both warmth and clarity, and intrigued by the idea that “light” is a good value in software. Good software is “light” in the sense that it uses your resources efficiently, runs quickly, and can easily be reshaped as needed. Ubuntu represents a break with the bloatware of proprietary operating systems and an opportunity to delight to those who use computers for work and play. More and more of our communications are powered by light, and in future, our processing power will depend on our ability to work with light, too.

If you ask me, I say it’s about time. But I’m curious about what you guys think. Give me a piece of your mind via the comments!

[via]

Until now I haven’t tweaked Windows because I actually love how the Superbar and all the other changes work. I can say that this is the first version of Windows I was practically very satisfied with. However, earlier today I was rushing a really important project and that required me to open and maintain around 15 windows between various programs, and even the Superbar wasn’t able to actually help me out here. I remember sighing in frustration because switching windows somehow took too many clicks.

Taking a breather from my deadline-intensive task, I did a little googling and found Switcher, a nifty little app that emulates the actions of Mac OS X’s fabled Exposé. Okay, yeah I know this is one of those little apps that try to make Windows look and act like Mac OS X, and I’m usually against that kind of thing. I mean, if you’re going to make your PC look like Mac OS X, just get a freaking Mac, right? Or if you’re willing to go down the illegal route, just Hackintosh your beloved computer. But I digress.

The thing is, Switcher isn’t just one of those “me too” programs you install. It’s actually fast enough, and kinda light on system resources. I say “kinda” because it’s not exactly lightweight, but it’s good enough to be functional when I have around 20 windows open. I didn’t even have to install it. There’s a stand-alone version that runs pretty well. I don’t see myself using it all of the time, but when I’m overwhelmed by too many windows and clicks and alt-tab just isn’t cutting it, Switcher works pretty well.

Download Switcher here.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is one of the best netbooks out there at the moment. Come on, how could it be not good when it’s carrying the ThinkPad brand? The 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, AMD Neo MV-40 single core CPU, and AT Radeon HD 3200 graphics make it one of the best choices to get when shopping for a netbook.

But it looks like Lenovo’s got something else up their sleeve. According to rumors, they’re going to make a 10-inch ThinkPad that’s going to be rocking an Intel Atom processor. From Liliputing:

It looks like Lenovo is also planning to launch a smaller version of the laptop with a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel display. An Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor option also appears to be on its way. It’s not spelled out specifically, but it’s likely that the Atom CPU will be tied to the smaller screen.

While a number of reviewers have given the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e high marks for its keyboard, build quality, and overall design, it gets pretty lousy battery life for a modern ultraportable. Swapping out the AMD CPU for a low power Atom processor could go a long way to address that.

Say what you want about the ThinkPad’s looks, but I think it looks pretty neat. Seriously considering the future 10-inch ThinkPad X100e as a possible netbook purchase if my laptop proves to be too big to carry around.

Engadget has a great review of HP’S 13-inch Envy laptop out, and I’m here to digest the review and present the most important parts for you guys. It’s been called a Macbook Pro clone, and from the looks alone, it really does deserve the title. It has an aluminum body, chiclet keys, even a buttonless trackpad. But how does it stack up to Apple’s premiere notebook?

Hardware-wise, it’s already supposed to be an ok notebook. Just look at the specs: Intel Core™ 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330, and a 13-inch screen with a 1600 x 900 resolution. The “Beats”-branded speakers actually sound slightly better than in other netbooks as well. However, there is a bit of a drawback: the buttonless trackpad, obviously patterned after the Macbook’s trackpad, is a little, well, clunky. And of course what kind computer manufacturer would not install any crap and bloatware on a Windows 7 install, rendering the usually-snappy OS to slow down? HP does just that, true to form.

Here’s what Engaget says about the HP Envy:

Overall we’re very conflicted about the Envy 13. Hardware wise it’s one of our favorite laptops ever, but the trackpad almost destroys all of that good will built up by the other elements — no matter how great a laptop is, if it’s painful to interact with on the go (without an external mouse), what’s the point? We also have to say that Windows 7 doesn’t make this laptop crazy delicious in any particular manner. It’s certainly a better OS than Vista, but it’s not so much better to make it a huge selling point in our book or a lure for folks who don’t normally walk the Windows path, since many of the traditional pitfalls are still present. All we can say in summary is that we hope HP manages to update the trackpad drivers very, very soon, and that other PC manufacturers steal a bit from HP’s and / or Apple’s in other respects, since it seems to be working.

What do you think? Is the HP Envy worth it, or do you think you’re better off going for a cheaper netbook?

One of the things I envy the most about Macbook users would be the pretty neat MagSafe power adaptors. Aside from the fact that it’s much, much easier to plug and unplug your laptop, it also keeps your Macbook safe if someone trips on the cable. And have I mentioned the fact that it also reduces wear and tear damage? So yeah, that’s the one feature I really, really like about Macs.

Apparently, us PC users can get this feature too, but it requires us hacking our beloved laptops a little bit so we can get that coveted MagSafe connector for our Windows notebooks. The hack is also reversible, so if you’re planning to sell your laptop in the future, this hack won’t drive the price down.

A bit of a warning though: we’re still dealing with electricity here, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, I would advise you to not push through with this hack.

According to Lifehacker:

The mod isn’t very complicated but it does take a bit of patience as you search for just the right size magnets and nail for your particular laptop. Once you’ve found the right pieces however, the build itself is quick and makes your laptop safe from the computer-slaying feet of clumsy coffee shop patrons. Check out the link below for the detailed build guide along with plenty of tips.

Check out the tutorial on Instructables to see how to do this!

Adobe has been trying real hard to strike back at Apple’s insistence that the rest of the web should hurry up and ditch Flash for HTML 5. An Adobe employee blogged about how the iPad’s browsing experience will pretty much suck because it doesn’t support Flash, and now they’re quickly developing Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Google Android.

Now check out one possible future product running the aforementioned Adobe Flash Player for Android. Via Liliputing:

Google Android doesn’t currently support Adobe Flash, which means that a fair number of web sites look like they have blank boxes when you visit them in a browser on an Android-based tablet or smartphone. But Flash support is coming soon — and a number of tablets and other devices on display at Mobile World Congress in Spain this week are sporting a pre-release build of Flash for Android.

Sascha from Netbook News stumbled across one of those tablets at the NVIDIA booth. It appears to have a 9 or 10 inch touchscreen display and an NVIDIA Tegra 2-based chipset. Tegra 2 combines a low power ARM-based processor with NVIDIA graphics, which means you should be able to watch 1080p HD video on this low power device. And since Flash Player 10.1 will feature hardware acceleration for the Tegra 2 platform, it should even be able to handle 1080p HD Flash video.

Check out a video of the said tablet:

Now Apple may be pushing for the future (and bucking the trend has almost always worked for Apple in the long run), but right now people who don’t give a damn about HTML 5 are going to look for a tablet that’ll let them play with their Farmville and other Flash games.

It seems that several ODM Taiwanese notebook manufacturers are at work developing slim laptops with frameless screens. And amazingly, we can expect the first few models to come out the second half of 2010. These manufacturers are said to be Foxconn, Quanta, Compal, Acer, and HP.

This is something I’m seriously looking forward to, because bezels on screens have always been a huge turnoff for me. On some systems, such as the Asus Eee PC 701, the bezel makes sense, since the only way to provide a reasonably large keyboard with a 7 inch screen is to pad the space on the sides of the display. But on other models, there’s no good excuse for the black bars that border the display.

According to Digitimes,

The Foxconn Group is cooperating with Chimei Innolux Corporation (CIC), the new entity to be formed by Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO), Innolux Display and TPO Displays, to develop frameless models to strengthen its competitiveness in the ODM notebook segment, the sources indicated. Meanwhile, Compal Electronics is collaborating with Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) to develop frameless screens, and is expected to start shipping frameless notebook models to its major clients, including Acer, in the second half of 2010, revealed the sources.

The new frameless screens will mainly be made using Corning’s reinforced Gorilla glass, the sources indicated.

We’re not exactly clear what “frameless” means, though. I’m hoping that we get a screen that has no bezels whatsoever, with the display bleeding over to the edge of the laptop’s lid or will we get a laptop with a really thin bezel that it’s barely noticeable? I’m seriously hoping it’s the former.

Do you have a shirt that you purchased one drunken night? You know, one of those things that you tend to forget you ever owned, and then one day you’re clean your closet, and then you see an oversized shirt with Milli Vanilli’s faces printed on them? Like you, I’ve made lots of questionable t-shirt purchases in the past and I’d like to put these ugly shirts to good use. (DISCLAIMER: I may or may not have a Milli Vanilli t-shirt somewhere in my closet)

Well then, Hello Rewind may be for you. They’ll recycle your unloved shirts into a laptop sleeve. Here’s a little something about Hello Rewind, from their site:

Once upon a time, it was your statement to the world — a show of school pride, a taste for graphic design, a photo of your favorite singer’s mug shot. These days, it probably sits unworn in storage. Here’s your chance to transform your old, favorite t-shirt into wearable duds for your laptop.

Hello Rewind is passionate about fighting sex trafficking. Through our social enterprise, we work with women formerly sex trafficked in New York City so they can learn new skills and support themselves. By purchasing a Hello Rewind laptop sleeve, you help sustain our mission.

So even if you’re not really into supporting their cause, don’t you think it’s neat to have your old, embarrassing shirts transform into something actually useful? All you need to do is purchase a 13 or 15-inch laptop sleeve from Hello Rewind and they will send you a pre-paid envelope for your shirt. Within 4-8 weeks, your laptop will have something new to wear.