August 2011

Lessons learned from the HP TouchPad
I was supposed to write a review of the HP TouchPad, but like so many others this morning, I am writing its epitaph. HP's decision on August 18, 2011 to cease production of the TouchPad as well as other WebOS devices leaves WebOS in limbo, though HP may try to recoup some of its investment by selling WebOS to another company. Regardless of if WebOS continues to exist to not, the HP TouchPad offered some lessons that Microsoft and Android developers, including Google, should heed. Failure is always a teaching moment, but rather than focus on what HP did wrong, I will share my thoughts on what they did right that others can learn from. [... more] -- Posted Friday, August 19, 2011 by chb

HP kills webOS devices, including TouchPad
HP will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP said "the devices have not met internal milestones and financial targets. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward." So sorry, Palm. You deserved better. [See HP report] -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Received: Motion Computing's August 2011 newsletter
We received Motion Computing's August 2011 newsletter. Info on new CL900 accessories, webinars, events, and reviews (including ours, both web and video). See an online version here. -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility
Google and Motorola Mobility announced that Google will acquire Motorola Mobility in a US$12.5 billion cash transaction. According to the press release, "The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business." Note that this will not include Motorola Solutions, the spun-off part of Motorola that provides rugged mobile computing products and solutions. [See press release] -- Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 by chb

Sprint cancels WiMax PlayBook, RIM to concentrate on LTE
Sprint announced that the WiMax version of the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook has been cancelled. RIM says the company is working on an LTE version of the PlayBook. -- Posted Sunday, August 14, 2011 by chb

Acer releases Iconia Tab A100 on US market
Acer announced that the Iconia Tab A100 media tablet is now available in the US. The A100 runs Android 3.1 on a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 250, has 1GB of RAM, a 1024 x 600 pixel 7-inch capacitive touch screen, microUSB, microHDMI, microSD, 1 and 5MP cameras, measures 7.7 x 4.6 x .5 inches, weighs 0.92 pounds, and costs US$329 for an 8GB version and US$349 for a 16GB version. No WWAN, the non-replaceable battery lasts just 5 hours, and the plastic design is reminiscent of Acer netbooks. [See Acer press release] -- Posted Sunday, August 14, 2011 by chb

N-trig: DuoSense in Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet
N-trig announced that its DuoSense pen and projected capacitive multi-touch solution enabled over a single digitizer is integrated into the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. The advantage of DuoSense is that it provides the ease-of-use of projected capacitive touch while still supporting applications and systems that work better with a pen (theirs has a AAAA battery). -- Posted Tuesday, August 9, 2011 by chb

Acer: Tablets and ultrabooks are fads
According to Digitimes, Acer founder Stan Shih has commented that the fads for ultrabooks and tablet PCs are both short-term phenomena and urged companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation. This in sharp contrast to former Acer CEO Lanci's statement last November that Acer plans to become the leading supplier of tablets. -- Posted Sunday, August 7, 2011 by chb

Genius upgrades US$99 pressure-sensitive tablet
Taiwanese peripheral maker Genius launched an upgraded version of its G-Pen F610 Writing Graphic Tablet for Windows 7. As an ultra-slim, 6 x 10 inch wireless text graphic-design tablet, the Genius G-Pen F610 has 1024-level pressure sensitivity and 29 programmable Hot-Key areas to set up shortcuts for word processing, Internet and operating system tasks. Suggested retail price is US$99.90. [See G-Pen F610 product page] -- Posted Thursday, August 4, 2011 by chb

Full review: What to expect from Motion Computing's rugged CL900 Windows 7-based tablet
Tens of millions of iPads have been sold and everyone wants tablets, but integrating them into Microsoft Windows-based corporate IT is not so easy. So why not run Windows on a tablet? That's not so easy either. Motion Computing analyzed the situation and decided to bring, in a ruggedized form, much of what makes the iPad unique to those who need to run Windows. In a detailed report, RuggedPCReview discusses the US$899 Motion CL900 Windows 7-based tablet, its opportunities and challenges, how well it works, and where it fits in. [See full review of the Motion Computing CL900 tablet and a video demonstration of how it works] -- Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by chb

Rugged tablets in aerial mapping: Applanix POSTrack and Ruggedbook SR820
Global enterprise increasingly relies on complex commercial land-based mapping, aerial and marine surveys, and remote sensing applications that use vehicle and sensor position and orientation to capture and mine data in ways never possible before. And they often work in conjunction with rugged, lightweight tablet computers with touch screens and displays that are both sunlight viewable and capable of being dimmed for nighttime applications. For an example, see Samwell's Ruggedbook SR820 tablet used with the Applanix POSTRack GNSS-Aided Inertial Direct Georeferencing and advanced Flight Management System. [See Ruggedbook/Applanix POSTrack page]
-- Posted Monday, August 1, 2011 by chb