My Digital Life

In place Win 7 upgrade of my Fujitsu U810

My in place upgrade with Windows 7 from Vista went smoothly on my Fujitsu U810 and I am typing this post on it using Word 2007. That said there were 5 issues, all related to drivers when the upgrade was completed:

• The mouse stick was erratic. I had to uninstall the Alps pointing device driver in the control panel. I need to find a solution.
• The pen`s calibration was out whack. I tried to use Fujitsu calibration, which did not work. I had to use the Win 7 calibration; start/search calibration for calibrate the screen for pen or touch input.
• OmniPass Control Center would not start. The fingerprint sensor driver installed correctly and the Windows logon works fine. In order to make to run the OmniPass application you need to set compatibility mode to Vista. This is done by going right clicking on the application, clicking on Properties and selecting the compatibility tab. I do find that when I run OmniPass it does seem to hog the CPU, so I use sparingly.

• Fujitsu buttons under the screen did not work. You need to remove the Button utility and driver. Then reinstalling them by setting the compatibility mode to Vista on the setup utility. The catch is that you must do this after the downloaded file from the Fujitsu web is extracted. This means that once the install routine starts (after the extraction) you must cancel the install. Then you need to open file explorer to C:\drivers\BUTTON-DRIVER_FUJITSU_V2.0.1026.2006_XPTPC,VISTA_CA40701-S725 and change the compatibility setting for setup to Vista and check run as administrator. You can then double click on setup to install the driver. Do the same for the button utility setup under C:\drivers\BUTTON-UTILITY_FUJITSU_V7.00.0910.2007_XPTPC . Reboot and voila, although I have not gotten the screen rotation to work yet.
• Auto screen rotation did not work. On my to-do list, but the work around is manual screen rotation.

 

The U810 has a lot of weaknesses most notably the lack of memory and 800MHZ processor but for Word and IE it works quite well. I use a 1GB Readyboost SD card and always have the power settings at to maximum performance. The battery lasts a little under 4 hours which works for my use.

Windows 7 clearly helps this little UMPC in performance and disk usage (I gained 7GB after Vista). It is not the best experience but for the 1.3lbs small package it works while traveling. I use suspend and hibernate to make the startup process as fast as possible, but always plan on 3-4 minutes to get started and plug in every chance I get. With my iGo charger I can pretty much charge anywhere I have access to power (AC, car and plane).

Here are some good links. I still have some debugging to do and will update this post. The bottom line Windows 7 works very well and I am not going back…

http://forum.pocketables.net/archive/index.php/t-1651.html

http://katastrophos.net/andre/blog/2009/01/03/installing-windows-7-build-7000-on-fujitsu-u810/

http://support.fujitsupc.com/CS/Portal/supportsearch.do

Ramblings for the week of May 26th in My Digital Life

Last week I signed up for the T-Mobile Family 4-Pack promotion and so far I think it will work out very nicely. Here is a summary of my observations:

• The selected 5 My Faves numbers are tied to the phone and not the account. The bottom line is that you can't share My Faves number across your Family plan (too bad).
• Once the My Faves numbers have been validated by the phone's My Faves application, you can swap your SIM card into a phone which does not have the My Faves application (like the iPhone). Your calls  to your My Faves numbers still count in you My Faves unlimited bucket.
• You can only modify My Faves numbers once a month. The message I received was that I could change them on June 1.

All in all this looks to be an excellent promotion...

With the official release of Windows Mobile 6.1 from HTC Europe for the TyTn II, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my AT&T Tilt this last weekend. After backing up my unit with Sunnysoft's Backup Manager, I decided to try Dutty's 6.1 test ROM from xda-developers. I was unable to restore my backup and the ROM had several issues, the most troublesome was that I could not get the GPS to work. I decided to try the official release of the HTC ROM, I had to download it via MoDaCo, since HTC won't allow the download to a non HTC branded device. At this point I decided not bother restoring and I installed all my applications from scratch. I will have to update my Windows Mobile application list with my current configuration. All seems to be working well, GPS included...

I received my Fujitsu U810 and so far I am very impressed with its build quality. It is not the fastest machine (it gets a 2.1 Vista processor score), but I think it works quite well for web, email and text processing. The tablet functionality works very well (this one area where Vista shines). The size and weight  are just about perfect for my shoulder bag. I will be traveling soon and will report back on how useful this little machine will be.

This week:

• Working on a review of CellPoint's Flamingo Music earphones.
• Update my Windows Mobile application list

Ramblings for the week of May 19th in My Digital Life

Back in February I ranted about T-Mobile's lack of news and direction (link), however as comments pointed out they are tough to beat from a value perspective. This month they have again upped the ante on value with a special promotion through June 24 called the Family 4-Pack (link from tmonews.com). The Family 4-Pack adds:

• Unlimited HotSpot@Home
• Unlimited calling to each family members 5 favorite poeple
• Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile
• Unlimited Nights and Weekend

All of this for $9.99 per month in addition to your base Family plan charge and since it is an option, it has no contractual commitment. I was paying $19.99 for the HotSpot@Home option, replacing it with the Family 4-Pack saves me $10 per month. Since I have 5 phones on our Family plan we can call up to 25 My Faves numbers for free (5 per phone which can be shared). In order to get this promotion T-Mobile checks to make sure that all of your phones are compatible with My Faves, they do not care so much if they are HotSpot@Home compatible. It was interesting to find out that they knew I had connected with my iPhone, Wing, and currently HTC Kaiser (aka AT&T Tilt). They were concerned that the HTC Kaiser did not have the My Faves application. I tried to explain that I could install the My Faves application on the Kaiser but they did not think it would work so I told them I would use the Wing. I downloaded the My Faves application from xda-developers (link), installed it and it works just fine. I have been wondering how My Faves works, at first I thought the software on the phone added a code to the number called, but I am thinking that it is the billing system that handles the matching of numbers so you do not get charged. The only function the software on the phone seems to do is activate the number in your account profile by sending SMS messages. Without the software on the phone the number does not get validated and it is not active as a My Faves number. I am assuming it only does this once when you initially enter or modify the number. I will have to test my theory with my iPhone. If I make a call to one of the activated My Faves number on the iPhone, it should show up as a V call (My Faves) in my account on the T-Mobile web site. Obviously I can't add or modify My Faves numbers with the iPhone since it has no application to validate the number. Maybe someone will write one...Bottom line, I think this is a great promotion and it will keep me as a T-Mobile customer. I am now just waiting for 3G. Also it seems you can only modify a My Faves number once a month which makes sense, since if you could change the numbers at will, the plan could be viewed as totally unlimited...

I have decided to try a UMPC this month, the Fujitsu U810 to see how it might fit in with my travel gadgets. It is a Tablet PC with Vista that has a 5.6" screen and weighs 1.56lbs. This would definitely solve my photo sharing dilemma since I could easily transfer files from my camera and upload them to the Kodak Gallery for sharing. Costco is currently selling the 40GB model with Vista Home for $849 and adds 1 year to the base 1 year warranty for free. It will be interesting to see how useful this UMPC is.

This week:

• My review of SBSH Mobile Software Facade application for pocketnow.com. should be published this week. This is a smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard) today screen replacement.
• Finishing on a review of SBSH Mobile Software Pocket Weather.
• Working on a review of CellPoint's Flamingo Music earphones.
• Update my Windows Mobile application list

Another piece of the puzzle pointing to some type of MID computer by Apple

In my Monday ramblings I mentioned rumors I had read about the potential big announcement of a MID, UMPC or tablet style computer by Apple at their World Wide Developers Conference in June.

In macrumors: "but there have been rumors that Apple was developing a mini-tablet multitouch device for launch in 2008. This PDA-like device would reportedly have a higher screen resolution (720x480) and be about 1.5x the size of the existing iPhone." http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05/11/3g-iphone-in-may-another-device-at-wwdc/

In  I4U News: "Apple is rumored to be building a Mobile Internet Device (MID). The MIDs market is shaping up and with the Intel Atom chipset it might have a chance this time around - anybody remember UMPCs?" http://www.i4u.com/article17163.html

Now another piece to the puzzle. Intel is one of the primary sponsor of the BMW Formula One racing team; during a recent event at BMW new museum in Munich (BMW World) Intel's managing director was quoted in ZDnet Germany (thanks to Brandon at pocketnow.com for finding this one and translating it).

"As part of an Intel event for the 40th birthday of the semiconductor company at Munich’s BMW World, Germany managing director Hannes Schwaderer confirmed today what has long been a rumor on the Internet: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel’s new Atom chip. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer said. That is not, however, because of the Intel chip, but because of the larger display used in the new iPhone."

The Atom chip is being used in many UMPCs including several  Fujitsu models (currently on sale at costco.com). The cost of systems with these chips seems to be around $1000.

 

My continual vacation dilemna - emailing pictures from my digital camera

As I am getting ready to take a vacation at the end of the month and wireless Internet access has becomes fairly ubiquitous, emailing pictures from your digital camera should be getting easier. I finally have gotten the whole family to understand and use the Kodak EasyShare gallery. Everyone knows how to upload and share their pictures. Using Adobe Photo Elements, the task is mindless, although in 6.0 the function is buried in other sharing options. Adobe wants you to use their service, but give them credit they kept the Kodak Gallery function. On vacation however I don't want to lug my laptop, I want to be able to transfer pictures from my camera to my PDA, email them to Kodak (save@kodakgallery.com), and share them via their paying mobile web site which I only subscribe when I need it ($2.99 / month). I detailed my approach to making this work back in 2006 (link).

In some way the process had gotten easier with cameras which provide WIFI functionality, however it looks like Nikon, Sony and Kodak are letting those models die on the vine. They must have been a bust. I was never attracted to them because I felt they offered too little on the camera end and the price was too steep.

The other choice is to use an Eye-Fi SD card which provides WIFI capability as well as storage. This is actually a very nice option if you have a camera that accepts SD cards, unfortunately my Sony cameras don't.

It looks like my option remains the process I developed in 2006.  I would love to use my new HD camcorder which also takes 6.1MP stills (Sony HDRCX7). It is a very compact and lightweight flash based camcorder with a 10X optical zoom. I originally bought it for video reviews, but found that the 6.1MP still picture quality was excellent and having the 10x zoom provided great flexibility. Unfortunately, Sony left out all of the still photo editing/sizing features I have in the DSC-W70 and the USB interface is not recognized by the Delkin USB Bridge. The second upgrade I wanted to make to my process was to use my iPhone to email the pictures to Kodak. The Delkin USB Bridge won't recognize the iPhone either. I have an iPod Camera adapter which works great with my 5th generation iPod, however it looks like Apple has stopped supporting this accessory. The new iPods, Touch, and iPhone all pop up an unsupported accessory message. This is really too bad because it is a valuable backup tool for your camera on trips.

So here I am in 2008 with new gadgets which I cannot use the way I want unless I bring my laptop. I guess people wait until they return from vacation to share their pictures or use the lousy cameras in their phones to email while on their trips. I don't want to bring my laptop, maybe I need to look at UMPCs but they are all so expensive. Tabletkiosk has a new one, the eo UMPC v7110e which looks very attractive. Maybe I will get a chance to review it before deciding to pluck down the hefty $1000 entry price. Or better yet try out the Eye-Fi SD card which more in my budget range...

I may just use my Sony DSC-W70 and my AT&T Tilt, I know that combination works and the cheapest solution.

Nothing seems simple these days or is it just me...

Sony announces Ultra Mobile PC that is not a UMPC

Sony announced their version of an ultra mobile PC, the VAIO UX180P. It is not based on Microsoft's UMPC reference design and has a keyboard. This is the fourth ultra mobile PC design I have found, the other three are the Microsoft UMPC (Samsung Q1, tabletkiosk EO), the OQO, and the DualCor CPC. All of the ultra mobile PCs run the Windows XP Tablet Edition except the Sony, this seems a little strange considering that it includes a touch screen digitizer. For a market segment that is being panned  by the analysts, quite a few players are putting their toe in the water. The problem is still cost, the Sony starts at $1799.00, but if Microsoft can get the cost of their UMPC to their target of $500, I think this segment will take off.

WindowsForDevices.com has a basic comparison of the devices here.

UMPC Slammed by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal

The Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) is supposed to fill the gap between a Pocket PC and a laptop. One of it's main focus is to provide a better multimedia experience than the Pocket PC while keeping the size down to that of a hardbound book. With Samsung's US release of their UMPC, the Q1, several reviews have just been published. Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has slammed the device in his review here. Reading his columns regularly, I know he is not a fan of Microsoft, he is clearly pro Apple, so you need to take what he says with a grain of salt and read between the lines.  I have not played with a UMPC but Walt does make some good points, the two top ones I agree with, are screen resolution and battery life. On the other end of the spectrum Personal Computer World gives the UMPC 4 out of 5 stars in their review here although they question the long term viability of this segment.

I think there is a place for the UMPC as more capable than the Pocket PC but in a package that is easy to carry in a small bag, however at the $1000+ price point it is a dud. Microsoft's rumored price point goal is about $500, I think they have it right. I love the fact that they chose the Tablet OS, I know everyone is still clamoring for attached keyboards (myself included) but I have fallen in love with my Lenovo X41 Tablet. Change is always hard.  Moving away from a keyboard takes some getting use to, but I believe the handwriting recognition has come of age with the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.

So would I own a Smartphone and a UMPC, rather than my Pocket PC and Tablet laptop, I don't have the answer yet, but I will be looking at the combination closely. On the multimedia front we will also have to see what Apple does with their iPod, how will they enlarge the screen for a better viewing experience. I think this is an exciting segment of the market that has potential and worth watching.