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The First 5 Things You'll Want to Know About Tablet Computers

The First 5 Things You'll Want to Know About Tablet Computers

If you're new here, or to Tablet PC's, there's a few things you should know. A few bits of information we should get out of the way first...

1. The Tablet I use is a PC, Not a Mac
Everything but the iPad is Windows based. Mac's tablet the iPad is more like a giant iPod Touch, it wasn't designed to have a stylus/pen input, but there are several apps for that now, but you can either type (using the virtual keyboard) or use your finger to write. Also, the only way you can get anything on the computer is through email, there are no input ports, but i understand on the iPad 3 that might have changed. But don't dispare, this is only the third version of the Mac tablet, and only the first since Steve Jobs passed, so there's bound to be a bit of a shake down cruise since he's gone, and they'll probably come out with one that has a few more input choices. In the mean time, there is an after market/third party 'upgrade' you can get that will turn a MacBookPro into a tablet computer, but I'm not sure of the cost. (If you're interested in that, leave a message here, or better yet email me at tmoodyca@roadrunner.com and I'll hook you up with people in the know about such things), i will tell you that from what i have seen it partitions the harddrive so that you can run both Mac & Windows. So you'd still be running Windows programs just on a Mac machine.

2. What Kind of Tablet is Right for Me?
There's two different types of Tablet PC's. A slate tablet, and a convertible. The slate does NOT come with a keyboard but is usually lighter in weight, but a bit more expensive. The convertible allows the screen to swivel all the way around and lay flat on top of the keyboard. These are a bit heavier (although not by an enormous amount), but they cost less. Poke about in this blog to find some of the manufactures of both types of computer, or contact me via email at the above address.

3. Using Tablet PC's On-Set
Every Tablet PC comes with the program - Windows Journal, Journal Note Writer, or something like that, in it. The name varies, but it's exactly the same program & Script Supervisor's can use this program to take their notes AND line their pages. It does NOT turn your handwriting into text. You can enter text in this program, it just takes a few more menu scrolls and pen clicks, but it can be done. You'll have to decide if it's worth the effort. Other programs I know Script Supers to use are Excel, Filemaker Pro, Access, Adobe Acrobat, & Bluebeam Revu (more about those last two in section 4.)

4. PDF Readers & Printers
You may not know what it is, but you're going to need it. It's a program (or programs) that will allow you to read and print your pages and forms into PDF. PDF is a universal format that every computer, both PC and Mac, can view. There's a couple of different ways to achieve this, some more expensive than others, but all viable ways to go. The Acrobat Reader is free and easy to download, but that's just about all it does. And there are several programs out there that are just PDF printer drivers and those are either free or at a nominal cost. Or you can go with a couple of different PDF Editors. These allow you to read, print and manipulate PDF files. The two most well known are Adobe Acrobat, and Bluebeam Revu. I believe both have a 30 day free trial that can be downloaded from their websites. (There are other PDF Editors out there, just Google for a list.) These can be used to take your notes and to line your pages as well. However there is a little bit more of a learning curve involved with all of them.

5. eBay - A cheaper way to shop
Ok, you've decided to jump in and do the deed, but you're a little tight on cash. Or you're still a bit skittish about the whole thing because you're a Mac and it's a PC. Here's my recommendation: go eBay. First you're gonna want to do a bit of research. Find the make and model of computer you like (HP, Lenovo, Motion Computing, Dell, Tablet Kiosk, etc.), then I suggest going to Fry's or Best Buy, or Sears, and basically fondling the merchandise. Find something that you like the feel of, the weight of. You like the way the pen writes on the screen. See what software it comes with (Microsoft Word, or Excel, etc.), what hardware (external hard drive, or keyboard, etc.). Find the one that's right for you. Do NOT skip this step, I know the research is often the boring part, but in this case it's important. You are going to have to spend at least 12 1/2 hours a day with this machine, and a fairly large chunk of money, so it should be something you like. After you've researched it and found the machine of your dreams, then head to eBay. First just see what they have to offer in tablets, you might find something you didn't know about. Then get down to business, and look for that one computer that will make your life complete. Now you might have to settle for last years model (so make sure you get the name and numbers correct), but if it comes at a significant discount (on the order of one half the price or so) you'll have a decision to make.

So there you are, the first five things you need to know. Go forth and compute.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Verizon's New MiFi - Portable Wireless Router

you too can be a portable wireless router.


- Script Witch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Verizon MiFi 2200 review

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 13th 2009 at 12:01PM

We've been following Novatel's MiFi with bated breath since its December announcement, and the totally pocketable 3G / WiFi router has finally graced a US carrier. Though it'll ultimately come in a variety of physical designs, bands, and radio technologies for different carriers and parts of the world, the MiFi 2200 for Verizon naturally packs CDMA with EV-DO Rev. A, which means uplink speeds should be reasonably speedy to go along with your 1Mbps-plus downloads. Obviously, the concept of a credit card-shaped object connecting up to five WiFi-enabled devices to high-speed internet from wherever the road takes you is an incredibly intoxicating one -- but does the MiFi 2200 deliver? Let's have a look.


Gallery: Verizon MiFi 2200 review

Our MiFi came "unactivated," meaning that although Verizon is aware of the device's ESN and has it registered to the correct account, it can't be used to connect to the internet until some specific communication occurs between the box and the carrier (the same is true of any modem on Verizon or Sprint -- the MiFi isn't alone in this minor annoyance). Fortunately, this is a one-time process, but it's kind of a pain; you'll need to cable up the MiFi to a Mac or PC to do it, which steals some of the fun you've undoubtedly envisioned of pulling the modem out of the box, firing it up, and immediately connecting to it over WiFi (you can actually do it if you like, you just won't get 'net access).

When you connect the MiFi to a computer using the included micro-USB cable, two cool things happen: one, the MiFi begins charging, and two, a drive mounts to your machine (strangely, on the first Mac we tried, we were never able to get it to mount -- we're not sure whether it was the machine's fault or the MiFi's). This drive contains Windows and Mac versions of VZAccess Manager, which you'll install and use to run through a quick wizard for activation; afterwards, you can continue using it for controlling your MiFi while it's tethered to the computer just as you would any other modem. Personally we find carrier-branded connection managers annoying and avoid them at all costs; the MiFi makes this easy with its WiFi capabilities, but there's no harm in keeping Manager installed just in case.



Now that you've got the bad boy activated, the cable comes unplugged -- and this is where the real magic begins. Using the MiFi couldn't be simpler; pressing the power button on top swings the device into action, exposing a cloud of WiFi that can connect up to five devices at once. By default, the network is protected by a WPA password printed on a sticker on the back of the device, but this can be changed by logging into the web-based admin console along with a host of other options -- basically everything you'd expect to see from a basic wireless router for your home. You can change the SSID and toggle its broadcast, choose between WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption, use 802.11b, g, or both, set MAC filters, port forwarding, and so on.

Connecting was a breeze. It'd generally take fifteen seconds or so from power-up before we were able to see the MiFi's network, and we never once had trouble attaching to it. Once you're connected, the box takes care of the nitty gritty details of dialing into Verizon's airwaves, and you can just go about your business as you would connected to any other hotspot.

We saw about 1.5 to 1.8Mbps down and 350 to 400kbps up while using the MiFi in downtown Chicago, with virtually no difference between WiFi and tethered mode (of course, you'll see these figures drop as you share the network with your friends). These numbers are more or less in line with what you'd expect from a Rev. A device, and it doesn't appear that you're taking any hit from using WiFi or from the overhead of routing -- in other words, traditional modems are starting to look a little endangered to us here. Battery life is never an issue, because you can always just cable up and recharge while you continue to work.

Wrap-up

Put simply, our hats go off to Novatel and Verizon on this one. The MiFi is drop-dead awesome in basically every meaningful way, and we'd be shocked if every top-tier carrier in the world wasn't actively looking into adding it -- or a device very similar to it -- into their lineup. Unless you have a very specific, compelling reason that you require an ExpressCard or a USB stick style modem, the MiFi's simplicity, flexibility, tethering capability, and no-compromise performance make it the way to go for your mobile data needs.
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