When trying to enter a software or OS key so that you can unlock whatever it is you are trying to use, make sure you have not selected a keyboard type of, um, Albanian, as an example. I just spent the last 20 minutes trying to understand why the letter Y wouldn't work when trying to activate Windows and found that I had somehow selected the Albanian keyboard for input. Nice tip, huh?
October 2006 Archives
Wow. That's a long and ridiculous name, but that's not what I came here to write about.
A few days ago, I was working on a project where the keyboard and mouse just couldn't do. I needed to quickly sketch the layout of a room to send someone with whom I was working on an addition project. I had already spent time typing up text that explained what I hoped to acheive, but a picture would be worth more.
So, I moved from laptop to pencil and paper and quickly drew out what I had already explained. I took the paper with me to my office the next day to scan it and attach it to the text as a pdf (it could have been an embedded image, too). The whole ordeal really didn't take much time, as I was set up to do this without much difficulty, but it forced a few issues that I had been dealing with of late.
There is a relatively big difference between written and typed notes. Because one is usually forced to summarize to a greater extent in written notes, they are quicker and in some ways seem to help aid in future remembrance of what was meant. My Spanish teacher in high school claimed that if you repeated something three times, you would almost certainly remember it. I have found that almost to the same extent, if I am forced to mentally dissect what I am trying to summarize (because time is limited and space is short), I remember it without the notes.
Typewritten notes, on the other hand, are likely to be much more verbose. Most of us who are used to using laptops or computers to type are pretty proficient at getting things down on the screen in a hurry. In a way, that allows us to ignore some of the details that may have otherwise been captured by someone's writing.
I'm not claiming that handwritten notes have an advantage over those that are typed. In many cases, they don't, but in the case of using a piece of paper and pencil for a to-do list or items you need for only a short amount of time, there *may* be a benefit derived from writing by hand instead of typing.
Plus, there is still nothing better than a pad of paper and pencil for making sketches.
I have been quietly waiting for Apple to finally come out with a tablet based laptop to finally take advantage of much of the handwriting and speech technology that has been part of OS X for the last few versions. There is no indication from Apple nor the rumor mills that this is going to happen soon (by soon, I mean within weeks). There has been talk of a tablet based Mac laptop for two or so years, but nothing has come of it. Plus, even if Apple were to release a tablet machine tomorrow, after my experiences with a Rev 0 MacBook, I would wait until at least Rev 1 or 2 before I were to buy the machine.
Windows based tablets have been out for some years now, however. I have owned three or four (I can't remember) and sent back all but one. I only kept a Toshiba M200 Tablet because I like using it as a laptop and the tablet portion was simply a bonus. That machine, though, was too heavy and didn't have enough battery power to make it a serious portable contender. Besides my (mostly) trusty MacBook, my favorite all time laptop has been the ThinkPad X40. It is small and light and the battery lasts *forever*. Plus, when IBM was making the ThinkPads, they were known for reliability and a oft unmentioned fact of software compatibility. This comes from the ubiquity of ThinkPads, but also from the fact that IBM and Lenovo have been good at using standard and well known technology instead of the latest and greatest *and* the unknown.
Lenovo has had the X41 tablet out for a while and I figured if I were to perform an experiment in using Windows for a period of time again, then I'd stick with a laptop line that I know works. So, on Thursday, I ordered the X41 and started a month long experiment in using a tablet pc running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 to see whether it is good enough for me to use it long term. I am also ordering a Sony UX90PS with Tablet PC Edition 2005 installed (from Dynamism) to see whether or not the small form factor device would suffice and be a better mate to my MacBook. (The biggest issue will be whether or not the UX90 will hold up in terms of battery power. In my opinion, if a tablet type device doesn't sport a battery that will keep it running for at least 4 hours, it isn't worth it. My OQO only started to see more use when I bought the double capacity battery for it and can finally use it for a half day or more before having to recharge.)
Initial Observations:
- My first observation was a given. I don't like the insecurity of XP. If this were a Mac or I were able to do my normal daily stuff running OpenBSD, I'd be happier. But, to date, none of my regular Windows machines have ever seen a virus, so I think I still know enough about Windows to keep me out of hot water.
- I already *really* like being able to quickly jot down sketches. My wife and I are rearranging some furniture and rooms in our house and it has come in really handy. Plus, because both of us are always wired, all I have to do if we're apart is jot down an idea and email her the picture.
- The handwriting recognition is really close to being there. The only issue I have - and it really is the only issue I'm having right now - is getting it to know to not put a space after the period when I write a URL - e.g. google.com, not google.[space]com.
- The X41 is a good half or three quarter pounds heavier than the X40, but it's ok. It is still much better than most other Tablet PC's I've had in my hands.
- It is less convenient to browse the internet and check email in portrait mode than I thought. I have found that 3.5 lbs is still awkward when trying to hold with one hand.
- Even given my distaste for Windows, I like having access to some programs that aren't available on any other platform.
This covers days 1 and 2.
Whoa, was I wrong. The Pepper Pad couldn't have been a worse experience right out of the box. I don't know if I am slowly developing unrealistic expectations when new gadgets arrive at my office, but even if they were/are, I haven't had an experience where only one expectation was met to some degree of satisfaction. Here is the list of items I wanted out of the Pepper Pad (please note, I didn't purchase version number 3 - the website and specific details I have found on other websites do not show that there is really any difference between the two in regards to what I am about to make remarks upon):
Wants:
- crossover pda/laptop - i.e. not a pda and not a laptop
- wireless network access
- a qwerty keyboard (I'll take a non-standard type - I just want one for input, as hand writing is too slow and speech recognition wouldn't even be an option for most times when I want to use the device)
- a web browser that was similar enough to Firefox
- an email client
- decent battery life (nothing less than 2 1/2 hours with moderate or little wifi usage)
- some documentation
- a book reader that was capable of reading Mobipocket's or eReader's eBooks
Successes:
- it is a viable crossover. Some may debate that the size is too large (and it was larger than I was expecting), but it had good heft, felt good in two hands and had a very readable screen.
- qwerty keyboard. It is odd to get used to, but I can see it working well in the long-run.
- wireless network access. It hopped on to a few wireless networks I frequent without any issues.
- web browser. It just so happens to run Firefox.
Failures:
- Battery life was never more than 1 1/2 hours with moderate wifi usage. I know what moderate usage is and I'm being generous by saying my usage was moderate because it was more along the lines of little. I surfed to websites where I spent good amounts of time reading long pages, so I wasn't technically using wifi a lot. To be considered a mobile device these days, one should be able to say that the battery lasts at least 2 1/2 hours. I don't get anything done in less than that time.
- The Email client is a complete failure on two fronts. One, it doesn't handle more than one email account in any easily discernible way. It also doesn't support SSL connections to the server. Shame on whoever left that one out. If this is supposed to be a mobile device that I would use to supplant my laptop for short trips or quick trips to the local cafe, I need some type of security and it doesn't offer any. I can't stress how worthless this makes the device. Of the two most important technical items that a device like this must support, email and web, one failing is not an option. Let us say that I am a normal person and have one email address. Fine, but how is my wife or significant other supposed to use the device, too? I had envisioned getting a few of these to spread around the house for a quick trip on the internet and to check email - for my wife and I. Even one of my original Palm's supported more than one email account.
- The documentation is worthless. I have had it with devices that don't come with or offer access to decent documentation. The support page at pepper.com is an email form to their technical support person/staff (see link). What?
- The last fault is not necessarily Pepper's fault, but when one of the short list of advertised functionalities does not work, then it is a failing. MobiPocket does not work. Without getting into the strange and gory details of how MobiPocket's DRM works, it suffices to say: your device gives you a key (PID) that you use to register said device on MobiPocket's website and then you can open books on said device that you have bought. My key didn't work and still doesn't. I wrote MobiPocket through their forum about this and they thought my key had an i/l/o in it that can easily be confused with a 1/1/0. I wrote back to explain that the key is 2945955ZW and I tried registering it using a few different methods on a few different web browsers on a few different computers and it never worked. I responded in the following post to the suggestion that I was entering it in wrong, but haven't heard back to date.
So, to wrap up, the fact is that there are far too many compromises I would have to make in order to make the device usable. The fact that one does not have easy access to software that is not pre-provided by Pepper doesn't make the list because from the wants list above, it really boils down to three things: battery life, web access and email access. The Pepper Pad fails on two of the three for the reasons given above. Even the market of simple users out there wouldn't be happy with the above limitations and I can't see why anyone would go to the trouble to make it work by compiling needed software for the device. I guess a lot of my complaints are colored by the knowledge that Pepper could have resolved any or all of the worst problems with relative ease: put a higher capacity battery in the device, use a real email client and give us some basic documentation on how things are supposed to work - beyond the pictures of how to turn it on, off, etc.
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