I finally succumbed to my techno-lust and delivery came on Friday afternoon. THANK GOD, the Aircraft Carrier is dead!
For those not in the know, the Aircraft Carrier is what I not-so lovingly referred to my 17", 947 pound work laptop. I bought the new UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC), the Samsung Q1. See pic below with the Samsung Q1 and my hand resting on the Aircraft Carrier. I can already hear my back thanking me for not lugging it around on the road anymore.
Now for the kick-ass news about the new toy; it runs FULL Windows XP with Tablet PC extensions! Which means that any application that runs on your desktop. If you look closely (sorry for the crappy pic quality), I'm running Party Poker on it.
It weighs a little over a pound and has a really nice touch screen. THUS, no keyboard required! Although to speed typing, I do have the Samsung USB mini-keyboard/mouse on the way and it fully supports Bluetooth, so it will interface with any Bluetooth device.
I have already hooked it up to my trusty Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone and jumped on the Internet when I'm not at home. It kicked ass and I'm going to order the Verizon EVDO wireless Internet PC Card and a USB-to-PCMCIA adapter to get multi-megabit 'Net access.
I also got a copy of Stardock Multiplicity, which allows you to control another computer from the same keyboard/mouse without switching using a KVM. It's just like using Multi-Monitor, you just drag your mouse to the device and it transfers standard keyboard and mouse Windows messages to that computer seemlessly just like it was another LCD physically attached to your primary desktop machine. I'm also going to be loading ObjectDock, DesktopX and WindowBlinds (all from Stardock, those guys are KICK-ASS programmers!) to fully customize the desktop user interface and make it even more Touch-friendly. Microsoft Live FolderShare integration to keep my machines in sync with Docs, Spreadsheets, PowerPoints, Music, Movies, etc. Looks like my project of archiving my personal DVD collection on my Terrabyte of server storage is already paying off, I tested by copying Pulp Fiction and Rounders to my Q1 and it runs like a champ! I'm also looking forward to checking out Orb Networks free multimedia scaling and streaming service. There are so many cool things that I want to do, that my mind is completely spinning in euphoria!
I also want to point out the completely idiotic review of the Samsung Q1 by PC Magazine. He totally scorched the Q1, and that moron obviously doesn't get it and probably never travelled a day in his life. The Aircraft Carrier couldn't even open to allow me to do any work on a plane! This sucker will leave tons of room to spare, even with the keyboard which is nicely integrated with the Q1 folding case. The Samsung Q1 picks up where the Pocket PC leaves off with full Windows XP support (yes, it's Vista ready too!) which means that I can completely replace my laptop for work.
It is also a Tablet PC, so I'll be taking notes during all of my meetings in Microsoft OneNote, which I can email to BD (we're getting him a Q1 too for his notes). OneNote can also convert the hand writing to text and integrate with MSN Desktop Search. Thus, we can search and instantly find any piece of information about any customer that we've ever talked to...and we talk to a LOT of customers! I can already feel my information overload fading into extinction.
For those lucky enough to have a Samsung Q1 or one of the other UMPC's, here are some GREAT tips and tweaks. DON'T forget to head over to Stardock and tell them that I sent you!
Too much more to do and the adrenalin is running full steam, I'll write more later. This is me, being happy! ;-)
Nicholas has left the 3s