Blog:: Craig Pringle

I love the potential of the RollTop concept PC from Orkin Design.  Out of the box thinking like this opens the door for some really great new ways to work.

This just cropped up in one of my Twitter searches and it really caught my eye. 

A 9” netbook with a touchscreen and a removable keyboard?  Could it be that someone has finally caught on to the fact that the HP TC1100 was a really good idea and would be excellent if refreshed with current technology?

Weighing less than 2 pounds and sporting a [8.9] inch screen, the Touch Book has moved away from the world of the Intel Atom CPU and delved into the mobile power of the ARM processor from Texas Instruments, and with its custom designed battery, the Touch Book runs for up to 15 hours unplugged.

The key design feature of the Touch Book is its ability to completely separate the screen from the keyboard, allowing the screen to be used as a standalone tablet. Furthermore, the screen is magnetic and can easily be mounted on any metal surfaces.

How cool is that – 15 hours battery life and you can stick it to the fridge!  The bad news is that it is not shipping yet but pre-orders are being taken.

Well the touch book certainly looks like an interesting device and I would love to get my hands on one to see how well the concept is implemented.  It looks like it is running its own OS and the ARM processor is usually associated with phones and PDAs but it could be a good step in the right direction.

Vital statistics from the website:

Key Specifications

• 9.4″ x 7″ x 1.4″ for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
• ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
• 1024×600 8.9” screen
• Storage: 8GB micro SD card
• Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
• 3-dimensional accelerometer
• Speakers, micro and headphone
• 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
• 10h to 15 hours of battery life

I just posted my thoughts on Starter Edition and how it could open up the bottom of the market to the Microsoft platform.  I think this is a good thing.  Could this be the birth of a new category?  Windows Internet Devices perhaps?

I’m actually starting to get quite intrigued by the possibilities here…

It is hard to believe it but I am on iPhone number four.  As I blogged a while back my first iPhone was DOA, the second developed a screen fault on the first day of use.   Both were replaced without a problem.  After a couple of months of use the vibrate function on my iPhone III stopped working.

I took it in to the Apple store here in Sydney and it was replaced on the spot with no hassle.  The service was, again, exceptional.  But - IMO that is just not enough.

You might think that I must be treating my devices really badly to have them fail so often.  I've been using both smartphones and MP3 players for years and I've had just about every brand out.  I've never had one die before.

Over all I like my iPhone, but I have to say it is just not there yet.  Apple clearly has some quality issues to work through.  In addition to that there are a number of feature gaps that just leave me wanting more.  I want to be able to send a meeting invite to someone from my phone.  I want to be able to use a bluetooth keyboard, or stereo bluetooth headset with audio controls.  Alas the bluetooth stack on the iPhone is knobbled to the point of uselessness. 

None of these are flaws that Apple couldn't fix.  They are all things others have commented on as well.  But, instead they invest in putting in features that are cool but that I will probably never, ever use - like adding street view to the Google maps app on the phone.  Give me a break! 

Apple - you still have some work to do.  I like the iPhone, but it is not good enough to be a business device yet.

This is either a creative way to carry your geek gear or an excellent way to get shot.  I don't think I will ever try travelling through a US airport with one of these.  That said the e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster might be just what you are looking for.

James over at JKontheRun lists the key features.

• Comfortable to Wear – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster is designed to be highly ergonomic and is extremely comfortably around the body. The left side of the holster rests comfortably on the top of the left shoulder allowing the holster itself to hang below the left arm. This is a very natural and comfortable way to carry your gadgets. The right-side adjustable strap positions over the right shoulder and under the right arm to comfortably control how the left side of the holster sits and stays on the body.
• Highly Durable – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster is constructed with this highest quality of heavy-duty ballistic nylon materials to withstand the bumps and grinds of everyday life.
• Keep Gadgets Safe & Secure – Each of the e-Volve Gadget Shoulder Holster's quick-access pouches are strategically positioned vertically on the holster to keep your gadgets safe from others and secure as you move around doing your day-to-day chores.
• Large Gadget Quick-Access Pouch – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster is designed with a large quick-access pouch that securely fits most smartphone devices (such as a Apple iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Treo or other smartphone device), compact digital cameras (such as Canon Powershot, Panasonic Lumix, Sony Cybershot, Fuji Finepix, Olympus Stylus and others), larger digital music players (such as Apple iTouch or iPod Classic and Microsoft Zune 80 or Zune 120), Sony Playstation Portable, Nintendo DS portable, and most standard sized men's wallets.
• Small Gadget Quick-Access Pouch – The small quick-access pouch will fit most small cell phones (such as Samsung cell phones, Motorola cell phones, Nokia cell phones, LG cell phones, and others), small digital music players (such as Apple iPod Nano, Microsoft Zune 4, Zune 8 & Zune 16), digital voice recorders and other small personal electronic gadgets.
• Zippered Pouch – To help control loose items that are normally kept in your pant’s pockets, the e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster provides a unique zippered pouch to quickly store and control change, currency, memory cards, zip drives, sunglasses, reading glasses, and much more.
• Quick-Clip Key Ring – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster also offers a convenient key ring clip to quickly clip and unclip your keys to and from the holster.
• Elastic Pen Holder – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster includes an elastic pen holder at the bottom of the holster to easily and comfortably carry a pen.
• Fully Adjustable – The e-Volve Nylon Gadget Shoulder Holster is designed to fit all body types and sizes. Worn on your left shoulder, the top of the holster can be adjusted with Velcro straps to accomodate all shoulder sizes - from petite shoulders to large shoulders. To adjust how the holster lies on your left shoulder, the holster back strap can be easily increased or decreased to fit your body comfortably.
• Side-Release Buckle –The quick-release back strap buckle allows you to quickly unbuckle the holster back strap to remove the holster from your body. It can be reattached just as easily.
• Color - Black.