Blog:: Craig Pringle - TUG

First WMUG Meetingon of the year a success

Craig Pringle — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 08:59:55 GMT

Thursday night saw the first Wellington Mobility User Group meeting of the year and it was a great night.

First up we had Eric Ryda from Vantex come and talk about their range of UMPCs and where they see them fitting into the mobile market and contrasting this with other mobile device in their range. It was interesting to hear someone who has been selling Mobile technology for a while share his thoughts. Eric contrasted the UMPC against PDAs, EDA (Enterprise Digital Assistants - which are like PDAs but a bit more industrial) and Portable Data Terminals as a device for mobile users. He also talked about Laptops and full size tablets as portable computers in that you tend to set up somewhere and use it for a while rather than use it while in motion - clearly he has not seen me using my tablet ;) - but I take his point.

Next up we had Liz Knight from Si Partners. Liz demoed a bunch of cool technology including a wizzy digital pen that recorded what you wrote (on special paper - in her case a notebook) and then bluetoothed an image of the page to her Blackberry. There is also a Windows Mobile version of the pen. Other gadgets in the show included a gadget that you plug into the projector that allows you to wirelessly run the presentation with a Blackberry - cool. Unfortunatly I missed much of Liz's talk as I was off ordering pizza at the time. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

Liz's talk was an excellent example of why we merged the Windows Mobile User Group and the Tablet User Group into a single Mobility User Group. By decopling from specific platforms and approaching the broader topic of mobility we have been able to deliver content that is of interest to both groups of members, but may not have seemed quite right under either of the old banners. If anyone out there is going to be in Wellington and loves talking about mobile tech then feel free to drop me a line via the Contact button on my blog. I'd love to hear from you.

The meeting concluded - as always - with a couple of drinks and some pizza to accompany some interesting conversations.

January Mobility User Group Meeting

Craig Pringle — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:16:55 GMT

We hope you had enjoyed your holiday break and are ready for another year… The WMUG starts the year with a couple of very interesting presentations:

Origami anyone? Eric Ryder from Vantex introduces the range of Tablet PCs and Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) that Vantex are now distributing in New Zealand. The range includes the Tablet Kiosk range, the Samsung Q1 UMPC and the Raon UMPC. Should be a great session with lots to of interesting things to look at and a first chance to have a look at these new products only now available in New Zealand.
Si Partners will then talk about BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) installs with Microsoft Exchange Server, and demonstrate a few products, including the Impatica Showmate (http://www.impatica.com/showmate/) which has just been released for Windows Mobile as well as BlackBerry, a digital pen which uses OCR to convert handwriting and drawings to pdfs and MS Word documents (www.PaperIQ.com) and fieldforce automation.

When: 25 January 2007 6pm

Where: Gen-I (109 Featherston Street, Wellington)

Drinks and pizza available after the meeting.

Please RSVP to wmug@geekzone.co.nz and pass this forward to anyone you think may be interested.

Our first Ever Mobile Computing User Group Meeting!

Craig Pringle — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:36:11 GMT

The Tablet PC User Group and the Windows Mobile User Group have merged. See below for the invite to the first Meeting...

>

Yes, this is the time again... But now it’s different: this is the first Mobile Computing User Group Meeting, where we bring the Tablet PC and Windows Mobile communities together to talk about mobility.

The idea is to have a common interest group in mobile technologies (laptop, Tablet PC, UMPC, Pocket PC, Smartphone) instead of a platform-specific user group. This will allow us to bring a more diverse set of speakers that will interest to the group profile.

Mark in your calendars: 26 October, 6pm, Microsoft New Zealand(Lambton Quay, Midland Park, Wellington).

Dion Knill (Vodafone New Zealand) will take the audience through Vodafone New Zealand’s roadmap, showing some of the Windows Mobile devices coming to the market now, and some non-Windows Mobile devices that however include ActiveSync for Microsoft Exchange Server synchronisation.

Darryl Burling (Microsoft New Zealand) will show us a UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) up close, and even better, running Windows Vista. Come along and hear Darryl Burling talk about his experiences with this new form factor and using Vista on a UMPC.

As usual after the sessions we will have some Q&A time, and beer and pizza.

Please confirm your presence by replying directly to me at wmug@geekzone.co.nz

Mauricio Freitas

www.geekzone.co.nz

www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm

Microsoft MVP Mobile Devices

Major User Group Announcement

Craig Pringle — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:29:40 GMT

OK. After much discussion Mauricio Freitas and I have decided to merge his Windows Mobile user Group with The Tablet PC User Group I run.
The resulting group will be called The Mobile Computing User Group!
As Mauricio says in his invite to the first combined meeting (see my next post):
"The idea is to have a common interest group in mobile technologies (laptop, Tablet PC, UMPC, Pocket PC, Smartphone) instead of a platform-specific user group. This will allow us to bring a more diverse set of speakers that will interest to the group profile."
I think that this is going to be great and it will open the door for all sorts of interests content. Hope to see you there!
>

TUG Meeting Tomorrow

Craig Pringle — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:17:58 GMT

The next meeting of the Tablet PC User Group will be held on August 3rd. This is a little later than it should be but we wanted to get the best speakers for the topics.
We are over half way through the year now and suddenly Office 2007 and Windows Vista are not very far away. Both the Office and the Windows Vista betas are public now so we thought it would be a good time to have a look at what is in the new Windows Platform and Office suite for the tablet user.
Microsoft is hosting the meeting and we are going to be treated to two top notch speakers. Windows Platform evangelist Nathan Mercer is going to give us the lowdown on Windows Vistas new features for the Tablet PC and for mobile computer users in general.
After that Ryan Duguid, Microsoft Technical Specialist, will brief us on the new Office suite.
We will as always wrap up the meeting with prizes and a chat over beer and pizza.
Where:
Microsoft New Zealand
Level 12, 157 Lambton Quay
Wellington
When:
6pm-8pm Thursday, August 3rd 2006.
RSVP:
TUGRSVP@pringle.net.nz
Look forward to seeing you there.

>

Summary of the Tablet PC User Group

Craig Pringle — Thu, 18 May 2006 10:43:16 GMT

Well it was a small audience tonight - there were just 7 of us for most of the meeting (though an 8th did make it for the second half).

Still - the small size of the group did make for quite an interactive session. It was also a bit of blessing as both Mauricio and I had a few technical issues with the projector. I could not get my tablet into duplicate display mode of my video driver to work. I was demonstrating inking into applications and you can't do that with extended desktop :) As a result I did a couple of my demos on my tablet with people gathered around.

Links of note from the meeting - check out the Mi-Forms demo on available on the Mi-Corporation website.

Also refer to Mauricio's posts on Vista on the M205:

Running Microsoft Windows Vista (build 5381) on my Tablet PC

Windows Vista Defrag: dumbbed down interface

Managing Multi OS (Windows XP and Windows Vista) Boot: VistaBootPRO

Change of Speakers for tomorrow's TUG Meeting

Craig Pringle — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:26:30 GMT

Unfortunately Hugo Ortega has had to cancel - some unexpected developments require his attention.

The show must go on, the revised agenda includes:

Filling forms with a Tablet PC - Craig Pringle
Vista on a Toshiba M205 - Mauricio Freitas
Prizes
Beer and Pizza

The venue remains the same - see the original post for more information.

May Tablet User Group Meeting

Craig Pringle — Tue, 09 May 2006 10:24:33 GMT

Time for another Tablet PC User Group meeting – and another speaker coming from overseas! This time around we are going to be joined by leading Aussie tablet blogger Hugo Ortega. Hugo is a passionate tablet advocate, distributes TabletKiosk slates and has recently been appointed the official blogger for CeBit Austrialia – which is happening this week.

Should be an interesting session – not only will Hugo be able to give us an update on the happenings from CeBit but as if that is not enough he will have a TabletKiosk EO Ultra Mobile PC to show off as well. The EO is one of the first UMPCs (aka Origami) devices to hit the market since the much hyped launch of the platform a couple of months ago. To my knowledge this will be your first opportunity to see one up close in New Zealand.

Needless to say we will wrap up the meeting with some pizzas and a couple of beers – and a couple of prize draws.

When: 6:00-8:00pm Thursday, May 18^th

Where: **Different Location**

Gen-i

L2, Gen-i Tower

109 Featherston Street

RSVP to TUGRSVP@pringle.net.nz

Look forward to seeing you there.

March TUG Meeting

Craig Pringle — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 10:33:18 GMT

Last week we had the first Tablet PC User Group meeting of 2006. The meeting was kindly hostted by Microsoft at their Wellington office. In attendence were about 20 hardy souls from all – some from as far away as Parlmerston North. I was very pleased with the turnout because it was a truly rotten evening outside. The group was also quite diverse and included people from the IT industry, education, health, the public sector and more. We were also very lucky to have not one but two international speakers.

Soon Jinn – Heulab

Our first speaker of the evening was Soon Jinn from Heulab. Soon Jinn is based in Singapore, where Heulab is headquartered.

Heulab has a really cool line of interactice software products designed to facilitate learning in the classroom. I see a lot of technology and frankly the “Fun With” series is one of the coolest uses of technology I have seen in quite some time.

In his presentation Soon Jinn highlighted that students are changing. They are becoming more technolgy saavy and teaching methods need to adapt too.

Tablet PCs are an enabler that – with the appropriate software – can enhance learning and improve outcomes for both the teacher and students.

However, when computers enter the classroom there is a risk that they will become a distraction rather than an enabler. To mitigate this risk Heulab engaged with teachers in the development of the Fun With Virtual Classroom software package that is the core of the classrroom of the future. The key features that teachers desired included:

· Control

· Communication and collaboration – but only when initiated and controlled by the teacher.

· Feedback from students

· Classroom management features including:

o Attendance taking

o Monitoring student activities

o Assisting students (using colaboration features)

In his demo Soon Jiin showed:

· Students signing in to the Fun With Virtual Classroom system – thereby taking the attendance.

· The control the teacher has over the classroom

· Collaboration

· Students providing feedback to the teacher – e.g. to indicate that they don’t understand.

· The teacher running a quiz

· Students using Fun With Construction tools such as the virtual protractor and ruler to work through a problen.

· Mindbook

· Virtual Text Books – in Singapore Heulab is working with publishers to produce books in digital format.

Impromtu Demo of Jumping Minds Ink Gestures

After the first presentation we had a few minutes to fill in before the pizza arrived. I jumped up and did a quick demo of Ink Gestures that showed the basics of the product and applying markup to the TUG Charter docment. I think it is fair to say that several people were blown away (er – by the software, not my demo…) I’ve promised to do a more detailed session in the future.

Brett Gross

After a brief break and some much needed pizza we were treated to the second international speaker of the night. Brett Gross is Motion Computing’s newly appointed Country Manager for New Zealand and Australia. Brett gave an overview of Motion and their philosophy on the slate tablet PC.

Next he gave us a view of some of the market verticals that Motion sees as important and talked about how Motion slates are being used in those segements. I was interested to hear that there is some really cool stuff going on in the aviation sector.

Brett finished off by talking in some detail about the LE 1600 and the LS800 tablets and had several units and lots of accessories available for people to have a look at. Very cool.

Looking Forward

Next session we look forward to hearing a bit more about what is coming in the Windows Vista for tablet users. We will also be treated to another internation speaker – Hugo Ortega of Tegatech Australia. Hugo is a fanatical tablet blogger, has the rights to disttribute the Tablet Kiosk range of Sahara slates in New Zealand and Australia. In addition Hugo has the rights to distribute the Tablet Kiosk UMPC (Origami) devices and may have some with him. How cool would that be!

March TUG Meeting

Craig Pringle — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:54:49 GMT

If it seems like it has been a really long time between TUG meetings that’s because it has been. But good news – it is almost time for the next one!

Details of the next meeting are…

When: 23rd March, 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Where: >Microsoft, L12 Mobil on the Park, 157 Lambton Quay, Wellington

We have some really interesting speakers this time around. The speakers for this session include:

Soon Jinn of HeuLab (www.heulab.com >). Soon Jinn is the ROLE and is based in Singapore. In the 2005 Microsoft Partner Awards HeuLab was named the Independent Software Vendor of the Year. From the HeuLab website:

"Our mission at Heulab® is to enable the next generation of learning through the use of technology."

To this end HeuLab has developed several innovative and tablet aware software products aimed at facilitating learning and education. These include:

Heulab® Fun With Construction™ aimed at improving the learning experience by leveraging the power of modern technology. Learn More >>

Heulab® Fun With Virtual Classroom™ A web based wireless solution to assist interaction among teachers and students and enable real time online communication in the class. Learn More >>

Heulab® Fun With MindBook™ A note-taking and document manager incorporated with rich media library. New! >>>

Brett Gross of Motion Computing (www.motioncomputing.com >). Brett is the newly appointed country manager for Motion Computing in Australia and New Zealand. Brett is going to talk about the Motion range of slates and Motion’s plans for future in the region.

We’ll have some great prizes to give away including some copies of Windows Server 2003 and Virtual Server.

As always please feel free to forward this on to anyone you know who may be interested.

RSVP: For catering purposes we need to know how many people are coming. Please send an email to: tugrsvp@pringle.net.nz >

The Agenda:

Welcome
Tablets in a Digital Classroom (Soon Jinn)
Motion Computing in NZ/Australia (Brett Gross)
Prizes
Beer & Pizza

Updates:

More prizes!

CA is providing copies of eTrust Pest Patrol, Home Edition to the first 30 attendees. Based on previous attendence that should be enough for a copy for everyone.

Also ActiveWords (www.activewords.com >) have offered to sponsor 5 copies of ActiveWords - a MUST HAVE application for your tablet. I recorded a short screencast showing off ActiveWords - check it out here: http://www.pringle.net.nz/blog/PermaLink,guid,64786f3e-b861-4c64-b228-3be1a4ab2793.aspx >

Recap of the November TUG Meeting

Craig Pringle — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 08:34:54 GMT

Here is a quick rundown on the TabletPC User Group meeting last night.

We had a bit of a smaller turn out (~13 people I think) this time around but I’m just putting that down to the fact that it is just a really busy time of year. Those who did turn up were not disappointed for two reasons. Firstly the sessions were great! Secondly we had a couple of early departures (flights to catch and children to collect) so at the end of the night we had a perfect 1:1 ratio of prizes.

The first session was presented by Edward Robinson from Intergen. He covered off using OneNote in general and taking advantage of the tablet features specifically. Items demoed included:

· Entering notes (typed and ink)

· Organising notes

· Search

· Screen clippings

· Drag and drop of content into OneNote

· Recording Audio

· And more….

Following on from Ed was Marcel Ollman from Waterman who provided a thought provoking demo of the Mimio digital capture bar. These things are so cool! You stick one to the side of a flat surface like a wall, whiteboard, table or floor and it captures the motion of a special pen as digital in on your computer via a wireless link (a gross simplification – check out the Mimio website for more details). It does not take much imagination to realise that combining a Mimio, a Tablet PC and a projector makes for a really great toolset if you are wanting to get a group of people into a room for a brainstorming session.

I brought up the rear and gave a very brief overview of a couple of pen-centric utilities that really enhance the usability of a Tablet PC in slate mode. StrokeIT allows you to assign actions to gestures. ActiveWords (with the free InkPad plugin) allows you to assign actions to words written on an ink enabled scratch pad. Both are very powerful tools that enable you to become more productive in slate mode. I’ve blogged about StrokeIt before. I’ve just started using ActiveWordsand will be posting more on it in the coming days.

The meeting was wrapped up with some housekeeping. The main points were:

· If you want to be invited to the meetings in the future make sure you register on the TUG web site as we will be using that as the primary communications mechanism.

· The discussion forums are more than a little bare at the moment (one category – no posts) so please provide feedback on what areas are of interest to you and we will make it so.

· The holiday period. December is a hectic month and in January many people are on holiday. For this reason neither TUG nor our sister group, the Windows Mobile User Group, will be holding meetings in these two months. The next WMUG meeting will be in February and the next TUG meeting will be in March. Announcements will be via the TUG Category feed on my blog and by email to all registered users on the TUG web site.

Many thanks to Microsoft for hosting the event and to Motion, ActiveWords, Microsoft, Telecom and iStart for providing prizes.

Gauging Interest in TUG Content

Craig Pringle — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:34:36 GMT

I’ve had a couple of requests from people who live outside of Wellington (as far as the other side of the planet). They are wanting me to record the TUG sessions and make them available. Both traditional pod casts and video casts have been requested.

Given the interactive nature of the events I’m not sure that just audio would cut it, but let me ask the questions anyway. (Asking the question in no way indicates that I will actually do this) :)

1. If we created a podcast would you download it and listen to it?

2. If we had an edited video of the session would you download it and watch it?

3. What about a screencast?

4. Of the options above, which is the best?

5. Would you rather have:

a. One file for the whole session.

b. One file for each presentation at a given meeting.

6. Preferred file format?

Why do I have the feeling I’m creating a whole bunch of extra work for myself…

Lastly – if I were to do this is anyone willing to host the files?

Respond via comments, trackback or email (click the envelope at the bottom of the screen).

The great TUG logo

Craig Pringle — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 08:34:41 GMT

If you have checked out the TabletPC User Group site you may have spotted our great logo. If not here it is:

This little guy was kindly drawn for by the great tablet enabled artist Chad Essley (aka Cartoon Monkey). If you have not done so already check out Chad's sketch blog.

BTW - I added the text and that's about the limit of my artistic ability!

Update: Don't confuse this with the PDC tablet guy. I've had this mascot for a while - Chad's artwork pre-dates the PDC tablet guy by a fair while.

TabletPC User Group Site Launched

Craig Pringle — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 08:27:14 GMT

Last week saw the launch of the long promised home-on-the-web of the TabletPC User Group (TUG). You can check it out at http://www.tabletpc.co.nz

So far the site is pretty minimalist at the moment, but here is a run down of what is there now. There is more to come.

The Front Page: The news on the front page is really displaying the RSS feed for the TUG category on my blog.

Events: This is the seciton that will list upcoming events - though you do have to be registered to view events. Members can also RSVP to an upcoming event to ensure that we buy enough beer and pizza! Slight bug with the events system at the moment. When I create an event I specify that it should be visable to all members, however when a new user joins after an event has already been created they can't see it. There's a manual work around and I'm working on it.

Forum: The discussion forums. This will be an area where we can all just post geek stuff. Right now there is just a general forum, but I want to brainstorm categories at the next meeting.

Join Now: You can register yourself on pretty much any page of the site. Site membership will be used to manage event invitations and user group newsletters going forward so if you are wanting to stay informed of what the group is doing make sure you register.

Do You TUG?

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 02:39:29 GMT

Do you run or help run a Tablet User Group?
I run the TUG in Wellington , New Zealand . It has been running for ~ 5 months and is charging along.
To ensure that I am able to provide my members with fresh and interesting content going forward I would like to establish contact with others running TUGs. The ultimate goal is to form a network of connected individuals that run Tablet User Groups.
This will allow TUG organizers to:

Share and reuse content
Exchange ideas
Exchange contacts for 3rd party organizations
Provide mentoring and support to people setting up new User Groups

Respond via this thread on TabletPCBuzz.com:

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC ID=29816

November TUG Meeting

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 02:11:54 GMT

With November fast approaching it is time for another Tablet PC User Group Meeting.

We have an excellent line-up of speakers and content for you this time around.

The Agenda:

Getting More From OneNote: Edward Robinson(Intergen)
Collaboration with a Mimio and a Tablet: Marcel Ollman (Waterman)
Pen Tricks: Craig Pringle (Gen-i)
Prizes
Beer & Pizza

When:

Starts at 18:00 on Thursday, November 10, 2005 (get there around 17:45)

Expect it to go on for the evening

Where:

Microsoft Wellington

Microsoft, L12 Mobil on the Park, 157 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Click here for a map

RSVP:

Also we have launched the TUG website – http://www.tabletpc.co.nz . Keep an eye on it for new features and announcements. If you would like to attend TUG meetings please register on the website and you will receive personalised invitations to this and all future TUG events, which you can then RSVP to online.

Note: All TUG announcements will continue to be posted on my blog too, under the TUG category.

As always, please pass this message on to anyone who may be interested.

Second meeting of TUG a success

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 09:14:08 GMT

The second meeting of the TabletPC User Group was held last night and was a great success.

About 26 attendees gathered at Gen-i's Wellington office at 6PM.

After a quick welcome Damien Toman of Gen-i gave a great presentation about enterprise mobility. Damien was true to his word and did not use a single PowerPoint slide. Instead he opted to use Journal on his tablet, plugged into a projector to build a network diagram. Damien talked through some of the challenges organizations are facing and added components to his diagram and explained how these address the issues.

Ian Westlake from Toshiba then took the floor. Toshiba brought with them five M200s and these were distributed to five people in the audience so that they (and anyone else who had their own). Ian covered off the basics of Tablet usage, the TIP, Windows Journal, the TabletPC Experience Pack and the Education Pack for Tablet PC. In addition Ian talked about some of the Toshiba specific features including the supported gestures, their quick menu and the wireless configuration suite ConfigFree. I asked the question posed by Loren Heiny – “Is there going to be a newer version of the M200?” The answer – there have been several updates to the original M200, but the next full refresh is not expected until next year when the dual core processors are available.

I was then lucky enough to be able to demonstrate to the group some of the new features coming in MindJet’s MindManager 6, which is due to release on Sept. 20^th. I used Release Candidate 1, which I had only received that afternoon! Everything I discussed was under embargo until that very day so it was a really fresh demo. I showed the group the new ink enabled notes entry and the one step export to PowerPoint. Very cool. On a dare I demonstrated the new export to Visio feature which I had not tried (what the heck – I’m brave) and the demo gods smiled on me because it just worked. I also talked about the new ink enabled and editable outline view which is another great feature.

We finished off with a couple of prize draws and a bit of a chat over beer and pizza. The audience was diverse. We had levels of expertise ranging from IT pros to people who had never even seen a Tablet PC before. We were graced by the presence of one of Rob Bushway’s rock stars of Tablet PC development – Tom Clarkson, creator of Orange Guava Desktop. We even had one user who came all the way from Palmerston North –a psychiatrist that uses his Toshiba M4 in his practice.

Overall it was a great night and I’m sure I’m not the only one looking forward to the next one, which will be in November. There are so many topics we can talk about. Stay tuned!

Next TabletPC User Group Meeting

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 23:00:38 GMT

That’s right its time for another TabletPC User Group meeting. This meeting will be hosted by Gen-i and sponsored by Toshiba.

When: Tuesday 13^th Sept, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Where: Gen-i New Zealand, Gen-i Tower, 109 Featherston St, Wellington

The agenda will include:

Welcome

Know Thy Tablet (Toshiba) – This is for those of you that either don’t have a Tablet or have not had a chance to play with the full functionality of the technology. Ian Westlake from Toshiba will bring 5 Tablets to the meeting for a “hands on” play with the Tablet, he’ll also include showing off some real handy add-on apps for your Tablet. We’ll focus on Journal and some simple apps as One Note probably deserves a night by itself!

Enterprise Mobility (Gen-i) – Damien Toman explores Enterprise Mobility with Secure Wi-Fi, IP Telephony, and Mobile applications access – and a promise of no PowerPoint

Pen Tricks! – a new regular segment giving you a quick tip to get more from your tablet.

Prize Draw

Beer & Pizza

Would be great to have you there, it should be lots of fun.

RSVP – For catering purposes we need an idea of numbers. Please let us know you are coming by emailing: tugrsvp@pringle.net.nz

And now a word to our sponsors

Craig Pringle — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 23:41:05 GMT

The first meeting of the TabletPC User Group was a success and this was due in no small part to the support of our sponsors. I would like to particularly thank the following organisations who supported our first meeting (in alphabetical order):

Gen-i (www.gen-i.co.nz) - as my employer Gen-i has supported my efforts to set up the user group by allowing me to user work resources (including my time where required) for TUG activities. Thanks Gen-i.

Thanks to i-Toyz (www.i-Toyz.co.nz) who have provided me with the excellent M1400 tablet I currently use, actively promoted the user group, showing off the new LE1600 and provided the following prizes given away on the night:

An Allied Telesyn Wireless ADSL Bridge/Router with 4 Ethernet ports & 1 USB port (like this one)
Two USB 2.0 SD Card Readers with 128 MB SD Cards (from Duo)

Thanks Lenovo for bringing along the X41 Tablet for people to check out.

Cheers to Microsoft New Zealand for hosting the event and putting up the beer and pizza.

Last but not least - thanks to MindJet for putting up a copy of MindManager X5 Pro as a prize.

Best of all every single one of the sponsors listed above has pledged continued support for the TUG - as have several new ones we look forward to working with in the future.

TabletPC User Group a Success!

Craig Pringle — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 09:41:17 GMT

Well the first meeting of the TabletPC User Group tonight was quite a success. The meeting was attended by ~20 people and the session was quite interactive and generated some interesting discussion. Feedback was positive and I think we said enough left unsaid that there will be plenty to talk about for several meetings to come.

As promised the mind maps I used to generate the presentation are now available here. The actual presentation can also be downloaded below.

I also mentioned a post I wrote about note taking technique in One Note, which in turn references Michael Hyatt’s excellent blog.

Already looking forward to the next meeting, which should be in September. Stay tuned for more details soon.

Tablet PC User Group #1.ppt (1.2 MB)

Toys at TUG Meeting

Craig Pringle — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 23:48:53 GMT

Great news – I have just heard from i-Toyz and they have received their Motion Computing LE1600 demo unit and will have it at the first TabletPC User Group meeting on Tuesday night. If you want to see one of the latest and hottest slates on the market up close and personal make sure you are there.

Are you coming to the first TUG Meeting?

Craig Pringle — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 08:58:01 GMT

I previously posted the details for the first TabletPC User Group meeting to be held on the 12th of July. There have also been a number of emails circulated with the details.

What was neglected was for me to request that you let us know if you are coming. My bad. If you are coming along - great - please send an email to TUGRSVP@pringle.net.nz to let us know.

TabletPC User Group Category Added

Craig Pringle — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 01:35:54 GMT

I've added a new category for TabletPC User Group announcements. You can view the category here or subscribe to this feed if you would like to be kept up to date on what is happening with the TUG.

TUG Plugged!

Craig Pringle — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 23:52:13 GMT

In case anyone missed it the TabletPC User Group was plugged in the latest TechNet Flash email sent to NZ IT Pros.

Thanks for the plug Nathan!

If you don’t get the TechNet Flash Newsletters and you would like to then you can register here and be added to the list. Update: Fixed broken link for TechNet Flash registration.

First Meeting of TabletPC User Group

Craig Pringle — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:12:12 GMT

July 12^th, 2005 will mark the inaugural meeting of the TabletPC User Group (TUG) in Wellington .

The TUG, believed to be the first TabletPC focused group of its type in New Zealand , aims to:

Educate the user community
Facilitate the dissemination of information from vendors to the community
Provide a forum for the sharing of information between likeminded peers

TUG meetings are open to all who would like to attend. The topics covered should be of particular interest to TabletPC users, those considering the TabletPC platform, Developers, IT Professionals and those interested in technology.

The first meeting will be hosted by Microsoft and sponsored by MindJet. Details of the meeting are:

When: 12^th July, 2005. 6:00-7:30PM

Where: Microsoft, L12, Mobil on the Park, Wellington

Topics: Why TabletPCs (aka "How to Justify a Tablet to your Boss")

Using MindManager on a TPC

Meeting will conclude with a prize draw, beer and pizza.

For more information keep an eye on this blog.

Blog:: Craig Pringle - TUG

First WMUG Meetingon of the year a success

January Mobility User Group Meeting

Our first Ever Mobile Computing User Group Meeting!

Major User Group Announcement

TUG Meeting Tomorrow

Summary of the Tablet PC User Group

Change of Speakers for tomorrow's TUG Meeting

May Tablet User Group Meeting

March TUG Meeting

March TUG Meeting

Recap of the November TUG Meeting

Gauging Interest in TUG Content

The great TUG logo

TabletPC User Group Site Launched

Do You TUG?

November TUG Meeting

Second meeting of TUG a success

Next TabletPC User Group Meeting

And now a word *to* our sponsors

TabletPC User Group a Success!

Toys at TUG Meeting

Are you coming to the first TUG Meeting?

TabletPC User Group Category Added

TUG Plugged!

First Meeting of TabletPC User Group

And now a word to our sponsors