I wrote a huge editorial on this subject and what happens when Windows, Linux, and even Apple enter the UMPC market.
The summary: When there is competition on any platform, the consumers end up the big winners. There is room in the market for all three platforms and the competition will push the backers of each to adopting this platform more.
I wrote this essay on my personal blog here but will duplicate it in this thread:
Most of the complaints about offshoring service jobs center around the lower quality of service received. When a customer and a customer support representative have a language or accent barrier, the experience is already swinging into the negative. While this is a valid concern, there are more backlashes to offshoring than thick accents.
I'm going to tell a story of a young man with no experience and no degree. Through basic computer knowledge and motivation alone, he started out as a level 1 tech support representative for a big modem company. This was a placement through a contract job and when a bigger networking company bought the modem company, the contract ended. (Later, the whole Skokie, Illinois building was sold and support was moved.)
From there, he got several other fortunate contract placements that built his resume and experience significantly. From Level 1 tech support, he grew up through higher technical positions, then low to middle management positions, and mid-level to high-level engineering roles. Over a decade later, he's doing well for himself as a systems engineer for a very stable internet services company. While the lack of formal training and education have held him back a couple times, employers found his on-the-job skills and real-world experience to be very valuable.
He's also a blogger. In fact, he's writing this post.
I am sure I am not the only example of someone whose success is wholly attributed to "climbing the ranks." A decade later, there are more computers, gadgets, and connectivity systems than ever and it would be a great breeding ground the next generation of engineers... Except for one thing: There's no ground level. Entry-level CSR positions are now overseas, so anyone attempting to get into this industry must go into debt for a college degree. Four years and $80,000 later, they have to hope they can land one of the few remaining positions in the tech industry without any real-world experience. From there, it's a long, hard road to the higher positions.
And what of the higher positions? What happens when the engineers do not have the experience and history of "face time" with end users? Do the designers know what the people want? Is there some fundamental disconnect that happens when engineers and developers are so far removed from customers? If you ever dealt with Windows Vista's security center, you may know.
If corporations continue to destroy the ground floor of the technology base, we will have no more American engineers. Please, tech companies, bring the technical support and entry-level jobs back to America. It shows loyalty to your consumer base, dedication to quality service, and most importantly, a logical path for career growth for the next generation of geeks.
I was considering this device this morning and wrote a little editorial in my personal blog about this - comparing it to an iPod with the AV Connection Kit. Feedback?
I think that it is up to the copyright holder to defend the copyright lest lose it. This is how it has always been with intellectual property. Why do you think Asprin is the general name for acaetasalacitic acid?
I had a 10 second video of myself juggling on TV, with two seconds of that being Dave Attel mocking me. Because it was on Insomniac, Youtube pulled my video without even asking me if I had rights to post it. There seems to be no way to dispute this.
Thanks for linking to me. My interview with Nokia is Tuesday morning at CES and I will be watching this thread for additional interview questions. ---Dan (ThoughtFix)
The mini three feels rubbery... certainly not buckling spring. I reviewed it when it was released and the screens are great but the software at the time was bunk. Latest updates are more stable, but still quite limited. Extra bonus to adding a Gmail notifier button!
I reviewed this weeks ago and included a video that clearly demonstrates how unstable and unreliable the software is. Hope you enjoy it.
Forgive the quality of the video. I had a flu.
I use my 770 for extensive web browsing, VOIP using Gizmo Project, ssh, GAIM, and Email. Since blogging takes up so much of my free time now, having a full web browser in my pocket for research is a great help.
Your question was: What ISN'T it good for?
Well
You're not going to do a lot of gaming on it, but you can do more than you could on a mobile phone.
If you're out of WiFi range, make sure your phone has a Bluetooth DUN support and a compatible data plan.
The addition of swap native to the 2006 OS is a great improvement, but don't expect to have a couple Flash heavy sites, the VOIP client, and the RSS reader all open at once.
In short, the Nokia 770 is not a REPLACEMENT for a laptop - it's a much more mobile EXTENSION to one.
Does that answer it? I hope so.
I've been blogging about the 770 since shortly after it's release and know it pretty intimately. the Mylo has no chance as a direct competitor. The 800x480 touchscreen just isn't there on the Mylo. Neither is Bluetooth or (a hackable) USB host port. The 770 is for mobile web browsing. The Mylo is for teens and tweens who want to chat with their buddies after their mothers told them to go to bed.
Really... saying the Mylo is a competitor to the Nokia 770 is like saying a Honda Fit is a competitor to a Rolls Royce. Sure, they're both cars. Sure, it's not likely people will own both. The target markets, however, are very different.
I have a new UMPC blog, by the way. Therein is a four part head-to-head comparison of the TabletKiosk eo UMPC and the Nokia 770.
Hmm...Linspire went free, called itself Freespire. It's a good thing they lost the lawsuit on the Lindows name or now they'd be called Freedows and be slapped with another lawsuit from the corn chip makers.
I wrote a bit of an essay about this and how eventually Google can revolutionize mobile computing. The essay is here.
Here's the intro: I am in New York on vacation. I've never been there before and don't know where to go or what to do. I'm in the mood for a cup of coffee now, fine Italian meal tonight, and a concert tomorrow. I fire up my Nokia 770 tablet. It peers with my cell phone and pocket GPS receiver over Bluetooth, finds my location, and loads the Google Life site. I quickly tap in "coffee shop" and it suggests several coffee shops within walking distance. One is tagged with free WiFi access and has good reviews from other visitors, so I walk over.
Once settled in, I disconnect the cell phone connection and attach to the free WiFi. While sipping my triple-shot Mocha, I look over concerts playing this weekend. It seems that there are tickets still available for one of my favorite musicians. I book the tickets and add the information to my calendar, then confirm my hotel reservations, decide on a restaurant for tonight, and see if there's anything else interesting nearby. It's my lucky day: there's going to be a free Shakespeare play in the park a half mile away in about an hour.
This mocha is REALLY good. I have some time to kill: I think I'll write a positive review of this cafe.
How many of us take the time to actually fill out internet surveys? Of those, I'd say a high percentage of them are the type to only use the net "for fun.";)
Personally, I hate being pigeonholed by marketers.
RIGHT BEHIND YOU on that one. I made two posts on http://thoughtfix.blogspot.com/ (one of which with a link to TomTom's "contact us" page) on how I am BEGGING TomTom to release a bluetooth GPS, software, and map package for the 770.
Between it's adequate CPU, a 800x480 screen, a speaker, Bluetooth, and memory card support, it has all it needs. Now we just wait for developers developers developers developers!
Slashdot Mirror
I wrote a huge editorial on this subject and what happens when Windows, Linux, and even Apple enter the UMPC market. The summary: When there is competition on any platform, the consumers end up the big winners. There is room in the market for all three platforms and the competition will push the backers of each to adopting this platform more.
I wrote this essay on my personal blog here but will duplicate it in this thread: Most of the complaints about offshoring service jobs center around the lower quality of service received. When a customer and a customer support representative have a language or accent barrier, the experience is already swinging into the negative. While this is a valid concern, there are more backlashes to offshoring than thick accents. I'm going to tell a story of a young man with no experience and no degree. Through basic computer knowledge and motivation alone, he started out as a level 1 tech support representative for a big modem company. This was a placement through a contract job and when a bigger networking company bought the modem company, the contract ended. (Later, the whole Skokie, Illinois building was sold and support was moved.) From there, he got several other fortunate contract placements that built his resume and experience significantly. From Level 1 tech support, he grew up through higher technical positions, then low to middle management positions, and mid-level to high-level engineering roles. Over a decade later, he's doing well for himself as a systems engineer for a very stable internet services company. While the lack of formal training and education have held him back a couple times, employers found his on-the-job skills and real-world experience to be very valuable. He's also a blogger. In fact, he's writing this post. I am sure I am not the only example of someone whose success is wholly attributed to "climbing the ranks." A decade later, there are more computers, gadgets, and connectivity systems than ever and it would be a great breeding ground the next generation of engineers... Except for one thing: There's no ground level. Entry-level CSR positions are now overseas, so anyone attempting to get into this industry must go into debt for a college degree. Four years and $80,000 later, they have to hope they can land one of the few remaining positions in the tech industry without any real-world experience. From there, it's a long, hard road to the higher positions. And what of the higher positions? What happens when the engineers do not have the experience and history of "face time" with end users? Do the designers know what the people want? Is there some fundamental disconnect that happens when engineers and developers are so far removed from customers? If you ever dealt with Windows Vista's security center, you may know. If corporations continue to destroy the ground floor of the technology base, we will have no more American engineers. Please, tech companies, bring the technical support and entry-level jobs back to America. It shows loyalty to your consumer base, dedication to quality service, and most importantly, a logical path for career growth for the next generation of geeks.
Coffee still hasn't soaked in. I read that as edgein printers. Of course, both will have the same effect on you.
I was considering this device this morning and wrote a little editorial in my personal blog about this - comparing it to an iPod with the AV Connection Kit. Feedback?
I think that it is up to the copyright holder to defend the copyright lest lose it. This is how it has always been with intellectual property. Why do you think Asprin is the general name for acaetasalacitic acid?
I had a 10 second video of myself juggling on TV, with two seconds of that being Dave Attel mocking me. Because it was on Insomniac, Youtube pulled my video without even asking me if I had rights to post it. There seems to be no way to dispute this.
Thanks for linking to me. My interview with Nokia is Tuesday morning at CES and I will be watching this thread for additional interview questions.
---Dan (ThoughtFix)
The mini three feels rubbery... certainly not buckling spring. I reviewed it when it was released and the screens are great but the software at the time was bunk. Latest updates are more stable, but still quite limited. Extra bonus to adding a Gmail notifier button!
Ten bucks says it's Golden Palace. They'll do anything for publicity.
I reviewed this weeks ago and included a video that clearly demonstrates how unstable and unreliable the software is. Hope you enjoy it. Forgive the quality of the video. I had a flu.
It's obvious that Burger King is the next target.
Take a look at this. I'm surprised the lawyers aren't aready dancing around.
I want to hire lonelygirl15 to quite literally beat a dead horse.
Your question was: What ISN'T it good for? Well
- You're not going to do a lot of gaming on it, but you can do more than you could on a mobile phone.
- If you're out of WiFi range, make sure your phone has a Bluetooth DUN support and a compatible data plan.
- The RS-MMC card is a bit of a limiting factor, but I still have three full-length movies re-coded for my 770 on my 1GB card.
- The addition of swap native to the 2006 OS is a great improvement, but don't expect to have a couple Flash heavy sites, the VOIP client, and the RSS reader all open at once.
In short, the Nokia 770 is not a REPLACEMENT for a laptop - it's a much more mobile EXTENSION to one. Does that answer it? I hope so.I've been blogging about the 770 since shortly after it's release and know it pretty intimately. the Mylo has no chance as a direct competitor. The 800x480 touchscreen just isn't there on the Mylo. Neither is Bluetooth or (a hackable) USB host port. The 770 is for mobile web browsing. The Mylo is for teens and tweens who want to chat with their buddies after their mothers told them to go to bed.
Really... saying the Mylo is a competitor to the Nokia 770 is like saying a Honda Fit is a competitor to a Rolls Royce. Sure, they're both cars. Sure, it's not likely people will own both. The target markets, however, are very different.
I have a new UMPC blog, by the way. Therein is a four part head-to-head comparison of the TabletKiosk eo UMPC and the Nokia 770.
Hmm .. .Linspire went free, called itself Freespire. It's a good thing they lost the lawsuit on the Lindows name or now they'd be called Freedows and be slapped with another lawsuit from the corn chip makers.
Let's disable the mute, volume, channel, and power buttons while the commercials are running too!
- Bluetooth GPS and GPSDrive HOWTO
- USB Power Injector 2 (for hooking up USB keyboards, storage, etc.)
- "No Solder" USB Host method.
Firmware/Software Hacks- Manual "mass storage" mounting (using an iPod nano as an example)
- Mass storage mounting scripts
- Application menu "button" creation. (use this with the post above)
- Firmware upgrade notes
- Firmware destruction recovery
Connectivity- Pairing with Windows Mobile devices (requires a firmware patch)
- T-Mobile GPRS use
Ideas and Ruminations:- Portrait of a Consumer
- Ten Simple Suggestions to Nokia
- Google Life
Other fun:One step closer!
Google Life
It's going to happen. I'm interested in WHEN.
I wrote a bit of an essay about this and how eventually Google can revolutionize mobile computing.
The essay is here.
Here's the intro:
I am in New York on vacation. I've never been there before and don't know where to go or what to do. I'm in the mood for a cup of coffee now, fine Italian meal tonight, and a concert tomorrow. I fire up my Nokia 770 tablet. It peers with my cell phone and pocket GPS receiver over Bluetooth, finds my location, and loads the Google Life site. I quickly tap in "coffee shop" and it suggests several coffee shops within walking distance. One is tagged with free WiFi access and has good reviews from other visitors, so I walk over.
Once settled in, I disconnect the cell phone connection and attach to the free WiFi. While sipping my triple-shot Mocha, I look over concerts playing this weekend. It seems that there are tickets still available for one of my favorite musicians. I book the tickets and add the information to my calendar, then confirm my hotel reservations, decide on a restaurant for tonight, and see if there's anything else interesting nearby. It's my lucky day: there's going to be a free Shakespeare play in the park a half mile away in about an hour.
This mocha is REALLY good. I have some time to kill: I think I'll write a positive review of this cafe.
Assuming this survey was online, it's flawed.
;)
How many of us take the time to actually fill out internet surveys? Of those, I'd say a high percentage of them are the type to only use the net "for fun."
Personally, I hate being pigeonholed by marketers.
Install the latest firmware to start. Following that, consider setting up a swap :)
- upgrade-plus-gps-wishes.html
. php?p=4013&postcount=13
My experience with upgrading:
http://thoughtfix.blogspot.com/2006/01/update-and
A link to setting up a swap (not for noobs)
http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showpost
Hope that helps.
- I already have a cell phone
- I already have a cell carrier and contract
- It keeps the price of the unit down
- One internet tablet can work on all carriers
- I go through cell phones faster than I go through pants
- Carriers will want to lock down the device and "get in on the pie" with software releases
- Carriers are greedy and don't like open-source
Good enough?RIGHT BEHIND YOU on that one. I made two posts on http://thoughtfix.blogspot.com/ (one of which with a link to TomTom's "contact us" page) on how I am BEGGING TomTom to release a bluetooth GPS, software, and map package for the 770. Between it's adequate CPU, a 800x480 screen, a speaker, Bluetooth, and memory card support, it has all it needs. Now we just wait for developers developers developers developers!
Thanks! I am flattered that I got moderated up for "informative" but I was hoping to get at least one "funny" too!
I've been blogging my experience with this one like mad:
http://thoughtfix.blogspot.com/
Posts today:
- Using the device's USB host mode without soldering a special cable
- Using an iPod nano as external storage
Lots of other things too, like enabling sshd and other thoughts and wishes.
It ain't just a bad TV show... it's reality.