Recent Comments:
Lenovo's X300 ultraportable gets official, is available now {Engadget}
Feb 26th 2008 12:24PM I've been using an SSD-equipped X300 for a couple of weeks now and it's pretty nice. Relatively, it's much thicker than the Air but in absolute terms, both computers are really, really thin. The Air's screen is brighter but the X300 does have higher resolution. Battery life is about the same for both - four hours - both go into standby really quickly (which is a big deal for me 'cause I catch a train and am always hurrying to finish up that last email before getting off). There are only two things I definitely don't like about the X300: 1) Its fan comes on too often and when it does, it's quite noticeable; 2) It's got *four* different colors of LEDs just below the screen! Lenovo isn't Apple! (Yeah, it's a little thing).
I don't have an X300 with built-in 3G (I have model 6477-1TU) but that'd be pretty cool.
An X300 would definitely replace my T61 but I'm not sure if the Air would replace my MacBook Pro.
Samsung Ultra Messaging: a peek at the future of Windows Mobile {Engadget Mobile}
Feb 24th 2007 10:39AM This is just the custom Samsung home screen that the SGH-i600 is running. It's still Windows Mobile 5. The i600s that Samsung had in their booth at 3GSM were using this screen and they were *definitely* WM5. I know because I asked their smartphone product manager when we'd see a WM6 version and she was very cagely. And, of course, I checked the version on the i600s at the show and they were certainly WM5.
Latest BlackBerry OS confirms 8820 with WiFi {Engadget}
Feb 21st 2007 5:00PM Ah, good point! I hadn't thought of that.
Latest BlackBerry OS confirms 8820 with WiFi {Engadget}
Feb 21st 2007 1:44PM Give me HSDPA support over WiFi anyday! WiFi is an addition for geeks. 3G is something that anyone can use, in most places and it's close to the real-world speed of WiFi.
Blackberry 8800 now on Cingular {Engadget}
Feb 21st 2007 12:22PM "HSDPA would be nice for streaming video on this device. But otherwise, it's worthless."
Umm...no. HSDPA (unlike EVDO) permits simultanous voice and data trasmission. If you've ever been on a conference call where someone sends out an agenda or notes *after* the call has started, then you'd appreciate HSDPA. Also, having a device that supports HSDPA means you don't need a separate 3G data card; you can just use the phone as a connection.
If you don't think HSDPA is useful, you're missing the point of it. Operators and handset makers aren't missing the point: probably half of the new phones and PDAs that were introduced at 3GSM included HSDPA.
Blackberry 8800 now on Cingular {Engadget}
Feb 21st 2007 10:55AM I got one of these yesterday and I'm not especially impressed. When the 8700 came out, it was a much better email device than anything else on the market; really streets ahead. However, having just come back from 3GSM, my reaction to the 8800 is mostly "blah". It's an ok upgrade over the 8700 but nothing more. I suppose the built-in GPS will be useful to some people but I would have much preferred 3G support. I'm used to 3G devices like the BlackJack and Treo 750 now and not being able to get email while on a call - or use it as a modem while still getting calls - is an annoying step backwards.
Also, Windows Mobile 6 really has a bunch of nice improvements that bring it closer to the capability of the BlackBerry system. RIM is going to find it hard to compete with Microsoft and the legion of OEMs who make devices that use their OS. I've been a huge fan of the BlackBerry but I think its days are numbered.
Once we get our new Exchange 2007 server working with our Direct Push system and I get a WM6 device, I'm ditching the BlackBerry. HTML email and 3G support are just too appealing.
Pre-installed Opera to come on some WM6 devices? {Engadget Mobile}
Feb 16th 2007 6:45PM This is definitely true. I saw Opera as the default browser on a WM6 device this week at 3GSM. The only problem is that with all the WM6 devices on display, I can't remember which one it was! Might have been the Motorola q9. I was thinking at first it was on an upgraded Dash but that can't be right, as Microsoft were using a Dash as their demo phone at the WM6 theatre in their booth.
Toshiba's Portege M400 goes Core 2 Duo, gets HSDPA {Engadget}
Nov 20th 2006 9:52AM There's no mention of size or weight in the linked article. Is this around the size of an X60 or is it bigger?
Hands-on with Verizon's V640 ExpressCard EV-DO adapter {Engadget}
Aug 24th 2006 12:47PM It's too bad that Cisco's VPN client for the Macintosh doesn't seem to be compatible with this card (or any high-speed PPP connection). I got to the Internet just fine but getting into my company's network was a no-go. Bummer.
Lenovo unveils Cingular-enabled WWAN ThinkPad T60 {Engadget}
Aug 23rd 2006 10:18AM This isn't new news: they've been shipping these for over a month. They also have WWAN available in several models, including the high-end T60p. The model I'm using - 2007-8EU - is a 2.33 GHz T60p with a 100 GB 7200 RPM drive, 14" 1400 x 1050 screen and a ATI FireGL V5200. It's pretty great.
One thing that isn't as great is the integration between the WWAN card and Lenovo's utilities. The network profile manager - Access Connections - can barely manage the WWAN card. Switching to a WWAN profile can turn the other network options off (e.g., 802.11 and wired Ethernet) but it can't connect you to the WWAN network. It just launches Cingular's Communication Manager software, where you still need to click the Connect button. It's not a big deal but what's a little ironic is that Cingular's Option GT Max WWAN card - a separate add-in - actually works better with Access Connections. The GT Max card is seen by the OS as a dial up connection and Access Connections can make a profile that uses that connection. We've actually ditched Access Connections - overall, it's more trouble than it's worth - so in our case, the lack of true integration is no longer an issue.
The other issue is that the WWAN in the laptop (the Sierra Wireless MC 8765) is dual-band, not tri-band. The card in the laptop supports 850 and 1900 MHZ; the Option GT Max supports both of those for North America but also supports 2100 MHz. This means you'll get HSDPA in the North America but you'll drop back to a slower speed when overseas. (The card supports 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz, so you will get EDGE and GSM/GPRS support globally.) Hopefully, Sierra Wirelss will ship the MC 8775 card soon - it's a tri-band HSDPA card.
If you are overseas, make sure you've signed up with one of Cingular's international roaming plans (they have a US plan, a US, Mexico and Canada plan and a US and everywhere else plan). Roaming without a plan can be incredibly expensive; a colleague racked up a $1600 bill in two days of travel.
Lastly, the most important thing: speed. It's pretty good. I use the WWAN T60p on a train each morning and usually get around 700 kbps down and about 300 kbps up. EVDO on the same route gives slightly better download but slightly worse upload. What's interesting is that both drop their signal in the same place. Sharing a tower, perhaps?
P.S. Hi Ingo ;-)
