Adesso’s CyberTablet comes provided with the tablet itself, a pen with replaceable tips, its own mouse and driver software. The tablet itself is connected via a built-in standard USB cable.

The first thing to note is that the provided mouse isn’t that great and you probably won’t be using it – but that’s fine since you didn’t buy it for the mouse anyway. Since it’s a USB device you can use it in combination with your existing mouse and use the tablet as the mouse pad when not drawing or writing with the pen.

The drivers and software it comes with are decidedly old, but do work in all versions of Windows including Windows 7. Upon first install you will be required to perform a system restart to gain full functionality.

The pen included does require you to change the AAA battery in it every so often, but not so much as it would prove to be inconvenient.

When I used the CyberTablet 6400, I found it’s much better suited for writing than drawing. It’s handwriting recognition is decent and the software allows you to “train” it if it makes mistakes when recognizing what you write.

In a few instances the tracking was slightly off, but then again I didn’t “train” it too much. With regular use the tracking issues would fix themselves.

Being this is an entry level tablet, it’s not the best for freehand drawing. This is not to say it can’t do it, because it can and does so easily, but it doesn’t have the super-sensitive tracking much more expensive tablets have. If you draw using point-to-point, you’ll get along fine with the CyberTablet, but for true freehand style you may need something larger with more sensitivity. This Adesso tablet has low sensitivity when it comes to writing or drawing.

If you use a Mac, you might have some difficulties with this tablet. When David (PCMech’s founder) tried this tablet on his Mac, the installation of drivers proved very difficult. The install routine got into an endless loop and David was forced to manually “force quit” the install program. Once the drivers were installed, it was hard to determine whether everything was working properly because no solid instructions were provided on how to actually go about USING the tablet.

Overall, the CyberTable 6400 gets the job done and works as advertised. However, as a tablet priced at $69.99 as of the time of this writing, don’t expect miracles in this price range.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Adesso CyberTablet 6400 Review

First of all, let me make one thing clear. If you are a typical end user of Windows 7, you don’t need this book. In other words, if you use Windows like most people use Windows, then this book will seem too technical for you.

If, however, you consider yourself an intermediate to advanced Windows user, this might be a worthy resource for you to check out. If you are the kind of person who messes with your registry for fun, who runs commands via the command prompt, who delves into the nitty-gritty technical aspects of networking, then this book could prove useful.

There are over 700 pages in this book. It is technical. It is straight-forward. This most certainly isn’t a “Dummies” book.

He gets right to the point, too. There is no basic introduction to Windows basics. There is no fluff about the differences between Vista and Windows 7. He gets right to the point, with Chapter 1 about how to customize Windows Explorer.

And that mode flows throughout. He goes through performance optimization, power user tools, security (lots of paper dedicated to this one), troubleshooting, networking and scripting.

Like any computer book like this, it is most certainly NOT meant to be read. It is meant to be referenced. You look for the thing you need, use it, then close the book. And there is a robust index to help you do exactly that.

As you’re no doubt aware, Windows 7 is where its at for the time being (if you’re still a Windows user, that is). It is a good OS, and the advanced people who might have been wary of Vista should make the upgrade to Windows 7.

If you’re a code jockey who likes to delve into the inner geek of Windows, then check out this book. Again, however, if you’re just a typical end user, look elsewhere.

For more, check it out over on Amazon.

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Windows 7 Unleashed – Book Review

So, we’re talking small. And we’re talking about high-definition video. But, how’s it compare with the Flip Mino?

Let’s Talk Specs

So, here are the relevant specs on the Flip Mino HD:

• 4 GB of on-board memory so you can record up to an hour of HD video
• Same exact size as the original Flip Mino
• Records 720P resolution, 1280×720 video, 16×9 aspect ratio
• 1.5” no-glare LCD display on the back
• Rechargeable lithium ion battery sealed inside the unit, just like the original Flip Mino
• Comes with FlipShare, the new version of the Flip software for working with videos taken with your Flip.

The camera looks almost identical to the Flip Mino.

There is a small different in decorative trim on the camera. The lens looks a little different, too. When using the camera, you can very clearly see that the Mino HD is filming in widescreen format.

Video Tests

As stated above, the Flip Mino HD clearly records much bigger videos than the Flip Mino – 1280×720 versus 640×480. Also, when you use the Flipshare software to get the videos off the camera, the Flip HD gives you MP4 encoded files whereas the original Flip Mino gives you AVI files.

Here is a compilation video of some test shots taken with both the Flip Mino and Flip Mino HD. Note that this is edited in widescreen, so even the video from the Flip Mino has been cropped to appear in widescreen.

Coming from the Internet, it may be hard to fully judge the quality differences of the raw video footage, so here are some links to download the raw footage: (right-click, choose Save Link As, and view to your own computer)

Flip Video: Panning
Flip Video: David Audio
Flip Video HD: Panning
Flip Video HD: Closeup
Flip Video HD: David Audio

On my test shots, the Flip Mino HD seems to have better lens quality as well as better zoom. Both cameras offer only 2X digital zoom (not much for a video camera), but the original Mino has a blurry look to it when you use the zoom whereas the Mino HD has much less visible blur when you use the zoom. Also, getting up close to an object produces a less blurry image with the Mino HD than with the original Mino. Neither camera excels at close-ups, however the high-def camera does outperform the other.

I am also using the Mino HD to film daily “flip tip” videos for bloggers and internet entrepreneurs over on David risley dot com, so you can check out videos there. Just keep in mind that when the videos are compressed for online use, the quality does diminish.

FlipShare Software

FlipShare is the updated software for the Flip video cameras and it is indeed much better and easier to use than the older software.

The software, like the prior version, could be used to email videos, create greeting cards, create a DVD, upload to Youtube, etc. Primarily, though, I use the software simply to get videos off the camera. I noticed that every video also saves an accompanying still shot photo from the video (from the first frame) to the hard drive. It is likely used to display thumbnails in the Flipshare software itself, however it could be used for your own purposes as well. From there, I will import into iMovie to do any editing I may want. If on Windows, just use Windows Movie Maker.

Mac users, especially, will appreciate how Flipshare works with OS X much nicer than the prior software.

Dave’s Take?

There are some noticeable quality differences in favor of the Flip Mino HD over the original Flip Mino, especially when it comes to zooming and closeups. In standard footage, the quality difference between the two cameras may be hard to notice. What is VERY noticeable, however, is the 16×9 aspect ratio and the true 720P high-def resolution.

Is the Flip Mini HD going to replace a standard camcorder? No. It doesn’t zoom very much, there is no image stabilization, and it lacks a lot of other features that the big camcorders have. However, where the Flip series excels is when it comes to online video. This is why the Flip is so popular among bloggers and Youtube’ers. It is also very handy for being able to take videos anytime, anywhere, with a camera you can literally stick in your pocket.

The trend in online video has been toward widescreen. In fact, the elephant in the room (Youtube) just recently converted to widescreen video on their site. So, the Flip Mino HD is timely.

The Flip Mino HD is the smallest high-definition video camera I’ve ever seen and it brings true convenience to the fray of doing truly high-def, widescreen videos. It retails for $229.99 (as of this review) and I do recommend it.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Review: Flip Mino HD

My original reason for wanting this keyboard was not for me but rather for my father. He’s 73 and his vision is not as good as it used to be. Yes, he does get his eyeglasses prescription updated at regular intervals, but even then the guy has a hard time seeing the keys at times.

Solution: Get a backlit keyboard with larger print.

The Saitek Eclipse fit the bill nicely in this respect.

The price was so good I bought two. One for me, one for my father.

Here’s what I have to report about this keyboard – both the good and bad.

The bad:

The keys are painted silver. Even though this keyboard gets really good reviews, the #1 complaint is that the key paint wears off over time. However, the only people that ever complain about this are gamers where the W, A, S and D keys have the paint rub off from constant gaming use. Basically put, if you don’t game, the paint won’t rub off.

This keyboard isn’t the most ergonomic thing in the world. Yes, it does come with a free keyboard rest that you can attach if you want, but otherwise it’s no more ergonomic than anything else out there.

The keys feel a bit “spongey”. This is the tradeoff for making it quiet when using it.

The blue LED illumination is good but not great. Still, it’s better than nothing.

The good:

It is notably quiet when typing on it.

All keys are in standard positions (thank God). Arrows and the cluster above are all where they’re supposed to be, as are the F keys on top and everything else is in proper position.

You can turn the LED lights off if you want. I did not know this before I bought it. At the far top right there are four soft buttons. The first three are for sound control (up, down, mute) and the very last is for illumination. There are three settings when you press this button, that being bright, half-bright and off. So if the blue backlit LEDs annoy you, don’t worry, you can turn them off.

The thicker fonts on the keys are a whole lot easier to read.

The construction is solid. Very good build.

When seen “in the flesh” it is far less “cartoony” than the picture shows it to be. This is not Darth Vader’s keyboard although it looks like it is. When on your desk it looks much better compared to the photo.

This is not one of those keyboards where it takes you days to get used to it. Being that all keys are in standard positions you can plug it in and go.

LEDs are all powered by the USB cord. No power adapter necessary.

No drivers necessary. Plug in and start using.

My personal opinion:

I give it a thumbs up. The key feel could be a little better but for $29.99 (which included free shipping by the way) from NewEgg it was a deal I couldn’t pass by.

One final note: It has been said the blue LED version is the one to get and not the red. I have the blue and can say with certainty that yes, if the backlight was red that would have sucked because for my eyes everything would “fuzz” too easily. Blue backlit is the one you want.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Saitek Eclipse Keyboard – Not Just For Gamers

I gave my Ultra to my wife and she has been using it to make videos for her own blog. She decided to do a video comparison of the two Flip models. So, here is that comparison – and it is TOTALLY from the female perspective.

If you want to check out my wife’s blog, go to Malika Risley dot com.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Flip Video Ultra Versus Mino – Female Perspective

It is the equivalent of phone spam. I never subscribed to receive offers from this company (I know because I don’t give out my home number). So, these guys are just auto-dialing.

The folks at PhoneSpamFilter requested a paid review of their site here on PCMech, so I thought I’d check it out. What I found was interesting, both from the consumer standpoint and a business standpoint. So, I took them up on it.

This website is a searchable database of phone numbers which, according to them, is the largest such database in the U.S. You can add phone numbers to the database if you receive a telemarketing call. You can also search the database. And their database is pretty large. What I also found interesting about it is the social component. Each phone number has user comments. So you can go to the site and post comments about the phone number. Some of them make for an interesting read.

From the business standpoint, the site appears to be making money from Google Adsense. Also, you can order reverse phone lookups from a company which provides them and I’m sure the owners of PhoneSpamFilter.com are making a commission on that.

The thing that bothers me about this site is that you can add any phone number you want to it. As a test, I submitted a random number to the database along with a comment. Immediately, that phone number appears on the homepage and is in their database. There is an option to have a phone number removed, but it says:

Please note that filling out this form does not guarantee we will remove your number or comments about it. It does however mean we will investigate the situation and potentially take action if a clear mistake has been made.

Now, I don’t know how they handle that situation, but it seems as if numbers are going in a whole lot easier than they might come out. And that’s not right.

So, while I can tell from the comments that people are legitimately reporting telemarketing phone numbers to this system, it seems wide open for privacy abuse.

PhoneSpamFilter.com is not alone on the Internet in this method of fighting telemarketing and it certainly is one weapon in the arsenal. You can also add yourself to the Do Not Call list.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

One Method of Fighting Telemarketers

Most flat panel monitors can be easily rotated to accomodate this change, so the only thing you would need to do is rotate your screen alignment. I know Intel graphic engines (what I use) can do this easily within the provided graphics software, so I am pretty sure most all other graphic drivers can accomplish this as well.

This change may not be for everyone, but as I mentioned earlier it is worth a shot if you do a lot of reading online.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Changing Your Screen Orientation

A few notes before continuing:

There are only very slight differences between nüvi models 200, 250, 260 and 270, and they are (for United States releases):

• nüvi 200 – lower 48 US states + Hawaii and Puerto Rico
• nüvi 250 – full North American map data set
• nüvi 260 – identical to 250 + speaks street names
• nüvi 270 – identical to 250 with full transatlantic maps (but doesn’t speak street names)

For any nüvi model with a W on it (like 200W), that simply means it’s a widescreen unit but the functionality is the same as the model without the W.

If you haven’t used GPS before and are wondering which one to pick, 99% of you out there would be perfectly happy with the 200. It’s the cheapest of the lot and does the job just fine. The only time you’d need the full North America data set is if you travel (or live) in Canada or travel overseas routinely in which case you’d need the 270.

For those wondering, I have the 270 because I got in on a special promotional offer. Otherwise I just would have went for a 200.

Map updates, O where are my map updates?

GPS manufacturers usually never offer map data updates for free. But Garmin at least offers the first update for free with the nuMaps guarantee, which is simply this:

If you buy a new (and it must be new) Garmin GPS and the map data is old, you can get a $75 map update free of charge by registering the unit at my.garmin.com and you have 60 days from there to either download the update (it’s a few gigs’ worth) or have a DVD delivered to you where you pay a small shipping charge.

If you opt for the download, this is how it works:

(First I suggest getting the Garmin USB drivers before doing anything, that’s a quick download and you should do that immediately. This is so when you plug in the GPS via USB there aren’t any driver problems.)

1. You register the unit first.
2. The system will alert you if you need a map update and ask you what to do (either download or get the DVD data disc). Download it.
3. An e-mail will be sent to you with your product key. You’ll need this because without it you won’t be able to activate the data.
4. The data file will be a single executable and will be somewhere between 1GB to 2.5GB in size. Yes, it’s a ginormous download. It takes roughly 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to get depending on your connection.
5. Run the file. It will take 1 to 1.5 hours to finish the update. Remember that this is a few gigs of data going over USB.
6. Once done the software will let you know it’s finished. Then just reboot the unit and you’re good to go with newly updated map data.

Important tip: If you have your computer’s power saving options to automatically power off your hard drive, go into hibernation, a saved state or whatever – TURN THAT OFF before doing this update. Having your computer shut off during the update of the GPS is bad news.

Okay now back to the good stuff.

Size

Even though the nüvi has a 3.5-inch screen on it (and yes that is measured diagonally), the thinness of it is enough to fool just about anyone that this must be a toy and nothing more.

Oh, it’s not a toy – that I can guarantee. This is a fully functional and ready-to-go nav unit.

The construction does not feel toy-like at all. The chassis is built with heavy-grade plastic and there are no creaks, squeaks or anything of the like to be found on a nüvi.

Battery life

The reported claim by Garmin is that the battery will last up to 5 hours. But I believe this can only be achieved if you purposely turn the screen brightness down (and states so in the manual to do this to conserve battery life). Otherwise you’ll get 3.5 to 4 hours out of it before it needs to be plugged in.

Power Cord

The power cord is – thank God – a mini-USB connector. My previous “c” series StreetPilots had these nasty huge proprietary cords that just plain sucked. I never had one break on me but if it did I would have to purposely seek out another Garmin-specific power adapter. But now I don’t have to just in case the mini-USB power adapter busts on the nüvi.

Another bonus about the power connector: The mini-USB plug itself is “L” shaped and not straight – and this is good. Keeps the unit thin even when plugged in and saves it from being yanked accidentally.

Weight

5.2 ounces. In other words, really light.

If you’ve ever used first-generation GPS units (as I have) that were heavy and placed on the windshield with a suction mount, you’re very familiar of the situation where the GPS decides to “take a dive” for the floor.

The nüvi is almost guaranteed not to do that. I say “almost” because eventually the suction mount will un-suck itself – but it’ll take a good long time before that happens because the weight being pulled on it is minimal.

If you hate the suction mount (as many do), get a friction mount. Make sure it’s made by Garmin directly. And yes it stays put on the dash – I use one myself.

Screen

This screen is a notable improvement over the Garmin predecessors.

First of all, it’s a backlit QVGA color antiglare TFT. In bright-bright Florida sun this screen can be seen and read easily. And I’m pretty darned sure that even in the snow belt regions of the US with that highly reflective snow you wouldn’t have a problem with the screen there either.

Unfortunately this screen suffers the same crapola that all touchscreen devices have – your fingerprints will smudge it all up quickly. Your fingertips could be perfectly clean and the frickin’ thing will still smudge.

My suggestion is to put a guitar polish cloth in the glovebox and use it to clean the screen when needed. It’s completely non-abrasive and is meant to be used dry. They are always colored yellow and can be picked up at just about any musical instrument retailer (Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc.) You could probably also find them at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.

GPS Signal Acquisition

The StreetPilots never had an antenna that stuck out of it unless you specifically used the auxiliary antenna port (which I never did).

Earlier nüvi models had a flip-out antenna from the back of the unit.

The nüvi 2xx units have no flip-out or aux port for external.

And you won’t need either of them.

My nüvi 270 grabs a signal faster than my c580 did. It connects up to the satellites just fine and can usually acquire a signal in under a minute.

However I will say your signal acquisition time greatly depends on where you are and where you physically place the GPS. Obviously the unit has to have a clear “view” of the sky and not have any major obstruction to block the signal.

Things that will still degrade or “kill” any GPS signal to this day even with SiRF and WAAS (which the nüvi does have enabled):

• Underground tunnels
• Skyscrapers
• Dense foliage

Routing

One of the biggest perks of a Garmin GPS is that it’s really tough to find anything that routes better, and the nüvi is no exception.

The “engine” that Garmin uses in the way it routes is reliable and works well. No, it doesn’t replace the driver (and no GPS ever should), but compared to most other GPS manufacturers, Garmin typically routes the best.

With the nüvi series I have noticed it does route faster than the older StreetPilots. Less waiting = Good (and the StreetPilot was pretty fast to begin with).

Arrival Time still marvels all who see it

Something which is seemingly insignificant but is actually important to a lot of people is the Arrival Time feature. It absolutely blows away people who see it for the first time because the same question is always asked: “How does it know when I’m going to arrive?” It’s all based on math internally by the nüvi and 99.9% of the time it’s spot-on correct.

Performance still typical Garmin high-quality standard

I’ve been using Garmin GPS units since 2005 and this one still lives up to the standard that I come to expect – which is nothing short of excellent.

Even easier to use, absolutely no manual required

All Garmin GPS units come with a printed instructional manual obviously. And I had thought prior that the StreetPilot c580 was the easiest GPS to use, but I was wrong – the nüvi is.

Why?

It actually has a help section built right in. It’s right off the the Tools menu.

I tap “Help” here.

I tap “Map” here.

I tap “Using Trip Information” here.

I read and get my information.

So it’s true, you literally don’t need the manual since it’s already there with just a few taps.

Thinner is better

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t expecting the nüvi to perform that well because of its svelte nature. But I was definitely proven flat wrong after I started using it. It outruns and outguns my previous StreetPilot c580 and the best part is that I can toss it in my pocket.

Few whiz-bang features but does its “core” like it’s supposed to do

The nüvi 2xx series is designed as an entry-level GPS unit and as such isn’t chock full of goodies. There’s no Bluetooth, no FM traffic receiving, no MP3 player… none o’ that. It’s a GPS first and to be blunt honest that’s all I care about.

My previous c580 – which I still have – is full of all those goodies, and I never used them. The MSN Direct stuff was pretty much altogether useless. And the units (even besides Garmin) that have FM traffic receivers always tell you too little too late. Nobody I know uses a GPS for playing MP3s. The only feature I did use was the Bluetooth for my RAZR phone which was nice but not any better than the speakerphone on the RAZR itself.

I’ll take the thin nüvi with less features and better/faster GPS core ability over another unit with a bunch of stuff I don’t use any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Then again if you want those goodies there’s always the better nüvi models. But personally speaking I couldn’t be bothered with those.

Price Point

GPS units as little as 2 years ago with the features of the nüvi cost around $300. This above all else is what kept people from taking the plunge and buying one.

Today you can get a nüvi 200 for just a tick over $100. And by 2009 I’m sure it will go below $99 and stay there.

If you were waiting for the price to drop to a level you felt comfortable with, just over $100 is pretty amazing considering what the nüvi does.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Review: Garmin nuvi 270

That said, this article titled “Is the New MacBook Expensive?” is a great read. The article compares the Mac to similar (as close as you can reasonably get) Dell, IBM and Sony varieties and breaks down every component and option available. In short, the author concludes:

The MacBook is close in price to the laptops I looked at which it resembles most closely, all of which target what I think of as the low end of the high end of the notebook market; if there’s a Mac Tax here, it’s not worth worrying about. That said, it’s possible to get a somewhat more utilitarian 13-inch notebook–one that’s better-equipped than the MacBook in some respects, even–for a lot less.

If you are looking to purchase a new laptop and are considering a MacBook, this is an absolutely fantastic article to read.

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Another Objective Look: MacBook vs. Windows Laptop Prices

I first tested some of the software on my laptop which happens to be a 1.5GHz Celeron M with 1GB of RAM. Way too slow; I had to revert back to the current-gen Live products because the slowness was agonizing.

On my big box (1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM) the Live beta software runs a whole lot better, and in fact I’m using Windows Live Writer beta to publish this article.

Here’s my quickie reviews of Writer, Mail and Messenger beta.

Before I get into the reviews, I noticed something during the install.

Microsoft, there is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. None. Shame, shame.

Anyway..

Windows Live Writer Beta

Verdict: Good.

This is better than the current version. No question. The image editing capability that’s in the Technical Preview version (such as "Crop", "Tilt" and so on) is in this. Very cool.

In addition the interface is a whole lot cleaner.

Windows Live Mail Beta

Verdict: Bad.

Those nice little icons at the top indicating what did what are completely gone. It’s nothing but "text buttons" now. Looks like Netscape 1.0. BAD. Usability goes down a huge notch just from that alone.

Switching back to "Default color" does not work.

The calendar is nice and all that, but the software gets "confused" when you try to switch back and forth between mail and the calendar.

Buggy. Not good.

Windows Live Messenger

Verdict: Good.

Notable improvements can be seen immediately. The new mail indicator is much more visible (very nice), the "What’s New" at the bottom allows you to scroll thru your Contacts updates (very cool), the overall look is far cleaner and doesn’t look "toy" like as the current version does.

This is probably the best product of all the betas. If you use Windows Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), yes you will like this. A lot.

Will I continue to use these?

Not in the beta versions, no. I will wait until the full versions are released.

To note: When you uninstall the betas, it does not revert back to the previous versions of the software. You have to go back to get.live.com and re-download them.

And no, your mail will not disappear. When you reinstall the previous version of mail, your mail store will still be there (mine was).

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Windows Live Beta Stuff (Reviews)