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Onyx has product listings on Alibaba. They have 10 different case designs ready to manufacture. They range from nice but bland to a couple very pretty ones.

I also just got an email from Onyx telling me that we had incorrect information yesterday. The default CPU speed is 532MHz, and the BOOX does support EPUB. (I don’t know about you, but this makes the device even more tempting.) There is also a Youtube video.

You gotta see the video. It shows how to use the touch screen to use the menu, write and erase notes, and swipe to turn the page. It also shows the web browser.

Join the discussion over at MobileRead: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40424

Quoted from AndroidAuthority.com:

The phone, called the DSTL1, is shown in a few renderings in the gallery below.  Astute readers will note that the button configuration on the phone, as shown, won’t fly for Android.  Android phones currently need 5 hardware buttons in order to work (home, back, menu, call send, call end).  General Mobile says that the front of the phone will change from what is shown in the renderings in order to accommodate Android.  But I’m also a bit worried about the display, which is said to be a 400x240 pixel unit manufactured by Sharp.

The specs as they stand today are as follows:

Dual-SIM cards with dual-Standby mode
624MHz Marvell PXA 310 processor
Tri-band GSM/EDGE support (900/1800/1900MHz)
3-inch WQVGA touchscreen display, 260k colors
802.11b/g WiFi support
Bluetooth
135g (4.75oz), 112 x 54 x 16mm (4.4 x 2.1 x .6 inches)
5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash (made by Sharp)

Source: Engadget.com

I spotted this on Engadget this morning. It appears our home location is listed as America’s most wired city, edging out Atlanta for the first time. Since we are located about two blocks from Microsoft and AT&T, i am not supprised by this development.

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Move over, Atlanta. Seattle, Microsoft and Amazon.com’s home base, is now the country’s most wired city.

While these marquee names have long lent the Emerald City tech-y cachet, it was Seattle’s increased use of broadband that powered it up Forbes’ annual list of the 30 most broadband-connected cities in the U.S. High marks in two other wired city categories—broadband access and wi-fi hot spots—helped Seattle clinch the top spot.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/22/wired-cities-2009-tech-wire-cx_ew_0122wiredcities.html

Congratulations to our 44th President of the United States of America; Barack H. Obama!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Here is a brief round-up of the vendors we saw at this year’s Lunch@Piero’s event during CES 2009.

VIA Technologies showcased their latest in ultra mobile and small form factor computing featuring the VIA Nano processor and the VIA C7-M ultra mobile processor. More info at http://www.via.com.tw

VIA Embedded showcased their new ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage system and innovative home server set-up using the touch-screen VIPRO. http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/

Graphics will demonstrated the latest HD video and image applications using the all-new Chrome 500 series graphics cards running on a VIA Nano processor-based board. http://www.s3graphics.com
Blendtec, famous for their “Will it Blend” videos in which they blended an iPhone in their kitchen blender, was on hand to talk about their highly successful viral youtube campaigns. Blendtec CEO Tom Dickson and VP George Wright was on hand throughout Lunch@Piero’s to blend a phone, a garden rake.  http://www.blendtec.com

Developing and organizing your thoughts isn’t always a straightforward linear process, especially in groups. Comappings “mind-mapping” tool helps you make sense of even the most complex topics and projects with its innovative approach to formulating, developing, and organizing ideas. http://www.comapping.com

Continue reading: Round-up of the vendors we saw at this years Lunch@Piero’s event during CES 2009.

While at ShowStoppers during CES 2009 I was able to spend some time with a Plastic Logic e-reader prototype. What an amazing product for an early prototype, it felt and operated like a product ready to ship and use. I was told early samples will trickle out in mid to late 2009 with shipping units in early 2010.

The screen contrast seemed to be on par with my Sony 505, however I did not have it on hand to compare side by side. The page response was quick as you can tell from the video I took.  The device looks like it will support many if not most formats including DRM material when it ships. I did not discover what DRM formats are planned.

Their e-reader interface runs on top of a version of Microsoft WinCE, measures a thin 7mm weighing in at less than 16 oz, with a form factor of 8.5” x 11”. Basically it is the size of a typical magazine.  The touch screen was also quick and responsive and featured a soft keyboard.

I am enthusiastically waiting to make one of these units my new daily e-reader.

http://www.plasticlogic.com/

More pics and videos after the break!

The DSS 30 is compatible with Wav, Flac, AAC, OGG, DFF and WMA files, frequently used compressed formats such as MP3, MP4 and M4O - and others. Using its USB ports, it accepts memory sticks, hard drives, PCs, and CD-Rom players. A built-in Windows-Directory program organizes custom playlists in a variety of ways, and a large, bright, two-line display shows key information about individual tracks, including, titles, times, and formats.

The DSS 30 includes a 4-GB internal memory that can be expanded by an external hard drive, and also includes a removable Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Connections include two USB 2.0 ports on the front, two more USB ports on the rear panel, a PC input, a 75-ohm RCA input, stereo RCA outputs, balanced XLR outputs, and an Ethernet port allowing use in a LAN network. The DSS 30 can also be used in a wireless mode and, using its coax input and output, as a traditional high-end DAC for CD transports.

The Blacknote DSS 30 is available now for a suggested price of $2,876. During 2009, Black Note will introduce three additional models - the DSS 15, DSS 50 and DSS 50, with suggested retail prices of $1,500, $7,200 and $12,800, respectively.

http://www.blacknote.eu/

The Addesso Z12 to try out is a nice looking tablet that seems very sturdy and well made. At an MSRP of $149, the Z12 is $50 less expensive than Wacom’s comparable large Bamboo Fun tablet, so it invites a little side-by-side comparison of the two.

The Z12 is larger than the Bamboo Fun, with a 6x10 inch active surface, compared to the Bamboo Fun’s 8.5x8.3. The Z12 also sports 1024 levels of pressure for inking, twice that of the Bamboo Fun, however, the Bamboo Fun has higher resolution, with 2,540 lines of resolution compared to the Z12’s 2000.  The result is that the Z12 gives very good performance and the bigger active area makes it a bit easier to use, especially if you have a widescreen monitor.  I actually liked the Z12 better for handwriting and found it was easier to get good handwriting recognition in Windows Vista.

Read our Review: Adesso Cyber Tablet Z12

Whether you have a keyboard or touchpad that is not working, want something better, or just need a desktop keyboard or mouse when working in the office, there are a wide range of choices available to the notebook computer user.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Even though most people prefer the common mouse for working with their computer, I have always preferred a trackball.  I find them easier to use, take up less workspace, and are great when traveling on a plane where there is almost no space to use a mouse.  My favorite has always been the Kensington Orbit Trackball

The original Orbit was a mechanical trackball that always needed cleaning due to dust, lint, and oil building up on the ball and transferring to the rollers inside.  The new Orbit Optical Trackball has eliminated that problem with an efficient optical design.  The Orbit features Left and Right mouse buttons and a small, comfortable ball.  The Orbit connects to the notebook via USB.  The top of the Orbit is covered in a black coating that makes it more comfortable and your hand is less likely to slide off the trackball.

Read: Extend the life of older notebooks: Part 7 - Keyboard and Mouse

As with any computer, the real enemy is heat.  My notebook does get really hot, especially at the hard drive which is right under the space for the left palm.  A really bad design on the part of Acer engineering.  The cooler you can keep your notebook, the longer it will last.  Other than making sure there is unrestricted airflow around you notebook, there are a number of products you can use to improve the notebooks’ cooling efficiency.

The Lapinator is a passive cooling device design to give your notebook good air circulation and improved comfort.  It is available in two versions: the 11 oz., 13"x12"x1” Lapinator and, its large brother, the 15 oz., 18"x12"x1” Lapinator Plus for larger notebooks.  Both use 3M Thinsulate sheets to block 95% of the heat from reaching your legs or desktop.  By improving the air circulation, the Lapinator helps the notebooks’ internal cooling system run more efficiently.  So the Lapinator helps to improve heat dissipation, comfort, and ergonomics.  It’s also thin enough to fit in most notebook bags.

Read: Extend the life of older notebooks: Part 6 - Cooling

If you have any older notebook, there is the possibility that sooner or later your power supply will die.  In fact, there is a good chance that it will fail before your notebook does.  So whether you need a replacement power supply, an extra one for the office so you do not always have to plug and carry one with you, or you need a more flexible alternative when you travel, check out some of the power supply choices on the market today.

The Targus Mobile 70 Universal AC/DC Adapter is a good replacement power supply for any notebook.  With a set of included power tips for most notebooks, and other tips available from Targus, this power supply will work with almost any notebook.  Check the Targus web site for compatible tips for your notebook.  With 70 watts of continuous power and up to 90 watts of peak power, this power supply can handle the needs of any power hungry notebook.

Read: Extend the life of older notebooks: Part 5 - Power

If you have a notebook computer, sooner or later, you will be taking on the road with you.  Or at least moving it from one place to another.  When this happens, what you really need is a good, protective bag or case to protect your investment. And don’t forget to use a security device to keep your valuable property from taking a walk without you.

This is a great bag for overnight travel and features many zippered pockets and compartments.  The back is contoured for comfort against your leg when carrying the bag by the two part handle.  The handle design is made of two part that are connected to the bag separately and fit together to give a comfortable grip and balances the weight of the bag.  A mesh pouch for a water bottle is attached to the left side and Velcro down to store it when not in use.

The rear side of the bag can be unzipped to reveal 2 large pouches and 2 smaller zippered pouches.  The top of the bag contains a zippered compartment for the telescoping handle, a zippered compartment for the top-loading notebook sleeve which can be unzipped and removed from the bag.  The notebook protection of this bag is good, but not designed for heavy abuse.  So don’t let the bag take too many bumps and tumbles. 

Read: Extend the life of older notebooks: Part 4 - Protection