UltraMobileGeek's 2007 Retrospective

Here's where I will post my favorite moments from 2007. I am going to focus on major events and add a little commentary for each. This post is parallel to a similar 2007 retrospective on TabletBlog.com with the "Coffee with ThoughtFix" and "Predictions" sections on the bottom identical. Starting at the top:

January at UltraMobileGeek:

• CES: TabletKiosk shows off new tablets and an eo docking station. The dock never came to be, sadly, but next-gen models superseded the need.
• CES: I talk to Agere about the BluOnyx bluetooth mobile server. Since then, Agere got bought out by LSI and the BluOnyx is still vapor.
• CES: Interviewed Len Kawell of Pepper Computer (makers of the PepperPad) for CarryPad.com. Pepper has been strangely silent lately. What's cooking over there?
• Review: Sprint's EVDO rev A. service and USB modem. This seems to have gone mainstream since then and the Novatel devices are much smaller!
• Vista. Oh boy.
  
• Initially, Vista was AWFUL. Just terrible.
• Origami Experience stank too.
• Over time - both got better with driver updates but new UMPCs are still required to take advantage of a Vista experience.

February:

• Editorial: Vista killed the Windows UMPC for at least a year. Here we are - nearly a year later - and we're still waiting for that one Windows UMPC that works exactly how it is supposed to - with the performance and battery life at acceptable levels.
• Hack: Measuring USB power draw.
• Interview: Samsung!
  
• Interview: Violet Blue

March:

• Kohjinsha SA-1
• Unboxing
• First looks
• Review
• TabletKiosk announces TufTab
• HTC Shift chatter starts strong. It's a shame what happened here. It had so much potential but, when cutting corners, cut the WRONG ones.

April:

• Editorial: Warranty and service - Beyond the Spec Sheet
  
• Hack: Homebrew SSD UMPC (using CF cards and an adapter)
• Editorial: First talks about Linux on UMPCs
  
• Samsung Q1b Unboxing - I still love the VIA chips in UMPCs. In my opinion, they provide the best power saving vs. performance balance.

May:

• Interviewing other UMPC bloggers. This is a MUST READ in the comments. Great people weighing in there.
• Editorial: How much mobile internet do you need?
• Announcements: Palm Foleo. Mercifully died before it was launched.

June:

• Giving Vista a second shot. Verdict: Better, but still not ideal.
  
• Q1b: Final notes before I sent the review unit back. Thanks again, VIA!
• Review: Jabra BT8010. Still my favorite headset but I notice how heavy it is after a while.

July:

• Blogging: I incorporate ThoughtFix into ThoughtFix LLC. Yay.
• Editorial: The Need for Mobile Broadband

August:

• HTC Shift: Decided it will be my 2nd generation UMPC - then changed my mind a couple months later.
• Review: TabletKiosk's VESA mounting plates for the eo. I think the "final fate" of my eo will be in this form: A wall mounted appliance for media. It's perfect for that in the long haul - especially if I can get Linux working on it.
• Hack: Internal hub and ReadyBoost! It shocked me how popular this article got.
• Review: Targus Universal Docking Station with video.

September:

• Slow month, but I did add an internal SD card reader to my eo!

October:

• I abandon Windows UMPC blogging until UMPC hardware can catch up with Windows' demands. Linux only until further notice!

November:

• Asus EeePC 701
• Speed Test Video: From "boxed" to "browsing"
• First Impressions
• Kernel recompiling guide
  
• Head to Head: Nokia N810 vs Asus EeePC

December:

• EeePC video Skype call with Kevin Tofel who is about the coolest guy ever.
  
• EeePC: Multiboot with Ubuntu/Windows XP (by switching SD cards)
• Review: Urban Tool slotBar UMPC hip case

Coffee with ThoughtFix
In 2007, I decided to make a series of video editorials entitled Coffee with ThoughtFix:

• Episode 1: Reply to Walt Mossberg's N800 review
• Episode 2: Power vs. Portability
• Episode 3: UMPCs as Media Center Extenders
  
• Episode 4: The Nokia N800 is not a phone
• Special Edition: iPod touch's "most advanced browser"
• Episode 5: Instant-On
  
• Episode 6: Bluetooth
• Episode 7: Linux vs. Windows Architecture
  
• Episode 8: Deploying Linux devices
  

2008 Predictions:

• More Linux embedded devices will hit the market and the Intel/Moblin devices will rely heavily on Nokia's experience with Hildon/maemo.
• The WiMAX Nokia Internet Tablet will be delayed but they will have working demos in early 2008 (they may even have them at CES) but won't be able to sell them until Sprint deploys the network.
• WiMAX, EVDO, or HSDPA will be an option in nearly every super-portable this year.
• Big-time developers will embrace embedded Linux systems more but 2008 will still not be the year of the Linux smartphone. Too many apps are still in perpetual beta and consumers won't trust their primary devices to run Linux yet.
  
• This Linux push will mean there will be at least one major GPL lawsuit in the embedded device space - a result of companies not properly understanding the responsibilities of open-source development.
• Cloud storage will become mainstream - especially for media. Pressure from Orb, Slingbox, Rhapsody, WeBot, MP3tunes, and others will lead to iTunes and Microsoft offering their own brands of remote library storage.
  
• Bluetooth will get another revision or be replaced with an entirely new technology.
• A fully functional entertainment/Web 2.0 laptop form factor machine will hit the market for $200 and promptly sell out.
• Apple will offer something smaller than a Macbook but larger than an iPhone. Users will be excited at announcement and disappointed at launch.

Final thoughts on the year:
The UMPC state was exciting and strong in January until Vista dropped on to it with excessive CPU, memory, and storage demands. Nearly a year later, manufacturers are still fighting to find a balance between power and battery life and it's just not here quite yet. We hope to see more excitement come out of CES next week.

I want to thank everyone who made this year fantastic for me. This includes PR reps for keeping me informed, other UMPC bloggers, and the community as a whole. 2006 gave us the platform. 2007 gave us time to get some bugs shaken loose. 2008, if done properly, can get a super compact computer in each home, briefcase, or purse.