Woohoo! Vista figured out how to work in Starbucks

31 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Software Info

In a world where Starbucks is everywhere, it only makes sense.

For this semester, and this semester only (through April 30th), coffee-loving students toting Vista on their tablet will be happy to hear that Vista users get “complimentary T-Mobile HotSpot WiFi access.”

http://www.skysurprise.com/ (warning: it’s a strange site…)

OK, T-Mobile HotSpots are other places than Starbucks, like Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Kinkos, however I’m personally interested in the whole Starbucks thing. You may not be into the whole chain-coffee craze, but just SHOW me a better white chocolate mocha!

Why I can’t wait to attend the MVP Summit in March

31 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Tracy's Updates

I’m all excited about this so I have to post something, even though it’s a ways away. On March 11-15, I finally have the opportunity to meet Trev, Warner, Josh Eistein (possibly), and something like 400 other MVPs from all over the world at the 2007 Microsoft MVP Summit in Seattle, WA. I think the number of Tablet MVPs attending is around 14 right now.

LE1600 and LS800 Vista Drivers Available

30 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Software Info

If you’ve decided to plunge full force into Vista on your Motion LE1600 or LS800, you should check this out. Motion released the new drivers and also a “How-To” on upgrading to Vista that’s detailed as heck (which is GREAT).

Check it all out here: http://www.motioncomputing.com/vistasupport/index.asp

Two New (Tablet PC + Education) Websites

29 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Websites

I’ve recently been alerted to two blogs related to education and technology.

The first is Teachers Using Technology, a new blog fronted by Ryan Betts who is a grad student and teacher planning to share “ways in which [educators] use technology to enhance their craft, and the educational experiences of their students.”

The second is Off Campus, a blog by Microsoft employee Michael Greene, a Windows Client Technology Solutions Professional for US Education. This one’s been up and chuggin’ since early 2006 so there’s already lots of great info to browse.

The Move to Vista - Part 2: The Results

29 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Software Info

Overview

I’ve now had Vista running successfully for almost three weeks and it’s been…well, I’d call it a win, but with only a small margin of victory.

First and foremost, do not install Vista right now unless you have some idea what you’re doing. This is good advice in general, however you’ll be one frustrated puppy by the end of the day if you grab your friend’s copy of Vista and have fun even though you still have trouble navigating your “My Documents” folder. It’s not that Vista sucks in the ease-of-usability arena, however at this stage in the game, there are a lot of tweaks you still have to do to make your computer run as smooth as you want it to. Wait until March or so to install if you’re not at home on your computer. 

It took me about two weeks of moderate use to figure out what worked and what didn’t, how to fix things and what stuff was OK to let sit until it fixed itself (through new Vista drivers and upgrades as they are released).

Also, like any new operating system, it takes a bit to get comfy in. I would describe it best as great for the people who don’t want to tweak their computer and just want to do basic tasks (because all that stuff is a breeze to use now), but slightly annoying to anyone that already knows their way around a computer.

The good news is I had a successful upgrade from XP to Vista without any loss of data or loss of my printers/scanners/other hardware. The new graphics scheme, Aero, doesn’t work on my measly graphics card I have in my Motion LE1600, but that’s fine for now. My favorite new features are the new input panel (TIP) hidden on the sidewall, the integration of search, and the ultra-fast sleep/resume. Oh boy, if all that Vista did was add that fast sleep/resume, I would still upgrade because I’m in love with it.

NOTE: this is not the end-all review of Vista, nor do I intend it to be. Everything in this article is my opinions and experiences, and that’s all it’s meant to be.

OpticBook Works fine on Vista

28 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Scanning

I have a Vista review in the works, but I just wanted to make a quick shout out that the OpticBook 3600 scanner works just like normal with Vista (yay).

With the number of students using this particular device to go paperless, it’s good to know there won’t be a stuggle to get it working ^_^. You never know what will break after an upgrade to a new operating system.

The Move to Vista - Part 1: Getting Ready

12 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Tips / Tricks, Tracy's Updates

OK, thanks to the MSDN Microsoft gives to their MVP’s (for some reason I choose TechNet instead of the MSDN for my first MVP cycle), I now have Windows Vista Ultimate edition to install on my Motion LE1600.

I’ve already installed it on a Gateway M275 that I inherited from my mom. I didn’t have anything valuable on it to lose and it was OK if Vista broke it (because you never know), but it’s working so well that I want to get it on my main computer before the school year starts this coming Tuesday. And, yes, you heard me, Vista works great, even on a computer with a PC rating of “1″ (thanks to the graphics card.

Using True Launch Bar to keep important files close

3 January 2007 Posted By: Tracy
Posted in: Organization, Software Info

I don’t stick to many things. The fact that this blog is more than two years old is amazing in itself. I’ve switched tablets several times, and switched note-taking programs even more. It’s an accomplishment for any piece of software to last in use on my computer for longer than a year.

Something that I’ve kept because it’s simple, easy, and works, is True Launch Bar (TLB). To simply put it, TLB allows me to have all sorts of things in the toolbar, such as volume controls, system stats, folders, shortcuts, calculators and the weather forecast.