According to the Computex website Sambest Corporation of Taiwan will show a model 800, rugged mobile PC with resistive touch display. Sambest has several mobile PCs with digitizer support.

• Compact A4 size with bumper and Magnesium-Alloy Housing in high strength and rugged structure
• 10.4” XGA (1024x768) TFT with resistive touch screen
• Intel Core Duo Processor Ultra Low Voltage 1.2GHz Processor
• RAM: 1GB DDRII 533 and optional 2GB upgrade
• Storage: HDD - Shock Proof mounted 80GB and optional 100GB/120GB
• Optional Solid Slate Drive 8GB/16GB/32GB
• Windows XP Tablet PC SP2 Edition / Windows Vista Business ready
• Built-in WiFi 802.11 a/b/g; Bluetooth Class I; CF/PCMCIA card slots to support UMTS/HSDPA/EDGE/GPRS/GPS Card
• Meet IP54 standard and compliant MIL-STD-810F
• Wide temperature range operation (-20℃ ~ +60℃)
• 7 hours of long operating battery life
• RS232 port for industrial device connection

According to PC Pro's Bob Harris, ARM is looking at the convergence zone of PCs and devices as an opportunity. ARM's Coretex-A8 processor could be its first step in the low cost PC direction. Energy efficient and very competitive may be the key to the successful expansion of this new category.

The Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC was named a 2008 CES Innovations Honoree.

This post provides a few more pieces of information regarding the CES 2008 Tablet PC and UMPC Gathering.

A year after the initial announcement, Axiotron is shipping their modified MacBooks. According to Macworld, "Axiotron has designed a new case and a new input system, eschewing the keyboard and trackpad instead for a stylus input that enables users to write directly on the screen. It's the first pen tablet-based Mac."

I realize that many of you are anxiously awaiting the exact date and location for the Tablet PC & UMPC Community Gathering 2008. I have confirmation that our preferred time slot of 3-6pm on January 8th is available, but have a little more work to do on securing the location.

It's my favorite time of year! Planning is underway for the 2008 CES Tablet PC & UMPC community gathering.

Are you available to help pull the event together?

Lanac Technology is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in Chicago that offers training for business solutions. This month they are offering a course on configuring Windows Vista, including:

Module 4: Configuring Mobile Computers

Costco.com is offering a $100 coupon for Fujtisu Lifebook U810 with Windows Vista Home Premium. The coupon is valid for orders placed before December 10, 2007.

Early last week I was in the Bay Area, so stopped at my aunt's house to pick up family slides and hand carry them to Arizona for family to watch over Thanksgiving. Getting the slides through airport security was interesting, and I learned a few tips from the on duty manager, such as use the word "vintage" to describe the slide carousel that held slides from the 1940s. He joked with me that the "kids" at the scanners don't know when the '40s were, let alone know what a slide carousel looks like. Not that I was alive then either, but point taken.