Lenovo confirms ICS for ThinkPad Tablet coming this Spring

Lenovo has said that it is future proofing its devices and it looks like they are holding true to their word. The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets are an interesting family of Android Tablet devices that I think will fit in well with the Corporate world. The update to ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) should be available in May and will be coming automatically over the air.

These 10.1 inch tablets run from $499 – $699 and have the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. They are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models and you can add optional 3G to complete the experience. They sport a large 1280 x 800 display.

Optimized for business.

From the makers of the revolutionary ThinkPad line of laptops comes the anything, anywhere, anytime DO business machine. This powerful Android™ 3.1 tablet delivers a professional multimedia and unbeatable entertainment experience.

• NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 Dual-Core 1GHz processor
• 10.1” WXGA (1280x800) 16:10 IPS panel with Corning® Gorilla® Glass
• Multitouch display with digitizer input
• Starts at 1.65 lbs, with up to 8 hours of battery life (with WiFi enabled) and 32GB storage
• Corporate email and security features like network passwords for safe communication inside and outside your network
• Protect all of your confidential data with robust security features, including full device and SD card encryption, lost device disablement and anti-theft software
• HD display and HDMI output for crisp and defined presentations on large monitors
• Fully supports Adobe® Flash® for online media
• Native USB 2.0 and micro-USB ports
• Integrated cloud sharing and storage to easily move large files between team members and offices

Related resources

• View ThinkPad Tablet product tour
• View Stay sharp video
• View Work smarter video
• ThinkPad Tablet User Guide
• ThinkPad Tablet Accessories

Tech specs

ThinkPad Tablet Tech Specs (31.86KB

Intuit’s Mobile iOS Credit Card Processing System

Last year in Jude a wrote a quick post on Square’s updated Credit Card Processing System and now Intuit is adding its product into ring with less cost and a more substantial reading device.

They have an updated free app on iTunes for both the iPhone and the iPad that provides easy processing of credit card payments to your account.

---FEATURES---

• Receive a free card reader compatible with your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
• Avoid start-up costs, a long-term contract, and cancellation fees
• 2.7% per card reader swiped transaction rate with pay-as-you-go pricing plan
• Customers sign with their finger and a receipt can be sent by text or e-mail, so you can be paperless
• Access your GoPayment account on your Mac or PC and accept, refund, and review credit card payments online
• All transactions are secure and encrypted, unlike some card readers
• Add up to 50 users to your account so multiple people can accept payments for your business
• We’ve made it easier for you to get started by not requiring bank account information. The money you make with GoPayment can be deposited into your Intuit GoPayment Prepaid Visa® Card account. You can conveniently access and manage your money online at www.gopayment.com, or use the GoPayment Card anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted – in stores, online, and at ATMs
• GoPayment integrates with QuickBooks, making it easier to manage your finances
• From Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax

The app will run on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later
*You can also sign up at www.gopayment.com. If you would like to sign up for the High volume plan, you must do so on the website.
**Intuit GoPayment offers 2 pricing plans with the following rates to meet your individual needs:
Pay-as-you-go:
Swipe: 2.7%
Key-enter and non-qualified: 3.7%
High volume (option to pay $12.95/month for lower per-transaction rates):
Swipe: 1.7%
Key-enter: 2.7%
Non-qualified rate: 3.7%

---GET STARTED---

• Download the Free GoPayment Credit Card Processing App
• Complete the in-app application*
• Check your email for your approval notification, and then start accepting payments!

Once you’re approved, you can start accepting credit cards right away by key entering credit card info into the app.
Your free card reader will ship the next business day.
If you want to see GoPayment in action before you sign up, select the Test Drive button.

If you decide that this product is for you, then one of the things that jumped out at me right away is that the quantities field only seems to accept whole numbers. This can be a problem especially if you are selling by weight or if you are like me you are selling time. Another problem that you might have is that it only accepts one sales tax field. So if you are in a county that requires you to collect both a state and county sales tax you will need to make some kind of adjustment for that. Of course if you are not roaming around this is not an issue. If you are moving around it might be hard to track who you need to send the tax you have collected to the correct entities.

Otherwise, the interface seems to be simple and straight forward and if you don’t have the concerns about the limitations I stated above then it might be a good fit for you. The charge rates for processing are a little lower then Square’s and Intuit is a big player in the entry level accounting industry.

Compatible Devices

See all devices

Evernote has won me over from OneNote

Sorry Microsoft but as much as I love the interoperability between OneNote and Outlook, OneNote and IE and OneNote and Print Capture, Evernote has begun to win out as my go to app for note taking. Why you may ask. Well, let me tell you!

If you are a frequent reader of this blog you may notice that when I choose a program, I do so because of its breadth of access/use. What I mean by that is that if I am collecting information, which you are naturally doing in a note taking program, you want to have those notes available to you no matter what device it is that your have at hand. Evernote does this for me. Not only is it interoperable with all of the web browsers that I use, I also have the notes that I create available on all of my computers instantly, on anyone else’s computer via the web browser/login interface, on my phone, on my tablet, in other words everywhere that I work. I cannot say that about OneNote. Even though there is a web interface for the OneNote product, it loses most of its functionality when you use it in that environment. There is an iPhone version but not an Android, and there isn’t a native iPad version (you have to use the iPhone app). Not pretty, very low function and frankly, disappointing. On a Window’s PC I love OneNote. If this was the only place I used the product I would probably be staying with it. But the real world is much broader than just PC access to applications anymore and for a mobile guy like myself the OneNote application doesn’t have a wide enough usage model. Maybe this will change down the road and if it does I will rethink my position, but for now, Evernote has my vote.

The Toshiba Thrive will be shipping soon.

The Toshiba Thrive (strange name) will become available towards the middle of this month from which you can pick from one of three models (8, 16 and 32GB). Priced at $429.99, $479.99 and $579.99 respectively. This appears to be a WiFi only machine at this time and doesn’t show any 3g or 4g radios as part of the package. It is running Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) and touts having a bright responsive multi-touch, high resolution 10.1 inch screen. The LED-backlit display is well-sized for surfing the Internet, and engineered with exclusive adaptive display technology, which adjusts brightness and contrast to the surrounding light conditions. Thrive not only has a well-sized display, but really rises to the occasion when it comes to expanded entertainment. Use its built-in HDMI port to share on a big screen TV all the stuff you've captured and carried around - in up to 1080p Full HD resolution.

Main Specifications:

• Product Type: Tablet - black
• Operating System: Android 3.1
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 10.7 in x 0.6 in x 7 in
• Weight: 1.6 lbs
• Display: 10.1" TFT - LED backlight - 1280 x 800 - Multi-Touch
• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 1 GHz ( Dual-Core )
• RAM: 1 GB
• Memory (depending on model): 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
• Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
• Wireless Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 HS
• Digital Camera: Rear + 2 Megapixel front
• HD Video Recording: 720p
• Supported Digital Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
• Supported Digital Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, MIDI, AMR, AAC +, OGG
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor, gyro sensor
• Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty

Software - Clock, Calculator, Quickoffice, Virtual Keyboard, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, Adobe Flash Player, Swype, Google eBooks, Android Browser, Android Market, Android Music Player, Gallery, Google Music, Google Places, Google Latitude, Google Search, Google Calendar, Google Calendar Sync, Google Contacts, Google Contacts Sync, Google Voice Search, LogMeIn Ignition, Hardwood Backgammon, Hardwood Euchre, Hardwood Solitaire, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, MOG Music, Printer Share, Need for Speed Shift, Toshiba App Place, Toshiba Book Place, Toshiba Start Place, Toshiba Media Player, Toshiba Service Station, Toshiba File Manager.

Acer Iconia Tablet slated for release April 24th

One of the first sub $500 tablets is being released by Acer this week. This is a Honeycomb Tablet, WiFi only, for around $450. It is supposed to have the same specs as the Motorola Xoom with: a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 250 SOC, a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 LCD screen, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera around back and a 2 megapixel imager up front, HDMI-out, not to mention a pair of 3260mAh batteries that Acer claims are capable of eight full hours of life while playing HD video.While it is a bit thicker and heavier and only has half of the flash storage (16GB) it is positioned with a great price. You still have two cameras, a 2.0 megapixel on the front and a 5.0 megapixel on the back. The biggest negative will be its bulk but the biggest benefit will be its price. So if you are looking for a Honeycomb tablet this is one that you don’t have to give away your kid’s college fund away to obtain.

Eee Pad!

My brother Ed sent me a link to ASUS webpage describing the new ASUS Eii Pad Transformer TF101 and, you know, it really looks interesting. I had seen on one of the podcasts that I watch, (I watch way too many to provide credit), but the ASUS powerhouse has come out with a very interesting PAD product in this product. If you follow this column you know that I have an iPad, and on May 5th I will be moving up to the iPad2… but I am anxiously waiting for all of the Android Tablets to come out. All of their data specs showing what is coming out, makes me drool with the external accessory connections that I know that I will scuff one up as soon as I can get my hands on one.

Anyway, this is another product that is coming out in the June timeframe that will be one of the Android products I will be looking to add to my gadget portfolio. It supplies the best of both worlds, giving you a the experience of a tablet and then easily extending that experience by allowing you to place the screen on a keyboard dock to provide the tactile feel of a real keyboard for easing the creative experience with the physical response that a real keyboard gives you. The other benefit is that the keyboard will add more battery life to the tablet so you can work longer between recharges.

Based on NVIDIA’s Tegra™ 2 technology you will get the best response that you can expect with this current technology in this platform. Here are the specs from ASUS’s site:

• NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 1.0GHz dual-core CPU for excellent multitasking & 1080p video playback
• Android 3.0 Honeycomb O.S. with Adobe® Flash® 10.2 support (Adobe® Flash® 10.2 can be download from Android Market or can update from ASUS’ later release)
• Full QWERTY keyboard, touchpad input with Polaris® Office® for mobile productivity
• 16 hours long battery life for all day computing with docking station (9.5 and 16 hour battery life estimated under certain conditions.)
• Brilliant IPS panel with ultra-wide 178⁰ viewing angle made from scratch resistant and super tough glass
• One year of Unlimited ASUS WebStorage, two USB ports, SD and Micro SD card readers for easy sharing & storage expendability
• 3D stereo with max bass response with SRS premium sound

It is ultra thin, 12.98mm thick and weighs only 680grams I tis light and comfortable to hold. The back surface has been textured to offer a better tactile sensation so hopefully it won’t be as easy to slip from your hands. The screen has a viewable angle of 178°, this allows the screen to be easily shared with the person sitting beside you.

It has two cameras, the front facing is only 1.2MP, disappointing, but there is a rear facing 5MP that can record HD quality video. So while the camera can give us 5MP quality to achieve 1080p, it will be interesting to see how good the lens is. As most photographers know, it is all about the glass.

It has built-in SRS sound technology that is supposed to provide a dynamic 3D stereo audio experience that is enhanced by the placement of the speakers that are placed in the transformer (the keyboard). Interesting way to get a little more base out of you tablet, but of course you will need it plugged in to get this benefit.

Connecting the tablet to its Keyboard Docking Station gives you several expanded features. I have already mentioned the speakers, you will also add the battery life contained in the keyboard to give you many more hours of use, you also have a touchpad, 3.5 MM audio jack, two USB ports as well as a built in SD card reader for easy file sharing and storage expandability.

Preloaded on the Transformer is Polaris® Office® 3.0, a professional mobile office Solution which enables users to edit various types of office documents including documents (.doc), spreadsheets (.xls) and presentation (.ppt) files, making the Transformer very attractive for professional use. In addition, the ultra-convenient ASUS WebStorage with one year of unlimited storage space provides worry-free cloud computing.

This will be one more product utilizing the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. It will be interesting to see how well this new operating system we'll take advantage of all the capabilities of these new tablets.  June will be an exciting month.

So you want to access your Skydrive Storage on your Android device

Microsoft hasn’t written an app for this yet but there is a beta product available for your android device called Sorami that will give you access to the 25GB’s of free space that is available from your Microsoft Windows Live SkyDrive account. If you haven’t set one up yet click here! I have always been a little partial towards Dropbox but you only get 2GB’s of free storage. What I like best though is the ability to synchronize the files between all of my devices. SkyDrive is a cloud based storage area that allows you to use Microsoft’s Cloud applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) and store the documents that you create from these applications in the cloud for access from any of your computers. You can also use your desktop Office Apps to store documents to your SkyDrive account and use that to provide access using other devices as well.

The Sorami program can be downloaded from the Android Market which has the following Description of the Application:

DESCRIPTION

sorami is skydrive client.

sorami is SkyDrive client App.
You can download and upload your files.

If authorization failed, create new Windows Live Account.

* You can't access [Photos] and [Favorites].
So, put your file in SkyDrive [My Documents] Folder.
* Don't put your file on root dir.

Tested
- Galaxy S
- Android Dev Phone 2
- Android Emulator