The Viliv boys

2010 in review

jamesfongster — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 09:15:37 +0000

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 34,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 48 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 200 posts. There were 41 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 6mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was January 9th with 398 views. The most popular post that day was S5 – soft keyboard.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were gizmodo.com, umpcportal.com, ifreestores.com, blogs.genghiskhent.com, and Google Reader.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for akihabara, onenote iphone, htc hd3, iphone onenote, and onenote for iphone.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

S5 – soft keyboard June 2009
7 comments

Off to Akihabara – any tips on the best tech shops? August 2009
4 comments

Onenote iPhone app July 2009
7 comments

Viliv X70 windows 7 upgrade so far November 2009
1 comment

Windows 7 going on the viliv x70 November 2009
5 comments

This just in: the Viliv Boys are moving to a new Blog – outofoffice.net.au

vilivx70 — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:58:29 +0000

After lots of soul searching and discussion we’re moving to a new blog. Vilivboys will remain here as an archive but we won’t be updating the site. Join us at our new blog:

Out of the Office – http://www.outofoffice.net.au/

After having a great experience with both the Viliv X70 and the S5 we both sold our Viliv’s. That’s kind of the guys we are: pretty early adopters and pretty fats turn arounders of technology. Basically we go through computers and phones like no one’s business! We’re not proud of it…actually we probably are.

Since we (me and J) are both always on the lookout for mobility solutions and indeed are trying to setup our lives and work to become completely untethered from the office, we thought a more genral style blog was called for. We’re not limiting ourselves to a brand or even a type of mobile device.

The new blog will cover: smartphones, UMPC’s, tablets, slates, solar power devices (you need to be untethered form the wall outlet too sometimes), car mounts for technology, any kind of portable tech you can imagine. Our usage of these devices and also our active journeys to become mobile workers.

Hope you can join us for the ride.

Filed under: Blog

Apple wireless testing lab a work of fiction?

vilivx70 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:13:51 +0000

Call me a cynic but when Apple takes a group of journo’s on a secret back street tour of Cupertino and ushers them into the wireless testing rooms I feel that it’s so much like science fiction – that it is! I mean come on. Apple have been caught pants down on this design flaw in the iphone 4. And in the scramble to right the situation I’m sure there have been long nights spent with PR hacks in rooms trying to come up with the best way out for Apple. Including free cases and refunds and keeping Steve Jobs off the airwaves as he seems to put his foot in his mouth a fair bit (his solution – hold the phone a different way – wacked). I have nothng to back this up but I think Apple spent some money and built this hollywood set to get massive media covergae (achieved) and reel back some of the negative comments about them not seeing these issues in testing. OK so if you did see these issues in testing then why did you not fix them? You can’t tell me with Apple’s “genius’” of which we hear so much they coldn’t fix this problem? RIM can, Nokia can. Apple probably can – they just screwed up.
Phone testing kit looks like this:

Wireless and phone test labs look like this:

Wireless and phone testing labs look like this

Not like this:

Filed under: 3G, Apple Tablet, Hardware, iPhone, J & D's rants

Need a MID or smartphone that can replace a laptop for travel – comparing the iPhone 4 to the Nokia N900 to the HTC Advantage

vilivx70 — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:47:15 +0000

The hunt is on for a new MID or smartphone or something very portable that can still meet my productivity needs while travelling. I’ve narrowed it down to a few contenders and put them up against the iphone 4 for good measure. I’m almost set on a smartphone bu the viliv N5 could make the cut if the 3G model is not too expensive. Here’s my table trying to compare apples with apples.

		Nokia N900	IiPhone 4	HTC Advantage x7510
General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100	HSDPA 2100, UMTS 850 / 1900
	Announced	2009, August	2010, June	2008, February
	Status	Available. Released 2009, November	Available. Released 2010, June	Available. Released 2008, June
Size	Dimensions	110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm, 113 cc	115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm	133 x 98 x 16 mm
Size	Weight	181 g	137 g	375 g
Display	Type	TFT resistive touchscreen, 65K colors	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	TFT resistive touchscreen, 256K colors (65K effective)
	Size	800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches	640 x 960 pixels, 3.5 inches	640 x 480 pixels, 5.0 inches
		- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off	- Scratch-resistant surface	- QWERTY keyboard
		- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate	- Multi-touch input method	- Handwriting recognition
		- Full QWERTY keyboard	- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
			- Three-axis gyro sensor
			- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Sound	Alert types	Vibration; MP3 ringtones	Vibration, MP3 ringtones	Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones
	Speakerphone	Yes, with stereo speakers	Yes	Yes, with stereo speakers
		3.5 mm audio jack	3.5 mm headset jack	3.5 mm headset jack, dual speakers
Memory	Phonebook	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
	Call records	Detailed, max 30 days	100 received, dialed and missed calls	Practically unlimited
	Internal	32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM	16/32 GB storage, 512 MB RAM	16 GB storage, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM
	Card slot	microSD, up to 16GB, buy memory	No	Mini SD
Data	GPRS	Class 32	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps	Yes
	EDGE	Class 32	Class 10, 236.8 kbps	Yes
	3G	HSDPA, 10Mbps; HSUPA, 2Mbps	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	HSDPA, 1.8 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
	Bluetooth	Yes, v2.1 with A2DP	Yes, v2.1 with A2DP	Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
	Infrared port	Yes	No	No
	USB	Yes, v2.0 microUSB	Yes, v2.0	Yes, miniUSB

Camera	Primary	5 MP, 2576×1936 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash, video light	5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash	3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Geo-tagging	Touch focus, geo-tagging
	Video	Yes, WVGA(848 x 480)@25fps	Yes, 720p@30fps, LED video light, geo-tagging	Yes
	Secondary	Yes, VGA	Yes, videocalling over Wi-Fi only	VGA videocall camera
Features	OS	Maemo 5	iOS 4	Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional
	CPU	ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX530 graphics	1 GHz Apple A4 processor	Marvell PXA270 624 MHz processor
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), Email, Push Email, IM	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email	SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
	Browser	xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds	HTML (Safari)	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML ( Opera 9)
	Radio	Stereo FM radio (via third party software); FM transmitter	No	No
	Games	Yes, 5 + downloadable	Downloadable, incl. motion-based	Yes
	Colors	Black	Black, White	Black
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps	Yes, with A-GPS support	Yes
	Java	No	No	Yes, MIDP 2.0
		- Skype and GoogleTalk VoIP integration	- MicroSIM card support only	- Voice memo
		- MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ music player	- Scratch-resistant glass back panel	- MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA/OGG/AMR player
		- WMV/RealVideo/MP4/AVI/XviD/DivX video player	- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic.	- WMV/MP4 player
		- TV-out	- Digital compass	- TV-out
		- PDF document viewer	- Google Maps	#NAME?
		- Photo editor	- iBooks application	- Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF viewer)
		- Adobe Flash Player 9.4	- Audio/video player and editor
			- Voice command/dial
			- TV-out




Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1320 mAh (BL-5J)	Standard battery, Li-Po 1420mAh	Standard battery, Li-Po 2100 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 278 h (2G) / Up to 250 h (3G)	Up to 300 h (2G) / Up to 300 h (3G)	Up to 300 h
	Talk time	Up to 6 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 4 h 30 min (3G)	Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 7 h (3G)	Up to 6 h
	Music play	Up to 24 h 30 min	Up to 40 h
Misc	SAR US	0.92 W/kg (head) 0.82 W/kg (body)		0.48 W/kg (head)
	SAR EU	0.80 W/kg (head)

Filed under: 3G, HTC Advantage, MID, Mobility, n900, UMID, UMPC

MIO MID – awesome mobile internet device, tablet UMPC and GPS

vilivx70 — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:04:13 +0000

This little unit seems to have everything we’d ever need:

http://www.mio.com/miocebit2010/MoovV780.html

JKK Video:

Mio Moov V780
A premium navigation, entertainment and Internet experience.

The Mio Moov V780 goes beyond being a navigation device. The iF Award-winning design provides a premium navigation, entertainment and Internet experience, the Moov V780 features the new Mio Spirit navigation software, a 7” flat widescreen, HD multimedia capabilities, digital TV receiver, and wireless connectivity. Rethink your navigation experience with the premium Mio Moov V780.

http://hothardware.com/News/Mios-Moov-V780-MIDGPS-Device-Gets-Powered-By-Tegra/

Filed under: 3G, Hardware, Internet tablet, MID, Mobility, Tablet PC, Touchscreen, UMPC

Libretto W100 awesome dual screen tablet

vilivx70 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:54:13 +0000

Here’s the ipad competitor: Libretto W100

This concept looks awesome and even better it’s going to be for sale. Most prototypes turn up at CES and then disappear. This one will be for sale in limited numbers which means we’ll be starting the W100boys blog .

I think it actually looks like the second generation Entourage Edge if there was such a thing as the centre hinge looks like a slimmed down version of the Edge’s one. Windows 7, two multi touch screens, Toshiba reliability = must have machine.

I’ve had almost very model of Libretto from the Ct70 up to the Libretto L5 and U105 and have actually regretted it every time I sold one. The Libretto L series was hands down the best UMPC, subnotebook I’ve ever owned and the Viliv X70 ties with the Samsung Q1 as the best tablet UMPC. So the W100 and the Samsung Tape are for me the best options out of all the new range of tablets – promised or vapourware. When they come….when are they coming?

The Libretto W100 runs Windows 7 on a 1.2Ghz Pentium processor, boasts a 62GB SSD and 2GB of RAM, and features a Webcam, a USB port, a MicroSD slot, and Bluetooth.

Filed under: Hardware, Tablet PC, Technology, Touchscreen, UMPC

Peddling iPeds…

jamesfongster — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:28:42 +0000

Yup, just like clockwork, no sooner does the Apple iPad officially launches in the US, China has responded with their Android driven iPeds!

They’re a fraction of the cost of an iPad at under USD200..they may not have the attractiveness of the iPad nor the screen res, but it makes up by having USB2.0, Cam, miniSD and a 3G option.

I’m curious to know product quality you’ll get at such a cheap price..makes me wanna get one just for the fun of it ’cause it’s so affordable!

128MB SDROM
4GB(NAND FLASH,UP TO 32GB)
7″ high defination Lcd Touch-screen,Convertible Display(800*480)
Android 1.5
Wireless LAN 802.11
WIFI ， 3G(WCDMA/TDSCDMA/EVDO) optional
Touch screen   & USB mouse
USB 2.0 input and 1.1 usb output , earphone output
mini SD   slot
battery capacity 3000mHA
color Silver
netweight 0.16Kg（with battery
INPUT 5V 2A
support MP3、WMA、APE、FLAC、AAC、AC3、WAV
Support 1080X720（720P）and MKV(H.264 HP)、AVI、RM/RMVB、FLV、MPEG-1、MPEG-2

High defination Video/Audio (720 Audio player ：1080X720)
High quality sounds
Touch screen
e book
Portable office
Support QQ,MSN,GTALK chat tool
Android open platform
playgame
high capacity of battery , 5 hours
supper slim design
Internet browsed,FLV download
Support JPEG、BMP、GIF、PNG、TIFF
Support Goolge map

New tablets but what about the processors?

vilivx70 — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:21:44 +0000

There’s a flood of new tablets being shown off this week at the shows: if any of them would just be released we could go out and buy an alternative to the lame apple offering. Strangely though for the huge amount of tablets proposed they all seem to be using either the netbook type processors or a smartphone style unit. The latest bunch using the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, the same chip as found in the Nexus One, HTC EVO 4G, etc.
Now these may be fine and powerful for a phone but what about a large tablet?
Netbooks are ok for surfing, a bit of email or the odd document but suffer when you try to do anything processor intensive. Likewise a smartphone.
Why isn’t anyone bringing out a new chip, custom designed for running a 7-10 inch touchscreen and the things we need to do on a tablet?

Filed under: Hardware

Palm rejection on the Viliv X70 – not so good

vilivx70 — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:53:15 +0000

Finally got a chance to capture some results from my Palm rejection test on the Viliv X70.

As you can see there’s no palm rejection. You have to carefully ink without touching the screen at all or you get a lot of vectoring.

Filed under: Hardware, Touchscreen, Viliv, X70

The Courier is dead, long live….what?

vilivx70 — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:58:42 +0000

Microsoft confirms the Courier project is probably a gonner. “Word has just gone fluttering out of Redmond that work on the Courier project — a heretofore rumored dual-screen tablet which rightfully set the tech world ablaze — has been spun down by the company.”

So it looks like perhaps it’s the HP Slate or the asus offerings, or perhaps dell if they get their *#it sorted for those of us not buying ipads.

Filed under: Hardware, HP Slate, Internet tablet, Tablet PC, Technology