I pulled out the iPad I had thrown in the bag and started to log into the Wi-Fi, but thought I’d check to see if the Sprint 4G network I recently singed up for was active in this location. I hit the button on the Sprint Overdrive and waited a couple of minutes for it to power up. Boot speed is not one of its strengths.

Lo and behold the 4G was not only active but with nearly full signal strength. This meant my bandwidth should be pretty darn good and it was. I was getting over 4 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up in no time.

This healthy bandwidth had me surfing the web and doing all sorts of things without missing a beat on the iPad. I decided to share this information and pulled out the Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard that I have tested with the iPad but haven’t used much. I was going to town with the keyboard and the iPad, all on the 4G network shared by the Overdrive modem. True mobile tech, working together seamlessly. I haven’t had so much fun since the old Sony U days.

I used the WordPress app for the iPad to create this post. It works great and handles everything except uploading images for the post. That’s a shame and they need to add this, as it means I could only post it as a draft and then add the image at home for publishing. The iPhone version of the app has this ability, since it has a camera, but the iPad needs it too. Actually, the app has this ability but it keeps crashing on me when I try it.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t recommend everyone go out and get all of this equipment. But if you already have it like I do, it sure works great. I realize that many would say that I could easily have done this on a netbook, but I’d say you were wrong about that. I didn’t have a netbook with me, and this was much more enjoyable. Fun times when Mobile Tech Manor hits the road.

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Taken with iPhone 3G

It’s a beautiful day that called for heading out and working in the local coffee shop. I’ve been here about an hour working on the ThinkPad X100e laptop. I’m getting a lot of questions about the X100e, and it makes sense to do a brief Q&A session to shed further light on this small ThinkPad.

What is the battery life of the X100e? I have been watching battery life closely, due to concerns about the power consumption of the AMD Neo processor Lenovo is using in the X100e. I am working on battery power presently, and have the power management set to the “Maximum Runtime” setting. ThinkPads have outstanding power management as a rule and I have not customized it on the X100e. I did crank up the screen brightness just a tad, as the coffee shop has all of the blinds open and it’s incredibly bright in here. That will negatively impact the battery life, even at the  Maximum Runtime setting. Based on the length of time I have been working and the current battery percentage, I estimate I can work another four hours. The Windows 7 power meter concurs as it currently estimates 3:55 remaining. I suspect that Lenovo has tweaked the BIOS or other system operation, as this is longer than early reports from other reviewers have indicated. This run time concurs with what I have experienced both yesterday and today.

How good is the performance? My working experience pegs the X100e between Atom-based netbooks and fast notebooks. It is not a screamer, but things happen faster than on a netbook. There is very little lag during operation, and I don’t find myself wishing it was faster.

Does it play HD video? This one is not easy to answer. I find SD video of any kind will play fine, even in full screen mode. I have successfully watched HD video on Hulu, although it gets choppy in full screen mode. The Flash video here on our site is choppy in HD even in a small window. YouTube high quality video plays fine both windowed and in full screen mode. I guess technically the high quality videos of each of these sources are not necessarily true HD.

Does it get too hot? I find it is warmer than Atom-based netbooks, but not alarmingly so. It’s certainly not too hot.

Please leave any other questions you may have about the X100e here in the comments. This is obviously a very popular notebook, given the constant pinging  with various questions. I’ll answer anything I can so just ask away.

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Taken with Palm Pre

This coffee break is not the kind I usually take. I simply wanted a change of scenery while working, something I recommend all home workers do from time to time. So I’m working in the breakfast nook at home, but I am using the Acer Aspire 8940G. This beauty has the 18.4-inch high-resolution screen that is a joy to use. I can run two programs side-by-side using the Windows 7 Aero drag feature, and neither window requires horizontal scrolling to view everything. It’s also a performance beast with the Core i7 processors on board. Throw in the 4 GB of memory and the 500 GB hard drive and it’s like a high-power workstation. One I can carry into the kitchen to work. :)

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One of my concerns was how well the Magic Mouse would work with Firefox, but I needn’t have worried. Scrolling works fine with either one or two fingers, and even the swipe left and right works in Firefox. I’ll have to hold off final judgement as to whether it’s worth the $69 I paid for it, but so far it’s been pretty nice. Before anyone asks, yes, you have to remove it from the plastic case before using it. :)

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I’m able to keep going just fine with the MiFi, but full bandwidth would be nice. I stopped for coffee in a shop on the edge of the casino and lo and behold the connectivity is free and tasty. Nothing better than a good cup of java and some tasty Wi-Fi, but it sure is strange blogging with slot machines all around.

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Oh no he didn’t take the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8940G notebook to the local coffee shop. Oh yes he did, and it’s been an adventure from the get-go. First up, I had to find a bag at Mobile Tech Manor that the giant laptop would fit in and close. I must have tried 5 or 6 bags before I realized that if I ignored the special laptop pouch within a giant Targus backpack I have and put it in the main compartment, that it would then fit and close.

Then I had to haul the 10+ pound notebook to the car, and to the coffee shop without breaking my shoulder. Once inside the shop, I had to pass over many tables until finding one that was big enough to actually handle the giant laptop. Once that was done I was all set, and I’m working away with this gorgeous screen. Battery life is looking to be between 2.5 and 3 hours, not bad for such a powerhouse with an 8-cell battery.

The keyboard is delightful, it is a cross between a chiclet style and a “real” keyboard. The keys are flat, but have full travel unlike chiclet keys. Having a 10-key on board is taking me back to the old desktop keyboards, and it’s useful as can be. I am successfully fighting the urge to fire up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, that would be too much for the crowded shop. It sure would be fun, though.

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It is Friday afternoon, 70 degrees and brilliant sunshine; the perfect excuse to put the top down and head out to work. That I am doing using Windows 7 with great relish. Life is good.

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Image taken with iPhone 3G

I am having lunch at the local Denny’s, enjoying the free Wi-Fi while waiting for my salad. The Lenovo ThinkPad x200 is perfect for this scenario. I have it in slate mode, using the touch controls to surf the web, check email and write this post. Life is good.

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