Acer Aspire One

I got an Acer Aspire One for my birthday. After almost a week of using this UMPC, I can say that its keyboard is much, much better than my EEE 701’s. My typing speed on “The One” is almost the same as when I’m using a regular laptop or a desktop. I actually almost bought an EEE 901 but changed my mind when I got to touch-type on the Acer.

I intend to do a more in-depth comparative review of the Acer and the Asus, but for those who want an ultra-portable that is a touch-typist’s dream, “The One” is the choice.

E-Reading

I remember the first e-book I ever read. It was Tarzan on my Palm V. Fast forward to the present, I think most of my reading these days is via the electronic page. People who say that they’ll never get the hang of reading books on their handheld devices probably haven’t given it a serious try.

I don’t know how to explain this but when I re-read the classics on my Pocket PCs, I really enjoyed the experience. Reading them, the old fashioned way, the first time in high school–books: thick, heavy, and with tiny fonts– was torture.

Many of my students would rather read articles and essays online or on their phones (which I sent them via bluetooth) than go to the library and read the printed versions.

Nokia E61i and Motorola Q9h

I’m presently testing two QWERTY smartphones, Nokia’s E61i and Motorola’s Q9h. The “E” has a Smart SIM while the “Q” has a Globe.   As a web and email tablet, the Nokia is the clear winner. I can check my three email accounts in under 5 minutes using the native client. Using Opera Mini, surfing is fast and enjoyable. The 2.8″ screen helps a lot. The Moto has a smaller, 2.4″ screen. For sheer typing speed, the Q is tops. I use it a lot when taking quick notes and business minutes. Laridian’s Bible Software on the Q is better than Olivetree’s on the E.

For playing videos and listening to music, the E wins. Moreover, the E has a podcasting application that I really like. PC synchronization is where the Q beats the E hands down. DocumentsToGo on the Q is light years ahead of the E’s barebones QuickOffice suite.

After two months of use, I cannot declare a clear winner.

A Family Favorite

I got my spouse her own EEE for her birthday. I set it up to run Windows XP.  My sister got one too and hers runs Linux like mine. My sister-in-law bought one and, like my spouse’s, runs XP. I don’t know any other family who has “fallen in love” with this tiny powerhouse the way mine has.

Its portability is the Asus’ key selling point. I read somewhere that over a million of these were sold within 3 months. I don’t go anywhere without mine. I discovered recently that I could hold the unit like a book and read my lecture notes. Quite a few people thought I was really holding a black book. They were really surprised to discover otherwise.

Typing and keyboards

I’m a touch-typist. My father convinced me to learn how to type. When I was in sixth grade he gave me a typing book and allowed me to use his Underwood typewriter one hour each day.  Typing is a skill I recommend to everyone. Now, a good touch-typist needs a comfortable keyboard. Although small, the keyboards of the much lamented Revo and 5mx machines were quite nice. I could touch-type on both. The Revo introduced me to thumb-typing. I was surprised that muscle memory allowed me to touch-type on the keyboard using only my thumbs! The Revo and the 5mx allowed me to work practically anywhere. After years of hard service, my Psions are both dead.

For a while, I had Stowaway folding keyboards for my Pocket PCs. The Stowaway was close to full-length in size and was a technical wonder. I read someplace that one is on display in a museum somewhere.

I stopped using the Stowaway because of lag-time. It is really annoying when what you type takes a second or so to appear on the Pocket PC screen. I’ve had three Pocket PCs and lag-time was present in all three.

These days I carry a Nokia Wireless Keyboard (SU-8W).  The keyboard works well with my Nokias. And there is no lag-time.  I can comfortably touch-type. And that, I believe, is the most important thing with keyboards. Comfort.

Ultra mobile portables

My spouse went through graduate school using a tiny Toshiba Libretto. It ran Windows 95 and was, literally, as small as a VHS cassette. I had a Thinkpad 240. It was a little bigger, with a 10-inch screen, and weighed 2 pounds. Both served us for years. Ultra portables work quite well because there’s no reason not to bring them along. Mobile computers are excellent tools only when they’re available. I’ve seen people totting laptops that weigh too much. Personally, anything that’s more than 3 pounds is heavy. And anything heavy is usually left at home.

These days the Asus Eee PC represents, for me, an excellent ultra-portable. I always carry mine. It’s 2 pounds, has a 7-inch screen, runs Linux, and inexpensive. I recommend it highly. It takes about a week to get used to the keyboard. I do a lot of writing and the Asus allows me to write practically everywhere. Get one.

Convergence

Cellphones have come a long way. I remember the time when only one member of my clan had a cellphone. Today, everyone in our extended family has one. A few have two or more. I read somewhere that 3 out of every 4 Filipinos have a cellphone. Cellphones aren’t just phones anymore. They’ve replaced our alarm clocks, our planners, our flashlights, our cameras, our calculators, and, yes, even our books. No wonder a lot of people can’t last a day without their phone.

My phones are loaded with e-books, several Bibles, a couple of full-length movies, about ten CDs of music, hundreds of photographs, and several folders of documents. I agree with the Nokia tagline for the N95– it’s what computers have become.

Paperless Bibles

The last printed Bible I received as a gift came from my sister-in-law, Joy, twelve years ago when I left for graduate school. It was an NRSV. I cherish that gift.  Since then the Bibles I have acquired have all been paperless. For my Palm and Pocket PC devices I used the excellent Bibles from Laridian (www.laridian.com).  Presently, I am using Olive Tree’s (www.olivetree.com) offerings on my Nokia NSeries phones.  I especially like the free 1905 Tagalog Bible. There are other sites that offer electronic Bibles but I highly recommend these two.

Hello world!

Welcome to my weblog. I am a teacher. I began teaching in 1989. Over the years I have had opportunities to integrate teaching and technology. I hope I can share these with you and you can share your experiences with me. And together we can help make learning more enabling and empowering.