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The International Space Flight Center and researchers from the University of Tokyo have teamed up with members of the Japan Origami Airplane Association to develop a paper aircraft capable of surviving the flight from its base to the surface of the earth. Yes, you heard and read the news correctly, and the prototype will be 8 centimeters (3.1 in) long and weigh about 30 grams. Researchers began testing the strength and heat resistance a few days ago in an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Tokyo’s Okashiwa campus.

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Product: TabletKiosk eo v7110
Price: $899
Rating: 7.65/10.0 (Good)
Pros: Affordable, Comfortable to hold, Supports up to 1024 x 600 resolution, Makes using Windows XP on such a small device seem natural
Cons: Software keyboard is not usable for extended periods of time, would be nice if batteries lasted longer
Overall: Strong device for business travelors, students, or even hospitals looking for a portable XP solution

I had a chance to get some hands on time with the Tablet Kiosk eo - which by no means is a new device.  I really hadn’t had much time with any of the Origami / UMPC devices, so I wanted to get started!  Read on for my full review of the Tablet Kiosk es.

Design - 7.5/10.0 - The TabletKiosk eo was the first UMPC to officially hit the market.  With that in mind, the device had done a great job of introducing the new platform to consumers.  The sleak casing has no sharp corners and the buttons are placed in logical locations throughout the device.  The eo comes with a stylus that is inserted into the body just like any PDA or touchscreen smartphone.

Features - 8.0/10.0 - Sporting Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, the eo is very feature-packed all in a small package.  The v7110 model comes standard with a 1.0GHz VIA C7-M ULV Processor, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, a 7-inch TFT-LCD display, 802.11B/G WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0.

Performance - 7.5/10.0 - The eo is perfect if you’re always on the go, or don’t need a full-size PC or laptop to work.  Complimented with a USB keyboard and mouse, you would essentially have a laptop for the road.  They’ve got the software keyboard built into the device, but it is hardly usable for a lot of typing.  The stylus took some getting used to.  The unit that I reviewed seemed that I had to press a lot harder than I should’ve had to in order to move the mouse around. 

My favorite task on the device was surfing the web.  Since it supports up to 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, almost all websites will look perfect on the eo.  In the future, I can picture these UMPC devices popping up in doctors offices and hospitals around the world.  For now though, we’re thinking they’re more for the average consumer.  So if you’re a business travelor or student looking for a device for class, check out the eo V7110 from TabletKiosk, and you will have never felt so mobile.

Editors Note: The categories were weighted in the following manner to reflect the importance of some features over others (in our humble opinion). Design 30%, Features 30%, and Performance 40%.

Over the past week we have had a bunch of new stories that seemed to compete against one another, so we decided to fight it out. At the completion of our PTI-like podcast Doug walked away with a black eye, Adam has a broken nose, and Greg our sound guy...well let’s just say that his mother was not happy. OK, not really but it got heated. Checkout the lineup below. This podcast was once again sponsored by GoDaddy.com.  Head over there and get 10% off any domain or hosting order courtesy Gadgetell and GoDaddy.

• Treo 700p vs. Motorola Q


• AIM Phoneline vs. Free Skype Out calling


• Site redesigns (Yahoo and Flickr) vs. Change is bad


• Sony VAIO UX vs. Origmani vs. Sidekick III vs. Tablet PCs vs. Nokia 770


• XM vs. RIAA


• MacBook vs. iBook


• Apple Stores (specifically the cube) vs. other CE company stores (Samsung, Sony Style, Dell)


• Treo 700p out on Sprint vs. Verizon

Listen In
[MP3] Direct Download (Right click, select save as).
[RSS] Add the Gadgetell Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered right to you!

Hosts: Doug Berger, Adam Berger
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Dvir Tzadok
File size: 29.7MB
Length: 00:43:20

Sponsored by GoDaddy.com:
As a listener of The Gadgetell podcast, enter code GADGET1, that’s G-A-D-G-E-T and the number 1, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

Interested in sponsoring the podcast or advertising on the site? Please check out our advertise page or send an email to advertise (at) gadgetell .com.  We are specifically looking to get the resources for some sweet podcasting equipment (microphones, a mixer, cables, etc.).

Feedback is much appreciated. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at gadgetell (at) gmail.com.  Thanks for listening!

This week, like many weeks, was headlined by two big Apple events, the release of the MacBook and their new store (also known as the glass cube) on 5th in NY as well as Sony’s release of the VAIO UX, a hybrid between a Sidekick and Origami. We also got PS3 Europe pricing, saw the release of Super Mario Bros. of the Nintendo DS, RIAA sued XM, MS released the Vista requirement specs, Sony Ericsson dropped four new phones, Yahoo pulled a redesign as did Flickr and went from Beta to Gamma, Sprint and Verizon announced pricing and support for the Palm 700p, and Plantronics supports VoIP. We also celebrated the 10th anniversary of AIM with the release of Phoneline and Blur-ray hit in an internal drive as well as the Sony AR laptop.

Lets not forget our first look at the desktop software Deskloops and our reviews of the Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition (100GB) and the DLO Transdock Micro FM Transmitter. And finally, we had our share of Motorola Q excitement.

Features

• Gadgetell First Look: Accoona searches ‘news’ and ‘business’


• The Water Cooler: BitTorrent and Warner Bros…huh?


• A rant about Optimum Online port 25


• How To Tuesday: Upload your videos to the great WWW


• Gadgetell First Look: Deskloops manages your open windows


• Gadgetell Review: Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition (100GB)


• Gadgetell Review: DLO Transdock Micro FM Transmitter

• Palm officially announces the Treo 700p


• The 2006 World Cup on your phone


• Show your inner child


• Motorola joins RED to help eliminate AIDS


• Sony takes the Origami route


• Skype now lets you call free


• scanR supports Treo 700p


• Moto wants you to “Find the Q”


• Motorola launches opensource.motorola.com


• PodZinger to power Rocketboom


• PSP like interface for the PS3


• TiVo - Blockbuster any day now


• Yahoo previews a refreshing redesign


• Sony VAIO UX Micro PC


• Sony VAIO AR brings Blu-ray to your lap


• 1 if by land 2 ifbyphone


• Goodbye iBook hello MacBook


• Google Notebook helps you organize what you find


• Apple bumps up the MacBook Pro specs and screen


• Nokia 770 tablet adds Google Talk


• AIM Phoneline celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Buddy List


• GameWatch opens fanboys’ eyes


• AOL to host and search video


• Flickr goes from beta to gamma


• Firefox 2.0 alpha 2 released


• Google product announcements rundown


• Plantronics Voyager 510-USB Bluetooth headset system


• Verizon announces Treo 700p pricing


• Viewsonic 20? LCD for $369


• Lenovo waterproof keyboard


• First HSDPA phone you can buy


• Protect your memories, back them up for your Lifetime


• Canon’s new IXUS 6 MP cameras


• Pepsi and Motorola offering more than 150 original ringtones


• PlayStation 3 rumors answered


• Samsung ‘Anyview’ media display


• Sky’s high-def box reviewed


• Toshiba Satellite M100


• Hitachi’s “Super-Pendicular” hard drive


• Timeless Radio - your personal recorder for the web


• Fuji Blu-ray disc available in June


• Push email solution for the 700p


• Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray disc writer with Roxio


• Sony Ericsson new handset roundup


• Panasonic releases DivX DVD-R devices


• Motorola Q exclusively on Verizon


• Warner to release two more HD-DVD titles


• Is your PC Vista ready?


• Photo’s of the 5th Ave Apple Store


• LG’s Bluetooth Speakerphone accessory


• Sony Ericsson Bluetooth 2.0 headsets


• PS3 to hit Europe at 499/599€ and £425


• Details on the RIAA vs. XM lawsuit


• Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. for the DS


• Bluetooth headsets for the X chromosome


• SanDisk USB drives get more secure


• Jeteye bookmarks and tags your web clippings


• Audio guides on your iPod, Meraviglioso!

• Sprint will offer the Palm Treo 700p at the “end of May”


• Sprint Nextel to announce their 4G plans soon

Like a scene right out of Apple Microsoft, Sony has been doing some hot viral marketing, to promote a new VAIO. The site found here has been showing teasers of a new Sony VAIO product for a week or so by now.

This ultra-portable has Bluetooth, WLAN, WWAN, Memory Stick, a capture button, QWERTY keypad, fingerprint reader, zoom buttons, square joystick, and more. The campaign has seemed to shift for this new Origami-like PC you see here to the announcement of their upcoming Blu-ray laptop, unless this too supports Blu-ray (putting this way out of the Samsung UMPC Q1 price range). There is still a lot more to learn, we expect to get the full scoop tomorrow, so stay tuned and start saving.

Click on for more images.

Read [JK on the run]

Gearlog received the Samsung Q1 over the weekend and offered their first look at the device. Remember this was the keynote UMPC (ultra mobile PC) that was code-named Origami by Microsoft.

It looks like a blown up version of the Sony PSP, except that it has a Windows XP operating system loaded. It’s too big to fit in any pocket, but it is light. Some of the things I really liked were the 7 inch screen and the sound quality of the unit. The stylus is your typical PDA stylus and uncomfortable to use after extensive periods. The touchscreen is very responsive considering it’s not Wacom enabled. The side of my hand consistently hits the screen when I write. An external keyboard is recommended. It doesn’t have built-in WAN or GPS, which were some of the cool features Microsoft was marketing. It does have 802.11AG and a built-in Ethernet port. The processing power is pretty weak for running anything other than a web browser, iTunes, or a Word document. You can only get it at BestBuy Online or CDW at the moment, and it’ll run you a pretty penny at $1,099.

The question still remains, is there a market for these units? Wouldn’t consumers rather have the full computing power of a ultra portable laptop (12") or the portability of a Windows Mobile handset? I am not convinced that there enough demand for the UMPC, which is stuck in the middle...we will wait and see.

Read [Gearlog]

The device designed to fill the gap between PDAs and tablet PCs is already receiving a serious upgrade. It seems that Microsoft is working on fitting the Origami platform or Ultra Mobile PCs with Media Center extender software.

This means that you’ll be able to wirelessly access all of your movie, TV and music content stored on your Media Center PC on the UMPC. Anything your Media Center PC can do, your Origami tablet will do.

On some level, you can think of this as making the UMPC into a glorified ($700+) touchscreen remote, but on a completely different level, it can become a primary viewing device, playing out all your favourite videos wherever you feel like planting your rear end.

No word on an exact date, or how much this upgrade will cost.

I guess this was the big week for announcements. Though disappointing, the week was headlined by Apple’s ”Fun Ehhh New Products” event. Microsoft has been teasing Origami, Sony Ericsson dropped some sweet Cyber-shot, Walkman, and everyday phones, Blu-ray has a hardware and content launch date, SanDisk announced a whole slueh of new products, and TiVo announced KidZone. As always, we saw a bunch of gaming rumors including the PSP, DS, and Revolution. Finally, on Friday RIM finally settled their patent lawsuit, paying $612.5 million to NTP to keep their Blackberry’s up and running.

Here’s the rundown of the past week. In case you missed them be sure to checkout our Gadgetell Podcast 2: The day before “fun new products” (now on iTunes too!) as well as this weeks columns. Thanks again for your readership.

Features

• Up to the minute coverage of Apple’s Special Event


• Some quick wit from our resident comic


• WTFH: Kiosks change the music industry


• The Water Cooler: Will Rome fall again?


• Dave Rubin on Microsoft’s Origami Project

• Gadgetell Podcast 2: The day before “fun new products” 2/27/06

• TomTom GPS units highlight Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins locations along routes


• BenQ launches two new moniters


• Cellfan offers Star Wars skins


• Samsung 16X DVD+RW drive w/ LightScribe


• Printable glossy inkjet CDs and DVDs


• Logitech-Adobe NuLOOQ: graphic design tools at your fingertips


• Samsung uses iPod software designer for YP-Z5


• Sony Ericsson K800i


• Toshiba ships their 25 millionth 1.8? drive


• iRiver gaming


• Sony Ericsson’s first Cyber-shot phones


• Sony Ericsson W300


• Sony Ericsson’s entry level phones


• Google and Sony Ericsson team up


• MatrixStream: HD IPTV


• Nintendo Trauma Center


• Google payments


• Updated: 6 versions of Windows Vista


• DirecTV VOD: DirectFlix


• Sony’s first slider HDTV


• iPod Hi-Fi


• Apple updates their Mac mini


• PodZinger searches over 70,000 podcasts


• Pinnacle PCTV USB stick


• Plasma waterfalls


• The YapperMouse: a skype mouse


• CellStik now backs up Motorola, Samsung, and LG


• Multi-touch DS patent


• TiVo is giving away their boxes…again


• TiVo is hosting the Academy Awards


• Unlock your GSM phone now


• Sony, NEC to optical drive divisions


• SanDisk’s lineup of new memory cards


• Beware the Ides of March


• Blu-ray to launch 5/23


• TiVo olympics recap


• TiVo press event tomorrow


• Motorola patents mobile guitar phone interface


• Popular Science and their HOW 2’s


• Pink Motorola SLVR


• Craigslist, Google Base, now Windows Live Expo


• Updated: Microsoft’s Origami Project


• Series 3 TiVo no, KidZone yes


• ABC to offer ad-supported TV shows online for free


• Apple says Mac mini not PVR after all


• Sync your non-iPod media player with iTunes


• Blackberry FINALLY reaches a patent deal

• Updated: Apple rumor roundup


• Rumor: Touch-screen Nintendo Revolution controller


• Rumor: Google Calendar (CL2) revealed


• Will the real iPod video please stand up?

Upon Dave Rubin, our weekly columnist from Comic Meets Gadgets, learning about Microsoft’s new Origami Project, he said:

Microsoft is about to unviel a new product called, “Origami”, that will be part Blackberry, part web browser, part music player, and part video game console. It also will fold into the shape of a bird.

That was perhaps the most obvious joke I’ve ever written.

Read more of Dave’s musing at Rubinville.com.