» Publishers, Monetize your RSS feeds with FeedShow: More infos (Show/Hide Ads)
This is always a very exciting time of year, new launches, new devices and lots of anticipation from every show. CES promises to be exciting for UMPC so keep an eye out.
With regards to me, I am still busy as ever with Tegatech, and working with UMPC fulltime and loving it. Life couldn't be better and I wish you all the best also.
If you would like to stay in contact with me please use one of the following (or both)
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoortega
FaceBook:

Facebook me!
(How are you all?!?!)
It may please you all to know that I am still here, have lost none of my PASSION for UMPC and Tablet PC, and more specifically am missing you all more than ever.
It seems in the past three years I have burnt the candle at both ends and as a result have had to suffer the loss of the BLOG...or better said, the maintenance there of. While my thoughts are with all of you daily it is unrealistic for me to think I can balance a successful business, family and the UberTablet family without growing supernatural powers. It would be disrespectful to you to assume that I can, and is creating a feeling of disappointment in myself.
So here is my promise. If you can bear with the limited publications I can provide at this period what I promise is to bring you the best of me as often as I possibly can. I admire the perseverance of some of you for emailing me constantly and am humbled by that support. I promise I am with you with the same passion and smile.
The past 18-months have been particularly good to me. The UMPC and Tablet PC Wholesale Organisation I run has grown over 400% (Tegatech Australia) and I was blessed enough to travel with my wife and two children for three months (including Paris, Dubai and more) and my commitment to the UMPC platform remains steadfast. In the last 12 months alone I have been invited to speak to Heads of Major Banks, International Guests, Major Blue-chip Organisations in Mining and Medical...and much, much more. I have travelled with over 20 UMPC as hand luggage almost monthly on interstate trips and all of this to grow awareness in Australia and New Zealand; interestingly my regime looks to have no slow in pace in sight!
My latest toy is the OQO e2 64GB SSD with HSDPA and outdoor optimised display; and I must admit that it has made me the happiest Geek in the Southern Hemisphere.
I have read all your comments and in saying that would once again thank you; keep them coming as they do make a difference. SO while you wait for my next comment or video why not reflect on videos of the recent past. Talk soon!
Recently I found the “Wapy Gender” USB kit. Now I know the name is awful but the product is to die for. There are two in a pack (left and right) and both rotate their little USB port clockwise and anticlockwise. What this means is that the options are endless for mounting USB devices now and the cables can be neatly removed away from the perpendicular eye saw we are so accustom to!
SWEET!!!
Now for some of you this may sound like a bit of a “what tha!” but for me it is very exciting as the Samsung Q1U has never been available in Australia with the HSDPA chip. Why you might ask? Well the reason is that we have our own very very stringent set of Telecommunications Standards Downunder called the A-Tick. Not only does this A-Tick Standard have to be passed, but it seems as though without the might of one of the “big boys” behind you (Telcos) you won’t even get the A-Tick any way. The only workaround therefore is to retro fit a locally an A-Ticked modem to the Samsung after it lands in the Country…and that’s just what we did.
The modem is the Sierra mini PCI Express HSDPA modem. It works perfectly and I must admit it makes the Q1U a entirely different experience (in a good way).
It is awesome having you guys and girls with me. I look forward to providing lots of fun (and info) in 2008 and wish the best for you, your families and loved ones.
I am pumped for an exciting year ahead of UMPC action and will do everything humanly possible to tell it "my way"! We will speak soon!

My Sydney, Australia!
Given that I have decided NOT to use a HTC Shift as my primary device then this delivery by the FedEX man is e2xcellent! LOL. The OQO e2 has been my favorite UMPC for some time but now with the addition of a 32GB Solid State Disk (SSD) and HSDPA (3G) I am a total convert.
Today, arriving ahead of schedule I might add, I received my OQO e2 and yes it is the SSD model, yes it has HSDPA, and as I like it…it is the Vista Business!!! So stay tuned while I get to know her this weekend and feedback on my thoughts. For now I can tell you that the 1.6GHz (improvement over the 1.5 GHz) VIA processor, and SSD combo, is noticeably faster than my previous 02.
I’m in geek eutopia!
HSDPA SSD OQO doing its thing
...with Mr. 02 watching nervously!
NB. I know many of you will ask so here is why I did not go for the Shift:
- Battery life in Vista POOR
- There is no way to communicate between Windows Mobile 6 and Vista, i.e. when my emails come in, and get replied to, on WM6 the process does not get duplicated on Windows Vista. POOR.
- The device is portable but I am starting to believe that these bigger devices struggle to be considered mobile…(thoughts???)
There’s more but I will leave it for another post.
Being a geek is not a choice, it’s a way of life. As I contemplate not geeking out I often find myself philosophising about my next geekish quest. Inadvertently what I create is a conundrum of “do I?” or “don’t I”?” If ask my wife she would probably have a very certain point of view. If I ask your partner we would probably get the same. The fact remains however that once you’ve been bit, you’ve been bit!
What’s my latest infection? SSD!
While I sit here waiting for my SSD HSDPA OQO I have managed to obtain a 2.5” SATA 32GB SSD Hard Drive made by Transcend. The part number is: TS32GBSSD25S. The fact that the SSD HDD is SATA, and the fact that it is 2.5” (and not the UMPC friendly 1.8”) means that I have decided to trial it in my TabletKiosk i440D Slate PC. As shown here.
I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts. As we speak I have removed the spinning HDD the Sahara came with and holding the two in hand feels remarkably different. One of them, with all its shinny bits and pieces feels solid and valuable, the other, with its plastic and veneers feels lifeless and cheap. (Truth be told the later should be far more impressive than anything I have ever explored.)
As I lay in my Hotel for the night I surfed from the lounge chairs, from the bed, from the mini bar and even from the toilet (you know you’re guilty of it too). On this occasion however I did not plug in an external keyboard but rather I chose to use the keyboard on my OQO only, which proved to be more than OK.
Thinking back on this road trip there were some memorable UMPC moments which predominantly revolved around visiting with the Brisbane SBS User Group. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the local fanatics and impart some of my stuff too. I rocked up with no less than eight UMPC ranging from OQO to EVERUN, and Q1U to SunPad. The "funnest" moment was when I was showcasing the Q1U’s multi camera array. Here is the photo I took using the Q1U:

So I am back in Sydney now and getting to know all the UMPC I missed while I was away. I am spending plenty of time with the Fujitsu U1010 and am getting particularly fond of the SunPad too. My next trip is to Adelaide (but there may even be a New Zealand trip too) all before Christmas. So I will do what I can to find relevant info to share.
LUV YAs
I looked high and low for a device that suits all my needs and narrowed it down to the Shift (still not out) and the OQO. I can honestly say however that the OQO is still as appealing to me as the day I first received it and for that reason I am back! In fact I am so back that I have ordered the 1.6GHz e2 with 32GB SSD! When it arrives you can definitely expect more camera action from me.
In the mean time the trusty Toshiba R400 is packed up with its dock, its extended battery and accessories, and sits idly under my desk playing second fiddle to a device a tenth of its size.
Too funny.
The Microsoft inspired User Groups are some of the most fun gathering you will attend all year. They are an opportunity to meet with some real life experts and come face-to-face with like minded folks from all walk’s of life.
I will be presenting (no surprise) on UMPC trends and will have a swag full of gear including the Sahara i440D, the SunPad, the OQO e2, the Q1U, the Shift, the EVERUN and more... One of my good mates, and all round fanatic, Wayne Small will also be there. If you have never heard Wayne speak on SBS then you have not heard anything!
So if you’re in town, or want to fly in for the evening then be sure to come up and say hello.
Here are the details:
This is your final reminder for next weeks Brisbane SBS UG meeting (Tues 27th Nov), which is our last formal SBS focused meeting for 2007, so please try and join us.
It will be a jam packed night, as we have three great presentations....
1. Sydney SBS-MVP - Wayne Small, will show us the new Trend Micro Worry Free Remote Manager 2. Sydney Mobility-MVP - Hugo Ortega - will share with us his infinite wisdom on the latest UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) devices.
and
3. Acronis and Datastor (www.datastor.com.au) will talk to us about the new Acronis "Echo", which is the replacement for the current True Image Server 9 product.
So, lot's of cool *NEW TECHNICAL* stuff.
I will create a Poll for your RSVP's, so please keep an eye open for the email soon.
Thanks, hope to see you next week.
Stu
Meeting Information:
Date: Tuesday 27th Nov 2007
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Cost: Admission and refreshments are FREE!
Location: Microsoft Brisbane
Building: Level 9, Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane Qld 4000
Room: Follow the signs when you leave the lift.
Note: Arrive at 5:30pm for Pizza, then a 6:00pm start
*Please arrive before 6pm as the lift security activates automatically.
*Should you arrive after 6pm, call Stuart Applegate's mobile
Contact: Stuart Applegate (stuart at businesscomputing dot com dot au)
As I sit here staring down the barrel of the gun I realise I am facing a new game of Russian roulette. Now that I have returned from abroad I feel it time to change machines...again. As many of you know it was the Toshiba R400 that was my companion for the last several months. There were several reasons why I chose this unit, i.e. large screen resolution, bright display, nice keyboard, lightweight design, great extended battery option, and great tablet PC experience in pen mode. The fact remains however that the predominant reason for taking this device overseas was that it provided the best desktop replacement experience.
Now that I am back I no longer need the desktop replacement experience as I have monitors and large keyboards that I can use from any room in my home or office so (happily) the need to replace a desktop, while on the road, is no longer there. So here is my new dilemma. Which unit next???
Ultimately I have decided to sell the 3-month old Toshiba R400, with extended battery, with 4GB of RAM and with docking station. It is sad to see it go but three months is long enough. LOL. Faced with the decision of finding a replacement device I am however still struggling. What I would like to know from you is if money were no option, which device, out of the current assortment available in the world, would you go for?
I’m thinking the following:
- Shift: great mobile unit with 3G embedded. Big plus. (crap battery life)
- Q1U: great device overall with the organiser pack and nice extended battery options (poor pen features and bulky when fully accessorised.)
- OQO e2 SSD: this sounds like a great unit with lots of positive features. The big plus is I get to use a lot of existing accessories. (Tiny screen when on the road)
- EVERUN: The Docking station is great and battery life is unbeatable. (specifications are the killer here.)
What do you guys/gals think? I will try the HUGOMETER out on myself and let you kow the results.
PS. If you are interested in buying the R400 with all its gear then (email: hugo at Tegatech dot com dot au). The price is $2500 AUD for the lot ($2,200 USD) + freight.
As I looked around the terminal earlier that evening there were many faces now starting to look familiar. These were the burdened faces of passengers on our same flight; all gloomy with the look of boredom and disappointment. Amongst this group I ended up pumping into an Indian Businessman from Madras who was having issues with his Dell. Interestingly he was a Mobility Expert who was focused purely on phones and PDAs so when I offered him the Q1U to check his emails (to kill his woes) the look on his face was priceless.
The first look was one of inquisitiveness; the second was one of excitement, and the last look was one of relief that such a device existed. We ended up sharing stories and chatting for well over 90 minutes. The only interruption to our geekish bliss was the fact that my son, Leon, wanted the Q1U back!!!! HAHAHA.

Over the years the blog as been very good to me (and I have been good to the blog). I have made many friends, albeit mostly virtual, and am always pleasantly surprised to learn of their location in the Globe, and their orientation in life. Today I am posting an excerpt from one of the uberTablet family who actually lives in Germany. He is a keen Sailor and Gadgeteer also; he writes articles regarding both his passions and publishes them in his native language...Deutch.
His name is Manfred and on this occasion he has included some UMPC tails too. So for those of you that can speak German head on over to his website and download the PDF. For those of you that cannot (like me) then here is a brief description by Manfred of what he wrote:
please follow the link below and click on FoolproofXV it will open a pdf-file and on the following pages you will find yourself as image or text.
Pages:
45 - I'm telling, that you've lost your camcorder by theft and that you had to stop your podcasts for a while
76 - showing that you're dancing on all wedding partys ( a German saying, if you can find somebody in all places )
132 - telling that you got all the wow news
Download the PDF here
Have fun.
Kindest regards
Manfred

James (one of my favourite travel companions) will walk the Kokoda Trail and will include a UMPC or Tablet on his journey. I know he is hunting for something with good battery life, and some rugged features, i.e. something like the Nova SunPad or the EO TufTab.
This is a truly admirable course of action he has taken and if any of you are interested you can sponsor James and his father or just post him some words or encouragement on his blog.
Has anyone been there? Is it tough?

Having said that here is what we were faced with when we entered the Disneyland Paris theme park today, i.e. 2x Fujitsu ST5111 Slate PCs. The good news is that the two folks carrying the devices we "Uberly" enthusiastic about the setup; they absolutely loved them. As we talked over the details we found out that the devices were under refresh, and we also found out that there were three new slates in contention for the honor! My next question was "which ones" to which the answer came back "Je ne sais pas!" What a shame!
For those of you interested, the devices were being used to show maps and provide (and collect) information. Rather proudly they were all being used in slate mode (not surprisingly as they are not convertibles) and with nothing other than the pen!!! So cool! “Très Bien!”
I'll be in Paris for the next week and will make an effort to post some more Q1U-ing on the road. Who knows, maybe you'll hear from me from the Eiffel Tower, or from Disneyland Paris.
I hope you're all well. Speak soon!
Earlier this week I asked "What do Hugo Ortega and Steve Ballmer have in common?" and today I share with you the answer - The HTC Shift! I must admit that I have been blessed many times over in the last few years with the devices that have crossed my path. I still remember being the first to showcase the Raon Digital Vega; and first with the Fujitsu P1610. On this occasion however I have yet to feel more honored than by being given the opportunity to look at what is billed as one of the most anticipated releases this year, i.e. The HTC Shift.Back in March this year I placed my thoughts down about The HTC Shift. This was more of a virtual wrap-up than anything else as very little information was available, let alone a device to feel and touch. So when I was given permission to take the HTC Shift to TechED Australia as part of my UMPC Awareness Presentation (which was a huge success) you can imagine what I said...ummmm...YES!
I had The HTC Shift for a little over 60 hours and was able to play with many of its great features, which include Pocket PC, HSDPA, Vista Business, Tilt Touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard and more. It is an incredible device with many possibilities, this video will hopefully showcase some of that. I managed to literally squeeze it into a very tight schedule I am running at present and did what I could to cover off some of the burning questions folks might have.
Machine specs (as tested):
- Windows Vista Business (3 hrs battery)
- Intel Santa Rosa A110 Processor
- 1GB DDR2 RAM
- 40GB HDD
- HSDPA (Data only) ready
- Web Cam
- Biometrics
- Windows Pocket PC (over 5 days battery life when used exclusively)
- Qualcomm 400MHz Processor
- 64MB RAM
- and more...
In summary I would have to say that this is one of the BEST Ultra Mobile PC I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. If I were a manufacturer of a UMPC, or with a UMPC about to hit the market, then I would be shaking in my boots given what The HTC Shift is capable of. "I put my order down right away!"
Watch or download the High Res version (34 minutes, 256MB, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening folks!
Many of you I know have been sending me comments, emails and pinging me non-stop with regards to my whereabouts. I am pleased to say that I am still on Holiday (in fact I extended my Holiday a little) and am pleasantly cruising through Europe! I have not put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) for the blog for some time so today when I got an email from Microsoft I thought it a prime opportunity.
Here is what I received:
Dear Hugo Ortega,
Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2008 Microsoft® MVP Award! The MVP Award is our way of saying thank you for promoting the spirit of community and enhancing people’s lives and the industry’s success every day. Your extraordinary efforts in Windows - Tablet PC technical communities during the past year are greatly appreciated.
SO how are thing you may ask? Things are just great. I am with my wife and kid and we are travelling see friends and family. We have a “home base” in a little apartment we rented in Eastern Europe and spend our time travelling in and out of the car park using a 1988 Mercedes Benz a good friend was kind enough to loan me. Apart from dealing with the traffic concerns, and the fact that everyone drives on the wrong side of the road, the journey has been effortless.With regards to Tablet PC and Ultra Mobile PC you will be pleased to know that as always I am travelling loaded. Before I left I bought a Toshiba R400 and knew that that was going to be my fulltime inking device. Ironically as I left the front door I grabbed an OQO 02 and just before Taxi pulled out of the driveway I ducked back in and grabbed a Samsung Q1U-V.
The response to these devices everywhere I have been is amazing. Europe has so little exposure to these it surprises me and almost makes me feel like everything is new again. The first few weeks I spent showing the R400 and its massive array of capabilities. People always flip when they here is packs 4GB of Ram (although it only sees 3.319 GB). As soon as I flip the screen there is an instantaneous gasp of excitement and adults and kids alike become filled with new drawing capabilities. Kids sketch using InkArt, while adults write using OneNote; either way the response to Digital Ink is overwhelmingly positive.
The OQO has been a clear success. It smaller size and neater form-factor makes people question the entire concept of a desktop at all. Given that most the folks I am visiting are buying desktops for the first time then something like an OQO absolutely fries their brain – and that is a good thing! The Samsung Q1U seems to be the one all the University kids want. With its camera capabilities and it ability to relate to all media formats it seems as though the Q1U also has a home here.
I will start to blog again as I have missed you all. I thank you for your readership and promise you as much fun and play as ever.
I've pushed the envelope and burnt the candle at both ends this week to bring you, yesterday's "The Shift" video, and today's video of what we lovingly term The Stormtrooper! Both were promised and as such both were delivered.These videos have been much anticipated so with the burden of your buying decision in mind I have made the humanly impossible, possible. If you pay close attention you will notice that I am in the same attire for this video, as I am for The Shift Video, as I am for the Nova SunPad video - which is no coincidence as I filmed and edited them all on the same day! (Plus currently uploaded my
TechED Speech which I will post shortly!)
Watch or download the High Res InkShow Video Review (39 minutes, 297MB, Windows Media streaming or direct download)








