Showing: All entries in 'Software'


29Mar2006

Microsoft Sudoku: Optimizing UMPC Applications for Touch and Ink

Posted by Joe in Software. 1 Comment

Microsoft has made this (a part of the touchpack) download available to the public and developers to get them started on developing applications for the UMPC.

tp_all_1.png

Stephen Toub discusses Sudoku, the number puzzle game, and demonstrates how to build an application to solve puzzles, generate puzzles, and enable Tablet PC-enhanced game play. This article closely examines Stephen Toub’s Tablet PC-based implementation of Sudoku. It is the same implementation in the Touch Pack, a software package that comes preinstalled on ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs). The article details the algorithmic aspects of implementing a Sudoku game, in addition to the specific details that help you implement other applications designed for Tablet PC and UMPC.

For more information & to download, please visit Microsoft’s download site

via [Eric Lam's MSN Blog]

Share This

28Mar2006

UMPC for your Car Stereo

Posted by Joe in Software. 1 Comment

A new site (origamicar) seems to be focusing on a Software for UMPC being a touch screen music controller for your car. According to the site, the product is already built and in beta. The screenshot about is the latest build (we though it was just a photoshop thing - guess not)

for_car.png

Here are few things that you can expect from this software according to origami car

  • Designed specifically for Microsoft UMPC devices
    Designed for the 800 x 480 native resolution that UMPC’s use.
  • Intuative Touchscreen Interface
    Everything is easily accessable using just the touchscreen.
  • Easy to use (even when driving at 65mph!)
    Buttons are large enough to select without having to concentrate on the screen. Moving to previous/next tracks can even be done without even looking at the screen.

  • Access the music YOU want to play quickly and easily
    Scrolling through your collection is easy using either the onscreen dial or the new click and drag scroller - the further you drag, the faster the scrolling.
    No more trying to select the tiny windows scrollbars.
  • Integrates into your existing Microsoft Media Player music library.
  • Change the way it looks
    Create your own color themes or use other themes from others.
    Origami Car ships with ‘theme builder’, a seperate application that lets you quickly build, copy, edit and change themes and preview the results onscreen.

Read more at [OrigamiCar]

Share This




23Mar2006

Sling Player Mobile Beta

Posted by Joe in Accessories, General and Software. 0 Comments

With UMPCs arriving soon, Sling media announced the Sling Player Mobile, which supports the Smartphones, PDS and we guess for the UMPCs too (assuming microsoft has them listed in the Accessories section of the UMPC Site). So what can the Sling player mobile do for ya?

sling_player.png…the new software now available as an open beta for Slingbox customers. SlingPlayer Mobile extends Slingbox functionality to PDAs and smartphones powered by the Windows Mobile operating system. SlingPlayer Mobile gives Slingbox owners the most powerful option available in mobile television, combining their unique personal home TV experience with their mobile phones or PDAs.

Beginning April 26th, the retail SlingPlayer Mobile software will be available for $29.99 and includes a free 30-day trial. Slingbox owners who purchase and register their Slingbox prior to April 26th will receive a free license for SlingPlayer Mobile. There are no monthly or recurring charges for the use of SlingPlayer Mobile.

SlingPlayer Mobile uses the network connection on a user’s device such as high-speed cellular services (3G or EV-DO), WiFi, as well as USB or Bluetooth.

Get the details and full set of features at [Sling Player Mobile]

Share This

12Mar2006

DialKeys: Microsoft UMPCs are NOT the first ones to sport this.

Posted by Joe in Hardware and Software. 0 Comments

Thouch Pack: A company named Fortune Fountain has come up an innovative way for interactive via Thumbs named the “DialKeys”, Not a lot of know that there are actually production model Tablet PCs out there which has this Dial Keys feature. Fujitsu P1510D is one of the first. Matter of fact when you compare the spec of this Fujitsu Tablet PC with those of the UMPCs its very close.

More Screenshots and Prototypes at DialKeys

Share This

12Mar2006

Update: Touch Pack - So what is it anyway?

Posted by Joe in Noteworthy and Software. 5 Comments
tp_all_1.png
The Origami Project Team has these detailed, here is a short version of the same. The Touch pack (as of now) is made up of five main applications/features

Launcher: It is the launching point for applications on UMPC devices and what you see in many of the marketing materials. At its simplest form, Program Launcher basically gives the user a way to easily categorize their applications to make them easier to find and easier to open on a small form factor pc. It’s also totally cool looking!

Won’t it be cool to have a button that has only the favorites that the user can customize to his / her needs ?

WIDWIWD(What I Did was What I Wanted to DO)not the actual name:This is just a little utility that a user can run that makes Windows more useable on a small, touch enabled computer. It makes about 10 setting changes to Windows such as widening the scroll bars, enlarging the minimize and maximize buttons, showing folders in thumbnail view, etc

Those Fat thumbed ones will for sure prefer a Bluetooth or a Full Sized Keyboard that has a dock for the UMPC.

Brilliant Black - A Customized Media Player: In order to make the media playback experience a breeze on the UMPCs they built a skin that fills the entire screen on the devices with large buttons to navigate the media controls such as play, stop, volume, etc.

Hope these BIG, Real Estate Consuming, Easy to use UI(not sure though) would have the AUTO HIDE feature built in to it, otherwise it’s pointless to have a 7″ Screen and watch videos in 5″ Look at this, you know what we mean…

brilliant_black.jpg

DialKeys: This is built by a company called Fortune Fountain Ltd. and it is a really cool way to do text input with your thumbs.

We can imagine the finger prints that we’ll have on our UMPCs, hope some cool fingerprint proof screen protector comes up soon.

Sudoku: A completely addictive game that is huge in Europe right now and gaining popularity in the U.S. as well.

Well we just found out someone has booked the umpcgames.com domain and there’s going to be tones of them sooner.

Detailed information @ Origami Project

Share This


Subscribe to Only UMPC

Subscribe

Recent Readers

From fellow bloggers...


Shop for an UMPC