From Where I Sit

More Tech News

BBC News - Technology

Ex-Nokia team makes rival smartphone
A smartphone created by former Nokia employees is unveiled ahead of its release later this year.
Yahoo to buy Tumblr for $1.1bn
Yahoo agrees a deal to buy New York-based blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1bn (£723m) in a deal that will value founder David Karp's stake at $275m.
VIDEO: Wikipedia founder on Yahoo's Tumblr deal
The BBC talks to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales about Yahoo's acquisition of Tumblr, in a $1.1bn deal.

A Column On Assistive & 'Boomer' Friendly Technology

When I was 30 years old the warranty on my body ran out. Systems started failing and tech support wasn't a whole lot of help. Re-booting wasn't an option and calls to the manufacturer.... Well let's just say the‘answers' are still a point of discussion. It's not like it was the‘blue screen of death' or anything, but it is chronic... (Multiple Sclerosis). It has caused me to have a different perspective on most things because where I sit.... is in a wheelchair.

From Where I Sit

It's a Book, it's an eReader, It's a Super-eReader

When the 9" Color Multimedia eReader from Pandigital^TM with Android Operating System arrived at our offices it caused a small skirmish to break out. Everyone wanted to test it. I, having no shame, played the disabled card and got it.

As an avid reader, I wanted to see if the product was just another eReader with a big screen or something more. It's definitely more, so much so that it caused confusion with my expectations. It's name, the Pandigital^TM Novel makes me think eReader, but its caption, a 9" multimedia eReader, is much closer to the truth.

You see, it has a 9" full color touchscreen display, a stylus for ease of navigating and Android OS 2.1 enabling the download and use of numerous APPs. This kept making me look at this as a full tablet. It's not....but it's awfully darn close. By the way, it is only 1/2" deep and weighs 20.5 ounces making it comfortable to hold.

The eReader's 9" TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) touchscreen has a 480 x 800 pixels resolution. While not the highest resolution on the market, we found it more than adequate for the tasks we gave it. The G-Sensor easily goes from portrait to landscape mode. The 2 GB internal memory is enhanced by an SD (Secure Digital) card slot that can handle up to 32GB which is certainly enough to hold books and much more.

Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700

A recent news broadcast blared a headline warning us against TSS - Toasted Skin Syndrome. We laughed and thought the reporter was just doing a lead in for some video we’d end up seeing on YouTube™. Further research revealed a real condition as reported by NHS on 10/01/2010. Apparently that warm and toasty feeling you get on the top of your thighs when you use your laptop is exactly that! It’s warm alright, and it's slowly toasting your legs!

Although I spend most of my computer time at my desktop PC, I rely on my laptop to continue working when I’m mobile or need to get out of my wheelchair and get more comfortable.

We received the Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 to review and I grabbed it. I wanted to see how it would meet my needs. I wasn’t expecting much… – OK.. yes I was.

Given my physical challenges I spend the vast majority of my time seated. When I can’t work at my desk, my lap becomes my desk. To me a lap desk is a must and therefore I tend to be a bit discerning (picky?) when it comes to things like usability, comfort and convenience for potential hours of use. The Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 gives me what I need and more…with one small exception.

Let’s break it down.