Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Themes Galore

There are new 770 themes available at solid.gold.code. There have been some minor improvements in the theme as well as some new colors to choose from. Enjoy. :D

Friday, January 26, 2007

Pure Imagination

First of all, I'd like to congratulate all the developers that received a discount code from the N800 Developer Device Program. Secondly, thanks to the Maemo team for hosting the program and all the hard work to get the codes out to the chosen developers.

Sadly, yours truly was not so lucky. I guess there was a good reason for me not to get one though. Maybe helping in the development of what I still think to be one of the greatest apps for the platform wasn't enough. Or maybe I was just too good at predicting the future. We may never know.

What I do know is that I will continue to help support the Internet Tablet community, join forces with developers to create some useful mobile applications, and attempt to look into the future of what the mobile devices like the 770 and N800 will bring.

Good luck to all the developers who were given such an awesome opportunity. I look forward to seeing some cool stuff from you all. :)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

LOLs And NOOBs

I'm surprised no one noticed it by now, but when you look at the names of our favorite Internet Tablets a little closer, you might find it a bit amusing. I know I did. All I can say is Internet Tablets FTW!

Hmm...I wonder if Nokia's next tablet will be the L337. ;)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Little Political

Check out the cool sketches done by Andy on his Nokia 770 over at his new site about politics, Little Political. I like the style he's using in his drawings. Can't wait to see what cool topics he depicts in his future posts.

Be sure to check the Internet Tablet Art Gallery to see even more cool pieces, and please let me know if any of you have some Internet Tablet sketches that you'd like to have presented in the gallery as well. It's a good place to show off your skills or just to look around to gain some inspiration, and I just know there are a few more artists out there just itching to use their new tablets as digital sketch pads. ;)

Puppy Robot 3

Puppy Gets A New Head

These guys are doing some really cool things with the Internet Tablets and robotics.

Can't Get Enough Of That Shiny Stuff

There's some more Internet Tablet backgrounds over at solid.gold.code and more on the way. There's also an improved white theme (14pt) and a new red theme (also 14pt).

Monday, January 22, 2007

Perceptive Pixel Multi-Touch Demonstration

[Video no longer available]

You can't tell me this concept is not cool. Now throw together a mobile version and you've got yourself a winner.

Here's another demonstration at the TED conference from 2006.


Edit: I just realized the first video is not working anymore. I guess the second video will have to suffice.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

I'd Pay Cash For Better Flash

It's games like this that make having flash for mobile devices a must-have. There are some other great flash games that are screaming to be played on the Internet Tablets. Here are some more:
Line Rider
Cubefield
Tower Defence

Now as I don't have a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet just yet, I'm wondering if these games are playable with the newer version of flash on the device. Any N800 owners have much luck playing these games, please let me know. This is a hugely untapped area that the mobile space could definitely benefit from.
WARNING! Some of these games are extremely addictive, and NET9 is not responsible for minutes, hours, days, or even weeks lost from the playing of said games.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Awesome NFC Demonstration



This is what we want the future to be. We demand it.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Nokia N800 In "Da Tube" And Other News



I could quote Tim Curry from the movie "It" all day after watching this commercial. "Don't you want it?!"

The wait for the "Golden Ticket" is almost over guys. Just to let everyone know, solid.gold.code plans on continuing the development of the cool new applications for Maemo 2.1 and 3.0 no matter what the outcome.

Speaking of Maemo, the upgrade to version 7 from version 6 of flash on the N800 was a long awaited one, but if it's possible to get version 9 up and running we'll be in like Flint [yeah, you can tell I'm into some crazy movies these days].



Oh, and one of these added to the Internet Tablet kits would be nice too.You know, these little things are getting ridiculously large amounts of storage capacity these days. I'm hoping we can get reader implants for the old noggin for those times when I want to record a chunk of my visual experience through this crazy world we happen to live in with my bionic eyes. ;)

Monday, January 15, 2007

2007: Year Of The Touchscreen

With devices like Nokia's N800 out and Apple's iPhone coming in June, this may very well be the year we finally embrace touchscreen devices as a more acceptable input method. Everything from mobile phones to media players to UMPCs to Internet Tablets to Tablet PCs have already been using the technology with varying levels of success. Of course, users have voiced their frustration when using these new touch enabled devices for some time as well. After all, the technology is still relatively new and user interface of such a technology is a rather difficult concept to grasp even to this day.

I think this will soon change, as more developers are finally beginning to understand how to bring better solutions to the use of the technology. Having access to an open platform for devices like the Nokia 770 and the N800 Internet Tablets help a lot in this area as well. And although Apple has over 200 patents on technology going into it's iPhone, the fact remains that when you have a touch screen in a particular device like this, it's the software that makes the most impact on the user experience of the device.

In 2007 we'll see more mobile devices as well as non-mobile devices incorporating this technology at an amazing pace, and as with every other input method to date, touchscreen input will be powered by software. The major deciding factor that determines what devices shine and which ones don't will be how well the software is written for the touchscreen. I say major and not the main factor because there still needs to be a good mix of other features such as memory, CPU, battery life, etc. (depending on the device) that will be equally important in the final product.

So let the touchscreen devices pour in and watch closely which ones have the best software and best accessibility for developers to continue the evolution of this great technology. And as IBM says, "The Future Is Open".

Friday, January 12, 2007

Pick A Theme, Any Theme

That's right, solid.gold.code has some fresh new themes for your Internet Tablets to get all dressed up in. Many thanks to Urho Konttori and his awesome Theme Maker application.


We're still working on the other great applications for the 770 and N800 tablets, so check back every now and again for updates on those as well.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Let's Get This Party Started!

There are so many reasons why SanDisk would sell a ton of these things if only they put in a touch screen, reasonably speedy CPU, and could run some embedded Linux platform. This is what form I imagine the 770 could be updated to with a little work from Nokia. Plus, if it even only stuck with the Maemo 2.x OS, it could potentially cool the heated discussion in the Internet Tablet forums about what I see as "abandonment" issues coming from some disgruntled members of the community about the branch of Maemo 2.x to 3.0 with the introduction of the N800.

One of these days, someone other than Nokia will catch on to the success of the Internet Tablet line and potentially satisfy those that are less than such with the N800 and how Nokia is handling the growth of the Maemo platform. Until then, Nokia is running this party, and if you don't like it you can stay home.

...Now where's my tuxedo?

Monday, January 08, 2007

New Internet Tablet Robot Project Video


These guys are awesome. The GPS on the new robot is a nice addition too.
[Project Page] [Forum Thread]

Sunday, January 07, 2007

The N800 Hits YouTube



Oooo YouTube works, yummy...

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Background Check

We've got some new Internet Tablet background images for you to choose from over at solid.gold.code. There's more to come, so check back again soon. Below are a few of my favorite theme and background combos.

And these are ones that are coming soon.

Nokia N800 Internet Tablet Extravaganza!

Been without net access for several hours, but were back and we have a great roundup of information about the newest details on the N800 that has been circulating since we've been gone. Check it out:
Flickr Photos of the unboxing
Thoughtfix's confirmation
John Tokash's comparison of the two tablets
Engadget's coverage
Internet Tablet Talk thread on the N800 [nice new look to the site, by the way. ;) ]
...and more as it hits the web.

Hmm...looks like I was right about some of this so far. Guess my logic isn't so fuzzy after all.

Update: ThoughtFix has new info on some more of the internal specs of the N800

Future Mobile Technology Galore!

Double-sided LCDs coming from Samsung [Engadget Mobile]
Micro-USB connectors coming to a mobile device near you [Engadget Mobile]
Bigger, faster, cheaper solid state drives coming from SanDisk [Engadget]
Miniature Projectors coming from Microvision [Gizmodo]

Thursday, January 04, 2007

All Is Not Well In Tablet Land...

Mike Cane's poor Nokia 770 is looking a little sick from what his screenshots show. And from the highly "abrasive" language coming from Mike, it would seem that Nokia made a very bad mistake in giving him such a faulty device. My condolences Mike. I hope your next mobile device proves more emotionally stable.


Is Bluetooth In Danger?

Nokia, Samsung, sued over Bluetooth [CNNMoney]
Bluetooth patent suit hits Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic [Engadget Mobile]

- This is one more reason there needs to be a system in place that prevents a well established technology [over several years, no less] from being prayed upon long after that technology has become a global success. Damn patent trolls.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Yeah, We'll See...


Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!


Is Your Code Solid Gold?

This is it. In 2007, NET9 begins it's next stage of helping to build the future of mobile Information Technology by producing new applications and other useful code snippets for the Meamo platform and potentially, other mobile platforms as well.

And so, we present you with solid.gold.code, our new central location for all things related to our programing projects. Here you'll find information about our projects and eventually complete applications. Our goal is to fully utilize the resources provided to us in order to develop and maintain quality Open Source applications for the community to use and even build upon. We are approaching this goal from more of an end user's perspective, and so the feedback from the community will be key in how our projects grow and develop.

We're also a little new to this, so any support [be that suggestions, comments, criticism, etc.] is more than welcome and just as golden as our ideas for the future.