Screen brightness is at the top of the issues list. While the resolution is high and sharp, the brightness can be a problem. A glossy screen adds to the problem when you’re out and about. Secondly, the lack of 3G highlights that tethering over Bluetooth is never as easy as it should be. I had to re-configure the BT dial-up-netoworking connection twice before it worked and then I found out that you can’t connect internal applications on the N82 to the internet via 3G when the BT modem is in action. This isn’t a huge problem but it means that latitude updates stop working while I’m tethered.

The 5.6″ screen has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is fairly obvious as the Fujitsu U/B50N is tiny, lightweight and has relatively good battery life because the backlight doesnt have to be as powerful as on a 7″ device. The disadvantage is that you lose screen area. As I write this i’ve got Firefox pumped up to about 150% magnification. The typing experience is relatively trouble-free but i’m sure I would be more comfortable typing on a 7″ screen. For me, in this scenario where i’ve just biked down from the house to the park, the trade-off is worth it. 1KG of kit is nothing and it fits in an extremely small bag.

As for the keyboard it’s again, another trade-off. The engineering quality is good which means the keys give a good feedback but aren’t too hard to press but you have to concentrate if you want to type smoothly and without errors. It’s way faster than a thumboard though so while it looks much slower and more difficult than a laptop, its faster than many other mobile keyboard designs.

I was wondering if I would like to have GPS on this UMPC but I dont think it would bring much. The Windows platform isn’t geared-up for location based services or navigation so its better to have that functionality on the mobile phone that’s always with you.

Overall, the trade-offs are worth it. I’ve been out an about for a few hours now and still have 3hrs left on the extended battery that im using. I’m even charging my N82 as I write this. Flexibility is the key for creative mobile blogging and this little Fuji works well.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my ‘home made’ hamburger just turned up and it’s looking delicious!

First though, I need to decide on what device to take and to do that, I need to write down exactly what I want to achieve.

• Work. Full keyboard, 7” or greater screen. Bright.
• Location. Tracking, occasional or live gps location information? If live, Ipoki or lattitude?
• Connectivity. Built-in 3G or tethered?
• Microblogging. Pocketable
• Photography. Reasonable snapshot camera with easy export facilities.
• Audio. For some tunes/podcasts on the way
• Communications. Phone, instant messenger.

The first problem I have is that a true ‘work’ device doesn’t quite match up to the microblogging requirements because I would like a big keyboard. My phone, as with nearly all phones, isn’t up to what I want from a microblogging experience so we’ve immediately hit a choice between taking 3 different devices or making some compromises.

See full article for live tracking…

For phone, audio and photography, I’m going to use my trusty Nokia N82. Unlike previous microblogging excursions though, I’m not going to burden my phone with too much internet connectivity. It doesn’t work! Instead, i’ll be switching to GPRS and turning on the Google Latitude service for location sharing. Why am I using Latitude today? 1) The application runs well, smoothly, efficiently and reliably on my smallest device. 2) I can easily share my location on my blog and on my Google Talk status. You can do it too. 3) Friends can connect with me over Latitude. Feel free to become my ‘friend’ but I’ll probably only give you my city-wide location. 4) As you can see, I can choose what level of sharing and privacy I want on a per-person basis. The best thing is that Latitude now has a KML feed which you can import into a Google ‘My Maps’ and share out. This allows you to make map mashups as you go. My live position should show up on the map below along with things that I mash-up on the way. I don’t think this auto-updates though so you might have to refresh the map frame to see changes.

So that’s audio, phone, location and photography covered, what about microblogging and working with Internet connectivity? Would it be possible to use just one device? It would save a ton of weight.

What I would need is a device with a 7” screen (my minimum for 1024×600 table-top working) that is light, has 3G, a keyboard, a bright screen, ssd (for ruggedness) and at least 3 hours of battery life. The Touchnote T1028M is too big. The Viliv S5 is too small for table-top use so I’m left with 3 devices to choose from.

Raon Everun Note S16S 7” 1024×600. SSD. 3G built-in (non standard.) Good keyboard. Bright screen. 2hrs battery life. 750gm

Fujitsu Loox U/B50N. 5.6” 1280×800. HDD. Lightweight. 3hrs+ battery life. 650gm

Kohjinsha SC3. 7” 1024×600 bright screen. Small keyboard keys. 2.5hrs battery. 800gm.

Ideally, I’d take the bright screen from the SC3 and put it on the Everun Note (it really is that much brighter than the others) but the Everun Note S16S has such bad battery life. The D24S is better at about 2.5hrs but I don’t have one of those. What I do have though, is a spare battery which brings me up to about 3.5hrs 3G working in bright daylight on the Everun Note which covers me nicely. Because of the SSD, the built-in 3G and the better keyboard, the Everun Note is the better choice. Well it would be if my spare battery was charged! Instead, I’m going for the Loox. It doesn’t have a 7” screen so i’ll have to bump the fonts up. There’s no 3G on it either so I’ll have to tether to my phone over BT and make sure the phone charges from the device using the USB charging adaptor. Compromises, compromises.

OK. Enough of the preparation. It’s time for me to set-off. I’ll blog some images and thoughts as I go along. (I’m only out from 1200-1500 CEST today though.) One last picture before I go. Here’s my final mobile blogging set-up. It weighs 920gm. That’s 2lb. It fits in my sports pack.

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