This morning’s LA Times posted a very funny article 
about the new TV ads for the new Bing search engine.
Click here to read the full article.
Judging from a commercial for Microsoft's new Bing 'decision engine,' the company needs to search for a smarter marketing campaign.
Written by Dan Neil, June 9, 2009
Paying close attention to the online techie news sites, I can’t help but notice the emergence of very cool and inexpensive netbooks which seem to be popping up almost daily. These small and lightweight devices have really taken the consumer market by storm and it’s great to see such a great response to new mobile 
technologies.
In fact, these devices are becoming so prevalent that one of my extremely non-technically minded friends called me up to determine the difference between the netbook her husband bought for her and our TabletKiosk tablet PCs. She had seen a preview of the new eo (shown at right) was worried about how it would compete with her netbook.
So as I found myself explaining how our tablets are different than these lower priced consumer devices, I thought that the information would be good information to share on this blog.
To start with, you have to remember that TabletKiosk operates in the B2B enterprise sector and does not market our products to consumers (although consumers can purchase our products through our website). Because our products are designed for business, they are primarily used to access a central server with domain log-in which can only be accomplished via XP Professional/ Vista/ Win 7 Business OS (or Ultimate). Most netbooks come pre-loaded with a special lower priced version of XP Home which cannot accommodate domain log-in. Microsoft uses this as a key factor to define the differences (function and price) between its Home/Business Operating Systems.
Some other key differentiations that TabletKiosk offers:
Our devices are designed for business use. In order to keep our legacy customers in the TabletKiosk family of products, we offer an ecosystem of business accessories designed to be interchangeable between individual devices as well as for future product revs. Our product rev cycle may be longer than consumer devices, but our products provide a better ROI as a capital investment. From a CIOs perspective, this just makes good business sense.
Our products are designed to run Vista® Business, XP Pro/Tablet, XP Embedded, Win 7 Business or Linux openSUSE.
Our upcoming products offer superior wireless connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n with dual Channel Networking.
We work closely with key industry ISVs to get our devices certified and vetted for use with their software.
Our sales team is vertically focused (healthcare, control systems, education, hospitality) with in-depth knowledge of industry specifications, changes and challenges. In order to validate our products, we also invest in vertically focused pilot programs to ensure that our hardware is the right fit for a perspective project.
We are a US based company with a company-run full service center. All products come with a 1 year standard warranty and we offer live customer service and tech support from corporate headquarters in California.
For volume orders, we can provide options for private label and customer specific builds.
As you can imagine, all of the differentiations listed above result in an entirely different (higher) pricing model for enterprise customers which should not be compared with the lower priced consumer market. In this enterprise space, our competition consists of companies that offer slate tablets like DT Research, Motion Computing, Itronix and Mobile Demand. However what I find the most interesting is that because of the features and services that TabletKiosk and the other enterprise manufactures offer, we rarely hear customers mentioning netbooks as viable solutions to their business needs.
In our niche world, the same customers who use an apple iPhone with capacitive touch for their personal use specifically request resistive touch for their work machines because they often wear gloves when operating our devices. Pan scrolling is cool and it’s fun, but for simple, menu-driven applications, it’s just another bell and whistle that is not needed to get the job done.
From the coolest / latest speeds feeds and features perspective, some of the newest “coolest” technologies just don’t make sense in the enterprise technology sector. To sum it all up, the world of enterprise computing doesn’t focus on the newest, sleekest, shiniest and most inexpensive toys, instead, we focus on producing the right computers to meet our customers unique needs.
In today’s business climate, it is quite common to see people walking into business 
meetings holding their beloved cup of Starbucks coffee and feeling oh-so hip about it.
Do you think that these same people would be as comfortable walking into a high powered business meeting holding a cup of coffee purchased at McDonald’s?
As a marketer, I look forward to following the latest round of Coffee Wars.
Last week, TabletKiosk and Intel hosted an exciting event at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale for CIOs and IT lead staff from several hospitals around Southern California.
Dubbed “Electronic Healthcare Day”, this event gave us the opportunity to meet with high level IT managers in a fun and informational setting to educate them about how mobile handheld Tablet PCs from TabletKiosk running Intel processors can be seamlessly integrated in a healthcare setting. 
T
The day began with a short driving training for all participants. Then the the group was split in two. Half of the participants headed to the track to drive while the rest of the people sat through the product training led by Intel and TabletKiosk.
This was the first formalized training event that we have held outside our offices and the event was a resounding success. In fact, we’re considering having more of these mixed-use fun and informative events in the future at different locations around the country and directed at our other targeted industries. 
I received an email today asking me why I haven’t posted any recent blog updates. Well with 2 new products launching in the next 60 days, our R&D, Marketing and OPs teams have been extremely busy juggling all of the tasks required to facilitate two successful launches.
So to give you an idea of what is currently going on behind the scenes at TabletKiosk, here is a very short list of what we are currently working on.
Approving final engineering and tooling
Certifications for WHQL, Intel, Energy Star, FCC, UL
Creating device drivers
Creating recovery media
Testing and benchmarks of final engineering samples
Securing trademarks and patents
Sourcing in box components
Designing packaging and inserts
Writing product manuals and quick start guides
Finalizing Spec sheets
Updating web pages
Creating marketing messaging and materials
Forecasting and planning roll-out quantities
Previewing and planning with our distribution channel
Finalizing pricing for distribution sales channel
Sales channel readiness
Keeping close tabs of inventory for EOL SKUs
Licensing software
Creating accessory ecosystem internally
Working with third party vendors to help develop accessories
Training sales team
Creating launch kit
Finalizing Logistics
Hmmm… no wonder I don’t have any time to blog… I need a vacation.
Stay tuned for news about the launches – we’re counting down from 60 days!
Sometime ago, I posted an article that described the new mobile gaming offerings that the new M Resort in Las Vegas would be implementing in its new casino with.
Well now that the casino is up and running, the mobile gaming sportsbook at the M Resort, run by Cantor Gaming is garnering a lot of attention.
The article below was printed in the Las Vegas Review and describes how the “tablet-like” devices are being utilized in the sports book area of the M Resort. Of course, I know that the devices being used are actually Sahara Slate PCs i440Ds which were modified to fulfill the strict standards set by the Nevada Gaming Commission…
(reprinted from the Las Vegas Business Press, April 01, 2009)
Wagering on the NCAA men's basketball tournament took a different twist this month at the M Resort. Gamblers could not only place money on the outcomes and point totals, but on certain games bets were accepted while the action took place. The bets were possible through M Resort's "in-running" wagering, in which betting lines were changed as game play dictated.
Cantor Gaming, a technology company trying to bring hand-held wagering devices into Nevada casinos, is managing M Resort's sports book. The company, a subsidiary of the worldwide financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, introduced the "in-running" betting system to the sports book.
Customers can place money on account at the sports book and will get a device that resembles a tablet personal computer. The device only works in the M Resort sports book.
On the tablet, betting lines are changed and updated while a game takes place, allowing gamblers to wager on the action. Customers can cash out when the game ends.
"I think this really provides an exciting opportunity to sports bettors and M Resort's customers," said longtime gaming executive Phil Flaherty, who is a consultant to Cantor Gaming. "It was interesting to see how quickly it was accepted by the customers."
M Resort is serving as the showroom for the gambling technology. Cantor Gaming wants to bring the devices into other Nevada sports books. Flaherty said the NCAA basketball tournament was the perfect event for introducing the system. Not all the games during the first two rounds and Sweet 16 were available for the technology. However, all the Final Four matchups Saturday and Monday will be part of "in-running" wagering.
The system will be in full swing, Flaherty said, during the National Basketball Association playoffs and the Major League Baseball season. He expects the technology to receive its biggest challenge during the college and professional football season.
"It's designed to enhance the experience, but it's also designed to enhance the handle (amount wagered)," Flaherty said.
M Resort first tested the system on a National Invitational Tournament college basketball contest between Baylor and Georgetown. Baylor started out as a three-point favorite and had a 10-point lead at halftime. Baylor had to rally, however, to win the game by two points.
Flaherty said wagering on the game increased significantly over what the handle would have been if just the outcome and total had been on the board. The back-and-forth lead changes during the game's second half factored into the wagering.
Early statistics from the system show customers placed anywhere from $200 to $2,000 on accounts for "in-running wagering." Customers have placed between eight and 50 wagers per game. The typical bet is in the $20 to $40 range, but some players have gambled as much as $250 each time the line changed.
"It's been quite fascinating to watch," Flaherty said. "We've also seen a number of women using the system."
For M Resort Chief Executive Officer Anthony Marnell III, new ideas that bring customers into the month-old property might turn them into long-term customers. The sports wagering idea adds to his goal of making M Resort one of the leading casinos for technology.
"Everything is done in real time and you can see the points, spread and money line fluctuate as the game goes on," Marnell said. "We're giving M's sports bettors the most innovative way to bet in the country and the most exciting way to do it."
TORRANCE, CA, March 04, 2009 — TabletKiosk®, a leader in mobile computing solutions, today announced the new MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT, the only mobile clinical assistant (MCA) featuring a sunlight readable 10.4 inch resistive touch screen. The MCA reference architecture developed by Intel® and based upon significant ethnographic research, workflow studies and conversations with healthcare professionals worldwide; was created specifically for the rigors, needs and workflow of the clinical environment— whether that is a ward, clinic or emergency room. 
Built for today’s demanding healthcare environments, MediSlate™ MCAs were designed to improve workflow efficiencies, ease clinician workloads, and help reduce medication and administrative errors by utilizing an array of data and image capturing technologies. Traditionally, healthcare professionals had to rely on paper charts, stationary desktop PCs and equipment wheeled around on bulky carts to help them complete common activities such as taking medical histories, monitoring medications, reviewing test results and x-rays, and patient charting. Using a MediSlate™ MCA in tandem with their existing EMR systems, clinicians and administrators are able to perform all of these same tasks easily and directly at the point-of-care, allowing them to spend more of their time interacting with patients.
The MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT, powered by Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology, is a versatile and full featured computing device that is housed in a specially sealed, semi-rugged, smooth surface case that is drop-resistant and spill-proof enabling it to be easily wiped clean and disinfected to help reduce the spread of germs. Also, with its integrated 2D/1D barcode scanner, 2.0 megapixel web-enabled video camera, biometric fingerprint reader and a 13.56MHz RFID reader built into its ergonomic handle, the MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT is a mobile, easy to carry, point-of-care device that clinicians can use to enter data, verify patient identification, verify themselves as authorized care givers, and scan pre-printed labels from patient ID bracelets, medication packaging and blood vials.
“Intel’s ethnographic research with healthcare professionals and commitment to improving quality of care for patients worldwide ultimately led to the development of the Mobile Clinical Assistant reference platform. Our goals continue to be reinforced as technology companies, including TabletKiosk, introduce their own innovative MCA devices,” said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager, Intel Digital Health Group. “As awareness for the MCA platform continues to grow, we look forward to more and more clinicians having the opportunity to take mobile point of care to the next level.”
For maximum durability and usability, the MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT is available with a shock mounted 80GB, 1.8” SATA HDD (standard) or 1.8” 32GB Solid State Drive (special order) and is powered by an Intel® Core™2 Solo ULV processor. Configured standard with 2.0GB DDR2 SDRAM, dual band Wi-Fi® 802.11 a/b/g/n (Draft 2.0), integrated Bluetooth® and two (2) hot swappable Lithium-Ion batteries (standard), MediSlate™ MCAs offer uncompromised computing power along with a broad range of essential technological capabilities to keep doctors and nurses current and connected wherever their work takes them.
“Launching the MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT as the newest addition to Intel's mobile clinical assistant reference platform reflects TabletKiosk’s firm commitment to the healthcare market,” said Martin Smekal, president of TabletKiosk. “The purpose built functionality of the MCA platform, combined with the MediSlate MCA's built-in compatibility with existing PC based EMR systems and its familiar touch screen interface, delivers new possibilities and efficiencies for improving patient care by enhancing the workflow of nurses and clinicians.”
MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT Fast Facts:
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Solo U2100 ULV
Memory: 2.0GB DDR2 533/667 MHz SDRAM
Drive: 80GB, 1.8" SATA, 4,200 rpm HDD, shock mounted
“G sensor” to auto-park read/write heads in case of free fallO.S.: Genuine Windows Vista® Business with Service Pack 1
Qualifies for Free Windows® XP downgrade at time of system orderDisplay: 10.4" TFT XGA (1024x768) LCD with LED backlight
Sunlight readable and anti-glare surface
G sensor auto-rotates screen orientation up to 360° (0° / 90° / 180°/ 270°)
Automatic and manual screen lock for added securityBatteries: 2x Modular battery bays, Hot Swappable to maximize uptime
2x 3-cell Lithium-Ion (3S1P) high capacity smart battery packs (standard)
2.25 hours of battery life per pack (4.5 hours with both batteries installed)
Wireless: Intel® Pro Dual Band (2.4/5.0 GHz) WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (Draft 2.0) networking
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR
3G Data Module for WWAN (optional)Security: Validity Sensors, Inc. fingerprint reader
Single Chip Trusted Platform Module (TPM v 1.2)
Kensington Locking Port (Lock mechanism sold separately)
I/O: 4 wire passive resistive touch screen with palm rejection technology
Integrated 2.0 megapixel camera with auto focus and video capture
2D bar code reader (1D compatible)
RFID reader with ISO 14443A/B and ISO 15693 supportDocking Station Connector for additional I/O and security
Dimensions: 270mm x 256mm x 35.34mm (10.63" x 10.08" x 1.39")
Weight: 3.25 lbs (1.47 kg) with both batteries and 3G module installed
Rugged: IP 54 compliant and meets MIL-STD-810F standards
Drop rated up to 4 feet
Sealed body enclosure can resist alcohol (80% or less), bleach, iodine
and common hospital disinfectants.Rain, spill, dust and vibration resistant
Availability
MediSlate™ MCA i1040XT is shipping now. For pricing and additional details, please visit www.tabletkiosk.com.
About TabletKiosk
TabletKiosk is a registered trademark and wholly owned subsidiary of Sand Dune Ventures, Inc. a privately held technology incubator. The company produces slate style Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs and mobile clinical assistants (MCA) marketed through an authorized reseller channel and directly through the company website. For more information, visit www.tabletkiosk.com
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