Installing Synergy

I just installed Synergy, the open source program that let's you share a mouse and keyboard with any computer on your network and it works like a charm. This is especially important for those who want to use it at work or side by side with another computer.

Simply install the software found here and then move your mouse back and forth between you UMPC and your desktop / laptop seamlessly. When you slide your mouse over to you Ultra Mobile, you will have full access to your keyboard - much easier for typing than those small built in keys!

Windows 7 Ultimate

I haven't looked yet, but am curious about Windows 7 - the new touch screen operating system from Microsoft. There have been reports on Cnet that a stable build has surfaced on torrents and I'm curious to see if I can download / burn and install it on my Samsung Q1 UMPC.

Has anyone seen or tried to put Windows 7 on an UMPC? I think that will be my next mission - reintalling an OS on the Q1 without a CD or using an attached drive.

Windows 7 apparently has the same hardware requirements as Windows Vista, so I may just be in luck!

Samsung Update Error Plus Round 2

I've noticed a lot of people having the same issue with Samsung's Update Plus software: dwLoadStatus != SLU_Load_Finished. I contacted Samsung a while back but I never heard anything, so I decided to contact them again. After trading a few emails here is what they had to say about the issue:

"Dear Chris Kenst
Thank you for contacting Samsung Electronics. We will gladly be able to try and assist you with your Ultra Mobile PC, that you are inquiring about today.

I do apologize for your ongoing issue. I have checked with our engineers on the Update plus software and they said that there are no updates available for any Samsung program at this time. I also made them aware of the issue and once I get a responce back from them, I can give you an update. Thank you and have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Matt"

I got this response yesterday on 11/3/2008. That's about all I can do, right? Hopefully they filed the issue somewhere and it will eventually be fixed.

Best Game for a Touch Screen

I recently downloaded World of Goo by 2D Boy and put it on my Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile. The game is fun to play on any computer, but is especially fun on a touch screen. 

World of Goo is a puzzle game that has you building large structures using balls of goo. The objective is to build a structure, using the least amount of goo's possible, until you reach the pipe (or exit). Your structures must overcome gravity and various terrains that can be difficult at times. 

The cool thing about playing it on an Ultra Mobile is it has a relatively small size and doesn't require much processing power. It is very intuitive and you use your finger to drag the balls of goo into place. Anyways, it's worth checking out.

http://2dboy.com/games.php

MyTechFetish.com

I just wanted to plug my new technical blog - non Ultra-Mobile PC - called MyTechFetish.com.

This site will stay, but will undergo a format change that hopefully makes the site a little more user friendly.

Continuing Ultra Mobile Issues

1. Display Driver Issue:
I haven't seen this problem on any other Vista machine I have, but my Ultra Mobile PC often has a display driver issue that says 'display driver igfx stopped responding'. There are a ton of postings on the web, but none seem to offer any redress on the issue.

Microsoft says the problem is with Intel and Intel points back at Microsoft. If anyone has any ideas how to stop / fix the error than please post a response. No one likes having the screen disappear and then reload - especially when you have a touch screen!

2. Shifting the screen view causes the screen saver not to work.
I know I'm not the only one with this problem but when I shift the screen from it's standard horizontal setting, it does two things:

1. Disables / Delays the use of the touch setting buttons (in the upper right hand corner)
2. Causes the screen saver to throw an error - black screen saver with white display driver error message.
   

The first problem is a big issue because it limits your ability to switch the screen view back or to another direction (or even to adjust the brightness of the screen). The second problem is more annoying than anything else.

Ultra Mobile Idea - Network Tester

Just a random idea but a UMPC like the Samsung Q1 would probably work well as a Network / Cable Tester. I mean you can buy separate devices like this one:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SS35407-TEST&cpc=SCH

Or just find software that will perform the same function. Then you could add performance testing software for bandwidth / load testing and have a full mobile suite where ever you go.

What do you think? Any ideas / suggestions for other tools?