Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

A fellow named Stuart Lowe installed Leopard on his Gigabyte M912X netbook / tablet hybrid, and we like the results. Though this isn’t the first Mac tablet hack, it’s a tightly wrapped little package: the interface seems smooth with either fingers or a stylus, and Inkwell’s onscreen keyboard allows complete functionality when the computer is folded into its slate configuration. Much of the necessary software functionality existed in Leopard already, and since installing OS X on something other than a Mac isn’t the challenge it used to be, we’re envisioning a pretty smooth ride for other would-be-hackers. We’ve embedded a video on the other side of the jump — take a look, and then cast your vote on what to call this niche category of netbook-like tablets.

[Via Slashgear]

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Continue reading Gigabyte M912X hack makes a smarter, cheaper Modbook

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Looking for a PMP that will be your eyes, ears, mouth, hair and forearms? Perhaps you should gently turn your attention to the JCHyun Udea Discovery — a device that treads that tremulous space between MP3 player, Tricorder, and utter waste of money. Still, it’s kind of packing a lot of heat for the asking price (179,000 KRW, or about $176) — with 32 dictionaries in 4 languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese), a video player, audio player, handwriting recognition, and an interface that looks like Windows Mobile… but likely isn’t. You won’t see this in the US anytime soon, so find yourself a good importer.

[Via PMP Today]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Screen shots posted on Chinese site wretch.cc allege that iPhone firmware 2.0 has added support for Chinese handwriting recognition in addition to a revamped (albeit non-recognition) Japanese interface. While that’s still light years from an Apple admission that not everyone is in love with the on-screen keyboard, it’s one small step toward functionality that seems to make boatloads of sense — in any language — given the phone’s generously proportioned touchscreen and its reluctant but unavoidable nomination as the Newton’s spiritual successor. What isn’t clear is how folks are expected to draw characters, seeing how there’s no provision for an on-board stylus, the entire interface is designed for finger use, and we don’t see many owner rushing out for a Pogo. However Apple intends for this feature to be used, the implementation looks pretty hot, capable of operating in both portrait and landscape modes. Sadly, it seems that Chinese is the one and only language supported at the moment; sure you don’t want to let everyone in on the Graffiti-esque retro fun here, guys?

[Via Mac Rumors]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

We know Apple’s had its Inkwell handwriting recognition software in OS X for years now, so we might have otherwise just totally glossed over this Handwriting Recognition Engineer job listing on Apple’s site. Except for the part that reads: “The recognition technology you create may extend beyond Mac OS X to other applications and the iPhone.” They always love to throw those little tidbits in there, don’t they?

[Via Macrumors]

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