More on Sound Recorders for the Tablet PC
By Bill Mann

We've received some helpful feedback from readers in reply to my question about sound recorders that work well on the Tablet PC and can record long sound segments.

• Matthew Green uses the PolderbitS Sound Recorder and Editor. He reports that the program recently received a major upgrade, with the ability to record in a variety of formats, including MP3. Get more info on PolderbitS Sound Recorder and Editor at: http://www.polderbits.com/
• Stephan Hodges uses Total Recorder for his sound recordings. He reports that the software will record into WAV, MP3, and OGG (a lossless format) at up to CD quality. Get more info on Total Recorder at: http://www.highcriteria.com/
• Rich Bilancia uses the Windows Media 9 Encoder configured with a "Custom Session" that records from the built-in microphone on his TC1000 tablet. He has the custom session on his desktop so all he has to do is start the session and enter a filename for this particular recording session. As Rich put it, "It works for me, it's free, and it's all from Microsoft." If you're interested in more details on this approach, email me. If there's enough interest, maybe Rich can provide us with more details on this approach. Get more info on Windows Media 9 Encoder at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/default.aspx

Thank you to each of you who provided information.

This week's poll question:
Would you rather purchase a Tablet PC with a Transmeta Processor or an Intel Processor?
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Welcome to our newest newsletter feature, the review of the week! Each week at least one hardware, software, or accessory review will be posted on the site, as well as here in the newsletter. We hope you enjoy this new feature!

This week's review - The Tom Bihn Brain Cell bag/carrying case. In this review - Spencer tries out the Brain Cell in a little more of a real life situation than he wanted (he drops it...). He finds out that the bag has very thick padding for protection against those type of situations, and he appears to be very pleased with it overall. The "Buzz Meter" for this week's review comes in at a 4.5... Nice job by Tom Bihn on this bag! Check out the full review by clicking here.

Big win for Panasonic, 850 Rugged Tablet PCs to British Gas for an inital deployment, with 8,000 more planned in the roll-out. The article references Tablet PCs as “notebooks”, but with the speedy 1.5GHz Centrino that the Panasonic sports, the day is fast coming when you won’t be able to tell the difference. Tablet PCs will be a notebook. Notebooks will be Tablet PCs.

“Intel has today announced a major deal with British Gas to equip 850 British Gas service engineers with Panasonic CF18 notebooks...For British Gas engineers, their Centrino-powered notebook acts as a mobile office. Their job includes visiting residential properties to diagnose and repair faults from a vast portfolio of over 8,000 different gas appliances using product data and diagnosis tools stored in the PC. As a result, unique demands are placed on their mobile computers.” (Link)