Update: 2008-06-15 I am working on getting the Web site back up and running full-speed. Please excuse the missing images below. They aren’t a deal-breaker for understanding the review.

So I got my Acecad Digimemo 692 delivered today from Tiger Direct.

The 692 cost me $89.99 ($96.48 after tax and shipping).

The 692 uses an A6 sized paper tablet (about 6×9), a special pen (with fairly-standard ink cartridges), and a USB 1.1/2.0 cable to connect to a (they specify PC) Mac or PC (see Mac/Linux notes below).

So, how’s the operation, how’s it running, what are my first thoughts?

Well, I’ve had the tablet for about an hour now, I’ve made a couple pages, and overall I’m pleased.

Initially, I had a bit of disappointment with the device as I thought the pen recognition/capture was absolute shit. Turns out, I had forgotten to install the damn battery into the pen - which greatly improved the capture (see the screenshots).

Once I finish another page I’ll do a bit of comparison on the capture and cleanliness of the notes.

Here’s a few points to consider if you’re looking at one of these:

1. Out of the box, there’s zero Mac/Linux support. However, I did find a really nice application (with minimal Google.com searching), called “VectorPen.” I’d recommend checking their site out and testing the export and reading process (that’s how the file images were made).
2. Keeping track of your “digital” vs “physical” pages in a notepad requires a brain - I’m not trying to be insulting, but if you forget to mark down on the physical pad which “page” your device thinks you’re on, you’re gonna get a mish-mash horrible file.
3. While there is an area at the bottom of the tablet to store the required pen, it’s nothing more than a lip - you snag the pen cap onto the lip to keep the tablet and pen together. I’d recommend a zip-up case to carry everything in together (losing a pen is a bitch - anyone with a Palm should remember that).
4. You might get frustrated over file management. Since I’m using a Mac and not using the supplied AceCad DigiMemo Manager software, I have to manually copy the .DHW files to my computer, launch VectorPen, and then convert the files to JPG/PDF/ETC from there (note: the VectorPen software only exports in JPG under the demo version. A license costs 15 Euro).

Overall, I think the tablet is going to help me greatly with meeting notes, project scoping and record keeping. I take an extensive amount of notes (I have nearly 10 notepads at work for various needs) and keeping track of paper notes after a month or so is an arduous task, further made difficult by my need to attach notes to projects (I like organization). The Digimemo tablet should help me with my organization and ability to better share notes (nothing like taking a quote from someone in January and E-mailing them the quote in May when they flip-flop).

I’ve been playing with Delicious Library 2 for a few minutes now (I use it at work to keep a collection of work-based books that I have on-hand for day-to-day use), and I have to say I like what I see.

Nothing really earth-shatteringly new for me (I’m not tracking movie files, games, hardware, or anything beyond my work books), but the “publish to…” actions are making me drool. With a simple two-click dialog, I was able to publish my work library to our local intranet (I have a personal page on our installed Wiki) as well as to my .Mac account.

Here’s a view of what’s in my work library.

Without editing the templates, or choosing beyond the defaults, I have to say the Web publish is pretty nice. I’m going to import some more books I have stored away (week-to-week use I guess?) and see if there’s anything new or exciting about the import process.

Oh, one thing I noticed: There’s an on-launch alert for me to update my PowerBook G4 to 10.5.3 as the graphics enhancements will be slow until I upgrade. Unfortunately, 10.5.3 isn’t available yet! Wil knows about this, however and has posted some tweets about it

I was trying to find a tool (or preference pane) that would hide my desktop icons while I make screencasts. I found an applescript that could do something similar (not perfect for my needs), but then I tripped over Foggy Noggin’s DeskToppple.

There’s a free (donationware) and pro version you can use to not only hide icons, but a lot more.

This is totally my new best friend.

Here’s a low-res (but high in dimension) demo video:

desktopple_demo

To-date, I’ve been very positive about the iPhone: I love the features enabled by the Jailbreak from Ziphone, am about to install a custom boot from PwnageTool, etc.

However, I’ve found the Achilles Heal (at least for me): The screen (glass) is not very resistant to weather changes.

Last week (a little more now), I was walking home from the bus (about 4 blocks) and my screen cracked in the cold weather - I swear I didn’t drop the device. A real sonofabitch break, too (see photos).

I’ve searched the Web looking for repair solutions, with nothing positive to be found. In fact, the best solution I’ve found is to send my iPhone (via mail/repair or via an Apple store) to Apple for a $250 glass replacement - which would put my out-of-pocket expenses at over $500 for a $400 device! Ouch!

So, does this change my opinion on the iPhone purchase? You bet your sweet ass it does. Some people have mentioned getting homeowners insurance on the device (namely, from State Farm), but I haven’t yet verified that the homeowners insurance would cover the device.

Sigh, for now the device still works with an ever-growing crack in the glass - we’ll see where it goes.