This new B1 model UMPC from Wibrain splits the keyboard in two, places a large touch pad on the right and a track ball to the left. It's a design that might take a bit of getting used to, but one that could provide a lot of functionality as well. Slashgear.com reports: "You’ll get pretty decent hardware including a 4.8-inch touchscreen capable of 1024×600, a VIA C7M CPU ranging from 1GHz to 1.6GHz, up to 1GB of RAM and up to an 80GB HDD. For connectivity you’ll have 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE and HSDPA. They will go on sale sometime in September with the price ranging between $650 and $750."

It was during a conversation with VIA's VP of Marketing, Richard Brown, in June this year, that I first began to think about how mobile PC technology might effect fiction writing. The potential impact for journalism is obvious; a reporter could post news or publish a blog right in the middle of an event unfolding. But although there are millions of journal-style blogs on the Internet, to my knowledge, no one has produced or is in the process of producing a memoir by blog format of the standard of published prose. In this video, Richard contemplates how a device like the VIA NanoBook might have effected the writings of Keroack, who traveled through the US taking notes and impressions which he later turned into the great American novel.

Nothing that's what! In all my years, I have never met another woman who builds computers, unless they are actually in the IT industry. There are plenty of men who build or at least upgrade their own PCs, even when they have no formal training and aren't in the IT industry. Computer building somehow got relegated only with the other "manly" chores like taking out the garbage and changing a tyre. You guys can have those tasks, but building your own computer is very satisfying. Why settle for some companies version of the best configuration when you can make one up yourself? Come on gals! This is a great article to peak the interest of all those computing ladies out there! Read it at TheTechLounge.com.

I have long been a fan of Jeffrey Stephenson's case mods. He first came to my attention with the Humidor case mod several years ago. He later built a PC in a mini-humidor which featured on VIA Arena. Jeffrey's creations use the warm tones of polished wood to house cold hard computer components. In his latest invention, Jeffrey was inspired by the design of a 1931 Hammond Gregory clock. He didn't just take out the insides of a clock, he built the case in its style out of wood. It reminds me of the buildings in the classic sci-fi film, Metropolis. At the front, he installed an 11.3" LCD panel and via the VIA EPIA CN10000EG motherboard, it acts as a photo display. Jeffrey, you have out-done yourself! You can view more images here.