The Camangi Webstation has been updated again! I’m starting to think I might be one of five people still using this device, but it is steadily improving with each software release. I have been using the update for the last few days, so read on for my thoughts so far!

The Good:

The biggest change here is that (finally!) Camangi has given users the option of a plain homescreen. You can finally turn off the skin they were using with scrolling icons, which is great. I was using home replacements, which suck down valuable (and scarce) memory. Being able to use the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I tend to hang onto odds and ends from gadgets. My justification is always “you never know when you might need a cable/case/obscure memory card format/box”. And 9 times out of 10, I forget about all that stuff until it’s time for spring cleaning.

But sometimes it really comes in handy. I never threw out my Kindle 1 case even after I replaced it with a M-Edge one, since I figured it might be useful someday. Last week I was reading a few books on my Camangi Webstation, and it just highlighted how much I hated the simple slipcover that came with it. I strongly prefer book-style cases, especially for items I’m using to read… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The new Camangi Webstation software is much, much better than it used to be. It is faster and definitely more stable (though it does have some issues with coma-mode if left unused for a long period.)

Anyhow, I couldn’t let Judie, Dan, Larry and the other Gear Diary members with iPads have ALL the fun…so I decided to write this post entirely on the Camangi Webstation. I downloaded the Wordpress app for Android, and I’m banging away nicely on a full size USB keyboard. It looks a bit silly, admittedly, but it’s working remarkably well. There is no lag between typing the words and their appearance on the Webstation, and surprisingly the Wordpress app is very responsive… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Camangi sent the updated Webstation back today, and there are some good improvements. It also looks like some things haven’t changed at all. Nevertheless, the Camangi Webstation is one of the only Android tablets that has managed to appear in the USA, so the question is: If you didn’t buy an iPad, and you’re holding out for something Android based, is the updated Camangi worth it?

Let’s start with what didn’t happen. It didn’t get upgraded to a new version of Android, so it’s still stuck on 1.5. However, Camangi now claims that any future changes are user-upgradable. Hope the Webstation enjoyed its road trip!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Looks like the folks at Camangi aren’t sitting around waiting for the army of tablets to take them down. They sent this email late last week:

Dear Customers,

Thank you for your support to Camangi WebStation.

We truly appreciate the feedback and suggestions given to us over the past few months. We have also learned a lot from yourside.
Now, we are pleased to announce that we will upgrade the software of Camangi WebStation into New version.
Major updates below are included:

1.The improvements of WiFi:More stable and fast WiFi connection function.
2.The improvements of Sleep mode: Wake up device is smoothly and fast.
3.Remove unlock interface: Many valued customers feedback on this Unlock action is redundant, so we decide to remove it by this version.
4.More user-friendly interface: Better user experience for operation.

photo credit: poketmonster [rafa]

Judie: Welcome to the newest installment of Dear Gear Diary, where several members of the team chime in when Dave asks for advice on what he should replace his dying Palm TX with, and Carly tells Carlos how he can make his Camangi look better with tips that will work on just about any Android device.

And without further ado …

Dear Gear Diary,

My old Palm TX is dying and I am looking for something to replace it. If it could also replace my phone, that would be a bonus, but I’d be willing to look at MIDs or PMPs.

I am looking for something with a robust calendar and to do list (like DateBk6).

Something that can set audible alarms for appointments and tasks (like Palm)

Something that can sync the calendar to Google (like GooSync).

Something that can manage lists (like HandyShopper).

Something that will function when it’s not connected (because there are spots where I work with no reception, depending on the carrier).

And something I can carry in my shirt pocket (not much more than 3×5×0.5 and 8 ounces)

If you were looking for PDA functionality in a small device, what would you recommend? And if the answer is a Palm phone, what would be your second choice
(since Palm, once again, seems about to go under).

Thanks,

Dave

When I kicked off my “LCD vs eInk vs paper” smackdown, one of our readers emailed me asking about PDFs on the Camangi Webstation. I was slightly ashamed to admit that I hadn’t actually tried them yet! Reading ebooks on it had been such a great experience that I hadn’t branched out to PDFs yet, but that email gave me the impetus to try a few different options.

Unfortunately, the Camangi does not come with access to the official Android Marketplace, so this limited my options slightly. I was able to download Documents to Go and unlock the PDF to Go option on the Camangi, so I have been using that exclusively to read PDFs. I also have the free, opensource program DroidReader that I have used extensively. On my Motorola Droid, I’ve also given Repligo a shot. I actually have had an unusually high number of PDFs to read lately, so between my personal files and a few suggested to me I’ve been able to really test the Android PDF reading experience.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

As you may recall, I threw down the gauntlet and vowed to engage paper, e-ink and LCD in a battle to the end. It has been tough, but I’ve forced myself to carve out time to read three books from my favorite author, all in the name of this review. Hopefully you all appreciate the sacrifices I made.

To review, here were the ground rules:

Readability:
• How long can I read comfortably without my eyes needing a break?
• Are the font and margins acceptable for reading?
• Is it formatted correctly and without error?

Navigation:
• Are footnotes and other navigational items easy to locate?
• Is bookmarking easy?
• Can I easily locate and use the table of contents?

Ergonomics:
•Can I comfortably hold the book/device for a long period?
• Are page turns fast and easy?

So all in, there are 8 main scoring areas. There are three “bonus rounds” from some suggestions made by Doug in the original post, but I will cover those after.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

So you’ve bought an Android tablet, but it doesn’t come with the official marketplace. The manufacturer has a less than stellar collection of apps in a lackluster “app store”, and you’re looking enviously at your friends with their Android phones and their awesome app collections.

Luckily for you, there’s more out there than just the official marketplace. As I mentioned when I talked about speeding up your Camangi with an alternate launcher, you can directly install an APK, or app file, right onto your device. You do not need an app store to act as a middleman.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you have used a Camangi Webstation, you probably noticed one big issue: the default launcher is sloooooow. It’s also ugly as sin.

Luckily, you are not stuck with it forever. Android supports multiple home replacement options, including my personal favorite, Home++. All you need to do is download the program file, or APK, and install it. Once it is installed, hit the home button and select Home++. If you like it, click the “set as default” option, and your homescreen will be set as Home++.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

While in Vegas, Dan and I received emails about an upcoming VIP program offered by Camangi, makers of the previously unboxed and discussed Camangi WebStation. As you may recall, Dan and I took a leap of faith when we pre-ordered our Camangis; the company was new, we didn’t know for sure that the product would even ship, and it didn’t arrive exactly as soon as promised. After receiving the units, we quickly decided that the WebStation was being incorrectly marketed — in fact, we felt it might even be incorrectly named.

The Camangi is an excellent and responsive eReader. It is not however, an end-all-be-all tablet for surfing or data entry; as long as you understand its limitations going in, it may be a great option. But I digress.

Partly because we were busy with CES, and partly because the original email’s terms seemed a little bit open to interpretation, I didn’t really give them a second thought. This morning I received confirmation that the program was a “go”, as well as a more complete invitation to join.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Dan: Judie and I are continuing to play with, tweak and become familiar with our Camangi Webstations. There is no question that it excels as an e-book reader. Thanks to The Android version of eReader both of us have downloaded our libraries and had a number of sessions reading from the device. There is no question that it works quite well in this regard. It allows you to read both in landscape and portrait mode, lets you change the font, is backlit (something that isn’t possible with a device that uses ePaper, and, thanks to the testing, navigation is as simple.

Judie: Dan and I have discovered that when using the native eBook app, you can swipe the screen to change the page, or you can use the volume button up/down motion to turn pages in either direction. This is a pretty great feature! When reading eReader books, you simply have to tap the screen.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

(image courtesy of petitinvention)

Welcome to the final State of the eBook for 2009! It has been a big year for eBooks, and I am going to do my best to cover a timeline of the high points, as well as a few things to look forward to in 2010.

Rather than do a traditional timeline of events, I thought I’d break it down by the year in highlights per company/platform, and then a few predictions and news items to look forward to in 2010! … Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I am a huge fan of Evernote. The cross-platform service allows me to capture my thoughts, pictures and voice notes no matter where I am or what I’m doing. I can use Evernote on my iMac and then later access new notes on my iPhone. I can write something on my Windows tablet PC and then finish the process on my MacBook. I’m even able to access Evernote on the new Camangi Webstation thanks to the recent release of a client for the Android platform.

Well new numbers were released today and they show that I’m not the only one using Evernote. In fact, the adoption rate of people using Evernote is rather remarkable.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Judie: As you may recall, I received my Camangi WebStation yesterday afternoon. Other than downloading some of my eReader library to it, I wasn’t able to spend as much time with the tablet as I might have liked before previously made plans drew me away. This morning I was greeted with tweets and links pointing to Michael Smith’s review, where he calls the Camangi a “total fail” because (among other reasons) it isn’t as fast as his first gen iPhone and because it doesn’t browse the internet as quickly as the Hackintosh he likes to couch surf from.

Michael has a legitimate point when he says that “the product is called the WEB station, and therefore should be optimized at surfing the web.” And for doing this, the Camangi is okay — with the main caveat being that it is slower than I might like and it is not using a fully powered browser that can “see” embedded flash items such as the radar images on the noaa.gov site, You Tube videos, or the CES slideshow we’ve embedded on Gear Diary in anticipation of Dan’s, Larry’s and my trip next week. It’s an okay browser, but it will never be confused with one on any laptop.

After reading his article, I could see exactly why Michael was disappointed, but I also have my own reasons for disagreeing with him; he never tested the Camangi for the one use I had in mind when I purchased — using it as an eReader.

Let me back up for a moment …… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...