I started the trip using PDAnet for my Droid, but was very excited to get a review MiFi unit from Novatel late the first day so that I could get connected without any cables or fussing around with software.

With a freshly charged MiFi, and an Eye-Fi card on loan from Xavier, I set out to cover day two of CES and immediately recognized the benefits of the MiFi unit over tethering to my phone. Leaving the Venetian I hopped onto a 10-15 minute shuttle ride over to the big show and while I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of connecting my Droid for such as short period I was able to connect my HP Mini 1000 to the MiFi quickly and knock out a post I had leftover from the evening before. Tethering my Droid wouldn’t have been practical in this quick cramped situation.

The MiFi unit also came in incredibly handy throughout the show as I had it turned on in the pocket of my ScotteVest for practically instant on connectivity wherever I ended up; be that on the floor, a corner of the USPS booth or camped out at RunCore’s booth in the Netbook Zone.

When the entire Notebooks.com and GottaBeMobile team covered the Intel keynote the four of us each connected a computer to the MiFi unit as well as Xavier’s Eye-Fi card which he used to provide the rest of us with almost instantaneous access to his photos that were uploaded to his Flickr account. This situation highlights one of the biggest benefits of a MiFi card over any tethering solution; the ability to share a connection and do so without any extra installation.

Connected with MiFi wishing for a backlit keyboard!

If I wanted to share my PDAnet tethered Droid with the rest of the group I would have had to pull some workarounds in Windows to share over the built in WiFi or lend the connection to one person at a time and even then they would have had to install the software and USB drivers and hope it worked. Because the MiFi shares over WiFi the only setup is typing in the network password and clicking connect.

The ability to upload pictures from anywhere with a Eye-Fi card and a MiFi was another positive at the show after a helpful Eye-Fi rep showed me how to fix a user error that prevented the images from uploading when the notebook was on one connection and the Eye-Fi card on the MiFi. This connectivity is one of the things I will miss most as I pack up the MiFi unit and return it to Novatel tomorrow. The fact that combining a MiFi and the new Eye-Fi Pro X2 means you can keep taking photos without ever running out of room may be enough to cause my wife, who is a shutterbug, before I do!

As far as speed goes during the comparison I tested both PDAnet and the MiFi several times; both moving and standing still and the speeds were very close no matter which device I used. That said the MiFi was faster by about 200 Kb/s up and down while in a moving vehicle that was traveling between 35 and 45 mph. It is likely that this difference was due to small changes in location and networks rather than a clear advantage but nonetheless the differences existed in my non-scientific tests.

Really the only trouble I had during my test was uploading large files to YouTube, but I wouldn’t have even attempted that when tethered and it’s possible that part of that was due to network and YouTube saturation at CES.

If you couldn’t already tell, I am sold on the MiFi. Not only is it dead simple to use, easy to share and tiny but it just works. Not once during my use did I run into an issue like you see below that popped up with PDAnet on a few occasions. The MiFi device is one of the simplest ways to connect to the internet on the go and offers several advantages over traditional tethering such as the ability to share and Eye-Fi connectivity.

You can currently get a MiFi device from Sprint or Verizon for practically nothing if purchased on Amazon with a contract. If you don’t want to pay between $40 and $60 a month you can pick up a Pay-As-You-Go MiFi device and use it only when you need it which may fit those of us like myself who travel less frequently better than adding another monthly data fee.

For the time being I haven’t decided to pick up a MiFi, only because while I continue to have a day job that puts me behind a desk 9 hours a day without much travel I don’t connect as much on the go to justify purchasing one. If that situation changes, or Verizon lets you add a MiFi to the same pool of data my Droid uses, I will be much more likely to pick one up.

Bottom Line: If you need mobile access from Verizon or Sprint a MiFi is the device for you — it does so much more than the USB cards they both sell and when purchased from Amazon a MiFi is as about as cheap as you can get.

Here’s what the MiFI looks like when it’s up and running.

Novatel MiFi Review: Easy On The Go Connectivity is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

In addition to showing off the glossy 10.1″ screen of the Mini 210HD NDevil shows off a really cool feature of the HP Mini 210 series; the ability to upgrade the RAM, and really much of the hardware without needing a screwdriver! HP showed us this cool feature, which basically lets you strip the Mini 210 down to it’s innards in under 20 seconds using only your fingers, at CES but wouldn’t let us film it there.

This makes changing the RAM, hard drive or pretty much anything else much easier and is a design I hope more manufacturers put into place.

Read the CES announcement for more details on the HP Mini 210.

How To Upgrade The Ram in the HP Mini 210 in 20 seconds without a screwdriver

HP Mini 210 unboxing

via Netbooked.net

HP Mini 210 Unboxing and RAM Upgrade Video is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

HP TouchSmart tm2: This slimmer, cooler update to HP’s tx2z tablet shines both aesthetically and performance-wise. Not only does it boast HP’s latest TouchSmart software (complete with Twitter, Hulu, and Netflix apps) but also the BumpTop 3D touch-enabled desktop and Corel Paint It Touch for the fingerpaint demon inside you.

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: The idea of a tablet with a keyboard dock isn’t new, but Lenovo makes it feel fresh with its IdeaPad U1. Not only does the hardware do double duty as a notebook and a slate, it has both an Intel and ARM processor. Looking to get the best of both worlds? The U1 might be it.

MSI X350: The newest 13-inch model in MSI’s svelte X-Slim line impressed us with more robust specs (finally a dual-core ULV processor) and better design. We’re particularly glad to see the improved chiclet keyboard and the rubberized look of the textured deck.

Samsung NB30: You take your netbook everywhere, so why not get one that can stand up to some abuse? Samsung’s new NB30 offers plenty of protection along with Intel’s N450 Atom CPU. It’s built to withstand drops from 30 inches and has a spill-resistant keyboard. Definitely check out the video.

Toshiba Satellite E205: Even though this sleek, electric blue Best Buy exclusive has a lot going for it both inside (Core i5 CPU) and out (a futuristic design), it stands out for one reason. Thanks to Intel’s new Wireless Display technology, users can beam whatever they’re watching to their big screen with the push of a button.

Viliv S10 Blade: This thin convertible netbook is the natural evolution of Viliv’s smaller mobile internet devices. It offers a 10-inch multitouch display with a touch-friendly UI and a good size keyboard. Plus, it promises up to 10 hours of battery life. We can’t wait to review it.

There are 4 more notebooks that make their list, but these 6 devices represent to me the really cool ones I saw on the showfloor. Granted if you’re a gamer the 11″ Alienware notebook will be on your list as well but I keep my games on the Xbox so I’m more concerned with other devices; like slates that undock, notebooks that convert to tablets, netbooks that can withstand spills and of course the Wifi HD video streaming Toshiba E205 that even has — wait for it — backlit keys!

Laptop Magazines Top Notebooks of CES 2010 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

This was my first trip to Vegas and my first trip to CES so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had watched Notebooks.com and other blogs like JKOnTheRun, Laptop Magazine and Engadget cover CES for years but never understood what went on to bring all of the content to my computer screen.

Before I left for the show I turned on Google Latitude’s History feature which provides a breadcrumb-like trail based on my phone. Most of the time this used the cell phone signal to locate me, and others the built in GPS, but no matter how it tracked me looking back at the data-points shows a man on the move.

I’ve set the walkthrough, from when my plane touched down in Vegas, to music and embedded it below for you to get an idea of what covering CES is like. Make sure you pay attention to the time stamps in the upper left that show you when I was on the go. Then translate that from Pacific Time into Eastern, which is the timezone I live in.

Music with permission from Kate Baker.

What it’s like to cover the Consumer Electronics Show (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

In the Demo DisplayLink streams an Iron Man trailer from a USB 3.0 hard drive to a desktop and then back over USB 3.0 to their adapter that sends the image along via HDMI. The end result is a very stunning video that you wouldn’t think could come from a USB port.

Currently DisplayLink powers the inside of USB to DVI adapters sold for ~$50 by manufacturers like HP and also are found inside many business docks like the new Toshiba DynaDock V.

The USB 2.0 devices can’t handle the same video quality as USB 3.0, which has more throughput, but the USB 2.0 adapters still work great for adding a second, third or even fourth monitor to your existing computer without installing an additional video card. Stay tuned for some more fun with these adapters and even a contest.

CES: DisplayLink USB 3.0 to HDMI HD Streaming is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

With the increased mobility of notebooks and netbooks and better battery performance of new Intel processors I was expecting to see more notebooks, and yes even netbooks, at CES available with backlit keyboards.

A feature typically reserved for Macbook Pro’s and High end notebooks backlit keyboards are a must have for anyone working in a dimly lit environment. Which, thanks to the new portable nature of today’s notebooks and the always on connectivity options like Wi-Fi covered campuses or the MiFi personal hotspot devices,  are all around us.

Yet, despite the excellent application for travelers, students and businesspeople backlit keyboards; even the option to pay a premium for the sweet sweet ability to type in the dark, are as elusive as the boogeyman himself.

Yes. There are more devices than a year ago with the Sony Vaio F series offering backlit option and the Toshiba E205 as well; but many great looking notebooks and netbooks that would otherwise fit my purchasing criteria are relegated to second place because they lack a simple backlit keyboard.

Am I really the only one who hates fliping the screen down so I can see the keys and back up to read what I typed, repeating until a post or email is finished?

Image via Remko van Dokkum

Biggest CES Disappointment: Lack of Backlit Keyboards is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

And what a convention it was.  The big theme this year 3D! 3D television, 3D gaming rigs, 3D video…3D you name it.  This is what the tech industry at large is banking on for the next year.  We’ll see how it rolls out to consumers.  I have heard all the specifications, but I havent heard the one point that will make 3D adoption a sure thing or not, price.

So, a few thoughts on CES:

So what did I think of CES?  I want to come back next year.  Its that simple.

Did you have a favorite CES moment?  Yes, meeting Kevin Tofel of JKontheRun. I had a fangirl moment.

What was your favorite CES tech?  The new Lenovo Skylite netbook and the Spring Design Alex ereader.

What was the most abused CES tech?  Pico projectors, especially the one of the new LG Expo phone.  I saw these things everything projecting all sorts of content…on every flat surface possible.

What was the wildest thing I saw at CES?  The Ed Hardy girls giving out iPhone cases. Trust me, you had to see this.

So, goodbye CES.  See you next year.  And next time, I am bring rollerblades to get from one end of the Las Vegas Convention center to the other….Or maybe Notebooks.com will get company Segways.

CES- Leavin’ Las Vegas- final thoughts is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.

First note: This is the place where I have seen EVERY conceivable kind of iPhone/iPod case ever made.  If you can think of it, its probably here somewhere.

There are also more accessories for iPhone and iPod than even I was aware existed.  I wound up wandering the pavilion with Josh S and we were both astonished at what we saw.  But, a lot of these devices could be used for more than just Mac related devices.  The stands, cases, accessories I saw will work on Windows machines as well.

I was also doing my BagLady thing and looking at all the backpacks, laptop sleeves, gadget cases I could find.  Its the whole girl and her bag thing.  We always want to find the perfect one.  I am walking away from CES with a few vendor samples myself.  You’ll see the reviews up here and over at GottaBeMobile.com.

A quick hit list of interesting things I saw:

• A bamboo laptop cooling pad and lapdesk from Macally
• A handcranking recharger for iPhone from Yogen
• Gelaskins skins for all types of hardware, even my G1.  They just got a deal from Marvel Comics and Nation Geographic to be able to use their images.
• A laptop case from Be.Ez that uses memory foam to decrease the impact to your laptop in transit
• The Blue Lounge Cool Feet that Josh posted about
• A TV hat, yes, hat.  Josh has photos.

There is a lot more to mention, but that will have to wait until after I get the review units in.

But, I heart the iLounge.  Part of me wishes that Apple could have been here, but they are prepping for their press event later this month.

CES- I Heart the iLounge is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.

The idea of the session is that there are 10 nominations for products seen around CES.  The products are nominated by prominent bloggers/news sites.  Each product goes on stage with the products vendor rep and the writer who nominated them. Its their job to get the audience excited about their product.  They do this through skits, cosplay and down right silliness.  Lets put it this way…Dr Evil showed up at one point and there was a lightsaber battle.  Yeah, its craziness.

At the end of all the presentations, the audience gets to vote for their favorite by who gets the biggest applause, hence the outrageous skits.

This year’s nominees were:

• Neato Robotics XV-11
• Acer Aspire 5738D
• Que ProReader
• Haier Trainer
• D-Ultra (from NVidia)
• Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer
• Intel Reader
• ShowWX pico projector
• Motorola DROID
• Boxee Box

The winner was the Boxee Box!  Why not, its a great gadget for watching streaming movies, tv shows, etc as well as do all the things we love on the internet!  I loved the DROID and the Intel Reader myself.

There was also an online vote and that winner was the Showwx pico projector.  I want a recount on that one.

This event is just another way for the audience to see, here, and watch demos of new and fun products..and destress away from the chaos that is CES.

I cant wait to see what next year’s contest brings.  Maybe an Avatar air batter sim??

CES- Last Gadget Standing is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.

If your notebook is flat enough this is a pretty cool way to keep your notebook or netbook chilly.

CES: CoolFeet Cools Your Notebook with SuctionCup Feet is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.