Kevin Tofel, James Kendrick, jkk, and me

Seeing all the cool new gadgets is nice and all. But one of the highlights of CES is getting a chance to catch up with bloggers and journalists from around the globe who I rarely see in person… if ever. This week was the first time I’d ever gotten a chance to meet Chippy from UMPC Portal, Nicole from Netbook News, or jkkmobile. Unfortunately my efforts to get everyone in the same room at the same time and take an enormoug group shot of the people who write about tiny computers was thwarted. But here’s a bit of photographic evidence that some of these folks really were here.

Above you see the cast and crew of jkOnTheRun, along with me and jkkmobile. And yes, people confuse jkk and jkOnTheRun all the time, but I don’t think they look anything alike.

Update: Now with 100% more Chippy and Sascha, plus a cameo appearance from Levar Burton and the back of Brent Spiner’s head. See below

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The MSI Wind U100 is already one of the most popular netbooks among mini-laptop enthusiasts thanks to its excellent design and easy hackability. We’ve already gotten a sneak peek at the MSI Wind U110, U115, and U120 models which are set to hit the US in early 2009. But now MSI sales director Andy Tung is spilling some more details about the company’s upcoming products. Tung tells Laptop Magazine that MSI will show off all three new netbooks at CES in January, with the MSI Wind U120 set to go on sale in the US before the end of January.

The MSI Wind U120 is probably the least interesting of the three new machines, since it’s basically the same as the existing MSI Wind U100 in most respects. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, a 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display and a 120GB hard drive. What makes it a little different from the U100 is a redesigned chassis, and the inclusion of an optional 3G broadband modem. MSI also eventually plans to offer the Wind U120 with a solid state disk option.

The MSI Wind U110 and U115 are a bit more interesting, as they use the Intel Atom Z530 chip which uses less energy than the N270 processor used in many netbooks today. Tung says the U115, as anticipated, will use a combination solid state disk and hard drive. And he says that thanks to the low power processor and low power SSD, the U115 could get 10 hours of battery life out of a 6 cell battery, while the U110 which comes with a 160GB or 250GB hard drive will get about 8 hours.

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I’ve never felt the need to pay $30 to $60 a month for 3G connectivity. I live in a major metropolitan area and when I want to work away from the house, I can usually find a coffee shop, library, or other establishment with free WiFi access. But I just booked my tickets to Las Vegas for the CES convention in January. And while Vegas will be the tech and electronics capital of the world from January 8th through the 11th, I’ve heard horror stories about bloggers and journalists struggling with the free WiFi in the past. So I decided it might be useful to have a 3G card to have as a backup.

Unfortunately, most US wireless carriers try to lock you into 1 or 2 year service contracts. If I wanted to sign up for a no-commitment 3G connection, I’d have to pay $200 or more for a non-refundable 3G modem.

Fortunately, Kevin Tofel pointed me toward RovAir, a company that offers no-commitment, short term 3G access. The price isn’t cheap. Plans range from $15.95 per day to $5.95 per day, depening on how long you need the modem for. And there’s a 3 day minimum, plus a charge for shipping. So you’ll likely wind up paying at least $50 no matter what. But that’s still a lot cheaper than locking yourself into a 2 year service plan you don’t need.

RovAir basically has a number of modems that work with Verizon and Sprint’s broadband wireless networks. The company ships one of these modems to your door and requires you to ship it back when your term of service is up. You’ll also be charged extra if you use the modem to transfer more than 1GB of data per week, which makes sense since most US 3G providers cap you at 5GB per month.

I reserved a card for the week of CES for just over $100. My guess is I’ll only use it when I’m unable to access a free WiFi hotspot, to reduce the risk of going over my limit. But I’m also not planning on watching a lot of video or downloading a lot of software. I’ll probably be uploading a lot of photos and maybe some audio or videos though. I’ll let you know how my experience with RovAir pans out once the trip is over.