Kevin 2.0 Polific Technology Posts

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Technology to guide you through the beta we call life

Hey, what are you doing here?

November 8th, 2006

Yes, I’m talkin’ to you [in my best Tony Soprano impression, which actually is pretty awful]

See, I actually haven’t written a single post here since April 17th of this year when I started writing for jkOnTheRun. Here’s the funny part…some of you fine folks are still hangin’ around! Oh I know…it’s likely that you haven’t updated your feeds to weed me out and that’s cool. What tipped me off was a note from my registrar indicating that my domain was set to expire. I figured, no worries, nobody goes there anymore and then I checked my Feeedburner stats. There’s still a few hundred folks that either still remember me OR a few hundred folks that forgot to forget about me. (It actually makes sense if you read it a few times) ;)

So you know what? I just renewed my domain** here. I’m not sure why and I can’t guarantee you that I’ll have time to share thoughts here. Quite honestly, I barely have time to share my mobile tech thoughts with the great audience over at jkOnTheRun, but heck, I’m game!

Still reading? Drop me a note in the comments to let me know and tell me what you’d like to see here. I see the comment spammers haven’t forgotten me; there’s over 640 spam comments since I last wrote. Give it up, people…give it up…. :)

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April 2006 Archived Posts 

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Forget Tax Day, it’s jk On The Run day!

April 17th, 2006

Not only is it Tax Day here in the States, but today is the big change over at jk On The Run! Now that the change is public, I can see why he made the change:

Twice as much technology coverage at no extra cost to the readers

James wisely waited for a “2.0″ version of tech to add to the site (good rule: always wait for the second version of something)

Folks don’t have to go to two places for mobile tech news, commentary, tips and tricks!

So did you see the change yet? ;) More to follow as the story develops…

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MoTR podcast 39: just in time for the Easter Bunny! 

April 16th, 2006

Dave’s got the day off, so James and I muse mobile tech with our typical banter. We’ve got two listener e-mails with questions, which are always fun and fresh; (Hint on) wish we had more of ‘em! (Hint off) There’s also a little speculation on which Tablet PC manufacturer might have the first EV-DO integrated tablet, the secret to getting Gmail’s SSL server port numbers in your Windows Mobile Messaging configuration and of course, the freeware of the show. Enjoy!

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Big Monday change at jkOnTheRun. Let the guessing begin!

April 15th, 2006

James doesn’t mention what the change is,  but he does say that Monday is the day. What could it be? Here are my initial thoughts:

• He’s going to run the entire site off a mega-powered UMPC device.
• Since he covers mobile tech like nobody else, you’ll only be able to read his site on a mobile device.
• He’s starting a second site called jkInTheHome that will cover non-mobile tech.

Ah, who cares what I think. The real question is what do YOU think? Drop your random thoughts in the comments and we’ll sort it all out once the big news hits us on Monday!

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Palm Treo 700w review: PocketPCThoughts

April 14th, 2006

Part two of the extremely in-depth review is out; I didn’t see any surprises here as several folks I know nabbed a Treo 700w about three months ago. Still, it’s great to see this level of detail in a well-written review. If you missed part one earlier this week, you can start with that one here. Of particular note is the infamous “Program Memory” issue; upon a hard reset, the Treo 700w exhibited about 13 MB free and in the review it was mentioned that 7 or 8 programs could be run without issue. As a comparison, I can open almost 20 applications on the XV6700 just to simulate having a few meg of memory free like the Palm. Oh and don’t panic: while I’m definitely a multi-tasker, this was just a test; I don’t actually run 20 apps at once on the XV6700! If you’re still considering a Treo 700w purchase, this two part review is a must.

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When is a UMPC not a UMPC? When it’s Avaratec’s small PC.

April 13th, 2006

I don’t know what to call this device that Averatec is planning according to Brighthand and others. (Origami, Jr.?) The small device is expected to have a 5-inch screen and here’s the kicker: SXGA resolution of 1280 x 1024. I’m already questioning if that’s a native res or not; my gut says no and to be honest, with that many pixels per inch, it would be overkill anyway. The Avertec entry has a hidden keyboard behind the screen, which is nice touch, but if the device will run the Tablet PC operating system, it would likely be quicker to use a stylus over the smallish thumb-board. No word on if the screen is a touch-screen or not, but that would be the mostly likely assumption due to costs. Connectivity comes through the integrated WiFi and Bluetooth, two USB ports are included (did I already dream about 3G USB modems today? Oh that’s right, I did) as well as an SD/MMC card reader and a 2 Megapixel camera, which appears to be on the front of the device. Makes it good for video conference, but pretty difficult to actually take pics.

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SlingPlayer optimized for UMPC: video from CTIA

April 13th, 2006

As a self-proclaimed “HDTV-snob” it takes a bunch to impress me from a mobile television perspective. Well, consider me impressed. I just caught a video from CTIA that shows off the Sling Media client that’s optimized for the UMPC form factor. Not only is the client design intuitive looking, but Sling clearly considered usability of the touch screen as evidenced by larger buttons that are used often. Paperback PC has the write-up on the demo, while the video is hosted over at their sister site. My only concern with television on a UMPC is that for the moment, you’re generally restricted to WiFi usage. I won’t be touching a UMPC without the ability to connect an EV-DO modem or use my XV6700 as a tethered modem. 3G USB modems are on the way, but for now, I’m in an Origami holding pattern. Regardless, that doesn’t take away from the solid changes that Sling Media is planning for UMPC support.

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M400 review: portable powerhouse

April 13th, 2006

Just yesterday I noticed that Toshiba’s M400 series will be found on retail shelves, but I missed Barry Doyle’s M400 review over at TabletPC Review Spot. The M400 is generally a dual core refresh of the M200 that I currently use daily, so this review hit the spot for me personally. Regular readers know I’ve outlined requirements for my next Tablet PC purchase, but I can’t justify the $2,000 “upgrade” from an M200 Tablet to the M400. After using a 12.1-inch tablet at 1400 x 1050 res for over a year, I think I can sacrifice some screen size in order to give up some weight. However, other folks looking for their first Tablet PC might be very tempted by the M400’s dual core 1.83GHz processor, built in Bluetooth and optical drive; both are missing on my M205. Barry’s insightful “cons” of the device are dead on: no dedicated graphics option and average battery life. The graphics issue is somewhat surprising as the M205 has an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with 32 MB of dedicated memory. My thought is that the shared graphics memory on the M400 is forward thinking for Vista.

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Reuse old flash cards in a USB drive

April 12th, 2006

I don’t have too many old SecureDigital cards sitting around, but ThinkGeek has something for those that do. For $15, you can buy a USB drive “shell” that accepts SD and MMC cards. Any storage capacity up to 1 Gigabyte will work in the device and there’s a nice blue light to indicate activity. Personally, I think blue LEDs on mobile devices should solely be used to indicate Bluetooth connectivity, but hey, that’s just me. ;) Anyway, this is a great use for older cards or for mobile devices that support USB ports but not memory card readers.

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Get your M405 Tablet PC in a store

April 12th, 2006

Nice to see that we’ll have more Tablet PC choices in retail stores. When it comes to price, I tend buy on-line, but for a personal computer choice, I prefer to get my hands dirty in a retail store. What works for me in a mobile device won’t work for you and vice versa, so a quick trip to a CompUSA or a BestBuy is the ticket for me; even if it’s just to evaulate a device for an hour or so. Not only is Toshiba joining Lenovo with a larger retail presence, the pre-configured dual core M400 (known as the M405) will be showing up on store shelves at a discounted price of $1,999. We need to see more of this: a larger computing population needs to get some “playtime” with a Tablet PC to help spur on the “ink-olution”! The M405 sports a hearty 1.83 GHz Core Duo CPU, 100 GB of storage, one Gig of RAM and a 12.1-inch XGA screen. The same configuration on Toshiba’s site (as the M400) will cost $400 more, so this is a great value, comparable to the M205 (which I have) vs. the M200 deal I took 16 months ago.

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TabletKiosk eo giveaway at TabletGear

April 11th, 2006

Looking to pick up a TabletKiosk eo v7110 UMPC? Sure, you could pre-order one for $899, or you could just enter your name in a drawing for one over at TabletGear.com! TabletGear is giving away one UMPC, the lower model eo, which has 256MB of memory and a 30 gigabyte hard drive. You’ll need to register on the site and then enter the contest. The winner will be chosen after June 1st, so don’t delay! Actually, I just entered a few minutes ago, so on second thought, take your time

 

Sena Case for the XV6700 arrives

April 11th, 2006

Just received the Sena case I pre-ordered for the XV6700 and I have to say it’s very innovative in terms of design. I’m not surprised, as all of the cases I’ve purchased from Sena share great design methods. This particular case is one of the very few that allow the keyboard to slide out of the device without removing the device from the case. However, this is a tradeoff because you can’t charge or synch the device while in the case; something I could do with all of the previous Sena cases. There are some other initial issues I see as well, but rather than hit them here, I think a video overview is called for. Tell ya what: if you have specific questions about this particular case for the XV6700 (or PPC-6700 on Sprint’s network), leave a comment and I’ll try to address the questions in the video overview.

 

MoTR podcast 38: Tablet PCs, UMPCs, freeware and much more

April 11th, 2006

Dave’s got yet another new toy with his new Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC. Sounds intriguing to me as it’s the same general form factor of my current Toshiba Portege M205 tablet, but I’m a sucker for the 1400 x 1050 res that Toshiba provides. The X41 is a respectable 1024 x 768 and I’ve gotten very used to the higher res. Hmmm…wonder if the UMPCs will work for me with the lower res? We chat about those too, since James did his 32 minute in-depth video overview of the TabletKiosk eo v7110. Don’t forget the freeware too!

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32 minute UMPC video: jk has the eo!

April 6th, 2006

You know you’ve squandered 30 minutes or so on frivilous media like SpongeBob (which rocks), so why not use that half-hour and learn something new? Take for instance, the 32 minute video review of TabletKiosk’s UMPC entry: the “eo”. James has the prototype and wasted no time in putting together a 360-degree hands-on review of this new Origami device. Remember, this is the $899 device that ships later this month, so if you haven’t put your pre-order in, here’s the demonstration you need to see. Heck, even if you DID pre-order, don’t you want to see what you’re getting? The device is very impressive as the “star” of the video, but I think I’m still holding off. If I see some EV-DO modems that work via USB for these devices, I might change my mind. Connectivity is king in my house!

 

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More Background On KevinTwoDotOh.com

 

In the early 2000s, when blogging was still a frontier medium for personal expression and technology commentary, KevinTwoDotOh.com stood out as a voice of authentic curiosity, humor, and insight. Created by technologist and early adopter Kevin C. Tofel, the site chronicled the rapid evolution of mobile devices, tablets, and portable computing long before these became household staples. Through his candid tone and forward-thinking coverage, Kevin built a community of engaged readers who followed his musings across platforms such as jkOnTheRun, where his expertise eventually reached a broader audience.

While the original KevinTwoDotOh.com went dormant in 2006 and later disappeared altogether, its story didn’t end there. Years later, the domain was rediscovered, reclaimed, and restored—not as a commercial vehicle or SEO farm, but as a digital preservation project meant to honor an early voice in tech blogging. Today, KevinTwoDotOh.com represents both a nostalgic artifact of Web 2.0’s early era and a testament to the enduring appeal of independent, personality-driven technology writing.

Origins and Early Years

Kevin’s site first came online in the mid-2000s, during the golden age of RSS feeds, feedburners, and hand-coded WordPress templates. His tagline—“Technology to guide you through the beta we call life”—captured both the optimism and experimentation of the time. He wasn’t just reviewing gadgets; he was exploring the ways technology integrated into everyday life, from the first smartphones to portable media players.

In April 2006, KevinTwoDotOh.com featured a series of daily posts that read like dispatches from the front lines of mobile innovation. He wrote about the Palm Treo 700w, Tablet PCs, UMPCs (Ultra-Mobile PCs), and emerging 3G connectivity, years before iPhones and Androids would dominate the conversation. He hosted podcasts like MoTR (Mobile Tech Roundup) and frequently cross-posted with collaborators such as James Kendrick and Dave Ciccone, well-known figures in early mobile tech journalism.

Kevin’s posts combined meticulous detail with a conversational, often self-deprecating wit. In one entry, he joked about testing the limits of the Treo’s multitasking by running 20 apps at once—“just to simulate having a few meg of memory free”—and quipped about blue LEDs being used only for Bluetooth connectivity, a sign of his insistence on logical design even in small details.

Part of a Larger Conversation: The jkOnTheRun Connection

By 2006, Kevin’s work caught the attention of the influential blog jkOnTheRun, founded by James Kendrick and later acquired by GigaOM. The platform was one of the web’s most respected destinations for mobile tech reviews, productivity hacks, and industry insights. Kevin joined the team and became a prominent contributor, effectively marking a turning point in his career.

His final personal post on KevinTwoDotOh.com (dated November 8, 2006) captured the bittersweet tone of a creator caught between his roots and new professional commitments. He humorously noted he hadn’t written since April and was surprised that hundreds of readers were still subscribed to his feed. Despite his time constraints, he renewed the domain “just in case,” leaving the door open for future posts.

That entry now serves as both a farewell and a timestamp—the moment when a personal blog became a feeder into professional digital journalism. Kevin’s voice lived on at jkOnTheRun and GigaOM, where he contributed for years, helping shape online conversations around mobile computing.

Dormancy, Domain Loss, and Hijackings

After Kevin’s departure, the domain KevinTwoDotOh.com lapsed around 2008. Like many abandoned domains of that era, it was quickly scooped up by opportunists who saw expired URLs as vehicles for traffic monetization. Over the next decade, the domain was recycled through several iterations—none related to Kevin’s work.

One incarnation functioned as a link directory, the kind of SEO-driven skeleton site common in the late 2000s. Another more controversial version sought to exploit the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by posing as a legal referral portal for Louisiana residents seeking to sue BP. This cynical repurposing of an authentic blog into a spam gateway epitomized the darker side of internet opportunism.

For longtime readers who remembered Kevin’s work, discovering these exploitative uses of his domain was jarring. The once lively hub of mobile innovation commentary had been hollowed out into a cynical SEO vehicle. It was an all-too-common fate for early blogs—valuable not for their content but for their backlinks and residual traffic.

The Restoration Project

The site’s current form owes its existence to a preservation effort led by a former fan who purchased the domain with the goal of reviving Kevin’s archived posts. Motivated by nostalgia and respect for the original content, the new owner began reconstructing KevinTwoDotOh.com as a tribute to Kevin’s writing and influence.

This restoration effort involved locating archived posts—many preserved through RSS feeds, screenshots, or the Internet Archive—and republishing them with contextual notes. The goal of this revival wasn’t profit—it was cultural preservation. It aimed to re-introduce a pioneering blogger’s work to a new generation of readers and remind the internet community of the value of personal authenticity in a medium increasingly dominated by corporate voices.

Content and Focus: A Snapshot of 2006 Tech Culture

The archived posts from April 2006 offer a time capsule of early tech blogging. The tone, structure, and subject matter embody the grassroots, enthusiast-driven journalism that predated influencer culture. Among the highlights:

• April 17, 2006 – “Forget Tax Day, It’s jkOnTheRun Day!”
  Kevin celebrated his transition to professional blogging, noting the efficiency of consolidating two tech voices into one site for “twice as much technology coverage at no extra cost.”

• April 13, 2006 – “When is a UMPC not a UMPC?”
  He dissected the Avaratec mini-PC prototype, analyzing specifications and questioning marketing labels—a prime example of his analytical rigor and skepticism toward tech hype.

• April 11, 2006 – “TabletKiosk eo Giveaway at TabletGear”
  Kevin’s enthusiasm for giveaways and community engagement reflected the tight-knit relationship between bloggers and readers in the pre-social-media era.

• April 6, 2006 – “32-Minute UMPC Video: jk Has the eo!”
  His commentary on a 32-minute video review of the TabletKiosk eo underscored how multimedia experimentation was starting to shape content delivery, foreshadowing today’s YouTube review culture.

These posts show Kevin’s deep involvement with the Tablet PC movement, his affection for Sling Media’s streaming innovations, and his excitement about connectivity advancements like EV-DO modems—technologies that would lay the groundwork for today’s mobile computing.

Cultural Significance and Legacy

From a historical standpoint, KevinTwoDotOh.com reflects an era when tech journalism was deeply personal. Bloggers were not corporate tech analysts; they were passionate experimenters testing devices in real life and reporting with candor. Kevin’s playful tone (“Connectivity is king in my house!”) and grounded skepticism toward buzzwords made his work both accessible and credible.

His writing style blended consumer advocacy, product curiosity, and humor, a combination that influenced countless later writers who grew up reading early tech blogs. The restoration of his site thus serves as an educational artifact for modern readers and an inspiring model for independent creators seeking to reclaim personal storytelling on the web.

Ownership and Stewardship

The current custodian of KevinTwoDotOh.com—whose detailed restoration note appears at the top of the archived homepage—openly discusses their process. After acquiring the domain upon its release, they decided to rebuild Kevin’s original voice rather than rebrand or monetize it. The tone of the introduction mirrors Kevin’s sincerity, emphasizing that this is a “fan restoration,” not an impersonation or unauthorized continuation.

This transparency distinguishes the project from the numerous hijacked or repurposed domains that litter the internet. It acknowledges the original creator, credits his influence, and situates the new site as a curated memorial rather than a commercial asset.

Audience and Popularity

During its initial run, KevinTwoDotOh.com attracted a few hundred dedicated subscribers—an impressive figure for a personal tech blog in 2006. Feedburner statistics and comment threads confirm a loyal readership that followed Kevin’s voice even after he moved to jkOnTheRun. His content resonated with mobile tech enthusiasts, developers, and early adopters—readers who wanted firsthand impressions rather than press release summaries.

Today, the restored version appeals to digital historians, retro tech fans, and bloggers interested in the roots of modern online publishing. It’s not about volume but depth: a community of readers who value historical authenticity over viral reach.

Reviews and Reception

The reborn site has quietly earned praise from niche corners of the tech nostalgia community. Visitors appreciate not only the recovery of Kevin’s work but the contextual framing that explains why his posts mattered. His humor, enthusiasm, and forward-looking curiosity are preserved intact, making the experience feel like opening a time capsule of mid-2000s optimism about mobile computing.

Some longtime readers who rediscovered the site after its relaunch have expressed gratitude for the preservation effort, noting that Kevin’s work helped them understand early mobile ecosystems and inspired careers in technology and media.

Broader Context: Blogging Before Social Media

To understand the full significance of KevinTwoDotOh.com, one must recall the web’s ecosystem circa 2005–2007. Blogs were the backbone of digital discourse. There was no Twitter, no TikTok, and YouTube was barely a year old. Comment sections were the main venue for audience engagement. Writers like Kevin, James Kendrick, and Dave Ciccone were the precursors to tech YouTubers and influencers, operating with less polish but more sincerity.

Their blogs documented the convergence of devices, networks, and human behavior. Kevin’s posts about Tablet PCs and UMPCs prefigured the rise of tablets and smartphones; his fascination with SlingPlayer anticipated the streaming revolution. Each entry now reads as a fragment of digital anthropology—capturing a mindset of curiosity rather than consumption.

The Symbolism of “Two Dot Oh”

The name KevinTwoDotOh itself is both a clever pun and a time capsule. The phrase “2.0” was the rallying cry of mid-2000s web culture, symbolizing the transition from static websites to interactive, user-driven platforms—what we now call Web 2.0. In adopting it, Kevin positioned himself as a participant and commentator within that transformation.

Today, as discussions about “Web 3.0” and decentralized internet models dominate tech circles, KevinTwoDotOh.com stands as a reminder of the first great web transition—when individuals, not corporations, were the primary storytellers of the online world.

Preserving the Spirit of Early Tech Blogging

The rebirth of KevinTwoDotOh.com is more than a nostalgic gesture; it’s an act of digital heritage preservation. It revives the voice of a writer who captured a pivotal era in technology—when laptops were turning into tablets, when mobile internet was a novelty, and when the word “blog” still carried a sense of discovery.

Through its restoration, the site now serves as a cultural and historical reference, showing how curiosity, humor, and integrity once shaped the online tech conversation. It also highlights the importance of maintaining our digital past, reminding us that every lost blog, expired domain, or forgotten feed represents a missing piece of the internet’s collective memory.

In a web dominated by algorithms and commercialization, KevinTwoDotOh.com endures as a small but powerful monument to individuality—a signal from the early web that still resonates today.

 

 

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