Faqs
From AlwaysInnovating
Find here the answers to the most common questions about the Touch Book.
Got trouble with your Touch Book? We're very sorry to hear that. You'd better read our troubleshooting guide.
General usage
What can I do with the Touch Book in keyboard mode?
Pretty much anything you can do with a standard netbook, including editing basic office documents, browsing the web and watching Hulu or Youtube videos.
What can I do with the Touch Book in tablet mode?
Pretty much the same; the only difference is that the keyboard is a screen one (and let you type anything you need), and the mouse is your finger. That said, you can obviously surf the web, check your emails, watch videos, editing documents...
Can I replace my computer with the Touch Book?
You could. Nevertheless, we don't see the Touch Book as your primary machine, but rather as an additional, portable computer which can better fit your needs in various circumstances.
Is there a service associated with the Touch Book?
No.
How mature is the system?
The hardware is now final at shipment. Software is still in beta, probably till the end of 2009.
How 'open' is your hardware design?
The Always Innovating strongly believes and supports the recent open hardware efforts. The open hardware business model is very similar to open source. Over time, we provide back to the community all of our efforts but if you have any interest to pay for a premium service, we will provide first-class support as well as early access to our software and hardware developments. Please contact us for more detailed information.
Hardware
How many batteries are in the device?
Two. One in each part.
How long is the battery life?
Battery life really depends on usage. The standalone touchscreen should last between 3 and 5 hours. With the keyboard attached, the system should last around 10 hours. Software - especially the PM (Power Management) branch of linux-omap - will extend the battery life of the device.
I heard about internal USBs? What are they?
The innovative design includes internal USB plugs. We all hate having dongles hanging from our laptop - we often end up disconnecting them accidentally — so we opted to put the USB inside. If putting a USB device inside your Touch Book sounds hard - don't worry! We've designed the Touch Book so you can easily open it up to add and remove USB devices.
What is the size of the screen?
Diagonal: 8.9 in (226 mm). The screen resolution is 1024 × 600 pixels.
Does the Touch Book use a stylus?
There is a stylus included in the package; you're free to use it or not!
Can the Touch Book be used with an external monitor?
The Touch Book does not have an external monitor port right now. However, it will support the various USB-to-VGA adapters available on the market, which you can use to connect your Touch Book to an external screen.
Does the Touch Book support multitouch?
No. And we don't think that it's an issue. Multitouch is interesting when you want to zoom in / zoom out. At 1024×600, the Touch Book screen is big enough so that you don't need to zoom all the time as you have to do it on the iPhone.
What is the color of the Touch Book?
The Touch Book is black inside, silver on the sides, and with a beautiful red back pane. Please visit the gallery.
Can the 8GB SD card be replaced with a larger one?
Yes. SDHC cards are supported. Note that it will require some special formatting for the system to work. Detailed step-by-step information is available here.
Can I use any Bluetooth devices on the Touch Book?
The Touch Book comes with a Bluetooth dongle to let you connect your favourite third-party devices.
Can I get cellular access with the Touch Book?
The Touch Book does not have built-in cellular access, but it supports some of the 3G USB dongles sold by carriers.
Can I use any hard drive with the Touch Book?
You can plug a USB hard drive into the Touch Book.
Can I use any webcam with the Touch Book?
You can plug a USB webcam into the Touch Book. Most are supported by the Always Innovating OS.
Can we add memory on the Touch Book?
You can't add more memory as it is directly shipped on the processor, but the current amount of RAM is designed to fully match the needs of the device.
How big is the Touch Book?
Not too big, not too small: please check the physical dimensions page.
Can I use any CD/DVD drive with the Touch Book?
You can plug an external USB CD/DVD drive into the Touch Book and watch your DVDs.
What about screen rotation capabilities?
The Touch Book includes an accelerometer so it can detect when you move the device around. You can use the Touch Book in landscape or portrait mode.
How much power is consumed by the Touch Book?
The Touch Book is powered by 5V @ 3.5A (17.5W). The minimum needed is probably 1.5A (7.5W). As the input is a low voltage, the Touch Book can potentially be used in a car.
Is the Touch Book RoHS compliant?
To our best knowledge, the Touch Book is built only with RoHS components. As we don't have too much time, we have not certified the Touch Book with EPEAT but we think that the device is certainly EPEAT silver and even perhaps at the gold level.
Software
Which OS is installed on the Touch Book?
The Touch Book will ship with the Touch Book OS by default. Since the Touch Book has been designed with the help of a vibrant open source community that believes in diversity, you can install many other OSes, like Ubuntu, Angstrom, Gentoo, and soon Google Android. You are free to do whatever you want.
Can it run Windows XP/Vista/7?
XP and Vista: no. Microsoft is still debating what they will do for Windows 7 regarding their ARM support. You should drop them a line! ;-)
Can it run Mac OS X?
No.
What sort of video can I play on the system?
Up to HD video 720p. That's the best of what the hardware can do. Note that there is still some software work to do so as to fully leverage the hardware. As mentioned earlier, the Touch Book will ship as final hardware but software will still be in beta at that time. Also, 720p full screen is superior to the screen resolution of the device (1024×600). At least, 720p is a reference point that should give you an idea of what you can expect from the Touch Book.
Which audio/video formats can the Touch Book play?
Almost any. Linux is mature enough to read any audio/video format.
Can it run iPhone applications?
Here's what Always Innovating founder Grégoire Gentil has to say about the subject: "That's a very tricky question both technically and legally. Technically, there are some mechanisms to do that, nevertheless, it all depends of what Apple will do. When it comes to iPod/iTunes, for example, most people agree the company has effectively locked up their system. Legally, I have not seen anything that would impede it, but I'm not a lawyer. Bottom-line, we will have at least a couple of best-selling iPhone games available at launch. It may be a full port or it may use another mechanism. However, I would discourage you from buying a Touch Book if your primary reason is to run a specific iPhone application. We cannot guarantee the position of all actors by the time we launch. We are not interested in picking a fight against a company we all respect. It is just that the Touch Book team believes in openness, open source, and will continue to create and advocate for open systems."
Which applications are available on the Touch Book?
You can find the list of all the applications installed on the device on this wiki. It is updated for each OS release. Nevertheless, you'll be able to install any Linux application, so even if the application you want isn't available by default, you'll be able to install it yourself.
Can it run drawing and sketching applications? Does the touchscreen handles pressure levels for these applications?
Yes and yes. There are a few applications installed on the Touch Book to do that. The resistive touch screen is pressure sensitive.
Which ebook formats can read the Touch Book?
The Touch Book can read most of the ebook formats, especially all those are not DRM-protected.
Does the Touch Book handle handwriting recognition?
There are many installed applications on the Touch Book (qwo, )
What about Java support?
Java is supported on the Touch Book.
Can I easily use the Touch Book without the keyboard?
Yes and it's getting better and better. We try to provide a UI à la iPhone which is finger-proof!
Can I open, modify and save Microsoft Office documents?
Yes and it's getting better and better. OpenOffice will be available in a coming release and will offer better compatibility with Microsoft Office documents.
Can I use Instant Messaging on the Touch Book, like MSN, Yahoo or GTalk?
Yes. With the Messenger (Pidgin) application, you can connect to any chat network.
Am I protected from viruses on the Touch Book?
The Touch Book comes with a Linux-based operating system, which is known to be much more resistant to virus than the proprietary Microsoft Windows OSes. Based on open source, everybody can review the source code and see that there is no harm virus in the operating system.
Support and sales
What kind of support should I expect?
Unlimited online, forums, mailing list and email incidents.
What is the warranty of the device?
The Touch Book comes with a 12 month limited warranty. Some components due to excessive usage or deterioration will not be covered by the warranty. Read the terms for more information.
When can I buy the Touch Book?
The Touch Book is already available: you can order it online. Due to our current backlog, your order should be processed within 4 to 6 weeks.
What are the countries you are selling the Touch Book?
We are selling the Touch Book to the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (Great Britain), and the United States. We may add countries to that list later on, but we don't have a timetable yet.
What is the shipping cost?
Between $15 and $20 for the US, around $40 for international destinations. There is no handling charge.
What will be the return policy?
Fifteen days from shipment date if the device is returned in its original condition. There may be additional fee. Please read our warranty and return policy for more information.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We have not yet figured out the multi-language keyboard production, but you can already order a Touch Book if your shipping address is among the list above. Orders processing are subject to the same delays as US orders, but expect one or two weeks more for delivery due to transit and customs. We only ship to the countries listed in the order form. We may add countries to that list later on, but we don't have a timetable yet.
If I'm ordering now, when will I be charged: immediately or once the Touch Book ships?
Your credit card will not be charged immediately, but only a few days before shipping. You will receive a confirmation email at this time.
How can I get an answer to a question that is not answered above?
Read this wiki, search our forums, and if needed, contact our Help Desk.
