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Smartphones and Cell Phones

Matthew Miller provides you with news, commentary and in-depth reviews of the latest in mobile phones sporting iOS, Android, and Windows.

Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller started using mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned hundreds of devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. His current collection includes the latest and greatest foldables, wearables, and more, along with classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various social networks under the user name of "palmsolo."

Latest Posts

Palm webOS firmware update 1.3.5 comes to the Pre and Pixi

Palm Pre and Pixi owners received a late Christmas present last night in terms of the webOS 1.3.5 firmware update that weighs in at just 13MB. I no longer have a Palm Pre, but make sure to head over to PreCentral.net to check out all the details of the upgrade. The upgrade is available for both webOS devices, the Pre and Pixi, but is currently limited to the US model of the Palm Pre.

December 28, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Smartphones

Engadget takes an in-depth look back on 10 years of BlackBerry

I have used a couple of BlackBerry devices over the past few years, but never have fully embraced one as my primary device. That said, I think they are pretty incredible devices that meet the needs of millions and enjoyed this in-depth article at Engadget looking at ten years of the BlackBerry. It sure brings back the memories seeing those RIM pagers and early BlackBerry models that so many people swore by. BlackBerry devices today appeal to both the enterprise customer and consumer as I have personally seen in my life

December 28, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

T-Mobile G1 may get Android 2.x update

I picked up a T-Mobile G1 back when T-Mobile launched the device in late 2008 and wrote my most extensive review ever on the device. I still have my G1 and after using lots of different Android devices I still like it because the keyboard is one of the best on mobile phones and the device is still very capable. I just read some great news for those of us who still own a G1 and that is we may see an Eclair Android 2.x update soon.

December 28, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Celebrate the season with Soulbytes on your iPhone

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday and in the spirit of celebrating the birth of Jesus I wanted to update you on the Soulbyte product that I wrote about in the summer. Soulbytes are compilations of Scripture verses paraphrased in today's language with a selection of modern music genres that play in the background. The news this week is that have released an iPhone-optimized version of their site that you can find at m.soulbyte.com. You will find a landing page with a bunch of different categories that you then select and choose from different music background choices to listen to

December 25, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Review: Nokia N900 shows there's a web browser for that

I've written a couple of times here on the blog about the fact that I have been using an evaluation Nokia N900 since October with my loan period expiring in January. I have been focusing on writing up a TON of posts as I created the Definitive Nokia N900 Guide to give my Nokia Experts readers all the details on this extremely powerful device. As a Christmas present to you kind readers here on my ZDNet blog I decided to also post a full review of the Nokia N900 for you all to unwrap and enjoy. You may want to start with my image gallery, move down to my video, and then read the details about my experiences with the device. At the very end of this review you will find out exactly what I think of the device after using it quite heavily these past two months.

December 22, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

First 1GHz Snapdragon WM device in US comes as AT&T's $200 LG eXpo

A couple of months ago LG stated they would be bringing a large number of Windows Mobile devices to market and they caught me a bit off guard with the very first 1GHz Snapdragon device to launch in the US with the LG eXpo on AT&T. This Windows Mobile 6.5 device is available for only $199.99 after rebates and contract and will have an optional Pico projector pack for $179.99 if you want to give presentations on the go. As you can see on the AT&T site this is quite a device and I will have to swing by my local AT&T store to check one out.

December 16, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

Top posts, devices, and smartphone awards for 2009

Why are people so excited about the Google phone? It's been done before

I am amazed that there has been so much chatter on Twitter and the Internet over the "Google phone" these past few days since there is nothing new here and all it looks to be is an upgraded piece of hardware that was fully expected. Sascha Segan posted exactly what I feel about the Google phone and rather than write up my same thoughts I highly recommend you read his latest column explaining why this device is NOT a game changer, iPhone killer, savior to the US smartphone market.

December 14, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Google

Bah Humbug: Apple countersues Nokia for infringing on 13 patents

A couple of months ago Nokia filed suit against Apple for using 10 wireless technologies they patented without compensation. It looks like Apple is getting into the holiday spirit by countersuing Nokia stating that Nokia is infringing on 13 Apple patents. There are no details yet on what those 13 patents pertain to so we will have to keep an eye out to see what Apple believes Nokia took from them. I wonder how hard Apple had to dig to find more patents than Nokia accused them of stealing?

December 10, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Legal

MobileTechRoundup show #192, Nokia, Nook, and T-Mobile HSPA+

We started off MobileTechRoundup show #192 with one of my favorite topics, Nokia. They posted their 2010 plan and I was able to recently share my experiences with their devices. James has an HD2 and Kevin has a Nokia N900 so we chatted about those experiences as well. Kevin also tested out the new super fast T-Mobile wireless data network and discovered the N900 supports it well. My nook also arrived and I offered up some initial thoughts.

December 9, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

Nokia to close two US Flagship stores, refocus on carrier and partner relationships

My Nokia contact just let me know some disappointing, but not fully unexpected, news that the New York and Chicago Flagship stores would be closing soon. We heard a couple days ago that the UK Regent Street store was closing and it seems it just hasn't made economic sense to continue with a retail presence in the UK or US given the current economic crisis and environment we are currently in. They will continue to work on developing their brand awareness in the US, but just not through a direct retail store.

December 9, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

3rd Annual Smartphone Round Robin kicks off

What do you get when you take the best editors from every mobile platform and put them together for the weekend in Orlando? You get the 3rd Annual Smartphone Round Robin of course. Today kicks off a 6 week adventure that you are all going to want to follow and participate in as there is some amazing podcast, video, and written content coming your way along with a top smartphone from each platform being given away as prizes throughout the event. You will want to bookmark this site and follow the chart so you can see which of your favorite sites and platforms are being covered each week. This week kicks off with an introductory podcast with the specific platform content coverage starting next Monday.

December 9, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Motorola DROID getting full featured firmware update soon

I had a chance last weekend to spend a bit of time with the Motorola Droid from Verizon Wireless and was impressed by the display and solid form factor. I didn't think the keyboard was that great and prefer the HTC Sense flavor of the Android OS. Those of you who own the Verizon Droid will be pleased to know that a firmware update should start rolling out today that address a ton of issues, as listed on the Android Central website and copied below.

December 8, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

Verizon confirms Android 2.0 upgrade with Google Maps Navigation for Droid Eris

HTC previously stated they are working on an upgrade from Android 1.5 to Android 2.0 for the HTC Hero devices while they are skipping Android 1.6. Verizon has announced they will be bringing Android 2.0 with Google Maps Navigation to the HTC Droid Eris in the first quarter of 2010. Also, this weekend you can get a Droid Eris for free when you buy one for $99.99.

December 4, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Google

HP iPAQ Glisten brings an OLED display to a forward QWERTY device

The last HP iPAQ device I had a chance to try out was the iPAQ 910 and that was in July of 2008. I didn't expect HP to still be in the smartphone game a year and a half later, but we now see the HP iPAQ Glisten coming to AT&T business channels. My buddy Chris was sent one to evaluate and posted his unboxing and first look article this morning.

December 1, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility