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

Smartphone lines; rock concerts for the mobile phone geek

Smartphone lines; rock concerts for the mobile phone geek

Yes, I am in line yet again for a new smartphone. The funny thing is that I was not planning to line up for the Palm Pre or this current iPhone 3G S just two weeks ago. I couldn't resist the Pre with my business trip to Hawaii and desire to get some good hands-on time with the Pre. I was able to sell my iPhone 3G for a good price on Craigslist yesterday that makes this iPhone 3G S a fairly inexpensive upgrade and after reading several reviews I think I will really appreciate the updated camera, faster speed, and longer battery life (I still want Pandora to stream in the background though Apple). People used to sleep outside for days for concert tickets (maybe they still do) and I see these smartphone lines as nothing really different. The original iPhone was the first time I stood in line and now it has become something of a geek tradition with my 3rd iPhone line.

June 18, 2009 by in Mobile Carriers

Palm Pre returned, Sprint coverage and Android main factors

Palm Pre returned, Sprint coverage and Android main factors

As readers know I waited in line in Hawaii to pick up my Palm Pre and then followed up with my one week thoughts on using the device. I am a fan of Palm devices and even though the device has some issues and very few applications available I would have kept it to test out and explore Palm's WebOS if it was released on a GSM carrier. I would probably have even forked over the $75 monthly fee to keep it as a Sprint device if I was able to get decent Sprint coverage where I live, work, and play. I could have made due with the lack of coverage at my house with the use of WiFi, but I was not seeing good solid coverage in most every area where I commute and travel. Some of these coverage issues may also be related to the device as I was seeing it bounce between no coverage to full coverage in places that were close together.

June 17, 2009 by in Hardware

Review: Documents To Go raises the bar for iPhone word processing

Review: Documents To Go raises the bar for iPhone word processing

One limitation on the iPhone that has always kept another device in my gear bag ready to go is the lack of ability to create or edit Microsoft Office Word documents. Just over a month ago, Quickoffice launched their Office-compatible product and I bought it right away. It is a solid product, but has a couple of annoying issues (lack of iPhone predictive keyboard support, awkward connection method, etc.) that had me hoping for something more. DataViz did just that for Word documents and launched the outstanding Documents To Go product for the iPhone. They set the bar with this product as it gives you just about everything you need for mobile Word document creation, editing, and viewing. They also took it a bit further and have a product (Documents To Go with Exchange Attachments) that lets you download, edit, view, and resend Word documents from within the application. An Excel spreadsheet product is under development and will be provided for FREE to all customers who buy the Documents To Go product. I was also blown away by the low introductory price of $4.99 and $9.99 (for product with Exchange attachments support), given that I have paid $50 in the past for the Documents To Go product on Palm and BlackBerry devices. I also just recently paid $20 for the Google Android Documents To Go product and it is easy to see that the iPhone pricing model definitely impacts prices that developers can set for products. Check out over 80 product screenshots in my image gallery to see if the product meets your needs.

June 14, 2009 by in Mobility

First thoughts on the Nokia N97, not as impressed as I should be

First thoughts on the Nokia N97, not as impressed as I should be

I am working on an article for this blog to go live on Monday that compares the two latest/upcoming devices from the grandfathers of the mobile world; the Nokia N97 and HTC Touch Pro2. In the meantime, you can check out some of my first thoughts after a day with the Nokia N97. I have to say that so far I am finding the Nokia E71x to be a more useful device for me and am not really loving the home screen widgets or QWERTY keyboard of the N97. The N97 arrived at a good time though as I enter my second week with the Palm Pre with the iPhone 3G S launch just around the corner. I can tell you right now that in all likelihood at least one of these devices will be returned because of either the device functionality or carrier coverage.

June 13, 2009 by in Microsoft

Is our love for Palm clouding our Pre judgement?

Is our love for Palm clouding our Pre judgement?

Palm is where I started with mobile devices back in 1997 and they have had their ups and downs over the years with me serving as a fan and as a hater during different phases of the company. I read Jonathan Feldman's article on being an ex-Palm user and have to also wonder how much of the excitement around the Palm Pre is due to our desire to see a company like Palm succeed and stay competitive in today's mobile space. As I wrote up earlier, the Palm Pre is a good start with many great aspects, but it is a year or so behind the Apple iPhone and several months behind the Android platform. We all seem to remember the good things in our past and try to put the bad things behind us, but we shouldn't be too quick to forget all those rocky times we had with our old Palm devices either.

June 12, 2009 by in Hardware