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The Mobile Gadgeteer

Matthew Miller provides you with news, commentary and in-depth reviews of the latest in mobile gadgetry such as tablets, cutting edge smartphones, and portable gaming.

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

A new Facebook for Windows Mobile application is launched

There were a few things I enjoyed using on the RIM BlackBerry devices I tried in the past and one of the most useful was the excellent Facebook application. However, I use S60, Windows Mobile, and iPhone devices rather than BlackBerry devices and the only way I have found to reliably access Facebook with these devices is through the m.facebook.com website. This is fine for the basics, but doesn't give you all the functionality of a dedicated application like the one seen on RIM devices. A new entry for Windows Mobile was launched, but experiences indicate it may still need some work.

July 7, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Camera UI and photo comparison between four high end Windows Mobile devices

As readers here know, I have been checking out the HTC Touch Diamond and found the camera to be one of the first on a Windows Mobile device that actually works quite well. My buddy Arne Hess, from the::unwired, just posted a great article that compares the camera software and photo quality between the HTC Touch Diamond, Touch Pro, Samsung Omnia SGH-i900, and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. I am just impressed that Arne is able to get so much hands-on time with each of these devices.

July 3, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Google Talk isn't the only iPhone optimized IM client

The news that Google Talk has now been optimized for the Apple iPhone web browser is all over the internet this morning. I also wanted to let IM users know there are other web browser based options for clients other than Google Talk.

July 3, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Google

Hearst provides nine fun, informative, and functional mobile sites

I enjoy finding sites that are optimized for mobile devices and we have been seeing more and more of them being provided with the popularity of the iPhone. There are some folks in the industry who are working hard to bring us entertaining, informative, and functional mobile sites and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the lovely Sophia Stuart a couple of weeks ago in Seattle. Sophia is the director of mobile at Hearst and has done a brilliant job of bringing optimized content to the mobile world.

July 2, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

What is the best method for picking up an iPhone 3G on July 11th?

Now that we know what the AT&T Apple iPhone 3G pricing plans will be on 11 July, I am trying to figure out what will be the best way to purchase my iPhone 3G. It seems that you may not be able to order one online and will have to make your purchase at a retail location and activate it just like other mobile phones you buy today. Let me know in the poll what you think the best method will be for picking up an iPhone 3G next Friday and the results will help me plan my purchase method.

July 2, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

What MP3 player and mobile phone sound the best to you?

I enjoy listening to music during my commute, while working out, and at other times throughout the day and most often use whatever mobile phone I happen to have to listen to those tunes. I also use dedicated MP3 players from time to time and Steve Laser recently approached me with a question about any differences I have found in digital audio players. He then put my response and feedback from several others in an article asking if all MP3 players sound alike. I think we all know the answer is No, but I enjoyed reading about the experiences and feedback that Steve assembled in the article.

July 2, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

First impressions of the HP iPAQ 910 Business Manager

It has been quite a while since HP announced the new iPAQ 900 series back in September 2007 and I was beginning to wonder if the device would end up being vaporware. I was just sent an evaluation HP iPAQ 910 device to check out for a couple of weeks and it looks like the device is getting closer and closer to actually shipping. The iPAQ 910 is currently listed on the HP site for US$499.99 with a red label stating it is coming soon. I posted some product photos in my image gallery and have some initial thoughts and a walk around the device below.

June 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

Lame hands-free law goes into effect in WA State on 1 July 2008

The government is implementing news laws all the time in order to find ways to generate tax revenue, with little factual evidence backing up or validating the laws. I live in Washington State and tomorrow our second hands-free law of the year begins. Back on 1 January of this year a complete ban on text messaging while driving was started. This one actually is fine with me since text messaging while driving is just plain dumb and since it seems that every teen text messages, with little driving experience, hopefully this prevents them from causing accidents. The law going into effect tomorrow, 1 July 2008, prohibits people from holding their cell phone to their ear while making and receiving calls. You can use a wireless Bluetooth, wired headset and just turn on and use your speakerphone capability.

June 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Finance

ShoZu photo sharing application coming to the iPhone

I was pleased to read the my favorite photo/video upload application, ShoZu, will be coming to the iPhone Applicaton Store when it is launched and it will be FREE. I have written about ShoZu a few times and can't say enough about how incredible this application is for those of us who capture photos and videos on our mobile devices and want to share that content with others. With ShoZu coming to the iPhone/iPhone 3G, I now have even more incentive to go purchase the iPhone 3G next week.

June 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Mobile software Monday: Spb Backup 2.0 for Windows Mobile

Some mobile software is flashy and fun while others just get the job done. Spb Backup 2.

June 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobile OS

MobileTechRoundup show #138, Doesn't anyone else have a Nerd Club at work?

James, Kevin, and I spent a bit more time than planned talking about the upcoming iPhone 3G on MobileTechRoundup show #138, but we eventually did move on to talk about lots more in the world of mobile tech. I talked about my experiences with upgrading the Nokia N78 over the air and James is going to try it out soon too. How much can be said about WiMAX and how much will it cost? Kevin let me know about Ubuntu MID Edition and I may actually load it on my Fujitsu U810 since the Intel A110 processor is supported. Great news that the public beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 will soon be available for Windows Mobile and UIQ owners. We also introduced listeners to the Nerd Club.

June 27, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

First public beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 coming on 15 July

I first had a chance to use the upcoming version of Opera Mobile 9.5 at Mobile World Congress on a SE UIQ device and since then I posted my full review and experiences using Opera Mobile 9.5 on the HTC Advantage X7510 and on the HTC Touch Diamond. It is one of the most anticipated mobile software applications I know of and for a very good reason. With the availability of it on a couple of these new devices, I was expecting it to have already been out in public beta mode by now. However, we just found out that the wait is almost over.

June 26, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Will the iPhone 3G support MMS?

According to some information from an internal AT&T employee memo posted on the iPhone Atlas site, the iPhone 3G may actually include MMS support. This multimedia messaging support would allow you to attach photos and maybe short videos to your text messages, just like you can do now on any number of feature and smartphone devices today. It is nothing new in the mobile phone world, but it is something people have been asking for on the Apple iPhone.

June 26, 2008 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Nokia rolls out over-the-air firmware updates with the N78 release

As regular readers know, I spend more time on my mobile phones than I do on a PC or notebook computer so being able to use my devices without connecting them to a computer is important to me. In the past, I have always had to make sure I had a Windows PC around to update my Windows Mobile or Nokia phones, but today that has changed. As presented on the All About Symbian website, Nokia now lets you download and update your device without ever connecting it to a PC. I followed the instructions for the Nokia N78 I am evaluating and even just connected via my T-Mobile EDGE connection.

June 25, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

T-Mobile @Home Talk Forever to launch nationwide on 2 July

I happen to live in one of two areas where T-Mobile was testing out their T-Mobile @Home Talk Forever service and as I wrote about in February I bought the service to see if it would work for me. After about 5 months of using the service, and saving myself $35/month, I am happy to say it is a worthwhile service that T-Mobile customers may want to take a serious look at when it comes to your area. T-Mobile announced that starting on 2 July the service will roll out nationwide. $10/month for unlimited local and long distance calling is a great deal.

June 24, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Telcos