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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

MobileTechRoundup #122, thoughts about happenings in the mobile space

We had a few technical difficulties getting this latest show up for our listeners, but MobileTechRoundup show #122 is now available for your listening pleasure. We voiced our opinions on the MacBook Air, talked about the iPhone update 1.1.3 and why I finally stopped jailbreaking my device. James loves his HP 2710 and let us know there is a 64GB SSD option now available too. Kevin is moving away from his hosted Exchange service thanks to Gmail's IMAP feature and other solutions. The gang chimes in about the Skyfire Windows Mobile browser and how it could really make the HTC Advantage an even better UMPC alternative. There were a few other mobile topics discussed so head on over and listen to the show.

February 3, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

What happens to my mobile services if Microsoft buys Yahoo!?

The big news of the day is obviously the Microsoft bid for Yahoo! and this immediately prompted me to wonder how this would impact my mobile usage of Yahoo's services. I currently use Flickr for my online photo repository and mobile upload tool. I have a couple of Yahoo! email accounts and belong to a few Yahoo! Groups. I also enjoy using the Yahoo! Go services such as email, photos, sports, news, maps, and search on my mobile devices and find it to be one of the best mobile services clients that is available today. Lastly, I am a Yahoo! Music unlimited subscriber and have unlimited subscription music playing on my Windows Mobile and S60 devices. In addition, Yahoo! services work quite well on Macs and many Microsoft services are not fully supported on Macs so this is a concern of mine as well.

February 1, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Social Media

Qik automatically adds titles to your mobile video

I purchased a Nokia N95-3 about a month ago and then installed Qik to take streaming video after hearing about it on Robert Scoble's blog. I have only shot a few videos, primarily of family activities and of me crawling around a container ship because I thought people might like to see something like that. It snowed here in Washington the other day so my family and I headed to the local bowling alley for a couple of games with all the league cancellations. I discovered something quite interesting that night with the Qik service.

January 31, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Is Dell going to announce plans for a Google Android device at Mobile World Congress?

It has been rumored off and on through the last few years that Dell was going to launch a Windows Mobile Smartphone as a natural evolution of its foray into the PDA market with the popular Dell Axim devices. Needless to say, those Dell smartphones never arrived and the rumors just remained rumors. Well, the rumor now is that Dell may launch an Android device in partnership with Google. We already know that HTC, Motorola, and other manufacturers are onboard with the Open Handset Alliance and it is big news to hear that Dell may be joining them.

January 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Dell

HyperOffice announces iPhone corporate e-mail integration

With the recent announcement of iPhone corporate data plans more people in enterprise may be thinking about how to support the iPhone as a business tool. Steven sent me a press release announcing that HyperOffice is now iPhone ready and will allow you to connect your iPhone to corporate email, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes.

January 30, 2008 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Will T-Mobile USA finally carry another Palm OS device?

I enjoyed the short time I spent with the Palm Cento from Sprint and have actually recommended it to a few people who fit the profile for the device. These people actually LOVE the device and are pleased I told them about this compact smartphone. There is a GSM version available now from Vodafone in Europe and rumors of a GSM version eventually coming to the U.S. Most rumors had the device coming to AT&T in the U.S., but now Engadget Mobile has posted a photo of a Centro with the T-Mobile logo on it so we may see it from T-Mobile as well.

January 28, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Smartphones

Mobile browsing may get a boost with SkyFire and Firefox Mobile

One major weakness of the Windows Mobile platform, compared to S60 and the iPhone, is the rather poor Internet Explorer Mobile web browser. There are a few initiatives underway that may significantly improve that experience and if so, then something like the HTC Advantage could actually serve as my primary mobile computer. Upcoming browsers include SkyFire and Firefox Mobile, while there are also some existing options like ThunderHawk and Opera Mobile that may improve your browsing experience too.

January 27, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

Is the HTC Advantage the Ultimate UMPC?

I wrote up a rather detailed review of the HTC Advantage back in August 2007 and since that time I have continued to discover how powerful of a device the Advantage really is or can be made to be with 3rd party software applications. I have been thinking about picking up an ultra portable device like the Fujitsu U810 or Samsung Q1 Ultra, but then I find articles like Steve Laser's take on the HTC Advantage that inspire me to evaluate whether the Advantage already meets any function that an ultra portable may provide.

January 27, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Tablets

Several mobile challenges were presented at BibleTech:2008

I spent the last couple of days at the BibleTech: 2008 conference here in the Seattle area that brought together geeks who love the Lord and are providing Bible tools on computers, including mobile devices. You can check out all my blog posts on the sessions I attended on my personal blog. Three of the last six sessions I attended on Saturday focused on mobility and experiences from Olive Tree Bible Software and Laridian.

January 26, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Use your Nokia N95 as a Bluetooth GPS receiver and modem for your N800

I was sent a Nokia N800 to evaluate as part of the Nokia Nseries Blogger Relations program and have used it off and on for a couple of months, but after updating the device to the latest OS 2008 and preparing for CES I discovered the real power of the device. I am actually putting together an extended article on the N800 that should go live early next week. I also found the N95-1 to be such a compelling device that I recently purchased a Nokia N95-3 from to take advantage of the HSDPA speeds here in the U.S. As I was messing around with both devices tonight I discovered something that just lightened my gear bag load and that you may find useful as you hit the road with a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet and a Nokia N95.

January 23, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Palm settles lawsuit for excessive Treo 600/650 repairs

I just received the following notice in my email inbox from an email address (Palm__Inc@news.palmnewsletters.com) with Palm Inc. in the header. Apparently there was a class action lawsuit that was settled out of court and all the details can be found on the Palza Settlement website. The detailed email is quoted below, but essentially if you purchased a Treo 600 or 650 then you can either get a US$50 or US$75 rebate (depending on your device) on a new Palm smartphone if you had experienced two or more repairs or you can get your hardware repaired even if your device is out of warranty.

January 23, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Travelocity launches iPhone-optimized travel site

I recently mentioned that Pocket Express released an iPhone-optimized site for traveler information. I guess it really does pour when it rains as Travelocity also just announced the availability of their iPhone and iPod Touch optimized mobile travel site. Simply point your Safari mobile browser to iphone.travelocity.com to access this new site.

January 22, 2008 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

RIM announces BlackBerry platform enhancements

RIM announced that BlackBerry owners will be receiving updates for their devices that adds enhanced functionality and security. These new software updates will be phased in over the first half of 2008 and if you buy a new device in mid to late 2008 it should have the updates already installed. The updates include enhanced messaging and collaboration, simpler management and support for IT departments, enhanced security, and expanded application support.

January 22, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

iPhone enterprise data plans are now available

Today we see the launch of the Apple iPhone for the enterprise with the same hardware, but a completely new pricing scheme with incentives. One of the biggest disappointments for those with AT&T corporate plans was the lack of direct support for these plans. In the past if you wanted an iPhone to use at your company you pretty much had to sign up for a personal account with AT&T to get the device.

January 21, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Collaboration

HP iPAQ 210 PDA starts shipping for US$449

It is quite rare to find a dedicated PDA without phone functionality today, but it looks like HP is now shipping their iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld. This is quite a powerful PDA with a 624MHz processor, 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, integrated Compact Flash and integrated Secure Digital slots, 4 inch VGA (480x640 pixels) display, integrated WiFi and integrated Bluetooth radios. Actually, the Dell Axim X51v I have from a couple years ago has just about the same specs, the display is 3.7 inches instead of 4 inches. However, you can no longer find the Axim X51v or HP hx4700 so this new HP is really your only choice for a high-end stand alone PDA.

January 17, 2008 by Matthew Miller in Mobility