The Mobile Gadgeteer

T-Mobile USA drops data rates

According to The Boy Genius Report, T-Mobile USA may be dropping their unlimited internet data service add-on from US$29.99 to US$19.99/month over the next couple of days. This actually makes a lot of sense since T-Mobile is the only carrier (out of the 4 majors) that doesn't have a 3G network and wireless data is currently limited to EDGE. T-Mobile used to have a US$19.99 EDGE data plan and it isn't clear if this new US$19.99/month plan will also include the T-Mobile HotSpot access that comes now with the US$29.99 plan. If you do not have a voice plan, it seems the data plans will still drop US$10 per month under this new pricing scheme.

September 11, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Software unlocks your Apple iPhone -- for free

I debated over and over about adding AT&T and the iPhone since I am locked into T-Mobile USA for another year and have been closely following the iPhone unlocking stories. I was ready to pay the US$50 to the Australian site for the iPhoneSimFree solution in a couple of days when I just discovered on Gizmodo that the software unlock has been hacked and can now be performed for FREE. You can find both Windows and Mac installation guidance on the Hackint0sh forums and the best Windows directions I found so far can be viewed here and here. Be aware that performing this unlock may brick your iPhone and cancel your warranty and is not endorsed or recommended by ZDNet or myself. That said, I think I am going to take the risk and do it myself and most likely cancel my AT&T contract. I like my T-Mobile service, unlimited text message plan, and family plan options and paying US$45 more per month and juggling multiple SIMs and phone numbers is getting to be a bit of a pain.

September 11, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

MobileTechRoundup show #110, Apple and HP announcements

Apple made several recent iPod and iPhone announcements and on MobileTechRoundup show #110 we start off with our thoughts on the iPhone price drop and Jobs US$100 store credit. We then talked a bit about my HTC Advantage review and whether or not I'll buy the device, the new HP iPAQ devices, thoughts on the iPod Touch and the impact of QVGA to VGA on a handheld. HP also added a 64GB SSD option to its Tablet and Kevin brings in a Palm freeware of the show. We close with a warning of the Quechup spamming social network site.

September 11, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Apple

OQO announces price drop and spec updates for model 02 product line

I was very impressed with the OQO model 02 devices that I had a chance to play with at CES in January 2007, but just didn't have the money to buy one of these when they were made available in March. I spoke with a representative at OQO yesterday and found out about a refresh of their current 3 model lineup that was announced today. The updates include improvements in hard drive sizes, flash hard drive option, RAM upgrades, processor upgrades, and a price drop.

September 9, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Carnival of the Mobilists #90

The timing for my hosting of the Carnival of the Mobilists #90 edition couldn't have been better as the huge Western Washington Fair (aka Puyallup Fair) just kicked off this past weekend. The Puyallup Fair offers you rides, exhibits, food, presentations, concerts, a rodeo, and lots of fun for everyone. The Carnival of the Mobilists also offers you lots of great content and at a much cheaper price than the fair (free actually). Like spending a day browsing the fairgrounds, take a few minutes and browse through this edition of the Carnival.

September 9, 2007 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Pantech C810 brings Helio dual slider design to Windows Mobile

I've been primarily using Windows Mobile Smartphones for the last year or so, with the T-Mobile Dash as my favorite device. I like the integrated QWERTY keyboard, but every once in a while I do miss a phone keypad. I thought the HTC Vox would be the device to knock out the T-Mobile Dash, but I find the Dash just too pocketable to give up even though the Vox is an excellent device. The Helio Ocean is a unique device with a dual sliding design and I personally never gave it much thought because it doesn't run Windows Mobile or S60. It appears that there may soon be a new device I'll have to look at from AT&T though as the Pantech C810 device is now up on Amazon.

September 9, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

HP announces new Windows Mobile and Windows CE devices

It seems the rumors of HP's full re-entry into the Windows Mobile and Windows CE market were spot on. There have been a couple of HP iPAQ Communicators released since the last incredible HP x4700 PDA, but they didn't seem to do very well and never lasted that long in the market. I recommend you check out MobilitySite's post that links to all of the specs and a photo of each of the new 5 series announced last night in New York.

September 6, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Apple rewards iPhone beta testers with $200 early buyer penalty

As Dan pointed out the iPod Touch will be available soon for US$299 and US$399, which is great news for those who want an iPhone experience without the AT&T service. I was actually thinking of selling my iPhone and cancelling AT&T when a few minutes later in the keynote Steve Jobs slapped all of us suckers who bought an iPhone the last two months with the announcement that the 8GB iPhone is now immediately available for US$399 (versus the US$599 price it was yesterday). Wow, I can understand a price drop after a few months, but just two months after the launch and after it is too late for us to return our iPhones. Hmm, I don't know if I am angrier at myself for being a sucker or at Apple for rewarding all of us beta testers. Apple should seriously consider giving us $50, $100 or $200 in iTunes credit or something to try to ease the pain and thank all of us for the success of the iPhone.

September 5, 2007 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

HP may be releasing new Windows Mobile devices

An HP Jornada 548 was my first Pocket PC back in 2001 and then for the next couple of years I primarily stuck with the HP line (568, 4340, 1940, etc) and was very happy with the HP Jornada and iPAQ models. HP has been quite silent in the Windows Mobile world for a couple of years, but a new post at Unwired View reveals rumors of 5 new Windows Mobile devices from HP. There are Phone Edition, Smartphone, and standalone PDA models in the collection. I was really surprised to see a non-phone model since it has been quite some time since we have seen a non-Palm PDA.

September 5, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Palm makes one of its smartest decisions and cancels the Foleo

I predicted that the Palm Foleo would be the beginning and end of the mobile companion category, but according to Mr. Ed Colligan it won't even make it to the beginning now. Palm has decided to pull the plug on the Foleo project and even though I am a mobile device nut I have to say I think this is one of the smartest moves Palm coud have made. Are any readers saddened by the news?

September 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Carnival of the Mobilists #89, what is this N-Gage platform?

A good way to start off your week is by checking out the links to mobile articles in the Carnival of the Mobilists. Carnival #89 is hosted this week by WAP Review and includes articles related to new products and technologies, the Apple iPhone, business topics, and how mobilility is being used in society. I particularly enjoyed the selected Post of the Week detailing the new N-Gage platform since I was still looking for some new N-Gage hardware until I finally took the time to understand that N-Gage is no longer a device, but a platform that runs on new Nokia devices that serve many other purposes. Next week, I'll be hosting the Carnival right here on the Mobile Gadgeteer so stay tuned for that as well.

September 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Proporta's Alu-Leather Nokia N800 provides good protection and functionality

I thoroughly enjoy using the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet and think the form factor is perfect for the intended purposes. With two SD card slots providing you with lots of opportunities for storage capacity, you can also use your N800 as a video playing device. In the past my wrists have gotten tired holding up my PSP on the plane to watch movies so I was looking for a solution for the N800 (although it does have a good integrated stand as well). I also wanted to somehow protect that large beautiful display while traveling and commuting. Proporta released an accessory that met these exact desires with their Proporta Nokia n800 Series Alu-Leather Case.

August 30, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Storage

Nokia announces 5 new devices and a new music store

We have known that there was going to be a big Nokia announcements in London today after they advertised their Nokia: GoPlay event. Five new Nokia devices were announced at the event, including the recently rumored Nokia N81 (standard and 8GB model) and Nokia N95 8GB devices. The two other new devices are the 5310 and 5610 XpressMusic phones. To add music to these devices, Nokia also announced the Nokia Music Store. The Nokia Music Store will be opening in Europe and Asia and offering both single track purchases and subscription services.

August 29, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

Is the HTC Advantage really the most powerful mobile office?

I posted my first impressions of the HTC Advantage about 10 days ago and have been using it as my primary device ever since it arrived. I actually wrote 90% of this review on the HTC Advantage with a Think Outside Sierra Bluetooth keyboard. Yes, I have even been using it as my mobile phone, even though the form factor is not optimized for this and HTC really doesn't even advertise its mobile phone functionality. Surprisingly, it actually performed as one of the best quality mobile phones I have ever used, but there are trade-offs that I'll talk about later. The HTC Advantage is the most powerful and full-featured Windows Mobile Professional device on the market and it is the largest Phone Edition I have used before. HTC's retail box states that the HTC Advantage X7501 is "The most powerful mobile office" and after over 2 weeks with the device I tend to agree it is an amazing device in a form factor that meets a great balance of compromises. Do I think it is worth the US$850 retail price (Amazon.com price) and will I be buying one for myself after sending back the evaluation unit?

August 27, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

MobileTechRoundup show #109, Palm, unlocked devices and T-Mobile 3G

James starts off MobileTechRoundup show #109 by highlighting why a hosted Exchange service can be valuable to mobile enthusiasts and those with multiple devices. Kevin, James, and I then talk a bit about Palm, both the Foleo and the Engadget open letter. The new Nokia N95s revealed by the FCC have us excited and we chat a bit about buying unlocked devices versus carrier subsidized ones. T-Mobile may finally be rolling out 3G soon and Verizon is going to enable GPS in their device before the end of the year. We couldn't go a whole show without mentioning the iPhone and our freeware of the show is a way to do some basic hacking that is user friendly.