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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

Engadget slaps Palm right upside the head

Engadget slaps Palm right upside the head

Engadget just posted an editorial that I think most of us who have used Palm devices in the past have been thinking and writing about titled, Dear Palm: It's time for an intervention. The article cuts to the chase and clearly lists some excellent considerations for Palm to make. The thing is that much of what the Engadget gang wrote has been posted about in online discussion forums and is quite obvious to the casual mobile fan, yet Palm seems to have just ignored years of unsolicited advice. Granted, they are still selling Treo devices, many to companies who lag a couple years behind the front line of mobile techonology, but their legacy won't keep them sustained forever and they need to take a fresh look at their product lineup and their plans for the future.

August 21, 2007 by in Mobility

Qwest is first to launch an HTC Libra device

Qwest is first to launch an HTC Libra device

It has been almost a full year since we last heard of the HTC Libra Windows Mobile device and it looks like it is finally available from someone in the U.S. I left Qwest Wireless a few years ago due to the limited selection of devices, but since they have partnered with Sprint they have been able to get the latest and greatest into their lineup. The Qwest Fusion HTC 5800 is available now for only US$199.99 and is a full Windows Mobile Professional device with touch screen and the full Pocket PC operating system. You will notice the device looks similar to the HTC Vox with a standard phone keypad on the front and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but the major difference is the touch screen display and full Pocket PC operating system.

August 21, 2007 by in Mobility

Nokia N95 voted Best Media Phone in Europe

Nokia N95 voted Best Media Phone in Europe

As I just mentioned a couple of days ago I keep going back to the Nokia N95 when I want to carry around a solid phone and it actually has my T-Mobile SIM in it with no data connectivity. As stated in the Nokia press release, the Nokia N95 was just voted 'the European Media Phone of the Year 2007-2008' by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), Europe's leading association for consumer electronics. In Europe, and elsewhere outside the U.S., the N95 actually works on 3G networks so those users get an even better experience than we do with our EDGE-enabled N95 devices. The judging panel cited the N95s feature set like the integrated GPS receiver, 5 megapixel camera, and 30 fps video capture capabilities. The two issues I would like to see improved to make the N95 an even better device are the low RAM and low battery capacity.

August 16, 2007 by in Mobility

HTC Kaiser reviews are starting to appear

HTC Kaiser reviews are starting to appear

Does HTC think I have an unlimited budget for devices or something? I am very close to springing for my own HTC Advantage after spending almost 2 weeks with the device (look for my full review in the next few days) and then I see the TrustedReviews HTC Kaiser review that gave this device an extremely high rating. The HTC Kaiser may be coming to AT&T as soon as early September and it looks like it fills the gap between a smartphone and a Windows Mobile Professional mini-tablet device, like the Advantage, perfectly. The review gives a good overall look at the hardware, including the TouchFLO technology, but I would also like to see more details on the GPS functionality, HSDPA performance, and Bluetooth connectivity.

August 15, 2007 by in Mobility

First T-Mobile USA 3G device may be coming in September

First T-Mobile USA 3G device may be coming in September

I've been with T-Mobile for over 5 years now and was patiently waiting for them to roll out 3G when I decided that the iPhone was enough to take me over to AT&T where I could get a 3G SIM to use on devices like the HTC TyTN and HTC Advantage. I just read the news on The Boy Genius Report that the first 3G mobile phone from T-Mobile USA may be coming in September. The 3G network may not be activated at that time, but the 1700 MHz UMTS network should already be in place and ready to go. The Samsung t639 looks like a decent clamshell feature phone, but wouldn't be something I would personally purchase. I am still pleased with my AT&T data service because I am seeing 3.5G speeds with HSDPA on both the TyTN and evaluation Advantage right now and the UMTS network that T-Mobile will be coming out with generally sees speeds less than half of what HSDPA brings to you.

August 14, 2007 by in Mobility

Will the HTC Shift become the ultimate mobile productivity device?

Will the HTC Shift become the ultimate mobile productivity device?

HTC (High Tech Computer) is the premier manufacturer of Windows Mobile devices and back in March they shocked me a bit with the announcement of the HTC Shift ultra-portable Windows PC. Hugo Ortega is one of the luckiest gadget enthusiasts in the world as I believe he is the first guy to get his hands on the device and posted a very informative and thorough video over at GottaBeMobile.com. It also came to light that the HTC Shift is not only a full Windows Vista PC, but also a Windows Mobile 6 Professional device and there is a quick switch button to toggle between the two operating systems. Hugo stated you can get a mind-blowing 7 days of battery life out of the Windows Mobile side, but we'll have to see that tested for me to truly grasp that number. It looks like HTC is entering the ultra portable PC game with a bang and all the other manufacturers will definitely want to take a good hard look at the device as it appears that the Shift sets the new standard.

August 13, 2007 by in Mobility

MobileTechRoundup show #108, HTC Advantage initial impressions and analysis

MobileTechRoundup show #108, HTC Advantage initial impressions and analysis

We didn't initially plan for MobileTechRoundup show #108 to be a single focus podcast and it rarely happens, but James and I have had the chance to play with the newly released HTC Advantage and have lots to talk about. Kevin asks some great questions and we all chat about the many strengths and couple of weaknesses of the most powerful Pocket PC Phone Edition (aka Windows Mobile 6 Professional) device currently available. I actually just left the Gnomedex 7 conference today after using only the HTC Advantage to keep all my conference notes, manage my calendar, follow and post Twitter feeds, and more. The Advantage performed like a champ and I am finding it more and more useful as I continue to evaluate the device.

August 12, 2007 by in Mobility

15 minutes of hands-on time with the Palm Foleo, still not quite sold on it yet

15 minutes of hands-on time with the Palm Foleo, still not quite sold on it yet

I posted about the Palm Foleo announcement on 30 May. A few days later after digesting some more information I posted some more extensive thoughts on the Foleo and stated I was going to wait to pass any final judgement on it until I actually had a chance to try it out. Well, while at Gnomedex 7 these last couple of days I was able to play with the Foleo a few times at the Palm table and put together the short video walkthrough you see below. I was filming and operating the Foleo at the same time and see that my video is of to the right a bit, so sorry about that. I should be getting a Foleo to evaluate for 30 days in a bit and will be able to post many details photos and usage experiences at that time.

August 11, 2007 by in Mobility

SlingPlayer for S60 going into private beta, signup if interested

SlingPlayer for S60 going into private beta, signup if interested

I just received some wonderful news from Dave Zatz of Sling Media that I have been patiently waiting for, ok rather inpatiently, for a few months. They are looking for beta testers for an initially private beta period to test out the S60 version of SlingPlayer Mobile. If you have a S60 device, I higher encourage you to visit and submit your application for the beta. Luckily, I am getting a chance to get a sneak peek at the beta and plan to try it out on a Nokia N95 (will have to check out the TV-out functionality for road trips in hotel rooms) and Nokia N93 (could be great in landscape mode) and plan to primarily test it out with WiFi. Now when that U.S.-capable 3G Nokia N95 becomes available you will be able to watch video content on the go without a WiFi access point.

August 11, 2007 by in Microsoft

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