The Mobile Gadgeteer

Are you sure there's not a place for a smart watch on your wrist?

I used to wear a watch all the time while I was in the military and then I went through a phase where I just used my phone to for my timekeeping needs. MSN Direct with SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology) was launched on watches and I had the opportunity to check out a couple of different models (check out my thoughts on Geek.com from 2004). I liked the services provided by MSN Direct and wore SPOT watches for the next couple of years. The platform slowed down a bit for a while and I was worried it was going away when ABACUS released their Smart Watch 2006 devices. I was sent the ABACUS Smart Watch 2006 with green fabric band for evaluation and am again wearing a SPOT watch.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in PCs

MobileTechRoundup show #100, Passing the century mark

Kevin, James and myself are happy to have reached the century milestone with MobileTechRoundup show #100 that was recorded while I was again on the road. We had lots to talk about on this show and chatted a bit about what mobile phones I took on the road, how James is liking the T-Mobile Dash keyboard, and what we think about the Windows Mobile Smartphone versus the Phone Edition models. Dell is coming out with their own Tablet PC and we are excited about the size and looks of the device. I checked out the HTC Vox, but didn't go ahead with the purchase this time. Fujitsu is showing off a cool new UMPC convertible that reminds us of the Sony Clie or Sharp Zaurus devices. Thanks to all the listeners for following the gang through 100 shows. Stay tuned for another 100.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

Happy 10th anniversary, Ilium Software

I have been using mobile devices now for just over 10 years, which seems like quite a long time. I was a bit surprised and very happy to recieve an email from Julie stating that Ilium Software is also celebrating their 10th anniversary in the mobile device arena as mobile software developers. To mark the occasion they are having daily specials for everyone to enjoy with the first special being free products, including the excellent InScribe keyboard for Tablet PCs and UMPCs. I personally use their excellent Screen Capture utility to take review photos on my Windows Mobile devices.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

What makes a good road warrior hotel?

I know Andy Abramson from working with him as part of the Nokia Nseries Blogger Relations program and love reading his VoIP Watch blog. Andy is a prolific blogger and also writes about his travels on his Working Anywhere blog. He just posted a very good blog entry that all of us road warriors may want to check out in regards to hotel expectations while on a business trip. Andy lists 15 things he wants to see in his hotel room and I have to admit he is spot on.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Is the Apple iPhone really that fast?

We now know that the Apple iPhone will be available on June 29th and the three iPhone TV ads are getting lots of people excited about the device. I have to admit after viewing the ads that I would love to try out the iPhone, but I just can't swallow the 2-year contract and high monthly data fee with no 3G support since I am locked into my T-Mobile plan. One thing a buddy and I noticed in the iPhone TV ads was how responsive and snappy the OS and the internet connection seemed to be. The internet speed was particularly noticeable in the Calamari video where the person went to Google Maps to find a seafood restaurant and then called the restaurant after opening up the details with a simple screen tap.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Apple

The Palm Foleo: the beginning and end of the mobile companion category

The Palm Foleo is taking a lot of heat in the press right now and after taking some time to think about it some more I tend to agree that there really isn't a place for the device between a smartphone and a PC. There is a simple solution to add a full size QWERTY keyboard that has been around for years and smartphones are so advanced today that there really isn't a need for more. Do you think there is a market for the Palm Foleo?

June 3, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Smartphones

What is the Palm Foleo?

Palm is making an announcement today at 11:30 am PDT where they are expected to announce some new mobile device category. Speculation has ranged from an ultra mobile PC device to some kind of portable media center device. The most plausible information was just recently posted on TreoCentral where one of their forum members found a press release revealing the Palm Foleo. A new site on Palm is expected to go live after the release so at this time the link isn't valid, but may be soon. What do you think of the Foleo?

May 30, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Access Google Calendar from your mobile device

I use Gmail as my primary email service and also like the other personalized Google services (Reader, Docs, Spreadsheets, etc.), but never really used Google Calendar much because I haven't found a simple solution to access it with my mobile devices. I just read on the jkOnTheRun blog that Google Calendar for Mobile has arrived. If you visit the Official Google Blog you will see that all you need to do is go to calendar.google.com from your mobile phone to see your agenda of upcoming events with details like date, time, location, description, and guest list. There is also the ability to add events to your calendar. Now I just need to get my hosted Exchange calendar in sync with my Google calendar and I'll be all set on my mobile devices.

May 28, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Google

T-Mobile Wing replaces the T-Mobile MDA

T-Mobile announced the release of a Windows Mobile 6 Professional (aka Pocket PC Phone Edition) device called the T-Mobile Wing. This device was revealed just a couple of weeks ago by the FCC and it didn't take long for T-Mobile to get it out. The press release and device specifics haven't even been posted on T-Mobile's site yet, but a couple of fellow mobile enthusiasts have full reviews that you should check out for more information. Mobility Site and Mobile Tech Review take the Wing for a spin and for the most part are pleased with the device. It lacks 3G since T-Mobile is the only major U.S. carrier without this service so that is one area of concern. It does have WiFi and Bluetooth, but also uses the 200 MHz processor like that used in the current T-Mobile MDA. This is fine for Smartphones, but a Professional device really should have 300 MHz or more under the hood. That said, I have some gadget cash saved up and may be adding the T-Mobile Wing to my collection soon.

May 21, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

MobileTechRoundup show #99; New devices in the house

I was on the road again for MobileTechRoundup show #99, but that didn't stop Kevin, James, and myself from talking about the sale of my Samsung Q1 UMPC and Nokia E61 and the purchase of my new Nokia E61i. We chatted a bit about Macs, MindManager 7, disk thrashing in Windows Vista, and Widsets. We had lots of fun chatting about mobile technology and hope you enjoy the show.

May 19, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

What treasures are hidden in the HTC Vox?

I started using the T-Mobile Dash late last year and have to say it is probably the BEST Windows Mobile device I have EVER used. It has been made even better with the free T-Mobile Windows Mobile 6 upgrade and it is the new standard I use to judge Windows Mobile devices. I sold my Samsung Q1 UMPC and have the mobile addict itch to pick up a new device so I contacted one of my favorite importers, David Weiniger from Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets, and he promptly sent me a new HTC S710/Vox Windows Mobile Standard device. This is the first Windows Mobile smartphone that is available now in Europe running Windows Mobile 6 Standard. I was particularly interested in this model due to the standard looking candy bar format with a hidden surprise. There are a few other treasures in the Vox, but after a few days of using the device I decided to stick with the T-Mobile Dash/HTC Excalibur and it remains number 1 in my book for Windows Mobile devices. Check out all the photos in my image gallery and read about why the Vox isn't replacing the Dash.

May 19, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

fring now supports Twitter

I have to admit that I can't stop using Twitter on my mobile devices, even though I know it is having a negative impact on my battery capacity. I enjoy the community and find it a quick and easy way to stay in touch with friends, most of who I have never even met before in person. I was reading S60 enthusiast Darla Mack's blog and discovered that fring now supports Twitter. fring is an amazing VoIP client that I enjoy using on Nokia S60 devices via WiFi. In addition to the now added Twitter support, fring allows you to use Skype, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, and SIP to make calls and instant message your buddies. I personally have unlimited text messaging so prefer to use this method for Twitter, but I know others who pay for each SMS so this new functionality in fring is a good alternative for them.

May 17, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Garmin StreetPilot c580 MSN Direct services can save you time and money

The Garmin StreetPilot c580 is another in the ever expanding market of portable GPS devices. However, the integration of MSN Direct services give you quick and detailed information on movie times, gas prices, weather, and traffic conditions. The device also serves as a Bluetooth hands-free car kit and MP3 player while providing easy-to-use and accurate GPS voice-enabled navigation. The c580 is something every mobile gadgeteer should take a look at if they are in the market for a dedicated portable GPS unit.

May 16, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Documents to Go 3 for Windows Mobile now supports Office 2007 formats

Back in December I mentioned that Office 2007 native file formats were not supported on any mobile device or 3rd party application. I have been using Documents to Go on a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone and was confident that DataViz would probably be one of the first out to support these new formats. It seems I was right as DataViz announced Documents to Go for Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone and 6 Standard version 3 that supports these new formats. You can pick up this powerful application that even has more features, and now even more functionality, than Windows Mobile 6 apps for US$29.99. This update follows closely to the update for Palm OS devices that also support Office 2007 formats.

May 15, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobile OS

Handheld market share falls 40% over last year

We have seen studies showing a rise in the sales of converged/smartphone devices. If you are a mobile enthusiast like me then you also know it is getting harder and harder to find devices that do not have any telephony functionality integrated. According to a recent IDC study handheld shipments are down 40% compared to the same quarter last year. It doesn't help that Dell hasn't come out with a new device to replace the X51v and now that they are completely out of the handheld market I imagine these numbers will fall even further in the future. Add to this the fact that Sharp is no longer making Zaurus devices and 2 of the top 5 vendors in the list are moving out of the market completely. This leaves the leader Palm, HP, and Mio left to carry the handheld market. Palm hasn't introduced a handheld since late 2005 with the Z22 and Tx and there are no substantial rumors of any new devices coming from Palm. HP keeps rolling out devices, but they also recently stated they would not be providing Windows Mobile 6 updates so that could hurt their sales. Mio is moving up as they continue to release devices targeted at the GPS market.

May 15, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

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