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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

Google releases Google Maps for Mobile Windows Mobile client

Google released a Google Maps Mobile for Windows Mobile devices application today so you no longer have to have a Java client and use the Java utility to find directions and locations on Google Maps. You can visit the Google Maps for Mobile website, download and then install the .CAB file now for your Windows Mobile device. I just installed it on my Dash and like it even better than the Java client because the fonts are cleaner, the navigation is better integrated, and I don't have to go through all those Java midlet authorization screens. You can use it to show traffic status too and it is available for free. Make sure you have an unlimited data plan though before downloading map data to your device.

February 1, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Verizon Wireless joins Sprint with launch of EV-DO Rev. A network

Verizon Wireless announced their rollout of EV-DO Rev. A wireless broadband network. EV-DO Rev. A gives customers upload speeds five to six times faster than their standard EV-DO rates. Verizon stated the enhanced network will launch in the Boston area, Richmond and Hampton Roads, Virginia, Chicago and its suburbs, Salt Lake City and other cities in Utah, and throughout the state of Florida. There may be other areas with undocumented coverage as well and the two devices with EV-DO Rev. A capability will be available online tomorrow.

February 1, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Carnival of the Mobilists #60

I have been negligent in posting weekly links to the Carnival of the Mobilists and am sorry to any readers who may have enjoyed reading those excellent articles. I am happy to announce that Mobbu is hosting Carnival #60 this week. Michael Mace continues to write some excellent commentary on the mobile world and I am sure you will enjoy his post on the current smartphone and mobile data market. Another of my favorite mobile writers, Steve Litchfield, chimes in with thoughts on the ease of use of different mobile device brands. This edition of the Carnival is packed with articles from a large number of mobile enthusiasts and experts and I found it extremely informative and enjoyable. Rod over at Mobbu did a great job of bringing you links and thoughts on all the topics and I encourage you to spend an hour checking out all these mobile treasures. Also stay tuned for the next Carnival of the Mobilists.

January 31, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

MobileTechRoundup show #88

A couple of new mobile product discussions kicked off MobileTechRoundup show #88 when James, Kevin, and I chatted about the Medion UMPC that has me thinking of switching from my Q1 and the HTC Athena Pocket PC Phone Edition device. I also discovered my MacBook Pro cable was fraying and actually it is dead right now. James discovered EV-DO Rev. A in Houston and I tried it out with Sprint. A cool freeware for S60 3rd Edition devices was also discussed and if you have one of these devices then check it out and improve your email and texting capabilities.

January 30, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Seagate's D.A.V.E. will be your mobile device's new best friend

Are you constantly buying larger and larger capacity external storage cards in different form factors for your mobile devices? Do you watch a lot of video content or listen to tunes and podcasts on your mobile devices? Well, Seagate just announced a product that will solve your external storage needs with a cool way to access that content from different devices so you don't have to format and load the same content on different cards. D.A.V.E. was announced this morning, but won't be available until May or June.

January 29, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Networking

Apple MagSafe failure prevents work from getting done

Apple's new MagSafe A/C adapter currently has my MacBook Pro acting like a brick as it is unusable with a dead battery and no way to charge it back up. A visit to the Apple Store is planned that will hopefully result in successful replacement of the defective part, but I am just having lots of bad luck with Apple products lately and may be bypassing them out of frustration. Are Apple products really high quality or is the sleek design just making things seem better than they really are?

January 29, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Apple

Palm releases Direct Push update for Palm OS based Treos

Treo 680 and 700p owners now have the ability to get push email on their devices with the Exchange ActiveSync Update for Palm OS devices that was made available today. You can install the update over-the-air and in addition to the Direct Push Technology features, users also get the security updates that are a part of this module.

January 29, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

MobileTechRoundup show #87

Our guest host from last week at CES is not back this week, but we did wrap up our thoughts on our trips to Vegas during MobileTechRoundup show #87. There has been quite a bit of talk about the Nokia N800 and a few may be on the way to the MoTR crew shortly. James, Kevin, and I also spent a bit talking about the new Microsoft definition of a UMPC and how the OQO is one now, but then again without Vista it isn't really. We also talked about the failed Zune squirting and why I am back to using my Yahoo! Music subscription service. We even have a freeware of the show that presents Google Reader in a slimmed down way for reading on a UMPC or other mobile device.

January 25, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Tech Industry

Rumors of the T-Mobile AMEO 8GB Windows Mobile Phone Edition emerge

The HTC Athena rumors surfaced in December and now more details are emerging that show the device may be coming soon from T-Mobile in Europe as the AMEO. This Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition device sports just about every mobile device feature and spec you could want in a single device, but is there a market willing to pay for this type of device?

January 23, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Let your contacts understand your availability with iotum Talk-Now

iotum Talk-Now releases a preview version of their Relevance Engine application called Talk-Now for BlackBerry users. How many times do you start a phone call with "Do you have time to talk?" Well, if you want to know the actual status of your contact and want them to know your status and you use a RIM BlackBerry device, then you should try the new free preview of Talk-Now.

January 21, 2007 by Matthew Miller in BlackBerry

EverNote 2.0 beta adds Advanced Image Recognition technology

EverNote is an advanced note taking and information capture application that has a free and a Plus version available. The Plus version of 2.0 includes Advanced Note Recognition (ANR) technology with Advanced Image Recognition (AIR) technology. The AIR technology allows you to search photos and graphics stored in your notes to find embedded typed or even handwritten text. The Plus version is currently available for just under US$40 so give the 90-day trial a go and see if you like it.

January 20, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Developer

A first look at the world's thinnest Pocket PC Phone

Most of the latest and greatest QWERTY devices are non-touch screen Windows Mobile Smartphones. i-mate is starting to roll out their new device that actually uses a touch screen like the Treo 750, but this model has integrated 802.11g WiFi, scroll wheel, higher resolution display and more. The i-mate JAQ3 is the world's thinnest Pocket PC Phone Edition device and after some initial testing it may be a promising device for those looking for a solid, powerful device that is still pocketable.

January 16, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Why does the iPhone get so much hype when more capable devices are already available?

The iPhone seems to be getting all the attention this past week, but there are other more capable and functional devices already out on the market or coming soon. A few specifications and thoughts are shared about the Apple iPhone in comparison to the Nokia N95 and Cingular 8525. There are many more devices available too so don't sell yourself short and wait 6 months just for the iPhone if you are looking for a device that meets your business and personal needs.

January 14, 2007 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Add full Office functionality to your Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone

Windows Mobile Smartphones have traditionally been able to view Office documents, especially attachments that are sent, using 3rd party applications. Now with the popularity of QWERTY keyboard models with larger landscape displays and more power, people are looking for more functionality and DataViz just released a preview of a product that addresses that need in regards to native Office documents.

January 12, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

CES devices that help you work where you want to be

The OQO Model O2, the Medion UMPC, and the S-XGEN device were all announced at CES in Vegas. Although Samsung was the first to launch a UMPC device with the Samsung Q1 they never made any official statements regarding a Vista device. They showed off existing models like the Q1P, Q1B and Q1 SSD and also a new Q1P SSD model. Toshiba introduced a new Tablet with a docking system using Ultra-Wide Band technology to help free you from cables that could make your transition from work to home a bit easier. The FlyBook V5i also provides a small form factor Tablet with 3G connectivity.

January 10, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Hardware