August 31st, 2008

Some tips for the mobile phone buyer traveling abroad

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:06 pm

Categories: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Smartphone, On the road

Tags: SIM Card, Phone, Device, Mobile, Credit Card, Retail Company, Cell Phone, Electronics, Singapore, Samsung OMNIA

I just returned from a short business trip to Singapore and knew before I went out there that it might be trouble for my credit card because Singapore is known for their electronics stores and malls dedicated to electronics. After a couple days of work, it turned out my trip was shortened so I tried to find the first flight out. All flights were full until Sunday so I had a couple of days to see some sights. I also discovered that the COMEX 2008 event was being held this weekend and it was free to attend. In addition to the shopping I did (and devices I bought) I learned quite a bit about shopping for mobile phones and wanted to share some experiences and tips in case you end up traveling to Singapore.

If you have listened to any of our latest MobileTechRoundup podcasts you may have heard me talking about how my two oldest daughters are saving up their money for some kind of laptop/netbook device. My initial plan was to look for these at discounted prices in Singapore. I also was chatting with my Mobius buddy Shane from PPCSG.com (who ended up taking me to an excellent Singaporan dinner) and found out that the Samsung OMNIA (aka SGH-i900) was actually released first in Singapore about a month ago. Thus, I had a couple of things to keep a look out for in Singapore.

The first shopping trip out took place in the area of Ngee Ann City and I found a device that I enjoyed discovering at MWC 08 earlier this year. I was at the Sony Store and found that they had the black and red SE G900 UIQ-powered device. The G900 is a candy bar form factor phone with a 5 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, and touch screen display. You would never guess the device has a touch screen and it is pretty impressive. It does have 3G, but only for Europe and not for the U.S. I figured that was OK since the phone was available for just under US$400 in a SIM-unlocked configuration. After a few more questions and trying out the device Read the rest of this entry »

August 29th, 2008

Windows Mobile magazine ends, but iPhone Life launches on September 9th

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 3:18 pm

Categories: Windows Mobile, Apple, S60, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Mobile, Magazine, Smartphone, Pocket PC, Handhelds, Operating Systems, Cellular Phones, Microsoft Windows

While I get the majority of my news and content online, I still do subscribe to a few magazines including MacWorld, Laptop, and Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine. I am very saddened by the news that there will be one final issue of Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine. As you can read in the press release they are working to make the final issue a “keeper” with lots of Windows Mobile reviews, new tips and how-tos, a guide to best accessories, software, and much more. The final issue will be on newstands in November.

I started reading this magazine many years ago and looked forward to reading each issue. I found the reviews to be very informative and the magazine served as a great reference resource. They also ran the Best Software Awards and I was honored to participate the last several years as a member of the Board of Experts in judging software. Hal presents the reasons for having to suspend the magazine and I wish him all the best.

The good news is that Hal will be launching iPhone Life on September 9th and it will be a whopping 100-page premier issue. Many of the same folks who wrote for Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine will be coming over too. You can subscribe now for just US$25 to receive all issues through 2010 which includes the premier issue and at least 4 issues in both 2009 and 2010, plus a digital edition readable on the iPhone. I already subscribed and highly encourage my readers to as well. I can’t wait to check out the first issue and hope this magazine does as well as the iPhone. You will also find it on newstands everywhere if you don’t want to subscribe.

August 28th, 2008

Android Market is Google’s competitor to the Apple iPhone store

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:52 pm

Categories: Apple, Open Handset Alliance

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Apple Inc., Blogging, Internet, Matthew Miller

I was sent a link to the Android Community site this morning that led to the Android Developers blog post on the upcoming Android Market that looks to rival the Apple iPhone store for Android-powered devices. They decided to call it a market rather than a store to try to give it that “open” feeling for developers to provide content. There are several screenshots for you to check out too, including the one to the left.

The Android Market will let users find, purchase, download and install content on their devices. The content does not appear to be screened by Google since you just need to register, upload and describe your content to get published. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a collection of junk. Google will feature a feedback and rating system so if there gets to be a ton of content, you will be able to filter through to the good stuff. Free and paid content will be available in the Android Market. Now let’s get some Open Handset Alliance devices into the hands of users.

I think having something like the Android Market will make the Android experience much better and should encourage development like the iPhone App store so this is pretty exciting news.

August 27th, 2008

Nokia N79 and N85 announced for October 08 release

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 3:00 pm

Categories: Symbian, Smartphone, Nokia, S60, Nseries

Tags: Device, Nokia Corp., Nokia N79, Engineering, Wireless, Matthew Miller

My trip to Singapore threw me off of my schedule a bit and I missed the official announcements for the new Nokia N79 and Nokia N85 that were made yesterday, along with the announcement that the N96 would be coming to the U.S. to support our 3G networks (actually AT&T only at the moment) in the 4th quarter of 2008. The N79 looks like the successor to the N73 or even N78 while the N85 updates the N82 and blurs the lines with the very successful N95. Both new devices run S60 Feature Pack 2.

The Nokia N79 has a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash along with Xpress-on smart covers in five colors (Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red) that change the screen theme to match the back cover. Three colors come in the box with each N79. A 4GB microSD card is also included in the box (nice touch here Nokia). The device has all the other wireless features you expect on high end devices today, including HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM transmitter and GPS. Retail price is EUR350 with an October 2008 release.

The Nokia N85 also has a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and all the wireless features of a high end device. The major new feature of the N85 is the OLED display that should give you a bright display with battery savings. It has a dual slider form factor like the N95. Gaming is a focus of this device with at least 10 N-Gage title loaded on the device to try out and a voucher for one full game license. An 8GB microSD card is included in the box too. Like the N78 and new N79, the N85 has an integrated FM transmitter so you can play your music through a home or car stereo. Retail price is EUR450 and an October 2008 release is also planned.

I also recommend checking out some of the links and information on the Nokia Conversations site regarding these two new devices.

August 27th, 2008

DataViz releases Documents To Go for touch screen Windows Mobile devices

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:00 pm

Categories: Windows Mobile, Mobile software, On the road

Tags: Touch Screen, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Mobile, DataViz Inc., Keyboards, Advertising & Promotion, Microsoft Windows, Monitors & Displays, Operating Systems, Hardware

In early 2007 DataViz released Documents To Go for WM Smartphone (non-touch screen devices which was essential since these devices were unable to create documents at the time. Today, DataViz announced their new Windows Mobile touch screen product so that they now have the application for many mobile operating systems (except for the iPhone and S60 platforms). I personally use the native Office mobile products on most of my Windows Mobile devices, but I do like to use the full SoftMaker Office on the HTC Advantage so I can see where this full featured application from DataViz can serve well for many people in enterprise applications.

DataViz includes a native PDF viewer, password protected support for Word and Excel and their excellent InTact technology for successful format retention. They are also going to release a version optimized for high resolution displays like those seen on the HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. It is also very reasonably priced at US$29.99.

August 27th, 2008

Review: Palm Treo Pro brings thinnest Treo to the world

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:38 am

Categories: Windows Mobile, Palm, On the road, Review, Wireless carriers, HTC

Tags: Keyboard, Device, Palm Inc., Palm Treo, Palm Treo Pro, Treo Pro, Display, Earpiece, Palm Centro, Nokia E71

In a bit of a surprising move for Palm they launched a second Windows Mobile Professional device, the Palm Treo Pro, just about a month and a half after the Treo 800w. I expected to see a GSM version of the Treo 800w, but that hasn’t happened and we don’t know if it every will. I posted an unboxing video and some responses to my Q&A with Palm last week and finally the NDA was lifted so I could bring you more details about the device. I am on the road in Singapore so am unable to post a video until I return, but there are some images and screenshots in my image gallery and lots of thoughts and answers to your questions below for you to check out.

The Palm Treo Pro has just about the same specifications as all the latest Windows Mobile Professional devices and it is getting tougher and tougher to differentiate between the devices and lower cost may be what drives people to a specific device. The Treo Pro is launching in the U.S. only in an unlocked configuration with a retail price of US$549, so low cost is not a feature of the Treo Pro (in comparison, the Treo 800w is US$249 with a contract). Some of the Palm customizations I’ve seen on other devices are not present, but there are still a couple that help differentiate the Treo Pro. Are they enough to make this a device to buy at a premium price?

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  Image Gallery:Check out product photos and screenshots of the Palm Treo Pro.      

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With the Treo 800w now available from Sprint, the Treo Pro is the second Palm branded mobile phone with WiFi and GPS. It is an unlocked phone with quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA/UMTS radios so even though it may cost a bit more, enterprise customers may like to pick it up without any contract obligations and send employees all over the world with a high quality phone. Just 5 days after I received the review unit, I had to head out of town to Singapore for business so I took the Treo Pro along to see how it performed in a real-life test. It didn’t seem to work with my MaxROAM SIM like my Nokia N82, but the WiFi was handy to have so I could connect to my test Boingo Mobile account.

In the box: Palm made a good move with the Treo Pro and it looks like they modeled the packaging after the Apple iPhone. I don’t think there is anything wrong with emulating a successful feature and as I showed in my unboxing video Palm did a great job with the packaging. Inside the rugged, attractive, and compact Palm Treo Pro box you will find the device itself (displayed prominently right under the top cover), micro USB sync/charge cable (Palm’s new standard), compact A/C charger, wired stereo headset, stylus (no extra in the box), generous 1500 mAh lithium ion polymer battery, Palm recycling label, and a couple printed materials (Getting Started Guide and warranty information). There is no case or CD included in the box. Rather than include a CD with ActiveSync, Palm now includes a PC Setup utility right on the device that actually contains ActiveSync and more so you get the latest version on your Windows PC the first time you connect the USB cable so the out-of-box experience is optimized. This does not work with Apple computers.

Specs: The Palm Treo Pro is the first GSM Treo with WiFi and GPS and has the latest and greatest specifications to make it a winner in the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional lineup. Specifications of the Palm Treo Pro include:

A couple of design features of the Palm Treo Pro that are different than the Treo 800w are the Read the rest of this entry »

August 27th, 2008

MobileTechRoundup show #144, Palm thoughts, Acer Aspire One is gone

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:12 am

Categories: Palm, Ultra portable PC, MoTR podcast, HTC

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Palm Inc., Acer Inc., Kevin, Podcasts, Internet, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 36.1 MB, 39:20 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

James, Kevin, and I had a chance to get back together over Skype and record MobileTechRoundup show #144 and talked a bit about the devices I planned to take to my work trip to Singapore. Kevin tells why he took back the Acer Aspire One and why he may end up getting another in a different flavor. We talked for quite a bit about the Treo Pro and I have to say after further usage that I may have some different thoughts when my full review goes live. We all three chimed in on thoughts of Palm and what the future may hold. Kevin then shared a freeware of the show for your iPhone that you need to grab before it becomes a commercial application.

If you enjoy listening to the MobileTechRoundup podcast, please vote for us at Podcast Alley. Also, please let me know if you have anything you would like us to cover and discuss on the show and I’ll try to work it into a future podcast.

August 26th, 2008

HTC S740 brings the look of the Diamond to a non-touch screen device

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:42 pm

Categories: Windows Mobile, Smartphone, HTC

Tags: High Tech Computer Corp., Keyboards, Telecom & Utilities, Hardware, Peripherals, Matthew Miller

If you like the looks of the HTC Touch Diamond, but want something in a non-touch screen form factor with a traditional phone keypad then your wish has come true in the form of the newly announced HTC S740 Windows Mobile 6.1 device. This device slid under the radar with not a single rumor about the announcement, which is pretty surprising given today’s tendency to have leaks appear early. The HTC S740 (where is the cool name for it?) will be available in September in Europe and there is no word yet on U.S. availability.

As you can see in the small photo here and in the HTC image gallery this is a device that looks like a standard candy bar phone with a display and phone keypad, but it also slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard for faster text entry.

Specifications of the HTC S740 include:

This new devices looks to be the successor to the HTC Vox (aka S710) I checked out last year, but in a much slicker form factor. I want to hear how solid the keyboard slider is on this device, but if it works well then this is a compelling device with the fast processor, ample memory, and wireless functionality.

August 23rd, 2008

Ryan Block’s last day as Engadget editor-in-chief ends with 1 year update on the state of Palm

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:59 am

Categories: Palm

Tags: Palm Inc., Engadget, Ryan Block, Smart Phones, Professional Development, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Keyboards, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

Ryan Block is ending his role as editor-in-chief at Engadget to pursue a new gadget site opportunity with long-time buddy Peter Rojas and I wish them both the best of luck and look forward to seeing what they come up with. As a fitting end to his role at Engadget, Ryan posted an update to his open letter to Palm that he posted last year. His 2007 letter gave lots of unsolicited advice to Palm and CEO Ed Colligan even responded to the letter. The sad news is that one year later there is very little that shows Palm has changed much and it is tough to keep pulling for the company and hoping they come out of it.Looking through Ryan’s latest article, I have to agree with his comments on the new Treo Pro and you will see this in my review next week. For a high end device, available only at a US$549 unlocked price, the keyboard is a step back to the low-end Centro line and the lack of Palm’s special touches is disappointing.

I began my mobile career with a Palm device and want to see them succeed. But in todays market with strong competition from RIM, Apple, and HTC I think people are expecting more. That said, I do know a lot of new smartphone users who are very happy with the Palm Centro and wonder if us gadget enthusiasts are expecting more from Palm than what is really needed to be successful. Sometimes we get wrapped up by the latest and greatest and the common person may just want something that meets their basic needs.

August 22nd, 2008

The iPhone 3G honeymoon seems to be over for some folks

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:00 pm

Categories: Apple, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G Honeymoon, Joel Evans, 3G, Cellular Phones, Wireless, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

My buddy Joel Evans from Geek.com and I both waited in line for the original iPhone in 2007, but this year Joel jumped on the new iPhone 3G at launch while I waited 3 weeks. Actually, it was his positive experiences with the iPhone 3G that tipped me over the edge to go get one at my local Apple store. I already returned my iPhone 3G because I was experiencing too many issues and didn’t think it was a compelling upgrade for someone with an original iPhone. I just read that Joel also now feels that the iPhone 3G isn’t a necessary upgrade if you already have an iPhone. It is a good device for those who want an iPhone that don’t have the original one and for many people I do agree.

Joel’s issues include regularly browser crashing, easily scratched screen and casing, spotty 3G reception, and lame battery life. He does enjoy using the GPS, iPhone App Store, and the UI. However, you get the same UI and access to the App Store with the original iPhone and the cell tower triangular works pretty well with Google Maps too.

Anyone else over the honeymoon phase and having second thoughts about their iPhone 3G purchase? I do look forward to seeing the next generation iPhone and am sure I’ll be right there in line ready to pick one up with Joel too.