November 24th, 2009

Review: Who needs a PND when you have CoPilot Live 8 on an HTC HD2?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:51 am

Categories: HTC, Microsoft, Mobile services, Mobile software, Review, Windows Mobile

Tags: Software, High Tech Computer Corp., Map, Voice, Wireless, Safety View, Weather Data, ClearTurn, GPS, Tools & Techniques

Earlier this summer I posted on the release of CoPilot Live 8 for Google Android and loaded it up on my T-Mobile G1 to evaluate for a full review. A ton of new devices came shooting across my desk and I never had the chance to finish my review of this excellent GPS navigation solution, although I did use it successfully for a couple of road trips and found it to be an excellent solution on the Android platform. Last week I received an HTC HD2 device to evaluate and found that CoPilot Live 8 was preloaded on the device. The software was loaded with a 14-day trial and I quickly learned I could transfer the review license from my G1 to the HD2 and quickly set up the account on the HD2 and downloaded the 31MB map for Washington State. As you can see in my image gallery containing screenshots of the application and video of CoPilot Live 8 in action (thanks to my new teenage daughter taking the wheel), the software is fantastic and with that large, fabulous 4.3 inch 800×480 pixel resolution display you can’t find a much better portable GPS navigation/mapping solution available.

	Image Gallery:Check out a few screenshots of CoPilot Live 8 running on the HTC HD2.

I’ll try to cover some of the primary aspects and my favorite features of CoPilot Live 8 and give you my impressions of the usability and capability of the software, but as you can see on the Features page there is an amazing list of functions available to you in the software. As you can see in my video below the software screams on the HTC HD2 with 1GHz Snapdragon processor and all I need now is a proper car mount for the device to have a super in-car navigation system. As you will read below, CoPilot Live 8 also meets the needs for your out-of-car experiences, which is quite important for me personally.

Start up and walk around the interface

When you first launch CoPilot you need to select the region you want maps for, the language you want to use, and then enter registration information (if you want to purchase or enter your activation code) or select a trial. One thing I love about CoPilot 8 compared to a few other GPS navigation solutions I have tried is that Read the rest of this entry »

November 18th, 2009

Opera Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile now available

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:31 am

Categories: Microsoft, Mobile services, Mobile software, Windows Mobile

Tags: Microsoft Windows Mobile, Mobile, Opera Software ASA, Beta, Opera Mobile, Mobile Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Handhelds

I was a bit surprised when Opera launched the public beta of Opera Mobile 10 first for Symbian devices since we have seen this browser always launch on Windows Mobile touchscreen devices in the past. Good news for all of you touchscreen Windows Mobile owners though as Opera announced the release of the Opera Mobile 10 for Windows Mobile today.

Opera Mobile 10 for Windows Mobile has the following features:

• Opera Turbo support so you can use their servers to reduce bandwidth and increase speed
• Speed Dial for faster access to your favorite sites
• Password manager
• Tabbed browsing
• Kinetic scrolling
• Auto-rotation
• Adaptive zoom

I prefer Opera Mobile on my WM devices because it gives me a full web experience and has more power and functionality than Internet Explorer Mobile. Opera Mobile is even more powerful than the Safari browser on the iPhone. Opera Mobile 10 beta works on both Classic and Professional editions of Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6.0 and on Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC. If you have a Symbian device you can also try out Opera Mobile 10 beta.

November 14th, 2009

Who needs an Office app? Google Docs, Calendar & more all work on Nokia N900

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:20 am

Categories: Google, Linux, Mobile services, Mobile software, Nokia, Review, T-Mobile

Tags: Google Inc., Google Docs, Nokia Corp., Mobile, Microsoft Office, Web Browser, Web Browsers, Advertising & Promotion, Internet, Marketing

I have had a Nokia N900 for about a month now (see my in-depth coverage) and have concluded that it is a great compact mobile computer, but needs some more work to be a really good cell phone. If mobile data is your focus, then the N900 is a device to consider and one question I have received quite a bit is whether or not Google Docs and other Google services were supported on the N900. The web browser on the N900 is the BEST of any mobile device when it comes to giving you a full desktop experience and as you can see in my video below Google Documents, Calendar, Google Wave, and more all work just fine on the Nokia N900.

The N900 comes with the Documents To Go viewers, but no means to create Office documents on the device yet. However, with full access to Google services via the Mozilla-based web browser you can create, edit, share, etc. your documents without needing any other application. That is one thing that I am finding about the N900, you don’t need apps to do things related to the Internet because the devices lets you do them all within the browser. Granted, it is handy to have some apps for faster access and there are quite a few helpful apps available with more coming, but it sure is refreshing not to feel limited by the web browser at all.

November 10th, 2009

Google providing free airport WiFi this holiday season

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:06 am

Categories: Google, Mobile services

Tags: Google Inc., Airport, Wireless LANs, Wi-Fi, Wireless And Mobility, Matthew Miller

To help people enjoy this holiday season Google, Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income and others are providing free WiFi across airports in the United States. 47 airports are currently included in the program, including Las Vegas, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore, Burbank, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis and Charlotte. The program is active now and runs through 15 January 2010.

In the spirit of giving, when you login you will also have the chance to make a donation to Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Google will match the donations made across all the networks up to $250,000, and the airport network that generates the highest amount per passenger by January 1, 2010 will receive $15,000 to donate to the local nonprofit of their choice.

Check out the www.freeholidaywifi.com site for all the details.

November 3rd, 2009

Do you really want to carry another device just for Twitter?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:24 am

Categories: Mobile services

Tags: Twitter Inc., Twitter Peek, E-mail, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Online Communications, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware

I stayed up late last night and watched Josh reveal the Twitter Peek device on the Late Night show with Jimmy Fallon. The new Twitter Peek has the same form factor as the Peek email device, but it only does Twitter. The Peek Classic cost $19.95 and has a monthly cost starting at $15 for email while the new Twitter Peek will cost $199 and includes lifetime Twitter service or $99 for six months followed by $7.95 per month after that. I guess if you are a die hard Twitter fan and don’t have a cell phone that supports a Twitter client (every smartphone has clients) then this may be something to look at.

I read that the Twitter Peek doesn’t really offer anything better than what you get on a smartphone and you have to click through to read full Tweets as only summaries appear in the main interface. I wonder if the device will support Twitter lists and be upgradeable with possible changes to Twitter as the service evolves. Any readers interested in a dedicated Twitter device like the Twitter Peek?

October 30th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #188; DROID does, we don't

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:34 am

Categories: Android, BlackBerry, Google, HTC, Linux, Mobile services, Mobile software, RIM, Verizon

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Google Inc., Google Maps Navigation Beta, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 32.5 MB, 35:24 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

The biggest news in mobile technology this week was the Motorola DROID announcement from Verizon Wireless and we spent a large junk of MobileTechRoundup show #188 talking about the device and Google Android. James, Kevin, and I haven’t yet held the DROID so we are reserving final judgement on it, but it sounds like James may be the only one who may pick up the device since he already has a Verizon account. Google Maps Navigation beta is installed on the DROID and may just have wiped out PNDs, but Microsoft is helping with the shutting down of the MSN Direct service on 1 January 2012.

October 26th, 2009

Google rolls out limited Google Voice support for your existing phone number

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:09 pm

Categories: Android, Google, Mobile services

Tags: Google Inc., Phone, Voice, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Matthew Miller

I signed up with Grand Central way back when it first launched and then transitioned to Google Voice along with everyone else. I then paid $10 for a custom Google number and love the experience on Google Android devices. I was browsing through the Google blogs and discovered that Google is now offering you the ability to use Google Voice with your existing phone number instead of having to select and use a new number. Keep in mind this is a lighter version of Google Voice as you can see in this blog post and in the chart shown below. If you have a Google Voice account, you can add Google voicemail to any mobile phone linked to your account.

Click to see larger comparison chart.

They posted the video below to show many of the features and explain the voicemail system.

The main reason I plan to add Google voicemail to my existing mobile number is for the text transcription of voicemail, but I still plan to stick with my custom Google Voice phone number because there are so many additional valuable features and using a device like an HTC Hero makes for a rather seamless experience.

October 25th, 2009

T-Mobile rolls out new plans, huge monthly fee increases for unlimited voice on family plans

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 10:57 pm

Categories: Mobile services, T-Mobile

Tags: Phone, T-Mobile, Plan, Family Plan, Telecom & Utilities, Text Messaging/SMS/MMS, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Online Communications

There have been rumors of new T-Mobile plans, code named Project Dark, and earlier today T-Mobile took the wraps off of their new Even More and Even More Plus plans. The plans include options for obtaining an account with no contract, paying for your phone with monthly no-interest payments, and having unlimited voice, text, and data service. While they are quite competitive with other carrier unlimited plans, existing T-Mobile customers need to take a hard comparative look at the new plans and their current plans before jumping on these new plans too quickly. In my case where I have a MyFaves 1800 shared minute family plan with five lines, unlimited family text messaging, and smartphone data on one line I discovered that I may be able to reduce my bill $35/month if I wanted to give up MyFaves and 300 minutes (also pay a $175 activation fee). This is not a realistic option though as I would easily go over 1500 minutes without MyFaves and maybe even with MyFaves so I won’t look at plan downgrades. I would see a minimum increase of $75/month if I wanted to gain unlimited voice calling and add one smartphone data service. Unless you regularly exceed your voice plan minutes there looks to be no reason at all to change.

The major difference between these two plan offerings is that the Even More plans require a 2 year contract and give you subsidized phones while the Even More Plus plans have no annual contract and have you bring an existing phone or buy a new no-contract priced phone. Keep in mind that these unlimited plans do not have MyFaves because with unlimited calling this is no longer needed. Unfortunately, the old plans are gone now so there is no way I can ever change my plan or I will lose my grandfathering and be stuck with a much higher cost plan.

There are a number of different combinations so make sure you go through ones that apply to your situation before making any changes. Let’s take a look at two available to me that apply to my five family plan package.

Current plan

Here is my current setup for my family:
$89.99 - T-Mobile 1800 minute MyFaves family plan
$24.99 - Unlimited smartphone data with my G1
$24.99 - Unlimited text messaging for all five lines
$29.97 - $9.99 fee for each of three additional phone lines (2 included with $89.99 fee)
$169.90 Total

Each phone now has five numbers they can designate to send to and receive from for an unlimited number of minutes. This plan works perfectly for my family since we are heavy text message users with my wife and her PartyLite business consuming 90% of the shared plan minutes each month. My three daughters have a few select friends they can now call without worrying about minutes too so everyone is quite happy with this setup.

Since their new 1500 minute plans without MyFaves are an impossible option for me, I will have to compare the two unlimited talk plans. In my current situation, I consider this virtually unlimited talk since I primarily only talk with five or less main people now that fit into MyFaves anyway so there isn’t a huge benefit to me with the unlimited voice plan.

I also already have my own phones so I won’t count phone hardware in this picture. Keep in mind though that there are some major differences between these two plan systems with one having subsidized phones and the other having non-subsidized full price phones. These costs can be HUGE so you will most likely be better off bringing your own unlocked phones, from eBay, Buy.com, or Amazon.com, to the table if you are going for the lower monthly cost Even More Plus plans. T-Mobile actually has a nice pop-up that appears if you add the phones you want with one of the two plans and then click on Change Plan so you can see what the cost impact of the hardware is for your situation.

New Even More Family Plan

$99.99 - Base plan price giving unlimited minutes on all lines
$40 - Required unlimited smartphone web and unlimited text messaging for one smartphone line
$40 - $10 for each of four additional lines for unlimited text messaging
$120 -$40 for each of three additional lines of family plan
$299.99 Total, plus $175 activation fee

New Even More Plus Family Plan

$139.99 - Base plan price giving unlimited minutes and text messaging on all lines, with unlimited smartphone data on two lines
$105 -$35 for each of three additional lines of family plan
$244.99 Total, plus $175 activation fee

So as you can see the Even More Plus is at least $50/month cheaper than the Even More plan (at least because the Even More plan only includes one smartphone data plan while the Plus plan has two). If you have existing phones then the Even More Plus with no annual contract may be the way to go. Your hardware costs would have to be greater than $1,200 for you to consider the Even More plan over the Even More Plus plan, but with a myTouch 3G with a full price of $499.99 that doesn’t take much to reach.

As you can see the increase for my own situation ranges from $75 to $130 per month. The additional services are unlimited phone calls and one more smartphone data line. You also get to know that no contract is hanging over your head with an Even More Plus plan, but that leads me to wonder what T-Mobile is doing about those of us who still have time left on existing contracts. I think I will have to place a call to T-Mobile to find out about this.

My wife doesn’t care to have data on her phone and we get by just fine with 1800 shared minutes and MyFaves. If you make a ton of calls, then these new T-Mobile plans may be wonderful for you and as my daughters move on to college then these new family plans may make more sense. They may also make a ton of sense for those who are looking for unlimited individual plans. I would have liked to have seen the limited minute plans have the MyFaves option since most people rarely use all their minutes anyways and these unlimited plans are just ways for carriers to make a huge amount of money that customers never “spend”.

October 19th, 2009

Can a BlackBerry watch succeed where SPOT watches failed?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:35 pm

Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile services, RIM, Rumor

Tags: Accessory, Watch, RIM BlackBerry, Handhelds, Hardware, Matthew Miller

I still have a few MSN Direct SPOT watches floating around at home, but find I rarely even wear a watch and just rely on my mobile phones for time and date information. Crackberry.com looks to have the first images and information on the upcoming BlackBerry Watch. This Bluetooth accessory will connect to your BlackBerry device and act as a viewable terminal for specific data. Much like the SPOT watches of old, it is designed to give you quick glanceable access to data without having to pull out your phone. Honestly though, does it really take that much effor to pull out your phone? If there is a piece of data you want to view more of or respond to then this watch actually introduces an unnecessary step in the process, right?

I suppose there could be a use case while driving where you could glance at your watch to see if any messages are urgent enough to warrant pulling over to stop and respond, but am still not sure that warrants an accessory like this. The SPOT watches required both the hardware and a monthly subscription and since this works via Bluetooth to your BlackBerry there will be no subscription service required. The price will have to be reasonable for people to pick this up, but I imagine there will be enough BlackBerry fans and tech geeks out there who will pick one up to justify the accessory.

October 16th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #186, Nokia N900, dual boot laptops, Moto CLIQ

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:41 am

Categories: Android, Google, Linux, Microsoft, Mobile services, Nokia, Podcast, Sprint, T-Mobile

Tags: Dual Boot, MobileTechRoundup, Nokia Corp., Laptop Computer, James, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 32 MB, 34:45 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

James, Kevin, and I kicked off MobileTechRoundup show #186 with my thoughts on the Nokia N900 Internet Tablet and my pleasure about finally receiving my blue Zune Originals media player. Kevin brought up the dual boot Acer Aspire D250 and we learned that it actually boots into Android first where you can then switch to Windows. James has been playing with the Dell Latitude ON device and we chatted a bit about that new laptop. The Motorola CLIQ reviews went live this week too.