November 21st, 2009

Want to see the HTC HD2? Join me at the PSHUG meeting next Tuesday

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:37 pm

Categories: Android, BlackBerry, Google, HTC, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, T-Mobile, Windows Mobile

Tags: High Tech Computer Corp., Device, Cellular Phones, Benefits, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Human Resources, Matthew Miller

One of the benefits about writing about mobile phones is that I get the opportunity to play with a LOT of cool devices for a few weeks at a time. Years ago I was a regular attendee to the monthly Puget Sound Handheld User Group (PSHUG) meetings, but life as a coach and dad has consumed many of those Tuesday evenings. Thankfully, my schedule opened up this month so I will now be showing them off and giving people a chance to play with them next Tuesday, 24 November, from 7 to 9 pm on the Microsoft campus. I will have the following devices to show off:

• HTC HD2 WM 6.5 device
• Samsung Behold II Google Android device
• T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700
• HTC Hero GSM model
• Nokia N900
• Nokia N97 mini
• FC Sounders custom Zune Original Zune HD

I also learned that my friend from many years ago, Dale Coffing, will be there show off some things. The CEO of Pharos Science and Applications, James Oyang, will be showing some of the latest Pharos GPS gadgetry. It is going to be a great time with some awesome folks and the latest and greatest devices. Please respond on the Facebook event page so we can estimate how many will be there.

November 20th, 2009

Hands-on with the T-Mobile Samsung Behold II Google Android smartphone

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:48 am

Categories: Android, Google, Linux, Review, Samsung, T-Mobile

Tags: Google Android, Device, Smart Phone, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., T-Mobile, Samsung Behold II, Cube, Center Button, Lock Button, MicroUSB

I took a look at the Samsung Behold last year and as you may recall this is a high end feature phone with a high resolution camera. When I initially heard that T-Mobile was going to launch the Behold II in the Fall I didn’t think much about it since I just thought it was some kind of minor update to a good feature phone. I then read more about the device and learned it was actually going to be powered by the Google Android OS and my interest was instantly piqued. The Samsung Behold II launched a couple of days ago on T-Mobile USA and is T-Mobile’s fourth Google Android device, making them the US carrier with the most Android smartphones. Check out a few product photos in my image gallery and the video walk through the Behold II below.

	Image Gallery:Check out a few product photos of the Samsung Behold II on T-Mobile.

As I pulled the Samsung Behold II out of the box, I was immediately impressed by its solid feel in my hand. It is pretty thing and has no real curves on the top or bottom with just rounded corners. There are actually quite a few buttons on the front below the display, which is a bit unusual given the minimalist designs many companies seem to be using today. I was really blown away after turning on the device and seeing the OLED display shine with vivid colors. You can see Samsung added in some of their widgety design elements and personally I didn’t find them to add a ton of value to the Android platform and have just never been much of a fan of the TouchWiz interface while some people may absolutely love it.

Specifications of the Samsung Behold II (T939)

• Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual band UMTS/HSPA (1700/2100 MHz)
• 256MB RAM/512MB ROM
• 3.2 inch AMOLED 320×480 pixels resolution display supporting 16 million colors and capacitive touch elements
• Standard 528 MHz processor
• Google Android 1.5 operating system
• 5 megapixel digital camera
• microSD expansion card slot with 2GB card included
• 3.5mm headset jack
• WiFi and Bluetooth radios
• Integrated GPS receiver
• 1500 mAh battery
• Dimensions: 4.57 x 2.20 x 0.48 inches and 4.23 ounces

The specs are typical for a Google Android device with the OLED display being the main unique feature. 528 MHz has proven to bog down a bit with Android, but so far it has done OK on the Behold II.

Box contents

The box is a typical square T-Mobile package with some thick manuals that weigh it down quite a bit. Inside the box you will find the Behold II, battery, charger, USB cable, wired stereo headset, 2GB microSD card, slip cover case, and manuals.

Hardware

It is tough to argue that the OLED display is not eye catching and pleasing in most situations. I rarely use my device in full sunlight so this is not a concern for me and being here in Washington I haven’t been able to test it out. Below the display on the front is an Read the rest of this entry »

November 16th, 2009

Widespread BlackBerry data outage reported, is it time to move on?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:41 pm

Categories: BlackBerry, RIM, T-Mobile

Tags: RIM BlackBerry, Outage, Manufacturing, Handhelds, Hardware, Matthew Miller

I posted my first impressions of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 earlier today and then planned to spend a lot of time using the device over the next few days. I am at the Microsoft Mobius event in Seattle that is a gathering of some of the greatest mobile minds and was trying to show the Bold 9700 to some folks, but I couldn’t get a connection. I then later read on Boy Genius Report that BIS was down across the globe today. As of this moment it still is not working for me and has been down for hours.

The release of the T-Mobile Bold 9700 obviously couldn’t have caused such a problem with the network and we haven’t seen anything official from RIM yet. This type of service outage is one reason I will never go back to using a BlackBerry device. I prefer to have more control over my connectivity and information and think these types of data outages are unacceptable today.

November 16th, 2009

First impressions of the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:36 am

Categories: BlackBerry, RIM, Review, T-Mobile

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Device, T-Mobile, RIM BlackBerry, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Bold 9700, T-Mobile BB Curve 8900, Bold 9700, QWERTY Keyboard, Handhelds

It was a year ago this month that the RIM BlackBerry Bold was launched and I purchased one from AT&T while on a business trip (see my first impressions). The Bold had the BEST QWERTY keyboard available at that time, but that came at the price of width so the phone was a bit chunky. We now see RIM making some design improvements with the BlackBerry Bold 9700 that is launching first with T-Mobile and AT&T here in the US. I have spent a couple of days with the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700, check out my image gallery, and think it may be the best front facing QWERTY BlackBerry device on the market. I was quite impressed with the BB Tour, but the lack of WiFi in today’s smartphone market is really unacceptable. The T-Mobile BB Curve 8900 is also an excellent device, but the Bold 9700 adds 3G.

	Image Gallery:A walk around the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700.

The BlackBerry device I recommended for T-Mobile customers before today was the Curve 8900 and this is still a very good device if 3G is not a need for you on your BlackBerry. Honestly, the BlackBerry browser is not that great and I think people with BB devices are focused on email, which works quite well with just an EDGE connection. The Bold 9700 adds 3G and a bump up to 624 MHz processor with the trackball changed to an optical touchpad, which you may or may not like. There is not much more that RIM can do with these BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard devices, but it is great to finally see a 3G model on T-Mobile.

Specifications: The specifications for the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 include:

* Quad-band GSM/EDGE:1900/1800/900/850 MHz
* Tri-band UMTS: 2100/1700/900 MHz
* BlackBerry OS 5.0
* 624 MHz processor
* 256MB ROM
* microSD card slot with SDHC support (256MB card included)
* QWERTY keyboard and trackball
* Integrated GPS/A-GPS receiver
* 802.11 b/g WiFi with support for T-Mobile UMA service
* Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support
* 2.44 inch 480×360 pixels 65k colors display
* 3.2 megapixel camera with flash light and auto focus
* 3.5 mm headset jack
* 1500 mAh battery

* Dimensions: Weight: 4.3 ounces
* Length: 4.29 inches
* Width: 2.36 inches
* Thickness: 0.55 inches

The differences between the original BB Bold and BB Bold 9700 are as follows:

* Bold has 1GB internal flash ROM and Bold 9700 has 256MB
* Bold has a/b/g WiFi and Bold 9700 has b/g WiFi
* Bold has a 2 megapixel camera and Bold 9700 has a 3.2 megapixel model
* Bold has a larger 2.75 inch display and Bold 9700 has a 2.44 inch display
* Bold display has a resolution of 480×320 and Bold 9700 has a resolution of 480×360

The original Bold was quite a powerful device, but RIM’s ability to make the Read the rest of this entry »

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

Nokia N900 Maemo device now shipping to retailers

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:20 am

Categories: Linux, Nokia, T-Mobile

Tags: Nokia Corp., T-Mobile, Pricing, Retail, Marketing Research, Marketing, Matthew Miller

I have been using a pre-production Nokia N900 for about a month and created the Definitive Nokia N900 Guide as I answer questions and put the device to the test. We finally received word from Nokia that the Nokia N900 is now shipping to retailers in Europe, Middle-East, Russia and North America. The best deal we currently see here in the US is from Amazon where the pre-order price is currently $559.99. This is a full unsubsidized price so no contracts are needed and you can use it with either T-Mobile or AT&T. You will need a T-Mobile account to take advantage of the 3.5G data network though since it supports the 1700MHz frequency.

We have no idea if T-Mobile will provide this as a subsidized device, but they may offer it with their new Even More Plus plans that do not have contracts or reduced phone pricing. If you look at phones on T-Mobile with their no contract plan then you will see that the N900 at $560 is actually not that outrageous of a price. Consider that the N900 has an ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor, 32GB internal memory with a microSD card for support of 16GB more, 800×480 3.5 inch display, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, FM transmitter and FM radio, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and powerful Maemo 5 operating system and then you can see it is quite the mobile computer. The web browser is the main strength of the N900.

November 9th, 2009

Smartphone Buyer's Guide: What are the choices on my carrier?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:06 am

Categories: AT&T, Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Google, HTC, Linux, Microsoft, Palm, RIM, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, WebOS, Windows Mobile, iPhone

Tags: Touch Screen, Apple iPhone, High Tech Computer Corp., Google Android, Device, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Smart Phone, T-Mobile, RIM BlackBerry, Smartphone

I recently posted the 2009 Holiday Guide for smartphones and in that guide posted about just one smartphone from each carrier. I also posted my Holiday Guide for feature phones and included the two I thought are best on each carrier. There are more smartphone selections than just one and now that most all of the announcements for the holidays have been made I thought you might like to know what the choices from each carrier are, along with the subsidized and non-subsidized prices so you can make an informed choice. Most people find a carrier that works for them with the best coverage in their local area so they look first to their carrier for a smartphone rather than looking for the a smartphone and then switching carriers. You will find the smartphone choices from the four largest nationwide carriers, but keep in mind there are also some rather large localized carriers in the Northeast and Southern regions with excellent smartphone choices.

The prices you will see in this article are from the carrier. If you are new to a carrier or adding another line you will find excellent prices on Amazon.com and other online vendors.

Verizon Wireless

Verizon has had a rather weak lineup of smartphones for most of 2009 with their primary focus on high end BlackBerry models. They recently added some very good Windows Mobile and Google Android devices to their offerings so Verizon Wireless customers have some of the best choices this holiday season. You will find smartphones with keyboards and those focused on touch only so something should appeal to you that allows you to stay with Verizon Wireless, or even join them to obtain one of their new Google Android devices.

Verizon does have the most expensive data and voice plans, but they also have the most coverage of any wireless carrier. The HTC Touch Pro2 has been sold out for much of the last month so may be difficult to find. The HTC DROID ERIS and Motorola DROID are the hottest devices at the moment and you will see commercials for both on television and in print advertising. If you travel internationally, make sure to look for a phone that is GSM-capable too.

RIM BlackBerry

• BlackBerry Curve 8330 - Front facing QWERTY, 2.0 megapixel camera: $429.99 (no contract) and $49.99 (2-year contract)
• BlackBerry Tour - Front facing QWERTY, 3.2 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $489.99 (no contract) and $149.99 (2-year contract)
• BlackBerry Storm2 - Large touchscreen, WiFi, 3.2 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $539.99 (no contract) and $179.99 (2-year contract)

Windows Mobile

• Samsung Omnia - Large touchscreen, Samsung TouchWIZ interface, 5 megapixel camera: $459.99 (no contract) and FREE (2-year contract)
• HTC Ozone - Front facing QWERTY, non-touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $349.99 (no contract) and $49.99 (2-year contract)
• Samsung Saga - Front facing QWERTY, touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $449.99 (no contract) and $99.99 (2-year contract)
• HTC Touch Pro2 - Large touchscreen, slider QWERTY, 3.2 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $489.99 (no contract) and $199.99 (2-year contract)
• HTC Imagio - Windows Mobile 6.5, large touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, GSM world phone: $579.99 (no contract) and $199.99 (2-year contract)

Google Android

• HTC DROID ERIS - Touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, HTC Sense UI and widgets:: $469.99 (no contract) and $99.99 (2-year contract)
• Motorola DROID - Android 2.0, 5 megapixel camera, large touchscreen, slider QWERTY: $559.99 (no contract) and $199.99 (2-year contract)

Apple iPhone
Verizon has no iPhone devices.

Symbian
Verizon has no Symbian smartphone offerings.

Palm WebOS
Verizon has no Palm WebOS devices.

A couple of things to keep in mind as you look at these Verizon smartphones is to check for WiFi and GSM support if you are a business traveler who needs these wireless technologies to do your job.

Let’s see what AT&T has available »

November 4th, 2009

The iPhone is one of the best phones in the world, carriers with it are the problem

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:34 pm

Categories: AT&T, Apple, T-Mobile, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Carrier, Smart Phones, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

I try not to link to posts I completely disagree with that reach conclusions that don’t seem fully backed up, but I just had to respond to this UK Crave blog post titled, The iPhone is the worst phone in the world. After reading the post and then thinking about my experiences with my iPhone 3GS on both AT&T and T-Mobile I really think the author meant the iPhone/carrier combo is the worst in the world. Every issue, other than battery life, that they mentioned was carrier related and not due just to the device. You see, with AT&T I too experienced constant dropped calls in full signal areas and massive data issues in areas saturated with iPhone users. Then, with T-Mobile I never have had a dropped call on my iPhone and data has been solid, although it is only EDGE data on T-Mobile.

The iPhone is actually a pretty incredible phone that offers the consumer an experience not ever seen before. While we all acknowledge the iPhone rocks at web surfing and media consumption I honestly think it does quite well as a phone too for several reasons as I have listed here.

• Answering calls is as easy as a swipe across the screen.
• Controlling how your call is handled couldn’t be easier. By this I mean the options for a Bluetooth headset, speakerphone, or headset speaker.
• The proximity sensor turns off the display so nothing is accidentally pressed.
• Voicemail appears in a visual list so you control what messages you want to listen to.
• Starting a conference call or swapping calls just takes a screen tap.

I am not saying the iPhone is the perfect phone, but it sure makes all these tasks above easier than I have ever before experienced on a phone before. We now see others copying these exact same interface elements. For example, the Nokia N97 and Touch Pro2 have swipe to answer actions.

There are MANY other phones that are much worse than the iPhone and I completely disagree with the CNET UK post. Do you agree that the iPhone is the worst phone ever or do you think it actually is one of the best phones?

November 4th, 2009

Motorola and Palm; will 2009 be designated as a comeback year?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:37 am

Categories: Android, Google, Linux, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon

Tags: Device, Palm Inc., Motorola Inc., WebOS, Motorola DROID, Palm Pre, Smart Phones, Advertising & Promotion, Cellular Phones, Telecom & Utilities

Many of us believed that Palm was on the ropes and getting ready to go down for the count at the end of 2008, but they came out swinging at CES with the announcement of the Pre and WebOS. Motorola was a leader in the mobile phone business for years, but has not done well in the smartphone space and in early 2009 we heard they would be looking to Android in the future. The Motorola DROID is the talk of the town at the moment and the Motorola CLIQ just started selling at T-Mobile this week. Will 2009 go down as the year that Palm and Motorola showed us all they were back and ready to compete?

Palm

I began my mobile device career with a Palm Pilot 1000 (actually US Robotics then) in early 1997 and they have always had a special place in my heart. Even my online name, palmsolo, reflects my usage of their devices from way back in the day. I still use my Palm Treo Pro and think it is one of the best Windows Mobile devices I have ever used. I was blown away like everyone else with the Palm Pre and WebOS announcements in January and cheered that Palm was back in the game.

However, the Pre and WebOS hasn’t really taken off yet and as I posted recently I really wonder if Palm can make it through 2010. I want to see WebOS devices on other carriers and much more development and available applications in the Palm App Catalog, but am not that hopeful.

Motorola

One of the first mobile phones I used while in the USCG was the Motorola StarTAC. That was one rock solid phone that performed quite well and survived drops and falls. A bit later we saw the highly successful RAZR phone, followed by the huge failure in the Motorola MPx smartphone that was never released. That device could have been hot, but was hampered by an extremely small amount of RAM that killed it before launch. We then saw the launch of the Motorola Q that showed how thin a QWERTY smartphone could be, but the battery life and stability killed enthusiasm for that device. There were some solid Motorola Q models that followed, but I think the issues with the first one kept people from buying these. Motorola then decided to stop releasing Windows Mobile phones.

Motorola kicked off their Android devices with the Motorola CLIQ that has some innovative social networking integration in MotoBLUR. The hot news though surrounds the Motorola DROID on Verizon Wireless that seems to be grabbing lots of attention. Motorola plans to launch many more Android devices in 2010 and will be rolling out devices across carriers so they have the ability to affect more consumers.

2009 closing thoughts

Unless Palm makes moves to roll out on other carriers with their WebOS devices I don’t see them making a full comeback. The upcoming Pixi looks like a decent device, but it will be selling at the Palm Centro price of $99 and we saw that this is not the way to profitability and success even with millions of units sold.

Motorola is ending 2009 on a high note and has lots of momentum going into 2010. I do think 2009 will mark the year of Motorola’s comeback and look forward to seeing more of their offerings in 2010.

What do you think, will 2009 be the year of the comeback for both of these companies?

November 3rd, 2009

T-Mobile experiences voice and text outage across the country

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:40 pm

Categories: T-Mobile

Tags: Voice, T-Mobile, Outage, Manufacturing, Matthew Miller

I was spending the day at the Ferries 2009 conference in Seattle and towards the end of the day tried to send some text messages and make calls home to pick up my daughter, but nothing seemed to work. My T-Mobile data connection worked just fine, but both voice and text services were down. I then checked out Twitter and heard from others around the US that were experiencing the same thing. This service outage appeared to last for about three hours for me and everything is back up and running just fine.

Ina Fried also reported on the outage and you can see it affected many people. I have yet to see a statement from T-Mobile about what caused this outage and will post it if anything is revealed. This isn’t the best news for T-Mobile following the huge Sidekick data outage. Personally, it was a minor inconvenience for me and given that I have always had outstanding service and connectivity through T-Mobile I am just happy to have all of my services back up and running.

There may have been businesses affected by the outage though so there is a possibility that some may not be as forgiving as me.

T-Mobile confirmed that this outage affected about 5% of their customers (I guess I was one of the lucky ones) and has fully been restored now.