The Mobile Gadgeteer

July 2nd, 2009

Archos Google Android-based Internet Media Tablet to be revealed 15 September

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:00 pm

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, Open Handset Alliance, Smartphone

Tags: Archos, Smart Phone, Media, Video, Tablet, Corporate Communications, Smart Phones, Internet, Cellular Phones, Handhelds

Back in February we mentioned that Archos would be launching an Android Internet Tablet device and now according to Pocket-Lint that device will be coming on 15 September 2009. The Internet Media Tablet will focus on multimedia (which is not really a focus of the Android smartphones to date) while still providing smartphone functionality.

The vaguely announced IMT device will have a 5 inch display, Adobe Flash and Flash video support, up to 500GB capacity drive, 7 hourse of video playback, and 3.5G 7.2 Mbps HSUPA wireless connectivity.

June 26th, 2009

Sony admits to PSP Go early adopter premium, are you really surprised?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:58 am

Categories: Gadgets, Portable gaming

Tags: Sony Corp., Premium, Sony PlayStation Portable, Investment, Finance, Matthew Miller

The PSP Go will be launching on 1 October for $249 and according to a Joystiq article posting a quote from a Sony executive Sony is associating a premium cost for new adopters. It is not a new practice to charge a premium for new products, just look at Apple’s $200 price drop after just two months, but this is one of the first times I have heard of a company actually admitting there is a premium for early adopters.

As an admitted early adopter I have to say paying a premium on new products has not really deterred me from picking them up, but a lot of this acceptance has to do with the fact that I do see a return on my early investment by writing about these new products here on ZDNet. Now, if I was a “normal” consumer who enjoyed the latest and greatest products, I may be a bit ticked that companies are charging premiums when products launch just because they can and not because that is the selling price needed to stay profitable. Yet, I am also a fan of the free market system so if people don’t like paying premiums, then let your money do the talking and stop buying new products at launch. If people stopped doing this all the time, maybe there would be fewer premiums. I highly doubt people have this patience today though and think there will continue to be early adopters paying a premium for new prodcuts.

June 23rd, 2009

Review: Skooba Checkthrough Brief helps speed you through airport security

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:16 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road

Tags: Airport Security, Transportation Security Administration, Laptop Computer, Skooba Checkthrough, Laptop Compartment, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Matthew Miller

I’ve spent quite a bit of time traveling the last few years and consider myself a pretty experienced traveler. That said, I like to try to minimize the hassle of flying as much as possible and the TSA rules that allow you to speed up by passing through the x-ray machines without taking your laptop out of the bag is one area that is easy to take advantage of. I previously tried a couple other checkpoint friendly bags and was pleased when one of my favorite laptop manufacturers, Skooba, announced their Checkthrough Brief. Skooba makes some very high quality and durable carrying cases and the Skooba Checkthrough Brief continues that same tradition. You can look through my image gallery to see how attractive and functional this bag can be for the business traveler.

	Image Gallery:Check out product photos of the Skooba Checkthrough Brief checkpoint friendly bag.

The first thing I noticed when pulling the Skooba Checkthrough Brief out of the large box was the high quality material that it was constructed of. It is a black case with green highlighted logo and silver interior lining pieces. The bag weighs in at 48 ounces and comes with a good shoulder strap. However, to make my trip even more pleasant, I attached my own Skooba Superbungeee Strap that I like to have attached to my traveling bags.

The laptop compartment is designed primarily to hold 15 inch laptops, but Skooba states that some 16 and 17 inch models may also fit. The laptop interior measures 16 inches x 11 inches x 1.5 inches. I carried my 15 inch MacBook Pro comfortably on my test trips. There is padding around all the edges of the laptop and there is a thick plastic panel on one side to let the TSA officials see the internal contents. The TSA is not required to allow laptops in these bags to pass through without inspection, but I have found that every time I used this bag and passed it through the x-ray machines in the open position they let me pass without further inspection. I actually was asked twice by the TSA representatives to spell the name of the company who made the bag because they liked what they saw and wanted to look into them as well.

This laptop compartment is closed with a zipper going around 3/4 of the bag. The top section is connected permanently and is the part that connects the laptop compartment to the main bag when fully opened. You can just grab and go after passing through security or you can take the time to close up the laptop compartment with the zipper if you want.

In addition to the laptop compartment, there is a large open general area under a padded flap that secures with a heavy duty plastic buckle on the front. I placed cables, chargers, and extra phones and gear in this compartment and since the bag opens up flat these items were allowed to stay in the bag as well. There is a compartment on the top flap to store more gear.

Finally, there is a zippered pocket on the front that is good for business cards, keys, and other smaller items you need to keep secured.

The zippers and zipper closures are extremely well constructed and durable with a bit of a soft touch feeling to them as well. I can see this bag easily lasting years with the durable construction and useful compartmentation.

The normal price of the Skooba Checkthrough Brief is $139.95, but it is currently on sale for $109.95. If you are a frequent traveler I think you will enjoy using this high quality bag and passing quickly through security, while maintaining full control over your laptop and gear.

June 16th, 2009

Kindle DX earns high ratings from reviewers

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:35 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, ebooks

Tags:

As I have mentioned before I visit Lisa Gade’s Mobile Tech Review site before I buy any product I haven’t personally tested out myself because she provides some of the best insight and thorough coverage of mobile products on the Internet. Lisa posted her full Amazon Kindle DX review and ended up awarding the device 4-1/2 out of 5 stars.

You can check out several other reviews of the new Kindle DX here:

• Gizmodo
• Wired
• New York Times
• Wall Street Journal
• CNET

I didn’t know the Kindle DX lacked dictionary support and find that odd given that it is targeted to the student. There is no dictionary support for PDF viewing, but it is present in ebooks. I still don’t see much of a demand for the larger Kindle DX since there doesn’t seem to be a lot of textbook content out there and it doesn’t make sense to use it for magazines without it having a color display. I have no personal interest in buying a Kindle DX after picking up my own Kindle 2 in February, but would sure like to have some of that native PDF support along with zoom functionality (think Sony Reader here folks). I wonder if Amazon will send out an OTA update for Kindle 1 and 2 owners to provide this support? I would love to have seen Amazon put that more compact QWERTY keyboard on my Kindle 2 and give me a slightly larger display or overall smaller device with the same size display.

Larry also posted yesterday on what he would like to see in a Kindle DX for the premium price of the device. I fully agree that WiFi would be nice to have, especially since my Sprint coverage at home is quite weak and I usually have to drive to the end of the street to visit my “Kindle library.”

June 9th, 2009

Viliv X70 ultra portable PC available soon for $599

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:50 am

Categories: Gadgets, MoTR podcast, On the road, Ultra portable PC

Tags: Processor, PC, Apple MacBook, Apple MacBook Pro, Corporate Communications, Notebooks, Productivity, Podcasts, Marketing, Hardware

Fellow MoTR podcast host James Kendrick has been playing with the new Viliv X70EX ultra portable computer that looks quite attractive and portable. I just read on jkOnTheRun that the ViliV X70EX will be available for $599 over at Dynamism.

$599 seems to be a reasonable price for a compact Windows XP computer with a 7″ WSVGA display (1024×600), 16GB SSD drive, Intel Atom 1.2 GHz processor, 5+ hour battery life (in video playback mode), integrated GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi with an option for HSPA via a SIM, and more. The processor and drive upgrade models do not have pricing yet, but when you look at the Viliv S5 with smaller display priced at the same entry price this seems like a pretty good deal.

I personally think I may get one of those new 13″ MacBook Pro devices to replace my aging original 15″ MacBook Pro.

June 3rd, 2009

PSP Go coming with Bluetooth and slide-up display

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:30 am

Categories: Gadgets, Portable gaming

Tags: Sony PlayStation Portable, Boy Genius Report, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Memory, Flash Memory, Wireless And Mobility, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components

I own an original Sony PSP and enjoy playing it from time-to-time. With this PSP and the Nintendo DSi (see my review) I really have no desire to upgrade since I just don’t spend enough time with games. The Boy Genius Report has some information and photos of the Sony PSP Go that will be launching this Fall. This PSP looks quite large with a slide-up display and plethora of controls on the lower half.

BGR stated that the new PSP Go is actually 43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000 and comes with 16GB of Flash memory. The UMD slot is gone, no real loss there and a Memory Stick Micro slot is present. Bluetooth is integrated, along with WiFi that the existing units have, so you can tether to a mobile phone or use a headset.

It should officially be announced at the E3 conference where we should here more about pricing and availability.

UPDATE: I drafted this post a couple of days ago and was then sent out of town on business and failed to schedule it properly. Sony made the PSP Go announcement official at E3 and Gamespot has quite a bit of coverage on the device. It will launch on 1 October for $250.

June 3rd, 2009

Nokia announces BH-905 active noise cancelling Bluetooth stereo headset

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:30 am

Categories: Gadgets, Nokia

Tags:

I took a look at the Nokia BH-903 Bluetooth stereo headset a year ago and still use that headset just about every day. It is a very good headset that gives me reliable Bluetooth sound and is easy to carry along with me on the go. Today, Nokia announced the BH-905 headset that takes their outstanding performance to the next level with active noise cancellation and multiple connectivity options (Bluetooth, 3.5mm connection with adapters for 2.5mm, 6.5,, and airplane connectors). It is available for 285 Euro (approximately US$400).

I often hear people complain that the Bluetooth stereo/A2DP experience is limited due to skipping in songs, short range, and lack of high end headsets. I NEVER experience skipping on the BH-903 and imaging Nokia continues with that technology on the BH-905. The BH-905 headset is a slick looking over-the-head type of headset with two microphones to improve the voice calling experience along with an advanced DSP. I was also pleased to see the 16 hour music listening battery life with active noise cancelling and Bluetooth enabled. In wired mode you can listen to up to 40 hours of music with a single headset charge.

Thanks to All About Symbian for the heads-up.

May 28th, 2009

Is the HD in Zune HD just a marketing gimmick?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:57 am

Categories: Gadgets, MP3 players, Microsoft, Zune

Tags: Microsoft Zune, Zune HD, Jason Dunn, Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Matthew Miller

OK, the Zune HD was officially announced by Microsoft this week, but what really is the deal with the HD branding in the name? I imagine if you asked your family and friends what that meant to them they would probably say that you can watch HD quality TV and movie content on the Zune portable media device. I know that is what I thought before reading further into the details, but that would be wrong. You see, there are only two aspects of the device that have to do with HD and I doubt most consumers will even use these functions. One is for HD radio (yes, over-the-air radio) and I have to wonder how many people even listen to a FM radio today with digital music and players, podcasts, and streaming music clients. I listen to the radio every once in a while in the car, but it isn’t something that drives me to purchase a device. Almost all of my S60 phones have FM radios and I rarely listen to them. The second HD functionality is for connecting the Zune HD to an external HD monitor to view content. How often do people really hook up their Zune, iPod, or other mobile device right now to watch digital content on a big screen? If you have a big screen, you usually already have a direct way to get content on there and there is little need for a portable media storage/player, right?

HD radio may sound better than FM radio, but I have honestly never heard it or could even tell you what stations are available in HD. I don’t think this is much of a compelling feature myself because of my personal listening habits. Even if HD radio sounds fantastic I doubt I would use this function that much.

The Zune HD has a 480×272 resolution OLED display so the display is far from being a HD display for viewing your media content. Jason Dunn has an informative and slightly heated discussion on the topic of HD on the Zune HD over at Apple Thoughts that you may find enjoyable and informative in regards to this subject.

I honestly think there is lots of value in the Zune Pass subscription and now that I can get my Zune subscription content on Windows Mobile and selected S60 devices I may even end up picking up a Zune HD when they are released. We haven’t seen any pricing info yet though so I can’t plan for a purchase yet. However, I highly doubt that the HD part of the new Zune is the driving factor for myself or others who pick up the new device.

May 25th, 2009

Is the Nokia N900 Internet Tablet really coming to T-Mobile USA

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:33 am

Categories: Gadgets, Nokia, Nseries, Rumors

Tags: Nokia Corp., T-Mobile, Tablets, Notebooks, Keyboards, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Peripherals, Matthew Miller

I enjoy using the Nokia N810 device from time to time to surf, use some old Palm apps with GarnetVM, and watch movies. I do find it to be a bit laggy at times though so it isn’t always with me. MobileCrunch posted some rumored news on the next Nokia Internet Tablet referred to as the N900, Rover, and Maemo Flagship. It is very similar to the Nokia N97, but with a higher resolution display and Maemo OS rather than S60.

Some of the rumored hardware specs are:

• Maemo 5 OS
• 3.5 inch 800×480 touchscreen (capacitive or not?)
• OMAP3430 500/600 MHZ processor
• 5 megaxpixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics
• WiFi (it should have Bluetooth as well)
• HSPA wireless 3.5G capability
• 32GB internal storage with expandable memory (microSD?)

One other aspect of the rumor that particularly interests me is the possible T-Mobile USA availability in August/September 2009. If this is true then I will definitely be picking one up to run on my T-Mobile account.

May 22nd, 2009

Sorry OQO owners, no more support or repair service for you

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:38 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, Ultra portable PC

Tags: OQO, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Keyboards, Microsoft Windows, Hardware, Peripherals, Operating Systems, Software, Matthew Miller

OQO made some very cool, yet expensive, highly portable Windows computers with integrated QWERTY keyboards and announced their latest model 02+ with OLED display and Atom processor at CES 2009. That device was never delivered and it turns out that OQO could no longer remain in business. Unfortunately, it sounds like current owners of these expensive devices are up a creek without a paddle when it comes to any needed repair or support service. If you have an issue with your device, there is no one at the company available to provide support.

It is a shame to see this happen to a company that was pretty innovative with these small ultraportables, but in today’s economy I think they were just too pricey when you have $300 netbooks in a form factor that is more familiar and comfortable for people. The types of ultraportables never seem to have taken off, but maybe they would have done well at the $500 price point instead of the $1,500 price point.

Thanks to MobilitySite for the heads-up on the news.