October 23rd, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #187, Windows 7, B&N Nook, Nokia N900

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:39 am

Categories: Gadgets, Kindle, Linux, Microsoft, MoTR podcast, Mobile software, Netbook, Nokia, Ultra portable PC, ebooks

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Nokia Corp., News, Microsoft Windows 7, E-books, Microsoft Windows, Personal Technology, Operating Systems, Software, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 30.4 MB, 33:05 minutes)

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Windows 7 was the big news of the week and James, Kevin, and I started off MobileTechRoundup show #186 talking about this latest Microsoft operating system. Hopefully James doesn’t really go try to eat a Burger King Whopper 7 today. I talked a bit more about the Nokia N900 now that I have had this mobile Linux computer for almost 2 weeks. The other big news of the week was the Barnes & Noble Nook and James sounds like he is as excited as me, although I am the only one who placed a pre-order so far. Amazon didn’t want to be left out of the ebook news and also announced Kindle for PC this week.

October 13th, 2009

Nokia Booklet 3G coming mid-November for $299 and $599

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:53 am

Categories: Gadgets, Microsoft, Netbook, Nokia

Tags: Nokia Corp., Battery, 3G, Engineering, Cellular Phones, Wireless And Mobility, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

As I posted back in August I am not much of a fan of Nokia getting into the PC market with its Booklet 3G. I am sure it will be a rock solid piece of desirable hardware, but it will also be very expensive. Today, Engadget posted news from Nokia and AT&T that the Booklet 3G will come in at $299 with a 2-year contract and $60/month data plan. There should be shorter term higher prices being announced eventually, but for now they are trying to focus on the $299 price. Engadget stated that the non-subsidized price is going to be $599, which is actually lower than I thought it would be by a couple hundred dollars.

While $599 is on the high end for a netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G has a rated 12 hour battery life and Nokia states that this is a real battery life number and not just one for the books. You should be able to pre-order pick up the Nokia Booklet 3G on 22 October to coincide with the launch of Windows 7. With the larger display than my MSI Wind, I may actually have to check one out to see if selling my Wind and picking up a non-subsidized Booklet 3G makes sense.

UPDATE: I received the official press release and the Booklet 3G is expected to be in stores mid-November with preorders starting on 22 October.

August 24th, 2009

Is Nokia losing focus by now expanding into the PC market with the Booklet 3G?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:35 am

Categories: Gadgets, Microsoft, Netbook, Nokia, Ultra portable PC

Tags: Nokia Corp., PC, Netbook, Nokia World 2009, Nokia Booklet 3G, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, 3G, Cellular Phones, Wireless And Mobility, Hardware

Nokia World 2009 is being held in Germany next week and to whet your appetite Nokia just announced the upcoming Nokia Booklet 3G, a Windows netbook competitor. We have seen rumors about Nokia coming out with some kind of notebook device with speculation that it could be running Android or even Maemo. The Nokia Booklet 3G is a Windows netbook powered by an Intel Atom processor.

Other known specifications include:

• 12 hours of battery life
• Integrated 3G/HSPA and WiFi connectivity
• HDMI video out port
• Front facing webcam
• Bluetooth radio
• SD card reader
• 10-inch display
• Integrated A-GPS receiver
• Ovi integration

More specifications, availability, and pricing will be announced next week so we will keep an eye out on this news.

This mini-notebook appears to have specs similar to most other leading netbooks and I will be very curious to see where pricing comes in and if it is too high I can’t imagine it doing very well, even if it is built with outstanding Nokia quality. I would rather see Nokia devote resources to making capacitive touch screen smartphones with a user interface to compete with the iPhone, Android, and WebOS devices since the netbook market is already flooded with competitors at very low prices. Nokia’s worldwide smartphone market share has been falling every quarter for quite some time and it would be nice to see them focus on their core market. What do you think about this device?

July 5th, 2009

Will we see a Nokia Aseries (Android series) or Android Tablet device in September?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:14 pm

Categories: Gadgets, Nokia, Open Handset Alliance, Rumors, Symbian

Tags: Google Android, Nokia Corp., Guardian, Mobile Operating Systems, Tablets, Smart Phones, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Consumer Electronics

I admit to being a fan of Nokia devices, but think there are several areas of the S60 Symbian-based operating system that need improvement. I am also quite a fan of Google Android, especially running on my T-Mobile G1. The Guardian is reporting the Nokia will be announcing an Android smartphone at Nokia World in September. The Guardian does not list any source for this rumor, other than industry insiders, so I am not taking this possibility as fact yet. However, I do think it would be interesting to see a Nokia ASeries (Android series) or Nokia Android Tablet class of devices with Nokia’s outstanding hardware and Android’s powerful and user friendly operating system.

If this rumor turns out to be true, I highly doubt that Nokia would completely flip to Android and believe we will still see S60 running on Nseries, Eseries, and other series of devices. In all likelihood, this Android OS device will be some kind of new Nokia Internet Tablet where Android would be a much better OS than the rather slow Maemo Linux-based OS currently running on the N800 and N810. The Nokia Internet Tablets have a rather small following, but I think putting the Android OS on it may spur interest.

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 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.

April 17th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #169, Nokia E75, Viliv S5, HP dv2, and S60 Twitter clients

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:12 pm

Categories: MoTR podcast, Mobile software, Nokia, S60, Smartphone, Symbian, UMPC, Ultra portable PC, mobile services

Tags:

Listen here (MP3, 31.2 MB, 34:00 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

Sprint had a huge launch buildup for the Samsung Instinct and in MobileTechRoundup show #169 we question where all the marketing is for the upcoming Palm Pre. I had a chance to chat a bit about the fantastic Nokia E75 I am testing out. James just received the Vilev S5 UMPC after we recorded the show, but was pretty excited about checking out the device when we recorded this morning. Kevin also has a new laptop, the HP dv2, and it sounds like a nice device between a netbook and a full blown desktop replacement laptop. I was also happy to report that there are now two high-powered Twitter clients for the S60 platform that I also put up against each other on my Nokia Experts site.

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.

April 12th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #168, CTIA, ebooks, and more

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:06 am

Categories: Gadgets, MoTR podcast, Nokia, ebooks

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, T-Mobile, E-book, CTIA, James, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 31.4 MB, 34:10 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

Kevin and Matt spent a few days at CTIA last week and we started out MobileTechRoundup show #168 chatting about our impressions of the event. It was our first CTIA, but there was a lot to see for both of us. Some photos of the CrunchPad Tablet were revealed just before the show so we talked a bit about this and whether or not a new Nokia Tablet was something that would be viable too. James is a serious eReader fan and brought up the news that Barnes & Noble may be coming out with their own Kindle competitor that may further explain their purchase of Fictionwise/eReader. Invites also went out for a T-Mobile press event on 21 April. Is this the T-Mobile G2 Android device?

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.

March 19th, 2009

Mobile Firefox (aka Fennec) beta 1 now available for testing

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:30 am

Categories: Gadgets, Linux, Mobile software, Nokia, Nseries

Tags: Mozilla Firefox, Nokia Corp., Mobile, Beta, Mozilla Corp., Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, Web Browsers, Advertising & Promotion, Microsoft Windows, Internet

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet is a fun device to tinker with and is a slick piece of hardware. I tried running the alpha version of the Mozilla Fennec browser on it a couple of months ago and it was extremely slow and virtually useless. I just read over on Brighthand that the Beta 1 version of Fennec was released for the N810 running OS2008 so I headed on over and immediately downloaded it. This is the first beta release of a mobile version of Firefox and looks much more promising than the earlier alpha version I tried. You can see it running in the video below.

The list of features in this new beta include:

• TraceMonkey, Mozilla’s new JavaScript engine
• Faster application start-up time
• Faster panning
• Faster zooming
• Initial implementation of bookmark folders and bookmark editing
• Support for plug-ins

Fennec Beta 1 walkthrough from Madhava Enros on Vimeo.

There are also lots of other improvements from the alpha feature list. I used Fennec to check out some of my favorite sites (including my ZDNet blogs) and found that it still seemed to be a bit sluggish loading some heavy ad-laden pages, but it did load the full version of them too. It was actually quite fast with Google Reader, which is where I live most of the time. I just may be using my N810 more and more for browsing on the go now.

It took me a while to figure out how to get into full screen mode since the upper menu (and associated button) doesn’t seem to do anything. From their tips & tricks section, to use the full screen for browsing, click the button on the left hand side on top of the device (to the left of the -/+ buttons).

If you don’t have a Nokia N810 to try it out on and want to see how it may eventually work on your S60 or Windows Mobile device you can install it on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer and try it for yourself.

March 16th, 2009

Is Apple controlling too much of the new shuffle experience?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:26 pm

Categories: Gadgets, MP3 players, Nokia, Rumors

Tags: Headphone, Apple iPod, Apple iPod Shuffle, Apple Inc., Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Matthew Miller

It seems people are quick to jump on Apple and label them an evil empire that wants to control your entire user experience. While that may be true for some things this whole iPod shuffle headphone chip issue may have gone a bit farther than it actually needed to. Michael Gartenberg put together a nice summary post that lays out the whole story as we currently understand it. It seems to me this headset just gives new iPod shuffle users a way to control their music experience since there are no controls on the device itself. Nokia includes these type of inline controllers with their Nseries devices to give you a faster and more convenient control mechanism, but as far as I can tell there is no evil DRM chip in them.

I don’t have an iPod shuffle to test, but from what I have read you can actually use any set of headphones you want to listen to your music. You won’t be able to control your music, but Apple isn’t preventing you from listening to your music. Apple should take a cue from Nokia and have a two piece solution so that you can plug your high end headphones into the controller unit and maybe third parties will do that eventually. It sounds like Griffin’s current controller unit doesn’t work with the iPod shuffle so maybe Apple will not allow anyone to create alternative controllers and you will be locked into using their headphones for the full shuffle experience.