November 23rd, 2009

Hands on with new Roku Channel Store; is cable TV still worth the cost?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:32 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, mobile services

Tags: Channel, Cable Television, Photograph, Roku Inc., Roku Channel Store, Blip.tv, Laporte, TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Corporate Communications

I’ve been testing out the Roku HD-XR and just this last weekend was sent some beta bits for their newly announced Roku Channel Store. The Roku Channel Store is available via a software update on all three Roku players, the Roku SD, Roku HD (original), and Roku HD-XR. After the update and Roku account activation you will find 10 new FREE channels that you can select from and also the ability to remove channels from your home screen. The 10 new channels provide content from blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3 and TWiT. I loaded up and tried most of them on my Roku player and find that they may the Roku a much more useful and functional device, not that it already wasn’t just with streaming Netflix support.

To be able to access these new channels, and future content that will be coming, you need to setup a Roku account. This is quick and easy and only takes a few seconds. As you add channels you will find that there are special websites you need to visit to sign up for content or activate your Roku player. These steps are also quick and easy to perform and explanations and confirmations are presented right on your TV. Channels can be easily managed on your Roku so you can try them out and remove and add them as often as you like. I am not a subscriber to the MLB content so was pleased to see I can now remove this channel from my lineup and not have to browse past its icon on the Roku home screen.

Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc stated:

The Roku Channel Store turns the Roku player into the world’s first open platform designed specifically for the TV. Now content producers and distributors – from single person shops to billion dollar corporations – can deliver their content directly to consumers without having to go exclusively through cable operators, satellite networks or TV affiliates.

With some of these channels you actually need to setup your specific account access (Facebook, Google, Flickr) right in the channel on your Roku. A keyboard appears on your TV and you need to scroll right, left, up, and down to enter all the letters to setup your account. This is not the Read the rest of this entry »

November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Personal Navigation Devices

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:19 pm

Categories: GPS, Gadgets, Holiday Gift Guide, On the road

Tags: MSN, Device, TomTom, Garmin Ltd., Maps, Traffic Alert, Garmin Lock Anti-theft Feature, TomTom Go 740 LIVE, GPS, Bluetooth

Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) were very popular in 2008 and last Christmas we saw a number of manufacturers vying for the consumer dollars. I see quite a few people with these mounted in their cars and am not sure the market is as hot for PNDs as it once was. The iPhone brought attention to the fact that it, along with many other smartphones, can serve as more than capable GPS navigation devices. We also recently heard the news that Google is rolling out a free GPS navigation solution on the Google Android platform. That said, if you really need to get somewhere and don’t have a paper map it is more comforting to rely on a dedicated GPS navigation solution than a phone whose battery might die in the middle of your trip or a device where a cell phone carrier signal is required to get your maps.

Looking through the latest reviews on ZDNet, it looks like Garmin and TomTom are the two main players left standing in the PND market. There is some limited connectivity with some of these solutions that is provided via the FM radio frequency via the MSN Direct service, but please be aware that Microsoft has announced that MSN Direct service is ending on 1 January 2012. I am not sure what Garmin and TomTom will do with devices that support MSN Direct, but the devices we will look at here are good to go for another couple of years. Let’s take a look at the entry level and high end of the spectrum from both of these manufacturers in this GPS Holiday Guide.

Garmin Entry Level

Garmin Nuvi 205W

The Garmin Nuvi 205W has a 4.3 inch widescreen 480×272 pixel resolution display so you won’t miss out on that next turn. Maps are preloaded on the device with an optional SD card for storing more data. It is a fairly sleek and slim device (4.8″W x 2.9″H x .8″D and 6.1 ounces) so it is easy to take with you in your pocket or purse to keep it safe from thieves.

The device is a bit limiting as far as PNDs go with no spoken street names, no lane assist, no real-time data, and Garmin Locate functionality.

Price: $189.99 MSRP with online price around $140

[Read the review]
Go to the next page »

October 27th, 2009

Microsoft's MSN Direct service ending in 2012

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 10:54 pm

Categories: GPS, Gadgets, Microsoft, On the road, mobile services

Tags: MSN, Microsoft Corp., GPS, Handhelds, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Matthew Miller

I understand there are some scientists now stating that the end of the calendar, and maybe end of the world, year of 2012 is actually off by a couple hundred years so all those 2012 movies may start to look a bit silly. Then again, if you happen to have a SPOT watch powered by MSN Direct or one of a number of GPS navigation devices with MSN Direct service providing traffic, movies, and other data your connected world will end on 1 January 2012.

I personally still have three SPOT watches and liked the technology for its easily glanceable data. However, I stopped wearing a watch and use my phone for time and date info. You may be wondering why Microsoft is ending this service and in the FAQ section you can read the following:

The delivery of location-based services in the U.S. and Canada has evolved since Microsoft began offering MSN Direct in early 2004. Leveraging unused FM radio spectrum to broadcast data represented a step forward in 2004, however, many choices today including WiFi, Cellular, FM RDS and other digital networks are now readily available and are continuing to grow in popularity. Despite good initial MSN Direct adoption, these alternatives have significantly reduced demand for MSN Direct service. As such, Microsoft has made the decision to focus future U.S. and Canada investments on these existing network connections and discontinue the MSN Direct services business. Microsoft will continue to explore new ways to leverage the efficiencies of FM digital broadcast in other applications and markets going forward.

While some people are starting to use their smartphones more for GPS navigation, I would have thought there was still a pretty large market for MSN Direct services on PNDs. Apparently, this is not true. If you have paid for service that runs past this date, then you will get a prorated refund.

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

October 27th, 2009

Roku adds 2 new players, including the HD-XR with 802.11n support

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:33 am

Categories: Apple, Gadgets, Mobile software, On the road, iPhone

Tags: NetFlix Inc., Player, IEEE 802.11n, Roku Inc., Roku HD-XR, Wireless LANs, Wi-Fi, Tv & Home Theater, TVs, Wireless And Mobility

I have been a Netflix user for some time, but a few months ago I discovered the Roku player that lets me stream “Watch Instantly” Netflix content to my TV and jumped on the $99 device. There is no additional cost to you to stream this content to your TV with your compatible Netflix account. I was then able to downgrade my Netflix account to one DVD out at a time and my family has been extremely pleased with the Roku functionality. The Roku is dead simple to hookup and operate while giving you access to Netflix streaming content and your Amazon Video on Demand content. Last week I was sent a new Roku HD-XR box that adds 802.11n (the previous Roku had 802.11b/g) and a USB port (for future use).

Here is a breakdown of the two new Roku players added to the existing Roku HD player:

• Roku SD player (new): $79.99, connects to your TV via composite video outputs with L/R RCA audio. An ethernet port is present, along with 802.11 b/g WiFi.
• Roku HD player: $99.99, product that is currently shipping today w/ HDMI, component, composite, s-video and L/R RCA and optical video outputs along with Ethernet and Wi-Fi b/g. This model supports HD streaming from partners, currently including Amazon Video On Demand.
• Roku HD-XR (new): $129.99, same video and audio outputs as Roku HD player that also includes Wi-Fi n/b/g and a USB port for future use. The Roku HD-XR is the first Netflix streaming device to incorporate 802.11n connectivity protocol.

802.11n gives you greater range and better signal strength than 802.11b/g, but there shouldn’t be much of a difference in speeds since content partners have limits on the streams. Fortunately, my main 37 inch LCD TV is in the next room only about three feet from my WiFi router so I have never had an issue with signal strength.

All the Roku players have the same black box dimensions, with different ports on the back that set them apart.

I understand Roku is working with more content providers and we should see some interesting additions in the coming weeks.

iPhone app: While the Roku is not necessarily a mobile device, it is very compact and something you may want to travel with to enjoy your Netflix content in hotel rooms on a larger display rather than your small laptop screen. I also found a 99 cent iPhone application  (seems there are really apps for just about everything today) called DVPRemote (iTunes link) that gives you a full Roku remote control right on your iPhone/iPod touch so you can use it to control your Roku device.

After installation of the app, you simply make sure WiFi is enabled and then tap the button to discover your Roku player. You can then name your Roku player and give it a location (such as the home theater room). After saving this setup you can then control your Roku player and leave the included remote control in the drawer.

If you want to use a Roku player on a TV that is far away from your WiFi router then you might want to consider upgrading to the HD-XR. We don’t yet now what the USB port is for, but maybe it will be used to let you access content stored on a hard drive. Remember that you will also need to have an 802.11n router in place and last weekend I tried a Belkin one that didn’t work out. I may pick up an Airport Extreme router or some other model soon to try out.

My family thoroughly enjoys the Roku HD player and if you are a Netflix subscriber I highly recommend you pick one up to enjoy. There are actually hundreds of movies and TV shows that are available and my Instant Queue is much larger than my physical DVD Queue so content is not lacking.

October 26th, 2009

Planning to install Windows 7 on your netbook, here's a couple tips

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:10 am

Categories: Microsoft, Netbook, On the road, Ultra portable PC

Tags: Microsoft Windows XP, Netbook, Microsoft Windows 7, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Microsoft Windows, Hardware, Operating Systems, Software, Matthew Miller

The computers in my office run Windows XP and there are no current plans to upgrade to Windows 7 anytime soon since XP provides a stable platform for us to run our engineering programs. I have a MacBook Pro I use as my primary writing and photo/video management computer and have been thinking about upgrading to the latest version of Parallels to run Windows 7 since the dual boot solution supporting Windows 7 is not yet available from Apple. I also have a MSI Wind netbook that I use primarily for my Zune and Nokia syncing needs. I previously tried a very early beta of Windows 7 on the netbook and understand the final release version of 7 runs quite nicely on these Intel Atom powered computers. I plan to install Windows 7 on this netbook soon, but there are a few steps to take before doing so that are made a bit more difficult for these computers without an optical drive.

Since Windows 7 offers no real upgrade path from XP and you have to wipe out everything, the first thing I need to do is backup all the Zune music I purchased using my monthly 10 free song credits. I plan to use my external Maxtor 750 GB drive to transfer the music from the Wind to this drive and then back again after installing Windows 7. I do not use the Wind for photo editing or storage so there is really not much else I care about wiping out on the device. I also want to caution you that many services have a limited number of PCs you can use to manage devices and wiping out XP and installing Windows 7 will in most cases count as two separate computers. I have seen this with the Sony Reader desktop software, iTunes, and Zune Marketplace so make sure you go through and deauthorize your existing computer with all of these services before you wipe it clean.

I then plan to use a USB flash drive to install Windows 7 following Kevin’s guidance on how to install Windows 7 on a netbook with no optical drive. I recommend you check out Sascha Segan’s recent article on Five Key Tips for Installing Windows 7 on Netbooks, since he also mentions installing from a USB stick and troubles he had with this method and with using an external DVD drive.

If you buy a new netbook, you are most likely to find it loaded with Windows 7 Starter Edition and as pointed out on the Windows Team Blog there are a few limitations with this version compared to Home, Professional, and Ultimate. These include no support for Aero Glass, limited personalization of the desktop, no multi-monitor support, no DVD playback support out of the box, no XP mode, and no remote media streaming. For netbook users these may not be limitations at all and honestly I could probably live with them all as well. I do have a copy of Ultimate though so plan to try that out on the MSI Wind.

Have any readers installed Windows 7 on their netbook and if so, are you finding it is worth the upgrade from XP on these small notebooks?

UPDATE: I backed up all my files and then installed Windows 7 Ultimate on my MSI Wind via my USB DVD drive and it was a flawless and simple installation experience. I now have my Zune software up and running and am finishing up the Office 2007 install. So far it looks great on my MSI Wind U100 with 2GB of RAM.

October 7th, 2009

FLO TV Personal TV; for those who can't get enough at home

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:24 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, mobile services

Tags: FLO TV Personal Television, TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Web Site Development, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Internet, Matthew Miller

A few weeks ago there were rumors of a Qualcomm portable TV player floating around and now we see that it is official on the FLO TV site. The FLO TV Personal Television is a device dedicated to mobile TV viewing and it will be available in time for the holidays. I know a few guys who would love to have this to watch sports when they are out and about, but don’t we get enough TV in our homes already?

FLO TV Personal Television services starts at $8.99 per month with the device launching at $250. Specifications of the device include a 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen display, weight just over 5 ounces, and 5 hours of viewing life. You should check their coverage map to see if you will have service before picking up a device. With the large displays on mobile phones that also have support for this service and other video streaming services, I am personally not that interested in spending more time watching TV on the go. Does mobile TV interest you and are you willing to pay for this monthly service?

September 9th, 2009

New iPod nano may be the motivation I need to train hard again

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:32 pm

Categories: Gadgets, MP3 players, On the road, mobile services

Tags: Apple iPod, Apple iPod Nano, Video, Digital Music, Digital Media, Corporate Communications, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Marketing, Matthew Miller

The big Apple iPod event was held today and as Andrew posted we saw a refresh of the entire iPod lineup. While the capacity upgrades may be nice for some, I personally find the most surprising and refreshing news to be the iPod nano update. These devices include an integrated video camera, speaker, mic, pedometer and FM radio tuner, none of which I was expecting to see in the nano lineup. I figured we would see a camera and mic in the iPod touch, but that hasn’t happened yet. The iPod nano is a runner’s dream and I intend to give you a real-life perspective of it in action soon. I also enjoy using my Flip minoHD camera, but IMHO Apple just trumped these type of devices (there is a Kodak model too) in more ways than just the video camera hardware.

Even though I haven’t been thinking about any iPod devices and had no thoughts at all about buying anything that was going to be announced by Steve Jobs today, I decided a new iPod nano will be my new workout companion and motivator. I enjoy listening to my favorite local Christian and classic rock music stations and now I can enjoy them on the nano. I can also track my running progress with the pedometer. The new nano supports the Nike+ iPod Sports Kit and this looks to be what I need to get me out and hitting the road again. After reading about all the cool features of this combination I am going to stop at the Apple store on the way home and pickup a new nano and Nike+ iPod Sports Kit so stay tuned for a review in a few days after I get out and run a few times.

One aspect of the Flip minoHD is that you can flip up the USB connection point and plug it into a Mac or PC to manage the video content without having to install any software. With the availability of iTunes on PC and Mac computers and the hugely popular usage of iTunes I think we will see the nano video management capability may be even better than what we see with the Flip minoHD. Apple is known for good integration and experiences and I can’t wait to hear how well the nano works with the latest version of iTunes.

September 7th, 2009

Review: Astak EZReader 5 inch Pocket PRO ebook device

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 3:49 pm

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, ebooks

Tags: Sony Corp., Device, Sony Reader, Ebook Reader, Pocket PRO, Thumbwheel, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

Last week I posted my first impressions of the Sony Reader Touch Edition and spent this rainy weekend either watching soccer games or reading ebooks I checked out from my local Pierce County library. I was sent a new ebook reader to evaluate for 30 days, the Astak EZ Reader Pocket PRO, and decided to compare this one with my Sony PRS-505 and new Sony PRS-600 Touch Edition. I also had my wife and daughters pick up each device to see what their “newbie” first impressions were of each model. They did not all agree on which they liked best, but the EZReader Pocket PRO was pretty compelling as you can see in my image gallery. Check out my video and read below to find out more about the EZ Reader Pocket PRO.

	Image Gallery:Check out several product photos of the Astak EZReader Pocket PRO and some comparison photos with other Sony Readers.

Color options and box contents

The Astek 5″ EZ Reader Pocket PRO is available in six different colors, including Alpine White, Onyx Black, Slate Blue, Classic Maroon, Powder Pink, and Metallic Purple. I was sent the Onyx Black unit to evaluate for 30 days. The retail box is attractive with a glossy image of the device on the front and the list of specs and supported formats on the back. Inside the box you will find the Pocket PRO, leather cover, USB cable, A/C adapter (USB cable plugs into it for charging), stereo wired headset, and manual.

Initial impressions

This is the first ebook reader I have tried that was not an Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I pulled the reader out of the box and my first impression was that it felt awesome in my hand with the entire casing made of soft touch material. It was much lighter than I thought it would be too, weighing in at 6.8 ounces. The device was placed in the included leather case, which is quite nice and a welcome addition to an ebook purchase.

I turned on the display and was pleased to see it looked very well and IMHO is the 2nd best one I have seen, with the Sony PRS-505 reigning as the king of the ebook readers.

My wife decisively stated the Read the rest of this entry »

September 3rd, 2009

Hands-on with the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 3:00 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, Review, ebooks

Tags: Touch Screen, Sony Corp., Sony Reader, UI, Keyboards, Monitors & Displays, Hardware, Peripherals, Components, Matthew Miller

According to my Sony eBook Library account I registered my Reader 505 back in 2007. I purchased a Kindle and then moved onto a Kindle 2 over the last year, but sold my Kindle 2 last week after seeing the Sony announcements and support for local library books. After the horrible backlit touchscreen implementation seen on the PRS-700 I was wary of buying the Touch Edition or Daily Edition with the touchscreen, but I then read a review from a friend who is an avid ebook reader over on Mobile Tech Review and that was the last thing I needed to push me over the top. Check out my image gallery that shows my new Red PRS-600 and PRS-505, along with my video and first thoughts below.

	Image Gallery:Check out several product photos of the Sony Touch Edition and 505 with a library book on board.

Box contents and initial setup

The Sony Reader Touch Edition comes in a fairly compact box and inside you will find the Reader, sleeve slip case, USB cable, and Quick Start Guide. The black sleeve is similar to the case that came with my first Sony PSP. You charge up your Sony Reader with the USB cable so that is why no A/C charger is provided.

I plugged my new PRS-600 into my MacBook Pro and a pop-up informed me there was a new version of the software available (1.0.01.08040). I hit OK and updated my device. I understand this update fixed an issue with memory cards. It sure is nice to have the ability to manage my Sony library and perform updates on my MBP.

Initial impressions

Even though the second generation Amazon Kindle is a much improved piece of hardware over the first generation, IMHO these Sony Reader devices still are even better, rock solid devices. I was very pleased to see that the $299.99 priced PRS-600 has about the same dimensions as the 505. The back of the PRS-600 is Read the rest of this entry »

September 1st, 2009

Smartphones rising to take the lead over PNDs by 2014

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:25 am

Categories: GPS, Gadgets, Mobile software, On the road, Smartphone, mobile services

Tags: Phone, Mobile, Smart Phone, Smartphone, GPS, Handhelds, Advertising & Promotion, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

I have tested a couple of Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) like the TeleNav Shotgun and Dash units, but I went back to using my mobile phones for GPS navigation. A report from iSuppli Corp. was released today that reports PNDs will continue to lead the navigation market in 2009, but by 2014 usage of GPS-enabled smartphones will exceed PNDs.

I always have my mobile phone with me and it is quite convenient to use the phone as a GPS device. The rise of outstanding mobile software has helped considerably as we see apps like TomTom, Navigon, and TeleNav for the Apple iPhone, CoPilot and TeleNav for Android devices, and more clients for Windows Mobile, WebOS, Symbian, and BlackBerry devices. These apps are full featured with some requiring full data connectivity, some being completely offline solutions, and some having a hybrid where you get the best of both worlds. I have been using navigation on my smartphones for a few years and the applications today are much improved over what we saw in the early days and are very usable for navigation. Google Maps and Bing provide good mapping solutions for free too so just about any phone is able to help owners figure out where they are or where they want to go.

iSuppli believes that in 2011, nearly 100 percent of all smart phones shipped will integrate GPS functionality. They also agree that the applications available on mobile platforms are what is driving this adoption by the end user. In addition to the availability, the price of these applications is much less (for the most part) than even a low cost PND.

What is your favorite GPS navigation program on your phone?