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 »

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 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 29th, 2009

Sony helping independent authors get books on the eBook Store

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:57 am

Categories: ebooks, mobile services

Tags: Sony Corp., Sony Reader, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

As readers here know I am becoming more and more of a Sony Reader fan due to their continued support of open formats and public library checkout systems. I was reading some feeds this morning and stumbled upon some great news on Mobility Site that links to a new press release announcing even more support for ebook content. Independent authors and small publishers can now access the re-launched Sony Publisher Portal, powered by Smashwords, and get books out in EPUB format for Sony Reader owners to enjoy.

I love to write and have been thinking of writing science fiction books for years. This capability to get work out to the Sony eBook store may spur me to finally put pen to paper and create some original stories. Smashwords and Authors Solution will work with their existing authors to get their titles on the Sony store. Authors upload their manuscript to Smashwords in Word format, select a price, and then they manage the conversion and distribution. It will be interesting to see how discoverable these titles are, but I imagine this will greatly enhance the number of available titles for those with Sony Readers and other ebook devices that support the EPUB format.

September 14th, 2009

Shortcovers has ePub ebooks for reading enjoyment on several platforms

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:56 pm

Categories: Apple, Gadgets, Mobile software, Palm, Smartphone, ebooks, iPhone, mobile services

Tags: Shortcovers, ePub, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

While there are now thousands of applications for the Google Android platform, one area that has very few alternatives is the ebook reader category. Several months ago I did find the Shortcovers application and ebook store. At the time I tried it though you needed a connection to read books on the Android since only a certain number of pages were available. That has appeared to change now with downloadable books, but even better for me personally is that I read on MobileRead that you can now browse, purchase, and download books in ePub format for the Sony Reader and several other dedicated ebook readers. To compete with Amazon, Shortcovers even offers many of the latest and greatest books for just US$9.99 and I think I have found my new online ebook store to use across multiple platforms.

Their ePub books can be loaded onto the following devices using the Adobe Digital Editions free software from your Mac or PC:

• Sony Reader (PRS-300, 600, 505, 700)
• Asktak EZ Reader or EZ Reader Pocket Pro (see my review)
• BeBook (One, Mini)
• Bookeen (Cybook Opus, Gen 3)
• COOL-ER Classic
• Elonex eBook 600
• HanLin eBook (V3, V5)
• REX Digital Reader 1000S
• Neolux NUUT2

You can also read these ePub title on your PC or Mac using the same Adobe Digital Editions software that you use to transfer the books to your dedicated reader. As you can see the folks at Shortcovers want to enable you to read your ebooks on just about any platform available, unlike the Amazon Kindle format currently just for Kindle devices and iPhones/iPod touches.

In addition to the ePub formatted books for download and installation on your ebook reader, they currently have mobile clients for the iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry, Google Android, and Palm WebOS platforms with clients for Symbian and Windows Mobile under development.

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 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?

August 30th, 2009

Soulbytes provide professionally narrated inspiration

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:30 pm

Categories: MP3 players, mobile services

Tags: Bible, Verse, Soulbytes, Matthew Miller

I wrote about my experiences at the BibleTech 2009 conference in March and one of the people I met there was Mark Salazar from HearLife.com. He mentioned a project he was working on that was related to music, the Bible, and mobile tech. Mark has now flipped the switch on the HearLife.com site with their Soulbyte product lineup. Soulbytes are compilations of Scripture verses paraphrased in today’s language with a selection of modern music genres that play in the background. I listened to a few of the free sample Soulbytes on my HTC Touch Pro2 and enjoyed the message and presentation.

Soulbytes are arranged by topics such as knowing God, courage, finances, trust, drawing near, and many more so you can easily find something for your situation. The choices for background music include alternative, easy listening, hip hop, pop/rock, and more. A key to successful audio Bible programs is good narration and it is excellent within the Soulbytes as Greg Burns, a professional narrator who you may recognize from other voice-over projects, reads them in a clear, audible tone. The Soulbytes cover several verses and play for about 3 minutes.

There are currently four free Soulbytes for you to try out and enjoy. Other available Soulbytes are priced at $1.29 each and are downloaded for you to listen to on virtually any device in MP3 format. You can click on the priced Soulbytes to hear a short excerpt too so you know how the background music will sound. These may work great to place in your playlist while working out to help you focus on the Lord.

August 27th, 2009

Your Kindle can't do this, local library ebooks now available on the Sony Reader

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:30 am

Categories: Gadgets, Sony, ebooks, mobile services

Tags: Adobe Systems Inc., Sony Corp., Sony Reader, Adobe Digital Editions, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

I wrote about the new Sony Reader devices and how we would eventually be able to actually check out ebooks from our local libraries and read them on the Sony Readers. The press release and press coverage focused on the New York Public Library so I didn’t give much thought to trying out my local system anytime soon. As I was resetting my Kindle back to defaults so I could sell it and setting up my old Sony Reader 505 I decided to check to see if the library functionality was up and running. I went to the Sony Overdrive Library Finder site and entered my ZIP code. I was quite surprised to see the local Pierce County library system supported ebooks, including audiobooks, as downloads and it appears people have been able to read these books on PCs and using Mobipocket for quite some time and I just did not know about it.

Now, the latest format announced was the ePub format and it appears that my library system doesn’t have that format yet, but they do have Mobipocket and Adobe PDF formats. Mobipocket formats require a device identifier so I could use my smartphones with Mobipocket to read those book titles. In order to try books out on my Reader 505 I selected a couple of PDF files (my wife and daughters love Twilight so I thought I should read the book and see what it is all about) and saw that they would work for a 21-day period. Some people commented on my earlier post that this functionality must have some kind of fee associated with it, but I am quite happy to say my local library makes these downloads available for FREE.

After entering my library card information and checking out I was presented with Read the rest of this entry »

August 27th, 2009

Rumors of a Qualcomm FLO TV portable player appear

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 12:50 am

Categories: Gadgets, Rumors, mobile services

Tags: PTV Inc., Qualcomm Inc., FLO TV, GDGT, TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Wireless And Mobility, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Matthew Miller

There is an HD LCD in my house, but I primarily only use it to watch a few select shows and sporting events. I go weeks at times without viewing the TV so the rumored Qualcomm FLO TV device has very little appeal to me personally. FLO TV is available on selected cell phones and provides the user with digital TV over a broadcast wireless network rather than using data on a carriers wireless network. Other countries have had this for some time, but it is still limited in the US. This possible Qualcomm device takes the experience from a small cellphone display and puts it onto a larger, dedicated device called the FLOT TV Personal Television or PTV.

GDGT has a concept rendering of the PTV with information that it will have a capacitive touch screen, 4GB of memory, integrated stereo speakers, and a battery giving you 5 hours of TV viewing. This may be something we see at CES in January so stay tuned for further updates.