November 11th, 2009

3D gaming comes to the Zune HD, video of all 6 new games

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:30 am

Categories: MP3 players, Microsoft, Mobile software, Portable gaming, Zune

Tags: 3D, Microsoft Zune, Ferrari, Games, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

This past weekend I mentioned the Zune HD firmware 4.3 update that added predictive text and a better browsing experience. As part of that update, Microsoft announced that support for 3D games and apps was added as well and it didn’t take long for them to deliver as we now have six new games in the Zune Marketplace. You will find Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Audiosurf Tilt, and Vans Sk8: Pool Service for 3D gaming and Checkers, Lucky Lanes Bowling, and Piano for more standard gaming. All the games are FREE, with a short ad at start up. I don’t mind the ads if the games are good and as you will soon see in the video I am shooting and will be posting below the games are pretty dang good and game play is fluid. The 3D transitions and scenery in PGR are excellent and I see no pixelating going on.

Here is a description of each of the games from Microsoft:

• Audiosurf Tilt: Audiosurf creates a rollercoaster ride from any song. Choose any song from your music collection and watch Audiosurf turn it into a unique roller coaster track for you to ride. The song you choose determines the shape, the speed, and the mood of each track. Tilt your Zune like a steering wheel to collect colored blocks and avoid speedbumps. Unlock more than 30 designs, each with its own special theme and color palette.
• Checkers: Enjoy the classic game of Checkers in a beautiful outdoor park setting. Play against the computer or against a friend.
• Lucky Lanes Bowling: Bowl in different game modes: exhibition, blackjack, golf. Play in five different bowling alleys with unique themes, all with the swipe of a finger. Choose from twenty different bowlers and twenty two different ball styles. You can play against the computer or play with up to four friends.
• Piano: Play your own tune, or play along with your favorite music on this electronic piano.
• Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition: Tear through the streets of London, Tokyo, and New York in the Ferrari of your choice using multi touch controls and the built in accelerometer.
• Vans Sk8: Pool Service: From the Admiral to the old abandoned rec center pool, Bucky Lasek and Omar Hassan know a good bowl to skate. Hit the pools and put these Vans skaters to the test with all the tricks in their bag and achieve hero status once you unlock their pro model skateboards.

They also mentioned that Twitter and Facebook are still planned for a release soon.

November 7th, 2009

Zune HD firmware 4.3 adds predictive text and desktop mode

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:02 pm

Categories: Gadgets, MP3 players, Microsoft, Mobile software, Zune

Tags: Desktop, Mobile, Microsoft Zune, Web Browser, Firmware, Web Browsers, Keyboards, Internet, Hardware, Peripherals

I was messing around with adding devices to my GDGT list today and discovered this discussion about new Zune HD firmware. I then fired up my MSI Wind with Zune desktop software, connected my Zune HD and walked through the 4.1 (191) upgrade. A couple of the key upgrades include a much faster web browser, desktop or mobile controls in the browser and predictive text support with the keyboard.

Here are all the updates I could find people mentioning since Microsoft hasn’t posted a comprehensive list of what was upgraded:

• Faster web browser
• Option in browser for desktop or mobile sites
• Predictive text in the keyboard
• Auto capitalization
• Larger landscape keyboard
• Toggle between seek or presets for radio
• Support for future 3D games
• Other minor updates and improvements, not specifically identified

You can check out the below video for some improvements to the browser and landscape keyboard.

As I mentioned in my Zune HD browser post the mobile only support drove me nuts so I am very pleased to see the option to toggle between desktop or mobile sites. While I can now view my full ZDNet blog (not the mobile version) and go to the full YouTube site, there is still no support for Flash so you cannot watch YouTube videos on the Zune HD. I would also like to see browser history support. The browser is definitely better though and I will probably use it more for casual couch surfing than I did before.

The update may not have essential new features, but it is a worthy point upgrade and I haven’t heard any reports of issues with the update.

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 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)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

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.

September 17th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #182, Moto CLIQ, ZuneHD, iPod nano, HP Envy

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:21 am

Categories: Apple, BlackBerry, MP3 players, MoTR podcast, Mobile software, Zune

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Apple iPod, Hewlett-Packard Co., Opera Software ASA, Apple iPod Nano, Opera Mini 5 Beta, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics

Listen here (MP3, 35.2 MB, 38:20 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

We missed recording last week due to the Mobilize 2009 event so MobileTechRoundup show #182 is a bit longer than normal as James, Kevin, and I chatted about mobile tech products. James and Kevin had a chance to play with the upcoming T-Mobile Motorola CLIQ Google Android device that will be tough for me to resist. I talked about my new Zune HD and iPod nano and then I learned about Opera 10’s Turbo Mode on a PC. Opera Mini 5 beta is out for Java-enabled phones and adds some great new features, all for FREE. James also had a chance to swing by the HP offices and play with the new Envy notebooks that have features you may envy, but at a price you may not.

September 16th, 2009

Zune HD: No YouTube in the browser for you

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:02 am

Categories: Gadgets, Microsoft, Mobile software, Windows Mobile, Zune

Tags: Microsoft Zune, YouTube Inc., Web Browser, Web Browsers, Internet, Matthew Miller

I understand the core of the Zune HD browser is not webkit, but some kind of Internet Explorer base. That said, it was natural to want to compare the Zune HD web browser to the latest mobile browser from Microsoft, IE 6 Mobile, that is found in the T-Mobile Touch Pro2 and will be present in Windows Mobile 6.5 when it is released in October. I don’t expect my media player to browse the web, but since Apple supports this with the iPod touch it is expected that other high end models do the same. Unfortunately, the Zune HD browser is not going to compete with the iPod touch Safari browser or even the latest Windows Mobile default browser, but at least it is very quick.

Here is what I found on the Zune site regarding the browser usage:

You can surf the Internet on your Zune HD, as long as you’re able to connect to a wireless network.
Connect to a wireless network on your Zune HD
1. From the home menu, touch internet. The browser will automatically launch.
2. Follow the instructions to connect to a wireless network. After you connect, the browser will navigate to the last page you visited.
• To search, touch the search icon in the lower right. A keyboard will pop up. Type in your search terms and touch search.
• Touch the favorites icon to see your favorites, or add a site to your favorites list.
• To navigate to a specific web site, touch the three dots in the lower bar to display the URL input bar. Touch the current URL to bring up the keyboard and enter in the URL. Then touch go.
To exit and return to the main menu, press the home button.

There are only a couple of minor settings for the web browser (delete history, enable/disable cookies, and enable/disable Javascript) and you cannot control it any further. You will also find that the browser forces sites to load their mobile versions, if they have them, which actually makes for a fast and rather pleasant browsing experience. However, today’s mobile browsers are good at serving up the full internet and users are coming to expect this more and more, especially with the specs found on devices with these browsers. The Zune HD loads pages super fast and the multi-touch zoom is fluid when using the browser, but I really want a toggle to turn on or off the mobile formats. I don’t like that I cannot view my ZDNet blogs in full view like I can on most of my modern smartphones.

The QWERTY keyboard that appears helps you enter URLs by having a .COM and / button readily available and it is easier than using the keyboard on the PSP. There is no predictive text, but your history is filtered as you enter a URL in case you have been to the site before. You can also manage Favorites in the browser. As you can see in my video above, you cannot view YouTube videos in the browser and you will find it is limiting when trying to access all your favorite sites.

I think the browser is something that should be able to be updated via a firmware release and I do hope it is improved upon over time because the hardware supports a better browsing experience, even if most people just want to use their Zune HD for music and video enjoyment.

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 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?

July 30th, 2009

Evernote announces PDF search capability

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:00 am

Categories: Mobile software, On the road, Tablet PC, Ultra portable PC, mobile services

Tags: Adobe PDF, Search Technology, Evernote, Matthew Miller

Regular readers here know that I am a big fan of the Evernote application that I use on my PC, Mac, and mobile phones. Evernote just announced an amazing new feature for premium subscribers (I have been a premium subscriber since day 1) that I am sure will be great news for many of you. Evernote now supports PDF Search capabilities so the PDF documents you upload to your account go through their search recognition technology engine servers and are fully searchable within minutes. Evernote will begin processing all of your existing non-searchable PDF documents within the next week so they will be searchable soon while new documents will be searchable right away.

Searching PDFs with the Adobe software is sometimes a useless endeavor since some PDF documents are not searchable. With Evernote and the desktop client you can run a PDF document through your premium account and then right click (on the desktop version) to export this searchable PDF. Even better, you can search right within Evernote to find the word(s) you are looking for in any document you have in your account.

Remember, this new searchable PDF support is a premium account holder benefit so check out their subscription model and seriously consider this option. I think it is well worth the $45/year and am happy to pay every year for my premium account.

July 14th, 2009

First shot of the Zune HD Marketplace appears

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:49 am

Categories: MP3 players, Microsoft, Mobile software, Zune

Tags: Microsoft Zune, Matthew Miller

Engadget posted an image they found on Twitter (seen on the right) that shows the future Zune HD Marketplace on a Zune HD device. While the picture may not show a whole lot of what we can expect, Adam over at Zune Thoughts wrote up a few thoughts to consider regarding this new on-device Marketplace layout.

The Zune HD should be launching on 8 September so we shouldn’t have to wait much longer to get our hands on a Zune HD and check out the store for ourselves. My Zune 4GB is getting a bit old and the Zune HD is looking like a nice alternative that I may just have to check out.