The Mobile Gadgeteer

February 9th, 2010

Do we still need a standalone GPS device?

Posted by Joel Evans @ 11:10 am

Categories: Android, Apple, GPS, Gadgets, Google, Nokia, iPhone

Tags:

I’m a directionally challenged individual. As a result, I’ve been using a GPS since it was first offered. Throughout the years, though, I’ve graduated to using my mobile phone more for my GPS-related activities, including using the iPhone to find my car on a rainy night.

It used to be that a standalone GPS was still more full-featured than its phone-based competitor, but thanks to recent offerings from Google, Nokia and others, there isn’t much of a differentiator left.

First off, let’s take a look at price. You can pick up a pretty full featured GPS for under $100 these days. With that comes the ability to get the latest maps downloaded to your device, and in some cases traffic alerts. Compare that with what’s being offered by Nokia in its Ovi Maps and navigation, which offers turn-by-turn directions, weather, traffic, pedestrian walking mode, and more, even in offline mode. More features and best of all, Nokia’s offering is now free on approximately 12 smartphones.

Of course, the iPhone also ships with free Google Maps, which can do turn-by-turn and some other features, but it doesn’t speak aloud to you, whereas Google’s Android does and is offered on a number of Droid phones today for free.

If you want to pay a little bit of money, there are plenty of Apps on the iPhone, Android and other smartphones to choose from, including my favorite, AT&T Navigator, which can be yours for $9.95 a month on the iPhone.

For me, the biggest benefit to any GPS program is the ability to get the latest maps and traffic alerts with ease. With constantly connected devices like mobile phones, it’s a no-brainer to use that as a primary GPS navigation tool.

Many years ago, before Bluetooth was common in cars, I was treated to a demo at Microsoft where the car was using the user’s mobile phone to grab the latest information from the web and speak it aloud to the driver. This included turn-by-turn directions, weather, and more. At the time it was definitely a glimpse into the future, but now it’s commonplace on a mobile phone. However, most built-in GPS devices inside of the car are still disconnected from the world.

How long before we can all enjoy full featured GPS navigation for free? I think we’re less than a year away on the mobile phone front, but it’s going to take a bit longer to completely replace the standalone GPS in the car. For example, recently I was sent an offer to update the GPS in my wife’s car. It was a bit under $200 and I debated about the need to get the update, given the reasons I stated above. In the end, though, since the device is already in the car, and is something that my wife uses on a regular basis, it paid to upgrade.

In the future will we no longer have a dedicated GPS in our car and instead have a choice of docking stations for our phone of choice? Or will we see in-car GPS systems start offering things that its mobile phone competitors can’t? Share your thoughts below.

February 5th, 2010

Hands-on with the B&N nook update 1.2.0, available now

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:16 am

Categories: On the road, ebooks, nook

Tags: Newspaper, Update, Barnes & Noble Inc., E-books & E-Readers, 3G, Corporate Governance, Personal Technology, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Business Operations

A couple hours ago I mentioned that a rumored 1.2.0 software version may be coming to nook owners today and in hopes that this was true I went to the Barnes & Noble ebook store on my nook and bought a single issue of a newspaper. I haven’t yet tried out a newspaper and wanted to see what it looked like on the nook and figured getting the nook to actively connect might help prompt for a firmware update. After my newspaper issue was downloaded, I saw a pop-up in the bottom right corner that showed it was downloading an update. After a few minutes (connected via 3G) my nook went through the update process (make sure you have adequate battery available) and is now confirmed as having software version 1.2.0 on board. It did take a few minutes to start up after the update was applied so be patient at this point.

I jumped around the device a bit to see if anything major stood out and discovered the following on my nook:

• Newly designed icons are present in the lower color display
• The navigation up and down button in the lower touch display are bigger (one of my favorite improvements)
• You can sort you My Documents library by title and author
• The Lend Me icon is clearly present so you know which books can be loaned out
• There are no longer weird title issues in content I side-loaded myself from other ebook stores
• Overall response to touch and navigation seems snappier with

Even after the update, it was great to see the nook go right back to where I was in the current book I am reading.

I do not see a way to delete sample and books you have downloaded and would like to be able to do this right on my nook. There also does not appear to be a way to go to a designated page number, which I think would be helpful.

I plan to visit a Barnes & Noble store soon to see if the capability to read full books has been turned on with this update as well since that is the one last thing I know of that is supposed to be a part of the in-store experience.

My Barnes & Noble contact told me that you can actually load the update manually if you don’t want to wait since the OTA update will roll out over the next week. Simply visit the nook support site and follow the instructions for the software update. The support site also confirmed exactly what Gizmodo had listed for updates you will see. Isn’t it great to have a device with a company providing updates so quickly to make the entire experience better?

February 5th, 2010

Update: B&N nook in stock with firmware 1.2 coming soon

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:23 am

Categories: Android, Gadgets, Rumors, ebooks, nook

Tags: Stock, E-book, Firmware, Barnes & Noble Inc., E-books & E-Readers, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

Readers here know that I love my B&N nook (see my latest thoughts and have yet to see an ebook reader that offers a better wireless experience with as much available supported content. I pre-ordered mine the day it was announced so have had it since the first shipments were made available. Others who ordered later had to go through different periods of availability, but after visiting the Barnes & Noble nook store I see that the nook is now in stock and available to anyone who wants to order one for $259.

The 1.1 firmware update gave us major improvements in performance and made my nook an even better device than it already was. The page turning is as fast as any other ebook reader. I just read over on Engadget that firmware 1.2 is coming very soon to the nook as well. We have no details on what this firmware 1.2 update will give us, but I will keep looking (and contact my Barnes & Noble contact) and post if I find out what this update provides.

UPDATE: It looks like the folks at Gizmodo were given a list of what is coming, along with the statement that we would see it come OTA today! You can read the Gizmodo article for the entire list of enhancements, but the particular ones that interest me are the improved “back” button functionality for navigating eBooks and ePeriodicals and personal files downloaded and displayed in My Documents can be sorted by author and title. I have my nook with me today and will be looking for the update.

UPDATE 2: Andrew posted on the availability and also has details on a handy in-store nook locator so you can actually go to a Barnes & Noble store and buy one in person after giving it a try.

February 4th, 2010

Is Amazon's Kindle about to get a touch screen?

Posted by Joel Evans @ 6:48 pm

Categories: Android, Apple, Kindle, ebooks, iPad, nook

Tags: Touch Screen, Amazon.com Inc., Amazon Kindle, Touchco, E-books & E-Readers, Keyboards, Personal Technology, Hardware, Peripherals, Joel Evans

Yesterday news broke of Amazon buying Touchco. Touchco is a small company that was birthed out of a project at New York University’s Media Research Lab. The company itself had yet to ship a product but was working with display technology, called interpolating force-sensitive resistance, that can detect an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points, and for what could be cheaper than the cost to produce a capacitive touch screen.

The news has everyone speculating that a color touch screen could be coming soon to the Kindle. Before you jump on that current wave, though, keep in mind that Touchco had yet to ship anything. So, perhaps Amazon is just trying to guarantee that it could be competitive if needed, or maybe the company is indeed preparing to go touch? According to the articles I’ve read, Touchco barely had six employees. This screams research to me, and since Touchco will now join the Kindle hardware group, I would expect that it’s going to be research for a while still.

Currently, most ebook readers provide the same reading experience screen-wise, since they’re all using displays by E Ink. If Amazon fast tracks Touchco’s technology, at the very least it will take the focus off of Apple’s iPad, with Kindle lovers potentially holding off on the iPad purchase in hopes of seeing a touch-friendly Kindle by year’s end.

Regardless of how Amazon decides to use Touchco’s technology, the company has now succeeded in keeping current with the iPad, with both an announcement of its pending Kindle Development Kit and now it’s acquisition of Touchco.

While most people continue to say that they want the Kindle to just be a good ebook reader, with a touch Kindle and an App Store, Amazon could have a killer device on its hands.

I can’t wait to see what Apple’s next move is on this one.

February 2nd, 2010

Review: Sprint Overdrive rocks 4G at more than double 3G speeds

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:37 am

Categories: Gadgets, On the road, Review, Wireless carriers, mobile services

Tags: Verizon MiFi, 4G, Device, Battery, Sprint Communications, Speed, Mbps, Seattle, Sprint Overdrive, WiFi Setting

As you know I use quite a few smartphones and devices, many of which are from overseas so they have no 3G support here in the U.S. I used to have both AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs for my devices, but canceled my AT&T account and bought a Verizon Wireless MiFi last Fall. I then saw 4G roll out in the Seattle area and asked people if there was a MiFi that supported this 4G network. I was told that such a device did not yet exist and I could put something together with the 4G USB card and an adapter to try to get such a unit. This sounded to clunky to me so I stuck with my Verizon MiFi. At CES 2010 last month Sprint announced their Overdrive device from Sierra Wireless that functioned just like the device I was looking for with 4G and 3G support in a compact package. Sprint sent along an Overdrive for me to test out and after a couple of weeks of using it in the Seattle and Portland areas I am pretty sure I will be putting my MiFi up on the auction block and moving to the Sprint Overdrive instead. Check out my image gallery of the Overdrive with some comparison shots with the Verizon MiFi.

	Image Gallery:I have several photos of the Sprint Overdrive and settings display.

Features

The Sprint Overdrive is similar to the very popular MiFi with support for connecting up to 5 WiFi-enabled devices to a portable hotspot. The Overdrive supports 4G (WiMAX) and 3G (EV-DO) networks so you get the ultimate in data speeds. In addition, the Overdrive has a microSD card slot so you can insert a card and share the content with the connected devices. A GPS receiver is also included in the Overdrive so you can map your location on a PC or Mac that has no integrated GPS receiver.

In the box

The Sprint Overdrive box is modeled to appear very similar to the Overdrive itself with diamond-shaped corners and glossy black plastic. You will find the Overdrive unit, A/C charger, USB cable, Get Started Guide, Terms & Conditions of services, information book, and recycling envelope. To charge the Overdrive you simply insert the USB cable (with a microUSB end) into the charging adapter and plug it in. You can also charge up the Overdrive while connected to your PC or Mac computer.

Specifications

Specifications for the Sprint Overdrive include the following:

• 1xEVDO Rev A, Rev. 0, and 1XRTT
• WiMAX 2500 MHz
• GPS
• 1.4 inch 128×228 pixel LCD front display
• microUSB for charging and tethering
• microSD card slot
• 1830 mAh battery for 3 hours of continuous usage
• Dimensions: 3.14 x 3.14 x 0.61 inches and 4.51 ounces

Based on my personal experiences, I agree with their stated 3 hour battery life with one or two devices connected to the Overdrive. The battery is easily removable so you could Read the rest of this entry »

January 29th, 2010

43 seconds with the Android-powered Dell Mini 5

Posted by Joel Evans @ 3:02 pm

Categories: Android, Apple, Gadgets

Tags:

Ok, enough about the Apple iPad. It seems that the gadget paparazzi managed to grab less than a minute with Michael Dell, and during that time we get a glimpse of the Mini 5 in action. Well, depending on what you consider action, that is. Mr. Dell swiped through a few screens, showed the 5 megapixel camera on the back and said, “it has a 5 megapixel camera, 3G … anything you want”.

So, there you have it. We have no idea what chip is inside (1GHz Snapdragon?), or whatever else it’s running (rumored WiFi, Bluetooth), but it does seem pretty speedy and looks slick. No word on price but he did say it would be out in “a couple of months”. Depending on price point, this could be one killer device, especially if it’s running the latest Android OS. Check out the quick demo below, thanks to TechCrunch.

January 29th, 2010

Will the iPad soon have a different name?

Posted by Joel Evans @ 7:55 am

Categories: Apple, iPad

Tags: Apple iPad, Apple Inc., Tablets, Litigation, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Business Operations, Joel Evans

Earlier this week Apple unveiled its long awaited tablet, now known as the Apple iPad. While much of the conversation has been around justifying the purchase, others have been more concerned with the name. First, there was a sketch on MADtv a few years back about an iPad feminine product, and now it’s coming to light that as of this writing, three companies (Fujitsu, MagTek, and STMicroelectronics) have been using the name iPad as either the name of their device, or as an acronym.

Now the big question is whether or not Apple is violating any trademarks and if so, if the company will either have to change the name of its new tablet or reach a settlement.

Since I’m not an attorney, I reached out to Doug Wolf, Co-Chair Trademarks, from Wolf Greenfield & Sacks for his opinion, and have quoted him below: [disclaimer: Doug has advised me in the past]

“Just because Fujitsu has the senior rights does not mean that they can stop Apple. They need to demonstrate that they are in a sufficiently close marketplace or other such factors so that the consuming public may be confused as to source. Would someone buying the Apple iPad believe it comes from Fujistu (or vice-versa)? Not sure that this is necessarily the case since the purposes of the goods seem to have some difference and the price points are probably significant. Plus, the Apple product will have the housemark APPLE all over the place (and Fujitsu will have its mark) that many of the determinative factors in trademark infringement analysis may possibly favor APPLE.

One interesting note, but not of real trademark significance, is that Apple filed this application in Trinidad to establish an early date (July 2009) and then filed in the US. They also filed the mark in the name of a company called IP Application Development which is probably intended to preclude detection. They need to be very careful if they are going to transfer that mark to Apple, Inc. since they need to have set up IP as a legitimate business rather than merely for filing and transferring the mark to Apple, Inc. later. If they created the holding company merely for the purpose of filing the application with the decision to transfer later, they could be jeopardizing their filing.

Finally, one of the problems with marks like IPAD is that the fewer the letters, the more likely you will have a crowded field. The Trademark Office basically gives no weight to the letter “I” since it has been determined to stand for electronic or internet. I understand the goal of Apple to continue its family of “I” marks, but it carries many difficulties in creating a distinguished brand when the number of other short “I” marks already exist.”

I then asked Doug if Apple runs the risk of losing this battle if more companies surface that have been using the name iPad. His response is below:

“No. Picking a 4 letter mark with the first letter being “generic” is very difficult, almost impossible to clear. I am sure that they have litigation in the budget and/or money to try to buy these other marks.”

With Apple now being a $50+ billion company, according to Steve Jobs, I’d say that there’s plenty of money in there for some litigation.

It will be interesting to see what happens next. Apple was previously in a trademark dispute with Cisco over the iPhone name, but then both sides reached an agreement, allowing each to be free to use the “iPhone” trademark on their products throughout the world. Will the same thing happen again for Apple? We’ll see soon enough.

January 28th, 2010

Who do I think I am fooling? iWill be buying an iPad

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:42 am

Categories: Apple, iPad

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple Inc., Smart Phones, E-books & E-Readers, 3G, Notebooks, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Cellular Phones, Hardware

I updated my post about the Apple iPad and nook replacement and stated that I would probably not be replacing my nook with the iPad for a couple of reasons. I then read Joel’s post on why he can’t justify it. We then spent all of MobileTechRoundup show #195 talking about the Apple iPad. I was a bit unfocused yesterday during the Apple announcement while caring for my wife in the hospital, but after focusing on the device and its features and specs I have to say I will definitely be buying an iPad as soon as I can. I am sure my Twitter followers and readers here already expected that I would anyways, right?

I was really expecting Apple to show off some cool new technology or functionality none of us were thinking about, but we did not really see any of that with the iPad announcement. I honestly think the two main compelling parts of the iPad at this time are the price and the 3rd party application support. If the iPad was running OS X then I would not be interested since I already have an excellent MacBook Pro. The low price, huge selection, and high quality of iPhone applications are much more useful for a device like the iPad where you are consuming media and data more than creating content. I can’t wait to try out all of my Bible study applications, news and sports apps, games, and more.

I now need to figure out which model I will buy and have already eliminated the 3G models from consideration. I have a Verizon MiFi that lets me use multiple devices and will use this with the iPad as well. AT&T service has issues and I don’t think adding more devices is going to help, but the fact they through in access to their WiFi network is helpful. I have a 32GB iPhone 3GS with some movies, apps, and music, but since I do not have a huge personal music collection it is only about half full. Thus I don’t see a need for the 64GB model. The 16GB model seems a bit too limiting though since there may be some large sized games and apps optimized for the iPad and I don’t want to have to manage the apps I use due to space constraints. Thus, the 32GB iPad is my most likely purchase at $599. This is actually about the same I have been paying for Nokia smartphones so is not unreasonable at all.

As Kevin mentioned on the podcast this morning, we may also see the iPad launch or be updated shortly after launch with the next version of the iPhone OS that supports some multi-tasking and other advanced functionality. I would love to stream Slacker Radio in the background while surfing and hope we do soon get some limited multi-tasking support for 3rd parties.

The iPad may not replace anything for me since you will still need some kind of mobile phone for out and about usage and it won’t replace my MacBook Pro for writing extended writing and content creation. I commute on the train 45 minutes each way every day so the iPad may be a wonderful tool for checking websites, performing some communications tasks, and enjoying the ride. Honestly, the iPad may actually replace my nook too since it will let me read in bed and have access to even more ebook content than even my nook. The one unknown here is Apple. If they decide to shut down all the ebook stores but their own, then that will be a problem and I don’t think Apple will want to initiate that fight.

January 28th, 2010

MobileTechRoundup show #195; What do we think of the Apple iPad?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 8:03 am

Categories: Apple, Gadgets, MoTR podcast, iPad

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Apple Inc., Chip, Semiconductors, Network Technology, Hardware, Networking, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 40 MB, 43:35 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

The Apple iPad was announced yesterday so it was a given that James, Kevin, and I would spend MobileTechRoundup show #195 focusing on a single topic. We talked about what it does and doesn’t replace, who needs one and who doesn’t, Apple’s chip business, and more. At then end of the show we took our own poll to see who plans to buy one and I don’t think there are any surprises there.

January 27th, 2010

Apple iPad: I can't justify buying it

Posted by Joel Evans @ 1:53 pm

Categories: Apple, Gadgets, Kindle, ebooks, iPad, iPhone, nook

Tags: Apple iPhone, SIM Card, Apple MacBook, Apple Inc., Apple Tablet, Smart Phones, Keyboards, Notebooks, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

The Apple Tablet has finally been revealed and it’s now officially known as the iPad. Readers, reporters, analysts and just about everyone else are now wondering if Apple can create a need where one didn’t exist before. Will consumers want something that sits in between the laptop and a mobile phone?

As you can see from the image above, it’s being placed in between the MacBook and the iPhone. Since I own both I figured I’d go through the exercise of seeing if I could justify one.

I use my iPhone and MacBook daily and tend to use my iPhone for a lot more than making calls. It’s a gaming device, an RSS feed reader, a web browser, an e-mail client, and a whole lot more. With the introduction of the iPad, I’m now offered a similar but enhanced experience in the form of a larger screen. At this point it’s very enticing, since the demos that were shown clearly showed a very fluid and inviting experience for performing my iPhone-related tasks. However, for this privilege I either have to shell out $499 for the Wi-Fi model, or even more to be able to enjoy surfing and all of the wonders of the iPad from anywhere. As of this writing, it’s looking like even though I’m already an AT&T subscriber who pays for an iPhone data plan, I won’t be able to just drop in my SIM, since the iPad uses the new GSM micro SIM (a.k.a. 3FF SIM), unless there are SIM converters available.

The iPad was also shown off using a keyboard add-on. I haven’t found a price for the keyboard add-on but since I already have a MacBook, there’s really no need for one. The MacBook is portable enough–mine’s the 13 inch one–and pretty much goes with my everywhere. I can’t imagine the iPad making that much of a difference when I want to run around and show a presentation or do some quick spreadsheet work.

My decision gets even more complicated when you take a look at the other features the iPad provides, most notably the ebook reader (a.k.a. iBooks). As Matt Miller pointed out earlier, the iPad is double the weight of the nook. I already have a nook and it comes with a data plan already paid for, so there’s no need for the ebook reader portion of the iPad for me. I also think that the iPad is going to have a hard time winning over customers who already have a nook or Kindle for this same reason.

In summary, I like what the iPad is all about but it still didn’t hit the must-have that I was expecting. To me it’s a fancier, larger iPod touch, with the ability to also connect to a 3G network. There’s no way to make phone calls with it, so I can’t really consider it a larger iPhone. At a starting price of $499, it’s also not an impulse buy. In addition, since you have to think about why you really need it and what it’s doing that other devices can’t, it becomes a “wait and see”, and something that needs some level of justification.

Initially I was sucked in by the keynote, but now that reality is setting in, I see this as what our future could be, but with a market that’s already over-saturated with netbooks and iPhones, it’s going to be hard for many people to justify adopting this new category of device.