eReader »

First, the good news….Amazon announced today that a free firmware upgrade will be going out to all Kindles that increases the battery life by 85 percent and adds support for PDFs (hmmm…maybe in support of iMagz?). The upgrade will be installed automatically in the background via WhisperNet. Wow, makes you wonder just how inefficient the code was that a firmware tweak nearly doubles battery life.

As for the PDF support, users can read PDF files by emailing them directly to their Kindle address or by loading them on the device via USB. PDFs can also be automatically converted to the Kindle format by emailing them with ‘Convert" in the subject line.

Not a bad pre Christmas upgrade…BOY Amazon must be feeling the heat.

Now, the bad news? Digitimes is reporting that  Scott Liu, chairman of Prime View International (PVI), the company that makes the screens for most Ebook Readers is telling us not to hold our breath for the $100 reader.

He says the market is just not big enough and competition isn’t fierce enough yet to see screen prices drop in 2010…and as the most expensive element of an Ebook Reader is the screen, we shouldn’t look for any many price breakthroughs for another year at least.

Still, one can hope.

General, Mobilitysite Items, Off topic »

I am not going to say much about this, but if you are interested, hit the jump to see. It’s not all that bad, it involves a little foul language, but hey… I know some might not appreciate it. I find it’s funny and props to the guy that took the time to get it set up.

Merging
In other news, I am going to go forward with merging iPhoneMVP and GotZune into Mobilitysite. I will provide some filtering of content as well as separate RSS feeds. I won’t do this until I have it set up right. Really though, Zune news is slow unless it’s launch time and iPhone News is everywhere already. What we’ll have for iPhone is mostly reviews, tutorials, and commentary.

Big Contest Coming Soon!
Our anniversary (I am going to quit calling it a Birthday) is coming soon. So far we have 5 Pantech Matrix Pro Smartphones and an HTC Snap to give away. More to come…

Droid and HD2
Coverage of our own soon. These both should be sitting in my office now for when I get off work.

Ok, don’t forget to check out this finely crafted message after the break…

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eReader »

The Observer is reporting on some very interesting information they have from “sources” that may indicate the future direction of electronic magazines. Everyone has heard Wired yapping about preparing custom digital content for “some unannounced device that Apple MAY produce someday…*giggle*giggle*”, but it seems other major magazines are not sitting around waiting for Cupertino to call. Some months ago I reported on the rumor that Time and other big time magazines were looking seriously at electronic distribution methods with an intent towards creating their own Reader device and online Amazon-style store. Considering the number of devices upcoming in 2010 and the buzz over various “tablets”, the Reader option may be off the table. No need for it really if there are so many other devices already out or soon to be released that are not picky regarding where their content comes from.

Instead, the source says that Time and other publishers are looking at setting up a single web portal for downloading magazines from all different companies to any reader device as well as ordering print copies. The sources described it as like iTunes, but for magazines.

BRILLIANT! I like to call it….iMagz.

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AT&T »

 
A surprise today for the Windows Mobile world, a smartphone that made it to announcement with no real leak? Maybe I missed it, but this is the 1st I have heard about this one.

The iPAQ Glisten features a full QWERTY keyboard and five-way directional pad for fast, easy and accurate messaging including SMS/MMS and e-mail. The touch-enabled AMOLED screen, among the best displays on the market, allows users to easily navigate through menus, windows, and links with the touch of a finger.

Stay tuned for more info, press release after the break…

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eReader »

With all the buzz that about the Barnes and Noble Nook being delayed and new orders getting ship dates into 2010, I decided that I should take a look at my order since this is my wife’s Christmas present.

 
This is good to know, those 2010 dates had me concerned.

Smartphones »

Google maps for Android updated. We did not have to wait for Android 2.0 to get GPS navigation in Google Maps but G1 owners, don’t get too excited. To use this new feature you have to install a Language package of around 4 MB. Space that in a G1 is hard to find free.

A few weeks ago we launched Google Maps Navigation (Beta) as a free feature of Google Maps on Android 2.0 devices. Today we’re expanding availability of Google Maps Navigation to devices running Android 1.6 (Donut) and higher, such as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the G1.

More info at Google.

Steals & Deals »

OK, if you want to upgrade your phone, HTC has the deal for you. From November 27^th through December 31^st, you can trade in your current smartphone in on the purchase of an HTC Tilt 2, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Imagio, or HTC Ozone. If your smartphone is on the approved phone list, you can grab a $100 rebate check from HTC. The approved phone list is decent sized too!

The way it works is simple. Once the new phone is purchased, the customer can go to the appropriate site below and enter their specific promotional code. This will provide them with a mailing label, which they use to send their old smartphone, a copy of the UPC code from the new phone, and a copy of the invoice from the new phone. After that, they get a $100 check in the mail!

URLs with promo codes:

• Verizon                www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone
• T-Mobile              www.htctradein.com/t-mobile
• AT&T                    www.htctradein.com/att

List of eligible smartphones for trade-in:
http://www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone/approved-phone-list.html

Thanks HTC, this is pretty nice of you. Is your smartphone still worth more than $100?

Devices, UMPC »

There are hacks and HACKS with upper case. This one is one of those with upper case. The news was posted at GottabeMobile but the pictures can be seen in this other site. A Sony UX where the owner has change everything that could be changed and replaced and even more.

Hardware

• SSD: 48GB SSD –> 128GB RunCore Pro IV SSD
• Processor: 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo U2200 –> 1.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 overclocked to 1.438GHz
• WLAN: HSDPA 3G module for voice and data
• Wifi: Intel 3945ABG –> Intel 4965AGN

Smartphones »

According to AdMob, the firm that handles display and text ads for more than about 15,000 mobile Web sites and applications, Android is coming on strong with Motorola riding it back to relevance in a big way. Of course, keep in mind that AdMob is in the process of being acquired by Google (feel the noose tightening?) but still, ad page views don’t lie.

Of course Apple’s iPhone is still the leader in terms devices people use to surf the mobile web, but Android has increased worldwide with it’s main gains in the US. in America, six months ago Android had about 7 percent of the mobile ad requests, now a whopping 20 percent.

Of those 20 percent, about a quarter were on a Moto Droid, while 6 percent were on a Motorola Cliq. This means that Motorola is responsible for about a third of all Android use in the US, clearly making them the Android vanguard. Not bad for a company left for dead last year.

Now, if Motorola will be able to base long term growth on these numbers or if they are just reaping the short term benefits of being Google’s Android 2.0 poster child remains to be seen. Remember word is that Google has already moved on and is holding HTC’s hand as they make the NEXT flagship Android device, the Dragon. Without Google pushing them along Motorola could very easily make the Droid their new RAZR, churning out subtle variations and updates on their hit phone for years until they have sucked it dry….and then have nothing new to offer.

Opinion »

I was just reading a great read from James over at JKontheRun on the subject and thought it would be a good time for me to weigh in with my views on the debate. Gil also posted a revamp to his Mobile OS battle recently here and since I have been mixing it up with what I am using, I feel it’s time for me to speak up too.

I have been a avid, almost blind supporter of Windows Mobile since the days of the Pocket PC, so my views are a tad bias, but consider this, I am using an iPhone 3GS right now. Well I am using the iPhone until tonight when I get to my office to unbox the Motorola Droid from Verizon.  I have used the T-Mobile G1, HTC Hero, and I am finishing up a review on the Samsung Moment right now. These are the only Android phones I have used so far and I have enjoyed them a little more each time. I can’t wait to check out the Droid for the next couple days. I will bounce this back and forth with the HTC HD2 as well.

James talks about Android and Windows Mobile based on the major areas that are most important to the bulk of smartphone users. He covers Multi-tasking, Available apps, User interface and Computer desktop integration. Of those things, only 3 are really important to me, the 4th being integration. I often overlook integration since I use Exchange 2007 and all the info I need synced is handled in a 2-3 minute setup for each new device I get.

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