Mobility Site » Rich Bilancia

Off topic quick report on the Dell Zino HD

Rich Bilancia — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:44:55 +0000

I just received and setup an early Christmas gift that I got for myself—a Dell Zino HD which is a Home Theater PC (HTPC).

I have a rather simple setup with only two devices connected to my LG 55LH40 TV: a Motorola DC3146 DVR with service from Comcast connected via HDMI and the Dell Zino HD also connected with HDMI.

My black Dell Zino HD has an upgraded AMD Athlon 6850e 1.8GHz Neo X2 dual core processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4330 512MB graphics card and is running Windows 7 Home Premium. The Dell Zino HD is wire-connected to my gigabit home network with DSL service from Qwest. I have upgraded to the latest ATI Catalyst drivers and Adobe Flash 10.1 beta and use a Microsoft Remote Control and Receiver for Media Center PC with Windows® to control the unit.
I also have a SiliconDust HDHomeRun device that coverts both over the air HD TV and my Comcast Cable service to IP data on my local network. The result is a very slick setup that gets very good results for watching and recording broadcast HDTV, DVDs, Hulu and other internet video.

Some pics after the break.

Technorati Tags: Dell,Zino,HTPC,Off topic

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

It’s official: the Google Phone is coming!

Rich Bilancia — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:08:22 +0000

I just got an alert from the Wall Street Journal:

“Google Inc. has designed a cellphone it plans to sell directly to consumers as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The phone is called the Nexus One and is being manufactured for Google by HTC Corp., these people said. It runs Android, the operating system for mobile phones that Google developed, they added.”

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

3% of AT&T Smartphone users consume 40% of network

Rich Bilancia — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:05:50 +0000

And as a result, according to the AP from a posting on MSNBC.com changes are coming:

“NEW YORK – Wireless data hogs who jam the airwaves by watching video on their iPhones will be put on tighter leashes, an AT&T Inc. executive said Wednesday.

The carrier has had trouble keeping up with wireless data usage, leading to dropped connections and long waits for users trying to run programs on their devices. AT&T is upgrading its network to cope, but its head of consumer services, Ralph de la Vega, told investors at a UBS conference in New York that it will also give high-bandwidth users incentives to "reduce or modify their usage."

De la Vega didn’t say exactly how or when the carrier would change its policies, but he said some form of usage-based pricing for data is inevitable.”

The full article can be read here. This follows a separate news item from the Wall Street Journal today that the FCC is looking for ways to force over-the-air TV broadcasters to give up bandwidth in order that cell phone operators can better satisfy the demands that they are facing.

The times, they are a changing!

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Delta Airline’s GoGo Inflight WiFi

Rich Bilancia — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:22:29 +0000

On a trip from Atlanta to Denver yesterday, I got a chance to use Delta’s GoGo Inflight WiFi service on a Boeing 757.

I was impressed with the speed and ease of reconnection (I suspect that the system remembers and records your MAC address), but the process to sign up for the first time was slow, tedious and very cumbersome.

The initial signup process must have taken me close to a full 10 minutes. The process involves creating a user ID and password along with providing a ton of personal information including setting up security challenges. Even after creating the account, it took several minutes longer to enter credit card information, and deal with the ever-present challenge of reading, deciphering and entering those annoying random code response entries.

Once I was setup, connection was easy and reconnections were automatic. Everything I tried (e-mail, youtube videos, and general web browsing) not only worked, it worked fast and well!

Next time you’re on a Delta flight with GoGo, you may want to give it a try. For a limited time, first time users can access the system free if you enter the coupon code “DeltaTryGoGo”

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

E-Readers declared “hot” by the Wall Street Journal

Rich Bilancia — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:09:49 +0000

In this morning’s Wall Street Journal, there is an extensive discussion and review of nine different e-Readers. It’s a good article that addresses both the popularity of the devices as well as their limitations and potential drawbacks. The article starts with:

“Books are having their iPod moment this holiday season. But buyer beware: It could also turn out to be an eight-track moment.”

I’m still looking for a way to get eight-track music that I bought in the 70s converted to MP3. I certainly don’t want to have to do something similar with e-books that I buy! That’s the primary reason that I read my e-books on my Tablet PC.

The list of the e-Readers compared in the article includes:

Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle DX
Barnes & Noble Nook
Cooler Reader
Irex DR 800SSG
Plastic Logic Que
Sony Reader Pocket Edition
Sony Reader Touch Edition
Sony Reader Daily Edition

The article cites many anecdotal facts including,

“Many people seem perfectly happy reading books on their PCs: Reading Web site Scribd.com, which offers millions of amateur and professional works, is attracting 50 million readers each month. LibreDigital Inc., a distributor of e-books for publishers, says the overwhelming majority of e-book buyers are women who read e-books on an ordinary computer screen, mostly between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. A growing number of readers are also perusing books on cellphones.”

The article can be found here or here for a cached copy. The comparison graphic can be found here.

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Beyond Gaming: Watching TV on Your Xbox

Rich Bilancia — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:12:38 +0000

There’s probably nothing much further from mobility than being a couch potato. However, technology is technology. Since many of us into mobile devices are also using gaming consoles I thought I’d pass along an article in today’s Wall Street Journal..

“For many consumers…videogame consoles appear to be the go-to living-room device—particularly for those who already own one of them. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have already sold over 45 million units collectively, according to the companies. That compares with the 5.3 million networked TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes estimated to be sold by the end of this year….

‘Active game consoles have a lot of momentum because they’re already attached to televisions…they are a part of the family.’

Analysts also say that part of the reason why consoles have become such a popular way of viewing streaming video from the Internet is that cable and satellite companies have been slow to embrace such services.”

There’s much more—it’s a good read!

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Airlines are offering free Wi-Fi

Rich Bilancia — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:48:42 +0000

Having flown over a million real air miles, I used to be a road warrior and would have loved any kind of internet access in the air. Now I read that many airlines are giving Wi-Fi away for free!

For years, the airlines have been promising us Wi-Fi. It has taken much longer to deploy given the all the financial challenges of the air travel industry.

Harriet Baskas a travel writer for msnbc.com has just posted an article on the topic:

Airlines hope wired skies take off: Passengers take advantage of free in-flight Wi-Fi — for now

The airlines used to give free food, now they charge. The airlines used to give free checked baggage, now they charge. You can predict where this is going. In the meantime, Harriet’s article has a few tips on how to cash in.

Technorati Tags: Wi-Fi,travel,airlines

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

T-Mobile “Project Dark” speculation

Rich Bilancia — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:12:31 +0000

Over the last couple of days there have been leaks and rumors across the web about T-Mobile’s “Project Dark.” “Project Dark” is supposed to be a effort by T-Mobile to takeover position number three in the U.S. cell phone market from competitor Sprint.

Most of the speculation about “Project Dark” has centered around an iPhone deal, 4G, different pricing plans or a combination things.

How about a deal with Apple for the new, yet unannounced iPad tablet? Some of the iPad tablet rumors have mentioned an included built-in WAN. I’m sure that Apple realizes the degree to which the AT&T network is challenged. A high-bandwidth consuming device like the iPad would only further exacerbate the problem.

Hmmm….

Technorati Tags: T-Mobile Project Dark

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

My new e-book reader, my new UMPC, my old Tablet PC

Rich Bilancia — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:21:00 +0000

It should be news to no one that most parts of our economy are not doing very well. That situation makes it especially tough on those of us that crave the latest and greatest mobility gadgets.

I’ve been a gadget collector for my entire adult life. From a mobility point of view, I’ve been a very satisfied Table PC owner and user since late 2002 when they were first released. Unlike many of my friends and peers, I keep my gadgets a bit longer. The Tablet PCs that I’ve owned include: a Compaq TC1000, an HP TC1100 and most recently a Lenovo X60 Tablet.

I’ve started looking at e-book readers and UMPCs to either replace and/or supplement my nearly three year old Lenovo X60 Tablet. I want a device that allows me to do two things very well: browse the internet and read e-books. Additionally, it would be nice to occasionally listen to my digital music collection.

So what did I do?

(...) Read the rest of My new e-book reader, my new UMPC, my old Tablet PC (458 words)

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

GrandCentral Is Now Google Voice

Rich Bilancia — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:14:58 +0000

I’ve been a very happy user of GrandCentral for a couple of years. Among its many features and benefits, the one that I have enjoyed the most is the ability to find me at any of my multiple phone numbers.

I had forgotten that it was still in beta release–until this morning that is. GrandCentral has been re-launched as Google Voice. For full details, including a complete list of all the features, check here.

If you’re not already a GrandCentral user, you should be able to sign to sign up for an account in a few weeks.

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Microsoft to Compete with Jott Using Recite

Rich Bilancia — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:20:22 +0000

For quite some time I’ve been a happy user of Jott. In case you’ve not tried Jott before, Jott is an application “in the cloud” that allows you to “capture thoughts, create to-dos and set reminders
with a simple phone call.” It does a lot more too. You can learn more at Jott.com.

Until recently, Jott was totally free. A couple of months ago they started charging for the service, making me somewhat unhappy. Along comes Microsoft with some sweet competition!

Microsoft Recite is a search technology for your voice that runs on Windows Mobile* devices. With Microsoft Recite, you can use your voice to easily store, search and retrieve the things you want to remember, where and when you need them. Microsoft Recite is available as a free technology preview beginning February 16, 2009.

*Microsoft Recite can be used on devices running Windows Mobile version 6.0 or higher. Not sure what you’re running? A complete list of devices can be found at http://recite.microsoft.com

It does not work on all Windows Mobile devices, just several Windows Mobile Smartphones. Here’s the current supported list:

AT&T BlackJack II
AT&T Pantech Duo
HTC Diamond
Motorola Q9C
Moto Q9m
Palm Treo 800w
Palm Treo Pro
SMT 5800
T-Mobile Dash
T-Mobile Shadow
T-Mobile Wing

I’ll be trying it out, and planning to hopefully save a few subscription dollars.

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Dell’s New Smartphone

Rich Bilancia — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:56:37 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Dell has been developing and will soon release a new smartphone:

“NEWS ALERT from The Wall Street Journal

Jan. 29, 2009

Dell, aiming to rev up sales as its mainstay personal computer business struggles in the recession, is preparing a move into cell phones as early as next month.

The company has had a group of engineers working on the phones for more than a year from an office in the Chicago area. They produced prototypes built on Google’s Android operating system and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software.

For more information: HERE“

There are some interesting comments on the WSJ website, one having something to do about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. My personal hope is for a version of Windows Mobile. What’s your preference?

UPDATE: More details HERE posted Friday morning at AllThingsDigital.com

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Zune 30 freezing issue – [Update and Resolution]

Rich Bilancia — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:53:57 +0000

Just posted at Zune.net. Full details can be found here:

http://forums.zune.net/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=408989

It’s a bug in the clock that will take 24 hours to work itself out. I’ll be trying the solution myself (waiting 24 hours) and will report back if I have any ongoing issues. Good luck with the solution and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

[Update] Looks like it will happen again in four years if our 30GB Zunes lasts that long. J

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

Is Your 30GB Zune not working? Neither is mine!

Rich Bilancia — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:50:41 +0000

The official word from Microsoft is that we’re not alone. According to www.zune.net/support :

Status:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware. We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

I hope this gets fixed soon.

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!

MSNBC.com article "What flavor is your smartphone OS?"

Rich Bilancia — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:26:06 +0000

Suzanne Choney has published a well-written article that will help all of us better understand the smartphone OS war currently being waged.

“When you buy a new computer, you may first think about its operating system — is it PC, Mac, Linux? Smartphones have those same operating systems and others. But the OS isn’t likely to be the No. 1 issue for many consumers even though it’s playing an increasingly important role.”

The full article can be found here.

---
Related Articles at Mobility Site:

If you like what you are reading, please consider clicking one of the social networking icons to share the link love. Try a RT by clicking the Twitter icon above. Thanks for reading Mobilitysite!