Mobility Site » Zealot

Ballmer Bringing It to MWC 2010

Zealot — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:57:21 +0000

Neowin is reporting that they have confirmation from Microsoft that the Windows Phone Press Conference at Mobile World Congress 2010 next week will be hosted by none other than the Big Kahuna himself, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

The fact that Ballmer is taking the stage himself puts to rest any lingering fears that Microsoft will somehow drop the ball and NOT be announcing Windows Phone 7 at the big show in Barcelona. That is especially true when you consider the storm Ballmer began some months ago when admitting to Microsoft developers that he was disappointed in Windows Mobile’s lack of development and viewed the failure to focus on the mobile OS a mistake by Microsoft brass (including himself).

It is only fitting that he be the one to first show off the OS that will hopefully drag Windows Mobile back to respectability.

(...) Read the rest of Ballmer Bringing It to MWC 2010 (119 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!

Broadcom Adding More Than Bluetooth to Android

Zealot — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:12:15 +0000

Communications powerhouse Broadcom has announced that they will be bringing some surprises for Android users to this year’s World Mobile Congress.

The company has announced the addition of Bluetooth 3.0 support as well as the new Wi-Fi Direct specification to its software for Android. Bluetooth 3.0 increases the communication speed between devices and peripherals running BT tenfold to 20M bps (bits per second) from Bluetooth 2.0’s speed of 2.1M bps. Another new tech option, Wi-Fi Direct allows devices such as smartphones and PCs to communicate with one another directly via WiFi without going through a third party access point or WiFi network.

(...) Read the rest of Broadcom Adding More Than Bluetooth to Android (153 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!

A Zeen?

Zealot — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:33:27 +0000

Zeen. Sounds like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, but is it actually a word?

Well, HP has been having a lot of success with their well-regarded Mini line of netbooks, and is still producing iPaq devices, one of the last prestigious handheld brands left. However many people have commented that beyond that, HP has been strangely quiet as tech companies are preparing to come out of the recession with all their guns blazing. HP has made no announcements about what their next step will be, haven’t called a press conference or “special event” to debut any must-have gadgets or new category of internet-capable doodad. So what have they been up to?

Some information from the the United States Patent and Trademark Office may shed some light on what HP has up their sleeves….and it could be called a Zeen.

(...) Read the rest of A Zeen? (253 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!

iPlay: Governor of Poker

Zealot — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:47:51 +0000

Card games have been around since the dawn of computing. When Cro-Magnon first bashed Neanderthal in the head with a rock and stole his laptop, it was in order to play Solitaire. Card games are ideal for most computer systems, from the puniest to the most powerful – they usually have clear cut, universally understood rules and require only simple 2-D graphics.

A step up from the ubiquitous Solitaire games but still very very common are Texas Hold ‘em Poker games. The rules are a little more complex then some other card games (with the exception, of course, of Fizbin) but I won’t go into them here, and it has the alluring possibility of multi-player play. I recently spent way too much time putting on of the newest Texas Hold-em games for the iPhone, called Governor of Poker, to the test.

So was it a royal flush or a pair of deuces? Read on to find out what I thought of it…

(...) Read the rest of iPlay: Governor of Poker (663 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!

Predicting 2010

Zealot — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:40:27 +0000

Well, the yule log is burning down in the hearth, the last of the roast beast has been finished off and the gift cards have all been spent…that means it is time to begin considering what we have to look forward to in the year to come and the new decade to follow.

2009 was an exciting year, ending an exciting decade in mobile computing. Over the last 10 years we saw the death of the PDA and the rise of the smartphone. It has been the era that saw the notebook replace the desktop in the computing vanguard, with it’s former “only for work on the go” niche giving birth to the netbook. We have seen console video games become entertainment hubs, and PCs leverage the internet to control just about everything with a power switch. Most cameras are now digital, most mail is now E…and oh yeah, a novelty product called the iPhone changed just about everything gadget-wise.

So what do I think we will see in 2010? Read on as I gaze into my crystal ball….batteries included.

(...) Read the rest of Predicting 2010 (1,815 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!

Two Weeks with the HP/Compaq Mini 311

Zealot — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:06:28 +0000

I have spent the last two weeks using the HP/Compaq Mini 311, an 11.6 inch netbook featuring the Nvidia ION chip in addition to a standard Atom N270, as my secondary computer, in fact sometimes letting it take over primary duties for me. In that time I feel I have gotten a very good sense of what the Mini 311 can do…and what it can’t.

Of course there are any number of different benchmarks and serious number crunching evaluations of this machine out there. The Mini 311 is the first readily available netbook running an ION chip and is arguably the flagship of the HP/Compaq Mini line, so the people who like to break things into numbers have done so many times over. I, however, don’t tend to appreciate or, I admit, fully understand benchmarks. Call me old fashioned, or pagan, or just insane, but I learn more from holding and playing with a device then I ever do from reading even the most exhaustive benchmarks.

Therefore in this review I am going to discuss my impressions, feelings and personal judgments about the Mini 311. Sure other reviews may be more statistically relevant or more qualitatively absolute…but I am interested in how a device is in normal use, not how it is in benchmark testing. Based on that the reasoning I can say I love my Mini 311…but as with all such products it’s a bit of a mixed bag, some trade offs need to be made, so your mileage may vary.

(...) Read the rest of Two Weeks with the HP/Compaq Mini 311 (1,410 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!

Gaming on the iPhone: Unreal?

Zealot — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:57:11 +0000

When Steve Jobs made his prime time return a few months ago, he announced something which most industry watchers already knew…that Apple was going after the mobile gaming market in a big way with the iPod Touch and iPhone. A flurry of high profile game announcements followed with most of the big game franchises appearing on the handheld Apple platform.

However, a certain “killer app”ishness seemed to be missing. The iPod Touch played “casual games” and accelerometer driving games beautifully but how many times can you lean over to avoid the pylon, or match three gems? How does the iPhone handle more involved, graphic intensive fare? Not so well, even with the hopped up capabilities of the new 3G iPods and 3GS iPhones.

However, it appears that may be changing as Epic Games is demoing a project they have been working on and expect to make a big splash with at the upcoming CES. They have managed to port the Unreal Engine 3 to the iPod Touch.

The same graphics engine that powers such major games as Gears of War 2 and Bioshock runs pretty smooth in the demo below and has me hungry to see more real game play, even though this is only a proof of concept at this point. Unreal requires OpenGL ES 2.0 so it can only run on the iPhone 3GS or third Generation iPod Touch, but we all knew that eventually a line would be drawn between the new tech and the older versions….this could be it. Now if the smart people at Epic can work out how to overcome the lack of a physical joystick or pad (still a big oversight in my mind, Apple really needs to come out with some kind of hardware based solution to the gaming control problem) we will REALLY be rocking. I don’t like to look at tech from the point of view of one device eliminating another, but I have to assume both Sony and Nintendo are watching the strides Apple has been making in handheld gaming pretty nervously.

We won’t be seeing Gears of War on the iPhone tomorrow, but this is certainly a step forward and not just for Apple but handheld gaming over all. Epic has promised to present Unreal Engine 3 at CES next month for the iPhone/iPod Touch as well as one other handheld platform they are saving as a surprise. Tough to predict, but I would have to say my gut says we will see it on either the PSP or Android 2.0. Either way, variety is good for all of us.

(Source: AnandTech)

---
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!

Built NY’s Neoprene Netbook Sleeves

Zealot — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:47:40 +0000

When netbooks were first introduced, they were intended to be somewhat rough and tumble, harem scarum sorts of devices…the Little Rascals of the computing world. Cheap and small, with Solid State Drives in place of traditional, somewhat finicky hard drives and sporting no fragile optical drives at all, netbooks were designed to be tossed in your backpack and taken places where large, expensive notebooks just didn’t want to go.

As netbooks have been become more complex and advanced, they have lost a bit of that devil may care durability. We worry more about them and need to take more care not to damage them accidently. Therefore, a quality case to protect your netbook investment has become more and more important. However, it makes sense that you should look for something that doesn’t multiple a netbook’s size and weight the way a traditional notebook case would. Therefore sleek, easy sleeves are the perfect choice, giving you a reasonable amount of durability but not too much added bulk..but are all sleeves created equal? I recently got a hold of a netbook sleeve made by one of the leading new companies in gadget protection today, BUILT NY. What did I think of it? Read on for the full review.

(...) Read the rest of Built NY’s Neoprene Netbook Sleeves (730 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!

Upgrading a Compaq/HP Mini 311

Zealot — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:09:23 +0000

One of the best parts of any netbook is the ability to tinker with it, upgrading the hardware and trying all sorts of strange software and OS cocktails on it. Some netbook vendors make this difficult for the user, while others make it so easy it is almost a crime NOT to spend a few dollars and a little time upgrading your netbook.

An example of one of the easiest to upgrade is the Compaq/HP Mini 311, the 11.6 inch netbook rocking an Nvidia ION/Atom mix. At first modders were disappointed when HP announced that the 1GB of RAM that the device ships with would be soldered in place, a favorite tactic used by companies to ensure that when you want more power, you have to buy a bigger netbook. However once the device shipped, it was discovered that there is a SECOND RAM slot that is incredibly easy to access, allowing you to add a 2GB RAM stick to bring the device up to 3GB, more than enough to run Windows 7 or anything else you want. Want to see how it’s done? Check out the step by step pictures after the jump.

(...) Read the rest of Upgrading a Compaq/HP Mini 311 (417 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!

HTC Passion Real, Running Android 2.1 and T-Mobile Bound?

Zealot — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:52:51 +0000

A lot of rumors have been coming together this weekend concerning the HTC Passion/Dragon, rumored to be Google’s Android 2.1 flagship phone, similar to the way the Droid premiered Android 2.0. At the time the Droid was announced, there was much noise about the fact that Google has taken to holding the hand of a certain vendor for each Android release, helping them create a phone to best showcase the software, after having felt left down by the hardware side of the original Android phone, HTCs G-1. Google did this handholding thing with Moto (as Motorola themselves admitted with pride) in creating the droid for Android 2.0, and were rumored to be doing that with HTC for the next version of Android.

Soon after, rumors stated that the flagship HTC/Google collaboration was called the Passion or Dragon, and was the phone that Google brass were carrying around and testing. Next we learned that the Passion/Dragon was very much like the HD2 but running Android, and the version it was introducing would be 2.1.

Them it was rumored that the Passion was a figment and never really existed in the first place. Nothing to see here, go buy a Droid.

This weekend the Passion story was resurrected in a big way with a double headed rumor. First of all, Boy Genius reported on a list of HTC Android phones culled from a leaked Android 2.1 build. Included in the long list of code names, amongst such provocative gems as the “Incredible”, the “Espresso” and the “Huangshan”, were lo and behold the Passion, the PassionC (likely indicated a CDMA version) and the Dragon.

On the heels of that, TMOnews released word from a tipster that an Android phone called the Passion would be released on T-Mobile in the middle of January. The tipster also said this was the widely debated “Googlephone”, which is just plain silly since if we ever do see such a phone, the Google-orchestrated hype barrage will be Jobsian in proportion and start months in advance. However, the rumored T-Mobile release could very easily by the HTC Passion running Android 2.1.

Personally I think Google is shooting themselves in the foot releasing new Android versions so continuously, each with a new “must have” phone attached. Each one will inevitably cannibalize the sales of the one before, when they are being released with barely a month between them. The Droid has been enough of a hit where it could easily continue strong sales into the middle of 2010 or beyond…unless of course another Android flagship is launched in the meantime with a more recent version to become the new hotness.

Windows Mobile has been suffering badly from too much time between updates, while Android may be suffering from not enough time between new versions. Apple’s pace of a new full software version for the iPhone once a year seems sensible…now if only they didn’t always make their versions so dependant on having the newest hardware.

Be that as it may, if you are looking for the hottest Android phone on the market, you may want to hold off on that Droid purchase a couple weeks, and see if the Passion really does appear as rumored.

---
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!

A Real Hip Gift Idea, Daddio

Zealot — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:12:20 +0000

Looking for a hip little stocking stuffer for a digital music fan on your list, and your local Faberge shop is all out of jewel encrusted Nanos? I recently came across a product that totally blew my mind. Like, WOW.

Dig, this retro cool transistor radio not only plays all the heppest DJs on the AM and FM dials, but it can also plug into the headphones port of your favorite MP3 player and serve as an external speaker. How happening is that, huh sunny jim?

The Fydelity features a 1000 milliwatt speaker and connects to any MP3 player via a 3.5 mm cable. The radio gets both AM and FM and the antenna also works as a desktop stand or a carrying handle. All it needs are 3 AA batteries and you are endsville baby….real endsville.

Available for 30 bucks plus shipping 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!

Nokia Raising White Flag? Halving Smartphones

Zealot — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:06:56 +0000

Imagine that you are the largest producer of mobile telephones in the world, by massive margins. Of every two mobile phones being used right now, you made one of them. Your company more or less accounts for most of the GNP of your home country. You have an interesting new Operating System just trying out it’s legs, and iron clad deals with most of the world’s carriers.

Now, imagine that in the highest margin, biggest bang side of the industry, smartphones…you announce that you are halving your production due to “really fierce competition” and only releasing a single device with your new OS in 2010. Nokia released 20 smartphones in 2009, but will only bring 10 new models to market in 2010.

That leaves lots of mid and low end feature phones, where Nokia continues to dominate through out the world. However, Nokia’s head of Smartphones, Jo Harlow, citing increasing competition in those markets too as a cause for concern.

The vast number of models that Nokia releases has always been viewed as a primary strength of the company, but maybe they are on to something by limiting the number of high end devices they are putting out. After all, for all of their market majesty, very few people can name more then a few Nokia models. The wide variety, plus the boring names (E72, N97…not terribly sexy) can lead to consumer apathy. Perhaps fewer phones will mean more excitement.

Who knows, some companies have done pretty well with only one smartphone model…yes, I am looking at you Mr. Jobs.

---
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!

Ebooks: No Nook is Good Nook

Zealot — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:08:22 +0000

Alright, I apologize about the headline but I just couldn’t resist, especially as I have some good news for Nook buyers, at long last. Remember that lawsuit against Barnes & Noble filed by Spring Designs, requesting an injunction to keep B&N from selling the hot new gadget until their copyright infringement case was settled? Well as was widely expected a judge weighed in against the injunction, so sales of the Nook can go forward after all. HUZZAH! It seems Spring Design just couldn’t manage to prove that this was an open and shut case or that they would suffer serious harm if the Nook went on sale before the court case…especially as their competing device, the Alex, shows no sign of making the promised December release. Could the date, and the entire commercial release of the Alex, have been floated just for legal reasons? Surely you jest!

The judge however did rule (you can read the court documents HERE) that the pre-trial process should be expedited for a speedy trial…which is good news for all involved. B&N can get this entire matter over and done with ASAP so they can enjoy the income from a hot holiday gadget, and Spring Design can see some revenue since there is little doubt that if they can prove their case, they will enjoy a handsome settlement. Either way, no skin off user’s noses.

As for the Nook itself, it is rapidly shaping up to be the breakout device this Christmas. Featured in the New York Times and several other major publications as a hot gift idea, it was even a featured holiday giveaway on The Ellen DeGeneres show. The heir apparent to Oprah stated that the Nook was the hottest tech gift this season. High praise indeed.

Of course, this is cold comfort for Nook buyers, who have seen their November 20th shipping date slowly fading straight through December into 2010. January 14th is the date now, missing Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Years. Cheer up however, if you load a new Nook up with romance novels it will make a great Valentines Gift…or if you miss that, how about a special James Joyce St. Patrick’s Day edition? If B&N misses that one too….EASTER! Unless they give gifts these days for Arbor Day. “Save a tree, read an Ebook, Happy Arbor Day.”

I like it…catchy.

---
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!

Compaq Mini 311: First Impressions

Zealot — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:15:37 +0000

I have gotten my hands on a Compaq Mini 311 netbook, which is the European release of the HP Mini 311, the first netbook to feature Nvidia’s ION platform to augment the Atom’s poor graphics performance. The two models are identical save for the branding.

The Mini 311 has won a slew of Editor’s Choice awards over the last month, as well as several awards as the best netbook of 2009. However, the device pushes the envelope for netbooks with an 11.6 inch widescreen on top of the ION’s graphics power to make the Mini 311 something in between a standard netbook and an Ultraportable notebook PC.

This model runs Windows XP and has the ION LE, which runs DirectX 9 rather than DirectX 10. An upgraded model has already been announced with Windows 7 and standard ION.

I have just started to put the Mini 311 through it’s paces, but next week I will have a full review as well as an upgrade guide that will illustrate how to upgrade the 1GB of onboard RAM to a full 3GB for any modders out there. For now however, take a look at some pictures and first impressions after the jump.

(...) Read the rest of Compaq Mini 311: First Impressions (251 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!

Acer First In with Chrome OS

Zealot — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:29:18 +0000

Digitimes is reporting that Acer has announced that they intend to launch the first netbook to he shipped running Google’s Chrome OS, slating the release for the second half of next year.

The announcement is not terribly surprising on one level as Acer was also the first to produce a netbook running Android. However, the dual booting Windows 7/Android combo failed to gain much attention in the marketplace and was pretty well torn up by reviewers, who viewed it as a dull as dishwater standard netbook with Android along for the ride for no apparent reason. All in all, what was expected to be such an innovation was pretty “meh” so it is a little surprising that Acer would agree to be Google’s guinea pig again. Perhaps Google is offering some hands on attention to the design, similar to what they give their flagship phones for each version of Android? Either way, as the top worldwide maker of netbooks Acer probably figures they can take the risk.

Acer is saying currently that their Chrome OS netbook will not be a dual boot machine, but I am quite sure that will change considering the fact that thus far popular wisdom doubts that Chrome OS will be practical as a primary OS for most users. I have been experimenting with an early version over the last few days and thus far I must agree with popular wisdom…but these are early days yet and a lot can change in a year.

As for the merits of a Cloud based Operating System, I will be posting complete looks at the two main contenders, Chrome OS and Jolicloud next week after working and playing with both for a little while.

---
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!