The Mobile Gadgeteer

December 30th, 2009

Camangi WebStation fails to impress, is Android right for these devices?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 10:37 am

Categories: Gadgets, Open Handset Alliance, Ultra portable PC

Tags: Google Inc., Google Android, Device, Smart Phone, Camangi WebStation, Judie, Tablets, Mobile Operating Systems, Smart Phones, Notebooks

Google Android is the talk of the town on the smartphone platform, but is also appearing on web tablets and netbooks. The first tablet was the Archos 5 Internet Tablet that most people are finding substandard. The next device we see people getting their hands-on is the Camangi WebStation and again most people are unimpressed with this $400 Android tablet. Google Android is really optimized for the smartphone and we are seeing it doesn’t appear to be as flexible as we once thought at going across form factors. It could be that the specifications are not optimized for this form factor as manufacturers try to keep the price down.

Dan and Judie both pre-orderd the Camangi WebStation and posted their first thoughts in a joint article on Gear Diary. Judie seems to like it more than Dan, but both agree the build quality is excellent. Judie particularly likes the support for eReader books. They have only spent a day or so with it so we’ll keep an eye out as they get to spend more time with the device.

Other reviews and conclusions include the following:

• Laptop Magazine: “So far, our first impressions are mixed.”
• Tommorowland.com: “The unit is basically a digital picture frame loaded with a cell phone…”

The device is loaded with a Marvell 624 MHz process like we saw years ago on Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices. It seems that this processor is what is making the experience rather uninspiring. Will we continue to see manufacturers trying to come up with acceptable Google Android products? With Windows 7 and Linux netbooks running at or below these prices, is there really a need for devices like this?

December 22nd, 2009

Video of B&N nook 1.1 update and gallery of in-store retail experiences

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 3:45 am

Categories: Linux, Review, ebooks, nook

Tags: Retail Company, Video, Firmware, Cookie, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

Yesterday we saw the release of the B&N nook 1.1.0 firmware update and one of the added features was support for local retail store content and promotions. I visited my local Barnes & Noble store after updating my nook and took several pictures of what I saw and included them in my image gallery. I also tried out one of my Kindle cases and discovered it worked great with my nook.

	Image Gallery:Here is what you will see on your nook in a Barnes & Noble retail store.

Retail store experiences

In terms of content, there were nine available titles appearing for free. You could choose each and download them to your device for reading later whether in or out of the store. I downloaded the Dean Kootz short story to read later, but didn’t find much else that personally interesting. We heard that you would be able to read ebooks in full at the store, one hour at a time, but that capability does not yet appear to be rolled out in the store.

The other in-store feature is promotions and as you can see in my image gallery the first offer was for a free cookie at the Starbucks counter. I found that these were $1.95 cookies and I selected the double chocolate one to try out. The baristas had a script/directions at their counter and were able to walk through the process with no problem. The coupon code you see must be combined with physically showing the baresta your nook and the cookie offer on it. The promotion details state you can only get one cookie per nook, but there is no tracking of your specific account so I don’t see why you can’t come in every day and get a free cookie. The offer is stated to expire on 6 January 2010 or until they decide to shut it down. I look forward to free coffee offers and maybe some book discounts in the future.

Firmware 1.1 device performance improvements

Another aspect of the firmware 1.1.0 update was improvements in device performance. As you can see in my video below, there is definitely some improvement in speed of page turning and navigation around the menus. In my previous video the nook was taking just under 2 seconds to turn pages and now it is down to just over 1 second and much closer to the Sony 505 that I have as well.

I was already pleased with my nook, but am now even more happy with the device and can recommend it to those looking for an excellent ebook reader device. I also appreciate that selecting a book now takes me right into reading it without an unnecessary interim confirmation screen.

Kindle case that works

I decided to try out the Amazon Kindle 2 Latitude Jacket with my B&N nook and am happy to report it worked well in the case with the four corner brackets holding it in place and the front and back offering good screen and device protection. I am sure M-Edge is working on nook products, but in the meantime you can find the Latitude Jacket for $29.99.

Other reviews are happy too

I just read a very good review of the Barnes & Noble nook over on Brighthand that lines up just about exactly with my thoughts and experiences of the device. Some have slammed the nook, but if you use it as an ereader and don’t try to make it into a Google Android mobile computer you will be quite happy with it.

December 21st, 2009

Hands-on: B&N nook updated to version 1.1.0

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 10:13 am

Categories: EPUB, Linux, ebooks, nook

Tags: Update, Engadget, Barnes & Noble Inc., E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

We heard that there may have been a B&N nook update coming last weekend, but that never happened. We then heard from Engadget this weekend that an update would be coming this Tuesday, 22 December. I turned on my nook this morning and after selecting Check for new B&N content the update automatically started downloading and now my nook is at software version 1.1.0. Barnes & Noble has now posted details on their support page.

I have been one of those people who have been very happy with my nook thanks to the fabulous clarity and contrast of the eInk display that is better than the Kindle 2 (darker, bolder fonts and higher contrast background) and on par with the Sony PRS-505 and the plethora of content sources from where I can load up my nook (Fictionwise, Sony eReader store, Shortcovers/Kobo, local library, etc.). I haven’t had any stability issues or anything with my nook either. The page refreshes could indeed be faster, but I have adapted to tapping the page button as I get to the last line of the page and it hasn’t been much of an issue.

According to Engadget’s post, I understand this update was believed to include the following:

• Page turning and formatting of downloaded e-books has been improved.
• Start-up time for My Library, The Daily, and Setting has been improved.
• Barnes & Noble in-store content and promotions roll-out is fully supported.
• Launches reader immediately on Select from The Daily and My Library for books and subscriptions that have already been downloaded.
• Reading Now takes customer straight into the last book page read without reformatting the content.
• Displays the correct time on the status bar.
• No longer unprompted to the home screen when pressing the arrow or the select button.
• Displays correct error-message for pre-ordering books that are not yet available.

My update downloaded flawlessly, then the device reset itself and the update status appeared on the lower display. All of my local downloaded content was not appearing in the My Documents view on the nook so I connected my nook to the PC and found that the ebooks were still there. I had them in my own folders before that appeared fine on the nook, but found they now need to be located within folders in My Documents. You can still have custom folders inside there though.

After the update I can confirm the following:

• Page turns are faster (will record a video of this later)
• Formatting appears for a shorter time period than before
• There is now a progress status in the bottom display
• When I select to read a book, I no longer have to indeed confirm I want to read it. There is an option to View Item Details & Options instead if you want to check that out rather than making this a required step.
• My time has always been correct so this wasn’t an issue before
• Everything seems a bit snappier so now my nook is even better than before

I will be visiting a physical Barnes & Noble store tonight to check out what works in the physical store and report my findings here later.

December 18th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #193, Ending the year with Google

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:39 am

Categories: Microsoft, MoTR podcast, Netbook, On the road, Smartphone, Zune

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Google Inc., Tablet PC, Kevin, Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Matthew Miller

Listen here (MP3, 32 MB, 35:00 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

It sounded like MobileTechRoundup show #193 was going to be focused on Google when we started with our thoughts on the “Google phone” that was the talk of the town last weekend. Kevin is seriously considering a data-only SIM to be used with the N900 and VoIP services so we look forward to hearing more about that. We chatted a bit about my Zune HD Twitter experiences. The ARCHOS 9 Tablet PC arrived, but it was missing the Tablet PC bits as James discussed. We also questioned whether or not ARM was enough for web-focused netbooks.

December 17th, 2009

Video walk through the Zune HD Twitter app

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:07 am

Categories: MP3 players, Microsoft, Mobile software, Zune, mobile services

Tags: Twitter Inc., Microsoft Zune, Video, Corporate Communications, Keyboards, Marketing, Hardware, Peripherals, Matthew Miller

About midday yesterday we saw the Twitter application appear on the Zune HD and I quickly installed it on my Zune. I also mentioned that the ads were removed from the four non-game applications on the Zune HD. I spent some more time over the past day using the Twitter application and recorded the below video so you could see it in action.

The Zune HD Twitter application actually looks quite nice on the Zune HD and gives you most all of the support and functionality you want on a small WiFi-connected device. The limitations I found at this time is the inability to Retweet something and the lack of support for lists. To be fair though there are very few apps that support lists and this is a fairly new feature for Twitter so I really don’t count that against them with this current release client.

Since this is a Zune HD media player, I did like seeing that a single tap of the note icon puts the song title and artist of what you are listening to right into your Tweet so you can quickly and easily share what you are listening to at that time.

I don’t quite understand why there is even a settings option since all it does is give you some basic stats and the ability to logout. I was looking for an automatic refresh interval and number of Tweets to download on a single page by default. Then again, this is a Zune HD so I can’t imagine too many people living in this Twitter app and needing automatic refresh capability.

The predictive text keyboard is actually pretty good and I am getting better the more I use it. It is important to remember that you need to tap the X to the right of the predictive line if you enter something not accurately predicted rather than the space bar or the predicted text will be entered and appear in your Tweet.

I read on Engadget that Microsoft censors your Tweets so that swear words will appear with ** in them. This isn’t an issue for me since I never swear on Twitter, but I really don’t think it is Microsoft’s job to be the filter for Twitter and am sure this will get people up in arms. Unlike what the folks at Engadget were seeing, my Twitter experience was pretty fluid and stable, as you can see in my video above.

Let me know if you have any questions about the application. With the more capable browser provided in the recent November update, I am using my Zune more for couch surfing and this Twitter app helps with that practice.

December 17th, 2009

Shortcovers partners with Borders, changes name to Kobo

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:58 am

Categories: Apple, BlackBerry, Gadgets, ebooks, iPhone, mobile services, nook

Tags: Borders Books & Music, Kobo, E-books, Smart Phones, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Matthew Miller

I’ve been enjoying Shortcovers for a few months on my Google Android and iPhone devices and loved that the books were easy to access on multiple platforms. I actually just included some good info on using Shortcovers content on my new B&N nook thanks to their EPUB format. We now hear that Shortcovers has been rebranded as Kobo with their major financing coming from Borders. You should still be able to access purchased content from Kobo on the nook due to the Adobe Digital Editions support and cross platform titles. There are now mobile clients for BlackBerry, Palm WebOS, iPhone, and Android smartphones as well as ereaders like the nook and Sony Reader.

According to Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall:

Our vision for a digital strategy that’s right for Borders is taking shape today through our investment in Kobo. Powered by Kobo, we’ll launch a new eBook store on Borders.com and make Borders-branded mobile applications available to our customers, including our 35 million Borders Rewards loyalty program members. Borders shares Kobo’s vision to provide any eBook on any device and we look forward to working closely with Kobo on content and distribution.

I understand Kobo’s digital catalog gives users access to over two million books, with bestsellers starting at $9.99. I like that their goal is to be as open as possible with their content so if your device supports Adobe Digital Editions then you should be able to buy and access that content on your device. Borders will also be launching a Kobo-powered store in 2010 so the ebook market will definitely be heating up next year.

December 17th, 2009

Top 10 posts of 2009 focused primarily on ebook readers

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:37 am

Categories: Apple, Gadgets, Kindle, On the road, Sony, Zune, ebooks, nook

Tags: Mobile, Blog, Ebook Reader, E-books, Blogging, Personal Technology, Internet, Matthew Miller

Last year I was still covering mobile phones on this blog as you can read in my best of 2008 post and then the editors of ZDNet and I decided to break out phones into my dedicated Smartphones & Cell Phones blog. I spent most of 2009 writing about all other mobile gadgets (ebook readers, media players, headsets, gaming devices, netbooks, etc.) here on the Mobile Gadgeteer site. As you can see in my top 10 most popular posts written in 2009, five of ten were on the subject of ebook readers, two were on MP3 players, and the others on various topics.

As we approach the end of 2009, I now own the B&N nook and Zune HD and am pleased with both products. An interesting aspect to note is that these devices ship with firmware updates being a reality. Have we come to expect we are buying a beta product with expected updates?

I try to be diverse in my coverage here on this blog, but have to say I think ebook readers will be popular in 2010 as well. We have a surprise for you all coming soon to the Mobile Gadgeteer blog so stay tuned and tell your friends to follow us here on ZDNet.

December 16th, 2009

Microsoft removes ads from Zune HD apps, games still have them

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:57 pm

Categories: Gadgets, Microsoft, Mobile software, Zune

Tags: Advertisement, Microsoft Zune, Microsoft Corp., App, Advertising & Promotion, Games, Marketing, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

I wrote about and showed you the ads that played on the Zune HD when you launched one of the free games and applications. Today, while waiting for the Twitter application to appear in the Zune Marketplace I downloaded updates to the Piano, Calculator, and Weather apps. After receiving the Twitter app and launching it I noticed there were no ads showing upon launch. I then tried these three other apps and it appears that Microsoft took the ads out of the apps and just left them in the games.

This strategy makes more sense and is fine with me. Everything is free and the games are much more functional than most apps and thus I expect Microsoft to pay for them somehow. It was ridiculous to see an ad to use a calculator though. You will see the white points of light appear and blink while the app is loading, but at least there is no delay with these apps due to ads.

December 16th, 2009

Hands-on: Twitter comes to the Zune HD, Facebook should be next

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:17 pm

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

Tags: Facebook, Twitter Inc., Microsoft Zune, Wireless LANs, Wireless And Mobility, Matthew Miller

I am extremely pleased with my Zune HD (see my hands-on) and have been enjoying the 3D games provided last month by Microsoft. We were told that more apps, such as Twitter and Facebook, would be coming to the Zune HD and true to their promise Microsoft released the Twitter app today. Visit the Zune Marketplace on your Zune HD or PC to download the new application.

I used my Zune HD connected to the Verizon MiFi to download the new Twitter app and take it for a spin. The following functionality is supported by the Zune HD Twitter app:

• Post a Tweet/update your status
• View your Twitter timeline
• View @ replies
• Search Twitter
• DM followers
• View favorites

Like all apps on the Zune HD there is a short ad after you tap to launch the application. The first time you run the app you need to enter your Twitter credentials. Only a single Twitter account is supported, but that should be fine for most people. After logging in you are taken to your Twitter timeline. The app looks great (I’ll shoot a video later), is snappy, and works just in portrait mode. There seems to be about 25 Tweets loaded by default, but there is a More button at the bottom to continue reading more Tweets. There is a Refresh button on the top of your timeline too.

When you have new Tweets, the number appears in red above the left person icon. You will also find in the Zune Marketplace that there is a new category in the other apps section for Social Networking.

Being that this is a Zune HD, you can actually Tweet out the song you are listening to with a simple tap of the note icon when writing a Tweet.

As a moderate Twitter user who carries around my Zune HD, I can see using this from time to time while couch surfing and while on the train. However, you need a WiFi connection via a local network or something like a MiFi to use Twitter on the go. Is that really something that people need or will do that often? I suppose if they do it all the time on their iPod touch then they will on their Zune HD too.

December 14th, 2009

How to loan ebooks on the nook with LendMe service

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:53 am

Categories: EPUB, Gadgets, Review, ebooks, mobile services, nook

Tags: LendMe, LendMe Service, Ebook Reader, LendMe Capability, E-books, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

I have now written a few articles on the B&N Nook (see my first impressions and content article 1 and article 2) and continue to test out and discover how capable this ebook reader is. Navigation on the device takes a bit of practice, but with the amazing content and eInk display I am able to enjoy the best reading experience of any ebook reader I have tried and if you are all about the reading then you should be happy with the nook. One of the unique features of the nook compared to any other ebook reader is the capability to loan books to friends, almost like you can with a real book. There are limitations put on from the publishers, but the process is fairly straight forward. The LendMe capability is in beta and support for more titles is still being rolled out in the Barnes & Noble library. Take a look at my image gallery for shots of the process in receiving loaned books and for loaning books to others.

	Image Gallery:A walk through receiving a loaned book and loaning a book out on the nook using the LendMe technology.

LendMe service; capabilities and limitations

The basics of the LendMe service is that you can lend supported books ONE time to ONE person for a period up to 14 days. You can loan multiple books to the same person, but each supported book is only able to be lent out by you once. I understand this is a limitation placed on the books by publishers, but at least it is a step in the right direction and maybe we will see this limitation change in the future.

The books are available to the person who received the loaned book for free for up to 14 days and can be returned by the reader earlier if they finish in just a few days or something. To be clear, the owner cannot then lend that book out again to someone else, EVER.

Receiving a loan

A member of the Barnes & Noble PR team loaned me an ebook and a notification bubble appeared in the lower left of my nook display. I then went to My Library and saw that there was an offer to accept page (see the screenshot in my image gallery). You then use the touch color display to choose Yes, borrow this or No, thank you. If you turn down the loan then the book rights are Read the rest of this entry »