Category: Phones
May 8, 2008
Technical Maturation of the Smartphone Market
I'm heartened to see stories like this: Windows Mobile to get pumped up on Nvidia (CNET). I've tried Windows Mobile many times and every time two things send me running as fast as I can away from the platform:
1) The god-awful user interface
2) The reliance of WM on Outlook
While the second problem probably won't go away any time soon -- Microsoft likes to link its products even when its customers don't necessarily want them linked -- the first problem will probably be greatly mitigated if we can get high-end graphics to speed up and beautify the UI.
I'm sure, however, that Windows Mobile won't be the only game in town with high-powered graphics hardware on board. Google's Android seems to be designed with that type of experience clearly in mind. This, plus the "open network" push we're seeing, means that the next 12-18 months should be a very interesting time in the smartphone space.
Posted by Craig in Industry
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
April 3, 2008
In Defense of Email
Over at Gizmodo, I came across this entry musing about the pervasiveness of text messaging (apparently not written by a European):"...I began to wonder about the phenomenon of text messaging as a whole. Sometimes it seems that it would make more sense to call or send an email, but that crap is for old people."
Perhaps I'm mistaken in believing the merits of email should be obvious and that nobody can honestly believe that texting is superior for all, or even most, occasions. So, I thought I'd put together a brief table outlining what I consider the advantages of each technology:
Near-instantaneous delivery |
Delivery can be delayed |
A clear advantage for texting | |
Included in all phones |
Increasingly common |
Not as much of a difference as even a year ago | |
| Good mobile email clients are no harder to use than most Texting interfaces | |||
160-character limit |
What can't email do? |
Attachments, long messages, and rich text are all things email does easily but that texting doesn't do well, if at all | |
no long-term storage |
email archives are forever |
Some messages you don't care about referencing in the future, but can you be sure when you send it that you won't care? | |
$0.10+ apiece when not bought in bulk |
Free with any Internet service |
Some may find this contentious, but I pay extra for texting on my cellular account whereas email is just part of my overall Internet connectivity fee |
I think the biggest drawback I see to texting is the whole temporal retention issue. I rely extensively on my ability to search through my emails, both professional and personal, sometimes going back years to look up something. In contrast, I don't know anyone who saves their text messages for even more than a few months. I asked a classful of college seniors how long they kept text messages on their phones. Less than 10% keep them longer than a week!
Do I txt? Yep, everyday, but I still use email a lot more. I'm not going to pull the "age = wisdom" card and claim that "old people" (per the Gizmodo story) use email more because they're wiser (I'm not even sure I'd be considered "old"), but my perception is that email offers a lot of advantages that texting just can't match right now.
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Internet
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Society / Politics
and Technology
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (1)
March 18, 2008
The iPhone and MacBook Air: What Can't I See?
Apple's iPhone and MacBook Air have come to represent cutting-edge, state-of-the-art consumer electronics. We're approaching the iPhone's first birthday and Wired magazine is still calling it "handset of the moment -- maybe even the next few moments."
And the MacBook Air was popular enough last month to single-handedly account for 20% of Apple's notebook computer sales. Any way you slice it, that's impressive.
So what is it that keeps me from getting excited about these products?
I don't think I'm biased for or against Apple. We have a Mac Mini in the house and I'm always happy to see strong competitors in the personal computing space. So I don't think it's any sort of systematic unwillingness to accept Apple's products.
I'd like to think it's the technology. Sure, the iPhone and the MBA are pretty. The iPhone has a user interface that's somewhat innovative, and the Air is very, very svelte. But beyond that, I see more sacrifices than benefits.
The iPhone is a keyboardless EDGE handset with no expansion card slot. To me, that's three strikes right there. I feel like I need a real keyboard; I use the stink out of my Treo's EVDO connection and would dread going back to EDGE speeds; and, as far as I'm concerned, SD cards are the new floppy disk (i.e., ubiquitous). And then there's the issue of the non-user-replaceable battery. Ugh.
Similarly, the MacBook Air is rife with trade-offs: you don't get a removable battery, internal optical drive, Ethernet port, or VGA output (all things I rely on pretty frequently). Yes, it's light, but not markedly more so than many other laptops (for one, my 12.1" Fujitsu subnote weighs less). And don't get me started on the decision to hamstring it by including just a single USB port!
So, is it me? Am I somehow missing the real benefit of these devices? I'll admit, I've always been a function-over-form kinda guy, so is it that obsession with features that is blinding me to the design, or some other source of value entirely?
Or, am I more normal than I think, and it's it just that the media and a significant part of the digerati who write about this stuff have different utility functions than most of the rest of us?
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Phones
and Technology
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (4)
February 13, 2008
Google's gPhone Up Close and Personal
Over two years ago, I initiated a general plea for a gPhone. Apparently, PalmSolo has witnessed the answer to my request at MWC08.
Check out his photos and video of HTC's gPhone, an Android test mule, in action (via ZD Net)
I'm fairly certain that my 700p will be my last Treo and that something running Android will be my next smartphone. Now if I can just go another 8-9 months...
Posted by Craig in Industry
and Phones
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
January 4, 2008
GearBits' Predictions for 2008
As has become customary around the changing of the calendar, here are GearBits' official predictions for 2008.
1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.
2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.
3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).
4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.
5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).
6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.
7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.
8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.
9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...
10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.
So, I'll check back in about 12 months to see how I fared. In the meantime, what do you think will happen?
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Gaming
and Home A/V
and Industry
and Internet
and Other
and Phones
and Photography
and Popular Media
and Science & Nature
and Society / Politics
and Technology
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
June 30, 2007
Feature Shootout: iPhone versus Treo 700p
So I wandered into an Apple store today to check out the Jesus Phone that launched yesterday. Not bad. In fact, it's pretty nifty in many ways. But, while I was fondling the iPhone and gushing about its positives, the Treo 700p in my pocket kept whispering to me some of its nicer points. So, I thought I'd make a table of comparison points (ignoring issues that are basically incomparable or a wash). I've shown what I consider to be advantages in bold; feel free to correct me where I'm wrong or suggest new pros/cons for either device. Palm Treo 700p |  Apple iPhone | |
| Display | 180 ppi | 160 ppi |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular | ||
| Wi-Fi | ||
| Text Input | ||
| Onboard Memory | ||
| Expansion Slot | (up to 8 GB) | |
| Battery | 4.5 hrs talk time 300 hrs standby | 8 hrs talk time 250 hrs standby |
| Weight | ||
| Thickness | ||
| Multi-Media Messaging (MMS) | ||
| Stylus Included | ||
| Camera | ||
| Video Capture | ||
| Screen Auto-rotation | ||
| My impressions of the two devices: | ||
| Overall UI Speed | ||
| One-Handed Use | ||
| Browser | (Blazer) | (Safari) |
| Text Entry | (No highlighting or cut/copy/paste) | |
| Third-Party Support | (Thousands of apps) | (Other than browser applets, Apple is sole provider) |
| Customizability | ||
| Fun to Use | ||
While the table doesn't say it in so many words, my impression so far is that the Treo 700p and the iPhone do nearly all the same things, but in very different ways. With its dedicated keyboard and strong text-editing functionality, the 700p is much more of a productivity-centric communication device. In contrast, the iPhone does amazing things with audio/video/photo playback, so it is more of a media/entertainment-centric device.
However, that distinction is far from absolute. The Treo can handle audio and video playback in more formats than can the iPhone, and it also has the 3G chops to stream both audio and video over its cellular connection, so it's more flexible in those regards. But, the iPhone has some productivity tricks up its sleeve, such as its ability to multitask (e.g., pull down email in the background) and the excellent Safari browser (which emulates a desktop browser's capabilities fairly closely).
The iPhone's biggest new innovation -- the multi-touch screen -- seems like it could be something incredibly powerful. The current device seems to underutilize this feature, as it's useful only in rare situations (e.g., resizing/zooming a photo). Moreover, multi-touch inherently requires two-handed use, so it's not something someone is going to make use of all the time. But, if future software enhancements can really make strong use of this feature, then we may look back on this launch as actually meriting all the hype.
So, while I have no desire to get an iPhone for my own use, I'm glad the iPhone is out. Innovation pushes all players in the market to bring us consumers their best products, so I look forward to seeing how Palm, Nokia, HTC, Motorola, and the rest respond to Apple's new phone.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (9)
June 27, 2007
Comparison Test of LCD Screen Cleaners
Last month, I became fed up with the increasingly disgusting state of my LCD screens. Both my laptop and my two LCD desktop panels at work were just rife with dust, lint, and macroscopic unmentionables. Just gross.
So, I thought I'd grab a screen cleaner and wipe them off. Turns out that's not as easy as one might imagine. Most everyday cleaners you find in grocery stores have alcohol, ammonia and/or other chemicals in them that do not play nicely with the plastics and coatings involved in LCD and other portable electronic displays.
So, I did what any conscientious tech blogger would do: I ordered three of the more commonly recommended cleaners to do a comparison test. KlearScreen, Purosol, and Mirachem Optix were all purchased from online retailer Photodon (who provided no monetary or other support for this test other than selling me all the cleaners at their standard price). I also purchased a bottle of the Photodon house brand LCD cleaner just to see how it stacked up. I also bought a brand new microfiber cloth to use in the testing.
Read on for details on the four candidates and the results of my month-long test for performance, endurance, and overall value.
First, the test environment consisted of two 20" LCD panels I use at work, as shown below. I broke up each screen into two halves (for a total of four areas, one for each cleaner). Each half-screen was then broken up into a black area and a rainbow area for visual inspection of dust and grime removal.
These had not been cleaned in any way since they were purchased new nearly a year ago. So, they were absolutely filthy, as the screen shot below attests.
To test the cleaners, I sprayed each on one half of one of the two displays and wiped it clean with the microfiber cloth. Some had better spray patterns or cleaned more easily than others, as the results table below describes. Each week for a month after cleaning the displays, I examined the four quadrants for lint and other detritus that had accumulated in the cleaned areas. My findings from that long-term examination are also described in the results table.
Results
| Cleaner | Price Paid | Spray/Smell | Initial Cleaning | Long-term Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KlearScreen (8 oz.) Recommended! | $12.95 | Fine mist, wide pattern; mild, but distinctive, smell (not unpleasant) | Very good | More than a week dust-free |
| Mirachem Optix (4 oz.) | $5.55 | Generous and uneven, less misty and more droplets; faint smell | Very good | New dust attracted nearly immediately (by day's end) |
| Photodon's Ultra (4 oz.) | $7.95 | Fine mist, smaller pattern (more targeted); very faint smell, nearly odorless | Very good | More than a week dust-free |
| Purosol Plasma (4 oz.) | $16.95 | Ultrafine mist, wide pattern; almost odorless | Very good | More than a week dust-free |
Recommendations
All four sprays cleaned quite well; the displays looked nearly new after a good wiping-down and no differences across the four quadrants were noticeable immediately after cleaning. However, the Mirachem Optix product did not seem to prevent static-attracted dust as well as the others and its quadrant had noticeable dust within a few hours of being cleaned. For that reason, and the rather unsatisfactory spray nozzel, I would not recommend Mirachem Optix (despite it having the lowest price of just $1.44 per ounce).
The three other sprays all kept their parts of the displays clean about the same length, with noticeable dust appearing a little more than a week after being cleaned. Given no differences in cleaning performance, the decision comes down to price. However, the pricing on these cleaners ranges broadly, from a low of $1.62 per ounce for the KlearScreen to $4.24 per ounce for the Purosol (the Photodon's Ultra came in at $1.99 per ounce).
So, as it offers a very good cleaning solution at a reasonable price, my recommendation is the KlearScreen LCD-Laptop-Computer Screen Cleaner. More information can be found at www.klearscreen.com.
Based on the results just described, I also used KlearScreen on my laptop and phone and both devices' screens were cleaned quite satisfactorily. While I cannot judge the long-term effects of using any of these products on LCD screens, their manufacturers state that no chemicals in any of them should have any deleterious effects whatsoever.
Note that no free samples were used or communication with companies manufacturing or selling these sprays (other than making an online purchase with Photodon) occurred during the testing and writing-up of results. GearBits has no financial association with any of these products or their manufacturers or distributors.
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Photography
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (2)
May 30, 2007
What Palm Should Have Announced Instead of the Foleo
Today, Palm announced its new Foleo smartphone companion (shown, next to the Treo). You can learn about it at the Palm website and read some first impressions here, here, and here.
I'm going to reserve judgment on the Foleo until I get some hands-on time with it (you hear that, Palm? Bump me up a few spots on the review unit list, will ya?). It has some interesting points, but I'll admit to being skeptical that the market for this device exceeds a few thousand people.
But it did get me thinking just what would have been a better product (or products) to announce today that would have served a similar purpose (i.e., extending the usefulness of a smartphone like the Treo...or the iPhone)? Here are some ideas that I've seen proposed various places today:
1) Linux-Powered Tablet Treo -- Combine the radio and multimedia functions of a Treo with all the open-source goodness of a Linux kernel and a big touchscreen display.
2) Bluetooth Virtual Display -- Giving the user a better bigscreen view of her Treo's data while only adding a few ounces to her bag seems like an interesting idea. Just one question, though: How do you interact with the Treo if your eyes are blocked by the display?
3) Clamshell Treo -- Proposed by the many who wish the Treo's 2.5" square display was a shade larger yet still pocketable, a clamshell Treo could even have two displays (a la Nintendo's DS) for double the productivity.
4) A Universal Treo-Laptop Interface -- Some have suggested that what Palm really needs to offer is a piece of hardware that would connect a Treo to any PC's USB port and automatically broker data and Internet sharing between the two devices. Imagine a continuous "smart" syncing between the two devices so that the PC could be used as an interface to the Treo's contents, or vice versa.
What's your suggestion? What should Palm have released instead of the Foleo? Or do you think it really is a viable new product category?
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Technology
and Travel
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (3)
May 9, 2007
Calling 'Shenanigans' on Sprint Wireless
Over the weekend on a work trip, the headset jack on my 700p started acting up and the unit was going to have to be replaced.
When I went to my local Sprint store Tuesday evening, they told me, sorry...I would have to go to a special Sprint store that had a technician in it. The nearest one was several miles away.
So, today, at 11:30am, I show up at the Sprint store. I wait 20 minutes just to talk to someone. I give him my phone to hand to the tech to verify that it was, indeed, a bad headset jack. 15 minutes later, the tech verifies that as the problem and says he can't fix it. No sweat, I say, since (a) it's still under Palm's 1-year warranty, and (b) I have the phone repair/replacement warranty on top of that. So, I expect them to hand me a replacement 700p.
Nope. Sales dude Jeff tells me that they have no Treo 700p's in stock and they have to get it from the warehouse, which takes 3-5 days. In the meantime, I will just have to use the wired headset whenever I want to make or receive a call or check my voicemail (which is the only way they'll alert me that my replacement phone is available).
However, I get back to my office today and call the store. I talk to sales dude Mike and ask if they have any 700p's in stock. He cheerily tells me that they have several 700p's in the store and to come on in and pick one up (they're open until 9pm!).
So, what's up, Sprint? I'm paying you nearly $100 a month plus a $6 per month replacement service fee just so you can make me wait an extra 3-5 days while you'll give a new customer my phone today? Sprint sucks.
It's really no wonder that a recent MSN-Zogby poll ranked Sprint as having the worst customer service across all industries. It's times like this that I really miss T-Mobile.
Update: I called Sprint's telephone support and they said they weren't sure why the store said what it did, but that I could go back to the store and ask to speak to the manager. Rather than driving clear up there again tonight, I called and was told that the phones in stock in the store were new phones and that they couldn't give out new phones for replacements (only refurbished models are available for existing customers). I asked the girl if she thought that giving better service to a potential Sprint customer (e.g., someone wanting to sign up for service and buy a 700p outright, who would be handed a new phone immediately) than a current Sprint customer (e.g., me) was the right thing to do. She said, "I'm not going to answer that." Yes, welcome to Sprint...ethics optional.
Posted by Craig in Industry
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (4)
April 22, 2007
Texting Just Not Adequate for True Productivity
According to this CNN story, a 13-year-old was crowned National Texting Champion for typing in "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (from 'Mary Poppins') on his phone in 15 seconds.
Just now, I was able to do the same on my Treo in just under 9 seconds. And I wasn't even trying especially hard to be fast, just accurate (I didn't want to have to do it over again).
I'm not saying this to brag, but merely to make a point: a numerical-keypad phone will never be considered a productivity-minded business communications tool until we no longer need to enter text via keys. It just won't do to have to type out lots of even short emails if you have to do so by hitting up to three keys just to get a single character. And let's not even consider adequate (let alone proper) punctuation.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
January 2, 2007
GearBits' Predictions for 2007
As per tradition (OK, for at least the third time), here are my predictions for the upcoming year, 2007:
1) Apple's iPod continues PMP domination
Thought I'd start off with a safe one. Yep, I don't think too many would argue that the iPod is poised to remain the de facto standard in portable media players. Given that the #1 seller in Amazon's electronics category during the 2006 holiday season was the iPod by a significant margin, and given that accessories for all other PMPs combined amount to about 1/100th of what's available for the iPod, there's really no doubt that newcomers will have a hard time challenging the king, despite any technical advantages.
2) 802.11n gets ratified and gear floods to market
802.11n, the next generation of that family of wireless networking standards, has been forever in getting off the ground. 2007 should see its final certification, opening the gates to loads of networking hardware compliant to the new standard.
3) Film cameras all but disappear from electronics stores
While you'll still be able to find cheap disposables, it will become nearly impossible to find any mainstream electronics retailer selling more than one or two token models. $99 digital cameras from recognizable brands will become commonplace.
4) Nintendo tops Sony and Microsoft as gaming overlord
Not a big leap here, but Nintendo, through its Wii and DS lines, will lead all brands in game unit sales in 2007. Sony will retain the crown of technological leader (and work though its Blu-Ray production issues), and Microsoft will continue to play the spoiler in the industry.
5) TiVo is acquired
If this prediction was good enough to be wrong in 2006, then it's good enough for 2007 as well.
6) Google launches the GooglePhone
Google, in partnership with some handheld maker and/or carrier, will launch a branded QWERTY smartphone that natively runs its main offerings (e.g., Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Talk, etc.). Maybe I'm predicting this purely out of desire -- I so want such a device -- but I do think it will happen eventually.
7) eBay sells Skype
You heard it here first. Or maybe you didn't. Either way, this is a long-shot prediction, but I think Meg Whitman is smart enough to realize that Skype is worth more to eBay when it's owned by somebody else.
8) Palm brings Jeff Hawkins back to reinvent Treo line
The current Treo line is getting a bit long in the tooth (not to mention the now-ancient Palm OS, which Palm just repurchased the permanent rights to) and its sales are likely getting pinched by slimmer, more aesthetically appealing (while not as functional, but a lot of people by phones based on looks...kind of like how they pick boy/girlfriends in college) offerings from Motorola and others. So, since Palm doesn't seem capable of designing anything anyone wants to buy on its own, the company will announce that Jeff Hawkins is coming back to help lead the development of the next-generation Treo. And many will ask, "What took you so long?"
9) HD-DVD and Blu-Ray persist; nobody cares
More devices will be available at cheaper prices, but sales of both players and media will continue to be tepid. Not only is renting becoming the dominant mode of DVD acquisition, but the current quality of standard dual-layer DVDs is perfectly adequate for 99% of the population. Maybe in a few years, the proliferating 1080p sets will drive people to want high-def movies, but it won't be as rapid an adoption rate as the original DVD was.
10) Robots become sentient, destroy all of humanity
On a related note, iRobot's stock price will double in 2007 as a result of strong sales and the announcement that a first-gen AI will take over as President and CEO.
Have a good year, everyone!
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Gaming
and Home A/V
and Industry
and Internet
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Photography
and Society / Politics
and Technology
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
June 20, 2006
Secure Digital Card Speed Comparison in Treo 700p
In two previous posts - Treo 650 SD Slot is teh Fastar (February, 2005) and SanDisk Extreme III Secure Digital SD Card (March, 2005) - I compared the speeds of four Secure Digital cards in three Palm OS devices.
Well, it's been 16 months and newer devices and higher capacity cards are now out, so I thought I'd run some more comparisons. This time, however, I'll be using the new Palm Treo 700p along with its venerable brothers, the 650 and 600.
The four SD cards being tested here are:
L to R: Adata 150X 4GB, SanDisk 133X Extreme III 1GB, SanDisk Ultra II 66X, SanDisk 512MB
Here are the results using VFSMark v1.1 (notice that the 4GB Adata card was not tested in the Treo 650 or 600 -- those devices do not come with support for FAT32 file systems required for 4GB cards):
| SD Card | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File Create | ||||||||||
| File Delete | ||||||||||
| File Write | ||||||||||
| File Read | ||||||||||
| File Seek | ||||||||||
| DB Export | ||||||||||
| DB Import | ||||||||||
| Record Access | ||||||||||
| Resource Access | ||||||||||
| VFSMark |
I think a few conclusions can be made from these data. First, the SanDisk Extreme III is a very fast card. At a rated speed of 133X, it bested even the 150X Adata card overall.
Second, the added expense of their Ultra II line above and beyond the price of SanDisk's standard (blue) line of SD cards appears to be wasted if used in a Treo. There's just no appreciable bump in speed. Maybe on a PC -- didn't test that here, so can't generalize -- but not on a Treo.
Third, the 700p looks like it has faster access to SD cards than its predecessors, which is good news. Not only can it handle FAT32-formatted cards (up to 4GB), it reads faster than the 650 and 600 and writes much faster than the 600 (but about the same as the 650).
So, if you rely on card-intensive apps, you may want to consider the combination of a Treo 700p and a SanDisk Extreme III as a pricey, but effective, upgrade.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (3)
June 4, 2006
Smartphones in the Airport
When I fly, I tend to try and notice what smartphone* devices people are toting along to the airport. I just got back from a 3-day work trip to California and here's my informal count on the way back (SJC --> DFW --> CVG):
RIM Blackberry: 19Palm Treo (Palm OS): 16
Windows Mobile (all): 3
Nokia: 2
* Note: only devices with thumbboards are included (I don't consider anything lacking a QWERTY keyboard to be a true "smartphone")
Granted, these are totally my counts based only on what I saw people using or wearing, so anything stuffed in a bag or pocket was not included (obviously). But, I don't think those ratios are too outta whack with reality -- the market has pretty much decided, at least in the US, that it's Blackberries vs the Treo (and, as I didn't see a single Treo 700w, it's pretty much just Palm OS Treos at that).
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
January 25, 2006
eWeek's Comparison of the Treo 700w and Treo 650
eWeek: Treo 700w Outshone by 650
Summary: The Treo 700w, the first Palm handheld to run Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, combines the Treo's proven smart-phone design with a speedy new EvDO radio. The 700w's 240-by-240-pixel display is a step back from the excellent 320-by-320 display that graces its sibling, the Treo 650, but we found the 700w a strong smart-phone contender nevertheless.
Interesting write-up. Read more.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
December 1, 2005
How to Tote a Treo While Wearing Scrubs?
My wife just got a Treo 650 from work. The problem is she'll soon be expected to carry it around with her while at work, but she doesn't wear normal, everyday clothes. She's an anesthesiologist, so she's in scrubs 99% of the time. This poses a bit of a dilemma for toting the Treo around -- where do you put it and how do you attach it to yourself?
She's pretty small, so clipping it onto the waist of her scrub pants risks pulling them down (no lie). The Treo is significantly heavier than a pager (which it's replacing).
She has to bend down fairly often, so keeping it in the breast pocket wouldn't work -- it'll fall right out. She's considering clipping it into her breast pocket, which might work, but I don't see her enjoying that arrangement.
So, all you out there who've had to do the phone-tote whilst in scrubs, what was your solution? Lanyard? Belt-clip? Velcro? Garter holster?
Posted by Craig in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (6)
November 29, 2005
Nokia N90 - The Phone, PC Setup, and Imaging
So I familiarized myself with the Nokia N90 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (see Hands On - Nokia N90 Multimedia Smartphone for initial thoughts and photos). Being as this is the first Symbian Series 60 phone I've spent any real time with, the learning curve was a bit steeper than I expected. Also, given that I'm not as much of a "phone guy" as some folks (most of my phone use involves data rather than voice), I came into it with a lot of smartphone-esque expectations (e.g., I'm very used to a touchscreen and lots of hardware buttons, of which the N90 has neither). With that said, after the jump are some thoughts from my first few days of using the N90.
The Phone
Hardware-wise, the N90 feels solid. The fit and finish is superb. Buttons and screen and swivel joints all feel robust. It's a pretty fashionable phone as well, what with its hip mix of black and chrome. Fingerprints aren't much of a problem, thankfully, so you won't constantly feel a need to polish it. Overall, it feels great in my hand, but seems a bit big in my pocket. I'm used to flatter and wider phones, whereas the N90 is more brick-shaped when closed (its overall shape reminds me of the old disposable 110 cameras).The N90's two screens are very bright and easy to read. The external 1.5" (diag.) display has a color resolution of 128 x 128 and is great for getting alerts when the phone is closed as well as use as a viewfinder when taking photos -- great double-duty use.
The internal (main) display is a bit small at 2.1" (diag.) for a media-centric phone (in my opinion), but it has an absolutely brilliant resolution (352 x 416). This makes photo viewing a nice experience. However, the OS uses the screen's real estate very inefficiently, with many missed opportunities to show a lot more information than it actually does. This creates lots of added scrolling through lists of unseen options (as the screen cap below shows...can't I see more than 3 pieces of info about Abe at a time without scrolling??).
Use as a phone is decent, although I still don't understand why phone makers insist on burying the ability to silence the phone in a menu structure. On the N90, it requires hitting the power button, toggling the joystick down three positions, and clicking again to confirm. For comparison, on the Treo (sorry), all you have to do is slide a physical button and it's 100% quiet -- that's smart. At least you can silence the N90 without opening it...there is a silver lining.
PC Synchronization
Setup on my PC was a bit disappointing. The connection software -- Nokia PC Suite -- only syncs to Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes, and Lotus Organizer. I don't use any of those, and PC Suite itself doesn't offer a PIM interface. Frankly, in my opinion, Nokia PC Suite is a confusing kludge of applets -- it attempts to be activity-centric, but ends up presenting a chaotic mess of options with no clear direction. Maybe it's just my lack of familiarity, but I think a lot of UI designers would have a hard time praising its interface.Nokia PC Suite also did not make it easy for me to migrate my contact data from a device other than a Series 60 phone. It wouldn't handle that mass vCard export that Palm Desktop produced, so I was limited to just pulling over a handful of contacts one at a time (export vCard, save, drag to PC Suite, confirm, repeat). If Nokia wants to capture additional market share with the N90, especially going after media-centric users, it should really rethink its desktop experience. After all, the PC is where many folks store most of their digital media.
Photography
One of the main functions the N90 is supposed to serve, apart from being a phone, is as a camera. Its Carl Zeiss lens with 2MP (1600 x 1200 resolution) sensor is fairly serious fare for a phone (at least outside Asia, where any phone camera with less than 3MP is to be publicly mocked and derided). So, how does it do? I'll let you be the judge. Here is a fairly typical phonecam photo: my daughter indoors at close range, with flash (click the thumbnail for the original full-size image).
As you can see, it's a decent photo for a phone, but I wasn't convinced it was anything special compared to even a mediocre dedicated camera. The red-eye is terrible (not surprising given that the flash is a 1/4 inch away from the lens) and the noise in the picture is quite noticeable. Checking the EXIF data reveals that the shot was taken at 1/20th of a second at ISO 800. So how exactly would this camera react in a dark environment like, say, a pub or nightclub? Not well, I expect. But how does it compare to other cameras?
With these thoughts in mind, I decided to take the same photo with all the imaging devices I had on hand, with the results shown in the table below. Each row shows one of the four imaging devices, in order of increasing megapixelage (a Treo 650, the Nokia N90, a Canon S1 IS point-and-shoot camera, and a Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D digital SLR). The image in the left column of each row is a thumbnail (click to see the original full-sized image) and the image in the right column of each row is a 300x200 crop of the full-sized image (the only manipulation of the original images posted here are for the Maxxum 5D shots -- at 5 megs apiece, they were a bit unwieldy, so I resaved them at JPG quality 90%, which brought them down to ~800KB apiece and didn't really damage image quality terribly).
| Thumbnail (click for full image) | Full-size center crop | |
|---|---|---|
| Treo 650 -- .3MP |  |  |
| Nokia N90 -- 2MP -- no flash |  |  |
| Nokia N90 -- 2MP -- with flash |  |  |
| Canon S1 IS -- 3.1MP -- no flash |  |  |
| Canon S1 IS -- 3.1MP -- with flash |  |  |
| Minolta Maxxum 5D -- 6MP -- no flash |  |  |
| Minolta Maxxum 5D -- 6MP -- with flash |  |  |
This was a tough test -- I used a combination of incandescent and halogen lamps to light the room, and the objects themselves weren't lit directly. The N90's color accuracy seems OK (to my uncalibrated eyeball -- the Canon S1 IS with flash seems to be the most accurate), although I've noticed that the flash can give the image a blue tint if the subject is close (as in the close-up of Sam above). Thankfully, the N90 gives a fair range of control over the imaging function -- not SLR-level control, but scene mode, flash mode, white balance, exposure compensation, and color effects are all easily adjusted.
I did notice that the N90 jumps to really high ISO levels (640 and 1000, with and without flash respectively), which greatly enhances the noise. Lots of pixels on really small sensors do not typically result in low-noise images anyway, and ISO 1000 certainly isn't going to help. Take a look at the full-sized N90/no flash image -- you'll notice big blue blobs in the otherwise homogeneously burgundy carpeting. I haven't found a way in the N90 to set the ISO level, so that may be an uncontrollable factor.
My initial reaction, being the image quality snob I am, is that I'd much rather toss one of the crop of new, tiny, deck-of-playing-cards-sized 5MP+ cameras (e.g., the miniscule Canon SD450 or teensy Nikon Coolpix S2) in my pocket if I thought I would want to take some decent stills or some high-quality (VGA @ 30fps) movies (the N90's movies are limited to 352x288).
But, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on the N90 yet -- I think I may just need some more time with it to figure out how to get the best photos out of it. Besides, since it's a phone, it's always with me, unlike a dedicated camera (which I rarely seem to have when I most want it).
More to come...
Posted by Craig in Phones
and Photography
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (2)
November 25, 2005
Hands On - Nokia N90 Multimedia Smartphone
The nice UPS man just dropped off a Nokia N90 on my doorstep.
You remember the N90...it's the new GSM phone with the Carl Zeiss optics, 2MP camera, video capture straight to MPEG-4 at 352x288 resolution, two-way video calls, etc., etc.
While it's warming up (don't want to risk condensation damage) and the battery is charging, I thought I'd post a few shots of what it looks like sans power (next to my Treo 650 for size comparisons). It's amazingly small...thick, but elegant.
So far, me likey. More later after I get it operational.
Continue reading past the break for the photos!
Nice box.
Surprisingly compact, if on the thick side (this ain't no RAZR).
There's the Zeiss lens and flash (yellow spot).
It's a flip-phone...with a twist...or two!
In standard "phone" mode next to the Treo 650.
Posted by Craig in Phones
and Photography
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
September 12, 2005
Palm Treo 650 for $199 with Earthlink Contract
This sounds like a decent deal: Sign up with one of Earthlink's 2-year voice+data plans (start at $69.90/month including unlimited monthly data) and get a Treo 650 for $199. More details here.
Caveat: I've no personal experience with Earthlink as a cellular provider, and I'm sure they're reselling minutes on somebody else's networks, but I thought I'd pass on the info about the cheap Treo 650.
Posted by Craig in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (1)
September 10, 2005
PhoneScoop Auction for Hurricane Katrina Relief
Want a new phone and a way to help out survivors of Hurricane Katrina at the same time? Check out PhoneScoop's Hurricane Katrina Auction for all the details on the phones, rules, etc. Hurry...all auctions end at 1 pm Eastern time on Wednesday, September 14th.
Posted by Craig in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
September 7, 2005
My Reaction to the Motorola ROKR iTunes Phone
One word: Whaaa??
That's what I said when I read over at Gizmodo that this device would cost $249 with a 2-year contract at Cingular.
OK, more words. Let me get this straight. You want me to pay $249 for an otherwise generic featurephone (camera, quad-band) with the only notable feature being that it holds fewer songs than a $30 512MB SD card? For the same price ($249 with contract), you can get a real smartphone (such as the Treo 650) that will hold 2GB worth of music (~500 songs), play movies, surf the web, get email, take pictures, etc. etc. etc.
Sure, some Apple fanatics will get this just because, but IMNSHO this device is overpriced by $100, if not more.
Handsets were supposed to be the razors so that wireless carriers (and now apparently online music providers) could sell them new and fresh content and services (i.e., razor blades). So now that Apple and Cingular are making it easier to get this content you bought from themn onto the device, they want you to pay $200 more than you would for a similarly equipped piece of hardware just for that convenience. I hope most people are smart enough to say "no thanks" (but then I'm usually disappointed when I rely on the general populace's cognitive ability).
Follow-up: Apparently, I'm not the only one to pooh-pooh the ROKR
Posted by Craig in Music & Audio
and Phones
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
Apple Unveils iPod Phone
In a press conference today, Steve Jobs announced the forthcoming Rokr phone, which enables iTunes download/playback of ~100 songs a la the Shuffle. Apple jointly developed the Rokr with Motorola.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Music & Audio
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
September 6, 2005
T-Mobile Now Does EDGE
T-Mobile has saved me some hassle by finally providing EDGE service to 90% of its coverage area. I had been considering switching to Cingular to make use of the higher-speed data connection (GPRS usually gets me 10-20 kbps on my Treo 650 while I see 80-120 kbps with EDGE), but now I don't have to.
Thanks, T-Mobile. Now about that North American HSDPA roll-out...
Posted by Craig in Phones
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
June 1, 2004
Update...Treos and Other Bits
Sorry for the lapse...I was out of the country and I guess my co-authors have not much to say at the moment. Here are a few tidbits of recent note:
Treo 270 in for Repair
My wife's Treo 270 died while she was in Ireland this past week. Actually, just the screen and backlight died; the rest of it seems OK. Apparently, palmOne is charging me $179 for an advance exchange for this beast. Not a great deal, but not terribly bad, IMO.
Treo 600 Battery Life Redux
Like the idiot I am, I left my Treo 600 in my car when I left for my trip Thursday afternoon. I got back to my car around midnight last night -- that's about 4.5 days or 108 hours later -- fully expecting the unit to be deader than a doornail. Much to my surprise, it still had 36% charge left. I finally dropped the unit in the charger today at noon just out of habit; it still had 28% battery left. So, over the course of 5 full days (120 hours), the phone (a) remained in standby (phone on), (b) supported nighly back-ups of its RAM to SD card, and (c) was used for about 20 minutes worth of phone calls and about 15 minutes of PDA activity. Given that it probably could have gone 6 full days had I pushed it, I'm still very, very impressed by the Treo 600's battery life.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves
While on the flight from Dublin to O'Hare, I read Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. Fabulous read. I'm quite sure I still have solidly entrenched mispunctuation habits, but I'm trying hard to overcome them. The attractiveness of joining a militant punctuation society is such that if you see someone with a Sharpie correcting a sign offering "Half Price Drink's", that's quite possibly me.
Sony Puts Handhelds on Hiatus in US
Sony has suspended selling its Clie line of Palm OS-powered PDAs in the US until further notice. It seems likely that the rapid rise in popularity of palmOne's recent Zire and Tungsten models and the forthcoming release of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) both made Sony reconsider whether trying to sell PDAs in North America made much sense. Brighthand has a short article on the announcement -- feel free to engage in wild speculation at your leisure.
Posted by Craig in Mobile & PDAs
and Other
and Phones
and Society / Politics
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
May 23, 2004
CTIA Cellphone Directory - Open to Abuse?
The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) has announced that it is putting together a directory which will contain 75% of the 163 million mobile phone numbers in the USA.
The CTIA is positioning the directory towards real estate agents and other mobile professionals who want people to be able to find their mobile numbers.
However, critics fear that publishing the directory will undermine privacy and open phones to a flood of unwanted calls. In addition, the numbers make it easy to deduce addresses of phones that receive e-mail since usually the number is the user name part of the e-mail address, opening users to e-mail abuse.
One major carrier, Verizon Wireless, has vowed to keep its 39 million subscribers out of the directory, calling the initiative misguided.
There are big numbers at stake. Consulting firm Zelos Group estimates that the directory could generate an estimated $3 billion in annual fees and additional minutes by 2009.
Since cell phones were introduced, mobile numbers have remained private because in the US, recipients of calls pay for air time, and so are reluctant to distribute numbers. Furthermore, 30% of users change carriers each year, making an accurate directory difficult to compile. That changed when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed the portability of mobile numbers.
Posted by Sam in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
May 18, 2004
Mobile Gear: What Features Take Precedence?
I'm fascinated by how consumers categorize their technology. For example, what's the difference between a phone with PDA capabilities and a PDA with phone capabilities? Yet, for some reason, consumers make these distinctions. What's really troubling is that the consultants and pundits (e.g., Gartner) seem to have latched onto certain categories and are pitting one against the other as if it were an illegal dogfight...last one standing wins.
So, let's recap what can be observed out in the marketplace today. What features seem to drive name/image dominance for handheld and mobile devices?
1. Phone -- If a device can be used as a voice phone on a cellular network, it is generally first and foremost considered a phone. Some exceptions to this include the Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, which people generally regard as PDAs, and the Palm Tungsten W, which people generally regarded as a piece of crap. So, the phone feature seems to dominate all other features...generally.
2. Gaming -- Second behind phone is gaming. If a handheld has significant game-playing capabilities, but is not a phone, it will essentially be labeled a gaming device. An example of this is Nokia's n-Gage -- it's a crappy phone and a decent gaming device, yet people still refer to it as a phone. However, consider the Tapwave Zodiac. The Zodiac is considered a gaming handheld despite it having significant PDA capabilities. Were it to have phone functionality, I posit that folks would refer to it as a phone (a la the n-Gage).
3. PDA/PIM -- Personal Digital Assistant or Personal Information Management functionality seems to be third on the influential feature list. If a device has this, but is not a phone or a gaming device, it is generally considered a PDA. There are relatively few exceptions, with the iPod being the most (only?) noteworthy one. The iPod's PIM functionality is crude at best, so perhaps this isn't really even that much of an exception.
4a. Camera -- Camera functionality (both still and video) seems to have no dominance over any other feature. The Sony Clies and the Palm Zires that have cameras are still primarily considered PDAs, and my Treo 600, which has a camera (albeit a lame one), is still considered a phone. Only devices that are strictly cameras (i.e., have no other significant capability) are regarded as cameras. The only exception I've found in this regard is the Panasonic series of multi-function devices (e.g., their D-Snap line) that combine a still camera, video camera, MP3 player, and voice recorder all in one. In that device, the camera dominates the MP3 functionality.
4b. MP3/Media Player -- Being able to play music or video clips is a laudable objective for a handheld. However, it is fairly undistinguishing if this is all a device can do. Most other features (e.g., phone, gaming, and PDA/PIM) overshadow music and video playing if those features are present on the device. Consider (again) the Tapwave Zodiac. It's an excellent multimedia device, yet folks think of it first as a gaming handheld and then as a PDA, with audio and video as an "oh, yeah, it can do this too" feature. Only dedicated devices like the forthcoming Samsung Yepp YH-999 Portable Media Center are known for their audio/video playback capabilities. Were these to have phone functionality or gaming controls or established PDA/PIM functionality, they wouldn't be nearly as lauded for their A/V features. At least that's my guess.
Note that I have Camera and MP3/Video as tied for fourth. It seems there are a lot of examples of cameras that can do the audio/video playback thing and A/V devices with built-in cameras, so I don't see a clear precedence here. Maybe that will emerge as dedicated A/V devices get better and people start considering camera functionality as almost an assumed feature for mid- to upper-level electronics.
OK, I'm interested in hearing what you all think about my theory here. What are the exceptions (gadgets) to my rules that you've seen?
Posted by Craig in Gaming
and Mobile & PDAs
and Phones
and Society / Politics
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (1)
May 6, 2004
Fast Phone Fingers
TechDirt and Engadget have stories about the world's fastest phone text typer. Using a standard mobile phone keypad, James Trusler tapped out "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human." in just 67 seconds (try it...I doubt you can do it in twice as long the first time).
Of course, I was curious how long this would take me on my Treo 600. Turns out that my second try (first try was interrupted by a phone call...go figure) took me 59 seconds, 8 seconds less than the world's fastest keypad poker (and I'm not a stellar thumb-board typer). Makes me realize again why I would hate to have to go back to a regular mobile phone.
So, how long does it take for you to enter this phrase on your device using your preferred method?
Posted by Craig in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (3)
April 20, 2004
Impressive Battery Life on the Treo 600
Just a quick post: I've now been using the Treo 600 for well over a month. So far, I'm damned impressed at its battery life.
For example, I can easily go an entire weekend of fairly heavy use (mostly PDA+GPRS plus some talk time) without even coming close to running the battery down.
Another example is from last night. I spent almost 3 straight hours using it for ebook reading (Lessig's Free Culture is excellent, by the way) with the phone on standby and GPRS enabled the entire time. When I finally turned in, my battery was still at 87%. No PDA-phone I've ever used had even close to this much stamina. Well done, guys!
Posted by Craig in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (10)
April 18, 2004
Mobile Phones Legal On Some Flights
Travel news reports are noting that in some jurisdictions, mobile phones may now be operated in calendar, photo viewer or similar mode.
The British Civil Aviation Authority has begun allowing this in planes under its jurisdiction, because they've decided that - in this so-called "flight mode" with the radio disabled - phones do not interfere with pilot systems.
Furthermore, the BCAA suggests that all airlines should let travelers perform all other non-phone functions - read and write documents, play games - on smartphones, in the same vein as laptops, handheld games, or MP3 players.
Flight crews are saying it is not their responsibility to check for "flight mode", but the BCAA says it is. The BCAA does require that phones make it clear when their transmitter is off - for example, Sony Ericsson's P900 smartphone displays "FLIGHT MODE" on its display.
It is not clear whether the US Federal Aviation Administration will follow the BCAA's lead.
Posted by Sam in Phones
and Travel
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
April 16, 2004
Name That Tune
Have you ever heard a song on the radio and thought - "That's great! Now who is that artist?" - and the DJ forgets to let you know? With a new music recognition service from AT&T Wireless, you can easily name that tune.
Customers dial #ID for the identification service, then hold their phone up to the speaker. In 15 seconds, the NowPlaying service sends out a text message with the current song title and artist, as well as information on the last five songs just played (in case you missed one of those).
The service is the first in the US, and is provided by Musicphone in cooperation with Shazam Entertainment, which has provided a similar service in the UK based on proprietary recognition technology and a database of over a million recorded songs.
The UK service includes an additional option to purchase the artist's CD containing the song, once it has been identified.
Posted by Sam in Music & Audio
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (3)
April 15, 2004
Nokia Re-N-Gages
Nokia has just announced the latest addition to their N-Gage series, the N-Gage QD.
The N-Gage QD improves on the original with a number of new features, including a brighter screen, a better user interface and game controls, a hot-swappable multimedia (MMC) slot, better battery life, and new smartphone features.
The new smartphone features include personal information management, email, and an XHTML browser.
In addition, the microphone and speaker in the QD have been reoriented from the original, making for easier handling as a phone.
A new launcher application simplifies connecting the Nokia's mobile network community via the N-Gage Arena, downloading and playing all available titles, as well as taking part in multiplayer gaming via Bluetooth wireless.
Nokia expects pricing to be in the range of $199 at retail, or $99 with a mobile contract. The N-Gage QD game deck is expected to be available in May-June 2004 worldwide.
Posted by Sam in Gaming
and Industry
and Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (2)
April 14, 2004
400 Pixels Per Inch for Cellphone Screens
Samsung has demonstrated a 2-inch LCD panel with an equivalent resolution of 400ppi, yielding a VGA-equivalent-quality screen for use in cellphones.
Samsung's screen is based on Si-TFT technology. While the number of pixels in the panel is 240 x 640, the high-resolution display is theoretically equivalent to VGA (400-ppi, 480 x 640 pixels) was achieved by a special Four Color Rendering (4CR) technique, proprietary to the company.
The 4CR realizes high resolution equivalence with fewer pixels by utilizing RGB sub-pixels on adjoining scan lines in color and gradient renderings.
A similar technique called field sequential (FS) rendering divides pixels sequentially, displaying colors in the order of RGB.
Samsung has already demonstrated several LCD panels featuring FS rendering, technique, but this is one of the few using 4CR, and the first with this level of resolution, 10x earlier models.
Samsung claims a luminance of 200cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 200:1, and 262,000 colors, with color reproduction area against NTSC at 70%.
Posted by Sam in Phones
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
March 31, 2004
Phone Your Television
NTT DoCoMo has announced that phones from its 3G FOMA videophone series can now be used in Japan to control home appliances from almost anywhere the phone can be used.
The heart of the system is an in-home control box that is contacted by the phone, and which in turn processes commands to appliances via infrared (IrDA) or via cable connection.
The controller can be connected to a PC via a USB port, or to external sensors (such as light or motion sensors) via an independent I/O port. It is connected to the mobile FOMA network via a special data card.
The system lets users control lights and air conditioners, for example, turning them on or off as appropriate.
More amazingly, it enables users to remotely program recording a television program, and then transmit the playback on the phone, streamed through the FOMA network.
A FOMA videophone can also transmit pictures to the controller, for viewing on a connected screen.
Posted by Sam in Home A/V
and Music & Audio
and Phones
and Wireless
Permanent link to this entry | Comments (0)
March 24, 2004
Selling my Kyocera 7135
I'm selling my Kyocera 7135 Palm OS smartphone on ebay.
If you want it, go bid on it.