Author: James Kendrick

I haven’t done a “typical day” post in a long time and as I’ve been running all over the place today it seemed like a good idea. I’ve only had the EVO for a day, and it’s already become second nature to reach for it when I need to do something. The day is a little over half done and here’s how it’s been so far.

The alarm went off at 5:30 as usual and I stumbled out of bed to get some fresh, preprogrammed coffee. The coffee maker with a timer is the single best invention ever, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees with that. Cup of coffee in hand, I picked up the Sprint EVO 4G to get started. This is a first, I normally grab the iPad but without thinking I grabbed the EVO.

I went through the email that came in while I was snug in bed last night. I love the way Android handles my Gmail; it is like working with email on the desktop. The big screen of the EVO aids the feeling of no compromise doing this. Once caught up on the email I fired up Twitter to find out what was going on with those I follow. I really, really like the Twitter app on Android. It is even better than the Twitter page in the desktop browser, as it thoughtfully provides a home page with everything neatly organized. I like how tightly it is integrated with the browser on the EVO — hit a link for a web page or photo and the browser is opened almost instantly.

When my Twitter work was done, I went to the Google Reader page in the browser to spin through all the RSS feeds I follow. There are usually hundreds of items appearing overnight, and today is no exception. I spin through the item headlines, tapping on items to see a little more information and tagging those items of interest to spend more time with later. The big screen of the EVO helps me make short work of my feeds, all from the comfort of my easy chair.

After showering and getting ready for the day, I sat down in Mobile Tech Manor to get some quick work done. The EVO was sitting on the desk in front of me, and I found myself picking it up when it gave an audio signal that I had some new tweets to read from the people I follow. I like Friendstream, the social network aggregator that HTC includes as part of the Sense interface. The default notification sound is a soft, distinct tone that sounds when new tweets arrive. Checking them on the EVO as desired kept me from paying much attention to Tweetdeck on the Mac, and that led to better concentration to my real work. I was even able to respond to tweets on the EVO using the onscreen keyboard.

I like the keyboard on the EVO — that big screen makes for one that is wider than on other Android phones I’ve used. I make fewer typing errors on the EVO as a result. I usually just stay in portrait orientation to do this, where on other Android phones I always switch to landscape to get a bigger keyboard. Score one for the bigger screen.

After getting some writing done, including this week’s Mobile Tech Manor column, I needed to head out to FedEx and return the Nexus One to Adobe. I decided to go from there to the coffee shop to get some more work done before lunch, so I grabbed my backpack from the bag tree. I threw in the Ferrari One laptop and the iPad. I thought about grabbing the Sprint Overdrive modem as usual, then decided to use the mobile hotspot feature on the EVO instead. With the bag in hand and the EVO in my pocket I headed out the door.

Once I arrived at the coffee shop I pulled the Ferrari out of the bag to get it started, and used the HTC widgets on the EVO to turn on 4G and the mobile hotspot. These widgets are a convenient way to control battery consumption by turning off radios not in use. That’s why 4G was turned off — I don’t have coverage in my home office so I leave it turned off to keep the radio from attempting to find the network.

It takes almost a minute for the EVO to connect to the 4G network, which is as long as the Overdrive takes to do the same thing. I then hit turned on the Mobile Hotspot functionality and it took a little while for it to hit the Internet. I was beginning to think something was wrong when Windows 7 on the Ferrari told me I was good to go.

I also paired the iPad to the EVO hotspot, as I like to work with it alongside the computer. I use mind maps done on the iPad for writing projects, and it sits next to the computer. The 4G connectivity was nice and speedy, and both devices had good bandwidth for the duration of my writing session. I must admit it was darn convenient to have the EVO function as the hotspot, negating the need to bring the separate Overdrive.

Soon it was time for lunch, so I threw everything back in the bag and walked down the street to get a nice salad. I had a leisurely lunch break, reading a good e-book on the iPad while eating my salad. The waiter wanted to know if my reader was “one of those iPad things”, a question I get asked a lot. It was a nice lunch break that unfortunately was over too quickly.

That’s as far as I can go with this “typical day” look — I am back in the coffee shop writing this for your enjoyment. It’s a wonderful thing when technology works the way it’s intended, and it helps the work get done without incident. I have a feeling I’ll be buying one of these Sprint EVOs when they are available.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Work Force?

---

Budding authors are often only budding because it’s so difficult to get published. Many have that great novel written with no viable outlet to get it into reader’s hands. E-books have made it possible to breach that barrier, with a number of outlets that work with authors to get work published in digital form. Apple has rolled out such an opportunity that has big potential for unknown writers to get works published on a major online book outlet. The iBookstore is Apple’s venue for selling e-books for the iPad and the iPhone, and it’s now open to those wishing to publish their own books.

Apple looks to be approaching this correctly, with simple rules that must be followed to get works accepted for sale in the iBookstore. Any book must have a valid ISBN number and be submitted in a valid ePub format, neither of which is difficult to do. Authors must also have a U.S. tax ID and an iTunes store account, meaning those outside the U.S. are left out of the iBookstore for now.

It’s not clear what cut Apple is taking from book sales published this way, but for those trying desperately to get their works out in the public this is a major outlet full of potential. You’ve always planned on writing that great novel, now you have a place to sell it. I can already envision the first novel to go viral in the iBookstore, bringing fame and fortune to some writer.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

---

The end of another week is upon us and that means it is time to share my week in Mobile Tech Manor with you. This week saw gadgets littering every surface in the Manor and I spent hours playing with them, er, evaluating them. A new laptop crossed the threshold along with what will probably be the next smartphone I buy. I found a free program that has been impressing me all week as it fills a need.

The gear

This week I continued looking at the Nexus One with Android 2.2 (Froyo) installed. The phone has been nearly flawless in its performance, with no gotchas at all. It is fast at everything it does, and above all else it is easy to use. I can’t stress enough how important it is that a gadget be easy to use, and that primarily means it can’t be frustrating. Nothing ruins the experience of a new mobile gadget like running into something that is frustrating to do because the implementation falls short. The Nexus One running Froyo just works, if I can quote those fruity people in Cupertino. Google has done a great job working with HTC to produce a great smartphone/ OS package. I almost hate to send the Nexus One back to Adobe, but it’s going back later today.

The laptop that made an appearance at the Manor is the IdeaPad Y460 by Lenovo. It is a very consumer-focused notebook, with a glossy black plastic keyboard and interior coupled with a nice softly imprinted lid. It has a 14.1-inch display (1366×768) and rather than go with the fashionable cliclet keys (which I like) Lenovo went with traditional keys. It was a good choice as this keyboard is one of the nicest ones I’ve used in a good while.

The Core i5 processor is a snappy performer and there is nothing missing from this notebook. It is extremely thin and light for a 14-inch model and it’s much easier to carry out of the Manor than I expected. The only negative thing about the Y460 is a common complaint I have with Lenovo’s consumer notebooks — crapware. This thing is infested with junkware that is a royal pain in the patootie to deal with. Removing it is not straightforward as Lenovo also includes some pretty useful utilities on the IdeaPads, so it requires a careful analysis to determine what must go and what should stay. I understand that the margin on notebooks is low, and OEMs need to make deals with third parties to keep the cost down, but this is just too much.

The Sprint EVO 4G smartphone just showed up at the Manor yesterday, and I admit I was excited to get it. I liked the HTC HD2 I reviewed a while ago, at least everything except the Windows Mobile OS it was running. It didn’t do the big 4.3-inch touchscreen justice, as WinMo is just not optimized for touch until Windows Phone 7 appears later this year. The EVO has the same big screen, fast Snapdragon processor and uses Android 2.1 to run the show. It’s produced by HTC so it has the nice HTC Sense interface on top of Android so the phone is nearly perfect.

Sprint and HTC threw 4G on top of everything else and this phone is easily the fastest smartphone I’ve seen. The 4G connectivity is wonderful, and the phone automatically steps down to 3G (EVDO) when 4G is not available. The mobile hotspot feature is easy to use, and I’ve used it to share the 4G with several devices at the same time. That’s an extra $30 per month and it a nice solution for those wanting a MiFi-like hotspot feature that is cheaper than the standard $60 monthly.

The EVO has a front-facing camera that Sprint says is for video chatting but there is no way to use that yet. Just yesterday Fring released an Android version that adds video chatting and I was able to test it. It works better than I expected; the video quality was decent although it had the standard audio/video synchronization issues common to video chats. All in all I like this phone a lot, and I am pretty sure it will be the next smartphone I buy. I will also buy a second battery as the EVO goes through a charge quickly.

Look, up in the SkyGrid

This week I found a free app for the iPad that is blowing me away. SkyGrid is a news aggregator that is very simple on the surface but uses sophisticated algorithms to determine what news is really important to grab. The end result is that SkyGrid seems to pull in only the news items, both tech and “regular” news, that I have a genuine interest in reading. It is pure joy to use SkyGrid to keep up with the news of the day, and the app breaks the news up into intelligent categories to fit my interest. I really, really like this app, and it is well implemented on the iPad

e-Books of the week

I read two new thrillers this week, both of which delighted me. Fever Dream by Lee Child and Douglas Preston is the latest in the series starring the most unusual FBI agent, Aloysius Pendergast. You know a story that starts with a lion attack in Africa and ends up involving John James Audubon is going to be great. This is easily the best Pendergast novel yet.

I also read Executive Privilege by Philip Margolin, and I admit I only picked it up as Amazon was offering it free. I’m glad they were as it was a lively tale of serial murder, and the characters were well defined and likable. The story was nicely told, and was full of twists and unexpected turns.

Wrap-up

That’s the week I spent in Mobile Tech Manor. It was full of gadgets and apps as usual, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Until next week, take care of yourself and spend some time with friends and family. Gadgets are not the important thing, people are.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): To Win In the Mobile Market, Focus On Consumers

---

The good folks at Sprint dropped off the EVO 4G for me to share with you. The EVO has the 4.3-inch display that is simply beautiful. It’s also packing 4G that can be shared with up to 8 devices at once over the Mobile Hotspot. It is running Android 2.1 and sports two cameras, the 8MP on the back and another on the front for video chatting. There’s a kickstand for watching video on that big screen and as you might guess there is not much that this phone doesn’t have.

I’ll be putting the EVO through its paces and grabbing some video to share soon; meanwhile enjoy this photo tour of the Sprint EVO 4G. There are even photos comparing the EVO with two other Android phones — Nexus One and the Droid Incredible. The EVO is not available until June 4 but have a look and see if it’s worth standing in line for.

Quick Impressions:

Likes:

• 4.3-inch display is gorgeous
• 1 GHz Snapdragon is very responsive
• Multitasking- fired up 15 apps and no lags
• Lighter than I thought
• HTC Sense
• Kickstand

Dislikes:

• Touch buttons on front are too sensitive
• Camera needs lots of light
• Power button hard to hit

You can see a short test video I shot with the preinstalled Qik application to gauge the camera quality.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Google Takes the Open Battle to Apple on Multiple Fronts

---

Sprint EVO 4G buyers may want to grab Fring in the Android Market when you get your phone. That front-facing camera is tailor-made for video chatting, and Fring is already out to take advantage of it. Fring is a chat program available on many platforms, and this new Android version brings video to the offering.

Video chatting hits the phone CPU pretty hard so a fast processor is required. The program checks that and makes sure your phone can handle video properly. EVO buyers won’t have to worry about that, of course. If you don’t want to hit the Android Market or Fring site to download the app, just use the code below:

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Google Takes the Open Battle to Apple on Multiple Fronts

---

Barnes and Noble has finally released the eReader application for the iPad. The new reader application has functionality similar to the Kindle for iPad app, and can read e-books for the B&N Nook as well as from the eReader bookstore. It has connectivity with the user’s B&N online bookstore and purchased library, and like the Kindle app searching for new e-books fires up the Safari browser.

BN eReader does bring one cool feature from the Nook — the LendMe option. Some e-books can be lent to friends for 14 days; such books are clearly marked as indicated in the screen shot below. Lending an e-book disables it so make sure you read it before loaning it to another eReader user.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

---

It wasn’t that long ago that Moblin and Maemo joined forces to form the MeeGo variant of Linux for mobile devices. In a rush to release, MeeGo 1.0 for Netbooks is available as a free download for those of you who like to play with alternate OSes. Brad Linder of Liliputing grabbed MeeGo and has recorded a video overview of the OS running on his MSI Wind netbook. MeeGo looks surprisingly complete and even though Brad is running it on a USB flash drive it is very responsive. It looks very much as I would expect Chrome OS to eventually look like.

Brad’s only physical problem with MeeGo was getting it downloaded, the installation was without event and he seems pleased with the results. There is an app store cleverly dubbed the MeeGo Garage, but it is a garage that is currently pretty bare with little content available. MeeGo is using the Chrome browser and in the video response is good and browsing is nice. I like the MeeGo “zones” that make working with running programs very easy to do. The whole running experience is optimized for small screens with good mouse controls. If you try MeeGo, let us know in the comments how it is working for you.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): Report: The Future of Netbooks

---

Computex, the big consumer electronics show in Taiwan, is approaching and it’s expected the big focus will be on new tablets. Several companies will be unveiling slates designed to compete with the iPad, and while some of them will be based on technology from ARM and Nvidia there will be some Wintel tablets, too. Intel is expected to announce some silicon designed specifically for tablet products, and it is unknown what processor products this might be.

Two major manufacturers had announced early this year the upcoming release of Android tablets based on Nvidia Tegra technology, but DigiTimes is reporting that pressure from Intel and Microsoft will result in Windows 7 slates from the companies being shown. Asustek and MSI are both major players in the personal computer space, and the race to get a slate to market on any platform validates how hot the segment has become. We were impressed with the Tegra tablets we saw in action at the CES back in January.

This week an Intel executive mentioned that the company will be announcing at Computex new products aimed at tablets specifically. Not much is known about Intel’s planned announcement but it’s clear the company is not ignoring the hot category.

Related content on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Can Anyone Compete With the iPad?

---

Traveling outside the U.S. can be expensive when it comes to roaming data plans. Each country has different requirements and different pricing, and roaming charges are often exorbitant. Xcom Global is now offering the daily rental of a Novatel MiFi 2372, and the rate includes unlimited data in 21 countries. The daily rental is $17.95, and the unlimited data can be shared among 5 devices over the Wi-Fi connection to the MiFi.

XCom also offers a cheaper USB modem plan for $14.95, but that connectivity is limited to the one device with the modem. These plans are not cheap, but not bad for unlimited data in all of these countries. This is a good fit for the business traveler who is visiting several countries and needs full data connectivity to get work done. This is also a good fit for keeping in touch back home via Skype. Hopefully this MiFi 2372 is not one of the ones affected by the recalls.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Work Force?

---

The netbook has made a bigger impact on the notebook segment than anyone thought it would. It came seemingly out of nowhere and proceeded to grab market share with abandon. Consumers liked the smaller, cheaper notebook and snapped them up in great numbers. The netbook is a great mobile computer, but that cheap price is not without an impact on the performance of the device. The Intel Atom processor is a great fit for the netbook, but it is no screamer at performance. With the appearance of “tweener” notebooks that are almost as cheap as netbooks yet have more capable hardware, is the future of the netbook in jeopardy?

I have used a lot of netbooks, and have always liked the devices. You can’t get more mobility in a fully configured notebook form than on a netbook. They are light, have great battery life and will do just about anything you want to do on a notebook. All of this capability is cheap, with some netbooks going for as little as $200. There are more capable models like my favorite HP Mini 5102, but those generally cost quite a bit more. Like all electronic devices, the more you pack in one the more it costs.

Netbooks have the Atom processor in common for the most part, a good processor for the genre. They also tend to have low resolution displays (1024×600) which keeps things cheap. This combination is fine for getting work done, but it’s getting long in the tooth for me. I find myself getting frustrated at the lag that is common on netbooks, and I want to see more on the screen at once than those displays show me.

Sure there are many netbooks with higher resolution options, but that generally drives the cost up. I also find the Atom processor lags get worse when the netbook is driving more pixels on the screen. I’m not the only one who gets frustrated at waiting for something to happen on a netbook, I have observed others complaining at the wait for an action to execute.

My disappointment at the performance of the netbook is driven by using low cost notebooks that are becoming more commonly available. These notebooks are only slightly bigger than the 10-inch netbooks, yet pack a “real” processor and higher resolution display into the case. The difference in battery life provided by these “tweener” notebooks and netbooks is getting smaller in my experience, too. Throw in the fact that you can often find these notebooks at reasonable prices ($500 or less), and the purchase decision gets even tougher.

I do think the netbook is here to stay, they are always going to be cheap enough that consumers will pick them up, lag or no. I am hoping that the technology is going to advance to address my concerns, and we’ll see some cool netbooks coming along that makes things better. I’m hoping that Kevin Tofel will come back from the Netbook Summit with some great information about new netbook technology that is coming to speed these babies up.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): Better Battery Life Motivates Mobile Chipmakers

---

It seems that Android is on everyone’s mind, with an endless stream of information appearing daily about the platform and Google’s plans for it. Gizmodo interviewed Andy Rubin, lead engineer in charge of Android, and it is worth a read for the platform’s enthusiasts. Rubin answered some questions about patents, fragmentation and other hot topics in the Android world. His answers make sense but make it clear that Google may be playing with fire given the fast development rate with Android.

Rubin has an almost cavalier attitude about the HTC patent situation that has gotten a lot of attention recently. He views the licensing of Microsoft IP by HTC no different than a company licensing MP3 technology to produce an audio app using the technology. He’s right this is similar, but Microsoft has indicated it is concerned about Android, not just HTC’s implementation of it, as infringing on its IP. That implies that the platform itself is viewed by both HTC and Microsoft as needing this IP protection, and that means every company producing Android handsets may need to license the technology from Redmond. This has the potential to have a financial burden to companies producing Android handsets. Rubin’s response in the Gizmodo interview ignores HTC’s suits with Apple, and makes one wonder if HTC is on its own as far as Google is concerned.

When asked about fragmentation of the Android platform, admittedly due to the fast release rate of new versions of the OS, Ruben compared it to Windows of all things. He was asked specifially about the new Twitter app that requires Android 2.1 to run, and how that means that many existing handsets cannot run it.

I mean there are apps written for Vista, just like Photoshop CS5 does not run on Windows 3.1. I mean it’s just a fact, there’s nothing new here.

The problem is that Android is not Windows, and I am not sure that Google should want to emulate the Windows ecosystem. The timeframe between version updates of Windows is measured in years, and with Android so far this has been measured in weeks. Rubin does claim that this problem will not be as noticeable in the future, as releases for Android are going to slow down. One has to wonder how that will affect the rapid growth of the platform. Google is doing a great job with Android but had better tread softly to not rock the boat.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

---

Followers of smartphone technology are no doubt tired of hearing the seemingly endless rumors that the iPhone is going to appear on carriers other than AT&T in the U.S. There have been at least one rumor for each carrier, and even some speculation that all U.S. carriers would be seeing the iPhone this year. Why so much speculation about this? The answer is revealed in a study found by an analyst at Morgan Stanley (s ms)– big money.

According to the study almost 17 percent of current Verizon customers have an “extreme interest” in getting an iPhone should the carrier offer the phone. That figure connotes a huge financial return for Big Red when you realize that Verizon has 90 million customers. When you carry the study results to a natural conclusion, there are 15.3 million customers that want a Verizon iPhone. That’s a lot of phones sold for Apple, and a huge annual return for Verizon on subscription fees.

Verizon might rake in big fees with an iPhone, but Apple wouldn’t mind reaping its rewards, either. It could expect to sell 7 -8 million iPhones a year to Verizon customers. This is enough to help Apple’s smartphone growth to increase almost 10 percent a year over the 26 percent currently held. These numbers are big enough that there might be some behind-the-scenes discussions to bring that AT&T exclusivity to a close. Perhaps we’ll hear more on June 7th when Steve Jobs gives the keynote at the WWDC.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Google Takes the Open Battle to Apple on Multiple Fronts

---

Lenovo was once a company known strictly for enterprise-class notebooks, notably the ThinkPad line it acquired from IBM a few years back. That line has continued to remain a successful product for the company, and the newer IdeaPad line has turned into a good consumer line of notebooks. Most recently Lenovo has blurred the enterprise/ consumer distinction with the ThinkPad Edge line, but the IdeaPad is aimed directly at the mainstream consumer. I have reviewed several models from this line of notebooks, including this review of the Y460. It is clear Lenovo is getting better with each iteration of consumer notebooks it produces.

The IdeaPad Y460 is a 14.1-inch notebook that is very thin and highly mobile. Normally you don’t think of mobile in the 14-inch size, but this notebook definitely fits the description. The unit is not much bigger than the screen which keeps the size to a bare minimum, and weighs only slightly more than a 13-inch MacBook. A few special features helps make the Y460 a mobile workhorse, and powerful enough to be a full desktop replacement.

The model provided by Lenovo for review has a healthy configuration, and retails for $1,049.

• CPU: Intel Core i5,  2.4 GHz
• Memory: 4 GB
• Storage: 500GB
• Display: 14.1-inch (glossy), 1366×768 resolution
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD5650 (1 GB) + Intel GMA (user switchable)
• Camera: low-light capable, 2 megapixel
• Optical drive: DVD recordable
• Battery: 6-cell
• Communications: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Ports: 3-USB 2.0, VGA out, HDMI, USB/eSATA, ExpressCard, LAN, multi-format card reader slot, audio in/out combo jack
• OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Dimensions: 0.75 x 13.6 x 9.3 inches; 5.1 lbs.

The Y460 has a keyboard with standard keys, not those of the chiclet variety. The result is a keyboard that is much better than those of the ThinkPad Edge line. I like the chiclet keys of the Edge models, but this keyboard is simply wonderful to use for extended periods. I find I can type on this model as fast as possible, with few errors. I also like that the Delete/Home/End/PgUp/Dn keys are on a vertical row to the right of the Enter key.

The trackpad on the Y460 is a large one, although not excessively so. It does do multitouch, so if you prefer that you’re not left out. The two mouse buttons are big and responsive. While I have experienced problems with some IdeaPad trackpads in the past, I like this one.

The display of the Y460 is both a strength of the notebook and a source of great aggravation. The dual graphics system is comprised of the ATI Radeon HD5650 (dedicated graphics) and Intel GMA integrated graphics. This is similar to high-end notebooks such as the MacBook line, and is a wonderful solution. The Y460 handles graphics with good performance due to the Radeon, yet can offer longer battery life with the typical Intel solution. The user can manually switch between the two on the fly, depending on whether video performance or battery life is more important. It works very well, and I like the inclusion of this method on a relatively low-priced notebook.

The not so good side of this display is the glossy screen that Lenovo has used for the Y460. Normally I like glossy screens fine, although I know many absolutely hate them. That group will surely detest this screen as it is so glossy it even bothers me. It’s a shame as this is one of most vivid, bright displays on any Lenovo notebook. It seems to reflect even in lower lighted conditions, which means most of the time. It wouldn’t be enough to keep me from getting one of these, but only because I am fairly tolerant of glossy screens.

I have been using this notebook for a few days and overall I really like it. The combination of the good keyboard and large screen keeps me picking it up when I need to get some work done, over all others in Mobile Tech Manor. I like how thin and small it is while not sacrificing anything in usability. I was delighted today to discover it will even fit in my old Booq backpack, a first for a 14-inch laptop.

The 6-cell battery provided has yielded 4 – 4.5 hours on a charge with typical power management. This is not spectacular but fairly standard for such a large notebook with decent performance. Lenovo does not include the same power management found on the ThinkPad and ThinkPad Edge lines on this IdeaPad, and I really miss that.

Lenovo has done a good job with this IdeaPad notebook; this one is definitely improved over the first models I reviewed last year. It is solidly constructed and attractive, while remaining reasonably priced.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Work Force?

---

Mobile workforces are more common than ever, as companies deploy more workers in the field than in years past. One of the reasons for this rise in deployment is the improvement of the tools available to provide employees in the field. There are now smartphones, netbooks and notebooks that can turn a worker on the run into a fully productive employee who just happens to be out of the office. It is more important than ever to not only outfit such workers with good tools, but to provide an infrastructure and training to maximize the benefits of the deployment.

Kevin Tofel takes a good look at empowering the mobile workforce (subscription required), and makes a good point that connectivity is the key for such a deployment. The tools provided to mobile workers are just dead weight if they can’t tap into the web, especially the corporate network, to fully leverage the technology. Mobile workers today can easily suffer no disadvantages from being out of the office, but connectivity is vital.

I remember a decade ago when I used a Palm xv PDA with an Omnisky cellular modem. This modem snapped onto the back of the Palm and turned it into a mobile communication station with full email capability. This was one of the first cellular modems available, and it opened an entire level of productivity for me never seen before. I worked for a firm based in Europe at the time, and the time difference was always an issue with those of us located in the U.S. This Palm/Omnisky combo meant I got corporate email as soon as they were sent, whether I was at home or out and about. It was a tremendous advantage, even though it was limited by today’s standards.

Today’s mobile tools are much more advanced, and as long as they can be connected to the world wirelessly they can be a full “office in a bag.” Smartphones can go a long way to keeping the mobile worker both in contact with the office and productive through interaction with the communication. Notebooks (and netbooks) can be a full office replacement for employees in the field. It is a good time to be mobile, as long as companies deploy good equipment and provide adequate training for those using it.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): To Win In the Mobile Market, Focus On Consumers

---

Font maker Bitstream today released the next version of its Bolt mobile browser. Version 2.1 add tight integration with Facebook and support for HTML5 video. The Bolt browser uses Bitstream’s server-side rendering of web pages making it a full Webkit-based browser for feature phones. There are Java and BREW versions of the browser making it compatible with most feature phones on the market. Bolt is also available for the BlackBerry, and can be configured as the default web browser.

The new Facebook integration in Bolt 2.1 allows users of the browser to work with Facebook instant messaging and to paste links directly to Facebook accounts. The HTML5 video support is in recognition of the growing number of web sites that provide videos in the new format. Bolt 2.1 is also compatible with more sites using streaming Flash video.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): To Win In the Mobile Market, Focus On Consumers

---

Tablet lovers have been crying for a good inking solution for the iPad since its release. The capacitive digitizer isn’t designed for writing on the screen, but that doesn’t stop those who prefer to use ink for note-taking. There are already apps that provide inking, and third party pens that make it easier to do than by using the fingertip to write. What has been missing from the mix until now is the ability for inking apps to ignore the hand resting on the screen while writing. The palm (or wrist) sitting on the big iPad screen interferes with the writing process, as it is interpreted as a desire to write when the hand hits the screen. Ink note-taking app Penultimate was updated with a “wrist protection” setting, and it works pretty darn well. I believe this is the first app on the iPad with palm rejection.

Penultimate uses a notebook metaphor for handling the taking of notes, and is designed to be used totally by writing on the page. I have used it for weeks, and while it works pretty well the vectoring caused by resting my hand on the screen rendered it pretty useless. I don’t have a pen that works on a capacitive digitizer, either, and that has restricted my use of the app. I’ll have to look at getting one though, as this new setting is working well in my initial tests.

Once the “wrist protection” setting is turned on, the app totally ignores everything but the actual writing taking place. I have yet to trigger an unwanted vector, and that is pretty impressive. As always with inking apps, YMMV.

Thanks to my Twitter peeps for pointing me to the update.

Related content on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Can Anyone Compete With the iPad?

---

This week saw the release of Android 2.2, aka Froyo, by Google at its annual I/O developer conference. Android 2.2 is two to three times faster than the previous version of the platform due to the inclusion of a just-in-time (JIT) compiler. Indeed, it’s currently the “world’s fastest mobile browser,” according to the company. I’ve been using Android 2.2 for the past week on a Nexus One supplied by Google and Adobe and have shot a video of the performance gains.

Also at I/O, Google revealed that some 100,000 Android phones are activated every day — a significant jump over the 65,000 figure reported less than a month ago. Numbers like that make it easy to see how Android’s market share has grown 8 percent over the past year.

And Adobe finally launched the public beta for Flash Player 10.1 on the Android platform, bringing desktop functionality to the mobile device. Adobe partnered with Google to make Android the first smartphone platform to get the new capabilities. But while Flash is available in the Android Market, it’s only for devices running Android 2.2. And since there aren’t any of those for sale yet, until Google releases the Android update, users will have to be patient.

---

One of the draws of using the iPad is having a new device to try new software on to find those gems out there. Having hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from makes this a daunting task, and when a jewel is spotted it can be a delightful experience. That’s the case with iCab Mobile, an alternative web browser for the iPad that has earned a place on my iPad’s dock.

I didn’t set out looking for another browser on the iPad; I’ve been quite happy with Mobile Safari. It’s worked well for me and I didn’t think it lacked any features that would be helpful. I stumbled upon iCab Mobile and quickly found a few features that have improved my browsing experience.

There has been a desktop version of iCab for the Mac for years, and I confess I’ve never looked at it. There are no shortage of fine browsers for the Mac desktop, and I have seen no need to try iCab. The mobile version of iCab is a different story as it adds some usability features to the browser that are nice.

Mobile Safari handles tabbed browsing in a decent way — it lets you open multiple web pages at the same time but it hides them in the background. I often pop open the separate tab window in Safari to find I have a lot of pages open I’m no longer using. What Safari is missing is a tab bar that shows all open tabs just like the desktop version, and this is the primary feature I use in iCab Mobile.

The tab bar in iCab works just like the desktop version of Safari, but is even more configurable than that. You can set new page links to open in the current web page, always open in a new tab or my favorite — open links in domains other than the current page in a new tab. Click a link, and the page opens in a new tab. You can configure iCab to have newly opened tabs take the focus or not. The key is how iCab lets you set things up the way you prefer to work, and when you get it customized the whole browsing experience becomes more enjoyable.

If you don’t like the tab bar taking up space on the screen then you can turn it off. You still have an advantage over Safari in that iCab has a tab button that shows all open pages in a popup window when pushed. There’s no switching to a separate tab window like Safari — the popup is visible as is the current web page and this is a much better solution.

If you really want to take advantage of as much screen as possible, the full screen mode in iCab is wonderful. Just hit the button and the web page fills the entire iPad screen. There are tiny buttons around the edge of the display so you can still access needed functions. This is a wonderful way to browse on the iPad and worth the price of admission for me.

Another big feature in iCab is the ability to use modules. These are like the extensions in Firefox that add simple functionality if desired. There are not a lot of modules available, but a few of them are really useful. There’s the “Translation by Google” module, “Increase text size”, “Add page to Instapaper”, “Twitter”, among others. There’s even a “Black & White” module that makes any web page display white text on a black background, which is more useful than you might think.

The filter function in iCab makes it possible to block ads and other content in any web page. The program has over a hundred filters predefined for use, and it’s simple to add new ones as desired.

The attention to detail in iCab Mobile is evident at every level; take bringing in my bookmarks from the desktop. In the iCab Mobile settings there is an Export/Import option. When that is invoked it opens a window with detailed instructions to get the desktop browser bookmarks into iCab Mobile. It starts a server on the iPad and wirelessly connects it to the desktop, where the bookmark file is copied into iCab with the push of a button. It couldn’t be easier and in a few seconds all my desktop bookmarks were available on the iPad. There’s no way to sync them, but this process can be invoked as desired to update the bookmarks.

The iCab Mobile app makes the browsing experience on the iPad better, and that is saying a lot. I find it well worth the $1.99 price and it has replaced Mobile Safari in the iPad dock. That’s the highest compliment I can give an app.

Related content on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

---

Google, as expected, has unveiled Android 2.2 — aka Froyo — at its I/O developers conference. Froyo brings some awesome new features to the Android platform, not the least of which is Wi-Fi and USB tethering. Android 2.2 phones have mobile hotspot capability baked right into the platform now. The new OS version also includes huge speed increases in the handling of Java code, which is significant as many apps are written using Java.

In conjunction with this announcement, Adobe formally introduced Flash 10.1 for Android. Flash 10.1 brings full Flash handling to Android and the web browser.

You can see both Froyo and the new Flash in action in this video, including the speed improvements. The Nexus One shown is the fastest Android phone I’ve seen yet, due to the new Android 2.2. In the video this speed improvement is shown against the Verizon Droid Incredible, the previous performance champ.

Note: The Flash 10.1 public beta for Android kicks off today, and Android 2.2 is the minimum system requirement. The new version has dependencies only present in Android 2.2 and will not work with earlier versions of Android. The beta will be available for download in the Android Market, but only for phones with Froyo installed. Google has not yet finalized which handsets will be getting an Android 2.2 update.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

---

---

---

---

---

The first reviews of the Sprint EVO 4G are appearing on the web, and I haven’t seen any surprises to knock it off my want list. Sprint and HTC have joined to bring what is undoubtedly the most powerful Android phone, make that smartphone, ever produced. The reviews do a good job showing how smooth and fast the performance is on the EVO. Reviewers also seemed impressed with the 4G performance when coverage was available, although 4G connectivity hits the battery hard.

This battery drainage on 4G is what I expected; the Sprint Overdrive modem I use is rated for 3 hours of 4G connectivity and the EVO 4G is working the same way. It’s a given the battery must be hit hard using 4G. Hopefully Sprint and HTC can tweak this battery usage somewhat over time.

The most thorough review I’ve seen of the EVO 4G is by Chris Ziegler of engadget. His video review shows every aspect of the phone’s operation, and he seems impressed with the EVO so far. Other reviews of interest are Sascha Segan’s of PC Magazine and Walt Mossberg’s of the WSJ.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): To Win In the Mobile Market, Focus On Consumers

---