Author: James Kendrick

Nokia wasn’t happy to just announce Symbian 3 at the Mobile World Congress today, they have also announced the merging of Maemo and Moblin by Intel. The new platform that emerges as the result of the merge will be known as Meego, and is intended to power pocketable computers, netbooks, tablets and phones. Meego will be hosted by the Linux Foundation, and will be a full open source platform.

Maemo has been used by Nokia on its internet tablets, including the capable N900 smartphone. It is highly optimized for use on a small screen, and is a solid basis for Meego. Moblin is Intel’s version of Linux optimized for netbooks and similar devices, and it will form the core platform under the hood of Meego.

Meego will use the Qt application development system, a robust environment for developers. Programs for Meego can be distributed though both Nokia’s Ovi Store and Intel’s AppUp center.

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The App Developer’s Guide to Choosing a Mobile Platform

Microsoft lifted the veil covering Windows Phone 7 this morning, and the interface is nothing short of spectacular. We won’t see any of these phones until end of this year, but this video shows off the interface in great detail. It is obvious that Windows Phone 7 brings our social networking, messaging and online lives into the palm of our hand. Have a look and see if you are excited as I am getting to see one of these in person.

Engadget had used Photoshop magic to peel back the official name of the next Windows Mobile OS, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage at the Mobile World Congress and officially announced the Windows Phone 7 Series. Windows Phone 7 Series is the next major update to the Windows Mobile OS, and it merges WinMo with Xbox Live games with Zune audio and video functionality. This merging of Microsoft products on the smartphone is obviously the company’s attempt to bring the popular entertainment efforts onto the smartphone to bolster its position in the market.

“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. We believe Windows Phone 7 Series is a phone that truly reflects the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people.”

Every Windows Phone will have a dedicated hardware button for Bing searches. These searches will return either web results, or information local on the smartphone depending on the search criteria.

Microsoft has implemented an interface concept called “hubs” that display collections of information for easy consumption. These hubs are described in the press release:

• People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
• Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.
• Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
• Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
• Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
• Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

The focus on the new interface is ease of use, by allowing the user to focus on particular task groups. Rumors had previously stated the existence of two versions of Windows Mobile 7, a Zune-like version for consumers and an enterprise version for business users. The reality has one Windows Phone 7 Series that uses these hubs to serve both camps.

Microsoft is not giving a specific date for availability of the new Windows Phone 7. New phones are expected to be available “by holiday 2010.” This would indicate the phones will be out late in the year, which is in line with previous expectations.

Adobe is at the Mobile World Congress to share the latest news about Flash 10.1 and to make some announcements about other happenings at the company. I had the pleasure to sit down with Adobe representatives last week to discuss what the company will be covering at the MWC; the discussion covered a wide range of Adobe activities that cover the smartphone space. Hot on the topic list was the current state of the Flash 10.1 release, which is still expected the first half of 2010. Adobe is also announcing a brand new version of AIR for smartphones, designed to make Flash-based apps easy to distribute cross-platform.

The new Flash Player 10.1 will appear soon, although the company is officially quoting availability in the first half of 2010. While it had been previously stated that Flash 10.1 would first appear on the webOS platform, the company has developer betas on both webOS and Android; I was told that Adobe expects the new Flash to be released on both platforms at the same time. The runtimes will be distributed over-the-air through the Android Marketplace, the Palm App Catalog and on adobe.com.

Adobe is not neglecting Windows Mobile, Microsoft and Adobe are sending this message regarding Flash and WinMo:

Microsoft and Adobe are working closely together.  While the newest version of Windows Phone won’t support Flash at initial availability, both companies are working to include a browser plug-in for the full Flash player in future versions of Windows Phone. More details will be shared at Microsoft MIX next month.

Adobe is also announcing a new version of the AIR for smartphones. This will be shown at the MWC running on the Android platform. It will initially also support RIM and the Motorola Droid. The new AIR implementation will make it possible for developers to distribute Flash-based apps on any smartphone running on a supported platform. While this is Android currently, the goal is to have both AIR and Flash running on all smartphones and desktops.

The new AIR developer tools being released allow developers of Flash-based apps to compile them as native iPhone apps, thus allowing Flash into the iTunes App Store as native apps. There are now 40 Flash-based apps in the App Store, due to these tools making it possible to get Flash on the iPhone without help from Apple. These iPhone apps can be distributed on the Android platform currently using the new AIR for smartphones.

Adobe is placing great importance to reach all smartphones, and have joined the LiMo Foundation. The partnership with LiMo is being done to simplify getting Flash on LiMo-based phones.

Related research from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Making Movies Mobile

Our platform focus continues this fine Sunday with the e-Book Echo, our take on the week in the digital publishing world. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is almost underway in Barcelona and word is leaking that smartphone maker HTC is going to introduce a new e-book reader as part of a new Sense update. The new program is reported to be named Reader, and leaked photos show it to be a typical application for displaying e-book content. There is an integrated bookshelf for handling content collections, and a screen shot of the application shows content from Borders and Adobe. We will no doubt hear more about the new Sense interface, and Reader, this week at the MWC.

The iPhone App Store has a lot of e-book content for sale, and publisher O’Reilly produces a fair bit of that content. They are selling a lot of e-books on the iPhone as they have recently blogged that they have sold more than 100,000 e-book apps in the store to date. The majority of these sales take place outside the U.S., with 54 percent of the sales taking place internationally. This demonstrates how important it is to understand that dedicated e-book readers like the Kindle and the Nook are not the only vehicles for driving the increasing sales of digital content.

The rapid growth of the e-book industry has book publishers concerned about protecting themselves from piracy, much as the music industry did ten years ago. That is the warning from Susan River, a form music industry executive. River points out that book publishers are waiting for someone to produce a “magic bullet” to save the industry, much as the music industry has done for a decade. The take is that publishers would be better to develop a solid business model themselves rather than wait for someone else to produce one.

Downloads did not kill the music business. Shortsightedness and turf-protection on the part of music business executives did. Piracy and changing distribution schema will not kill the publishing industry. Shortsighted infrastructure-protection on the part of publishing houses will.

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The Price of E-Book Progress

The week marches on and today being Saturday means it is time to recap the recent happenings in the world of Windows Mobile. The big mobile conference in Barcelona is ready to kick off on Monday, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be taking to the stage to officially unveil Windows Mobile 7. The new OS will likely be called something a little different that WinMo 7, in keeping with the “Windows phone” moniker previously touted by Microsoft. Rumors have the new OS version looking a lot like the Zune HD interface, which is a finger-friendly UI that works better with touch controls than older versions of WinMo.

The rumor of the Microsoft Pink phone has reared its head again. It is supposedly not dead yet, but not necessarily Windows Mobile related. The Pink phone is supposed to be a replacement for the Sidekick product line. Microsoft purchased Danger, the company that produces the Sidekick, a while back. It is not expected for Microsoft to spend time at the MWC on the Pink project, as its focus will almost certainly be on Windows Mobile.

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Could Games Redeem Windows Mobile and Palm’s webOS?

HipLogic today launched  an Android platform that makes it easy for handset OEMs and carriers to produce custom interfaces for their phones. Fremont, Calif.-based HipLogic’s interface is always connected to the cloud, meaning operators can change the Android home screen interface whenever desired. Updates are delivered to the customer’s phone over the air, courtesy of the “always connected” nature of the HipLogic interface.

Companies are always happy to differentiate their products when using an open platform such as Android, but there is a risk such a move can further fragment the Android user experience. We already see this happening on HTC phones with its Sense interface, and the MOTOBLUR interface by Motorola dilutes the Android experience in a way, too. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that many Android phones have different interface features, but it makes it harder for consumers to determine which interface components are standard and which are special to a given handset.

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Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One

Sprint is the Rodney Dangerfield of U.S. carriers; no matter what it does, it never seems to get any respect. Even though the carrier has recently been upping its game with better smartphones, including the HTC Hero running Android and the Palm Pre and Pixi, that hasn’t stopped the defection of its installed subscriber base (LINK). So what’s a carrier like Sprint got to do to regain respect? Start the Sprint Premier program for its most loyal customers — which includes the promise of a new phone every year.

I’ve been a Sprint customer for less than a year, as I joined up when the Palm Pre was launched. I still have the Pre with the appropriate data plan, and according to the flyer I just received about the Sprint Premier program, I now qualify as a loyal customer, which the company defines as the following:

• You’ve been our customer for six months and maintained a monthly base plan of $69.99 for a single line or $99.99 for shared plans for at least three months.

– or –

• You’ve been our wireless customer for at least ten years.

The Sprint Premier program embers are eligible for, among other things, a phone upgrade every year instead of the standard two years. Sprint will even waive the $18 activation fee. This is a pretty decent benefit, especially for those of us who change phones as often as socks.

Let’s hope that Sprint can get some good loyalty going with this new program. I’m quite happy with the network performance, especially the 3G network. Though I can’t comment as to how good Sprint customer support is these days, as so far I haven’t had a reason to complain about anything.

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Why Carriers Should Care About Customer Care

I have long been amused by watching how the public’s perception of a company often changes as the company grows into a giant corporation. I remember when Microsoft was just a hobbyist’s supplier of MS-DOS and BASIC, and how it became the “evil empire” in the eyes of many as it grew into the behemoth of today. The same has happened to Google and Apple, and we now see the two giants going head-to-head for our hearts (and dollars).

GigaOM has been watching this too, and have produced an outstanding graphic that shows Google and Apple squaring off in different areas. The graphic even points out what Steve Jobs really feels about Google. It’s worth a look on this Friday afternoon.

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The inability to work with files on the iPhone has been a complaint from day one. The iPhone OS provides no way to interact directly with documents or other files stored on the phone, rendering the device’s owners dependent on application developers to add to their apps methods to work with files. This leads to a confusing situation as each app implements a different method. That’s why the free iPhone Explorer is such an exciting program — it brings Explorer- or Finder-like file control to the iPhone owner.

The program works on both Macs and Windows, so no one is left out in the cold. Once iPhone Explorer is installed, any iPhone or iPod touch is seen as a Flash drive on the computer, and files can be dragged and dropped onto the iPhone/iPod with ease. Users can create, delete and rename folders to fit any organization scheme desired.

While iPhone Explorer works on any iPhone or iPod touch, those that have been jailbroken get additional benefits as it’s possible to access the root directory of such phones, allowing for the recovery of email, SMS messages and the address book.

The iPhone Explorer has major implications for the iPad, as lack of file control in the iPhone OS used in the iPad is considered a drawback to that device. Since the iPad is expected to work like the iPhone, iPhone Explorer could bring full computer file control to the slate.

(via Lifehacker)

Related research: 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad (sub req’d)

The end of another week is drawing to a close which means I get to share the past week with you. My home office, Mobile Tech Manor, is often a revolving door for little gadgets and this week was no exception. I did some thinking about my recent business trip that I will share with you. A little laptop arrived that I am finding more useful than I expected, and I experienced another bout of browser infidelity.

Kindle fever

I took something with me for the first time on a recent trip to San Francisco. My gear bag was already light since it was a short trip so I decided to take the Kindle with me. My gear bag had a nice, thin pocket in the flap that was perfect for the Kindle so at the last minute I threw it in and brought it along for the ride. I must admit I enjoyed having it along much more than I thought I would.

Usually on trips I try to carry as little as possible. This means that if there is a gadget I am taking with me that can serve multiple purposes, then the single-purpose gadget (e.g. Kindle) stays home. I carried my iPhone which I can use to read Kindle books so usually that means the Kindle stays home. The trip was only for a couple of days so I didn’t need to bring the charger, just the Kindle, so I threw it in the bag on the way out the door.

Reading on the two flights was very enjoyable using the Kindle. It was easy to hold for several hours, and it fits in the pocket in the seat back in front when not in use. I did have to remember to turn wireless off on the flights, which I almost forgot. The Kindle brought the number of devices to on this trip on which I had to remember to turn off the wireless radios to four. In fact, I only brought four gadgets with me for this short trip and all of them have wireless connectivity. That’s a true mobile geek.

I was surprised this trip by how many others I saw reading on Kindles. On one of the flights, in just my row and the one in front of me there were three Kindles in use. I saw them in use at the airport gates, too, and one person was using a Kindle in the hotel lobby at one point. I definitely saw more Kindles on this one trip than I’ve seen on several past trips combined. I wasn’t making a concerted effort to spot them this time, so I’m not sure any conclusions can be reached by the observations, but it did make an impression on me.

Little laptop on deck

This past week the UMID mbook bz arrived, and I am having a blast with it. While I wish it had a swiveling screen like convertible laptops, it is still quite useful as a tiny clamshell. I am still impressed with just how small this thing is, and it is so easy to throw in any bag to bring along when I head out the door. There is a lot to be said for having a full Windows computer in a handheld form. Of course, I’ve been saying that for years.

I do a lot of work in Google Reader, as I follow thousands of site RSS feeds. I am in and out of Reader many times a day, and skim through thousands of items. The UMID is an outstanding gadget for this due to its small size and light weight. I hold it in my left hand and use the keyboard to skim items in Reader. This is so darn fast that I’m able to go through thousands of items in just a short time. It is especially useful for this while out and about, using the MiFi for 3G connectivity. The mbook doesn’t have integrated 3G, but with the MiFi I don’t need that. I use the Wi-Fi connection to work with the MiFi, and it’s just as good.

The screen of the UMID is awfully high-resolution for such a small display, so I had to adjust the Windows display settings to make things easier to view. I made the menu font much bigger and bold so I can see menus well. I also enlarged the windows boxes in the upper right so they are easier to hit, and did the same with the scroll bars. Even with these changes I find interacting with the touch screen to require a stylus for precision. I have plenty of those lying around but I wish the UMID came with one. Most people will find one necessary, I believe.

The little neoprene case that came with the UMID is nice for carrying it around. The UMID fits (barely) in the zippered case, and the smaller pocket on the front is good for the MiFi and stylus. I grab this little kit for short trips, and it is awesome having an entire 3G-enabled system in my hand. This is far more useful than I thought it would be. One observation — folks must be getting used to small computers in the wild as not a single person has approached me to ask what it is. I wonder if it’s due to the familiar laptop form that the UMID has, as opposed to many gadgets I carry that are slates.

Browser envy

I have written before about my inability to stay faithful to a single browser. The fact is I spend almost all day every single day inside a browser, and usually with at least six tabs open all the time. I do all of my work inside the browser, so which one I use is very important from an ease of use standpoint and also the speed of operation.

On the Mac side I switch among three browsers — Firefox, Safari and Chrome. I have been using Safari for a while, but this week a new Chrome version was released that finally added extensions. I started using it and was delighted to find it to be so fast. It is easily faster than the other two browsers, and I used it exclusively for a full day this week.

I used it on the Windows side, too, and found it just as fast as on the Mac. On Windows I have been using Firefox for a long time, but Chrome blew it away, speed-wise.

I installed several extensions to make Chrome fit the way I work. The TooManyTabs extension is marvelous, as it makes handling many tabs a simple thing to do. I love how it displays all of the open tabs in a very visual way, with the tabs large enough to easily find the one I want. It is especially useful on the Windows tablet, as it works well with touch control.

Unfortunately, I ran into an issue that forced me to drop Chrome for now. I spend a lot of time in the WordPress.com (see disclosure at bottom) editor, as this site is hosted there. The editor started crashing in Chrome, and I lost work due to the crashes. This is the single worst no-no that any program can do, as I work hard enough without having to redo things. So I am back to Safari on the Mac and Firefox on Windows. They aren’t bad, but I miss the speed of Chrome.

I am able to jump around browsers on the two platforms due to the Xmarks service and extensions. Xmarks keeps all of my bookmarks in both Firefox and Safari in sync using the cloud. This makes all of my browsers on any computer all the same as far as my personalization goes, and it is the first thing I install on any computer I pick up. It works in Internet Explorer, too, but I haven’t used IE in years. Maybe I should give IE8 a try. Thoughts?

Lost ThinkPad

I haven’t had much to say about the ThinkPad Edge notebook that Lenovo sent over for evaluation. I made the mistake of letting my wife try it as I wanted to get her thoughts since it is consumer-focused. I haven’t gotten my hands on it since, as she has not given it back to me. She loves the thin, light form, and she’s admitted she now knows why I have been touting the virtues of the ThinkPad keyboards for so long. I’ll have to figure out how to steal it back when she’s not looking.

e-Books of the week

The Kindle is letting me tear through good books at a frantic pace. This week I continued to hit the great fantasy series by James Clemens I started last week. I am already reading book No. 5, “Wit’ch Star.” This series has been a hell of a ride, with non-stop action from book one to the last. I have been amazed how Clemens has found so many plot lines to keep the story flowing. This is one of those series that I am sure I will feel drained when it’s complete. That’s the mark of a good storyteller in my book.

Wrap-up

That’s the week as it happened at Mobile Tech Manor. It was a fairly typical week with gadgets and software dominating the time. I have developed a true appreciation of the Kindle that I didn’t think I would. Until next week, be safe and happy.

Disclosure: Automattic, maker of WordPress.com, is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another Palm Press, our weekly look at the world of Palm. The rumor that Palm is stopping the production on much of its product line is true. It turns out that just about everything stops in Asia for the Chinese New Year, and Palm production is no different. Palm stock-piled production in anticipation of the stoppage, so no shortage of units is expected.

Adobe has been talking Flash 10.1 for quite some time, and implied that the first smartphone to get support for it would be webOS-based. Word is leaking out that webOS 1.4 is due to trickle out next week, and the Flash support may indeed be in the update. It is expected that the Sprint phones will start receiving the update on Feb. 15, with no word when the newer models on the Verizon network might get the 1.4 update. The other new feature expected in the new version of webOS is the ability to record video, something sorely lacking in all of the webOS phones.

Palm may be selling phones on the AT&T network soon, as per leaks at the FCC for models compatible with that network. The FCC information leads to the expectation that the Pre and Pixi will hit the new carrier in the May timeframe. Given Palm’s dropping smartphone share, this can’t come soon enough for the company.

UPDATED: A rumor has cropped up that fits squarely in the “why would they do that?” department. BGR is reporting that Palm is suspending the production of the Pre and Pre Plus, and maybe the Pixi, too. The report originates with OTR Global, and supposedly comes from three different sources. It is claimed that the manufacturer of the Pre, Foxconn, has been told to suspend production in February and that no one knows if it will resume in March.

Key sources in the Taiwan handset supply chain said Palm Inc. has ordered assembler Foxconn International Holdings Co. Ltd. to suspend production of both the Pre and Pre+ in February. “The decision is very sudden, and Foxconn was told to reduce all February Pre forecast to zero on Wednesday and nobody knows whether shipment will resume in March,” said a key source. The source said the CDMA2000 Pre to Sprint and the CDMA2000 Pre+ to Verizon were affected.

One of the sources is reported to also state that Pixi and Pixi Plus production is to be halted, while a second source said the Pixi Plus would continue. The Pixi Plus is the newest version shipping to Verizon in the U.S.

This is pretty hard to believe as far as rumors go, as there isn’t a good explanation that can be given for such a move by Palm. If the company is being acquired, it doesn’t seem likely it would halt production of its products. If they are going to roll out new phone models at MWC they would still have a commitment to Sprint and Verizon in the U.S. The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus were only announced last month so new models are unlikely.

This report also flies in the face of evidence that is growing that Palm will begin selling phones to AT&T in a few months.

It’s beginning to look like Palm is simply stopping production for the Chinese New Year. Now that makes sense.

Millions are currently feeling the effects of the harsh weather in the northeast U.S., not the least of which are the sore muscles from shoveling so much snow. The news is full of all of the cities that are virtually shut down by the blizzard that keeps on giving. I am fortunate to be in Houston, far from the white blanket of snow that is covering much up north. I’m not immune to the weather, however, as I am currently sitting without power, writing this using the glow of the laptop screen to light my way. I am able to keep going strictly due to the mobile tech that I employ, and that same tech could help those in the blizzard-encrusted north.

It may be too late to prepare for the winter storm, but hopefully this will give food for thought for the future. A lot of what I will cover is simply common sense, but it may help some. I have used these techniques many times here on the Gulf Coast, due to the massive storms and hurricanes that come all too frequently. The two weeks I survived without power during Hurricane Ike put all of my previous experience to shame.

Most of you have notebook computers, and these can be a real boon during storm periods. Power loss is so common during inclement weather, and battery powered notebooks are valuable during such times. Extended power loss can mean the inability to tap into the news of the day, something vital during storms. Make sure you charge your laptop and phone batteries fully when word comes that a big storm is headed your way. You may be forced to rely on those batteries more than you would like. If your house is a multiple laptop home, make sure all of them are fully charged. That includes all of the kid’s laptops.

So the power is off and you have candles lit in the rooms where everyone congregates. The first thing you should do is designate one of the laptops as the current one and just use that one. You don’t know how long the power will be out so stretch those batteries out by only using one at a time. Go in and set the laptop’s power management to the most aggressive you can. Unplug all peripherals like external speakers that you may be using. That will make the battery last as long as possible. Run that battery down all the way, and then switch to another laptop if you’re lucky enough to have one. Repeat the process. Two laptops can provide up to 12 hours if the batteries are new and the computers are not old.

So you have the laptops ready to go for a few hours, now you need connectivity. During Hurricane Ike I found the only current weather information I could get at all was over the web. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, so connectivity is crucial. Many of you have 3G modems, either USB or wireless like the MiFi I use. These let you get connected as needed and get the news of the day. Go to the website for one of the TV stations in a big city near you. Most of them have constant streaming weather news during storms, and they are great sources of information. Don’t stay connected all the time, that drains those precious batteries. Connect only when needed and then shut down.

What do you do if you don’t have one of these 3G modems? Many are using smartphones today and often they can be tethered to a laptop to provide connectivity. There is usually a monthly cost to do this, typically around $15, but this is a cheap price during storm events. Usually you can call the carrier and have this tethering service turned on and off without penalty. You do have to pay for a full month but again, that’s cheap in times such as these. Once it is activated you can tether the phone to the laptop using either a USB cable or over Bluetooth. Either method works fine for quick online sessions to get news.

During a storm like that in the northeast currently raging, flight cancellations are the theme of the day. Already thousands of flights have been canceled in the U.S., and anyone with plans to travel can be affected. Bookmark the web site of the airline you plan to use, as they typically do a good job keeping flight statuses up-to-date. It is harrowing enough to travel around storms, and this can keep you from heading to the big airport only to find out your flight’s been cancelled.

There are also some free travel planning services that are good at times like these. I’ve tried TripIt and WorldMate, and both are good at times like these as they send notices to your email or phone when your flight’s been affected by the weather. I’m sure there are other services that are good, these are just the two I have used.

These are just common sense methods to deal with the storm, but worth mentioning. Some may not realize that mobile tech can play a pivotal role when a storm ties you down, but my experience shows that it can. If you are affected by these storms rocking the U.S., hunker down and stay safe.

A lot of small gadgets come through Mobile Tech Manor but it is rare that one impresses me like the little UMID mbook BZ. My friends at Dynamism sent one of these little laptops for evaluation and I am still trying to figure out how the folks at UMID crammed so much in such a small package. The mbook is best described as a full netbook, which may surprise many. It has the full complement of netbook components onboard, in a package that weighs less than a pound.

This light weight is a product of the size of the UMID; it is only 6.33 x 3.79 x 0.75 inches. This small form is a product of the 4.8-inch touch screen in the mbook, that displays at a big 1024×600 resolution. The touch screen functions are augmented by a tiny touchpad to the right of the screen which works surprisingly well, along with two mouse buttons on the left side of the display. These buttons are so small they can be tough to hit properly at times.

To fully appreciate the amount of goodness that UMID has crammed in this little handheld laptop you have to look at the full spec list:

• CPU: Intel Atom Z515 (1.2 GHz)
• Memory: 512 MB
• Storage: 16 GB SSD
• Display: 4.8-inch, touch screen (light touch resistive), 1024×600
• Camera: 1.3 MP web cam
• Communications: Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Ports: USB, 3.5 mm headphone, 10 pin VGA out (dongle included), microSD slot
• OS: Windows XP Home
• Included software: Thinkfree Mobile Office, ThePot (UI), LogmeIn
• Power: 2600 mAh Li-Ion battery, 7 hours claimed, 5+ realistic

Topping off these decent netbook components is the full QWERTY keyboard. This is built with real keys that have good tactile feedback when typing. It is understandably small, so there’s no touch typing but I find it easy to use either with my thumbs or with an index finger. The keys are positioned where you expect them to be which aids in the typing experience for touch typists. UMID has included a lot of Fn key functions which add a lot of control to the mbook. In addition to the standard volume and screen brightness controls, there are keys that toggle a battery indicator, camera on/off, Page up/down, Home/End and F1 – F12 keys.

In front of the keyboard is a wireless activity LED that flashes when either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is actively transmitting. To the right of the keyboard are two LEDs, one for power/ standby and another for SSD activity. Immediately above the keyboard are two keys, one to toggle wireless on/ off and a power button. There is a touch-sensitive screen brightness control above the keyboard that works by sliding a finger left or right.

The screen has a large bezel on the sides to accommodate the controls in place. On the left is a speaker grill, and beneath that are the two tiny mouse buttons. One the right bezel is the 1.3 megapixel web cam, and below that is the indented small touchpad. The integrated microphone is located on the front of the mbook, just to the left of the microSD slot. There is a slot cover on the front of the device that does not open, I’m thinking it might be a slot for a SIM card perhaps, although there is no 3G option at this time.

On the left of the mbook there is a mystery door that does not open and nothing else. On the right side is the 10-pin VGA connector for the included adapter, headphone jack, a covered USB port, and power jack.

I have only been using the mbook for a few hours and I must admit I am finding it more useful than I thought I would. It is so small that I didn’t think the keyboard would be useful. I am finding that is not the case, and I have gotten a lot of good use out of the keyboard. I am still not sure if the touch screen is needed, the screen is so small that the Microsoft Windows XP interface is too small to touch accurately. The resistive digitizer used is very light touch however, and it is easy to scroll in the browser by touch.

UMID has included a UI launcher that is pretty useful as it is optimized for touch operation. ThePot (don’t ask me what that means) provides easy access to all system controls, and it’s easy to add programs to the launcher. There is also a version of the ThinkFree Mobile Office included, making it possible to work with Microsoft Office documents on the go.

Dynamism is selling the UMID mbook BZ for $549, which includes the device as reviewed plus the VGA dongle. The dongle is needed to connect to a standard VGA monitor. It also has a neoprene zippered case in the box which fits the mbook perfectly, and has a zippered pocket on the front for small accessories.

Related research from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): The State of the Smartbook

The road warrior is often confronted with leaving gear at home in order to keep the gear bag as light as possible. It can be a struggle to bring some gadgets along because they are too big and heavy to lug around on trips. Fujitsu understands that dilemma and has released a portable scanner that can come along for the ride with minimal fuss. The ScanSnap S1300 is not the first scanner to shrink in size but it may be the most versatile of all portable scanners that came before.

The ScanSnap S1300 is as small as can be while adding a multisheet feeder and full color duplex scanner to the mix. That’s right, this little scanner can scan both sides of a document with one pass, a rarity for a portable device. It uses a USB connection and works out of the box with both Windows and Mac computers. It is AC-powered, but can be operated with just the USB connection when an outlet isn’t handy.

Fujitsu includes utilities with the ScanSnap to handle most needs with ease:

• ScanSnap Organizer 4.1 (PC): Offers PC users a convenient way to store, manage and view PDF and JPEG files as well as perform post-scan editing, keyword entry and searchable PDF conversion.
• CardMinder 4.1 (PC): Provides PC users a fast way to capture both sides of a business card, extract the information automatically and export it to Outlook, Excel, Act! and other contact management software.
• Scan to Functions (PC): Offers PC users an easy way to scan to a folder, attach scans to an email, send scans to a printer, or scan to Microsoft SharePoint for ad-hoc efficiency.
• ScanSnap Manager (Mac and PC): Provides Mac and PC users one-button searchable PDF creation, access to intelligent features and custom scan settings (profiles) for simple operation with sophisticated results.
• Scan to Functions (Mac): Offers Mac users a flexible way to manage their PDF, searchable PDF and JPEG files. Users can save content to a folder, a network folder, iPhoto and even directly to their iDisk account.
• Cardiris 3.6 (Mac): Provides Mac users a convenient way to scan their business cards and export the contact information directly to Address Book or Entourage.

The ScanSnap can help the road warrior who is trying to maintain a paperless mobile office by capturing received documents on the fly to digital form. It weighs slightly over three pounds, lighter than most netbooks on the road. The MSRP is $295.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the Microsoft Tablet PC and that fruity pad thing. The banter has rekindled the regret I’ve felt over the years due to the lack of public support for the Tablet from the folks who created it. The fact that Microsoft never made a big marketing push to show the world what the platform could uniquely do has long been fodder for long-winded discussions at Tablet PC enthusiast sites.

When Microsoft rolled the Tablet PC bits into Windows Vista it was clear the end of the Tablet PC as a unique product line was near. Tablet talk became Windows feature talk, and the technology became just a small part of the entire Windows landscape. Then Windows 7 rolled out and Tablet became more of a touch thing, instead of a pen thing. This made it clear to me that the end was near, and something I ran across today on the Microsoft Tablet PC team blog drove that belief home.

The assimilation of the one major unique technology from Microsoft into the bowels of the OS is complete. RIP.

It’s Tuesday and that can only mean it’s time for our weekly feature, the BlackBerry Buzz. While RIM marketshare has dropped, and LinkedIn has come to the BlackBerry, there is other news about the ‘Berry to share. Security specialist Tyler Shields wants BlackBerry owners to know that the platform is not safe from spyware. Shields demonstrated to CNET how he wrote a spyware app using standard mobile provider APIs that lets him take control of a phone by simply sending a text message. His spyware allows someone with malicious intent to capture the contact list on the phone, get copies of all messages and even to track the owner using the phone’s GPS ability. Hopefully RIM is paying attention to plug this security hole Shields has demonstrated. In the meantime BlackBerry owners should be careful what apps they download and to the permissions they approve for each app during the installation.

BlackBerry owners using the Bolt browser should note that Feb. 15 a new version will be released by Bitstream. Version 1.7 will bring beta support for widgets, small web apps that are run within the Bolt browser. There will be a Bolt Widget Gallery with apps for users to install in the browser to expand capabilities for personal customization of the browser. Bolt is a server-based browser that runs on phones equipped with Java support, and it provides near desktop browsing ability due to the Bitstream Thunderhawk technology.

The cloud file storage service DropBox will be coming to the BlackBerry this year. The folks at DropBox have notified users that in addition to the iPhone app versions for Android and the BlackBerry will be “coming soon.” There’s no word on when “soon” might be but it’s good news for those who use DropBox to store data in the cloud.

Related research:  As Windows Mobile Stumbles, Which Smartphone OS Will Seize the Lead?

The WorldMate travel service has been a long-time companion to 5 million frequent travelers. The web service that makes keeping on top of travel arrangements a breeze is paired with smartphone apps to bring all its benefits into the palm of traveler’s hands. There are WorldMate apps for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Nokia/ Symbian phones. BlackBerry users will especially benefit from a new partnership that WorldMate announced today, integrating the travel service with LinkedIn. Not only does this bring helpful new features to the WorldMate BlackBerry app it also means WorldMate becomes a native LinkedIn app on the ‘Berry.

WorldMate members can take advantage of the new LinkedIn integration through the web and on the BlackBerry handsets. From the press release:

With this new offering, members can share their travel and meeting itineraries, notify their business contacts when they arrive in their destination city, search for contacts by city, and quickly access professional profiles of their colleagues before walking into their next meeting.  This LinkedIn functionality is immediately available to all WorldMate users.

WorldMate has long been known for handling travel difficulties, with automatic flight delay notifications and the ability to find alternate flights on the fly. Kevin could have used WorldMate to good advantage recently during his travel that was interrupted by adverse weather conditions on the east coast. With the new LinkedIn integration, his professional network could have been notified of changes as they occurred.

Related research: Can Developers Help LinkedIn Learn to Have Fun?

The smartphone of today hits the battery pretty hard, given all the sophisticated hardware at play. The Nexus One is such a smartphone, with some folks planning on getting a second battery to get through a busy day. For those who don’t like carrying a second battery, the folks at Seidio are offering a double capacity battery for the Nexus One that should be shipping soon.

Seidio is a maker of phone accessories as well as batteries. I am using an extended battery on my Palm Pre from the company that has worked well. The Innocell 2800mAh Extended Life Battery for the Nexus One (long name indeed) is exactly double the 1400mAh of the standard Nexus One battery so it should provide a long time between charges. The battery requires a replacement back for the phone (included) to make room for the thicker battery. According to our sources at Seidio, the extended battery should be shipping next week and is priced at $64.95. I usually don’t like adding thickness and weight to my phones but for some this might be just the thing you are looking for.

Related research from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One