Author: James Kendrick

Those who have deemed the Nexus One the best Android phone yet may like it even more now that the dock is available from Google. Not only does the phone charge while sitting in the dock, but cradling it there will automatically fire up the clock application, complete with local weather. You can even use it to run a slideshow of the pics you have stored on the phone.

But the really cool feature is the integrated Bluetooth, which allows the docked Nexus One to stream music wirelessly to the dock. Plug in some external speakers and the set-up becomes a full-fledged entertainment system. At $45, the Nexus One Dock isn’t cheap, but all those features make it worth a look.

Speaking of music, personal media player maker ARCHOS, which already has a 5-inch tablet based on the Android platform for sale, this week leaked details about its forthcoming 7-inch model . This new web tablet adds a web cam to the mix, and is expected to sell for just $245.

In the meantime, a netbook running Android has been sent to the FCC for review prior to launch. The new netbook is being produced by none other than HP, making this the company’s first foray into the Android space. The FCC filing is seeking approval for the netbook’s use on AT&T’s 3G network. So far, there’s no detailed information available as to when we might expect this to hit the market.

It didn’t take Microsoft long to respond to the hoopla that is the Apple iPad, and its response was predictable. As David Worthington notes over on Technologizer, Redmond finds the closed nature of the iPad “humorous,” if nothing else.

“It is a humorous world in how Microsoft is much more open than Apple,” Brandon Watson, the director of product management in the developer platform at Microsoft, told me in an interview yesterday. With Microsoft’s platforms, developers can build whatever they want, and target a broad array of devices using the same skill set, he added.

This response from Microsoft is not surprising; what else can the company say? But it’s not exactly a fair comparison, given the appliance nature of the iPad vs. a full-blown PC. And sometimes it’s better when “less is more,” as I frustratingly proved once again today by wasting over an hour with Windows 7.

I fired up a PC I haven’t used in a while, expecting to have to sit through the mind-numbing Windows Update parade. What I was confronted with was worse than that, as the computer refused to boot properly. I found myself staring at the window above, telling me that something was wrong and asking if I wanted Windows 7 to fix itself. I told it yes and the fun began.

It sat and did something, I don’t know what but the hard disk was thrashing, for a good while. Eventually it indicated it needed to restore the system to an earlier point, so I said yes. This fired off another seemingly endless process that eventually required a reboot.

To Windows 7’s credit, the system then booted fine. The desktop appeared and for all intents and purposes everything was as it should be, the way I left it the last time. Which begs the question — what happened? How does a system hose itself between a successful shutdown and the next startup? And since the system was able to repair itself, how bad could things have gotten while powered off? It’s one of the Windows mysteries that I’ll never understand.

Now that the system was back up again, I fired up Windows Update to get that over with. Much to my surprise WU informed me that there were no updates available. Hmm. I decided that I would reboot the system to make sure it was really OK after Windows 7 fixed itself. That’s when it got even more fun.

The shutdown process presented me with a screen that warned me not to unplug the computer as it was applying updates. These must have been the updates that didn’t exist, according to Windows Update. I had to wait a few minutes while these updates, whatever they were, applied, after which the system rebooted.

The system booted up fine and presented the desktop in short order. I decided to experiment a little since I was having so much fun with this and ran Windows Update again. But this time it found six critical updates that had to be downloaded and applied. Another 15 minutes and the system needed another reboot. The shutdown screen went through the “applying updates” garbage yet again, and then rebooted.

The boot process went through a “configuring updates” process that took a while, after which the system finished the boot up. I finally, an hour after I started, had a desktop in front of me ready to go to work. The problem I was then too frustrated to get much work done.

Now, I agree with Microsoft that an open system is usually better than a closed one. But one thing I can state with certainty — humorous is far better than frustrating.

I haven’t touched an iPad yet but I will bet a lot of money that once I do I’ll never have an experience like I had with Windows 7 today. I’ve never had such frustrations with my Macs, and I can’t remember the last time I rebooted my iPhone. I’ll take humorous.

UPDATE: We’ve been anxiously following Mobile Firefox for a long time. The mobile version of the web browser has also been known as Fennec for most of that time. While this mobile version of Firefox has already hit some platforms as both early alpha versions and release candidates, Android owners were understandably excited when Mozilla confirmed a version for their platform was under construction. Now it is being reported that there may not be very long to wait, as Mobile Firefox for Android may appear as soon as next month.

Mozilla is keeping mum on when the Android version may be released, but let’s hope this rumor pans out. Mobile Firefox should bring some welcome features to Android including bookmark syncing with the main Firefox and screen panning.

Mobile Firefox already has some cool features that should make mobile browsing a great experience. Take a look at this from Mozilla:

• The Awesome Bar searches your history, bookmarks and tags to go to your favorite sites instantly
• Share your Firefox preferences, history, and bookmarks between your desktop and mobile
• Add-ons to make your browser your own
• Tabs that let you browse multiple sites at once
• One-touch bookmarking to quickly organize websites

There are other mobile browsers for the different phone platforms that have some of these features, that’s not new. But hey, this is Firefox.

UPDATE: Our friends at Android Central were a bit surprised by this rumor of a February launch as we were. They asked Mozilla if this was accurate and got the kibosh put on it directly:

Android is on our mobile road map, but the German reports were a bit exaggerated. The Android version of Fennec is not yet in alpha so “on the way” is premature.

It’s a tribute to how badly folks want to get Mobile Firefox up and running when rumors like these get bandied about.

Dell has been giving hints about the upcoming handheld Android tablet, previously called the Streak, for some time. TechCrunch spotted CEO Michael Dell in the street and he pulled out what he now calls the Mini 5 and gave a very brief demo. I must say the Mini 5 is much thinner than I expected, and the 5 MP camera is a benefit. Dell stated the Mini 5 will be available in a “couple of months”, so it’s no longer a concept device but a product.

Thumbnail courtesy Brighthand

Mobile Tech Manor (MTM) is what I affectionately call my home office as it has seen more mobile tech gear pass through the doors than just about anywhere on earth. This column is where I share the events in MTM for the past week. It is my look at things from a personal POV, and there is no telling what will be covered each week. Come join me for a look at the past week.

It’s an iPad

Easily the biggest event this past week was the announcement of the Apple iPad. It’s been covered to death here and everywhere else so I’m not going to get into too much of that in this column. I do feel I should broach whether I think I see an iPad in my future, and why.

It’s practically a no-brainer to arrive at the decision that I will almost certainly be getting an iPad. Buying gadgets I don’t really need is nothing new to me, it’s practically a hobby. I can state with certainty that I don’t need an iPad because I have lots of other mobile gear in MTM. There is not any function the iPad serves that I need, but that’s not the point.

I am positive that I will get a lot of good use out of the iPad, and certainly a lot of enjoyment. That’s enough reason right there to get one. I am also certain that once I have one I will get a lot of benefit from using it. I am jumping on the web all the time in my leisure hours, for a number of reasons not the least of which is to check on this site after hours. The iPad will do that with ease, and that is worth a bunch to me.

I’ll also enjoy using the iPad as an e-reader. I already use a fair number of gadgets for reading e-books, and I sense the iPad will end up being the best of the bunch for that purpose. The 9.7-inch screen is a great size for reading e-books, and the device is thin and light enough to do so comfortably. Most importantly, it will end up being the most versatile reader as it can access all of my e-book libraries in one place. I can buy and read iBooks from Apple of course, although I don’t see doing so.

I do see reading my Kindle books on the iPad, through the Kindle for iPhone app that works so well. I expect it will work even better on that large iPad screen. I can also access my eReader/ Barnes & Noble library on the iPad via the appropriate apps. This flexibility may end up making the iPad the reader of choice for many e-book consumers as a result.

If I do get an iPad, I won’t get a 3G model for sure. I have no desire to pay extra for a lousy AT&T data connection. Most places I will end up using the iPad will have Wi-Fi available, and for those that don’t I already have (and pay for) the Verizon MiFi. When I need it I can tap into a real 3G network, not the blue one.

I will most likely pick up the 32 GB model as I think that amount of storage will be more than enough. Truth be told I can probably get by with the 16 GB model as that’s how much storage is in my old iPhone 3G. But I figure doubling the storage is worth the extra $100 so I expect I’ll do that. It’s a good thing my birthday is coming up.

Gadget stuff

That’s enough about the iPad, don’t you think? I must admit I’m getting pretty sick of the iPad bombardment this week. I can talk a bit about another tablet that I am still getting good use out of. That’s the ThinkPad x200t that Lenovo has loaned me to evaluate. I am still getting tremendous use out of the versatile convertible notebook. I would say that on an average day I use it about 70 percent of the time in slate mode, due to the great touch screen. It is wonderful to use a 12-inch touch screen, and I do it all the time.

I have been using Kindle for PC on the ThinkPad and find the large screen to make for a wonderful reading experience. The page holds even more text than a hardcover book, and I just tap the screen to turn the page. I did blog this week about a syncing problem I have with Kindle for PC on this notebook. The program uses the vaunted Whispersync technology to keep my library and reading place in sync across devices, yet sometimes I find it fails to update my bookmark on the ThinkPad. It’s not a deal breaker but an annoyance I could live without.

It’s great to write for a highly visible blog, as I was contacted in less than a day of writing about the problem by a member of the Amazon team that develops the Kindle for PC program. They are now working on isolating the problem and getting a fix out to everyone faced with the same issue. That’s outstanding support and Amazon deserves recognition for this. Hopefully there will be a beta fix that I can test soon for Amazon, so they can then get it out the door to everyone.

This week I received a cool security gadget that works with the BlackBerry Storm. I haven’t done too much with it yet but I will be testing it to give the developer feedback. It’s not available yet but will be in a few months. I’m not going to get into details about it as they made a big deal that I couldn’t mention any problems I encountered. That’s not cool so I’m not going to mention any good things about it either, or even what the product is. That’s just how I roll.

Pretty new site

I guess by this time you’ve noticed our nice new look at jkOnTheRun. It took a lot of hours of elbow grease but the results are well worth it. I’d like to thank the development team that made this redesign possible. It is everything I wanted and even more. Let me know what you think about it.

Upcoming SF trip

Next week I have a quick, two day trip to the GigaOM office in San Francisco. I enjoy these trips and look forward to seeing the entire team once again. I will be traveling light as far as mobile gear goes, given how short the trip is. I will take either the MacBook or the ThinkPad x200 and the MiFi. That’s pretty much it, and I’ll be carrying it in the CES press bag I showed earlier. Nice and light, I can’t wait. I’ll be in SF this time next week so this column may be late.

e-Books of the week

This week I had one of those delightful, rare experiences of starting a new series of novels that I find to be simply wonderful. I would never have found this series if Amazon wasn’t providing book one of the series for free for the Kindle. Yes, it turns out to be a masterful marketing ploy as I downloaded book one and quickly found out I couldn’t wait to read the rest of the series. I immediately bought the other four books so Amazon, your ploy worked and sucked me in.

The first book of the series by James Clemens is Wit’ch Fire. The story is a fantasy series that is much like Lord of the Rings, and that is not something I say lightly. The story is very engaging, the characters wonderfully constructed, and I have spent every spare moment reading. I finished Wit’ch Fire and am currently engrossed in the continuation, Wit’ch Storm. I can’t say strongly enough how much I am enjoying this story. Highly recommended if you like LOTR.

Wrap-up

That’s how the week went down at MTM. As always, I enjoyed sharing it with you and hope you found something to take away from it. Until this time next week, take care.

Image courtesy DigiTimes

Notebook maker MSI is ready to enter both the tablet and Android markets with a 10-inch touch tablet being readied for release late this year. The tablet will be based on the Nvidia Tegra processor and should hit the market for $500. The new tablet will run the Android OS and is reported to be “thin and light.” It would seem that the big iPad launch hasn’t killed the competition, at least not yet.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another Palm Press, our weekly look at the world of Palm. When Palm held its press event at the CES earlier this year it made much noise about the new games on the way. WebOS has not been known as a gaming platform and the news from Palm was certainly welcome for gamers. A classic game is here for the Palm Pre that has gamers duly excited. Assassin’s Creed is a typical RPG that looks pretty good in the screenshots on the Pre. Pixi owners should note that neither the original Pixi, nor the newer Pixi Plus, have the oomph to run the game.

Pre and Pixi owners waiting for an official Google (a goog) ersion of Google Voice for webOS can rest easier. Google has released a version of Google Voice for webOS that brings full functionality to the handsets. Note this is not an actual app that must be downloaded — it is a web site based on HTML5 that demonstrates the power of the new web technology. Just point your web browser to the mobile Google Voice site and you’ll be good to go.

Long-time Palm enthusiasts are mourning the end of an era, as Palm has shut down the old Palm OS. The company is no longer selling any Treos or Centros, focusing all effort on the current webOS. This is not surprising but it does cause one to wax nostalgic over the passing of an era.

It has been a long time (if ever) that a new product has generated such hype prior to and such analysis after its announcement as the iPad from Apple. You can’t escape the pundits doling out thoughts and impressions of the iPad, even on late night TV. Steve Jobs has done what he no doubt wanted to do, and created a product category that has lots of tongues wagging. But looking past all the hysteria and hype, who really needs one of these new iPads? My answer may surprise many — no one.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like the iPad. I can see one in my future, but then my hobby is buying gadgets I don’t really need. But it’s cool, and based on the wide range of mobile devices I have used over the years I can see it will be useful for my needs. But then I am not a typical user, and the fact is that the iPad doesn’t serve any single purpose that makes it a gadget that people need. Not want, but actually need.

There is already a big conversation all over the web with folks making the observation that the iPad won’t replace an existing device. It won’t knock the notebook or netbook out of the gear bag, it doesn’t offer any special function to kick the e-book reader to the curb, and it won’t replace a smartphone. These observations are spot on, the iPad doesn’t offer anything that makes it a must-have gadget, and that’s the issue that confronts Apple in driving the adoption of it for most people.

Steve Jobs positioned the iPad between a smartphone and a notebook, and that is an accurate assessment. It is not a device that will make it easy to create a lot of content of any kind, the notebook is better at that task. It does make content easier to consume than most smartphones, but that requires the user to have it with them when they need to consume said content. As many are now saying, they don’t see themselves carrying the bigger iPad with them all the time.

So if the iPad is not a gadget that people really need, who will benefit from having one? Just about everyone, if the truth be told. I base that on my own experience garnered having used many web tablets over the years. It’s not a benefit that is easily realized until you actually use one. Then the light bulb goes on.

Here’s a typical user scenario that fits the iPad perfectly: sitting in a chair at home, and you decide to check your email quickly. Where you previously would grab the smartphone on the table to do so, you now grab the iPad that is sitting there. In seconds, you’re able to process quite a bit of email, and as often happens that leads you to do other things. You click a link in an email, or you pop open the web browser to check on something that was referenced in an email. The enhanced web browsing experience, far better than on a small screen smartphone, leads to an extended session. This session can be either productive or entertaining, either way it’s an enjoyable one.

This is one of the big benefits that a good web tablet brings to the table (or hands). What I discovered is that I am able to do more — a heck of a lot more — with a tablet than with a smartphone. Sure my smartphone is still in my pocket, the web tablet doesn’t replace it. But it augments it beautifully, and this is where the iPad fits into the picture.

A lot of comparison is already happening since the announcement of the iPad. Many are comparing the iPad to other devices on a task by task basis, and the iPad won’t fare well with these. A slate without a keyboard will not do everything a notebook can do, nor as easily. The iPad will be a good e-book reader based on my own experience, but it may not be as good a reader as a dedicated device like the Kindle.

The key to realizing the benefits of a web tablet like the iPad lies in the sum of its offerings, not the individual capabilities. It won’t be as good a reader as the Kindle, but it will still be a good one for many. The lack of e-Ink technology is a deal breaker for some, but for me it’s a non-issue. The addition of a backlit screen that can be read in poor lighting conditions is actually a benefit over e-Ink-based readers for me.

I think that Apple has a big job ahead of them to convince the masses that the iPad can be a good addition to a gear collection. It’s only natural that prospective buyers do a comparison of the iPad with other devices as I’ve indicated, and that will make it a hard sell for some. But I do agree with Steve Jobs in one respect, once you experience the benefits of a web tablet like the iPad, you begin to see the value. And I firmly believe the value is great enough to convince millions of the worth of the iPad. It will just take some time.

I don’t want to give the impression that I think the iPad is without some serious faults. The lack of Flash in the browser is huge, and will be a total deal-breaker for many. A lot of the web is driven by Flash, not just embedded YouTube as we commonly think of when we ponder the lack of Flash. This alone can have a direct impact in the user experience of the iPad on the web, and the user experience is everything to a device like this. It’s easy to understand why the folks at Adobe are unhappy with Apple and its persistent refusal to play with Flash.

That leads me to the other fault I see with the iPad. Apple has been quick to point out how good the iPad is as an e-book reader, and from what I’ve seen it is solid enough. It’s also good to see that Apple has embraced the ePUB format for iPad content, as that is becoming the standard in the e-book world. The problem is with the DRM that Apple will no doubt use for e-book content sold through the iBookstore. Just because that content is in ePUB format, doesn’t mean that it can be used on other reader devices. Adobe is quick to point out that iPad content will not work on any other devices:

“It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple’s DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers.”

How the lack of Flash will impact the user experience with the iPad is something that will have to be seen first-hand to fully judge. I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve had a chance to play with one myself. I do see it as a major potential stumbling block for mainstream adoption of the iPad. That’s particularly annoying as it is something Apple could easily address.

The hoopla has settled down and we all get a moment to step back and think about the no longer mythical iPad. Apple has rolled out the next genre of computing device in its lineup, and it is a cross between the MacBook and the iPhone. Well, if you take the screen off the MacBook and shoved the iPhone’s guts inside then you’d get the iPad.

Kevin did a good job summarizing the specs of the iPad, which is basically a 9.7-inch iPod Touch. Or an iPhone without the phone call bits. As the prophecy foretold, the iPad uses a chipset made by Apple based on the ARM core. It runs at 1 GHz, basically the same performance we see in the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in smartphones. That should be plenty of horsepower for the iPad.

It’s too early to predict how successful Apple will be selling the iPad. It’s pricier than other solutions, and it may not be an easy sell to non-geeks. That said, Apple is going to make millions off the iPad. Hundreds of millions.

As expected, the iPad is being pitched as an e-book reader among other things, and Steve Jobs giddily announced the launch of the iBooks app. The app is standard e-book reader fare with support for the ePUB format, and it is backed by the brand spanking new iBookstore for purchasing digital books. This puts the iPad in competition with the likes of the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook, with a notable exception — Apple already has the customer base on launch day.

The most significant thing Jobs said at the iPad press event had to do with the sales numbers of the iPhone and Macs. He casually slipped in that since Apple has already sold 75 million iPhones, millions of Macs and millions of iPods, then the user base for the iPad is staggering. How staggering? He stated that Apple already has 120 million credit cards on file for the iPhone App Store and the iTunes Store. Think about that for a moment. There are already 120 million active customer accounts in the Apple online universe. Even if Apple only sells a few million iPads, those customers likely already have accounts in the store.

The iPad has three stores onboard, the App Store, iTunes and now the iBookstore. Customers can buy content with a simple tap on the iPad screen since Apple already has their credit card ready to charge. And these customers are already accustomed to buying things from the Apple store on their devices. So they can resume buying music from iTunes, apps from the app store and now books from the iBookstore. Apple is going to make a fortune off iPad customers; every single one of them. Now you understand why Jobs believes the iPad is the greatest thing he’s ever done. Apple has not launched a new product from such a position of strength before.

Related Research: “Rumored Apple Tablet: Opportunities Too Big to Ignore“

Not all of us can be physically at the big Apple event that will be starting in just a few moments. Let’s face it, that venue doesn’t look all that big. But not to worry, I am on the spot with the greatest technology ever released (so far, of course) to cover the event from all angles. Don’t believe me? Take a look:

There’s a secret in the mobile world just dying to get out, and you know what it is. The biggest smartphone show in the world will be happening in just a few weeks in Spain. That’s right, you heard it here first (most likely), the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is knocking at the door!

The MWC will see all of the major players in the phone game assemble in one very big place, all vying to show off the latest and greatest things coming off their product lines. There’s even a rumor that Windows Mobile 7 might get discussed! No, seriously, it might!

So forget about this little event today, after all it’s just one company showing off one product. The MWC will be the greatest show on earth for those in the mobile game. Honest.