Mereja

Author: Kevin C. Tofel

  • Dropbox Cloud App Headed to Android, BlackBerry Handsets

    Last year, Dropbox introduced an iPhone app to the masses for easy access to stored data in the cloud. With the software, you can snap pics with an iPhone and have the images shot up online to your Dropbox web account. In turn, that automatically synchronizes any other computers you have running Dropbox, so the pics are available there too. And that’s just one example of the software functionality — you can also share file links, download files for offline access and sync videos as well.

    Dropbox recently tipped their hand about an application for Android and BlackBerry handsets, although I missed the memo. The guys at Geek.com received the news as did other Dropbox users. Although there’s no firm date on when these two mobile platforms will see the application, Dropbox say that “more mobile magic is coming soon.”

    I wonder if the Dropbox team is attending Mobile World Congress, which kicks off on February 15? That would set the stage for a nice Android and BlackBerry coming out party, no? Of course, if the Dropbox is team is still looking for feature requests, I’d love to see the new application support music playback of files stored online. I use that functionality in the ZumoDrive application, which offers a similar service to Dropbox.

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

    Forget Synching, Let’s Put Music in the Cloud!

  • Google Sync Gains Remote Data Wipe, Admin Functions. Goodbye Exchange?

    Google just beefed up their mobile synchronization functionality for the enterprise and education markets, which removes one long-standing complaint about the service. Up to now, you couldn’t remotely wipe your handset data using Google’s tool set. This feature is a must in today’s business world and it has long been a staple of Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync platform. Google licenses Exchange ActiveSync technology and uses it with their Google Sync service. You can use it for push email and synchronization of calendar events and contacts for your phone.

    And now Google is remote data wipe features with Google Sync — lose your phone and you can wipe your personal data to protect it. Google Apps administrators can do even more, however. They can set devices to lock after configurable period of inactivity, require passwords and even ensure that those passwords are strong.

    The new Google Sync administration features work with the iPhone, Nokia E series handsets and Windows Mobile devices as well. There’s no mention of Android, but then again, Google Sync is for non-Android devices due to the native synchronization that Google builds into their mobile platform. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to hear that these same functions become supported natively in a future Android update soon. Has Google has just made it a wee bit easier for enterprises to switch from Microsoft Exchange to the far less costly suite of Google Apps?

    By the way, if you’re an iPhone and Exchange 2007 user in the enterprise and don’t use Google Sync, The Apple Blog has a how-to that might interest you. They have a step-by-step tutorial showing how to remotely wipe an iPhone using Microsoft’s Outlook Web Access service.

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

    Report: The Real-Time Enterprise

  • FastFinga for iPhone Could Add Inking to Apple’s iPad

    All the recent talk about Apple and their iPad tablet brought out the loyal Tablet PC fans. A “real” tablet, some would content, must offer inking capabilities, not to mention handwriting recognition. For those that need the feature, it’s a fair point. And as a long-time Microsoft Windows Tablet PC user, I get it. But such a feature sadly hasn’t attracted a massive audience just yet. There’s actually a few inking applications available for Apple’s iPhone and there’s even a stylus available that works with the handset’s capacitive display. You don’t need a stylus, though. All you need is $0.99 and the FastFinga application for iPhone or iPod Touch which uses the entire screen as a notepad.

    One of our readers, Jezlyn, offers up a fantastic overview of the application, which she may use for some short ink blog style posts. After using FastFinga, she says:

    “The UI is really intuitive, much more so than Note Taker. And as you can see, my handwriting is recognizable.  This app feels most natural to me. It’s so good that I may start ink blogging more regularly from the iPhone.”

    I highly recommend reading her continued thoughts because she offers some excellent background into the research she’s done. And if you need to see the app in use, this video will help.

    You’ll note that after writing each word, you have to “send” it to the application, but surely the small screen of an iPhone is part of the constraint here. And that has me looking into the future for a minute — Apple’s iPad can remove that constraint due to its larger display. Might we see a FastFinga update to expand the inking functionality for a bigger screen? Sure, it’s just a note-taker now, but there’s potential here for so much more.

    While you consider that, I’ll point out a few other features of the current iteration. Inked notes can be sent by email as an image attachment, which is handy. FastFinga can also automatically send your handwriting to the note with a configurable delay time, so you don’t have to hit a button to send it. You can swipe a word, or several words, and then use the iPhone’s cut, copy, paste feature. There doesn’t appear to be any handwriting recognition — hey, the app is only a buck — but I see Evernote integration in the app. You could gain some word recognition and indexing that way.

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

    Web Tablet Survey: Apple’s iPad Hits Right Notes

  • Touchscreen Alone on Kindle Isn’t Enough to Compete With Future Devices

    When Amazon got into the hardware business with its original Kindle, some were skeptical that the company could deliver. What does an e-tailer know about designing hardware, right? Actually, that first design had a forgettable feature or two — the long next page button, for example. But in the end, Amazon delivered and then improved. Now there’s word that Amazon has bought a touchscreen company. Logically, one might assume that the Kindle 3 will include a touchscreen to assist with page navigation and perhaps to enter notes on the display. That can’t be all to expect and if it is, I’m not sure it’s enough.

    For starters, touchscreens on e-book readers aren’t new. Sony has used one on its devices for well over a year, starting with the now discontinued PRS-700 that launched in October of 2008. As nice as having a touchscreen is, adding one didn’t make Sony the market leader in this space. While nobody seems to know the sales numbers, it’s a safe bet that Amazon already leads the pack in terms of e-book readers. The company did that — without a touchscreen — based on a wide variety of content, low prices, integrated wireless capability and ease of purchase. Will a touchscreen help? Probably, but again, I’m not sure it’s enough, so I think there has to be more in the works.

    Now more than ever, the Kindle has to do battle against other devices that can also display e-books yet do so much more. I’m not arguing that the reading experience on a traditional LCD rivals that of the Kindle for long periods of time — I use my Kindle 2 daily because I can read for hours on it. Instead, I’m arguing that if a feature is considered “good enough” for most consumers, they can live with it in a converged device. Integrated cameras in cellular phones is a good historical example. Given the choice, most folks would certainly use a higher-quality dedicated camera over a lower-resolution integrated one with lower quality optics. For basic needs, though, that integrated cell phone camera that’s always with you is often “good enough.” And I only have to look at our recent web survey to understand if e-book capabilities are appealing in a converged web tablet. Over 1,000 of you participated in the survey and a whopping 85 percent said that e-book capabilities were either important or very important.

    I don’t believe that Amazon thinks simply adding a touchscreen alone to its Kindle line will compete well with devices that are coming down the pike. The reading experience is definitely an advantage, but can it trump slates and handhelds that can do more of what people want to do on a daily basis? I’ve already personally considered selling my Kindle 2 and my iPhone in favor of an iPad for this very reason. I’m far from making up my mind on that — it’s just a passing thought that I won’t revisit until I can actually use an iPad. But it comes down to device convergence for me. I won’t accept a converged device if key features I need are less than mediocre. If they’re “good enough” and I can gain extra useful features though — that’s a different story. So I wonder what else Amazon has planned for its touchscreen startup purchase in the way of future Kindles — could they, too become web tablets with application stores?

    Of course, I’m predicating my whole thought process on Amazon adding a touchscreen to the Kindle. There’s another interesting possibility, however. I’ve noted in the past that Amazon is missing a huge opportunity with its MP3 digital music store. More than any other company I can think of, it has the pieces in place to offer digital music storage in the cloud that can be streamed and cached as needed. If i’ts been working on this concept at all in the form of a portable music player, a touchscreen interface would be a nice touch, no? And while it’s easy to say that Amazon will never get into the portable media player hardware market, how many of us truly expected the Kindle from an online retailer? How many of you ever figured that Google would be selling phones, for that matter?

    What’s your take on Amazon’s purchase of a touchscreen company? Do you think it’ll simply apply the technology to the next Kindle for e-book reading or will we see a new device with greater capabilities?

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

    Does Connectivity Have us Diverging from Convergence?

  • Firefox on Android Says Hello World!

    Now that Firefox Mobile v.1 is out the door for Maemo devices, what’s next on the mobile front for the Mozilla team? Firefox on Windows Mobile has long been in the alpha state, so it’s possible that Microsoft’s platform gets some additional attention. But then there’s that on-again, off-again buzz about Firefox on Android. And with some pegging Windows Mobile growth relatively stagnant as compared to Android’s increased adoption, might it make more sense to devote resources to Android?

    Anything’s possible of course, but today’s screenshot of Firefox on Android might be a tip off. I’m not exactly surprised by seeing an early browser version ported to Android, but I didn’t expect to see that version be a desktop version. And yet, that’s exactly what Android Central caught a glimpse of — that familiar-looking, multitab interface of the Firefox you know and love on the desktop.

    Vladimir Vukićević, a developer working on the effort, posted the screen cap on his own blog and it clearly shows a very desktop looking affair, complete with the traditional menu bar of commands. Getting a home page to load was the first step, and it doesn’t sound like there major snafus so far:

    “Mouse events sort of work, toplevel windows sort of work, keyboard doesn’t work yet but shouldn’t be hard to hook up. This is running in an emulator at the moment for ease of debugging, but it’s working just fine on physical hardware as well.

    You’ll note that this is the full Firefox interface, and not the Fennec/Firefox Mobile UI; we’re testing with the full interface because it’s significantly more complex than the mobile UI and stresses Gecko much more. So, if the full UI works, then Fennec should work fine as well. Given the interest in Android on netbook and tablet devices, an updated version of the full Firefox UI might find a home on some of these. Android has been pretty great to work with so far; it’s a bit unusual platform for us due to its Java core, but with the NDK we’re able to bridge things together without many problems.”

    Again, it’s way to early in the process to glean much about timeframes or browser capabilities, but it’s an exciting start — even if it is just a default home page. If you’re into following along on the progress, Vladimir and others on the team are posting the status of Android porting right here while Mozilla has an official Android wiki page too.

    As I saw in my first look at Firefox Mobile for Maemo, the Mozilla team is definitely trying to bridge the gab between the web on a desktop and the web on a handheld — you can sync your passwords, bookmarks and history using Weave, for example. Even better is the ability to walk from the desktop and have the same opened tabs appear on your mobile. That’s the seamless nature where this is all headed.

    But I’m not counting Google out just yet on their native browser. Many have overlooked similar synchronization features in the recent Nexus One firmware update. Multitouch support might have stolen the show, but search history and starred map items from the desktop carry over to Android now as well. Whichever “side” you pick in this browser war, I say we all win due to better choices that compete by adding usability and new features.

    Related Research: “What Does the Future Hold for Browsers?“

  • Toshiba Portégé M780 May/May Not Have Multitouch, but Definitely a Tablet PC

    In case your calendar doesn’t show it, today is touch Tablet PC day. First up was Fujitsu with its new T900 and now it’s Toshiba’s turn and the Portégé M780. My very first Tablet PC was a Toshiba M205, so I sort of have a soft spot for this new tabby. Like my old workhorse, the M780 provides a 12.1″ swivel display, but the resolution is a manageable 1280 x 800 — my machine pounded out the pixels at 1440 x 1050, if memory serves.

    But the biggest difference between old and new might be the touch support with Microsoft Windows 7 on the M780. So you get both active inking as well as touch — although Notebook Italia doesn’t mention multitouch gestures, SlashGear seems to think support for multitouch is there. It’s hard to say when Toshiba hasn’t officially offered a press release with details just yet.

    Our mobile friends in Italy do have some of the specification rundown on this semi-hefty 2-kilogram device. Inside will a choice between an Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU, up to 8 GB of RAM, a 2.5″ hard drive paired with a 3D accelerometer for drop protection, integrated optical drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, webcam, two USB ports and fingerprint sensor.

    I ran my old M205 into the ground and it really never lost a beat. If Toshiba is making the M780 anything like they used to make a Tablet PC, I’d expect this to be a solid, all-around unit. And even without multitouch, just having a dual-digitizer solution is appealing on it’s own — pending the price, of course.

    Related Research: “Is the Age of the Web Tablet Finally Upon Us?“

  • Motorola Devours Verizon’s Droid Brand With New Motoblur Phone

    I’m glad I’m not the only one that doesn’t quite get Verizon’s Droid branding for handsets. There’s nothing wrong with the name, but it’s confusing to have a single handset share the name as a line of handsets. Perhaps that’s why the next Droid in line is simply called the Motorola Devour. Or maybe we’ll see more Droids out of the robot factory — who knows? I do know that the Devour looks a little more modern and polished than the original Droid and that Motorola also included its custom Motoblur interface for fast access to social networking. The Devour is the first Verizon phone with Motoblur.

    The Devour might share styling cues from the Droid, but it falls short by comparison in a few areas. The smaller 3.1″ capacitive touchscreen is a lower 320 x 480 resolution, for example. And although updates are always possible in the future, the Devour sports Android 1.6, not 2.0 like the Droid. Other specification reductions include the 3 megapixel camera sensor and an 8 GB memory card — the Droid shoots 5 megapixels and comes with a 16 GB SD card. Also gone is the D-Pad — but that might make for a better keyboard experience since both phones are practically the same width in landscape. Verizon did include a touch sensitive navigation pad for faster movement through information.

    Neither Motorola nor Verizon have announced any pricing, but with the decreased specifications, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this come in around $99 to $149. That range would help bring a QWERTY-based Android device to the masses if $199 is too much to spend on a Droid. Motorola expects availability this quarter, so we shouldn’t have to wait long on the price point.

    It’s clear that Motorola is trying to position the integrated Motoblur interface as a competitive advantage, much like HTC does with the Sense UI. And having played with the feature, it’s not bad. But many, if not all, of the functions can be added through application widgets, so I’m not totally sold on the advantage. Of course, I don’t use a MOTOBLUR device in my daily routine, so if you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the experience.

    Related Research: “Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era“

  • How To Get Amazon Unbox Movies on a Windows Mobile Phone

    Somehow, I missed the fact that Amazon’s Video On Demand service supports mobile devices. Shame on me because I’m using the service on my computers and my HDTV. I simply never thought about taking the content with me for viewing on a handheld but Windows Mobile Thoughts got me thinking about it. In my defense, Amazon’s supported devices page only shows three devices: two from Nokia and one of the ARCHOS Internet Media Tablets. But after another click, I do see this from Amazon — “Most Plays for Sure compliant portable video players will work with the Unbox Video Player.”

    So it turns out that you can cram that content into more devices than I thought. And instead of using another third-party application to encode the media files for your handset, Simple Mobile review says you basically just need to check a box when downloading media from Amazon. In the the Amazon Unbox Player for Windows PCs, there’s an option to grab a portable video file in addition to the full-sized one. Once you have the file, it’s only a matter of hitting the Devices tab in Amazon’s software and clicking the transfer button. The media file is sent to your Windows Mobile phone with no muss or fuss.

    I don’t have a Windows Mobile device to test out the simple process, but I’m betting that some of our readers have already been toting around Amazon videos, so let us know what the content quality is like. I’d be curious to know which video file format Amazon uses, the video resolution, bit rate and such!

    Related Research: “Making Movies Mobile“

  • Are You Ready for Bluetooth 3.0 + HS? Broadcom Is.

    USB 3.0 isn’t the only new computing standard we’ll be getting used to this year. The Bluetooth spec marches forward to version 3.0 as well. Broadcom, a maker of wireless radio chipsets and other internal bits, says it’s ready for the Bluetooth 3.0 now, both from a hardware and software perspective. Broadcom’s BCM2070, BCM2075, BCM43225 and BCM4325 chips, along with the BCM94312 half mini-card Bluetooth + WLAN solution are already certified for Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, which stands for “high speed.” And the company’s BTE-Mobile 3.15.2, BTW 5.6, and BTW 6 software also meet the spec. So what are the big benefits of these advances? Broadcom sums it up:

    • 10 times the transmission speed over previous Bluetooth specifications.
    • Expanded capabilities for remote control applications featuring Unicast Connectionless Data (UCD) functionality that enables low power operation and reduced latency for CE remote control applications.
    • Enhanced powerful security capabilities with support for the new Read Encryption Key Size feature that allows Bluetooth applications to ensure an appropriate level of communications security.

    Put in simpler terms: Bluetooth 3.0 + HS brings faster, more secure wireless transactions and better power management. One of the key features is the speedier transfer rates, which can leverage 802.11n Wi-Fi for up to 24 Mbps of data throughput. That sounds eerily similar to the Bluetooth over Wi-Fi demos we saw this time last year — and in fact, the Bluetooth SIG specifically mentions “Alternate MAC/PHY,” which was the method used in last year’s demo. You shouldn’t have to wait long for the new Bluetooth features — Broadcom indicates that it’s already shipping in some PCs and smartphones.

    Related Research: “Cool, Calm and Connected: Design Principles for Connected Objects“

  • Fujitsu UH900 UMPC Lands in U.S. With $849 Pricetag

    UMPCs may not have ever truly caught on the way some of us had hoped, but Fujitsu keeps marching forward in the product category anyway. Pocketables noticed that the Fujitsu America site recently added the LifeBook UH900 to help keep the portable PC dream alive. Ah… but big dreams — and little gadgets — often tend to carry large price tags. The UH900 debuts with an MSRP of $999, but Fujitsu is already offering a deal. You can nab the little clamshell for $849 after $100 rebate and additional $50 price drop. Sweetening the deal is your choice of a free 160GB Edge DiskGo USB  hard drive or a Lexmark X2670 all-in-one printer with the purchase of a UH900.

    It still amazes me how Fujitsu can cram a 6-row keyboard in a computer that measures only 8.3″ x 4.19″ x 1.14″. But all the keys are there — I checked — although that Right Shift key near the end would drive me batty. Of course, all those keys leave no room for a trackpad, so you’re either mousing it or using the 5.6″ touchscreen with its 1280 x 800 resolution.

    The UH900 runs Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium on Intel’s Z530 Atom, which offers a 1.6 GHz clock speed. The single memory slot holds a 2 GB stick and you’ll be storing apps and data on a 62 SSD drive. Other specs include integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 2 x USB, .78 megapixel webcam and SD memory card slot. The included battery is an 1800 mAh 2-cell unit at 7.2V, which ought to offer around 2.5 hours of run-time with these low-powered internals.

  • Google Nexus One Gains Multitouch, 3G Fix, New Map Features

    Multitouch just got multi-interesting. We all knew that Google was working with HTC and T-Mobile for a fix to the pesky 3G stability issues on the Nexus One, but the update is getting a wee bit more. Actually, a whole lot more when you consider that multitouch isn’t typically supported on the Google apps in Android. It is now — or at least, it will be when I get my over-the-air update. Engadget caught the news on the official Nexus One blog run by Google. Here’s a quick hit list of the updates that are rolling out this week:

    • Google Goggles will now appear as a default app. This is the software that allows you to search by snapping pictures of objects with the camera on the Nexus One. I’ve tried it on a G1 and the results were hit or miss, but I expect improvements over time.
    • Google Maps is updated to version 3.4. Starred map items will sync between handset and computer, search suggestions from Google history appear, and there’s a new night mode in Google Navigation — the display will change automatically at night. These improvements appear to further extend a seamless experience in Google services between the desktop world and handheld world.
    • Improvements to the 3G connectivity. This is what nearly everyone’s been waiting for, so the other features are almost icing on the cake.
    • Pinch-to-zoom functionality. Google’s enabling it in their Browser, Gallery and Maps software. I’ve been living without it, but the mobile experience is generally better with multitouch, so I’m looking forward to this.

    The only question left is: why now? Why is Google choosing this moment to add multitouch? Actually, this begets even more questions. Will Apple have anything to say about it? Will other Android handsets see the same updates soon?

  • 1080p On a PineTrail Netbook? Watch and See, Says Jolicloud

    When Intel introduced its Pine Trail platform to succeed the original Atom, it was met with mixed reaction. Yes, the new CPU brings better battery life, but there’s not all that much of a performance gain. And with the integrated graphics choice, Intel-powered netbooks still struggle with some high-definition video playback.

    Brad Linder at Liliputing says Jolicloud has a solution for that in the newest version of their netbook operating system. Even better is video proof from Jolicloud, showing smooth playback of a 1080p file.

    Now this version won’t help the orignal Atom netbooks that use Intel’s GMA 950 for video, so don’t go thinking that you’ll give new video capabilities to an old netbook. And there’s still a bit of a limitation to the Jolicloud solution — 1080p media works well with nearly every MPEG-4 codec except for H.264. Still, this is great to see on the new N450 and N470 CPUs paired with the Intel GMA 3150 graphics. It means you don’t necessarily have go with other graphic options —  like adding a hardware video accelerator such as Broadcom’s solution, nor spending a little more for an Nvidia Ion device.

    I realize that many keep wondering why 1080p video is important to netbooks since the displays typically max out at 720p — or even lower on a 1024 x 600 display. The answer in my mind is compatibility with the highest common denominator. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out.

    Wouldn’t you prefer your device capable of smooth playback with a 1080p file, even at a lower resolution, than having to find a 720p version of the same file? Or worse: having to waste time re-encoding that 1080p file to something lighter for your device? Video on the web is moving towards 1080p, so for content producers, it’s far easier to create one 1080p file than to create various files of the same content in different resolutions, formats and bit rates. I think of it as a “create once, play anywhere” situation — even on the small screen of a netbook.

  • Nokia Might Have Perfect Timing With New Symbian Versions

    Multi-touch capability is fast becoming a must for many mobile device owners. It’s one of the few “nice to have” features I miss most as I seem to be migrating from iPhone to Android for my primary handset, for example. And it appears that Nokia is making strides towards adding it across their vast product platform. I haven’t seen any official press release out of Nokia, but DigiTimes is today reporting that Symbian v.3 will gain multi-touch in the third quarter of 2010. The time-frame was provided my Michael Hsu, the general manager of Nokia Taiwan.

    A full-blown Symbian release in the second half of 2010 actually jives with Nokia’s previously stated operational plans for the year. Back in December, the company set expectations with two Symbian releases planned for 2010, although at that time, details were very high level. Here’s a recap of the relevant bits from when I analyzed the plans:

    • Re-engineer the Symbian user interface — Nokia plans to deliver one major product milestone by the middle of 2010, followed by another before the end of 2010. That sounds like two hefty Symbian releases to tweak the interface.
    • Deliver the first Maemo 6-powered mobile computer, with an iconic user experience, in the second half of 2010 — If you thought the N900 is drool-worthy, I expect what follows to build upon the N900’s positives and address many of the negatives. The question may be one of app availability.

    Interestingly, Hsu also told DigiTimes that Nokia plans to skip a version 2 of Symbian and jump right to v.3. All things considered, version numbers don’t hold much weight, but perhaps Nokia is making a statement with a jump like this. If the interface and functionality are vastly different, I could imagine a marketing asset along these lines: “This new Symbian is so improved over the current that it’s an injustice to call it version 2, so we’re tagging it version 3. Really — it’s that much better!”

    Although a revamped user interface and multi-touch are welcome, the following Symbian release is worth watch out for as well. DigiTimes says version 4 is planned for late 2010 or early 2011. And while Maemo is only expected to account for 10% of Nokia sales by 2011, it too is looking at a revamp in the second half of this year, in the form of Maemo 6. Symbian version 4 is expected to see Qt cross-platform integration, which should appeal to developers and bring more software titles to Symbian, as well as Maemo, handsets. That would certainly help address the “app availability” question I posed in December.

    While Nokia has clearly been on a downward trend in the overall smartphone market of late, it did post solid market share and profit growth numbers in the last quarter of 2009, which could help reverse the trend. And if those sales numbers continue, or even grow further, during 2010, the company may be timing the Symbian and Maemo updates just right.

  • Is Real-world Fragmentation Holding Back Augmented Reality?

    Although I find Augmented Reality (AR) interesting, it’s not something I use on a daily basis. The concept actually reminds me of Twitter in its early stages — an occasional fun distraction at first, but the practical uses of it as a tool took time to develop. Today, I use Twitter daily for many purposes, so if my thought trend applies to AR, it could be that I use it, too, on a future daily basis. For now, it’s simply not as ubiquitous a platform as Twitter is and it appears to me that different players in this space are trying to create their own leading AR platform.

    Over at GigaOM, we’re sharing a visual representation of eight such platforms, which exemplifies this fragmentation, but also shows the promise of AR on a mobile device. Each of the four screens tackles a different potential usage area for AR: Navigation, Location Overlay, Geo-Informational Services and Gaming. And in each area, you’ll see that there are two providers — I’m sure additional services exist in each category, as well.

    Many of the different mobile AR services add similar, or even the same, categories of information in the form of layers. And when I think of layers, my mind immediately turns to Google Maps. One basic but very solid application becomes infinitely more valuable with the addition of informational layers — traffic, location of friends, and different views. I wouldn’t suggest that Google Maps become the end-all, be-all platform for AR layers, but it’s an application that’s already on or readily available for the hundreds of millions of mobile devices out there. Until an augmented reality service can claim the same footprint, it’s likely that each AR app will become a niche add-on and face slow adoption rates.

    Are you using any mobile AR apps on a regular basis? More importantly, how did you choose one over the other and would you prefer these AR layers bundled into a more widespread application?

    Related Research: “Mobile Augmented Reality Today and Tomorrow“

  • Dual Boot a Handset with Windows Mobile and Android

    What’s the easiest way to quell a fanboi fight between the Windows Mobile crowd and an Android army? Show ‘em a dual-boot solution for both mobile operating systems on the same handset! “Gen. Y DualBOOT” will help you do just that and I’ll give you three guesses where it came from: XDA-Developers, of course. (You can save those extra two guesses for a later date, because I know you all guessed correctly.)

    PocketNow shares the how-to steps as well as this video demo as proof of the multiple mobile concept. The ROM these folks used is specific to an HTC Touch Diamond 2, but Android seems to run buttery smooth on the TouchPro 2. There are different ROM builds for various Windows Mobile handsets, so you’ll want to shop around. Each build also has a list of what hardware bits aren’t quite working yet — watch for glitchy or non-usable cameras, GPS radios and even the cellular bits themselves.

    Ironically, I made a comment internally at GigaOm a few months back that was right in line with this approach. I said, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if Google found an easy way to offer Android builds for existing smartphones already out on the market? What would that do for their market share and also to competitors in this space?” That’s not exactly what’s going on here, of course — not by a long shot. But I still wonder how many Windows Mobile handset owners would consider a switch to Android if an official build was provided for their device. And on the flipside, would any Android folks consider switching to Windows Mobile on their device?

    Regardless of the switching aspect, this type of hack isn’t exactly for the faint of heart, so unless you’re comfortable with possibility of bricking your phone, maybe you’re better off picking a mobile OS side and staying there.

  • How Many webOS Apps Can a Million Dollars Buy?

    It’s fair to say that that webOS catalog is lagging competitors in the quantity of software titles for the Pre and Pixi handsets. But quantity isn’t everything — quality applications that enable a mobile device are far more important to me.

    When I put my Palm Pre on notice, this was one of the primary reasons for the action. Software that I wanted or needed to use on a daily basis simply didn’t exist on the webOS platform yet. Palm is increasingly making it easier for developers to jump on board, however.

    Following the Mojo SDK, Palm introduced a web-based development environment in Ares and also announced a Plug-In Development Kit at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show. Now that more tools are available, Palm’s now offering a bit of a bounty to entice development.

    The Palm Hot Apps Program is based around a $1 million prize pool to reward developers. The top prize of $100,000 goes to the developer of a free webOS app that most downloaded between today and May 31, 2010. Likewise, the top paid app downloaded over the same time period nabs $100,000. The remaining prize pool is split between the next 200 top apps within categories, with prizes ranging between $1,000 and $10,000. Qualifying software titles must be built with either the Palm webOS SDK or the Ares environment, so those cool games built with the PDK shown off at CES won’t qualify.

    So the toolsets are there and now there’s a million dollars on the line. The question is — how much will this help the webOS platform by adding more quality-driven titles to the webOS App Catalog? I’m not suggesting that current apps are lacking in quality — some are quite stellar and leverage the advantages of webOS, in fact.

    But the Pre still seems caught in that chicken-and-egg scenario, more so than any other mobile platform right now. Developers tend to focus resources on the hot platforms in order to maximize return on the investment. And without a large number of quality titles, consumers could be skewed away from webOS handsets and towards those platforms perceived as “hot.” How much impact do you think this million dollar challenge have?

    Clearly, Palm is heading in the right direction, although it hasn’t happened fast enough for some. The development platforms are maturing and the potential user-base for webOS is growing thanks to additional carrier options. Adding a financial incentive sweetens the pot even further, but will it be enough?

    Related Research: “Could Games Redeem Windows Mobile and Palm’s webOS?“

  • Foursquare Unofficially Checks In on Windows Mobile

    I admit it. Just like Om, I’m addicted to Foursquare, the location-based social service I use several times a day during my travels. It’s not easy holding down the mayorship of 23 locations, so I rely heavily on my handsets to help me out with this hefty task. ;) Officially, there’s a Foursquare client for the iPhone, Android, webOS and BlackBerry platforms, plus third-party efforts for Maemo devices. So where’s the location of a Windows Mobile app for Foursquare? So far, there is no native client from Foursquare itself, but Download Squad found a usable third-party beta called WinMoSquare.

    It might not be as pretty as the official clients, but WinMoSquare offers a solid option to the Foursquare mobile web site. Thanks to some Foursquare APIs, the software supports check-ins, adding locations and peeking in as to where your friends are. But there are some limitations, too. Namely, you can’t check the leaderboards, nor can you find or add new friends. I don’t think those are deal-breaking limits — I don’t believe I can do some of those things on the Android app; I often have to go to the mobile web site to approve friend requests, for example.

    The developer, Anand Iyer, indicates that he’s looking to add new features as Foursquare exposes more of its APIs. Once he hits v.1 with WinMoSquare, Iyer intends to submit it to the Windows Mobile Marketplace as well. You might want to “check in” there occasionally to see when the app arrives for your Windows Mobile 6.1 and up device.

  • ExoPC Breeds a Netbook with an iPad

    Does anybody else remember those old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials? You know, the ones: “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter! You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” Well, even if you never saw them, you probably get the idea. And if not, ExoPC is here with a modern day example of what happens when you meld an iPad with a Windows netbook. Yes, it’s an 8.9″ multi-touch slate complete with a black bezel to rest your thumbs.

    Engadget caught the specs on this $599 tablet: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional with a custom UI, 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB SSD, Wi-Fi, optional 3G, Bluetooth, three USB ports, 1.3 megapixel webcam and four hours on a single battery charge. Yup, there’s definitely a netbook hiding in there. The product page focuses solely on that custom interface and points out support for Adobe’s Flash not once, but twice. Think they’re trying to make a statement?

    Unlike some of the netbook-based slates, ExoPC’s wise choice of the Windows 7 Professional Edition means that there’s native support for inking. Why companies overlook this and go with Windows 7 Starter Edition — and no native ink support — on touchscreen netbooks is beyond me. It’s like selling a sports car that comes with only three wheels! Although the ExoPC product doesn’t specify, I suspect that the display is resistive, and not capacitive touch, however. And that diminishes the overall inking experience, unless there’s some excellent palm rejection software included. There’s also no mention of the device weight, but with dimensions of 25 x 16.8 x 2.1 centimeters, I’d say we’re looking at or under two pounds.

  • A First Look at Firefox for Maemo

    I think Mozilla just set a record for the fasted progression from a release candidate to a final version of software. Has anyone else done that in a two days? Mozilla did with the final release of Firefox Mobile for Maemo, which followed Release Candidate 3 of the mobile browser by 48 hours. Then again, I can’t be sure if there’s actually any difference in the RC version and the final version — when I tried to install v.1.0, the N900 told me that I already had Fennec installed. Using the Maemo Application Manager to check for updates didn’t show any new browser either. In fact, the App Manager reports the version as 1.0.0. Maybe Mozilla didn’t set a record after all. ;)

    Regardless of version semantics. Mobile Firefox is here and I’ve been using it for the past two days. In ways, it’s very similar to the native browser on the N900. That should be no surprise though — the MicroB browser runs on a Mozilla engine as well. But Mobile Firefox is more like the desktop version of Firefox. And it should be — it runs on the same Gecko rendering engine as Firefox on a full-sized computer. Mozilla’s “Trace Monkey” JavaScript engine is in there, as is support for the Weave platform.

    One of the first things I did was install the Weave plugin on the N900. Within a minute, the tabs that I had open were synched over to the phone — and I like how Mozilla implemented this feature. Instead of actually opening multiple tabs on the phone, you’re presented with a web page with links to those tabs. Some might say that Mozilla isn’t really replicating the tabs, but if they did, you might bog down your phone with a dozen tabs from a desktop. Until mobile hardware becomes more powerful, I’d rather control which tabs are opened on the phone. For some reason, my Bookmarks haven’t come over yet and I’m not sure why. I’ve verified the Weave settings, but no dice. It’s likely the issue is isolated to my Weave account and probably not widespread since it’s not in the known issues list on Mozilla’s site.

    Where are those bookmarks?

    Mozilla does make good use of limited screen real estate with this mobile version. Dragging the browser off-screen to the right exposes open tabs, a bookmarks button and a PC button for Weave.

    Open tabs, bookmarks folder and PC button

    Likewise, moving the browser off-screen to the left provides a bookmark button, navigation buttons to move forward or back and an options button that opens up a settings screen.

    Favorite, forward, back and settings buttons

    Settings and Add-Ons

    Mozilla should be commended for fitting so much on a small display. That settings screen brings you to one of the main reasons people use Firefox — add-ons. There are plenty to choose from but you’ll likely want one before others. Mozilla recommends installation of the YouTube Enabler to watch YouTube videos in the browser. And that’s a bit of bummer because the native MicroB browser supports Adobe Flash natively. Mozilla explained the issue with the release of RC3 and reiterate it in the release notes for the final version:

    “Support for plugins in Firefox for Maemo has been disabled. On most Web pages that use the Adobe Flash plugin, the performance of the plugin didn’t meet our standards, and the interactivity and performance of the entire Web page was negatively impacted. This was especially felt on pages with multiple instances of the plugin. Advanced users can enable plugins for experimentation and testing purposes only. We plan to provide a browser add-on that will enable you to selectively enable plugins on certain sites, because some sites, like YouTube, work well.”

    Flash support without a plugin is actually one the big selling features of the N900 and its native browser, because it trumps nearly every other handset out there in this area. So to not see that same support in Firefox for Maemo is a bit disappointing. However, the Mozilla team is working on it, so hopefully it arrives soon.

    Of course, the Awesome Bar works just like you’d expect. Typing in it brings up sites from your browsing history or can be used to search the web. While the Awesome Bar is indeed awesome, it’s no longer exclusive. The Android browser on my Nexus One behaves in much the same way these days, so Mozilla has lost some of its advantage there. Just like Android, Firefox for Maemo is also location aware.

    Overall, I still feel that the native MicroB browser is a little bit better of a performer, but again, it could be due to the sites that I’m hitting. But both render well, use the same double-tap to zoom in or out and are stable. If you crave Flash support, you’re better off with MicroB at this point. On the other hand, the Weave synchronization makes Firefox for Maemo more attractive if you prefer automatic bookmark, password and tab management between the desktop client and your handheld. Or you could just do what I’m doing — using both on an as needed basis!

    As far as a comparison to browsers on other platforms, Mozilla offers a bit more functionality, but it still seems a little clunkier than the browsers on Android and iPhone platforms. It’s been too long since I’ve used browsers on other mobile platforms, so I’m not going to make a comparison there. Firefox’s performance seems to lag its competitors a bit, but this is only the first version — I anticipate a more positive experience as software is optimized and hardware matures. But I’d call it more of a desktop-class browser than its mobile peers — and that’s part of what Mozilla is trying to do here. Ultimately, we all want a seamless and consistent web experience regardless of the device we use. Firefox for Maemo is the first step towards that goal.

  • Video Review of Nexus One Dock — Is It Worth $45?

    UPDATED. Google shipped my Nexus One Dock two days ago and it arrived this morning, even though I picked the free ground shipping. I’ll give them credit for the shopping experience — it was seamless and obviously the delivery was quick; on a Saturday morning, no less! The dock has a very minimal look and feel, which is good and bad. You’ll see why in the video — I’m not convinced the metal interfaces between dock and handset work consistently.

    Then there’s the price question — is it worth $45? That’s a personal decision of course, but keep in mind that the dock includes a duplicate phone charger for the phone; so you’re getting both a dock and second charger.

    And then there’s that wireless Bluetooth functionality to pipe music from the phone to external speakers that you provide. I initially wondered why Bluetooth would be used, but now I see why — without a USB interface between phone and dock, there’s no other way to get data or music between the two. About that Bluetooth — there’s a limitation that I didn’t expect.  I really like the “night mode” however — although I didn’t show it in the video, the phone displays the time in an old-school, green alarm clock color that’s not too bright.

    Update: The dock actually is capable of streaming Bluetooth audio when the phone isn’t in the dock. Thanks to Josesxi for pointing out another review demonstrating it. Perhaps there’s an issue with my phone or dock because it’s a hit or miss type of function for me.

    Google\'s Nexus One Dock Reviewed