Author: Kevin C. Tofel

MoTR 194 is 36 minutes long and is a 33 MB file in MP3 format.

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly.

HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matthew Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia)

TOPICS:

CES = no big wow devices, but some interesting trends
Lenovo’s U1 hybrid computer stood out from the crowd
Is now the “perfect storm” for the ARM platform?
Google Nexus One impressions from Matt and Kevin
Nokia’s Ovi Store launches for the N900

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One of the must-have attributes for many smartphone users these days is easy access to a wide range of useful software. Having that can create economies and not having it can create device deathwatches. Up to now, getting software on an evaluation Nokia N900 was a bit — Linux-y. I know that’s not really a word, but it’s the best description I can think of. In the N900 Application Manager, you have to add software repositories, just as you often do in Linux distros. Is it a challenge? No, not really, although you do need to know all the details of the repository. But it’s not something your everyday mainstream user is going to know how to do. Luckily, they might not have to know how for much longer thanks to Ovi.

Nokia launched beta access to the Ovi store on the N900 yesterday via a 21 MB firmware update. I ran the installation without a hitch and was able to browse Ovi. I thought that the storefront would be a standalone Maemo application, but in actuality, it’s simply a link that opens in the native browser. Maybe that’s a good thing because it allows Nokia to make centralized changes to the Ovi storefront on the web servers, where it will immediately be seen by all Nokia N900 users.

The software selection is more on par with that of webOS than of Android or iPhone, but there’s a few good titles available. Qik, Pixelpipe Media Uploader, Labyrinth, TuneWiki and several N900 themes jumped out at me. Navigation is fairly straightforward as the main categories include Recommended, Apps, Games, Audio & Video, and Personalization. And there’s a prominent Search feature at the top right on every screen. Being web based, the storefront is fast to navigate through. A three-star rating system helps find apps recommended by peers and app descriptions are clear and come with photos. All in all, the store is well organized, easily usable and fast to navigate. And while I don’t want to harp on the number of apps — I’m a believer in quality over quantity — the Ovi ecosystem has quite a bit of catching up to do. There are plenty of apps to try, but very few “brand name” third party titles in the store just yet. Hopefully, Nokia can court developers — either by offering gobs of money or by selling tons of handsets to capture the time, effort and attention of coders.

As someone who embraced the cloud early on, you’d think I’d be all over the news that Google is finally delivering the mythical “G-Drive.” Oh, they’re not calling it that, but soon you’ll be able to store whatever files you want within Google Docs. We all should have guessed this was coming — my first clue was when I noticed that Google is storing my synchronized bookmarks from Google Chrome in plain sight on Google Docs.

So why then am I not standing on the rooftops yelling “Huzzah!” at the top of my lungs?

On one hand, Google is beating the pants off the services I use when it comes to pricing. Google offers 1 GB for free and each GB after that is $0.25 per year. Let’s see how that compares to some of my favorite services at different levels of storage for a full year.

With its highly scalable infrastructure, Google competes very well on pricing, as expected. So that’s a clear win, but getting at and easily using the data across all of my mobile devices is a huge factor.

The other three services I use all offer a mobile client for either my iPhone, my Nexus One, or both. And if there isn’t a mobile client, it’s coming soon per each product’s website. Of course, Google could be working on a mobile client for access to this cloud data, but there was no word of that today. The clients I’m currently using aren’t basic access applications either.

Take ZumoDrive’s iPhone application for example. With it, my entire music collection can be streamed from the cloud to my handset. Essentially, even an old 4 GB iPhone could have a virtually near unlimited music collection with such a setup. The built-in music player might not be quite as good as the native iTunes application, but I’ll take a slightly inferior experience over the limitations of  fixed storage any day.

While Google’s new data storage offering will be useful to many, in its first iteration, it sounds like the real benefit will be for devices like laptops and netbooks over handsets. There’s definite value in it, but for now it appears like a place to park your data for a small fee. There’s plenty of places that already do that — and so much more for a wider range device types.

For now, I’m going to pass on the new service. I’ll likely test it out using the free 1 GB of space, but until I can easily use that data extensively on all of my devices, I’m sticking with what I use today. Ideally, I want my cloud data to act like, look like and behave like local data on everything. Of course,  if I change my mind or want some cheap basic storage, I can always make the purchase from any web connected device on the fly.

How about you? Does the new Google Docs feature appeal to you as a cloud storage service or are you going to use something else? We all have different data needs, software requirements and devices to use with the cloud, so I’m curious as to your take.

This morning I was double-checking on the Google Nexus One technical specifications and noticed the charging requirements. Per Google, the Nexus One “charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger.” It’s really no surprise that it’s going to take longer to charge from a computer over USB than from the wall. USB 2.0 is the currently used specification in most devices and it tops out at 500 mA for supplying power. Of course, USB 3.0 is on the way, so I did a little digging into how it handles power. I thought I knew everything there was to know about USB 3.0 but I didn’t. Now I do and I like where this is heading in terms of recharging mobile devices.

There are a few factors that come into play here, so let’s start with “power loads.” USB 2.0 is restricted to five loads, while USB 3.0 ups that to six. OK, so that’s a 20 percent increase in how many loads a USB port can supply, but there’s more to it. Each load in USB 2.0 is 100mA of current. Simple math confirms the 500mA power supply for today’s USB interfaces — five loads at 100mA equals the 500mA that USB 2.0 can supply a device.

The specification for USB 3.0, however raises the not only the number of loads, but the current per load as well — 150mA, which is 50 percent more per load. Combining the six loads of USB 3.0 and its higher 150mA current per load nets you 900 mA for power supply with the new specification. Consequently, the current can be spread among multiple loads with USB 3.0, so more devices can be charged at the same time.

That 900mA for USB 3.0 is nearly equivalent to the wall charger my Nexus One came with and could theoretically charge the same device in half the time when connected to a computer. At least, that’s how I’m interpreting this data — aside from the faster data throughput, I expect to see my compatible mobile devices get more power in less time thanks to USB 3.0. I’m going to review the USB 3.0 specification to see if I’m off base, so don’t hesitate to chime in on this topic while I’m reading.

We’ve seen smartphones for years but it seems that only recently is the software piece of the equation fitting into the puzzle. Useful mobile apps are surely helping drive sales of smartphones, and in turn, more smartphone sales deliver larger captive audiences to mobile app developers. While each major platform has its own store — Nokia’s N900 gained the Ovi store just today — the current granddaddy of them all is Apple’s iTunes ecosystem. I’m not suggesting it’s the best, but it arguably has the most impact on consumers and developers at the moment.

How much impact are we talking about? This awesome info-graphic at GigaOm sums it up quite nicely with numbers ranging from the average application approval time, the average app cost and a breakdown between Apple and developers of the $550 million in monthly revenues. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder everyone is trying to get in on the app economy. And what’s really mind-blowing is that this specific economy didn’t even exist for Apple until July of 2008!

During the Consumer Electronics Show, I took a bunch of pictures with the Google Nexus One handset and it performed admirably. The flash was ideal in very low light setting although after a few meters away from your subject, the value decreases quickly. But I’m already getting questions about the video capability of the device. I was going to shoot a comparison between the iPhone 3GS and the Nexus One, but my friends at NewTeeVee beat me to the punch. There you can see two videos to compare.

Their verdict? The Nexus One offers better clarity, but the iPhone 3GS handles the white balance better. I’m not surprised by the video quality, though — the Nexus One captures 720 x 480 up to 20 fps while the iPhone 3GS grabs 640 x 480 up to 30 fps. For fast-moving action, the iPhone may trump the Nexus One. But for basic scenery with little to no movement — quite common for my cats, as you’ll see — the Nexus One offers a solid experience. And just like the iPhone, I was able to upload the file directly to YouTube, although I was cautioned that “large” files can only be sent over Wi-Fi.

I don’t think the Nexus One — nor the iPhone 3GS, for that matter — will replace my higher-end cameras for planned video. However, the best camera is the one you have with you, as they say. And since I carry my phones everywhere, the Nexus One camera will get plenty of use when I least expect it — like when the cats decide to get their five minutes of daily exercise.

Note: I’ve received errors when trying to play the video back at HighQuality, so I suspect that it’s still in process at YouTube. If it doesn’t work when you view it, I recommend taking a look later. And if you’re curious about those low light pics, here are two faces you might recognize: Dave Zatz and jkk.

Just how much *is* that smartphone data worth to you? PocketMac thinks it’s priceless, and for some, that could well be true. That’s why the company offers their Recover My Smartphone service — as long as your handset powers up they can get the data from it for you. In the case of a broken screen, inadvertent water introduction or other injurious incident where you can’t pull your data, a service like this is useful. The PocketMac folks will either create a DVD of your data or they can recover the info and move it to another device for you.

But let’s get back to the original question: how much is your data worth? It had better be worth a bunch because the service fees start at $199 for basic data recovery and DVD creation. Another $50 puts data on a new device and in both cases, return shipping is included. PocketMac says that their process turns around your data within five to seven days, which is pretty speedy. It ought to go quick — the company has over 32,000 hours invested in reverse-engineering and dissecting smartphones to see what makes ‘em tick.

While the service sounds useful, it’s unlikely that I’d personally use it. “But don’t you value your smartphone data?” you ask? Of course I do — no more and no less than most of you. My situation doesn’t really warrant such a service, however. My gradual move to the cloud over the past few years essentially provides me with a native backup service. Contacts, mail, calendar events, documents, media and more are already backed up on someone’s servers and are easily pulled back down. Even applications specific to devices and platforms can be restored — the Palm Profile on the Pre, for example, keeps track of what webOS software I’ve purchased and it re-downloads the apps in the case of a restore or new device. There’s still a need for PocketMac’s Recover My Smartphone service, but less of one of those who live in the clouds.

Although it’s only been a few days with the Google Nexus One — and hectic days, at that — here’s a first look at the device along with some basic early impressions. Overall, it’s not a ground-breaking device, although it does use a hot, new processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon. I’m still getting used to the keyboard, and I’m not thrilled about how much the screen smudges. But the display is gorgeous, the camera is quite good, and I’m very impressed with the integrated voice input.

More to follow as I fly home from Vegas and get used to the new device!

In case the Nvidia press event didn’t impress you enough, we decided to get a little one-on-one time with next generation Tegra-powered devices. Bill Henry, the Director of Tegra Product Management, shows off the graphical prowess of the ICD slate in this video. If that wasn’t enough, I finagled a demo of the Unreal Engine running on a Tegra developer box.

Not only do you see the gaming potential, but also the $399 Tegra developer kit. I’d really love to hack one of them into a slate.

Just as we were leaving, Rohan Shravan — Founder and Director of Notion Ink — happened to swing by, so we jumped into a small Nvidia meeting room with a prototype Notion Ink device. This slate impressed with Android running on the new Tegra and combined with the Pixel Qi screen. You can see the non-backlit, eInk-like functionality of this display which brings the total power consumption down to 0.2 Watts. Lighting wasn’t great in the room, but the unit still performed admirably — enough that I offered to buy a unit on the spot.

All joking aside, this combination of processor and display offers a very compelling portable Android device. After the video, we discussed input methods like software keyboards. We were told to stay tuned for some innovation in that area — perhaps all will be revealed at next month’s Mobile World Conference.

So it was nearly a a year ago that I tested the Wilson Electronics iBooster with an iPhone. The product worked as advertised by boosting the signal on my handset but at $249, I felt it was bit pricey. Since the unit plugged into my car for a charge and mount, it was also a little bulky. But that was last year and this is CES week. Wouldn’t you know that Wilson Electronics addressed both of my concerns with a new product called the Sleek?

I got a chance to see the new Sleek at the show, and the name is fitting. It looks more like a standard car charging solution for a phone rather than a charging solution and signal booster. I can’t emphasize enough how much thinner and smaller it is over the iBooster — the new unit measures in at 4.25″ x 2.5″ x 2.25″. And the company says that it boosts a cell signal many more times than the old model — the Sleek is now up to 20 times more powerful than the cellular radio inside your phone. The best part? That $249 price tag is slimmer too — the new Sleek hits retail in February at an MSRP of $129. And the Sleek works with both GSM and CDMA phones that use either the 800 MHz or 1900 MHz band. In fact, the universal nature makes the product more compelling than the phone-specific iBooster line of last year. Instead of offering different models for different phones, the Sleek is universal. That means I can use it with my iPhone 3GS or my new Google Nexus One. Without specific docks, the Sleek has an extra micro USB port for handset charging.

I’ve lined up a review unit for the Sleek, so once I get back to familiar roads I’ll pop it in my car and give it a whirl.

This morning I got a chance to cover the Nokia keynote for GigaOm and the big news wasn’t about devices. Instead it was all about why Nokia continues to focus on developing nations, and I’m glad I got to see the explanation. Several mini-presentations showed me  how much technology I take from granted. We’re constantly on the lookout for the latest tech and hottest hardware with the best specifications. And yet the most basic of phones can do so much more. Perhaps not in terms of functionality, but definitely with regards to making life better. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote earlier:

“Crop monitoring, pricing, weather tracking and the sending of currency from a handset are promising types of applications for developing areas, according to Kallasvuo. Today, many of these tasks can be done with Nokia Life Tools on a basic phone costing $32 — still a large sum in developing areas, but the investment can pay dividends. Advanced apps like Nokia Tej on a basic handset allow for supply chain orders through mobile phones, removing paperwork and other obstacles in already challenged lands.”

I recommend a look at the Nokia Progress Project to see the positive impact Nokia is making. The company is clearly dedicated to “connecting people” and I see that now more than ever after today’s event. It’s commitment is now backed up by a Global Economy Venture Challenge with a one million dollar investment to the winner. Nokia is looking for an application idea that helps make life easier and provides upward mobility for people that live on less than $5 a day. As I read the details, you don’t need to be a developer (although that would likely help), so if you’ve got an idea, you might want to submit it. The whole idea is that developers can both “do good business and do good” at the same time.

Hard currency aside, I walked away from today’s keynote with a new perspective on Nokia’s global commitment. It gave me pause when I think about how so many of us focus on their declining smartphone market share. Clearly, there’s more to business than market share — making a positive impact on people’s lives is part of the success equation as well.

We reported on the Sony VAIO X before, but until now I hadn’t had a chance to fondle it. If I could look past the $1,499 price tag, I’d be intrigued simply due to the 1.5 pound weight and overall form factor. The 11.1″ display is quite brilliant and offers that nice 1366 x 768 resolution, which is perfect for the size. Battery life in the double-digit range is another plus, as is the Z550 2.0 GHz Intel Atom for everyday computing, 2 GB of RAM and 128 GB SSD, but I think Sony is charging too much of a premium for thinness on this one.

Just a quickie update from last night’s Microsoft keynote event in case you missed it. HTC’s HD2 — arguably the most potent and powerful Windows Mobile device yet — is indeed bound for U.S. shores as expected. The question answered last night was: which carrier will get it? That would be T-Mobile exclusively (at least for some length of time), which is scoring some hot devices for its sped-up network these days.

Like my Google Nexus One, which arrived today at my hotel, the HD2 rocks the 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon. And if you asked me who’s getting the buzz at this year’s CES, I’d say Qualcomm and their mobile processor are in the running — while we initially saw the platform last year, we’re now seeing the benefits of it in actual shipping products. Now that folks know what to expect, they’re all buzzing about the smartphones and smartbooks that are running on this platform.

There’s no price for the HD2 just yet, so I expect that we’ll hear more details by Mobile World Congress. And while I know nothing concrete, I have a feeling that the device will come in at a compelling and surprising price point.

Earlier today, I hit up the Nvidia press event at CES. As expected, the newest Tegra chip was announced and then demonstrated. This ARM Cortex-A9 is poised to kick the mobile market up a notch or two, based on what I saw and heard. It’s a dual-core mobile chip with eight independent processors — Nvidia says that it offers 10 times the performance of a smartphone CPU, four times over the older Tegra and only uses 500 milliwatts of power. Testing on a 5″ tablet yielded 140 hours of music playback, while the same device can play 16 hours of high-definition video on a single charge. That certainly jives with the recurring theme of convenient computing, which Nvidia defines as portability with performance.

Specs and rhetoric aside, what does it mean in real world products?

Quite a bit from what was shown — so much so, that the new Tegra platform is timed perfectly with what they company is calling “the year of the tablet.” Based on the brief demos, we should see portable slates with long battery life and potent performance. One such tablet shown was running Android faster than any smartphone or MID that I’ve ever seen. And that includes the new Nexus One, which I’ve had a chance to play with for a short while. But the real strength of Nvidia products has always been in the graphical area, so I’m on a “wait and see” mission as far as browsing, web apps and such. As far as that graphics performance, Nvidia appears to deliver — a 1080p video stream at 10 Mbps played flawlessly on a Tegra tablet. I have little doubt that such a platform will excel at media playback for hours.

Other related developments include news about Adobe. The company’s cross-platform AIR product will be supported on Tegra, which opens up more opportunities for applications and digital magazines. Adding more appeal is support for high-quality 3D graphical gaming. Today I saw the potent Unreal Engine 3 running on a Tegra demo tablet, which opened my eyes to the likelihood of serious gaming on such devices. The entire tablet demo reminded me of the promise shown in that very first Origami Project video back in 2006: gaming, browsing and media consumption.

What’s different about today as compared to 2006 that make the “year of the tablet” claim more believable? ARM processing power has matured while battery needs have stayed reasonable, for one. Operating systems other than Windows have also gained acceptance, both by consumers and developers as well. The time is simply right for the old Origami concept to arrive — I saw it today on stage and I’m looking forward to seeing again on Saturday. I have some hands-on time scheduled with Nvidia to give you a closer look at the Tegra powered products you’ll be seeing later this year.

One of my favorite features of the Palm Pre is the Touchstone that wirelessly charges the phone. Powermat joined this wireless charging revolution with some basic products last year, but is poised to do far more in 2010. At the Digital Experience mini-show, I spent time looking at where the company is heading.

The original Powermat only supported the charging of a few devices like the Apple iPod and iPhone and a few BlackBerry handsets. New this year is support for many more devices thanks to custom sleeves. But Powermat is also starting to manufacture device batteries with standard-looking covers. For example, I saw a Samsung phone that looked “stock” from Samsung. However, the back battery cover and the battery was made by Powermat, even though you couldn’t tell. So it looks like the same phone that would have a standard Samsung battery, but it can be charged through a Powermat. Very slick and a smart business move. The company is working with OEMs to offer such a solution out of the box.

The newest Powermat models look far sleeker and industrial than the originals. And there are more options. What used to be one single mat to charge up to three devices is now available in models for one, two or three devices. Powermat figures that customers might want several variations around the house, so they can simply drop their devices on the mats as they move around. And the three-device charger ($99) can now be folded up for better portability.

Most impressive to me was the new Powermat option that can actually charge a netbook. Although it requires a wired brick on the mat (see above), it looks far easier than struggling under a desk to find an outlet to plug in. Powermat expects this to work with all of the “major netbook brands.”

What a difference a year makes. I don’t recall seeing nearly as many different e-book readers at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show. At least not from mainstream, everyday brand names. But at the Digital Experience mini-show, I did stumble on a new eInk model from Samsung. The company actually has two new e-book readers — the E6 and E101 — but only the smaller E6 was on the floor.

There isn’t much to differentiate the E6 from other devices currently on the market, aside from the electromagnetic resonance stylus pen. The pen is used for handwritten notes and for navigation, although there are slide-out nave controls on the bottom of the reader. Like the Alex from Spring Design, the Samsung E6 and E101 aren’t partnered with any content providers. Instead, you have access to over 1 million books through Google. Connectivity is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and you can email PDFs of your handwritten notes. You also pick and download content over Wi-Fi. 2GB of fixed storage, two weeks of battery life and  dual speakers round out the 6″ inch E6 and 10″ E101.

A few minutes of playtime tells me that the stylus input is only marginally adequate. It felt a little slow to respond, but perhaps using the pen takes some getting used to. Aside from no content providers, one challenge for these units is the price. Samsung expects to sell them later this year at $399 and $699. Those prices aren’t compelling when the only content is Google Books for now, although that content is free. We weren’t provided a list of all of the supported content formats, but EPUB and PDF were specifically mentioned.

By the way, I just got word that the Alex from Spring Design is officially launching later today at the same $399 price as the Samsung E6. Although it doesn’t have any content partners either, it does have a very nice and responsive second display running Android. Expect to see it for sale on Feb. 22.

Dr. Sanjay Jha introduces the Motorola Backflip

The newest Motorola phone might initially look like a Cliq, but the Backflip has a new trick behind it. Literally. You can actually navigate the phone with a finger on the backside of the Motorola Backflip. Taps and double-taps are supported as is mouse-pad style navigation. In fact, the entire phone has a backwards look and feel to it because the QWERTY keypad flips in the opposite way you’d expect — the keyboard is always exposed as a result.

The display looked vivid, and the keys appear generous in size. But aside from the new navigation method, this largely looks like a modest refresh of the Cliq to me: Android 1.5, 5-megapixel camera, 528 MHz CPU, 3G, Wi-Fi and MOTOBLUR.

On a different note, Motorola’s Sanjay Jha stated that the Cliq would be updated to Android 2.1, but no time frame was provided. If that’s the case, I expect the same upgrade to apply to the Backflip. No carrier partners were announced yet, but the price-to-be-determined phone will be sold in the U.S. as well as other countries around the world before April.

While just about all of the Lenovo news is already in the wild, it’s far more fun to get a private tour of the new and updated devices. This morning we had a chunk of Lenovo’s time so we pulled out the video camera to look at the latest and greatest mobile gear: the IdeaPad U1 and the SkyLight smartbook. Have a 17 minute look-see for the details and impressions.

First up is the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid. This unique device has a detachable screen with it’s own processor, providing a small notebook and a media / web tablet. A Snapdragon runs the display part while an Intel CULV powers the main machine and the two devices can “speak” to each other. Lenovo hopes to keep the U1 cost under $1,000 and I agree with them on that aspect. Although the U1 is really two devices, it becomes far more compelling at $800 or $900 instead over a grand. So far the U1 is the most innovative computing device I’ve yet seen at the CES.

The SkyLight smartbook was next and it’s a thin, light device with a very usable keyboard. Like the tablet portion of the U1, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor powers the unit and it runs a custom version of Linux. Unlike the U1, the 10.1″ display isn’t a touchscreen. You’ll see that the environment has a widget look and feel and although it’s not a performance powerhouse, the device runs admirably on the guts of a high-end smartphone.

Although we didn’t capture it on video, we also played with the Lenovo S12-3 and S12-3T netbooks. The multi-touch capacitive display on the S12-3T was very nice to tap around on, but of course, capacitive means no inking without some special stylus solution.

I really thought that AT&T would bring Android MIDs –– with Dell’s help — to the network, but I was wrong. Instead, AT&T will see no less than five Android voice handsets arrive by the end of June, although the Dell MID I expected is a full-fledged smartphone.

This morning the carrier made the announcement, along with some other updates. Motorola will provide a MOTOBLUR device in 2010, while an exclusive handset from HTC will also appear. Qualcomm’s BREW isn’t dying the slow, painful death I thought it might — it has new life in the “mid-range Quick Messaging Devices” that make up around 30% of handset sales for AT&T. BREW is getting standardized with a new SDK to help developers create apps more efficiently.

Like the T-Mobile news of yesterday, AT&T is plowing along with their own 7.2 Mbps HSPA network upgrades. In fact, the plans have accelerated with on software and backhaul improvement in six cities: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. AT&T expects 25 of the top 30 markets to join in by mid-year.

Not mentioned at the press event but related: Lenovo showed us their first smartbook — the SkyLight — and said that they expect the device to be sold with AT&T service. We’ll have a video of this device up shortly.