Author: Kevin C. Tofel

Although I purchased three Samsung UMPCs in 30 months, I’m objective enough to admit that ultra mobile PCs have generally failed in the mainstream market. For specific needs of particular types of users — mobile geeks like me — the UMPC has a place. It’s a light and highly portable device running a full desktop operating system. But poor battery life, high prices and ineffective user interfaces for interaction and text entry were all obstacles to UMPC success. ARCHOS is the latest to give this market a go with their ARCHOS 9 pctablet and Steve Paine shares his experiences with the device over at UMPCPortal.

Even before I read Steve’s review, I questioned the approach taken by ARCHOS by tweeting this thought six days ago: “Riddle me this Batman: why would ARCHOS design a Windows 7 slate tablet and pair it with Starter Edition, which doesn’t support Tablet bits?” Yup, ARCHOS is offering a Microsoft-powered slate tablet without native Tablet PC support in Windows. I don’t suggest that including a higher edition of Windows would make the device a “must have,” but the decision simply makes no sense to me. As a result, ARCHOS depends on third-party on-screen keyboards, which just don’t compete to native Tablet PC integration and handwriting recognition.

And this touches upon one of those factors that held back UMPCs — input methods and UI. Everyone seems to want a portable or pocketable PC so they run everything they run on their desktop or laptop. I understand that desire, but it comes at a tradeoff that continues to get overlooked. A small device isn’t meant for a large UI and the full-featured software people want to use on a small screen is designed for larger screens, not to mention different input methods. Even Microsoft quietly admitted defeat in this area by essentially abandoning the Origami Experience software.

Based on the hardware configuration of a 1.1 GHz Intel Atom, 60 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM and 8.9″ touchscreen display at 1024 x 600 resolution, I figured ARCHOS can offer more battery life than the UMPCs of yore. That’s not case though — Steve estimates up to five hours. I was actually able to get five hours of run-time on my Samsung Q1UP with its 1.3 GHz Intel Core Solo, but the battery was hefty — I’d estimate it weighed more than the device itself. By comparison the ARCHOS 9 weighs 800 grams with the battery, so it gains a point there. But the performance suffers as a result of this setup. Steve’s benchmarks show performance numbers less than half that of my nearly two-year old UMPC.

Image Credit: UMPCPortal

Want to run Firefox on this? Be prepared to wait 10 seconds before it starts and don’t look to use more than a few tabs, says Steve. Add in poor YouTube video playback and generally no luck at all watching a WMV-HD file (which works on nearly all other netbooks of today) and you wonder about the configuration choice.

Die-hard UMPC users and people enamored by the admittedly nice-looking ARCHOS 9 hardware at around $700 probably think I’m being too harsh. Before you tell me that in the comments, read Steve’s impressions — in particular his summary. He’s as passionate about the form factor as I’ve been, yet I can’t really find one positive comment in his wrap up. The ARCHOS 9 might sell to rabid UMPC fans, but for the vast majority of folks, it simply demonstrates that nobody has got it right just yet. Could I get one and run with it as a mobile office? Sure I could — I’ve already done that time and again. But most consumers won’t want the hassle of a folding Bluetooth keyboard and sub-netbook performance for more than twice the price of a netbook. There’s just too much compromise yet to revive the UMPC market. 2010 might be the year of the tablet, but probably not the year of the UMPC.

So last month I noticed another portable device charger in the Newer Technologies NuPower Charge & Sync. I’ve been using a review unit for the past week and I’m generally impressed by this $39.95 solution. The device itself is fairly light at just over three ounces, so it’s easy to pack and carry. There a slide-out lever on the back that exposes prongs to plug the device in — that’s the method used to charge the 1400 mAh Lithium Ion battery inside. A power button ensures that you’re not leaking any energy when not in use.

Most innovative about the NuPower Charge & Sync is the support for a wide range of mobile devices, which is something I place a high value on. I’m not one to buy a single solution for one device when I can purchase a solution that works for multiple devices. The NuPower manages this through three included cables: a 30-pin iPod/iPhone connector, micro-USB and mini-USB. Each of these little cables are only eight inches long, but I find that to be a benefit. When not in use, they wrap around the battery pack in a little cutout channel, keeping the sides of the unit flush. It’s easy to swap out the cables, although I’d like to see a small carry pouch included to carry them. That small nit aside, with the cables this one charger works with my iPhone 3GS, my Palm Pre, a T-Mobile G1 and the Nokia N900 I have on loan. Due to the plastic on the connectors, I found a minor challenge using the cable with devices that have covers for their USB power ports — it took a little finagling to make this work with my Pre, for example.

This charger should work with most mobile devices using these connectors, provided that the device is compatible with the power output of the NuPower Charge & Sync. The unit’s output voltage is a fairly generic 5.1V to 5.5V and provides 650 mA through the USB cables. The Newer Technologies folks tell me that portable cameras with micro-USB or mini-USB are supported as well, but I don’t have one to test with.

When I first saw the NuPower Charge & Sync, I wondered what the “sync” part of the title meant. That’s where the USB cables come into play. The device itself is simply a battery, but the cables can be used to connect any compatible device with the USB port of a computer. So essentially, you’ve got some spare USB connections if you carry the NuPower Charge & Sync. With that kind of flexibility, I’d say this is a winner for anyone that carries multiple handsets or digital audio players.

Time for our Wednesday feature that highlights some of the latest iPhone news. Earlier this week, I read about my6sense — a free iPhone application that helps float the most relevant RSS and social network information to the top of your reading list. I imported my Google Reader feeds and after just a few days of using the software, it’s doing what it claimed to do. Think of my6sense as Pandora for information — an algorithm learns what content is most relevant to you and then surfaces the top 5 percent of that content. my6sense does take time to learn your content habits and there are five levels of “digital intuition” as it learns. The app is only at the first level on my iPhone, but I’m already gaining a benefit in what I read while on the run. Even better: you can share interesting articles with one touch to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook or via email. Louis Gray shares a tour of my6sense that explains the concept far better than I could:

Also on the near horizon is an alleged unveiling of everyone’s favorite rumor: the Apple tablet. Silicon Alley Insider seems pretty confident that a product announcement — but not a shipping product — will hit within a few weeks. The idea is to give iPhone developers a peek at a larger device running on the iPhone OS. Presumably, the devs can then adjust their code to fit a 7″ or 10″ display of such a device. If I had to stake a guess as to the resolution devs wil have to work with it would be 1280 x 720, which is quite a bit more than 480 x 320 currently supported by the iPhone hardware. Why did I pick that resolution? My gut says that such a tablet is meant for portable media playback as much as it is for software functions and the web. And 1280 x 720 is about the lowest resolution you can use to justify forking over $4.99 for a high-definition movie in the iTunes store.

Aside from a few missing tidbits to be determined, the full specifications of Google’s Nexus One are in plain sight on Engadget. I recommend you review the full listing, but here are the highlights, which were mostly leaked prior or shown on video:

• 512 MB of RAM and ROM
• 4 GB microSD card included with support for up to 32 GB of removable storage
• 3.7″ AMOLED display with WVGA resolution
• 5 megapixel camera sensor with 2x digital zoom
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi support
• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250 processor
• Removable 1400 mAh battery
• Voice supported on both AT&T and T-Mobile, but 3G is only good for T-Mo. AT&T’s network will provide EDGE.

All in all, it looks like the most powerful Android handset yet, but for all of the early hype of this being “the” Google phone, I don’t see the anticipated disruption that was predicted with enthusiasm. Unless of course, the whole story isn’t told yet. Engadget also reports a January 5, 2010 release date by invitation only. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but again, not disruptive — annoying maybe, but not disruptive.

I’m thinking that Gizmo and Google Voice are the hole cards in this poker game — and possibly Google Talk, which works just like a phone call on the Nokia N900. Google purchased VoIP provider Gizmo last month and when I log into my Google Voice account, I can already set up a Gizmo SIP number as one of my “phones.” I’ve already added a SkypeIn number as well — it works great with Google Voice. A call to my Google Voice number rings any Skype clients on my phones or the Skype client on my PC or Mac. But Google’s investment in Gizmo tells me that Skype won’t be a primary voice solution for Android. Let me turn my own hole card with this thought — do you now see why I was so interested in getting a data-only SIM card on the T-Mobile network? I’m betting on the Google Voice, Google Talk and Gizmo integration because if it comes to pass, it could be the beginning of the end for cellular voice plans.

Image Credit: Gearlog

Eric Zeman pieced together some CES 2010 meeting requests and deduced that Sprint could be introducing an LG handset that runs Windows Mobile and supports WiMAX. Eric’s a bright cookie and has his pulse on the phone market, so I’m inclined to agree with him. Last year Sprint had a big CES splash with the introduction of Palm’s Pre, and the carrier needs something big for this year’s show. It all makes sense to me — a capable smartphone that supports Sprint’s investment in Clearwire and the national 4G network. Such a phone would surely use 3G when outside of the 4G coverage area, just like the new hybrid USB adapter that Sprint is offering. Hopefully, a plan for this smartphone offers unlimited 4G usage to supplement the 5 GB cap on the 3G network. Even better would be the ability to tether the phone for use as a WiMAX modem — Windows Mobile supports such functionality, but carriers sometimes remove it.

The funny thing is — a Windows Mobile phone from LG that supports WiMAX was seen at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show. That particular model supported seamless transition between GSM and WiMAX networks, but LG stated that there’s no reason CDMA couldn’t be substituted for GSM. This actually lends even more credence to Eric’s thoughts — WiMAX is available in many more markets this year, so the timing is far better for such a device in 2010 than it was in 2009. The lack of coverage for WiMAX this year earned it a negative spot on our GigaOM Pro Mobile Winners and Losers (subscription required) but perhaps that changes next year. While a WiMAX phone might offer cutting-edge wireless technology, it’s sure to only run an older-feeling Windows Mobile 6.5 — the next release of Microsoft’s mobile platform, version 7, isn’t due out until the second half of 2010, which could spell trouble.

This year isn’t quite over, but in terms of netbooks, it’s evident what we’ll see next year — much more of the same, but with a different Intel chipset inside that offers longer battery life and a slight boost in performance. While a longer run-time benefits any mobile device, some mobile consumers might take issue with Intel’s thoughts that higher performing graphics solutions are “overkill.” Enter two different solutions that might help overcome the overkill.

NVIDIA’s ION solution debuted this year and pairs nicely with the current N270 / N280 Atom. It replaces the separate Intel graphics and offers a solid visual boost in today’s netbooks — 30 frames per second in Call of Duty 4 on a netbook offers a taste of ION’s power. But getting ION into a netbook has posed a challenge this year. Netbook makers allegedly pay more for the Atom alone than they do for the Atom and Intel graphics, which has surfaced as a potential legal issue. And with Intel placing their GMA 3150 graphics on the same chip as the new Atom N450, some have wondered if NVIDIA could still offer a solution. My gut said yes, and it turns out I was right — NVIDIA confirmed that their upcoming ION 2 will support the Intel Atom N450 in the netbooks of tomorrow. Since the ION solution is far more powerful, offering support for 1080p and full HD Flash, it could eat up the battery a bit faster than Intel’s integrated solution. That’s why I’m thinking the perfect solution might be “switchable” — users run on the integrated power-efficient graphics for most common tasks, but flip the switch to ION for a visual boost as needed for videos or games.

Broadcom is another player that entered the netbook graphics space in 2009, but took a different approach. Instead of providing a full graphics processing solution, Broadcom instead created their Crystal HD hardware graphics accelerator that works with the existing Intel integrated graphics. The solution works well for 1080p video playback with specific software as demonstrated in this video: aside from the Broadcom Crystal HD hardware, these two netbooks are basically identical.

Like NVIDIA, Broadcom is poised to gain a foothold in the netbooks of 2010. The company’s next generation Crystal HD solution is ready for OEMs to pair with the new Intel Atom and Broadcom wisely expanded how they offer the product. Tucked in the very bottom of the latest press release, Broadcom mentions that Crystal HD hardware can be installed right on the netbook motherboard, but will also be available in a PCI Express mini-card format, just like the prior hardware was. That means consumers could theoretically add a Broadcom Crystal HD module themselves in an open PCI Express slot as some have done in the past. Broadcom’s Crystal HD hardware accelerator provides software support for Adobe Flash 10.1, Microsoft Windows Media Player 12, and industry standard codecs like H.264/AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV9, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid and AVS.

If Yoda were a mobile geek, he’d say: “Begun the netbook graphics wars have!”

Since I’ve stated my desire for a Snapdragon-powered Android device for the past few months now, the Google Nexus One is definitely on my radar. But it’s not yet available, which means a current Android purchase would be for something like the HTC Hero or Motorola Droid. So just how does the Nexus One stack up in terms of size when compared with the Hero? HTC Nexus One has the goods and shows the physical difference between a Nexus One, a Hero and an Apple iPhone 3GS, just for good measure.

Even more exciting than the size comparisons is the above silent but telling video walk-through — it demonstrates the speed and fluidity of the user interface when paired with a speedy ARM processor like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. At this rate, I might as well make a 2010 prediction right now — there’s a good chance I’ll be grabbing a Nexus One next year.

In what’s sure to be a parade of new netbooks for 2010, MSI is leading the march with news of the Wind U135. Like just about every other new netbook coming soon, the U135 is built around the Intel Atom N450 at 1.66 GHz with integrated GMA 3150 graphics. Sadly, that’s about all that’s new when compared to the Wind U100 I bought nearly 15 months ago, aside from a revamped keyboard. The same 10.1″ inch display is there, as is the 1024 x 600 resolution. I realize that this display panel keeps costs down, but consumers might like the option of a higher resolution screen in 2010. The good news is that the increased power efficiency of the new Intel chipset will help with battery life while mobile. My old U100 typically lasts for five hours with the included six-cell battery — MSI claims the U135 will run for up to 7.5 hours.

The $329 price tag also includes Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition — although additional $80 will remedy that — a 250 GB hard drive, 4-in-1 memory card reader, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, 1.3 megapixel webcam and three USB ports. MSI did give the wireless capability a boost over my old netbook by adding support for 802.11n, but there’s no mention of Bluetooth in the email I received from the company. We’re sure to see the new U135 at CES and I’d expect availability soon after the show.

Both LAPTOP Magazine and Engadget have shared some hands-on reviews, so now’s your chance to get an early look. My Wind was — and still is — a workhorse, but it appears that other new netbooks are offering noticeably more battery life. And if most of these netbooks are the same in terms of specifications, I’d generally opt for the one that can stay away from an outlet longer than the others.

It’s Tuesday and that can only mean it’s time for our weekly feature, the BlackBerry Buzz. Numbers are out on the top handsets in use for the U.S. market and Research In Motion (RIM) ought to be pleased. Out of the 10 handsets most used in 2009 through October, BlackBerry devices grabbed three spots, including the second place overall according to Nielson’s data. CNet notes that Apple’s iPhone 3G took the top spot at 4.0% of all U.S. subscribers. However, due to multiple product lines, Research In Motion continues to have a greater market share overall. Bear in mind that this list is comprised of popular mobile phones, not just smartphones. In fact, other than the iPhone and the BlackBerry devices all other phones are what I’d consider to be feature phones. That’s telling — it says to me that RIM continues to transition well into the consumer space as the smartphone market continues to rise in popularity.

But one of the least popular functions of a BlackBerry might be using it to surf the web. While waiting for a WebKit browser out of the RIM acquisition of Torch Mobile, it’s clear that many BlackBerry owners use Opera for their browsing needs. Opera shared their 2009 state of the web report and in the U.S., six of the top 10 handsets that most use the Opera browser were BlackBerry devices. I doubt RIM needed affirmation of their weak browser, but it’s there in black and white. I also wonder what the impact to Opera will be when BlackBerry handsets do gain a WebKit browser — it won’t likely be good for Opera.

As the year winds down, I find myself looking back at the year in gadgets. Sure, we’ve reported on hundreds, maybe thousands of devices, applications and services, but ultimately the best ones are the ones that I purchased with my own money. Don’t get me wrong — enjoying features on the very latest devices on loan is always fun, but the real stamp of approval comes from my wallet. Here’s the best of the best that I purchased this year, in no particular order.

Apple iPhone 3GS — I bought a first generation 8GB iPhone in June of 2007, but I passed on the iPhone 3G a year later. There simply wasn’t enough of a boost in the hardware for me to upgrade in 2008 and I paid full price for the first generation handset. This year, Apple gave me enough reason to upgrade thanks to the auto-focus camera, 32 GB of storage and faster processor. Say what you will about Apple’s control — you’d be right to criticize them for it — but my iPhone 3GS is still the best smartphone I’ve ever used. The device is never out of my sight, is extremely versatile courtesy of large application library and functions like a digital Swiss Army knife in so many situations. I use it to track my exercise, to take video, read my feeds and so much more. In fact, when my computing needs are light, I use the Apple iPhone over other devices because I always try to use the lightest tool for the task.

Toshiba NB205 netbook — One Saturday night this past summer saw me and my son checking out the latest netbooks at Best Buy. It didn’t take us 10 minutes of play time before we found ourselves in the checkout line with a new netbook. While the guts were largely the same from my MSI Wind U100 –bought in 2008 for almost double the price — the compelling difference was in the battery life. The NB205 routinely lasts for eight hours of real-world use using Microsoft Windows XP. Benchmarking shows it to lose some of that advantage with Windows 7, but it’s still a device that can be used for hours with nary an outlet in sight. Other key features include the generously sized trackpad, effective chiclet-styled keyboard and a USB sleep-and-charge port.

Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR — Like my netbook, this digital SLR camera was an upgrade over a 2008 purchase. Last year, I bought the EOS Rebel XSi, but once Canon added a higher resolution sensor and high-definition video recording to the T1i, I knew I had to have it. The very first 720p recording almost impressed me more than Tyler’s speed and agility used to solve his Rubik’s Cube. I was more than happy with the 12.2 megapixel sensor on the XSi, so the bump to 15.1 megapixels on the T1i was just icing on the cake. A faster DIGIC processor on the T1i also allows for more continuous pictures in burst mode — another nice bonus.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens — It didn’t take long before I wanted a new lens for my new camera, so I picked up the “nifty fifty” in 2009. While I didn’t gain any focal length over the included 18 – 55mm lens, I did add some “speed” to my camera in terms of aperture, or the amount of light that passes through the lens. The aperture of Canon’s kit lens ranges from 3.5 to 5.6 — the higher the number the smaller the opening for light to travel into the lens. The prime 50mm lens at 1.8 is fairly wide open which offers better low light photos, the ability to use a faster shutter speed and a shallow depth-of-field which highlights the focus of an image on a very specific point. A good example is a pic I took of the HTC Touch Pro 2 — one commenter said it was the best product photo he’d seen on our site.

Amazon Kindle 2 — Very few of you know this, but I was a full-time library supervisor for five years in the early 1990’s. My childhood love for books made it a perfect workplace for me. So it should be no surprise that I bought my first e-book in 2003 for a Pocket PC device  – after that, I was hooked. I initially veered away from the original Amazon Kindle, mainly due to what I consider shoddy physical design. This year, Amazon corrected that with the Kindle 2 and I had to have it. I’ve already spent more on digital content than I did for the device itself, and like my iPhone, my Kindle goes where I go. It’s light enough to travel anywhere, offers weeks of battery life and can get new content over mobile broadband in seconds. It’s not uncommon for me to read two to three books each week with this device. And in the rare times, I don’t have it with me, I can always revert to reading on my iPhone 3GS thanks to the Kindle for iPhone software — in fact, the flexibility that software provides is what pushed me to make the Kindle 2 purchase.

Apple Magic Mouse — One of my favorite features on the MacBook I use is the multi-touch trackpad. Since purchasing the laptop in late 2008, I never wanted to use a mouse because I knew I’d lose those useful touch functions. Unfortunately, some pain in the second half of this year had me thinking that I need to find an input solution that was more ergonomic. I’ve since redesigned my workspace with a floating monitor mount and superb ergo chair, but to do things right, I have to layoff the MacBook keyboard and trackpad. Enter the Magic Mouse with support for two finger touch — with it, I haven’t lost all of the trackpad functionality I use daily. I can still have my touch gestures but can leave the trackpad behind.

There you have it — my top six gadget purchases of 2009. I’m anticipating that some will ask where the Palm Pre is on my list since I bought it the first day it became available. Just to be pre-emptive on that topic — I do like the phone and the operating system (although there’s quite a bit that needs refining), but I’m simply tired of waiting for the apps and services that I use and need on a daily basis. The lack of inclusion on my list doesn’t mean the Pre is a bad device — it’s just not meeting my personal needs, as I’ve clearly stated before.

What’s on your list of top gadget purchases in 2009?

Fellow Toshiba NB205 netbook owner Hector Gomez pinged me last night with some interesting info on a refreshed Toshiba making its way through the FCC. There’s no indication of the processor in the FCC testing documents, but at this point, it’s all but certain that the new Intel Atom N450 will power it. I can confirm that the device will have integrated 3G, or at least an option for wireless broadband. Speaking of options, owners of the new netbook will be able to use either EVDO or HSPA for the broadband service. Hector told me it appears that Toshiba is using a Qualcomm Gobi chip for communication, which supports both types of network technologies. It took me some time to find it, but a Nov. 18 filing confirms it (PDF):

“Please be advised that Qualcomm Incorporated authorizes Toshiba Corp. and Compliance Certification Services to utilize compliance data from Part 22/24 RF conducted test report of the Qualcomm model No: Gobi 2000, FCC ID: J9CGOBI2000 to demonstrate compliance for the Toshiba Netbook Computer Model No: NB300/ NB305, FCC ID: CJ6UPLL3APC.”

Although I’m not sold on the business model, this news is a good indicator that we’ll see carriers in the U.S. that will subsidize the Toshiba NB300/305 netbook. Although it’s difficult to tell from the above diagram, Hector thinks that the battery housing on the new netbook appears a bit larger than on our current devices. That could mean a battery that protrudes a little less, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m also wondering how long such a refreshed netbook will run on a single charge since the new Atom chipset uses 20 percent less power. Note that the displays use more energy than chipsets, so you can’t expect a 20 percent jump in overall battery life. But with early reviews showing solid gains in run-time, I’m hoping that a new Toshiba netbook will run for nearly 10 hours — my current one lasts for around eight with the older Atom. Thanks Hector — when are you placing your order?

One of the first videos of the Barnes & Noble Nook was Matt Miller’s and I wondered how he could tolerate the slow page refresh. Others weren’t too happy with the relatively sluggish performance and unfinished feel, but a firmware update just hit for the Nook, so it’s too early to condemn it. Once upgraded, Matt’s Nook showed some improvement, but it’s still a bit laggy for my tastes. Above you can get a good idea of the page refresh speed because Matt compares it to his Sony Reader PRS-505, as he did on day one of Nook ownership. Instead of taking twice as long as the Sony, the Nook has caught up a little — it’s still not as fast as the Sony, but it’s a noticeable improvement, thanks to version 1.1 of the firmware.

Matt also shares some details on the in-store experience and that’s where his Nook has a marked advantage over my Amazon Kindle. Aside from in-store content, Matt received a promo for a free cookie. The best I get with my Kindle in that case is five bars of EVDO — maybe Amazon will send me a cookie with the next Kindle firmware update?