Author: Kevin C. Tofel

Toshiba kindly sent not one, but two evaluation notebooks and today I’m sharing a short video look at the Satellite U505. This 13.3″ device runs $799 as configured and is powered by Intel Core i3 platform. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium is included as is 4 GB of DDR3 memory and a 500 GB hard drive. Toshiba offers a nice complement of ports ranging from ExpressCard above the audio jack to a combo eSATA/USB interface, plus a Sleep-and-Charge function for external devices.

I find the multitouch trackpad to be a little small for my taste initially, but perhaps I’ll feel differently after using it for a few days. From a personal preference standpoint, I like the wireless radio switch. More to follow as I put the U505 through the paces, and stay tuned for an overview of the other evaluation notebook too.

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

TOPICS:

• Welcome to the first live MoTR podcast!
• iPad mania arrives — who bought what and why?
• Impressions of the Viliv S10 Blade netbook with resistive multitouch
• Thoughts on the Dell Mini 5 / Streak
• Should AT&T (s t) be limiting Android in the Motorola BackFlip and what does it mean?

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Like many others, I waited for Apple’s online store to open this morning. It’s iPad pre-order day, in case you missed it, and I purchased two. The 32 GB model is for my own use and review purposes, while my wife and stepdaughter will share a 16 GB version. Both devices are Wi-Fi models: We have Wi-Fi here at home and I pay for a Boingo Wi-Fi account, plus a 3G MiFi device to use on the road. With the MiFi, I can share 3G with multiple iPads, netbooks and notebooks over Wi-Fi.

While many folks are ordering, some are indecisive on the connectivity options because they’re unsure of how the 3G service is going to work. Typically a 3G plan requires a long-term commitment, but not so with the iPad. Now that Apple has laid out the details of the 3G service, they’re worth closer inspection. From what I can see, this is mobile broadband done right.

Right off the bat, you won’t need to sign up for a 2-year contract to use 3G on the iPad. That’s a huge selling point right there — in fact, I expect many to splurge the extra $130 for the 3G option. Why not plan ahead and pay for the ability to use 3G on an as-needed basis? Again, I’m totally covered with my other plans and devices, but if I weren’t, I would have gone with the 3G option. Contract-free is generally more favorable than a lock-in. Mobile technology is changing far too fast for the standard 2-year contracts. It’s for this reason that I paid full price for my Google Nexus One handset: I have the freedom to change phones — and service providers — whenever I want to.

Monthly pricing

The iPad’s 3G monthly plan pricing is another draw. Through AT&T, you can opt for a 250 MB plan at $14.99 or unlimited data usage for $29.99. While it’s not a true apples-to-apples comparison, these same plans for a laptop 3G data connection are currently $35 for 200 MB and $60 for 5 GB  through AT&T. The unlimited smartphone data plan — like the one used for Apple’s iPhone — is the same $29.99 as for the iPad.

But some may only need 250 MB per month, so saving $10 $15 is a nice option and one that’s not available with today’s smartphones. On a related note, we’re running a poll on how much 3G throughput folks are using with their smartphones. As of this writing, 26 percent of the respondents use 200 MB or less, so it’s possible that 250 MB could be enough. On the other hand, smartphone data usage is typically less than on other devices due to the smaller display and “bite-sized chunks” of web usage. With its larger display, the iPad could be used more than a smartphone, with a usage pattern more akin to a data-hungry notebook. And here’s where Apple is doing mobile broadband smartly.

Turn it on or off with metered mobile broadband

The 3G service can be activated or canceled right on the device. No need to find an AT&T store, hit an Apple retail location or make any phone calls — you simply make the transaction on the device. Not only that, but Apple includes a metering system so you know how much data you’ve used during the service month. That’s handy for those trying to stay under that 250 MB limit. And there’s no need to keep checking how much data you’ve used on the iPad — the device will alert you when you approach 20 percent, 10 percent or zero of the 250 MB plan. Each alert allows you to bump up to the unlimited plan or kick off another month of 250 MB service. That could get dicey if you play the 250 MB game  – eating through that data in two weeks, for example and grabbing another 250 MB essentially cuts your first month short in terms of time, i.e.: you would have been better off with the unlimited plan at the same price. Regardless, the approach provides options and looks easy to manage right on the device.

No service change fees?

It’s still unclear if AT&T will charge any fees to change or cancel the plan. Apple doesn’t mention this on the iPad product page, but it’s standard for AT&T to charge a fee around $36 to activate a 3G device. I don’t think it’s going to apply here, though. For starters, I’d like to think that Apple would outline that in the details and there’s no mention of it. And that type of fee would add a usage barrier that I wouldn’t want to see if I were Apple. We’ll know for sure next month when the first iPad 3G models hit, but I don’t expect to see any type of charge for 3G service changes. It would defeat the entire “breakthrough deal with AT&T” that Apple negotiated for the iPad and mar this mobile-broadband-done-right approach.

Images courtesy of Apple

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

Hot Topic: Apple’s iPad

Thanks to an Amazon store credit, I decided to upgrade my Google Nexus One. The Android handset includes a 4GB microSD memory card, but I want to carry more more media on the device. I ended up purchasing a Class 6 microSD card with 16 GB of storage capacity and it arrived yesterday. Last night, I sat down to swap the memory cards when I realized how little I actually connect the phone to a computer — in other words, my data is out of sync between devices.

So some of my music is on my phone, while most is on a computer. And in cases where I bought music right from the phone, that music is only on the phone and not in my centralized music repository. The same holds true with videos and photos that I’ve taken on the Nexus One — most of that media is only on the phone. If I wanted to share any of those pics, I’ve already done so through Facebook, Flickr or Twitter. But I don’t want to lose any of this information and it’s all on the 4 GB microSD card. I could simply copy the entire contents of the 4 GB card to a computer and copy it all back to the 16 GB card, but I really only want my media files.

There are many ways to resolve this issue and it’s common to a theme I keep hearing — new smartphone users with an Android device don’t always know how to get media to or from their phone. It’s actually quite easy to do and doesn’t even require any software, but going the native route could be tricky — if you mount or connect the phone and use a file explorer application, you’ll likely see far more information than you need to. That’s why I fired up doubleTwist in this situation — it’s free, it works great and it’s what I’m already using to manage music with my Android device. Here’s how to migrate media files from an old microSD card to a new one:

1. First, you’ll need a copy of doubleTwist installed on your Mac or Windows computer. That’s easy enough to find right here.
2. Once doubleTwist is installed and running, just connect your Android phone to the computer with the USB cable that came with the phone.
3. DoubleTwist helps you “mount” your phone, which is a fancy way of saying that your computer has access to the microSD card. Here’s the dialog box that walks you though the simple process with an Android device.
   
4. Once the phone is mounted, you’ll see it in the left side of doubleTwist under Devices and under the device, you’ll see clickable options for Music, Videos and Movies. Tap any of these options and doubleTwist will read the microSD card in your phone. The results will show you exactly what media files are on the old microSD card. Here are some screen shots of pictures and a video that reside on the old microSD card and not on my computer — if I simply swap memory cards, I won’t have these on my phone any longer.
   
   
5. So here’s where doubleTwist really helps — the software doesn’t just get media from a computer to your phone; it also can move media from your phone to a computer. I’ll walk through the steps for music to illustrate, as the process is essentially the same for each media type.
6. Here I’ve searched for the latest Patty Griffin album I bought directly on my phone with the Amazon MP3 application. I have the album on the old 4 GB microSD card, but not on my computer.
   
   I simply selected all of the songs and dragged them to the Music icon under Library, which represents the computer’s music library. doubleTwist copies the music files from the microSD card right to the computer. Note that they’re not deleted from the old microSD card — they’re simply copied over to my main music library on a computer. And they actually won’t appear in your computer’s iTunes library either — instead, when you click the Music icon under Library, you’ll see a doubletTwist folder within the music sources, like this:
   Yup, it sounds confusing, but in reality, it’s not so bad. The program has simply copied music from the phone to a folder on the computer. You need the music on the computer so you can move it back to the phone once it contains the new microSD card.
7. The same process applies to Photos or Movies taken with an Android device. Just tap Photos under your device name to see the pictures you’ve captured using your phone’s camera. Drag any or all of them to the Photos section under the Library and doubleTwist will copy the images to your computer. Repeat the process for any videos using the Movies icons.
8. Once you’ve moved all music, image and video files from the phone to the computer, you can physically swap the microSD cards. First, you’ll need to un-mount your phone — simply click the little eject icon next to the name of your phone in doubleTwist to start the process. Once you’ve done that step, the process is finished on your Android phone. Pull down the status bar and tap the option to “Turn off USB storage.”  Android will prompt you to confirm — simply tap “Turn Off” and you can then unplug your handset from the computer.
9. At this point, you have a computer copy of the media currently on your microSD card. Now you can physically swap the current memory card with the new one. In my case, with the Nexus One, I powered down the phone and removed the back cover. I removed the battery and then pulled out the 4 GB memory card that came with the phone. The new 16 GB card went in, as did the battery. I then replaced the phone cover and powered up the handset with the new, blank memory card inside.
10. Once my phone restarted, I received a warning that the memory card was unformatted. If you see the same, simply go to Settings, SD Card & Phone Storage from the main screen. Note that this exact menu option could vary based on your phone’s version of Android. You should see an option to Format the SD card — if it’s not an available option, just tap the Unmount SD Card item first. Then follow the prompts to format the new card and once Android completes the formatting, you’re ready to move media over to the new card.
11. To get media back, just plug the phone back into your computer, hit up the doubleTwist app again and follow the mounting instructions on your phone. This time, you’ll be dragging media files from the Library to your device. Or if  you want to keep it simple from a music perspective, just click your device name in doubleTwist and configure the application to either sync all of your music or just your selected playlists of tunes.
    
    Now that I have four times the storage capacity, I did exactly that and then transferred back the photos and video I wanted on my handset.

Again, there are plenty of ways to migrate data from one memory card to another. And if I was already synchronizing my phone with a computer on a regular basis, I wouldn’t have to manually move the files back and forth. But the approach I’ve outlined focuses on the occasional or lack of media sync activities and leverages a free piece of useful software that I’m already using to manage my music library. iTunes is a great solution for many people in that regard, but it can only be used with Apple products. DoubleTwist works with hundreds of phones, so I’ve adopted it for my media management. Here’s a short video showing the basics offered by doubleTwist.

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

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

Step right up and welcome to “Photo or ‘Shopped?” In this first installment, you get to decide if UMPC Fever actually has legitimate photos of an iPhone 4G handset or if these are some type of image rendering. There’s no wrong answer — at least not until Apple actually announces a new iPhone handset — and participation is free! The prize pool is generally non-existent though, so you’re playing for pride and bragging rights.

From my perspective, the device in question looks like what I’d expect in a fourth-generation iPhone — a larger display but possibly a thinner handset. And the different colors like orange and green wouldn’t even surprise me. Apple went with multiple colors for the iPod, Nano line for example, and for some, color is a feature. The packaging in question looks very Apple-esque as well, so part of me says this could be the real deal. If Apple holds true to a June or July model revamp, they’ll have to start producing them a months in advance.

But then there’s the funky dock, which causes me to cringe. It looks like a bad mashup between a rocking chair and USB cable with a 30-ping connector. Granted, this could just be a third-party solution since it’s not going to fit in the iPhone box, but showing it at all loses street cred for this montage.

How about it, folks: photo or ’shopped?

Image courtesy of UMPC Fever and digital.xy

Here’s something you’re not likely to see in the iTunes App Store: the Opera Mini 5 browser. Opera demonstrated the software on the iPhone at Mobile World Congress, but odds are slim to none that Apple will allow the application in its store. Google’s Android Market, however, is a different story — case in point: Opera Mini 5 is available today for Android devices. The beta application is free to download, which I did just this morning on my Google Nexus One.

My initial thoughts: It’s a solid beta effort and if you’re a fan of the Opera browser, I’d definitely grab it. All of the value-add features, like Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, and password management are in there. However, the real benefit I see is with the experiment I’m currently running. Last week I asked readers how much 3G data you’re using on a smartphone. My own answer was lower than I thought, mainly because of my use of Wi-Fi. Since that time, I haven’t used the Wi-Fi radio on my Android handset.

Thanks to the Opera Mini approach of compressing web data on the Opera servers and sending an optimized stream of bits, I see a noticeable speed benefit when browsing on a 3G signal. Not every web site opens faster, but most do with Opera Mini 5 as compared to the native Android browser when using 3G. The New York Times home page is a prime example — Opera Mini rendered it in around 7 seconds, while Android’s browser took 12 seconds.

So if the browser is faster in some cases, why wouldn’t you use it? I’m finding that the font rendering isn’t quite as good in Opera Mini, nor is the text reflow. Android’s browser also offers finer control over the zoom level from what I can see. The visual experience is more like one from a slightly older smartphone or a super new feature phone — not a cutting-edge Android device. Still, it’s good effort for a beta and you’ve got nothing to lose since the download is free. And if speed or 3G throughput is a concern, you just might turn to Opera Mini for your web consumption needs. I plan to leave the browser installed on my handset and get some more day-to-day usage. Besides, it’s always nice to have options, no?

Image courtesy of Opera

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

What Does the Future Hold for Browsers?

ComScore today released research on the U.S. smartphone market and if you follow the market, you won’t see any surprises. Research In Motion, Apple and Google are still on the upswing, while Microsoft and Palm market share is down in the October 2009 to January 2010 time frame. ComScore points out the numeric market share change, but as I said last month when Gartner reported similar data for the past year, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. For example, the comScore data shows Microsoft losing 4 points of market share while Palm only lost 2.1 points. Based on that, it’s logical to assume that Microsoft is doing “worse” than Palm. I don’t believe that’s the case and here’s why: the percentage loss between the two time periods is an accurate representation of the rate of loss. In that situation, Microsoft lost 20.3% of the market it held in October, but Palm lost 26.92% of the share it had. The rage of change — either positive or negative — shows the momentum a platform has, or doesn’t. In other words — Palm is losing more of what it had than Microsoft.

So if there aren’t any surprises, why bother to share the data? Here’s a key reason — the rates of change coincide quite nicely with the worldwide Gartner numbers from last month. More information from multiple sources corroborates the trends and that’s important since sources measure in different ways. One major difference in the two reports highlights the U.S. vs worldwide market variability — Gartner rightly includes Symbian in their numbers, while ComScore doesn’t. Symbian should be included, no matter how small a share it has in the U.S., in my opinion. And this is also the first report I’ve seen that pegs Google’s market share above that of Palm’s in the smartphone market.

Aside from those points, it’s striking to see the similarities in the rate of change between Gartner’s numbers and the ComScore data. Here’s the percentage change from Gartner to refresh you memory.

Both show that Google’s Android is growing at a far faster clip than any other platform right now. And the pair of data points both indicate a continuing decline for Microsoft and Palm. Two sets of independent data don’t confirm anything specific of course, but they verify the platform shift rippling through the smartphone market.

What’s the rest of 2010 look like?

I fully expect these trends to continue with little difference through the end of 2010. Apple will likely speed up its growth rate with a new handset model this summer. Research In Motion will continue modest gains — bigger ones if it can mature its operating system and add a WebKit browser this year. Android’s momentum is likely to continue as more handset makers latch on to the platform and additional carriers pick it up. Microsoft will keep losing ground in 2010, but is poised for gains next year with the new Windows Phone 7 Series devices. And Palm appears to be treading water as people wait to see how webOS continue to mature and if it comes to new hardware.

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

• 10 Mobile Predictions for 2010
• Company Profile: Apple (free)
• Company Profile: Google (free)
• Company Profile: Microsoft (free)
• Company Profile: Palm (free)
• Company Profile: Research In Motion (free)

Way back in 2005, James shared information on Synergy, an incredible software tool for using multiple computers at the same time. Using a single mouse and keyboard, you can work across different monitors and operating systems as if they were all one integrated system. It’s truly an amazing experience that boost productivity — especially for folks like me that have several notebooks, netbooks, UMPCs and other computers in the office. Download Squad notes that after a few years of stagnation, the Synergy project is alive and well again with a new maintenance fork called Synergy+ that arrived last summer.

Synergy+ supports Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux machines — there are installs available for all three platforms. Once installed, the app runs as a server and you configure it for your specific setup. For example: you may have two Windows setups side-by-side and a Mac OS X notebook to the right, all on the same network. Simply tell Synergy what machines are where and your mouse will float among the systems as if they were one. It doesn’t stop there however. You’re actually able to use any or all of the machines via single mouse and keyboard as if they were the only system you had. And if you really want to go crazy, you can even cut and paste data between the various systems using Synergy+.

At the moment, I’m keeping things simple with just a single computer on my home office desk. But back in the day, I used the original Synergy software with several machines on a daily basis. It’s a super tool for those that need a multi-computer solution. You could use a hardware KVM — or Keyboard Video Mouse switch — but it’s not quite the same. While a KVM solution leverages one keyboard and mouse across multiple computers, it only allows control of one system. That’s the key difference, since Synergy+ supports usage of multiple computers at the same time. Users of multiple Windows devices might consider the commercially available Multiplicity — the product is similar to Synergy+ but doesn’t yet offer cross-platform support.

So what’s going on with that old Synergy project, you ask? After all, Synergy+ is built from the original efforts created by Chris Schoeneman. Based on an update from Chris, he still intends to mature the open source project by adding new features and a security boost with SSL encryption. Unfortunately, the most recent update on Synergy 2.0 I could find is from 2008, so who knows if and when progress will continue. For now, I’m simply happy that others have taken up the charge for multi-computer control with Synergy+.

We already know that Dell’s Mini 5 handheld runs the Google Android operating system. We’ve seen the custom interface and lovely 800 x 480 resolution of the 5″ display. And based on FCC testing, it’s a safe bet that the device will support AT&T’s network when it lands later this year. But far more exciting is the internal Dell promotional documents that Engadget posted today. Oh, there’s nothing new in the way of specifications or hardware details — unless different device colors are your thing. There’s news of some software that has me more jazzed. According to the promo bits, the Mini 5 (aka: Streak) will offer several Amazon services. The Amazon MP3 store was to be expected since that’s already on several Android devices. Amazon Video on Demand and an Amazon Kindle app are new and just what the doctor ordered.

Amazon’s video streaming service already supports some mobile devices, but this is the first mention of Android. It’s not yet clear if video will be streamed over the web to the Dell device — which would be nice — or if you’ll just transfer video files to the handheld for local viewing. The latter solution is offered today and I’m guessing that’s the likely scenario here. Then again, Amazon may have integrated some type of variable rate streaming solution that adapts to the wireless throughput available while watching a movie. Either that or perhaps the streaming solution would be limited to Wi-Fi connections only. I’m still thinking it’s just local playback, but we’ll have to see.

An Amazon Kindle app for the Mini 5 doesn’t leave much in the way of guessing though. If true, it means that Amazon is ready to bring its digital bookstore and content to the Android platform. That’s long overdue in the eyes of many and may put to rest the question of why there’s no Kindle app for Android devices. Amazon simply can’t afford to ignore Android and the momentum it has. Every device that has a Kindle app is another revenue opportunity for Amazon to sell more content — with Android’s market share rising at a faster rate than any other mobile platform, why wouldn’t you want to support it? If this pans out, a Kindle for Android title would join Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platforms for mobile e-book reading.

Image courtesy of Engadget

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

The Price of E-Book Progress

Google’s Nexus One isn’t just a hot new Android phone — it’s an experiment. Here in the U.S., the traditional cellular model is one of subsidized hardware and handsets locked to particular carrier networks. We’ve seen unlocked phones and direct sales tried by some, such as Nokia, but by and large, that’s the exception, not the rule. So Google is trying it with direct online web sales for the Nexus One, and the first iteration is unlocked for use on either AT&T’s or T-Mobile’s network. The device isn’t in either of those carrier’s stores, but the Boy Genius Report alleges that it could be sold in Verizon Wireless retail stores. Some internal email evidence passed to BGR reportedly indicates Verizon store representatives have been receiving Nexus One handset training in support of in-store sales. So will the Nexus One be available in Verizon retail stores, as many are hoping?

I don’t think so because it doesn’t fit the current Google handset model. The number of Nexus One handsets expected to move this year was recently revised downward, so could Google modify its sales strategy and have Verizon directly sell the device? It could, but it’s not likely. Besides, a million phones is a pretty solid start for an entirely new sales and support model. Google is trying to shake up the industry — first with its Android operating system and now with direct sales — so giving in now to the traditional cellular market approach would lessen the impact of that shake-up.

Opinions aside, more telling is an email conversation I had late last week with a Verizon Wireless spokesperson. I was asking about the Apple lawsuit against HTC, wondering if that could stall plans to sell the Verizon version of Google’s Nexus One — the handset is built by HTC and specifically mentioned in the suit. I understandably didn’t get a response on that front because the company doesn’t comment on lawsuits between other entities. But I also asked about the rumored March 23 release date for the Nexus One on Verizon’s network — Google specifically shows “Spring 2010″ availability on the Nexus One product page — the response to which sheds light on the type of relationship Google has with Verizon with respect to the Nexus One:

“[W]e have never said that we were going to sell the Nexus One.  What was said was the phone was to work on the Verizon Wireless network.  That is very different from saying we were going to sell the phone in our stores.”

The spokesperson also said:

“You would have to contact Google for anything associated with the device.  We have a number of wholesale customers — it is an important part of our business but that doesn’t mean we speak for them or their products.   It would be inappropriate for me to discuss a phone that we’re not selling.”

Although it’s not a direct confirmation of who will actually sell the phone, it sounds pretty clear to me — Google will be directly selling the Nexus One for use on the Verizon Network as a wholesale partner. That fits with the sales model that Google started and while the Boy Genius Report could be right, I just don’t see why Google would change it now.

I do believe that the model’s biggest weakness is the lack of in-store devices, however. For a tech enthusiast like myself, it wasn’t a problem to purchase a Nexus One sight unseen. But mainstream consumers understandably want to look at, play with and handle hardware before investing in a new purchase. Fewer devices are more personal than a phone — for most, it’s the one device you’re likely to always have with you. So making such a personal purchase based on reviews and a web page is a tough sell.

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

• Google’s Mobile Strategy: Understanding the Nexus One
• Company Profile: Google (free)
• Company Profile: Verizon Wireless (free)

Every day for nearly a year now, I’ve used the same device and it’s not a phone. It’s my Amazon Kindle 2. Handsets have come and gone, but without fail, I read at least one chapter a day — usually many more — on the device. But there’s one thing I don’t do. I’m not browsing on the Kindle, which is a shame when you factor in the integrated mobile broadband connectivity. I’m paying $60 each month for the same type of connection for use with my netbooks, notebooks and other devices, but I can’t really take advantage of the free 3G pipe the Kindle offers. The browser is just too painful to use for more than a few minutes.

There’s hope for future improvements, though. Webmonkey reports that Amazon is advertising a developer role for its Labs126 group — the folks that develop the Kindle:

“The role at Lab126 includes designing new features for a new browser while supporting the existing code. Job requirements include familiarity with current web standards and web rendering engines, as well as experience with Java and embedded Linux, both of which the Kindle runs.”

It’s a safe bet that either someone at Amazon is going to build a better browser for its Kindle device or the company is planning for a revised or different device entirely. But browser code is only part of the equation here — two more pieces to the puzzle come into play and both limit the web capabilities of Amazon’s Kindle devices.

First there’s the e-Ink display. For reading basic content like text, it’s arguably quite good. There’s no way I’d be using my Kindle daily if it was difficult to read content. Pictures even look acceptable, although they’re limited by the 600 x 800 display resolution and 16 shades of gray. The bigger issue is the rate of refresh, or how long it take for the screen to render a full page of information. With basic text, like that in a book, it’s just fast enough but nowhere near as fast as hitting page down on a computer, for example. When dealing with web content, it can be an exercise in frustration due to the various content types on a single web page. That issue could be addressed with a beefier browser, but it’s always going to be a challenge — web complexities aren’t going away any time soon.

The other issue is also hardware related — the processor inside the Kindle itself. An iFixit teardown of the Kindle 2 reports that the CPU is Freescale’s MCIMX31 532 MHz ARM-11 processor —  a chip that doesn’t include a graphics processor. It’s great for the primary features of an e-book device, but could struggle with today’s visual web. Pairing it with the eInk display isn’t likely to make for a positive web experience. Helping the Freescale CPU in the Kindle is a display controller from Epson, but again, these components driving a slowly refreshing display can only do so much. Put another way — a YouTube video looks smooth at 15 frames or more per second. Try that video on an eInk display measured in the opposite way  – seconds per refresh — and it would look like a poor slide show.

Could a code-optimized browser bring a better web experience to Amazon’s Kindle? Sure it could. But will that experience compare to the various other tablets and slates that are due out this year? Not likely and that’s why a better browser would be nice on the Kindle, but it won’t make the device competitive against others that can do so much more. For e-book reading, it’s top notch — for anything more than basic slow browsing, it’s lacking. Given the hardware limitations, the browser can improve, but not enough to help Amazon fight the onslaught of new tablets this year.

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

• The Price of E-Book Progress
• Company Profile: Amazon (free)
• Company Profile: ARM (free)

Looking to get your slate fix on but don’t want to watch the first iPad television commercial on Apple’s web site or your DVR? HP is happy to oblige with two new videos showing off the HP Slate that was first introduced by Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show. Both vids are worth a look in order to get a feel for the device thickness, ports and such, but they also show the custom user interface on top of Windows 7 — can you say Origami Experience, part III? — as well as some applications.

The first video is more promotional than anything else, but for me it does raises the following question: Will the device be this peppy in terms of performance? My concern is that it won’t, but that’s purely speculative on my part. Well, maybe not “purely” speculative — I’m basing the thought on several years of UMPC ownership as well as on the performance of today’s netbooks.

Why compare the HP Slate to a netbook of today? While there’s no official announcement on what’s powering the HP Slate, we know several things that tell us what’s likely powering it. Given that the device runs on Microsoft Windows 7, I’d guess that like new netbooks, it runs on an Intel N400-series Atom CPU with integrated Intel graphics in addition to a hardware accelerator solution — that last bit is mentioned in the second vid, as pointed out by Engadget. Could HP surprise me and use a different x86 processor? Sure it could — at the cost of battery life — something I don’t think will happen.

The second video focuses on a key differentiator to Apple’s iPad — the ability to run Adobe Flash. I’m still wondering if Microsoft is skating to the puck while Apple skates to where the puck will be on this one. I believe that Flash and HTML5 can easily co-exist in the world, but Flash won’t control nearly as much of the video and gaming web that it does today. And Flash isn’t the only big function difference here — Apple’s iPad won’t natively handle inking and handwriting recognition, although some third-party apps can help out that deficiency.

I’m excited by the HP Slate simply because it appears to be the closest product yet to the exciting and original Project Origami vision from 2006. Once the device hits the market later this year, there’s bound to be plenty of buyers who need that full desktop computer compatibility with a mobile device. I’m just not sure that I’m one of them, given my reliance upon the cloud for nearly all of my work activities — a full desktop operating system on my mobile device adds overhead that I don’t think I need for a device in this class. I’ll have to ponder that a little bit more though. Thoughts?

Image courtesy of HP

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Handwriting Recognition: A Killer App for the iPad?

Gaming on a larger, higher resolution display already has some salivating over the iPad’s potential. Kotaku today shares the “first ever gloriously big, gloriously detailed” pics of game specifically headed for Apple’s newest creation, and they do indeed look good. I tend to keep my gaming life separate from everything else, so I rely on an Xbox 360 — I play a mean Hofner bass in Beatles: RockBand, for example. But I dabbled with a few iPhone games when I had the device. Now that I’m solely using a Google Nexus One, I haven’t even looked into any gaming — I had it in my head that all the good games were in Apple’s ecosystem and that Android couldn’t possibly have much to offer. After installing the free trial of HomeRun Battle 3D this past weekend, I realize that I’ve been walking past a mobile gaming opportunity.

The first thing I noticed about this game is how well the graphics look on the high-res Nexus One display. It certainly doesn’t hurt that this handset offers enough horsepower to make the game run smoothly. Although simple in style, I’d equate the look to be at least as good as that of a Nintendo DS title, if not better. Have a look at this video to get a feel for the gameplay and the visuals on a Motorola Droid — I balked at doing my own vid because I’m not that good just yet.

This same title is available for iPhone and it was wise of the developer to offer cross-platfrom, multi-player support. An iPhone gamer can play locally against an Android slugger, for example. I haven’t done that just yet, but I did play seven rounds with someone in South Korea. Why so many? I lost the first six rounds — ’nuff said.

I have little doubt that games on the 1024 x 768 iPad screen will shine, and I’m sure to check them out when the device hits stores. But I incorrectly assumed that Android didn’t have anything to offer in the way of gaming entertainment. Back in January, this video of 50 different Android games didn’t impress me that much. Between my HomeRun Derby 3D experience and videos of other new games like ExZeus and others, I’m coming to appreciate what game shops can do with Android. No, one game doesn’t make it a winning platform by any means, but there’s far more potential here than I expected to find. I’m sure we have some mobile gamers out there, so I have to ask — what other games should I be looking at on my Nexus One? I’ll let you compile a list while I head virtually to South Korea for an eighth match.

Image courtesy of Com2uS

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With Apple’s iPad slated for pre-orders next week and availability on April 3, we’re entering a new phase of iPad poker –are you in or are you folding? This round is different from the time immediately after the iPad’s introduction. Back then, folks were making snap decision commentary — betting blind without knowing what the hole cards were. But now it’s later in the game. People have spent more time thinking about what the iPad can or can’t do for them. And come Thursday Friday, when pre-orders start, they’re either all-in or walking away. Actually, there’s a third option and that’s to wait this hand out. I’m hearing more and more comments from people planning to wait for an iPad price decrease, but there are three reasons I think those folks will be waiting for nothing.

We’ve been here before

Much of this “wait for the price drop” sentiment stems from the original iPhone 4 GB and 8GB models, which debuted in late June of 2007 for $499 and $599, respectively. By September of that same year, the 4 GB model was scrapped and the 8 GB unit dropped $200 to $399. The situation generated an early adapter uproar by many — myself included — and Apple tried to make good with $100 Apple Store credits for those who paid the higher prices.

The entire event tarnished Apple’s luster in the eyes of consumers and this isn’t a company that repeats mistakes often. Apple learned a hard lesson in 2007 — you can correctly justify that technology pricing changes fast, but consumers don’t care. A 33% price drop on a hotly anticipated phone within two to three months of availability doesn’t sit well with people. We can argue supply and demand or say that people paid $599 because they felt it was worth it, but that has little to do with the public’s perception of the situation. Apple won’t tread this path again with the iPad.

Apple’s going it alone

Going back to 2007 again — there was another player involved with the iPhone. AT&T was, and still is, the exclusive U.S. carrier partner. For all intents and purposes, you can’t officially buy a new iPhone without AT&T involvement sans jailbreaking. The vast majority of iPhones use AT&T’s voice and data network, and AT&T earns much more from iPhone users than its other customers. Last year, Om noted AT&T’s iPhone addiction and the revenues it produces from each customer: “[t]he average iPhone user gave AT&T about $94.74 a month vs. an average postpaid AT&T customer, who spends about $59.21 a month with the company.”

The iPad is a different beast though. Yes, the iPad 3G model will work only on AT&T’s data network, but there’s no voice component, nor any 2-year AT&T contract like that of the iPhone. So there’s likely no subsidy paid to Apple from AT&T. You won’t be able to grab an iPad in AT&T’s retail locations, either. Simply put: this is an all Apple product so there’s no price or subsidy negotiation with a carrier about the device. I’m sure Apple and AT&T talked about the 3G service features since it’s a new approach — instead of a long-term commitment like the iPhone has, iPad users can simply enable 3G for a month at a time. Without subsidies or heavy carrier involvement, there are fewer pricing factors involved.

Product lines and pricing tiers

Apple going it alone doesn’t really prove that the iPad pricing might change. But since the company has control over the price, it’s worth looking at where that price fits in with other products across the Apple line. After the iPad introduction, the Boy Genius Report put this chart together showing Apple’s product line and base prices.

See the problem? There’s really not much room — if any — for the iPad prices to drop. Any price cuts and the iPad starts to contend with iPhone 3GS. On the surface, it’s easy to make the argument that the two devices are different because the iPhone offers cellular voice capability while the iPad doesn’t. However, if they’re priced the same, consumers will look deeper and see more similarities than differences — and that could influence purchase decisions on one or the other. And while I’m not the best representative of a mainstream customer, I did just drop my iPhone 3GS – why pay a monthly contract when I can have a similar or even better experience with a less expensive phone plan and an iPad, or an iPod Touch, for that matter? In either case, I”ll just use my MiFi device for a 3G signal over Wi-Fi — I’m already paying for MiFi 3G data plan, so why pay for a second one when I can share my mobile broadband connection with Wi-Fi devices?

The river card is new features

So maybe you’re still in this hand and not sure what to do. You’re on the fence and waiting to see that last card. I anticipate that it won’t reveal price cuts but will instead offer new features. The second generation of nearly any technology is better than the first. iPad prices are likely to stay put, but in as little as six months, a new model could hit with more features. An integrated camera is highly likely. More internal memory or a higher resolution display wouldn’t surprise me either. A price cut within a few months would, so I’m not betting on it. Are you?

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Apple today announced pre-order information and availability for the iPad, so of course, we’re wondering which of you will be buying. As of this moment, the poll results show two buyers for every one pollster passing by the iPad. Based on my reading of various commentary these past few weeks, it seems like Apple’s newest device didn’t meet expectations for some. I’m more inclined to see what the iPad can do and not what it can’t do or what it doesn’t have. I still believe that the form factor is a feature in and of itself — this factor reminds of the early netbook market. At first, people scoffed at the little laptops, but once held, carried and used, the small form factor shined a light on the potential of netbooks. And the tens of millions of netbook sales now show the result of that potential.

For many, one of the biggest disappointments in the iPad is the lack of native handwriting recognition. When most of us think “slate tablet” our minds immediately wander to Microsoft Windows Tablet PCs from the last five years or so. One of the big draws in these systems is the inking capability and the stellar handwriting recognition that converts the written word to searchable text in the background. But there’s no such feature available natively for the iPad, which runs on the iPhone OS. In a GigaOm Pro article (subscription required) James thinks that inking might be the “killer app” for the iPad because of the functionality it offers and how well it fits in with the slate form factor.  The capacitive display could work for inking with the appropriate stylus, so it’s not out of the question. Even if Apple’s iPhone OS or the custom A4 ARM chip can’t handle this feature natively, would-be inkers could be satisfied by having the hardware recognition happen on Apple servers, just like the approach offered today by Evernote.

The client-server model in this case is no different than the one used by Google’s Search by speech function on Android handsets. I use this functionality several times a day, and while it looks like the magic happens on the phone, it’s actually happening on Google’s servers. I speak into my phone, the audio is sent to Google where it’s processed and the textual result is sent back to my phone. We saw potential for a similar approach with Microsoft’s Translating Telephone — again, the heavy lifting of language translation is done on a server, while the mobile device is simply a client. With the right solution, Apple could provide the servers and processing power to translate handwritten notes on the iPad. The writing’s on the wall — if Apple doesn’t offer it, a company like Evernote might.

Is the lack of native handwriting recognition holding you back from an iPad purchase?

Late last night, Mark Spoonauer of Laptop Magazine penned an editorial about Google. It’s a smart opinion piece with the stance that Google is showing favoritism for their own platform and specificially for the most current versions of Android. There’s some merit to the arguments about Android fragmentation — a point made here nearly a year ago — but as much as I respect Mark and his opinion, the justifications presented aren’t telling the whole story. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about Apple, Google, Microsoft or another smartphone platform maker, there are a number of players in the cellular game that impact decisions ranging from operating system to user interface to apps. Here’s the baseline situation as Mark describes it:

“Right now, T-Mobile sells four Android phones. Guess how many run Android 2.0 or higher? Zilch. The only 2.0 device you can use on T-Mobile’s network that offers all of the above goodies is sold directly through Google, the Nexus One. Sprint doesn’t sell a single Android phone running 1.6 or higher, although it promises to upgrade its devices. And the only AT&T Android phone, the Motorola Backflip, runs 1.5. Verizon Wireless has one phone that runs 1.6, the Motorola Devour, so you can download the beta of Google Maps Navigation, but not Buzz for mobile or Gesture Search. The Droid runs 2.0, and will be upgraded to 2.1 soon.”

The facts are the facts and Mark is absolutely correct in describing the situation. But only calling Google out specifically just doesn’t make sense in this context. Let’s look at why that is.

Smart presentation

Mark rightly points out that the coolest new Android apps are appearing on handsets with newer builds of Android first — and sometimes exclusively. Google Maps Navigation debuted on the Motorola Droid with Android 2.0 and Google Buzz is supported on 2.x as well. But I ask myself: if I were Google and I wanted to rock out a new app and build the biggest buzz, I’d get it on the heartiest hardware first so it really shines from a performance perspective. I’d also pair it with hardware designed to show it off — the Droid car dock morphs what’s essentially a software product into a look-alike, standalone GPS device. That simple dock, designed specifically for the Droid, takes the Google software solution and transforms the experience. Don’t think so? Imagine if Google debuted the software on the original G1. The impact would be muted without a dock and on less capable hardware. Instead, Google chose the right hardware combination to show it off and the stock value of some GPS makers dropped 20%. And only a month after the Navigation software debuted, Google ported it down to older devices running Android 1.6. The Buzz application certainly fits as an example, but I think it’s easy to dismiss for two reasons — one, Buzz isn’t yet a “must-use” service and two, it’s available in a limited fashion on older Android devices via the web.

Who’s really to blame?

That brings up the Android 1.5 and 1.6 issues, though. Mark raises solid points about the customer confusion between the four main versions of Android currently available. The brand-new Motorola Devour (see our hands-on review here) is landing on Verizon Wireless with Android 1.6, so there’s no native Google Buzz support and no Google Gesture Search, either. Those are great examples and again, Mark is spot-on with the facts. But who chose to put Android 1.6 on this new Android device? It certainly wasn’t Google. If you have to “blame” someone, choose either Motorola who made the phone or Verizon who decided to sell the phone. All Google does for this phone is provide versions of it’s mobile platform to the phone maker. If I had to pick on someone in this specific case, it would be Motorola — the Devour runs Motorola’s custom interface called MotoBlur and Motorola doesn’t offer that UI on anything higher than Android 1.6. There’s your likely culprit in this case, which has nothing to do with Google’s perceived favoritism for current Android versions.

Haven’t we been here before?

I can’t help but think back to very similar situations in the Windows Mobile space — another fragmented mess. Windows Mobile 5 devices arrived with a fresh new look and later Microsoft added features and tweaks with Windows Mobile 6. The same brouhaha arose with some handsets getting the upgrade and others were bypassed. Even those that were upgradable had to wait for months and months —  I had nearly a half-year wait for my Dash, for example. Was it Microsoft’s fault back then? Perhaps in some ways, but think about where we got those upgrades from if our devices qualified — from either the handset manufacturers or from the carriers directly. Just like Google today, Microsoft simply developed the platform and it was up to others to take action — or not, as the case may be. Sure it was easy to blame Microsoft if you had a Windows Mobile 5 device and some new apps weren’t supported your phone. But “easy to blame” doesn’t mean the blame was cast correctly. It wasn’t then and it’s not now.

Pace of change and lowest common denominators

So back to the latest and greatest software features hitting Android 2.0 or 2.1. Let’s apply the “Google is punishing consumers” reasoning to a another situation. Should we all blast Microsoft for not going back to add Aero features in Windows XP? Of course not, that would be silly. First of all, there are driver and hardware issues to contend with and secondly, XP support is getting dropped in favor of Vista and Windows 7, i.e.: newer versions of the company’s product. Granted, this example is super-extreme, but there’s a bigger point to be made here — technology is evolving at an increasingly fast rate. What was hot five years ago — or even five months ago — is old news. New platforms and features are constantly being added to our mobile devices and the maturity cycles are speeding up. What’s a company to do?

From a business perspective, they have to keep customers on old versions happy when possible, but that doesn’t help sales to new customers. Innovation is focused on the future far more than the past, so Google’s efforts to develop new apps for the latest and greatest Android version isn’t a reason for persecution. And developing new Android apps for the lowest common denominator limits innovation because developers can’t take advantage of new APIs or other functions — in a case like this, the pace of Android maturity would greatly slow, and that’s not a recipe for success in a fast-past market.

There’s another factor here as well, and it actually justifies the choice of Android 1.5 or 1.6 on a handset from a carrier’s perspective. Carriers offer wide ranges of phones in order to appeal to the widest possible audience. Assume a customer walks into a Verizon store with the intent of purchasing an Android handset. If a $199 Motorola Droid running Android 2.x is considered too expensive for that customer, should Verizon lose the sale because they have nothing else to offer? Of course, not — they’ll steer that customer to a device in the $99 or $149 range. And if that customer still wants an Android phone, they can lessen the functionality and the price to make that happen. The Devour is a perfect example of this — slightly less performance under the hood, but a solid Android 1.6 experience for less money. How is that customer being punished? Without a lower model phone running an older version of Android, how will the customer get what they want at a price they can afford?

Yes, there is an issue, but…

There is a fragmentation issue with Android — in that respect, I’m in total agreement with Mark. I’ve even asked your opinions on if Google should “de-frag” Android and attempt to get most, or all, phones on the same version. But ultimately, it’s not up to Google and their open-source platform. It’s up to the carriers and the handset makers unless Google draws a line in the sand and exerts near-total control. If that’s what you really want, you can already get that from a company in Cupertino.

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