The Mobile Gadgeteer

Do we still need a standalone GPS device?

Joel Evans — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:10:54 +0000

I’m a directionally challenged individual. As a result, I’ve been using a GPS since it was first offered. Throughout the years, though, I’ve graduated to using my mobile phone more for my GPS-related activities, including using the iPhone to find my car on a rainy night. It used to be that a standalone GPS was still [...]

Hands-on with the B&N nook update 1.2.0, available now

Matthew Miller — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:16:04 +0000

A couple hours ago I mentioned that a rumored 1.2.0 software version may be coming to nook owners today and in hopes that this was true I went to the Barnes & Noble ebook store on my nook and bought a single issue of a newspaper. I haven't yet tried out a newspaper and wanted to see what it looked like on the nook and figured getting the nook to actively connect might help prompt for a firmware update. After my newspaper issue was downloaded, I saw a pop-up in the bottom right corner that showed it was downloading an update. After a few minutes (connected via 3G) my nook went through the update process (make sure you have adequate battery available) and is now confirmed as having software version 1.2.0 on board

Update: B&N nook in stock with firmware 1.2 coming soon

Matthew Miller — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:23:49 +0000

Readers here know that I love my B&N nook (see my latest thoughts and have yet to see an ebook reader that offers a better wireless experience with as much available supported content. I pre-ordered mine the day it was announced so have had it since the first shipments were made available. Others who ordered later had to go through different periods of availability, but after visiting the Barnes & Noble nook store I see that the nook is now in stock and available to anyone who wants to order one for $259.

Is Amazon's Kindle about to get a touch screen?

Joel Evans — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:48:36 +0000

Yesterday news broke of Amazon buying Touchco. Touchco is a small company that was birthed out of a project at New York University’s Media Research Lab. The company itself had yet to ship a product but was working with display technology, called interpolating force-sensitive resistance, that can detect an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points, [...]

Review: Sprint Overdrive rocks 4G at more than double 3G speeds

Matthew Miller — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:37:26 +0000

At CES 2010 last month Sprint announced their Overdrive device from Sierra Wireless that functioned just like the device I was looking for with 4G and 3G support in a compact package. Sprint sent along an Overdrive for me to test out and after a couple of weeks of using it in the Seattle and Portland areas I am pretty sure I will be putting my MiFi up on the auction block and moving to the Sprint Overdrive instead. Check out my image gallery of the Overdrive with some comparison shots with the Verizon MiFi.

43 seconds with the Android-powered Dell Mini 5

Joel Evans — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:02:06 +0000

Ok, enough about the Apple iPad. It seems that the gadget paparazzi managed to grab less than a minute with Michael Dell, and during that time we get a glimpse of the Mini 5 in action. Well, depending on what you consider action, that is. Mr. Dell swiped through a few screens, showed the 5 [...]

Will the iPad soon have a different name?

Joel Evans — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:55:10 +0000

Earlier this week Apple unveiled its long awaited tablet, now known as the Apple iPad. While much of the conversation has been around justifying the purchase, others have been more concerned with the name. First, there was a sketch on MADtv a few years back about an iPad feminine product, and now it’s coming to [...]

Who do I think I am fooling? iWill be buying an iPad

Matthew Miller — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:42:38 +0000

I updated my post about the Apple iPad and nook replacement and stated that I would probably not be replacing my nook with the iPad for a couple of reasons. I then read Joel's post on why he can't justify it. We then spent all of MobileTechRoundup show #195 talking about the Apple iPad. I was a bit unfocused yesterday during the Apple announcement while caring for my wife in the hospital, but after focusing on the device and its features and specs I have to say I will definitely be buying an iPad as soon as I can. I am sure my Twitter followers and readers here already expected that I would anyways, right?

MobileTechRoundup show #195; What do we think of the Apple iPad?

Matthew Miller — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:03:35 +0000

The Apple iPad was announced yesterday so it was a given that James, Kevin, and I would spend MobileTechRoundup show #195 focusing on a single topic. We talked about what it does and doesn't replace, who needs one and who doesn't, Apple's chip business, and more. At then end of the show we took our own poll to see who plans to buy one and I don't think there are any surprises there.

Apple iPad: I can't justify buying it

Joel Evans — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:53:34 +0000

The Apple Tablet has finally been revealed and it’s now officially known as the iPad. Readers, reporters, analysts and just about everyone else are now wondering if Apple can create a need where one didn’t exist before. Will consumers want something that sits in between the laptop and a mobile phone? As you can see from [...]