Android logs 300,000 registrations a day

 

 

 

 

 

 

The buzz on the Net is that Android is now registering 300,000 new users per day. That’s 2.1 million a week and 9 million a month. What an incredible growth and demonstration of popularity and support.

This should give the fruity competition something to ponder.

If I were an IOS developer, I would certainly think about expanding my horizons to Android. It’s a serious market.

If I were looking for a new phone, I’d certainly give the Android platform my focused attention.

If I were an advertiser, I would want to make my products and services known to targeted Android users.

Twidroyd v4.2 with new functionality

If you are addicted to Tweeting and Twittering, you can do it in style on your Droid with Twidroyd. Twidroyd allows you to use their tools and templates to create your own background or customize your own and share it with others.

Of course you can read and send Tweets through Twidroyd as well. It a full featured client that also includes postings, mentions, DMs with threaded view, integrated search, list viewing, URL shortening, geo-location support, multi-language interface, and background modifications. Bit.ly is integrated into this app for automatically shortening URLs. Plixi let you embed photos in tweets. Cool

An interesting new feature in v4.2 is “Mute.” It allows you to turn off tweets from anyone for a specified period of time. And then you can send a notification tweet that the individual has been muted. How humiliating.

When you go to landscape mode in Twidroyd it opens with LivePreview, which displays linked Webpages and media with tweets so that you don’t need to open a browser. It’s a more efficient way to read tweets.

There are three ways to acquire Twidroyd. Go to the android markt or Motorola store in the application menu. Search for “twidroyd,” and select either the free or Pro version. Install it, and you’re in business. Using your barcode scanner, scan this code and choose your version.

Or, you can text TWIDROYD to 95997 to receive the download link.

As far as I can tell, about the only difference between the free and the Pro version is that you don’t have to suffer pesky ads in the Pro version. Pro costs $3.99.

I’d say if you are a tweeter, you will probably want to install this app on your Droid.

Follow me @tshphd on Twitter. J

Who’s gonna have the fastest network?

Verizon. That’s who. When Verizon’s new 4G LTE network is unleashed at the end of the year, it will deliver data ten times faster than 3G networks. That’s blazing.

4G will only be available in 38 major markets in the beginning. It will take a while to get to the boonies where I live, but it will be nice to have when I travel. It will also be available in some major airports.

Current 3G handsets are incapable of receiving 4G. There will no doubt be a rush to get new 4G capable handsets to market by manufacturers. I understand that there will be a half dozen or so units available to view at the Consumer Electronics Show, and I’m eager to see them.

I wonder about people who invested in a 3G unit. Will Verizon allow them to upgrade without penalty. I wonder too if iPhone and Verizon will finally get together as rumored.

Well, I guess with any new technology, there are always growing pains. In this case, I think it will be worth the effort. Way to go Verizon!

Droid X: Road Warrior

When I go on an extended road trip, I like to take everything with me I need to be productive on the road without having to lug a lunky laptop. On a recent month long trip, I decided to use a Droid X as my mobile office to keep me productive and connected. I found it to be a super companion. It helped me process data, write, publish, communicate via email, sms, mms, and IM. It guided me and gave me valuable information along the way that made my trip more enjoyable. It also entertained me with music, eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and TV.

Getting Organized

Even before packing for a trip, I think it’s always a good idea to create some lists: things to do before leaving home, things to pack, places to be visited, and electronic items needed, including apps. If you look in the Android Store, there are many, many list apps. Some are better than others. My favorite has always been ListPro, but unfortunately, it’s not yet available. I hope it will be soon.

Among the many choices that I evaluated, I finally decided on the Springpad app, which is free. In my opinion, it’s the best available, even among the paid apps because of its robust features. It automatically creates a copy of all your lists, task, memos, and links that are stored on the Springpadit.com Website that is always available from any computer or handheld anywhere. It allows you to make notes, and check lists in various categories such as business, restaurant, wine, products, books, movies, tasks, music albums, shopping, packing, and recipes.

You can also add photos, webpages, emails, or snippets of text with hyperlinks and then send them via email or SMS. You can add media by taking a photo, scanning a product, using an existing photo, or making an audio recording. The latter is a great feature while on the road.

However, it has one serious shortcoming that I hope will be remedied soon: it will not allow you to sort items within a list, but strangely it sorts lists. Go figure. Accordingly, for large lists, you may wish to find another application that will sort items internally. For just my shopping list, I chose a Shopping List for this purpose. It does the job, but does not allow imports/exports or additions by voice.

Here is another good reason to have a packing list. When I was in Albuquerque, my car was broken into and a couple thousand dollars worth of items were taken. During the shock of the moment, it was difficult to remember what was missing for the police report. My list helped immensely. Albuquerque is an evil place…stay away.

Another important item to take along is some kind of secure electronic wallet. My favorite has been eWallet for many years. Luckily, it’s now available for Android. It syncs with your desktop data so you have a backup copy. This program has saved my life more than once. When I got my credit cards stolen, I was able to contact the companies, cancel them, and get new ones in no time, thanks to eWallet. It’s a free app that could save your bacon.

As long as we’re talking about security and lost items, I highly recommend installing a copy of Where’s My Droid in case you lose or misplace your device. This remarkable app allows you to send a text message to your lost device. You can either cause it to turn up the volume and ring for a set time or it will return a text message with its latitude and longitude (provided GPS is turned on).

Navigation and Guidance

During the first half of the trip I used my trusty Mio dashmounted GPS, but I was relieved of it in Albuquerque. Droid X came to the rescue. I used the built in Navigation program with Google maps and enjoyed the amazing 3D satellite pictures that show you actual photos of the landscape as you travel, including actual buildings. With this program, a window mount, you don’t need anything else to guide you on a road trip.

Navigating and communicating hands free is a good idea while on the road. For this reason, I tried out some apps to help me. I guess my favorite was already installed on my Droid X. It’s called Car Home. Large buttons on the home screen are for Navigation, Voice Search, Contact Search, and Maps. But, you can install other apps of your choice as well. There is an additional screen with six large buttons on either side of the home screen where you can place apps of your choice to access easily while driving.

At the top of the home screen, in large red display, are a speedometer, a digital compass, and a weather report, which never worked for me.

A similar application is Car Dock available for free in the Store. The home screen appears with six buttons for Calling, My Location, Music, Add App, Voice Search, and Close.

After I was relieved of my Window mounted GPS in the robbery, I reverted to my Droid X using the built in Navigation system with Google. It performed flawlessly, rerouted quickly, gave voice guidance, and the 3D photo background is amazing. As far as I know, no other application has this feature. Go Google.

I was delighted to find out that one of my longstanding favorites, CoPilot Live, is now available for Android. I couldn’t resist getting a copy. It is a real asset to road travel with all the features one would expect. However, it doesn’t have the nifty satellite photo background offered by Google, and it does not have a panel with such information as time of arrival, distance to go, and so forth. You can view this information, but it takes some tapping to access, which isn’t too cool while driving.

Travel Information

In most places along the way, it was possible to connect to the Web to search for information on sightseeing, history, geology, restaurants, accommodations, and so forth. A handy offline resource for tourist attractions is Travel America, which is free and well worth having.

If you enjoy geocaching as you travel, I recommend a copy of C:GEO. It quickly displays a list of caches near you organized by distance. It has a map and a compass for guidance to the site. There are others available in the app store, but this one is my favorite, and it’s free.

Accountability

If you track your travel expenses, it can be quite cumbersome with receipts piling up and tucked away in your glove compartment, pockets, suitcase, and so forth. My Droid X made it really simple with a free app called Expensify. Expensify lets you manually enter your expenses manually by category for reimbursement and tax purposes. You can even scan in receipts quickly. All records are backed up online and can be exported. It’s a great app.

There are many other apps in this category that you may wish to investigate some free, some not, but Expensify seemed to serve my needs the best.

If you are into keeping track of your vehicle performance, maintenance, and mileage there are apps for that as well. Try autoMOBILE for $.99.

Productivity

Whether traveling for pleasure or business, it’s always good to be able to travel lightly without being burdened with a bulky laptop and yet remain productive. With my Droid X, I was able to be just as productive as I wished to be without missing a beat. The most serious bottleneck to productivity with a handheld is an efficient means of inputting. The onboard keyboard just isn’t designed for productive inputting. I’m happy to report that with the Droid X it’s was possible for me to use my Freedom, full size, five row, fold-out keyboard connected via Bluetooth with the help of an app called KeyPro. KeyPro is available in the Market. You can download it and test it on your device for free. But, if it works, you will want to acquire the paid version at a cost of $9.95, a most worthwhile investment in your mobile productivity.

I’ll have to admit that I really struggled getting the keyboard to work. It was an ordeal of patience and persistence, but once I got the keyboard introduced to my Droid X, it was a perfect marriage. Once you get it set up, it is easy to connect. When I get time, I intend to write an article about the necessary steps to make it all happen quickly and easily.

Another drawback to non-Windows devices is that they are not able to read office documents. A partial solution may be to view items stored online in Google Docs. However, the key to true mobile productivity is the ability to not only to view, but to create and edit Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF documents. What to do?

Luckily there is a marvelous third party app by DataViz called Documents to Go. The free version only allows you to view .doc and .xls file. To view, edit, and create .doc, .xls, .ppt, and .dof files, you will need the paid version, which only costs $14.99.

The new version 3.0 sports an all new user interface with many improved features. You can now access all the Google Docs and edit them. You can even create new ones.

This is a must have application if you want to be a serious roadwarrior. Don’t leave home without it.

There are times when it can be a matter of life or death if you need to access data from your home or office computer remotely. This happened to me more than once during my trip, and fortunately, there are apps for this. One I can highly recommend is PhoneMyPC. Take notice though, you must install it on your PC before you leave home. You cannot do it remotely. So, buy before you fly. It costs $9.95 and is another worthwhile investment in mobile independence.

With all the above productivity tools, you are ready to do battle and face any exigency while on the road and remain prolifically creative while traveling.

Entertainment

I will resist the temptation to talk about games because there are just too many and everyone has his or her own idea about suitable games. However, I noticed that a completely free full version of Angry Birds became available when I was on the road. I gave it a try and found it mindless but addicting. There is a companion program called Angry Birds Walkthrough that will give you a solution to every level.

One of the frustrations I face while in hotel rooms is that all the channels and times are different for my favorite programs. Even if I am lucky enough to find one I like, I still have to suffer through commercials, which I abhor.

My best solution is Slingplayer, which I’m pleased to report is available for Android. On my Droid X I am now able to access and control my home TV in HD and watch live or recorded TV from anywhere in the world with a Wi-Fi connection. It takes the pain out of traveling at the end of a long day. In order to use this marvelous source of entertainment, you must have a Slingbox installed on your home TV. Go to Slingmedia.com for details.

If you are hooked on viewing TV There are some free and paid apps that will allow you to view a limited number of selections. TV.com is a good one, free, but with few full episode available. You may wish to try the new paid version of Hulu for $9.95 a month. You may wish to check out SPB TV and Orb as well.

If you have already downloaded a bunch on your favorite tunes, you are all set to go for listening pleasure while driving or relaxing with the building player. Or you can download new tunes online. If you are really a tune freak, you may wish to carry an additional micro SD card full of music.

Of course there are all kinds of music listening opportunities from a plethora of online radio stations from all over the world. You should never be at a loss for music while traveling.

Hands down, my very favorite all time app is Pandora. It’s a free download and allows you to enter your favorite artists, albums, or tunes. It will find other similar music to play for your listening pleasure.

As it’s dangerous to use ear buds or Bluetooth headphones while driving, a better solution it to pick up a nifty little FM modulator at WalMart and elsewhere for ten bucks. All you do is plug your Droid into it and tune to an empty FM frequency on your radio to broadcast your phone’s audio over your car speaker system. This works great for audiobooks as well.

Speaking of audiobooks, if you don’t like the high price of purchasing audiobooks, which can be as high as $85 for unabridged editions, try Audiobooks for free in the Android store. I spent many pleasant hours driving listening to sold old classics. Audiobooks really make the time pass quickly and enjoyably. Be sure to use a Bluetooth speaker or FM modulator hookup though for safety.

If you’d rather curl up with a good book once in a while instead of watching the boob tube, grab a good eReader app from the store. Basically, you are all set to go because a copy of Kindle eBook reader comes installed on the Droid X. Kindle is semi-satisfactory but doesn’t begin to compare to readers I’ve known in Windows Mobile. There are other readers available in the Market, most are free. You can go to Amazon.com and download ebooks for pay for free. There are many other places on the Web with eBooks available. There are even some in the Android Market.

I don’t know about your library, but my local library features NetLibrary that allows you to download WMA and MP3 unabridged eAudiobooks. Of course, I can do this from anywhere while on the road, and it’s free. It worked flawlessly on my Droid X. Check it out at your library.

About the only time I would read a tree book would be if I were in prison. Thank goodness eBooks are available on the Droid. My mantra for years has been, “Ebooks rule; treebooks drool,” and I’m sticking with it.

Conclusion

I found no problem traveling with my Droid X instead of a laptop. I cannot think of anything I lacked in the way of productivity, entertainment, and making my trip efficient and enjoyable. It’s like having a concierge in your pocket at your beck and call. While I mentioned all the apps that made my trip more practical, there are probably many others that would contribute to one’s travel well being. I welcome your comments if you have any suggestions.

Slingplayer for Android=”Bellyvision”

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Slingplayer. It’s nice to have this functionality again, which I’ve enjoyed for many years on my Windows Mobile devices. Now I am happy to report that it’s available for Android handsets.

In case you are not familiar with Slingplayer, let me introduce you. It’s all about the use of placeshifting technology, which enables you to stream video from your TV, DVR or other video source such as a DVD player or home security camera over a broadband Internet connection.

What this means is that you can view your favorite TV programs from your home TV on your Android phone. You can also view programs you have recorded on your DVR. If you have Comcast or Time/Warner with On Demand, you can also view these offerings.

In order to make this happen, you will need a Slingbox that connects to your home TV/DVR/receiver and then connects either through a cable or wirelessly to the router of your home computer. In my case, my Slingbox in on a different floor from my router, and I am able to connect wirelessly with two little Vudu units purchased separately. Of course, if your TV is near your router, you can connect with a standard Ethernet cable.

You have your choice of two models, the Slingbox SOLO for $179 or the Slingbox PRO-HD for $299. The basic difference is that you can receive HD quality video with the pro model.

Set up is usually a simple matter accomplished by connecting your Slingbox to a TV receiver with a set of RCA cables for standard video or an additional set of component cables for HD quality. You may wish to purchase a set of remote adapters if your router is not close to your TV.

Then it’s just a matter of a little fine tuning, entering your registration code, and you’re all set to go. If you have any trouble, Slingmedia maintains excellent free customer service on a 24/7 basis.

You can download the software for a desktop or laptop computer free from Slingmedia.com. Unfortunately, however, it will set you back $29 for the Android software.

Once you have installed the software on your phone, you can control your TV and DVR remotely for viewing list for recorded material. You can completely control your TV/DVR from anywhere in the world from your phone.

Navigation begins with a bar across the top of the screen with four options: Back, Navigation sidebars, Keypad for channel selection, and Misc. The Misc. button evokes an in-depth menu that includes Program Guid, My DVR$, Volume UP, Volume Donw, Mute, Channel Up, Channel Down, Power on/off, Menu, Last Channel, TV/VCR, Favorite, A, B, C, Help, HD Zoom, On Demand (for Comcast and Time/Warner), Stop, and Swap PIP--just like the big boy clickers.

It’s such a pleasure and a bit of a comfort to be able to access my favorite recorded shows when I’m on the road in a strange hotel room with different channels and program schedules.

Warning: Don’t leave home with our TV receiver turned off or you will not be able to receive any remote streaming.

Frankly, I was feeling deprived using a Droid until Slingplayer became available. Now I’m a happy camper. I cannot recommend this system more highly. It has given me hours of pleasure at remote locations around the world. It’s just so cool to be able to stream HD quality video into my trusty Droid. I call it my “Bellyvision”.

It works seamlessly on my Droid X, and it is compatible with all Android models. When you are ready, you can grab a copy of Slingplayer for your Droid from Google Market.

Droid “X” is for “Excellent”

Motorola hits another homerun with the Droid X. I’m not certain what the “X” stands for, but I’m going to say that it must stand for “Excellent” because it is. Let me tell you why I have come to that conclusion.

Basic Specs

The first thing that will grab you is the humungous 4.3 inch touch screen, and its brilliant WVGA edge to edge display that supports up to 16 colors. Remember the old three and four color screens we used to get so excited about?

Its sleek, shiny black case measures 5.02” x 2.57” x .39”. It has a slight hump on the back presumably to accommodate the camera and flash—more about that later. It weighs in at 5.47 ounces. So, it’s not going to make your pants fall down if you put it in your pocket.

The Droid X runs on the Android 2.1 with the Motorola platform. Version 2.2 (Google Froyo) should be available soon. It features a 1.0 Ghz processor with plenty of hunk and 8 GB of internal memory. With a micro SD slot, you can get up to 32 more Gigs of memory. It comes with a 16 GB card installed.

A 540 mAHLi-ion battery is rated to provide up to 480 minutes usage time and 220 hours standby time. But, in practice, I found that the battery can become exhausted rather rapidly, especially if you are multitasking with additional services such as GPS, Wi-FI or Bluetooth. Keep your charger handy or a spare battery.

Let’s take a walk around the unit checking for buttons, inputs and outputs. On the top, we have a 3.5 mm jack for earphones, a microphone (one of three), and a power button. On the right side are two volume control buttons and a button to invoke the camera. There is nothing on the bottom unless you count the bottom of the screen in the front where there is another microphone plus Menu, Home Screen, Return, and Search physical hardware buttons. On the left side, toward the bottom is a micro USB port for a charging/sync cable. Below that is a HDMI cable port for audio/video output so that you can transfer content from the Droid for viewing on your TV. Nice. You can also output to a projector. On the back is an 8 MPX camera lens and a dual LED flash. On the bottom of the back is yet another microphone.

Camera and Video

The camera is to covet with its 8.0 MPX lens 1/1000 second mechanical shutter, auto focus, touch to focus, face recognition and panoramic modes features. The Droid X will share photos, video, and music with other DLNA compatible devices. (However, I didn’t have much luck with this feature.) The 720 p ND video allows slow motion capture, fast action, and quick uploads to YouTube. It features directional audio capture with is three microphones that enhance sound while tuning out background noise. With HDMI output, you can play your recorded videos on your HD TV. Unfortunately, a cable is not included. But there is still no way to take screen shots, which is a pity.

Entertainment: Music-Movies-TV-Radio-Games

If you enjoy listening to music on your phone, the Droid should please you with its standard 3.5 mm jack for headphones, Bluetooth, Android Music Player, ability to create playlists, access to the Amazon Music Store of MP3 downloads, and FM Radio. There is also a Verizon VCast store available for the purchase of music.

I found the sound quality to be acceptable with earplugs, external stereo speakers, and with Bluetooth headphones.

If you’re looking for video entertainment, the Droid X can deliver. It comes with an Interface app for Blockbuster video that allows you to stream videos. Of course, you must rent them. Unfortunately, there is no app for, nor could I even access Hulu on the browser to watch TV and movies. Fortunately, there is an app for Orb, which allows you to tune into your desktop computer remotely to access files, watch videos, and live or recorded TV. Also, I am happy to report that SlingBox now has an app for the Droid. It costs $29.95, and you must have a Slingbox installed on your TV, but it’s well worth the investment. Welcome aboard Sling Media. There are some other apps for viewing more limited TV channels as well that are worth exploring. I only wish there were an application for Netflix streaming videos. Maybe I’ll have to create one myself.

Droid X comes with an FM tuner that requires you to plug in ear buds that act as an antenna. There are many nice radio and music apps available as well. My favorite is Pandora, which is free. If you suggest a tune or a composer, it will create a playlist of similar items in the same genre and stream them to you. Nice.

If you are a gamer, there is a plethora of games in the Market for you to download. Many are free. The large screen, fast processor, memory and great graphics combine for a pleasant gaming experience. I haven’t tried it yet because I don’t have an HDMI cable, but I suspect it may also be possible to play games from the X on your HDTV or on a projection screen.

3G Mobile Hotspot

Another attractive feature of the X is that it can perform as a Wi-Fi router connecting up to five other devices using Verizon’s 3G network. Unfortunately, this service costs an additional $20 per month, and there is a 2 GB cap on usage.

Using the built-in Wi-Fi feature will generally give you a much faster connection to the Internet and save possible billable connection time via 3G.

Apps and Software

As Android is a Google platform, it offers many Google mobile apps such as Maps, Voice, Latitude, Calendar, Push Gmail, Talk, and integrated Google, Exchange, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter contacts. Let me caution you though. Adding all your social networking contacts to your regular contacts can be overwhelming and bog down the system. It offers advanced Speech Recognition, IMAP, POP, Hotmail, and AOL email support. Other Google and Verizon apps may be installed from the Android Market along with around 50,000 other paid and free apps.

I am pleased to report that my Google contacts and calendar ported over seamlessly to the X and synced with my desktop Outlook information. You can access your Google tasks and Docs. Strangely, while you can edit Excel docs, you cannot create or edit any other Microsoft Office documents, which is not exactly a plus in my book. However, there is a workaround with a third party application from DataViz.

My Verizon, Backup Assistant, and CityID are some of the other apps that come preinstalled that let you keep track of your account, backup your device, and have a caller’s city appear on the screen. It also comes with a voicemail widget that I never could get to work properly. You can subscribe and pay a fee, for visual voice mail. But I much prefer Google Voice, and it’s free.

Screens and Navigation

After turning on the device and unlocking it with a finger gesture, a home screen appears sprinkled with apps and widgets. Navigation is accomplished with finger gestures. You can flick to six different screens that you can customize to suite your tastes. You can even customize the background with pre-loaded graphics or provide your own.

One of the six screens is set up for quick access to your favorite contacts. It did not work well for me. My first four contacts displayed with large photos, the next four with smaller photos, the next four would not display photos at all, just a blue box with a gear in the corner. Tech support was not able to resolve this issue.

Another screen is set up with a music widget for easy access to your favorite tunes and playlists.

At the top of another page is a widget that gives quick access to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Phone, and GPS, which I appreciate.

Another page comes with widgets for news and RSS feeds already set up for you. Of course you can remove these if you wish or add more icons of your own choosing to any of the six screens.

Google Voice search allows you to take charge of your phone and tell it what to do. You can search on the phone for such things as contacts, tell it to call someone or pull up an app or file. You can search the Web orally or find a business or address and then navigate to it. If you have an urge to be dictatorial, here’s your chance to be the boss.

Keyboard

Unlike its predecessors, the Motorola Droid X does not have a slide out lateral keyboard. For me that it is plus. I do not like slide out keyboards, and I especially don’t like lateral ones. They are bulky, mechanical, and just something more to go wrong. I don’t appreciate being forced to use two hands to type if I don’t want to. I really like the onboard input panel for Droid X.

The X also comes with an onscreen keyboard that opens automatically whenever text entry is required. If you prefer a larger keyboard, just orient the device horizontally, and the keyboard will shift to a wider, horizontal display.

In settings, it is possible to turn on such options as keypress sound or vibrate, auto capitalization, auto punctuate, word suggestions, and autocorrect errors. You also have your choice between the standard Multi-touch keyboard, and a new innovative one called Swype.

The Multi-touch keyboard expands the touched character, which reduces typos. You can slide your finger to the desired character if you make a mistroke. Holding the key down brings up every available variation of the letter including foreign characters diacritical markings. Another nice feature of this keyboard is the voice option. Touch the microphone and speak the text you want to create. It is surprisingly accurate. As a test I said, “I want to say that this is a very accurate system.” The way it came out was, “I wanna say that this is a very accurate system.” Whoops, maybe it’s a little too accurate.

Swype is a pretty amazing keyboard option. You merely slide your finger around the screen from one desired letter to the next until the word is completed. When you lift your finger the word appears on the screen as if by magic. If there are other possibilities with the letter combinations, a list of choices to tap will appear on the screen. There is a tutorial to get you up and running. You can also use the speech to text engine with Swype, and there’s a emoticon directory too.

Now comes the most exciting part for me, and that is the X’s ability to connect to an external Bluetooth keyboard using an interface app called KeyPro. It works like a charm, and you are in the word processing, inputting business. There is a trial version to try before you buy.

The only problem is that there is no real word processing program available yet for the X. The work-around is to use Documents to Go by DataViz. It costs $14.99, but it’s a most worthwhile investment if you want to turn you PDA into a road warrior. It will allow you to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents. I consider this an absolute must have.

It would be an altogether perfect world if the Android Market had an application that would display a Droid screen on your desktop and allow interaction with file drag/drop, keyboard inputting, and mouse/cursor movement. Sometimes I really miss my Windows Mobile devices.

Another feature I appreciate is the you can tap and hold to make a string of entered text expand and the easily see where to place the cursor to correct a type. Nice.

Browsing

Browsing the Net with the big, crystal clear screen and fast processor on the X is a pleasure. The response time is snappy, and scrolling is smooth and fast. Enlarging the image with spread or retracted figure gestures works well. My only wish would be that there were an option to configure a Webpage to fit the screen as you can with a Windows Mobile device. This is a much better way to view a Webpage on a handheld device because you don’t have to scroll all over the place. I would put this option on my list wish for Droid developers.

There are many attractive features associated with the browsing experience. For example, you can tap on the star on the right side of the address bar to mark a favorite. It then appears on the favorite screen for easy access. The favorites screen lets you view the bookmarks in a list or image view showing the home page. There are also tabs for Most Visited and History. You can even place a Webpage on one of the home screens for instant access.

By the way, you can watch YouTube in high resolution by tapping HQ on the lower right of the screen.

Syncing

By connecting your X to your desktop or laptop via the supplied micro USB cable, you can transfer files, videos, and pictures. With downloadable Media Manager, you can also purchase, store, and listen to music from the Verizon store. Unfortunately, the Media Manager only supports 32 bit systems. So, if you have a 64 bit system, you’re out of luck. However, you can still connect to the X as if it were another drive and transfer files that way.

Accessories

The X comes in a pretty bare bones box with just a charger, a micro USB cable, and a mini quick start guide. To take full advantage of this marvelous device, you may wish to accessorize it more fully with a 32 MB micro SC card, an HDMI cable, a windshield mount for navigation, a charging/docking station, and perhaps a case to protect your investment. I plan to write reviews of some of these items in subsequent articles.

Conclusion

The Motorola Droid X is a supreme powerhouse of functionality with its big, high definition screen, 8 MPX dual flash camera and HD camcorder with an HDMI port for output to TVs and projectors. While it may not have as many apps yet as the iPhone, there are certainly enough to keep anyone busy, productive, and entertained while more are being developed for this relatively new platform.

There are several things I wish the X could do and hope they will be forthcoming. I wish it were possible to take screen shots. I wish it had the native capability to handle Office docs. I wish there were an app to place an interactive X screen on a monitor. I wish there were an option to configure Webpages for single column viewing without having to scroll sidesways. I wish there were a Netflix app for viewing movies, which would be much better, in my opinion, than Blockbuster.

I could go on with my wish list, but I feel confident that the Droid platform is a serious contender now and developers with place a lot of energy into creating new and wonderful applications to make it even better. I fear, however, that as an open platform in which every manufacturer can put its own twist on things using all different screens, processors, and resolutions, that it will be more difficult for developers to create apps that work across all Droid models and they will become discouraged. That is a problem iPhone developers don’t have as much.

The hump on the back reminds me of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and makes the device appear to be top heavy. It’s too bad that it doesn’t come with an HDMI cable and a case to protect it.

In any case, I am very pleased overall with the Motorola Droid X from Verizon, and I wish to give it my very highest recommendation. It is worth your serious consideration if you are looking for a new device. I would even encourage you to trade in your current model for this beauty.

Is the Microsoft Kin 2 Worth Kinsideration?

The Kin 2 is a three way collaborative effort involving Microsoft, Sharp, and Verizon. The result is a new approach on the way to Smartphone telephony that for me was disappointment piled on disappointment. It seems strange somehow that while the Windows Mobile operating system is ready for a serious redo, this Microsoft device has nothing to do with WM OS.

Right out of the gate, the most profound and amazing letdown is the fact that it is not possible to add any applications to this unit. You must accept it as is. So there’s no use complaining about the lack of an app store, for there are no apps. Unbelievable.

You cannot even add things like Google Maps. Of course there is no GPS and not even a way to add third party functionality with an antenna because you cannot install any software.

While you can access Google Docs and Notebook you cannot edit or create new documents. If you want to access other Microsoft applications such as Word or Excel or PowerPoint you can forget about it. There’s not even a way to take notes or to record audio notes.

I could go on about how it won’t make 31 flavors of ice cream and it won’t stop a missile attack, but it was never intended for these things. What was the intention? Apparently the developers have isolated a target market for this device among the younger generation and its preoccupation with music, photos, texting, and social networking. But what about gaming? Sorry, no games—not even solitaire.

The programs that come pre-installed on the device facilitate the above functions, and that’s about it. The installed apps include the following: Phone, Music, Help, Alarm, Browser, Settings, Email, Feed Reader, and Search. By the way, the search function only applies to items on the phone, not the Internet, and there is no voice search.

All these apps appear on one of three panels that can be rotated into view when the device is turned on.

Two more panels are available with the flick of a finger (yes, it is finger friendly—but the scrolling is slow). One of the screens contains posts from your favorite social networking sites such as My Space, Facebook, and Twitter. This page is called the Kin Loop. The remaining page contains your favorite contacts with pictures if you wish and access to all the rest of your contacts.

These would be handy functions for many people. You can add more content to the apps page as links to your favorite Websites, which is nice. But you are still limited to only three pages.

An innovative feature that goes along with the teenie bopper crowd that this device is apparently aimed at is the ability to share stuff. There is a little blue button at the bottom of every screen. This is called the Kin Spot. All you have to do is drag something to it and you can share it with your pals. It can be a file, a Website, a picture, a video, a tune, an email, a text message, whatever you want, however you want to send it. This is nice.

Another innovative feature of the Kin 2 is that everything is backed up online to the Kin Studio so that you never have to worry about losing your data. There is no syncing as such, but you can connect to your online account wirelessly and remotely to transfer files back and forth. I like this feature, but I fear that it may add to the cost of the account.

I was able to import all my Gmail information and contacts. I was also able to access my calendar from Gmail as well as my tasks.

Thank goodness for Google. Without Google, this device would be less useful. While I can edit and add items in calendar, tasks, and notebook, I cannot edit or create new docs in Google Docs, which is a shame. At least Notebook gives me the ability to take notes, a functionality that is otherwise lacking. However, I understand that Google has discontinued the support of Notebook and that if you don’t already have an account, you cannot get a new one. Too bad.

As an aside, there are some good alternatives to Notebook available such as Evernote and Zoho Notebook. I prefer the latter because of its collaborative features.

I am happy to report that Google Voice works with the Kin 2. If you’re not familiar with Google Voice, I recommend applying for an account. Voice not only records your voice mail, it transcribes it and allows you to scroll through your list of voicemail so that you don’t have to listen to every message. It also compiles a directory of all your messages in one place so that you can instantly review your email, texts, IMs, and voice mail. It notifies you of incoming activity too.

But that’s not all. Voice also gives you a free Voip phone number that you can use to make free phone calls over the Internet. People can also call you on that number. You can use it for free texting as well, which makes it a great money saver and convenience.

Browsing on the Kin 2 at first seems to be just fine with the initial screen fitting the device perfectly and with little tabs along the top. You can drag down the address bar to type in a new address or to go back to a previous screen.

You can scroll with a finger gesture, but it doesn’t glide as well as other devices I’ve tested. You can also use a finger gesture to expand or contract the image on the screen. However, when the image is enlarged, you must be prepared to scroll around for it does not wrap to the screen, which I find annoying and inconvenient.

While my first choice of a keyboard is in the vertical position, I must say that the slide-out QWERTY, horizontal, backlit keyboard on the Kin 2 is very nice. The keys are round and elevated for a good tactile quality that makes it easy to type without mistakes.

I found the sound quality on the phone to be satisfactory as well as the audio playback on the FM radio and stereo music player. I did miss calls repeatedly because the phone simply did not ring for incoming calls even though the volume was at the highest level. Media playback formats include AAC, MP3, WMA for audio; h.264/AVC, MPEG-4, WMV for video; JPEG and PNG for images. There is a 3.5 mm jack for stereo audio output and built-in speakers.

As far as music goes, you can import your own but this device is an extension of Microsoft Zune, and you are encouraged to join the Zune music streaming service for $15 a month, which adds considerably to the monthly cost.

Kin 2 has a nice 8 MPX camera on board with video, auto focus, digital zoom, and flash. Pictures are automatically geotagged if within range of cell towers for triangulation. I found that this feature rarely worked.

This device comes with 8 GB of internal memory which could get filled up fast with tunes and pix. Unfortunately, there is no expansion slot. I suppose that’s a good reason to take advantage of Zune’s streaming media so as not to use up valuable storage space.

With a 3.4 inch display and a 320 x 480 resolution, the Kin is not the brightest kid on the block. It measures 4.25 X 2.5 x .75 inches and weighs 4.7 ounces.

Its 1390 mAh Li-ion battery has a suggested standby time of 232 hours. I found that the battery drains fairly rapidly under normal usage and I would have difficulty getting through the day without a recharge. At least the battery is replaceable so that you can carry a spare.

Connectivity to the outside world is accomplished by means of 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi with WEP, SPA, WPA2 encryption as well as Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. There is no infrared and no GPS. Localization is accomplished by means of cell tower triangulation, which is referred to as GPS.

The Kin 2 is capable of sending both SMS and MMS messages. It supports POP3, IMAP, and Push email (exchange).

There are built-in sensors for an accelerometer and ambient light detection. Additional features include flight mode and TTY/TDD accommodation.

Kin 2 costs $199, but you get a $100 rebate with a two year contract bringing the price down to $99. A contract will cost in the neighborhood of $69 per month for text, phone, and data. Add another $15 for streaming Zunie tunes.

Conclusion

The Kin 2 has some innovative features such as wireless Web syncing and automatic backup of data online. The Kin Spot for sharing is also a creative idea unique to the Kin. I suppose the Zune tune streaming approach is a good idea too, if you want to pay for it. It has a nice 8 MPX camera, and you can easily send video clips via email or MMS. The slide out horizontal keyboard is a pleasure to use. I hope the Kin will appeal to the intended audience with its orientation to social networking.

However, the Kin 2 impresses me more as a novelty phone than a serious productivity tool. I would never consider the Kin 2 personally because I can’t hook it up to a Bluetooth keyboard for travel and meetings. I cannot access, create, or edit my Office documents. It has no means of taking screen shots. I wish it had a memory card. Navigation with GPS would be nice too.

I could go on and on about what it doesn’t do but that’s not fair because it clearly was not designed to be a workhorse for a road warrior who wants to leave his laptop at home. It’s more of a toy for teens who are attached to Twitter, text, and tunes.

The biggest deal breaker for me is the fact that there are no apps available for it, and it is incapable of downloading common apps out there such as Google Maps. This is really inconceivable this day and age with iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre Plus competing for market share with bazillions of cool apps. And what about the intended audiences’ penchant for game playing? No games. Big mistake.

I have heard a rumor that Microsoft may eventually integrate the Kin with Windows Mobile 7 when it is released and then it would be possible to add apps to it. But for now the lack of apps is a highly negative factor.

While the Kin 2 does not measure up to my expectations for a device I would want in my pocket, it may very well suit the needs of the intended audience if the interest is indeed focused on social networking, pics, tunes, and text.

The New HTC Droid is Incredible

Yes, the new HTC Droid Incredible is no exaggeration. It’s a keeper as it naturally cuddles in the cup of your hand insinuating itself like a heat-seeking puppy looking for a new master. I have fallen hopelessly in love with it under its enchanting spell. I guess I have to say it was love at first sight. Frankly, I’m not a bit surprised that Droid is now outselling iPhone.

Why would I be swayed so compellingly? What about after the honeymoon?

Preliminary Attractive Features

It’s appearance is sleek with a shiny black case thinner than the iPhone and yet with a larger screen. It measures 4.63 x 2.3 x .47 inches and weighs 4.59 ounces.

Under the hood it has a powerful GHz Qualcomm Snapdrogon processor and a 3D chip for amazing gaming experiences on a 3.7 inch AMOLED 480 x 800 screen. The 8 MPX autofocus camera with dual LED flash is another huge plus. While I was surprised that it only has 8 MB of onboard memory, it also has a micro SD slot that can handle up to a 32 MB card for a total of 40 MB storage capacity. There is 748 MB of ROM. At the bottom of the screen there is an optical joystick.

This phone is the product of a three-way marriage with Google, HTC, and Verizon with each making a solid contribution to bring a superior product to market.

Google contributes its mobile apps in enhanced form and the Android 2.1 operating system. One of my favorite Google/Android innovations is Google voice search, which works remarkably well, and is a major convenience that obviates typing.

HTC contributes its manufacturing expertise and the Sense user interface that allows pinch/zoom with an amazing Web browsing experience. When viewing Web pages at any zoom level, the text wraps and conforms to the screen size so that there is no sideways browsing required--what a pleasure. If you’re a social network junkie, there’s Friend Stream that conflates Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr into a single screen as if they were one program with a range of views possible.

There are seven home screens where you can store widgets and apps for easy access. HTCs Sense allows you to pinch the screen to display miniature cards of all seven screens. Then just tap on the one you want.

HTC has loaded several worthwhile widgets and so has Google.

Of course Verizon offers what is arguably the best mobile network with the widest, most trouble-free coverage.

Kicking the Tires

Taking a walk around this beauty reveals an economy of external features. On the top is a power/phone options button. Next to that is a standard 3.5 mm ear plug jack. The right side is unencumbered with any pesky buttons to push inadvertently that may make your machine go crazy when you don’t want it to. The same is true for the bottom except that there is a small microphone hole and a slot for removing the back cover. On the left side is a volume rocker switch and a micro USB port for charging and syncing. The back has an free form like three-tier battery cover. The camera lens in the upper left corner is flanked by the dual LED flash to the right. There is a small opening for the speaker.

Flipping off the battery cover reveals a shocking red interior with a red battery to match. You have to remove the battery cover to gain access to the micro SD storage slot, which is a bit of a bother.

I have already mentioned that large screen with its magnificent, bright resolution. There is a charging light at the top of the screen. Below the screen are four useful hardware buttons. From left to right there is a Home button, a Menu button, a Back button, and a Search button. Double tapping the home button invokes the Sense seven-card screen mode. A quick tap brings up a Google text search screen. Tapping and holding activates Google voice search, which is a Godsend as far as I’m concerned.

It used to be a big deal to be able to say a phone had Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more recently GPS. Now, however, that’s pretty much taken for granted, and I’m happy to report that the Incredible has all of the above.

Speaking of GPS, Incredible users will benefit from an enhanced version of Google Maps for navigation and positioning in many applications. The navigation system is a turn by turn voice driven app with satellite and photo views. The rerouting is the fastest I’ve ever seen, and it is usually spot on with up to date data and traffic notifications.

There are some excellent geocaching apps available too that take all the old drudgery out of the process. It’s truly a pleasure to geocache with this device.

What’s in the Box?

The Triumvirate cannot be accused of not sparing any expense, for the box was pretty bare bones with a quick start guide, an AC charger and USB cable that works on the wall outlet as well as in a USB computer port. When connected with a computer, you can transfer files as well as charge the unit. There was no carrying case to protect this jewel, and there wasn’t even a micro SD card. It might have been a nice gesture to include at least a 2 MB card. Many applications will only install to a storage card, which could render the unit less functional until you can obtain a card. So, no extra points there.

Software Included

The Incredible comes with a variety of useful applications already installed. Here is a partial list:

Calculator, Calendar, Call History, Camcorder, Camera, Car Panel, City ID, Facebook, FM Radio, Force Close, Friend Stream (did not work—caused forced close), Internet, Mail, Maps, Market, Messages, Music, PDF Viewer, Peep, People, Phone, Photos, Quickoffice, Search People, Settings, Setup, Talk, Text to Speech, Voice, Voice Dialer, Voice Mail, Voice Recorder, Voice Search Weather, and YouTube. There are a variety of widgets offered by both HTC and Android. With lots more available.

The Android platform cannot compete yet with the depth and range of applications offered in the iTunes store, which I think is approaching around 200,000 now. In the short time that Android has been extant, it has already accumulated about 40,000 apps available in its store and elsewhere. Many are free, and the fee based apps are relatively inexpensive; many are in the one dollar area, which makes them highly affordable.

Unlike Apple, Google, at this point, doesn’t seem to be interested in controlling everything. For instance there is no music in the Google Market and users are on their own to acquire and install music. The music player has a nice interface that flips album covers and delivers a satisfactory listening experience.

I appreciate the installed YouTube app, which saves going to the Web first. I also enjoy the installed FM radio app. Of course there are many other radio apps available in the Market.

There are some TV apps as well with limited programming. What I’m waiting for is SlingMedia to make an app available for the Droid. Then I can tune into the programs recorded on my DVR at home, watch live satellite TV, and control my home TV remotely from my Droid. I tried the Orb app, but I could never get it to work.

It seems strange to me that there is no built in file explorer so that you cannot find files stored on the storage card or in main memory. You have to find a third party app for this, and some are less than satisfactory.

The QuickOffice app is only for viewing files. You cannot create or edit files with this program, and there is no app that I could find available in the Market. This severely limits the device’s functionality as a power productivity tool for road warriors. I happen to know that there is a third party app available for Android that allows creating and editing Office files, but apparently it’s not available yet for the Incredible. I hope it will be soon.

As a side note for those concerned with productivity, It is possible to connect a portable Bluetooth keyboard to the Incredible for efficient inputting on the road, which is a huge plus. Put that doesn’t do a lot of good without the ability to create and edit documents. At this point I suggest using Google Docs as a partial solution.

Peripherals

As this device is so new, there is not much available for it yet in the way of accessories. However it is easy to make do with cases, headphones, earplugs, and other stuff that can be repurposed for the Incredible. I did find it surprising that there were not even any earbuds in the box. I wish there were a set with a mic for use when driving or just for pleasurable listening. You’ll have to find your own set.

A brief comparison to the iPhone

I suppose somehow the iPhone has become the measuring stick by which phones can be compared these days, which I find amusing because the iPhone is still lacking so many desirable features. Anyway for those into comparison shopping, here are a few quick comparables.

· Battery Life

o Capacity: iPhone 1219 mAh; Incredible 1300 mAh

o Talk time: iPHone 300 hours of standby; Incredible 149 hours

· Camera

o iPhone 3 mpx with autofocus but no flash or manual controls, 640 x 480 video.

o Incredible 8 mps with dual LED flash, manual adjustment controls, 800 x 400 video (same resolution as screen)

· Carrier

o iPhone AT&T—many complaints about speed and coverage; this may change with 4G

o Verizon is arguably a more dependable system with greater coverage and more economical subscriber plans.

· Display

o iPhone 3.5 inch screen with 480 x 320 LCD display

o Incredible 3.7 inch screen with 480 x 800 resolution on OLED display, which is much brighter than the iPhone display.

· Memory

o Up to 32 GB built-in; no expansion slot

o 8 GB built in with up to 32 GB expansion slot for total of 40 GB

· Processor

o iPhone 600 MHz

o Incredible 1 GHz

· Software

o 185 applications in iTunes store

o 40 applications in Google Market

And the winner is clearly the Incredible as it beats iPhone in every category but software and battery life. So, unless battery life and software are key issues for you, the Incredible is the better choice.

Spec List

• 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
• Google Android 2.1 with HTC Sense 2.5
• 3.7 inch WVGA OLED touchscreen display
• QWERTY Virtual keyboard
• 8GB internal memory and microSD card slot (up to 32 GB)
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and adjustable controls
• Video up to 480x800
• 312 minutes talk time / 149 hours standby
• Dimensions: 4.63 x 2.3 x 0.47 inches and 4.59 ounces

· Push Gmail and Exchange

· Speakerphone

· Advanced Speech recognition

· GPS/e911

· TTY compatible

· Hearing aid compatibility=M4/T3

· Bluetooth with stereo capability

· Wi-FI 802.11b/g/n$199.99 with 2 year contract3.5mm headphone jack

• Accelerometer512MB ROM / 512MB RAM
• Dual-band EV-DO Rev. A
• HTML browser with Flash Lite 4.0

Pricing

The full retail price of the Incredible is $529.99. For that price I would expect an unlocked unit, but that’s a moot point. You pretty much have to acquire it from Verizon with a contract and connectivity plan. A two year contract is $299.99 with a $100 discount online for a total cost of $199.99. If you buy the Incredible you get to select another free phone, which also requires a two year contract. There are a number of plans available that seem to start at $39.99 per month. Unlimited text/data/talk is $89.99 per month. But I guess that’s still cheaper than the iPhone.

After the Honeymoon

After the rush of love at first sight with time to get comfortable and settle in, there are some foibles I’ve discovered, and a wish list I’ve developed for the Incredible.

I noticed that the battery life is not very satisfactory. In my experience the battery wears down very rapidly. Two hours of phone conversation, and it needs recharging. If you leave Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, or GPS running, the battery drains rapidly. You’d better have a charger or extra battery handy if you want to do geocaching, Bluetooth communication, or connections by Wi-Fi. When using the unit for navigation in the car, I have to keep it connected to the charger or it will go dead in short order. At least it’s possible to change batteries, unlike the iPhone.

I found it frustrating that the beautiful screen so brilliantly rendered inside all but disappears and turns into a black hole outside in the sunlight--so much for working at the beach and in my garden.

I wish that the Incredible would have cards for each open application like the Palm Pre Plus so that you can easily flick back and forth to reinvoke the app of your choice. A workable alternative might be a screen devoted to open apps for easy access.

I was surprised that there is no built-in file explorer program so that you can view and manipulate files and move them around between main memory and storage card. There is third party software, but it only seems to address the storage card. Developers?

Of course I’m upset about not being able to create and edit my Office documents on this device. I hope that will be remedied in short order for it is a serious short-coming that could cause me not to purchase this phone.

Another problem is that there is no unrooted application that will take screen shots, and that’s why you are not treated to them in this article. Come on developers. Here’s a need.

For the price, I think it would have been nice for the sponsors to include at least a small micro SD card to get you started. It would also have been nice to include a set of earbuds with a mic. Would a case to protect your investment be too much to ask as well?

Conclusion

While there are some growing pains as the platform and devices mature, to be sure, there’s lots to like with the HTC Droid Incredible. It is clearly the Droid of Droids, simply the best available at this time. It is also superior to the iPhone in many respects with an 8 MPX camera with dual LED flash and manual controls, more storage, larger screen with twice the resolution, replaceable battery, and a larger, more powerful processor. You cannot go wrong with this truly incredible device that indeed lives up to its name.

This puppy gets two thumbs up! It’s an A dog.

There is a lot to like in the new Palm Pre Plus

There is a lot to like in the slick new Palm Pre Plus. With the WebOS operating system, it is a radical departure from the Palm and WM operating systems of other familiar Palms. With the new OS, come some welcome and innovative features. This phone is only available through Verizon.

Perhaps the first thing to note is that this platform supports multiple applications being open at the same time. The home or launcher screens of the Palm Pre Plus (PPP) display all the available applications. In the beginning there are three screens, but more can be available as they fill up with launching icons. You can use the screens to organize your apps if you wish.

Navigation is accomplished by a set of gestures (tap, swipe, drag, flick, pinch) with the screen smoothly gliding and scrolling. It’s really a pleasure to use as there is not the slightest hesitation or sluggishness.

An upward finger gesture removes any open application from the screen and reduces it to a small card. You can rotate among all the open applications represented by small cards on the screen with the flick of a finger, which is very convenient.

A task bar across the bottom displays your favorite applications such as phone, contacts, messaging, calendar, and launcher. Even when not present, this bar can be dragged into view from the bottom of the screen for easy access.

 

The large 3.1 inch HVGA screen is a big improvement over some of the former Palms with a small screen that accommodate a keyboard. This Palm has a nifty vertical slide-out keyboard that does not interfere with the screen. What I like best about this KWERTY keyboard is that it is easy to use with one hand so you can text while you drive (just kidding).

With domed, discreet keys, the keypad is easy to use without making typos. Some keyboards I have tried lately are completely flat without individual key definition, which makes accurate typing difficult. My personal preference is a vertical keypad rather than a horizontal one. I just find it easier to use. The horizontal layout usually requires two hands to operate. I find this cumbersome in comparison.

I was a little surprised to find a three megapixel camera instead of five, which is common these days. But the pictures and videos are certainly sharp and clear, so no complaints really. It’s easy to attach a photo or video to an email or multimedia message. There is a nice LED flash too.

With a sleek, curvy design and rounded black body, this cuddly device feels good in your hand and weighs in just under five ounces. There are few visible external controls. On the top of the unit is a power switch top right with a ringer/vibrate on/off switch next to it. Top center is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. A volume control rocker switch is on the left side. A micro USB port is on the right side that serves for charging and syncing with a mother ship.

Other nice features include 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS all built-in and ready to go. Another brilliant aspect of the PPP is that you can use it as a modem to connect up to five other devices wirelessly to a Wi-Fi network. See, I told you there was a lot to like.

But wait, there’s more. Web browsing is a pleasure as you flick and scroll, pinch and expand with your fingers. The system creates a screen displaying the most recently viewed Websites for easy future access, which a like a lot. You can even add your own favorites.

With the Doc application, you can view files in DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, PPT, and PPTX formats. But you cannot create or edit any of these documents, which is most unfortunate. It also comes with a PDF document viewer.

I was disappointed not to be able to access all of my Outlook data from my desktop. To get around the contacts, calendar, and tasks problem, I simply used my Gmail account. I synced my calendar, contact, and task data from Outlook to Gmail and then imported these data into the Palm with no problems, and it became a non-issue.

The PPP uses a USB micro cable to connect to a desktop or laptop. When connected the unit will charge, and you can transfer files back and forth. However, there is no syncing as you would with a Windows Mobile device or with the Palm OS.

In an attractively designed box containing the Palm Pre Plus, you find a USB cable that can be plugged into a computer or directly into a wall charger that is also included. There are some quick start manuals and a nice velvety carrying case with orange accent.

Unlike the iPhone, there is a removable battery, which is a good thing. It is difficult to assess battery life, but it seems reasonable under normal conditions, and I have no complaints. The specs suggest 5.5 hours talk time and 350 hours standby.

Wish List

As a new platform, the PPP has some gaps to fill and some maturing to do to bring it up to the level of a workhorse productivity tool that I am accustomed to with a Windows Mobile device.

For instance, without seamlessly being able to create and manipulate documents that everyone uses everyday, it’s usefulness is limited.

I wish there were a way to hook up a Bluetooth remote keyboard for inputting efficiency while on the road or in meetings. I have grown accustomed to being able to travel without a laptop because my Windows Mobile device will perform all the functions of a laptop. The PPP does not have that kind of productivity yet.

I wish there were a more robust GPS program built-in. Yes, it is possible to use a minimal version of Google Maps for navigation, but it lacks all the features one finds on a Droid for instance such as voice commands and rerouting. However, the automatic photo geo-tagging feature is very nice. There is an application available for an extra $10 a month that will provide a more full-featured GPS experience, but all these monthly charges begin to add up quickly driving the price beyond what many would consider reasonable.

One function I miss sorely is the ability to display the handheld screen on my monitor so that I can type from my computer keyboard to input on the small screen as well as drag and drop files back and forth. I wish some enterprising developer would come up with such an application.

Frankly, there is a dearth of applications available for the WebOS platform. But this is not surprising as it is relatively new, and it takes time. As I understand it, the developer kit is very user friendly, so hopefully we will be seeing a flood of new apps soon.

One surprising and serious lack is that there is no word processing program, not even a note taking program available so far for the PPP. My solution has been to use Google tasks for list making, and Google Notebook for notes. There is a little sticky note Memo program that comes with the unit, but it’s not exactly what you would want to use to write a novel.

While there is a generous amount of memory available at 16 GB, I wish there were an expansion slot that could be used for photos, tunes, and videos.

Finally, I wish there were a way to record voice on this device. It seems inconceivable that there would not be, so let’s hope it appears in a future version. Look at how long it took for iPhone to get such features as cut and paste and video, and a host of other things that are still missing.

Conclusion

As I said in the beginning, there is a lot to like in the PPP. However, it is still in its infancy and has a way to go before it can be considered a heavy duty workhorse with all the productivity of a Windows Mobile device. I feel certain that these issues will go away as the platform matures and more applications and peripherals become available. For people who want a fun phone with some great, user friendly features, the PPP is an excellent choice. To tell you the truth, I have really grown fond of the little fellow.

Specs

Size

• Dimensions 3.96 x 2.34 x 0.67 inches (100.5 x 59.5 x 16.9 mm
• Weight 4.89 oz (138 g)

Battery

• Type
  • Li - Ion
• Talk

5.5 hours (330 mins) of Talk time

• Standby
  •    350 hours (15 days) of Stand-by time

Main Display

• Resolution
  • 320 x 480 pixels
• Type
  • 16 777 216 colors, TFT
• Physical Size
  • 3.10 inches
• Touch Screen
  • Capacitive, Multi-touch

Camera

• Resolution
  • 3 megapixels Resolution
• Features
  • Flash: LED; Geo tagging

Multimedia

• Video Playback
  • MPEG4, H.263, H.264
• Music Player
  • MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, AMR

Memory

• Built-in
  • 16384 MB

Software

· Smartphone o WebOS 1.3.5

Input · Predictive Text Input o Yes · Keyboard o Full keyboard (QWERTY)

Connectivity · Internet o HTML, WAP 2.0 · USB o microUSB · WiFi o 802.11b/802.11g · Bluetooth o 2.1, Stereo Bluetooth · Headphone connector o 3.5mm

Other Features · PhoneBook o Capacity depends on system memory; Ring ID, Picture ID, Multiple numbers per contact · PIM o Alarm, Calendar, To-Do / Tasks, Calculator, Notes, Memo · Voice o Dialing, Commands, Speaker Phone · Email o IMAP/POP3/SMTP/Microsoft Exchange/Microsoft Direct Push e-mail/Push e-mail · GPS o GPS

Documents to Go—a must have for da Droid

I saw an immediate problem when I opened the Motorola Droid for the first time. My first response was almost to put it back in the box and send it back for the same reason I was never interested in the iPhone when it first came out. It had no built in software for handling Microsoft Office files such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint, not to mention PDF files. A serious PDA user interested in mobile productivity needs to be able to access, edit, and crate programs in these formats on the go.

What is the solution? Don’t buy anything but a Windows Mobile device? Well, there are some note taking programs that will allow you to do word processing after a fashion. There are some programs that allow you to view various kinds of documents, but you cannot edit them or create new ones, which make them next to useless.

There is, however, one magnificent solution, and that is Documents on the Go. It is the only program that will allow you to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. It also lets you handle PDF files.

If you want to try it out before you buy, or if you only need Word and Excel documents, try the free version, which doesn’t expire. With the trial version available in the Market on your Droid, you will have full access to all the features of this product for both Word and Excel.

Should you need the full version with the additional ability to process PowerPoint and PDF documents, you will need to purchase the full version, which normally sells for $29.95, but for a limited time, it is available in the Market for only $14.95. My advice is the grab it now while the special is still in force.

The Word module allows you to view, edit, and create Word documents including .doc and .docx formats. What I particularly appreciate is the ability to edit docs and track changes and even email them to other contributors while you are on the road. You can literally do almost anything in the Documents to Go program that you can do on your desktop version with some exceptions that wouldn’t matter to most users. The original formatting is preserved when you send or open a document in your desktop.

Sheet to go is Documents to Go’s version of Mircosoft Excel. It will open, view, edit, and create new Excel documents right on your handheld device. It supports both .xls and xlsx versions of Excel. I am amazed at the power of this portable document processor. It can crunch your numbers, update values, insert functions, and monitor your data on the go.

Slideshow to Go is the functional equivalent of Microsoft PowerPoint that, as you may expect by now, view, edit, and create actual PowerPoint docs. What a great tool to have in your pocket on the road when you need to tweak a presentation or quickly create a new one. No, it doesn’t have all the features of the desktop version, but it will serve most of your needs in a mobile environment. It could really save your bacon. You can use it to review slide notes and monitor your timing. It handles both .ppt and .pptx files.

The quadruple suite of document processors is completed with the ability to handle Adobe .pdf files. While you cannot edit or create new .pdf files, you can view them, specify screen format rendering, zoom, rotate, create bookmarks, and search for quickly finding what you need. You can also select, copy, and past text from a .pdf doc. It also lets you deal with password protected files. Now you can manage files in this popular format while you are at home or away with your handheld.

Documents to Go will allow you to open password protected files in all formats, as long as you know the password.

For your convenience, its file manager lets you open recently opened files and gives you the ability to browse files and folders in main memory or on the expansion card.

You can send files as an attachment with your Gmail account or through Road Sync, another DataViz program.

Here is an excellent video on the capabilities of Documents on the Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iicDyaCrk14

My recommendation

If you are in the least bit interested in mobile productivity, you should not leave home without Documents to Go on your non-Windows Mobile device. It is the only application available that allows you to view, edit, and create Microsoft documents on an Android unit. Do take advantage of the half price offer now in effect before it disappears. It’s available in the Android Market on your mobile device or visit www.dataviz.com .

You’ll get a charge out of this

It seems that one of the clear themes at CES this year was the advance of wireless technology, particularly with respect to wireless charging. Proporta.com has just announced that it has thrown its hat in the ring of wireless chargers now available on the market.

The WildCharger Pad comes bundled with eight different connectors that will accommodate most popular devices for the perfect solution to wireless charging, including Android devices.

It will charge up to 5 devices simultaneously, a feature I notice that is lacking in some of the other chargers.

The Wildcharger automatically gets down to business as soon as contact is established with the device to be charged. There is a sleep mode that conserves energy when not in use.

Wild Charger Pad comes with the Universal PowerDisc set of connectors although both items are available separately.

Price $84.95. Check it out at http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=4916&t_mode=des.

New Eye-Fi Pro X2: simply the most powerful memory card ever made | Eye-Fi

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Premium SMS Program Generates $27 Million for Haiti | Text Message Blog

Premium SMS Program Generates $27 Million for Haiti | Text Message Blog

Get a free phone from Google

No, you can’t get a free Android phone, but you can get a free phone number to make free calls. Google never ceases to amaze me in its output of exciting new products, most of which are free. If you’re not aware of the new Google Voice application, listen up.

Basically, what Google Voice will do for you is allow you to have all your phones (work, home, mobile) route to a single number to simplify your life and that of your callers as well

You must apply and be accepted for a free Google phone number, but it’s worth the effort when you consider all it will do for you. I think it took about two weeks for my application to be approved. I don’t know what criteria they use, if any, but I think everyone gets approved eventually. I imagine that they just don’t want to swamp the system while it’s still in its infancy. Maybe Android users get preference?

Not only will it corral all your phone calls coming in from various numbers and put them in one central inbox for convenient access, it will also let you make free phone calls and send free SMS. You get email alerts with an actual audio and text transcription of incoming messages. Sometimes there are redaction errors, but it’s surprisingly accurate for the most part. Voice integrates seamlessly with your mobile phone’s address book

What I appreciate about the transcription service is that you can quickly scan the content of a voice message without having to dial up voice mail and listen to a whole batch of messages to get to the one you want. This service is a real time saver. If, for some reason, you don’t want this feature, you can deactivate it. You can still listen to messages, if you wish. The text words are highlighted as the audio voicemail plays. Of course, you can pick up your voice messages by calling your Google phone number.

Here’s a little video on how it works: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oFVXAqFNgic&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oFVXAqFNgic&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Another nice feature is that you can vary voicemail greetings to identify various callers. You can receive voicemail notifications as email or SMS or both. You can share voicemails by forwarding, embedding, or downloading them. Go here to watch videos of these features in action:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8727D4DE55C89E05

Of course you can give out your new Google number for people to call so that they only have to deal with one number for you. Or you can reserve it as a very private number you only give out to your best pals. On you mobile phone, you can switch to your Google number to make free calls and send free text messages. You can have Google call any of your phones and connect you for free.

On your desktop, you can log into your account inbox and make calls and send text messages as well. There is even an option that allows you to clip the HTML code of a phone call so that you can embed it in a Website if you wish to share it. You can block callers totally, which is really handy for pesky telemarketers. Or you can send the caller an email or send the caller’s message to another party via email (Gmail).

The program labels your incoming messages accordingly to type: SMS, email, voicemail, recorded, placed call, received call, missed calls, starred, and unread messages. Remember that all your messages come to one central repository, which is a huge convenience. You can archive and search them as you would emails.

Voice makes it possible to create and manage groups from your contacts file, which is another useful feature.

Call widgets represent yet another connectivity feature. You can embed a “Call Me” widget on your Website or blog. When a visitor clicks it, Google will connect the party to your Google number, and it will ring on whatever phone you designate, even with a unique tone if you want. Your actual number is kept private so the caller never sees it. You may create as many Call Me widgets as you wish, each with different settings.

Just as you can access your account on your desktop Web browser, you can do the same on your mobile phone by going to www.google.com/voice/m. It will remember your login information for future visits.

For Android phones, there is a free Voice app available that gives you instant access to all the features and settings.

Google Voice allows you to make International calls at a fraction of the standard rates offered by major carriers. You can also easily access Google’s Goog-411 free directory assistance, which can save you charges of up to $2.00 per inquiry.

Note that if you ever change your phone or company, you can take your messages with you.

Conclusion

Google Voice is a must have phone application that will put all your various kinds of incoming messages into a central inbox and allow you to manage them. You no longer have to go through the laborious process of listing to all of your voice messages. You can simply scan the transcriptions as you would email.

Here is a video that summarizes the major features of Google Voice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvRu9bVH14&feature=player_embedded

My recommendation is to apply for a Google Voice account at your earliest convenience. I am confident that you will be glad you did. You will be even happier if you have an Android phone.

This is where you go to apply: http://www.google.com/mobile/voice (from desktop). From your mobile phone, go to http://m.google.com/voice.

Best of all, it’s free, and it will save you time and money—a great combination in today’s economy!