I just got back from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, thanks to Intel and my participation in the Intel Insider program. It was a lot of fun and I saw lots of shiny objects and gadgets. I wrote a piece for TECH cocktail sharing the Best 13 at CES 2010. Of the list, I'd take every item on the list but if I had to pick the one I would probably purchase first, I would probably look into the new Sprint Overdrive Mobile 3G/4G hotspot made by Sierra Wireless. It leverages the Clearwire WiMax network to take advantage of the 4G unlimited speeds.I was at the Baltimore WiMax launch so I am looking forward to getting one of these devices to take advantage of it.
If I had to find the coolest gadget, it was probably the Alioscopy 3DTV at the Intel
booth as it did not require 3D glasses to view in 3D. Though it has some restrictions on the content that can be turned into 3D it was a pretty impressive device. It was by far the most interesting 3D TV I saw because it was
the only TV that was in 3D with the use of glasses. Check out this
video of the 3DTV at the Intel booth.
After making my second stop to the Apple Store in two days, I finally got my hands on an iPhone 3GS. My first attempt was unsuccessful because the AT&T network was down. So when I returned the next day, I decided to go with the white 32GB version since they were out of the black. I figured I could use the extra 16GB over my last iPhone 3G since I would most likely be taking advantage of the iPhone 3GS's video capabilities.
In order to purchase the iPhone 3GS I had to get yet another AT&T contract. This annoys me. The FCC needs to step in to stop the monopoly that Apple and AT&T have created by forcing all iPhone customers into an AT&T contract just to purchase a new iPhone. Consumers have no choice as they cannot fight of the beautiful songs of the Muses that play while starting into the touchscreen interface for a shiny new iPhone 3GS. Ok, I will get off my soapbox now, but I really think the FCC needs to do something.
Upon syncing up my new iPhone, I was excited to test iPhone 3GS video camera so I recorded and edited a quick video using the 3GS. I think Flip should probably be a little concerned about the iPhone's video camera taking some of its piece of the mobile video camera pie, though there are still lots of people that will not have the 3GS. The Flip and other similar cameras also offer HD quality video which the iPhone does not so there is still value in having both but the gap between them is shrinking.
Aside from the new video camera, the iPhone 3GS also has a better still photo camera with auto focus and balance. So I performed a little photo test by taking a similar photo but using the touchscreen to focus on a different area.
Apple will soon be launching of the iPhone 3.0 operating system and part of the new system is a push alert notification feature as highlighted at WWDC 2009 this week. Push Notification is the system developed by Apple to remedy the fact that the iPhone won’t allow third party applications to run in the background due to security, battery life
and performance concerns. Push notifications are will enable certain
tasks (like IMs) that come to your phone even when that application
isn’t running.
TechCrunch recently tested Push Notifications using AIM the new 3.0 iPhone software. Watch the video above to see Push Notification in action with AIM but please note the video makes it seem like there may be a delay between
an IM sent and received, but it’s basically instantaneous.
Last week, thanks to the Intel Insider program, I journeyed to Taipei, Taiwan to attend Computex Taipei in my search for the perfect mobile Internet device or MID. In doing so I met up with Steve "Chippy" Paine from MID Moves and UMPC Portal and we explored the Intel mobility display at Computex. We look at a handful of mobile Internet devices all with the Intel Atom processor inside which included the Viliv S7, S5 and X70 EX, Clarion Mind, LLUON Mobbit, UMID mBook and Panasonic Toughbooks to determine which one we like the best.
My favorite MID that we highlight is probably the Viliv S7 (shown here) but I also like the UMID mBook and would love to do a head-to-head hands on comparison of just those two. But until then check out episode 80 on SOMEWHAT FRANK as we explore the mobile Internet devices of Computex Taipei 2009 (video above) and let me know which device you like the best.
This morning I learned about a pretty slick new Linux open source project called Moblin. Moblin has been around for a couple of years now but the new 2.0 version is now in beta and today at Computex Taipei there was an executive summit (video below) which helped me wrap my head around the scope and direction of the project. Founded by Intel in July 2007, Moblin started as a project looking to enable a new class of devices based on the Intel Atom processor. With the 2.0 version, Intel has handed the keys over to the Linux Foundation to drive this project to the next level as an open source platform of mobile computing.
Moblin 2.0 offers an open platform that developers can build on and see instant gratification by plugging into the Moblin myzone dashboard. The platform and dashboard reminds me of the iPhone application platform but for slightly larger more powerful devices. The myzone dashboard that aggregator a bunch of widgets of information into a startpage experience that is anchored by a tool bar across the top. The dashboard includes social features by sharing a lifestream are which pulls in information from sites like Twitter, Last.fm and Flickr. It also offers a status message system that is said to push updates out to your various social sites that revolve around status updates. Moblin also positions your videos, photos, music and calendar on your startpage.
Today, l’m traveling to Computex Taipei, the world’s largest computer exhibition in Asia and second largest in the world just behind CeBit in Germany. I’m traveling 18 hours to Taipei from Washington, D.C. stopping just once in Tokyo, Japan before heading on to the island of Taiwan as part of the Intel Insider program (a brand ambassador program) that I have been a part of for a year now. I will be attending a number of the Intel events in Taipei as well as meeting the Asia Pacific Intel representatives as I look to assist them as they get their own version of the Intel Insiders program started in Asia. I am honored to be attending such an important global industry event, as it offers a super opportunity to see lots of new shiny gadgets and devices. It also affords me an opportunity to dust off my somewhat virgin passport, getting some International ink along with cultural growth.
Since I have a lot of time in transit, I decided to use some of it reviewing two new Mobile Internet Devices, or MIDs, which I recently received: the Yukyung Viliv S5 and the BenQ S6. In this article I will share my perspectives on the two mobile Internet devices.
I have been having quite a bit of Kindle envy as Amazon launched both the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX. The Amazon Kindle 2 enables users to carry all their reading materials at one time in a sleek 6 inch screen. The Amazon Kindle DX is a larger version with a 9+ inch screen which offers a better reading experience for newspapers and magazines. Both are the future of the publishing medium and save a lot of paper!
I recently got a chance to talk with, Kindle 2 owner, Bob Gurwin as he shared his experiences and opinions about the Amazon reading device. Check out episode 77 on SOMEWHAT FRANK (above) as we explore the Kindle 2 with envy.
Today as part of the Intel Insider program, a social media brand ambassador program, I am visiting Intel's Portland, Oregon microchip manufacturing facilities. I am excited to be in Portland for the first time and look forward to learning how they make chips. I will most likely be streaming some videos today and tomorrow via Qik and UStream.TV on my iPhone so be sure to check back (videos streams shown below). I will be using Brightkite, Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter to keep you updated on how things are going.
I recently got a chance demo a couple of very unique but different Dell PC's with Intel processors inside as I looked at the Dell Studio 15 notebook and the Dell mini 9 netbook. The Dell Studio is a heavy duty home studio laptop with a Blu-ray drive and is powered by the Intel Centrino 2 processor. The Dell mini is a shiny little netbook that sports the Intel Atom processor (Intel's smallest chip) inside. I carried the Dell mini on the road while in Austin, Texas at SXSW Interactive and loved its light weight size and capablities while on the go. Check our episode 75 on SOMEWHAT FRANK and I hightlight the two computers as they go head to head. Which would you chose if you had to pick between the two?
I am not sure why, but I have a love for bubble water from Pellengrino to Perrier; I am a fan of the bubbles. I recently found that bubble water is probably not the best thing for your health but nonetheless I like a splash of CO2 every so often.
To feed my thirst for the bubble water I recently got a SodaStream Soda Maker as a gift. I first spotted the product at the Green Festival in DC as the product saves from buying bottles of water and have wanted one ever since. This past week, I showed my friend Eric Olson just how easy it is to use and captured the experience on this video.
