Nokia N810 released.

The Nokia 810 looks very interesting. I'm hoping for two things from this device. 1) A polished "Nokia quality" device. Unlike the 770 that I own.
2) An ignition in the software scene which causes apps like the RDP client to be finished.

The 810 with a decent RDP client would be a great device. I wonder if the 810 includes a way of connecting to an Exchange mailbox over the air? I believe some of the Nokia phones do these days so its possible. That would be interesting to see.

I do understand where the Nokia internet tablets are supposed to sit, but I'd be derelict in my duties if I didn't say what I keep saying about everything else...wouldn't it be better with HSDPA inside? I mean, if you're honest?

This flies in the face of what Thoughtfix (the undisputed Nokia Internet Tablet chief guru) says and I do see his point, but I've been round this loop myself about 100 times. Seperate device & phone vs. integrated device. Ultimately two devices is less reliable and therefore simply not good enough.

Take my current set up with the OQO 02 and HTC Hermes. Using the HTC tethered by USB is hit and miss. Yesterday it worked fine, today it won't work. Bluetooth works today, but its slower than tethered and it seems to use more battery on both devices. With built in HSDPA there would be no issue here. Also, data tariffs are cheap enough now that we can afford to have two contracts in exchange for that robustness.

I'm not saying that the Internet tablet should be a phone, but HSDPA inside would fit my needs better. The HTC Athena beats the Nokia Internet Tablets for me because of this, even if they are 800x480.

Now if only HTC were as on it as OQO are and read my Blog and offered to send me a demo unit. I really do think that they're on to something with the Athena...the only question marks are the 640x480 display and the keyboard.

For a LOT more information on the N810 check out Thoughfix's blog. His URL is: http://tabletblog.com/

OQO Model 02/e2 - Review

I've had the OQO model 02 about 4 days now and I wanted to report back on my initial thoughts. I will write a longer review later.

First of all the device that I have is a model 02, not an e2. Although as far as I can tell the only difference is the keyboard and perhaps the e2 doesn't have the EVDO extendable aerial.

The unit is noticeably larger in every direction than the OQO 01+. Thats a shame because the screen is the same size. Its worth the trade off though because the 02 is fantastic.

The screen is fabulously bright and clear and I find it very easy to read. I've been using it for long periods over the weekend and I've no complaints about the screen.

OQO have done some great work to make life easier on a small screen too. First the 02 has innovative thumb scrollers on the screen surround at the bottom right which work like the scroll wheel on your mouse. I find them to be a great feature and they're very useful for scrolling websites horizontally as well as vertically.

Secondly the 02 has a zoom in and zoom out buttons which change the screen resolution instantly. Anyone who has encountered the old "The dialogue is too big for my screen and the OK button is not visible" problem will find this feature very useful...in that situation just hit the zoom out button, press OK, then zoom back in again. This is very well implemented.

On the first day I used the OQO I noticed a feature which also seemed to address this issue. When I was in the above mentioned situation and I moved the cursor towards the bottom of the dialogue it magically jumped up to allow me to see the OK button. It was very clever! The strange thing is that I can't repeat this! I'm not sure if this was in fact just one partcicular application or if I have somehow diabled this feature (or perhaps I am going slightly mad)??!

To be continued...Continued here.

HSDPA over Bluetooth vs. USB cable

I've done some cursory speed tests of T-Mobile 3G through my T-Mobile Vario 2 (HTC Hermes) over Bluetooth and USB. Images are from SpeedTest.net.

Here is the result over Bluetooth:


The same setup, same location over USB:


Over WiFi and broadband:


You might want to consider using a USB cable instead of Bluetooth. Your device and phone batteries will probably last longer too.

Asus EEE PC

The Asus EEE PC is causing a bit of a stir with my friends. Over the past couple of years two of them have been experimenting with older laptops by upgrading them with flash drives (IDE > CF adaptors) and various small Linux distros.

If you've missed the hype around the ASUS EEE PC it is basically just that, a relatively low spec laptop with a solid state drive (2GB, 4GB, 6GB are available). Its got a 7" colour screen which looks slightly small in its frame.

I compared it to the Palm Foleo (which was put to death just before it was released recently) but my friend made a good point about a potential community springing up around the EEE PC with different Linux distributions turning up, etc. etc.

The fact that the Asus is built on an x86 infrastructure (and the fact that it's cheap) does indeed open up that possiblity. The Asus will even run Windows XP...I suspect pretty slowly.

A light, cheap, open laptop may appeal to many, it may be interesting for kids also. I know I'd have killed for one when I was a bit younger!

http://eeepc.asus.com/en/product.htm

OQO e2 Delivery delayed, again!

I've been holding out on writing anything until the OQO e2 review unit arrived. Unfortunately it has been delayed twice. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

I have really high hopes for the e2. The 01+ is so nearly great, and from everything I've read and been told the 02/ e2 has addressed each of the 01+'s failings. Since my last post I have also been very impressed with how OQO the company is run.

The CEO Dennis Moore is very active in "the community". He posts regularly on OQOtalk.com and he has posted on this li'l' old blog twice now! Also Martin Day, Director of International (based in the UK) was also very willing to give me his time on the phone and answer some of my questions about HSDPA and a new OQO coming with HSDPA on board soon...

I was really impressed to get personal contact with these two guys. You certainly wouldn't get that with a Sony device...

HSDPA on board is going to change the way these devices are viewed so dramatically. Lets hope they don't make us wait too long...and I hope its not tied into a network deal. T Mobile's £20 per month unlimited HSDPA contract with a 1 month contract is so good (in fact it recently even got better than this).

Whilst I've been waiting for the OQO I've also been investigating the Everrun. It doesn't seem to be available in the UK so it's going to be a struggle to review, but its an interesting device...it does have the hallowed HSDPA on board.

I'll see if I can get hold of one and report back as soon as possible.

UMPC for the masses?! Please give us HSDPA!

I noticed today that both What Laptop and PDA Essentials magazines here in the UK are carrying several page features on UMPCs.

The What Laptop article touches on the MS basis with Origami and mentions the Sony UX, the Fujitsu 1610 and sums things up by saying "A UMPC is designed to do most of the things that a real laptop can do, but nothing it can't".

But what's more interesting than the article itself, is that these two major publications are writing about UMPCs, in depth. One is targetted at the laptop buyer, and one at the PDA owner. Perhaps UMPCs ARE about to become mainstream.

While that might mean less random conversations when using one it can only be a good thing for the market!

Personally I think we'll see this only when the OQO, the Sony UX, the Fujitsu 16xx, the Samsung Q* and their ilk come with HSDPA inside. HTC seem to have got there first with the Shift and I wonder how long the others will take to follow suite.

It seems so painfully obvious on our island, but I guess with HSDPA coverage in the US being what it is we'll have to wait for the US to get bored of EVDO and move on, or hope for someone to be bold and give us an HSDPA module.

Come on OQO...we know you can do it...we've seen the pictures of an Model 2 opened up, HSDPA and a SIM card holder installed... We know about the SIM card sized dimple on the battery...

T-Mobile Ameo - Windows Mobile 6

In my research into the HTC Athena (HTC Advantage 7500, 7501, T-Mobile Ameo, etc) I have a read a couple of great Blogs.

This one is a proper practical review, the kind that I aim to write, and is very informitive: http://htc7501.blogspot.com/2007/08/htc-7501-first-impressions.html

I also took note of the Macally external Lion battery which may be useful in future: http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060714/macally-ip-a481-external-li-ion-battery/ That said, my Solio is pretty great. I'll do a review of that for you at some point.

I also read this Blog about T-Mobile's decision not to supply Windows Mobile 6 on the Ameo: http://dalelane.co.uk/blog/?p=184 which reminded me not to buy from T-Mobile!

Since I'm quoting all of these great sources I should mention JKOnTheRun's great videos which got me back on the track to an Athena in the first place: http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkotr_audio_edition/2007/08/jkotr-mobile-me.html and http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkotr_audio_edition/2007/08/jkontherun-vide.html these are both excellent. Perhaps when I get hold of an Athena I will try my hand at something similar.

My current feeling is to try to buy a European HTC Advantage 7500 (which are available in the UK) and then upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 through the official HTC update. I just need to confirm that all of my assumptions are true and then I'll be oiling up the Paypal ready for action.

Watch this space.... a new gadget will be here soon! Sorry its not the latest and greatest model but I haven't got the manufacturers sending me sample units....yet!

What to try next? OQO 2? Samsung Q1? My first tablet? HTC Advantage?

I am pondering what device to try next.

I was put off the HTC Advantage by the 640x480 resolution. The Nokia 770 seems far better with 800x480 but you can read my previous post to see how my relationship with the 770 turned out.

The HTC looks like a fantastic device and, importantly, Windows Mobile is mature and stable and there are plenty of fantastic 3rd party applications out there. VPN and RDP should be easy with an Advantage because these are handled by the OS as standard and the latest RDP client in Windows Mobile 6 is really excellent.

It has an HSDPA capable phone built in too so there's nothing to worry about there. Great! I suppose I would go back to using my old HTC Typhoon as a voice phone, and just use the Advantage for data, etc.

I'm also very interested to see what the HTC Shift is like. I have had good experiences with HTC devices so far so a UMPC from them could be good for me. Their SnapVUE system sounds more like a marketing gimmick than a useful feature...but I'd love to be proved wrong on that.

I've ruled out the Sony VAIO UX as a little too small (I never thought that I'd find myself saying that) and a little too ugly for my taste. Although there's a good chance that I will reverse that decision at some point, perhaps when one is released with 3G, as it does seem to be strong in all of the areas that the OQO 01+ is weak.

The Samsung Q1 looks very interesting. Thanks to Hugo Ortega for bringing me up to date with this one on his blog. Its an interesting device and its not too expensive, although the HSDPA version has yet to appear mainstream. Perhaps once that appears I will be in the market.

I haven't previously been too interested in tablet PCs. Touch screens, yes. Very small PCs, yes. Since those too things seem be coming together very nicely in some of the latest tablets I am slowly warming to the idea of a tablet PC. This is largely due to the influences of Hugo Ortega in his Blog and the JK On The Run blog. The Fujitsu P1610 looks very interesting as does the Thinkpad X61 tablet and the HP 2710p.

These tablets do seem a lot more expensive though. In a quick search I found the Fujitsu to be double the price of the Samsung Q1. That's a shame.

Lets see what the Gods of ebay have to offer me. As soon as I have a new device I'll review it here.

OQO Model 01+

The OQO is such a beautiful device. It is different to anything else I've seen. The design seems totally off the wall yet incredibly attractive. Even the colour is unusual for a device like this.

I was attracted to the device by all of these things but most of all the size. The OQO is miniscule. If you've used a Libretto, a Picturebook, a Mininote, a VAIO u3 then you know what a really small Windows machine is like...and this is nothing like that!

The ultra-portable that I used prior to the OQO was a Sony U3 and I can tell you that the OQO is a LOT smaller. I would say that in the last month the OQO went with me 85% more often than the U3 ever did.

The OQO is the right size that it goes in my rucksack every day. Even when there is virtually no chance that I will need it. It doesn't matter - it's tiny!

The accessories that come with the OQO are also well designed and easy to manage. You get a mains brick, which is resaonably small and also accepts 12v from the supplied car lead, a docking cable (which includes a second 4pin Firewire socket, a second USB2 socket, a second headphone socket, an ethernet port, and a VGA connector which has both male and female connectors), and a metal stand.

In the high quality Mac-esque box which the OQO comes in you also receive a neoprene jacket which wouldn't do much to protect the device if it was dropped but looks nice and prevents you from scratching the screen.

The OQO was always sold as a single PC solution. The idea is that you have your stand and docking cable at the office all plugged into your peripherials and monitor, and then when its time to leave you grab your OQO and put it in your pocket. One machine means no need to syncronise, no need to dial in - very clever.

In reality though, unfortunately, the OQO just isn't up to that. On my desk I have a cheap Dell desktop. Nothing too flash but it does have a rather wonderful Intel dual core at its heart and a 2gb lump of RAM. How could the OQO, 1GHz Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 with a non-upgradeable 512MB RAM ever compete?

Competing is not necessarily relevant though. Can the OQO perform at what it is designed to do is the more important question? Unfortunately the answer is also no. Unfortunately it struggles to do the things that a device of this type must do extremely well. For instance the WiFi is absolutely shocking. I live in a small one bedroom flat, I have installed a second wireless AP and still the OQO can't hold a connection. Even with the wireless AP two metres away it is flakey. Other WiFi devices can easily connect to not only my WiFi but several local open APs without any issue!

OQO recalled early 01 models for a refit of the wireless hardware...I shudder to think what the early adopting OQO 01 users must have had to put up with. This really is amazingly bad.

The touch screen is also virtually unusable. Even with the latest drivers and various calibration trechniques the cursor is way off where the stylus hits the screen. Incredibly this also seems to be normal for an OQO.

It is perhaps less of a surprise to learn that the keyboard is also less than perfect. Rather than individual keys this is a membrane type and it becomes tiring to use before very long at all.

Battery life is also quite poor at around and hour and a half although I might have been willing to forgive this and purchase an extended battery if it wasn't for the other failings.

The device fights hard to keep itself cool but most of the time it loses the battle and you find yourself holding a very hot, very noisy device with the fan turning as fast as it can. This certainly isn't a silent machine like the Nokia 770.

The ultimate let down is the connectivity. A device like this needs to be fantastically connected but the OQO has poor WiFi, no HSDPA and no PC card slot. I have tried both a USB2 HSDPA modem and connecting through my mobile using Bluetooth. Neither are very useful because they both involve a lot of fiddling. If it takes you ten minutes to get online then what is the point?

If the OQO had HSDPA I think I might be able to forgive it. It still amases me that devices like this are being released without it...I can't get my head around that! Even the new OQO Model e2 which was released less than a month ago doesn't come with HSDPA on board.

The OQO 01+ will always have a special place in my heart. It's beautiful, but its useless. Off to eBay you go my lovely. I'll miss you.

If anyone at OQO would like to try and change my mind with the OQO model e2, or anyone at HTC with the Shift (which does include HSDPA) released this week then please feel free to send me a demo unit and I'll review it here.

Thanks for reading, I hope this is useful to someone.