Tuday, on the Rudy Maxa show, I presented the top travel applications for this Fall traveling season. Here is a summary for those who listened to the show and want more information.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Fall 2011: Top Apps for Travelers

However, comScore has released its figures recently and affirmed the results. In the period from October 2010 and January 2011, 65.8 million people in the US owned smartphones during that time, up 8 percent in the prior three-month period. Google’s Android OS led the way wit ha 31.2 percent market share, followed by RIM with 30.4% and Apple hanging on to 24.2%.

It should be noted that Android is eating a way at iOS marketshare, but more importantly, iOS is starting to take away share from RIM. The market share battle appears to be a three-way race at this point.

According to the study, 234 million Americans aged 13 or over owned a mobile phone and used it during the period. Samsung led the way for hardware manufacturers with 25%, followed by LG at 20.8% and Motorola at 16.5%, showing that a variety of hardware manufacturers help Android get a high market share.

So, what do people do on their phones? It seems 69% of Americans send text messages while only 37% utilize the mobile browser. Almost a third download and utilize applications and a forth utilize social networking or blog reading.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

comScore Affirms: Android Owns Smartphone Space

For years now, Microsoft has been trying to gain market share in business and enterprise organizations in the mobile world by pitching Windows Mobile. However, they’ve been losing market share to the likes of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone.

Likewise, Nokia has also been trying to get an “in” within enterprises as well. The Nokia E Series is a strong platform for business-centric phones. They feature full QWERTY keyboards, amble battery life and other great hardware features. However, integration with existing enterprise systems such as your company’s email and web infrastructure has always been an issue for the Finland-based mobile giant. We have Mail for Exchange on the E Series, which uses ActiveSync to sync with Exchange email systems but lacks features such as Exchange folders. Also, we have QuickOffice on the Symbian platform that allows for basic interaction with Office documents.

However, we’re missing a piece – something groundbreaking to allow Nokia to really make an inroads into enterprise organization running Microsoft on their backoffice systems. Today’s announcement gives us just this – full compatibility with Office documents and intranet/extranet access including Microsoft’s SharePoint.

It’s obvious that today’s announcement and working agreement from Nokia and Microsoft is squarely aimed at Research In Motion. The alliance also speaks to enterprises who were looking at making wholesale moves to platforms such as Android or iPhone.

MobileCrunch has called this an ‘unholy alliance’, which sounds about right coming from the perspective of a publication who isn’t grounded in the enterprise market. Android and the iPhone might be the ‘cool’ things in the mobile market at the moment, but in the enterprise, business needs to get done. Add this to the fact that many organizations have millions (if not billions) if dollars invested in their Microsoft network infrastructure, having Nokia phones as a mobile online extension as an offering that many companies will jump on board with.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Nokia And Microsoft Join Forces To Conquer the Enterprise

We have had netbooks for quite some time now. In fact, they are all pretty much the same. The magic netbook formula consists of an extremely portable package including an Intel Atom processor, a gig of RAM, a 9 or 10″ screen and wireless Internet access (hence the nameNETbook). These machines don’t have the hottest hardware capabilities around, but portability is key. Netbooks allow you to work anywhere a very portable package is required.

What makes a netbook even more appealing is when a mobile network operator embeds a 3G card into the device, enabling you to get online just about anywhere. Anywhere you can get a cell phone signal, that is.

After quite some time, Verizon Wireless has finally released a such netbook with embedded 3G EVDO network access. The long-awaited device is actually a customized HP Mini 1000 unit. As for the review unit I trialed, the HP Mini had a 10″ screen, 92% size keyboard, integrated EVDO data network card with wireless LAN capabilities, 1 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive.

The Computer Itself

HP has been pumping out many iterations of the HP Mini 1000 over the last year or so. The Mini 1000 is a svelte black machine that is about an inch thick. At 2.4 pounds, the Mini is very portable and easily slips into a backpack, womens purse, or other small bag.

Ports

As for ports and other capabilities, the right hand side of the HP Mini has one USB Port and an MMC/SD card slot for memory expansion or easily importing photos off your digital camera or mini-camcorder. On the opposite left side, there is the power port, an additionalUSB port, a SATA port to attach a portable hard drive to, a combo microphone/headphone adapter, and a gigabit ethernet port that is hidden behind a small flap you have to remove to plug into.

i wish the HP Mini had more than just 2 USB ports. By comparison, my Asus Eee PC 1005HA has 3 USB ports and is also a 10″ netbook with a similar form factor. Also, I don’t like HP’s choice to make the headphone/microphone adapter one port that requires a little adapter to have both plugeed in at the same time. If netbooks are all about portability and convenience, then having to remember to carry around an adapter is asking too much, I think.

Opening up the netbook (which is kind of a pain in the butt to do – no latch) reveals the well-sized keyboard, mouse trackpad, 10″ LCD screen and an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Keyboard, Screen and Speakers

The HP Mini is known for its great keyboard – a rarity on a netbook. You see, because of the small package, hardware manufactures have to shrink the keyboard down. In many cases, this makes the keyboard awkward and potentially uncomfortable to type on. The HPMini’s keyboard is good for typing on, but I don’t like it overall. They keyboard layout forces you to shift your hands over to the left a bit, making my keystrokes inaccurate. This is entirely personal preference though.

The screen is big enough and bright enough for comfortable use. One note however, the HP Mini has a glossy screen which is hard to see outdoors or in well-lit environments where glare can be an issue. With a netbook, you have to settle for lower screen resolutions so you won’t be able to edit a huge spreadsheet, but for web surfing, email writing, and document creation, the HP Mini suffices.

As for the speakers on the HP Mini, they’ve really done a good job. The audio quality, loudness, and overall music experience is phenomenal. The speakers are located between the screen and the keyboard and are perfectly positioned for listening to tunes while you work or even watching a movie.

Battery Life

I was severly dissapointed with this devices battery life. With even casual usage with no wireless or bluetooth networking turned on, I never got more than 3 hours of life on one charge. With networking (3G or Wi-Fi, same result) turned on, I got maybe 2 hours and 15 minutes of battery life out of the HP Mini. The 3 cell battery is just not enough to get a large amout of work done when you can’t be tethered to a power slot.

For comparison, my Asus 1005HA gets between 8 and 9.5 hours of battery life, depending on my usage.

The 3G and Network Performance

This review isn’t just about the HP Mini itself, but how does Verizon’s 3G network perform? On this device, which runs Windows XP Home edition, the Verizon Wireless VZAcess Manager utility is your gateway to getting online. This is true whether you’re accessing the 3G network or a nearby hotspot. Loading up VZAccess Manager shows you all nearby hotspots, both secured and unsecured and also powers up the 3G chip for accessing Verizon’s EVDO broadband wireless network.

What is special about this HP Mini is that it features the Gobi chip from Qualcomm. The Gobi means not only does the HP Mini operate on Verizon’s cellular network hear in the States, but if you travel abroad to Europe, Asia, or anywhere overseas that has aGSM 3G data network, the HP Mini can operate on that cellular network as well. So basically, Verizon has made it so you can get online anywhere, as long as you an have international data plan activated through Verizon before you travel.

For globetrotters, being able to hop online virtually anywhere you have a cellular signal without having to mess with USB dongles is a huge time saver.

I found VZAccess Manger incredibly easy to work with. Whenever I couldn’t find a hotspot to connect to, I’d hop on Verizon’s network easily and with no problems. Speeds aren’t as good on 3G as with Wi-Fi, but the key here is accessibility. With Verizon’s almost ubiquitous cellular network, getting an EVDO data connection almost anywhere is priceless. I found that when I had the netbook and had a few moments to kill, having a data card and a netbook allowed me to work during these otherwise useless times. Examples included: waiting for friends at restaurants, waiting at the doctor’s office and so on.

Conclusion

The HP Mini 1000 is a great purchase if you are looking to activate a netbook with a wireless data plan on a cellular network provider. At $200, the price is right. Of course, you have to pay $60/month for a data plan to Verizon, but if you are already going to buy a dongle and use this with your regular notebook, give thenetbook a look.

I was very happy with Verizon’s data throughput speeds on their network. In side by side tests in about 5 different geographies, my SprintEVDO card was about twice as fast for doing data throughput, but Verizon’s network performed OK for common tasks.

My advice, as with any netbook, try this computer out in the Verizon store to make sure you are comfortable with it. Since you’re buying this HP Mini on a 2 year contract, you better be sure you’re comfortable typing and working with it. This HP has a funny trackpad for the mouse, with the buttons on the left and right (rather than under) the trackpad. Make sure this works for you.

(Image credit: Flickr user Javier Aroche)

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Review: HP Mini 3G Netbook from Verizon Wireless

Well, a few of my favorite people from MIR have gone on to create a new mobile publication called The Really Mobile Project. The people behind the new site are Ben Smith, Dan Lane, James Whatley and Vikki Chowney. The site is brand new but already has some awesome content on it.

They shoot quite a bit of video and feature written blog material as well. Check it out, if you haven’t already.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Incredible New Mobile Site – The Really Mobile Project

Skype for iPhone

I loaded the application as soon as it was available in the App Store and was completely blown away. Skype for iPhone represents a well designed and implemented touch application. Like other bloggers, I believe Skype is a very easy way to make long distance phone calls on the iPhone/iPod Touch platform.

One interesting note about the iPhone application – you can only make Skype calls over Wi-Fi. Apparently this can be worked around, if you’re willing to jailbrake your handset. On the Nokia Truphone application, VoIP calls can be made over 3G, which is a very useful feature.

I am happy to have Skype as a software application on my iPod Touch – however I see some limitations. First and foremost, because the iPhone can’t run background processes, you can’t leave Skype running and be able to do other activities such as checking email or Twitter. Skype has to be running and active for you to be available to others while you’re on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Another complaint is that Skype contacts cannot be implemented with the native contact list. It would be great if I could see my contacts’ Skype presence without having to actually load the Skype app.

Comparing to Truphone

So, now that we have another choice in addition to Truphone for conducting VoIP calls on the Apple portable platform, how does Skype compare?

Skype has a huge userbase and will likely appeal to a broader audience. However, if you’re looking for value, Truphone should stay on your radar. Just this week at CTIA, Truphone announced new unlimited places that allow for ultra-cheap calling. Under the new plans, you pay a flat rate and get “unlimited” calls to most geographies.

Under the TruUnlimited plan, you pay only $17 a month and get unlimited calling to landlines in 38 countries and mobiles in 9 countries.

What is your favorite mobile VoIP app? Why?

Please leave a comment below and lets discuss!

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Skype Is A Fantastic App, but Truphone Has An Edge

Nokia N97

According to a story from TechRadar, users aren’t fully realizing the capabilities of their mobile phones. As it turns out, many folks don’t realize that the smartphone in their pocket is more than a phone – it’s a portable computer that you can easily customize with applications that suite your life.

Skype commissioned a survey to assess the market for add-on applications for mobile handsets. Amongst their findings, they realized:

• 62% do not yet view their mobile device as an extension of their computer.
• Only 23% feel that they have more or the same level of control over their mobile device as they have over their computer.
• 67% want to be able to choose their mobile applications for themselves, rather than have their carriers choose for them

My opinion is that consumers are too busy to know that their smartphones and other handsets can be given all new capabilities with targeted applications. For example, installing an application such as Nokia Sports Tracker will provide you great statistics on your workouts and installing an application such as Truphone would cut down on international dialing costs and SMS fees.

Mobile software vendors should market hard to inform smartphone users that software options exist. Apple iPhone users know this because the App Store makes installing 3rd party applications on the iPhone easy and fun.

With new application markets forthcoming for Nokia, Android, and RIM, the wheels should get greased soon, resulting in more mobile consumers installing applications on their handsets.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Users Don’t Realize Their Mobile Phone’s Capabilities

Skype on the N97

The upcoming Nokia N97 will be the first Nokia handset to receive the Skype software. With Skype pre-loaded, Nokia NSeries users will be able to IM and call their Skype contacts using Skype’s VoIP infrastructure, rather than via traditional GSM networks.

The Primitive Skype Mobile Experience Thus Far

For some time, mobile users have had ways of conducting limited Skype functions. For example, an older version of Skype has long been available for the Windows Mobile operating system. More recently, Skype has released ‘Skype Lite’ versions, which are essentially Java-based versions of their VoIP/IM software for a variety of mobile platforms including Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and LG.

Additionally, products such as iSkoot and hardware platforms such as the 3 Skypephone make it possible to have Skype IM/calling using mobile handset software. With the 3 Skypephone, users can make Skype-to-Skype without using their GSM minutes thanks to the iSkoot implementation UK mobile carrier 3 has arranged. The 3 Skypephone also allows one to see their Skype contacts’ presence information within the phone built-in address book.

A New World?

The new Skype version that will be on Nokia handsets is a native version that will be tightly integrated with the Symbian operating system. In fact, Skype will be available via the phone’s firmware. For those who purchase an N97 before Skype is released, an updated firmware will be made available.

With Skype will be integrated into the N97′s address book, it will be possible for users to see when Skype contacts are online alongside their existing phone contacts. If a Skype contact is online, users can either send their Skype friend an instant message or make free and low-cost phone calls via a 3G cellular connection or Wi-Fi. Skype-to-Skype calls will still remain free and SkypeOut calls will adhere to the low calling rates we are accustomed too.

Globetrotters Targeted

The Nokia and Skype partnership will be a major benefit to any mobile user who either frequently travels or otherwise needs free/inexpensive calling. Skype has long been a great option to communicate while traveling internationally. With today’s announcement, Skype will be as close as your mobile handset. For anyone who travels frequently knows, it is alarmingly expensive to make phone calls while abroad. Having Skype on a mobile handset will make it very cost-effective to communicate with your colleagues, friends, and family.

Skype was wise to partner with Nokia. The Finnish handset maker is the world’s largest and most dominant mobile handset maker with roughly 40% of the phone market. Now, with a Nokia/Skype partnership, both parties stand to benefit. For Skype, they will see a rise in SkypeOut calling and yearly calling subscriptions, and Nokia will see globetrotting professionals look to NSeries handsets for their communications needs.

Carrier Reaction

It will be interesting to see how mobile network operators will rereact to this new Skype offering. SkypeOut minutes, if heavily used, could seriously dent international calling revenue. In today’s mobile network market, where carriers are looking for any method to monetize the mobile communication experience, Skype on a mobile could cannibalize international calling and texting profits.

What are your thoughts? Could you see using Skype on your mobile handset, especially if the Skype experience is tightly integrated into your mobile phone book? Please leave a comment and lets discuss!

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

In An Effort To Become Ubiquitous, Skype Partners with Nokia

Why would rapidly selling stripped down laptops cause harm to the PC industry? Because the PC industry is driven by big software firms (mostly Microsoft) coming out with new software and pushing consumers towards it, driving the sale of newer hardware.

Netbooks represent a model opposite of this. This is because Netbooks either run Linux (a free operating system) or XP Home, a version of the Windows XP operating system that is 6-7 years old and doesn’t have a high profit margin for Microsoft, such as Windows Vista.

A brief little related side story. My mother-in-law, a few months back, provided me a window into why Netbooks are so popular. She said, “for the longest time, we’ve had to buy these expensive computers that are great for some people, but all I want to do is get online (the web) and check my email. Finally, with netbooks, the rest of us computer users are getting exactly what we need: inexpensive laptops that are tailored to the way we use computers”.

So there you have it – a mass audience is finally getting the type of hardware and software they need. Why is this bad for the PC industry? It seems to me that the PC industry just needs to adapt to the new business model and figure out how to tailor their products for the new usage model that has emerged.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Netbooks Are Causing the PC Industry to Change, And It’s a Good Thing!

Nokia HQ - Photo Courtesy Flickr User rooreynolds

Nokia, the Finnish mobile giant, has arguably the most well-equipped mobile handsets in the industry. The N95 made waves two years go by offering an outstanding feature set including on-board GPS, a 5 megapixel camera, great video recording capabilities, dual action slider, and Wi-Fi connectivity. What has followed are other handsets both in the Nseries consumer line and the Eseries business line that also feature awesome hardware portfolio for on-the-go techies and business-types.

The Market Demands Good Customer Experience

In the mobile press I follow, Nokia is known for having fully featured handsets with a lackluster customer experience. It is known amongst Nokia users that advanced options and capabilities are hidden in a maze of menus. Additionally, common actions take 7-8 clicks to conduct.

iPhone fanatics revel in the Apple phone’s ease of use and take the iPhone’s lack of features in exchange for a fluid and easy-to-use experience with the device. With the 5800 XpressMusic and upcoming N97, Nokia has acknowledged that a touch interface is a good first step. However, a lesson Nokia needs to learn about the iPhone is: a touch interface is only part of the iPhone’s success, a sexy and superb user experience is the larger part of the equation. The same goes with Research in Motion and their Blackberry Storm.

The iPhone has changed the game in the mobile industry by making it so the average consumer demands more from the mobile. We now expect our mobile phones to be easy to use as well as fully functional.

Recent Examples

In the recent months, we have seen more examples of now Nokia has failed regarding consumer experience. For example, just a few months ago, the Finnish company refreshed their product line by offering the new “Flagship” N96. The update to the ubiquitous N95, the N96 added a few new features including DVB-H video, an added 16GB of memory, and a 2.8 screen on the piano black body.

However, the N96 is a pain to use because of its ridiculously poor firmware. In my experience, the N96 resets itself constantly, is slow when hopping on wireless networks, and hangs while composing messages. It was such a bad experience, I shelved the device. Friend Jonathan Greene also noted his frustration. The N96 software was so bad, it seemed as if Nokia released the monster superphone with test firmware. Off the record, my contacts inside Nokia have commented about the poor firmware and are embarrassed by it.

More recently, Nokia released Nokia Maps 3.0 and the corresponding Maps on Ovi service. Early accounts show that installing the Maps application is painful at best.

While we’re excited about new products and services, we as customers DEMAND that the experience be graceful and fluid. When Nokia charges $700 – $800 for a handset (in the case of the N96), customers have a right to demand a positive customer experience.

Drawing Parallels

For a similar situation, look at the desktop market.

Microsoft has always had a rock solid market share with deep roots amongst their customers. In recent years, they have failed in regards to customer experience. Windows computers are plagued with problems including driver issues, stability problems, and security issues. For the longest time, it seemed Redmond was oblivious to the plight of the average frustrated Windows user. Popularity in Apple products, as a result, has surged. Apple computers serve the same basic functions as a Windows computer, but with a much more enjoyable and effortless user experience.

What Can Be Done

So, is all hope lost? Has the boat left the dock? HECK NO!! The first thing Nokia can do is conduct adequate research and testing with user experience in mind. If the N96 firmware wasn’t ready to ship…why ship the device?! It should be known that the complaints against the N96 were not from a loud minority, rather were widespread across multiple audiences. The sad part is that many of the issues and complaints about the N96 were repeats of issues made known when the N95 was launched years earlier.

The N97 is coming out sometime in the first half of 2009. With the new device, Nokia has a huge opportunity to make a splash in the mobile handset market. My advice: Test, Test, Test. Engage with testers outside your traditional channels. If need be, Nokia has a blogger relations program set up – use this knowledgeable group to test the device in an in-depth manner. If the N97 release needs to be pushed back in the name of quality, then by all means – delay it! Customer experience demands it.

The US market is one where customer experience is even more important than in Nokia’s strongholds of Europe and Asia. Consumers here are finicky and not as likely to read manuals. Where the iPhone market share is strong, so is consumer demand of a positive experience with products we consume and buy. If Nokia wants to gain traction in North America, installation, use, and ongoing support of software and mobile services will be of most importance.

On the bright side, Nokia is a company who is chock full of imaginative engineers, designers, and marketers. I’m confident the Espoo can pull this feat off.

Post from: Techcraver.com | Craving Tech, Craving Life!

Why Nokia Must Nail The Customer Experience