Mobile Devices

There’s a new site highlighting Velocity Micro Cruz Tablets and Readers which covers, “Velocity Micro™ Cruz Tablets, Cases, Covers, and Accessories.” Velocity Micro tablets are among the discount tablets that hover under $300, but not of the quality or caliber of a Nook Tablet or Amazon Kindle Fire which currently cost $249 and $199 respectively. While Coby Kyros tablets are similarly priced, they seem to be of better quality than the Velocity Micro Cruz tablets or a Pandigital Tablet.

Although the most successful tablet is still the iPad tablet, the HP TouchPad tablet, and Acer Iconia Tabs are also very popular. According to a survey by Robert W. Baird & Co., the tablets customers want the most are:

1. Apple iPad – Height: 9.5 inches – Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB
2. HP TouchPad – Height: 9.45 inches – Storage: 16 or 32 GB
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – Height: 10.1 inches – Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB
4: Motorola Xoom – Height: 10.1 inches – Storage: 32 GB
5: HTC Flyer – Height: 7.7 inches – Storage: 16GB or 32GB

Source: Robert W. Baird & Co.

Mobile Internet devices, or “MID” for short, are defined as any hand-held device that has Internet access. That can range from a smartphone to a tablet PC so more and more that phrase is being used less as almost all new mobile devices can access the Internet such as cameras. When someone calls a tablet PC a mobile Internet device or MID, it’s almost redundant, but that’s exactly what Coby Electronics does when it decides to name all of it’s tablet PCs, “MID tablets“.

The question is no longer whether or not to buy a laptop or a tablet, the question is which tablet PC to buy. That’s where sites like Tablet Comparison come in handy. For most people a tablet PC is all they need because they just need a mobile Internet device. They don’t need to edit pictures in Photoshop, edit their website, or compute things in a spreadsheet. They just need to be able to search for something on Google, buy something on Amazon, get on Facebook, and check their email. That’s exactly what tablet PCs do best – in addition to also being a great portable video player (via Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Instant, or Hulu) or ereader.

The iPad 2 has a beautiful ereader, but if ebooks are your thing, then you might want to consider the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet PC. They both have a 7″ form factor. Compare that to the iPad2, which has a 9.7″ screen. You’ll pay more for the iPad though, which starts at $600 and goes up from there while the Kindle Fire goes for $199 and the Nook Tablet is only $249. Compare this to the Coby Kyros tablets which range in size from 7″ to 10″ inches and vary from $150 to $200 depending on model, of which there are at least 12.

So which mobile Internet device is best for you? Maybe the hardware isn’t as important as the service behind it or the accessories available for it. For example, it’s much easier to find iPad covers, Kindle skins, or Nook covers than it is to find Coby Kyros cases. And if human support is important you might want to go with an iPad or a Nook Tablet over a Kindle Fire for access to your local Apple Store or Barnes and Noble book store, respectively. Although Amazon has great support, that support will be over the phone and any trade-ins will be done by shipment, not over the counter. There is a trade-off though because the lack of brick and mortar stores is what makes Amazon so cheap comparatively.

If money was no object, I would buy the iPad 2 simply because of the large selections of apps, accessories, and the look and feel of the device. If I were more budget-conscious I’d go with the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet next. The only real difference in the two is that the Kindle is a little more closed off and locked in to Amazon’s version of Android while the Nook Tablet is running a more standard version of Android. They also each have access to two different sets of libraries, albeit highly overlapping ones. In the end, you’ll have to decide based on the factors that matter most to you.

A new web site has sprung up promoting mobile power for mobile devices via USB battery pack extenders. We did some checking out and it looks like the site has some pretty extensive listings of USB battery packs, battery chargers, and backup power for USB-chargeable devices (which most mobile devices are nowadays anyway).

So if you’ve never thought to get a backup power source for your mobile device or didn’t know that USB batteries existed, you might want to check out USB Battery.  The prices aren’t as much as you might think, ranging from $20 to $40 on average. That’s not much to add extra hours to your prime movie-watching experience on your next trip or to avoid missing that call from your best client because you can’t find a place to plugin at the airport.

For smartphone users with the Starbucks app, you can now pay for your drinks with your phone. The system is now available in thousands of stores nationwide and works by linking the balance on your Starbucks card to your app. This is different say, than the Pay Pass system developed by Master Card. One question? Will you use it when its just as simple to swipe your Starbucks card?

Tablet PCs are dominating the mobile device market and giving smartphones a run for their money.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately you’ve noticed the huge number of new tablet PCs that have been released over the last two months. Everyone from Apple to HP to Dell to Google to Microsoft has had their hat in the ring vying for market leadership in an increasingly crowded field.

Tablet computer shopping sites like Tablet Comparison stand to benefit from such a wide consumer choice, but businesses may find it hard to integrate tablets into their daily processes without some assistance. Tablet PCs range in operating systems from Microsoft Windows 7 to Android to Apple iOS to PalmOS making it difficult for non-cloud based system integration. However, for sales teams, travelers, students, and doctors, tablet PCs are ideal. They probably won’t ever replace workstations, but neither did laptops.

I got this voicemail tonight and wanted to share:

Hey, this is Jason. I just had an epiphany. With the browser becoming more and more powerful, and basically replacing the OS, like Chrome is – and with Chrome already having the capability to duplicate extensions and the rest of your personal data across installations – that is the dream of the mobile computer. So anywhere you login you’ve got your own desktop – even if it’s a public terminal. ‘Cause if you fire up Chrome, login, and all of your extensions (i.e. your programs) load up into your browser (i.e. your OS), that’s it, that’s all there is to it. Alright. Bye.

So what do you think? Do you think the OS in the cloud can live in your browser?

According to Apple Insider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/11/non_exclusive_apple_verizon_deal_could_allow_iphone_on_sprint_t_mobile.html), because Apple has a non-restrictive agreement with Verizon, it is possible that similar agreements could be struck with Sprint and T-Mobile. The Verizon iPhone uses the CDMA network, which is popular all around the world, making this a potential boon for an already successful Apple.

Verizon iPhone can act as mobile wi-fi hotspot

Unlike AT&T iPhones, Verizon iPhones can act as mobile WiFi hotspots like Sprint’s EVO 4G. And if Sprint does that now, bets are good it will work on the Sprint iPhone as well.

Intel releases dual-core Atom N550 for netbooks

Intel has announced that netbook computers based on Intel’s dual-core N550 processor are going to boost games, video, and entertainment applications and offer support for faster DDR3 memory. The Atom N550 is the latest in Intel’s dual-core Atom line; it sports a 1.5 GHz clock speed with 1 MB of L2 cache and supports Intel’s hyper-threading technology, which supports up to four simultaneous execution threads.

Netbooks from makers like Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, and MSI. Intel says models are available now, although it may take a few days for retailers to get them onto shelves. Configurations will vary among manufacturers: Asus is planning to pair the N550 with Nvidia Ion graphics.

Intel claims they have shipped 70 million Atom chips “for netbooks” have since the line launched in 2008.

Acer AO532h-2588 10.1-Inch Onyx Blue Netbook

Browse the Web, check email, share photos, keep up with social networks, listen to music and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment with the Aspire One AO532h, which features a small compact design that you can take anywhere. Combining the power of the latest Intel Atom N450 processor and NM10 Express chipset with a 6-cell battery, this Aspire One AO532h model (AO532h-2588) in onyx blue provides up to 8 hours of battery life on the go–enough for a full workday.

A great choice for students as well as business travelers who like to travel light, Acer makes it easy to stay productive while on the go with the 10.1-inch CrystalBrite LED-backlit screen as well as its excellent near full-size keyboard. You’ll be able to easily video chat wherever you roam thanks to the Crystal Eye webcam integrated into the LCD’s bezel, delivering smooth video streaming and high quality images even in low-light situations. Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers on the multi-gesture touchpad for an intuitive navigation to view web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.

It comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system, which combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. It includes new Windows 7 features like Jump Lists to help you to better find and manage files, and connecting to printers and peripherals is easier than ever.
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