James Kendrick has written and done video reviews and how-to’s for numerous publications, including Smartphone & Pocket PC
Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine. He is also member of the prestigious Mobius group — an invitation extended to true experts in the world of mobile technology. An avid Tablet PC user, James was recognized in 2005 with the Microsoft MVP award in Tablet PCs.
It’s being reporting today that HP/Palm is preparing to release the “PalmPad” next month. The story is accompanied by a diagram showing the PalmPad. I thought the diagram looked familiar, and a brief investigation shows it’s the same diagram shown by HP of the HP Slate. Read more »
Remote health monitoring generated €7.6 billion globally in 2010, an amount destined to grow as this nascent area of healthcare is used more heavily in the future. Chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiac conditions and asthma are successfully treated wtih home monitoring using mobile technology. Read more »
The geek in your life is hard enough to find appropriate gifts for, and again this year you waited until the last moment. Never fear; we scoured the web for the geekiest, coolest gift ideas that will be just perfect for the geek in your life. Read more »
The growth of Android in the smartphone space has been phenomenal, but recent ad statistics show it may be leveling off. VoIP calling is hot on Android, however, with fring posting solid performance. LogMeIn Ignition is coming to the tablet, and we have an advance look. Read more »
Join James, Matt and Kevin live for this week’s audio podcast where they’ll cover the week’s mobile technology news and share experiences with the latest software, hardware and web services. If you missed the live show, you can grab an MP3 audio recording and listen later. Read more »
Amazon has rolled out a major new version of the Kindle app for Android that adds magazines and newspapers to the standard e-book fare. The app also adds shopping capability within the app, making it easier to browse for new content, and usability improvements. Read more »
The folks behind LogMeIn are preparing an update for the Android version of Ignition that’s fully optimized with support for tablets. We have an advance copy of the update, and offer this sneak peek at LogMeIn Ignition running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab. Read more »
The flip format isn’t dead by a long shot. My review of the BlackBerry Style gives the details about the phone, but this video shows why the Style might be the perfect stocking stuffer for the BlackBerry lover on your gift list this holiday season. Read more »
The Amazon content juggernaut rambles on with the release of the Amazon MP3 app to the BlackBerry platform. The music store is available in the BlackBerry App World and brings the popular features “Free Song of the Day” and “Amazon’s Daily Deal” to the BlackBerry faithful. Read more »
I’ve long been a fan of mind mapping, especially on tablets, as the slate is the perfect workspace for creating and manipulating maps. My favorite app for mind mapping on mobile devices has been iThoughtsHD, but I now use Thinking Space on the Galaxy Tab. Read more »
This year has seen netbooks decline in popularity and the rise of the tablet to a level few predicted. Apple set the stage for tablet popularity with the release of the iPad that took the world by storm, and Android tablets are hitting the market. Read more »
Google dominated the Android news this week, as the company announced a number of products and updates. Front and center was the Nexus S and Gingerbread (Android 2.3), and we had a quick unboxing video. Gmail got Priority Inbox support, and YouTube got a facelift. Read more »
If you’re like me you may not listen to local radio much anymore, with all the online music options available. Sometimes listening to a favorite local radio station is just the ticket, especially when traveling and feeling a bit homesick. TuneIn Radio is a free app. Read more »
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has informed its suppliers at a conference this week that it expects to ship 60 million handsets in 2011. That is a phenomenal jump over the respectable 20 million handsets it will ship this year, due to the explosion of Android. Read more »
The folks at Google must never rest, as the update just released for Gmail for Android demonstrates. The new Gmail is available for Android 2.2 and above and adds some nice features, including support for Priority Inbox and improvements in composing new mail. Read more »
Intel CEO Paul Otellini realizes the company is late to the mobile party, and is counting on the tablet and smartphone segments to help it catch up. Those two mobile segments are dominated by competitors, so it’s not clear how successful Intel will be. Read more »
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is a nice small tablet, and I often get asked if there is a dock/ stand for using the device at the desk. This video shows a simple stand that is commonly available for around $5 that serves the purpose nicely. Read more »
Google announced a program for Chrome OS yesterday, and it’s clear they mean business as the company has taken delivery of 60,000 of the notebooks. The Cr-48 Chrome notebook that Google demonstrated will be sent to chosen applicants to test Chrome OS on the unbranded notebook. Read more »
The Google announcement today put the upcoming Chrome OS in the spotlight as an OS based on the Chrome web browser, aimed at replacing legacy desktop systems. Systems with Chrome OS won’t hit the market until mid-2011, but web operating system Jolicloud is available now. Read more »
RIM knows it faces stiff competition in the tablet space when it releases its PlayBook, and since apps will be key, the company has started accepting them for App World for consideration. Developers submitting an app that gets accepted to App World get a free PlayBook. Read more »
A new service aims to make holiday gift cards easier to give and use through the mobile phone. SWAGG handles gift cards for hundreds of merchants, and makes purchasing in the store as simple as flashing the iPhone or Android phone at checkout Read more »
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) may be coming with new capabilities, but Froyo (Android 2.2) already has a feature that’s under-utilized by most users. Google has included sophisticated voice input technology in Froyo that can turn handling an Android phone into a largely hands-free experience Read more »
Google opened its e-book store today and released a reader app for Android today. Google Books is a no-frills app as is common with Google’s first efforts, but it handles the basic tasks well. A cool feature lets you read books from the original scanned page. Read more »
News ranged this week from impressive sales of the first Android tablet to an app for reading e-books. Samsung reported a million Galaxy Tabs have been sold, and upped its forecast for sales this year. Sony announced an Android app for handling Sony Reader e-book content. Read more »
Join James, Matt and Kevin live for this week’s audio podcast where they’ll cover this week’s mobile technology news and share experiences with the latest software, hardware and web services. If you missed the live show, you can grab an MP3 audio recording. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office where all sorts of gadgetry is always arriving. In this column, I look back at the week in the Manor and recount the happenings and lessons learned. I love sharing my weeks with you, so welcome to the Manor. Read more »
Those Angry Birds cannot be stopped, not even by the holiday season. Rovio Mobile has released a special Android version for the holidays, with a twist. The Christmas-themed game was introduced on Dec. 1, and will only unlock one level per day until Christmas. Read more »
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is selling well according to reports, and some owners might find the Lambskin portfolio case by Samsung to be a fitting companion for their new tablet. The Samsung case is designed to fit the tablet without adding undue bulk to the package. Read more »
The special person in your life may already have an iPad, so if you’re wondering what to give this holiday season, you should consider the Vario stand. It clips onto the back of the iPad, becoming a stand that holds it in almost any position. Read more »
Motorola has been enjoying the popularity of its Android product line, and the Droid Pro looks to take it to the enterprise worker. It starts with the Android 2.2, and adds a touch screen coupled with a keyboard that could have come from the BlackBerry folks. Read more »
The Sony Reader has been out longer than some of the e-readers on the market, but the company hasn’t joined in the smartphone app wars until now. The company has confirmed it will make Sony Reader apps available in December for two smartphone platforms. Read more »
Smartphones with big touch screens are popular, but RIM has gone old-school with the BlackBerry Style. The Style is a modern adaptation of the flip phone, and given RIM’s attention to detail and the new BlackBerry 6 operating system the handset works the form surprisingly well. Read more »
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first Android tablet to make a serious run at the iPad, and with Angry Birds now on Android the question is how well does the game run on the Tab? Check out this video showing bird flinging in glorious hi-res. Read more »
The big news about Android covered a lot of ground this week, from streaming video to impressive sales volume. Dish Network embraced Android for streaming TV to the phone, and LG sold 1 million Optimus T smartphones in just 40 days. Read more »
Those looking for a new smartphone should check out the penny sale at Amazon Wireless. BGR reports that all Verizon Droid smartphones are only one red cent through Nov. 22, and investigation shows there are also BlackBerry devices, including the brand new Torch on AT&T. Read more »
Join James, Matt and Kevin live for this week’s audio podcast where they’ll cover this week’s mobile technology news and share experiences with the latest software, hardware and web services. If you missed the live show, you can grab an MP3 audio recording and listen later. Read more »
Amazon is bringing the e-book more in line with the paper variety with the ability to give Kindle e-books as gifts this year. Giving that special book to a friend or family member is always a good gift, and now that includes the digital variety. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office where all sorts of gadgetry is always arriving. In this column, I look back at the week in the Manor and recount the happenings and lessons learned. I love sharing my weeks with you, so welcome to the Manor. Read more »
Mobile healthcare is poised for major progress through incorporating technology, but a new study shows the FDA is negatively impacting this process in general. Companies trying to leverage technology in healthcare are finding that once the FDA gets involved, it becomes a time-consuming, expensive process. Read more »
The Angry Birds phenomenon just keeps rocking the mobile world, and soon a second Android version will be rocking low-end handsets with older versions of the OS. Performance issues are forcing Rovio to develop this version to address the diversity of devices running Android today. Read more »
