Brick and mortar bookstores may one day be a thing of the past, as the business is steadily shifting to the digital realm. Barnes & Noble released its latest financial picture, and the digital business is significantly out-pacing the physical side of the bookselling business. Read more »
Apple may be selling millions of iPhones but there’s no denying Android is a hot platform with 160,000 phones activated daily. Carriers are bringing high-end Android smartphones to the market, and this comparison of the top six should make that purchase decision a little easier. Read more »
Amazon finally released the Kindle app into the Android wild today. The app is in the Android Market for free download. Installation is quick and easy (Android 1.6 or later) and after logging in with my Kindle credentials my bookshelf was right where I left it. Read more »
Beleaguered Sprint has taken a dual-pronged attack to stem the flood of lost subscribers. The network has jumped firmly behind Android with the EVO 4G. The announcement today of the Samsung Epic 4G demonstrates the firm’s realization that its 4G window of opportunity is closing. Read more »
Best Buy has plans to sell mobile broadband under the store’s banner. Best Buy Connect will offer 3G and 4G connectivity in a variety of tiered service plans ranging from 250 MB to 5 GB limits per month. Sprint is rumored to be the service provider. Read more »
I may be the biggest fan of e-books around, and when I use a new mobile device the first thing I do is look for reader apps. That’s why I jumped on the Kobo reader app when it was released. It’s OK, but it lacks features. Read more »
The long-awaited Flash Player 10.1 was released this week for the Android platform. In announcing the release, Adobe named the phones expected to get updated to Android 2.2, info that was previously unconfirmed. Meanwhile, Toshiba let the first smartbook running Android onto the market. Read more »
Korean gadget maker Viliv is getting the N5 ready for release, and I have a unit in my hands. I’ll be giving the Viliv N5 a deep dive over the next few days, but have some photos of this little Windows 7 PC for your enjoyment. Read more »
Promoting literacy to children of developing countries is an incredibly important task. There is no substitute for education, and improving literacy is the cornerstone of that effort. The Kindle turns out to be an effective tool for the Worldreader organization for getting students in Ghana reading. Read more »
Time for Mobile Tech Manor column number 95, although I wasn’t in the Manor for much of the week due to a trip to Orlando. I carried my office in a bag, and was impressed at the lack of compromise in my work routine. Read more »
On iPhone launch day, it is appropriate to give some thought to what makes a mobile device successful in the mainstream market. The person on the street rarely pays attention to the technical aspects of a device, and they are the real target you must reach. Read more »
Many cities in the U.S. saw an unusual heavy traffic spike in the wee hours of the morning today. It is iPhone launch day, and hundreds of thousands of iPhone 4 owners-to-be headed to the Apple store to lay claim on the new smartphone. Read more »
Boingo is a service that can be indispensable for those who have a mobile lifestyle. I frequently work mobile, so the $10/monthly fee is money well spent. A recent trip demonstrated an alternate method to connect to the web, and that has me considering dropping Boingo. Read more »
The folks at Skype are feeling all World Cup-y and have started a promotion designed to keep football fans in touch for free. Skype users in the U.S. can call any mobile or landline for free for the entire month; check the details for other countries. Read more »
After its recent acquisition of Palm, HP may be rekindling its business, particularly in the mobile space. The big investment to pick up Palm’s webOS platform creates a demand for the company to get a return, and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Palm has been floundering for a while and the hope from enthusiasts is that HP will leverage its vast resources to launch the webOS platform into a new beginning. Those in the right position will find ripe opportunities with the new webOS, and it’s about time. Read more »
Like most who try the iPad, this guy admits he mistakenly thought typing on the virtual keyboard would not be good. This is the only iPad I’ve seen in use at the conference today. Of course, I’ve only seen two other Macs at this techie conference. Read more »
Consumers want notebooks with high performance and good battery life. Acer has released a new line of notebooks that attempts to deliver good performance while providing 8 hours of battery life. The TimelineX series of notebooks comes in four sizes to appeal to a broad audience. Read more »
I am working in the press room — sorry, the media room — at the Freescale Technology Forum in Orlando. The trip has been a good one so far, and that is due to the small but effective tool kit I brought along which is important. Read more »
We knew Adobe was getting Flash Player 10.1 ready for the Android platform and it has now been released to partners. Flash 10.1 requires Android 2.2 (Froyo), as earlier versions of Android cannot handle the requirements of the new Flash Player according to Adobe. Read more »
What do you get when you build a smartbook using the Android OS without touch support? The Toshiba AC100 smartbook. The AC100 is a thin 10-inch notebook running Android 2.1 without touch support that is intended to be an always connected device with long battery life. Read more »
The HP/Palm merger hasn’t taken place yet and Palm is acting to keep interest in the webOS platform. The company quietly mentioned on its blog a couple of days ago that for a limited time all apps in the App Catalog are now half price. Read more »
Toshiba is resurrecting the Libretto for its 25th anniversary, in a dual screen model that lacks a physical keyboard. Libretto W100 is only a prototype, but will be sold in limited numbers to enthusiasts wanting to see “what the future of mobile computing” could be. Read more »
Statistics released this week show the Droid to be the most used Android phone on the web, by a significant margin. The same numbers show the EVO 4G, only out for a few days, has nearly pulled even with the Google Nexus One in web usage. Read more »
Kobo has set out to be a major player in the e-book world, with an electronic reader, apps for major platforms and deals with major booksellers. Today Kobo has launched the reader app for Android, making Kobo content available on more platforms than the competition. Read more »
The end of another week is nigh which brings me to my favorite task — sharing the events at Mobile Tech Manor. This week was a big week for apps for the iPad and Android. A lost dog dominated Twitter, and a good book was read. Read more »
Motorola and Verizon are basking in the popularity of the original Droid, although they wish they could build them faster. Recent phones in the Droid line have been produced by HTC; it’s a return to the Motorola roots with the Droid X to be announced shortly. Read more »
Sony has not missed the popularity of the MiFi and is adding the capability to its VAIO Y and Z series of laptops. Dubbed “Share My Connection” by Sony, the feature will be available on June 20 on select VAIO Y and Z notebooks. Read more »
The world seems consumed with 3D, with talk of 3D TVs and computers all over the news lately. Computer maker Lenovo is paying attention to this and introduced its first 3D notebook — the IdeaPad Y560d. The 15 inch notebook can play 3D games and movies. Read more »
Swype is an alternative keyboard for the Android platform that with just a little practice can be the fastest keyboard on the small screen. Text is entered by “spelling” words by swiping the letters on the keyboard. It is fast as seen in this video. Read more »
Android is like that runaway mine car in the Indiana Jones movie — it’s gathering speed so fast it’s unstoppable. Keeping an eye on published numbers about the share of Android in the smartphone space is always enlightening, but some new numbers are quite telling. Read more »
Sony Ericsson is not sitting back on its XPERIA phone line and watching the Android parade go by. The firm unleashed a new member of the line, the X8, and promises upgrades to Android 2.1 for all XPERIA X10 phones this year. Android keeps rolling on. Read more »
Talk about a BlackBerry companion tablet has gained traction with a new report that such a slate device is indeed in the works. A BlackBerry with a sliding keyboard is also planned that would be a game-changer for RIM in the smartphone space. Read more »
Sprint will release a second phone on its 4G network later this year. The Samsung Galaxy S Pro is an update to an earlier model with some welcome additions: a QWERTY keyboard, super AMOLED screen and 4G connectivity. There’s a front camera for video chatting, too. Read more »
Samsung is getting ready for a September release of a 7-inch tablet running Android dubbed the Galaxy Tape. The Tape has a super AMOLED screen and runs Android 2.2. It will have a powerful (1.2 GHz) processor and up to 48 GB of storage. Read more »
In what must surely be a nod that more establishments offer free Wi-Fi than ever before, Starbucks will do the same in its U.S. stores effective July 1. The free Wi-Fi and launch later this year of Starbucks Digital Network is through a partnership with Yahoo. Read more »
The App Store is growing steadily, with over 10,000 apps now available. My top 5 apps for the iPad change regularly, but no matter which apps are on the list at any given time they add a lot of value to my usage of the iPad. Read more »
The Freeware of the Moment today is a simple utility for Android that fills a very specific need. ShootMe is a screen capture tool for Android that is simple to use. When the screen is displayed that you want to capture, you simply shake the phone. Read more »
HP purchased the Flip, HyperCore and HyperSpace technologies from Phoenix Technologies for $12 million. The timing of this deal leads to the question of using HyperSpace with future products based on the web0S platform acquired by Palm. HyperSpace is optimized to run on the ARM platform. Read more »
The HTC EVO 4G has two video chat options to take advantage of the second camera on the front of the phone. Laptop Magazine and I were wondering how well each client works, and we set out to do a comparison of Fring and Qik. Read more »
