Hardware and gadgets

A short, good analysis of six industries that Apple's tablet computer could change. Apple is expected to roll out the device next week.

Here is a roundup of rumors about the new Apple tablet. Apple has announced a media event late this month, but is not saying what the announcement is about. Until very recently, most pundits were guessing Apple's table computer would not be announced until June of this year, but I think the increasing interest in the Google Android phone may have caused Apple to move up their announcement to suck all the oxygen out of the room and take the media focus off Android.

Reports are beginning to dribble out that Google is very close to releasing an "official" Google phone based on Google's Android operating system. Other mobile phone makers have been playing catch up with Apple's iPhone for the past two years, with little success--anyone seen a Palm Pre lately?

MacWorld reports that iPod zombies are scaring motorists and causing accidents in Great Britain. iPod zombies are bicyclists who pedal down the road with their iPod headphones plugged in. Yes, this means they can't hear road traffic, and worse, are probably mentally wrapped up in listening to the music instead of being aware of the traffic around them. How big a problem is it?

I think we can all relate to this....

Sirius XM has introduced something I might consider buying--it's a dock for an iPhone/iPod Touch. As I've said repeatedly, I don't want more gagdgets in my life. I have too many already. I want fewer, more capable pieces of technology. I've avoided a satellite radio because my car does not have one built in, and I have not wanted another one trick gadget in the car with another charger and cables taking up space.

Nikon has released its new Coolpix S1000pj camera. The device has a built-in projector that will display up to a 40 inch image on a wall or screen. As far as I know, this is the first pocket projector device that is actually available for purchase. I've been writing about these for at least two years, but all the earlier products were essential vaporware, with "in development" as the operative phrase.

There are 185 million cellphones sold in Europe every year, meaning that at least that many cellphone chargers come with the phones. And it is likely that 185 million old chargers get tossed out or sit in drawers when that new phone is purchased. But over the next four years, cellphone makers of "data enabled" phones will standardize on mini-USB jacks for the chargers.

The CrunchPad may be available soon, and it is likely to be just one of many competitors to the newly emerging tablet market. The Amazon Kindle will be remembered as the first, but like many first to market devices, it may not outlast the competition. The CrunchPad is an inexpensive (projected to sell for $299) tablet designed primarily for Web browsing, but it is likely it can or will do more over time.

AT&T is going to in its phone stores. The mini laptops will be sharply discounted if you also buy a phone or data plan from the company. Rumors have been swirling for months of netbooks with 3G cellular modems built in, and for a lot of people, esepcially frequent travelers, the small light devices are just right.

Sprint's new mobile hotspot is cool. It is a little credit card size data only cellular data modem. Cellular modems have been around for awhile, but they typically have a USB port and you plug them into your laptop. This one has no ports. Instead, it creates a WiFi hotspot that can be used for Internet access by any WiFi device--your laptop, your iPhone, your iPod Touch, even your home network.

The new Kindle DX by Amazon is out. It's a bigger version the older Kindles, and the main feature is a much bigger screen. The gadget cost $489, but some of that goes toward the free connectivity on the Sprint cellular network. You can download books and news via the wireless link, and recent novels start at $10.

iPhone users are speculating that the ability to "tether" their phones to their laptops to share the iPhone data connection may be coming in June as part of an iPhone software update. This would be a boon when traveling, as it is tough to do much work that involves writing on the iPhone (or any phone) itself. Even with the now widespread availability of free/fee WiFi hotspots, there are still lots of times when having a data connection on the laptop would be very useful.

A new study of smartphone Web browsing shows the iPhone positively crushing the competition. The Apple iPhone accounts for 33% of all the Web browsing being done by smartphones. The nearest competitor is a Nokia phone, the N70, with a measly 7.1%. After that, it goes downhill even more rapidly, with most of the other phones in the top ten barely breaking 3%. The iPhone has a good, fast Web browser, a large readable screen, and a touch interface; the combination is unbeatable at this time.

Remember the old days? Back when I was part of a corporate team teaching project management, we hauled in our presentations in milk crates--about a dozen of them for a five day class. We needed a van to haul them around.

In the nineties, overhead projectors were gradually replaced by the "modern" LCD projectors that initially cost many thousands of dollars, and required an oversize rolling suitcase and a strong back to lug them around.

Ed Dreistadt sent me this link about using the iPhone as an in-vehicle interface for information like tire pressure and reminders about changing your oil. One key design feature of the iPhone is its interoperatbility--it has WiFi, so it can talk to any other WiFi device, it supports standard email and Web data, and it has an open software API so it is fast and easy to write custom applications for the iPhone.

A new study of mobile access to the Web indicates that in less than two years, Apple's share of that market has grown to 51%, with the popularity of the iPod Touch growing rapidly. The Blackberry is in second place with 19%, and most other portable devices with a Web browser have much smaller shares.

Amazon has released its updated version of the Kindle, the portable book reader. The original Kindle was ugly, heavy, and had too many sharp edges. The updated Kindle has been slimmed down and smoothed. It has longer battery life, and much better graphics (still black and white, though). This new version may actually catch on.