Amazon creates 5,000 title Kindle owners' lending library for Prime customers

Amazon Prime services took a major leap forward today. In addition to free access to over 13,000 streaming TV & movie titles and free 2 day shipping, Amazon Prime subscribers who are Kindle owners now also have free access to Amazon's new 5,000 title lending library. This feels like the start of something big. 5,000 today, 50,000 next year? There are no late fees, it's like Netflix for books.

The books can only be read on a Kindle device, as opposed to being read on the Kindle app on a phone or computer. The other restriction is that Prime members can only borrow one book each month. If more books are added might we see tiered pricing for more enthusiastic readers?

Kindles are now so affordable that I can really see this service becoming successful. It works for Amazon because it will bring in predictable cashflow since Prime has an annual cost ($79), and it will work for many consumers because one book a month is probably the norm for many of us. Even if you're not a regular reader, this additional service might just be the one that helps to convince us to buy a Prime membership.

GMail Sent Items not showing in iOS5 iPhone - Solution for Google Sync with Microsoft Exchange

I recently set up GMail on a client's Apple iPhone 4S using Google Sync through Mcrosoft Exchange. Now that's a sentence I never would have imagined writing ten years ago! Back then GMail didn't exist, and Microsoft and Apple were in a war for the Desktop that Microsoft was comfortably winning. How times have changed!

Back on topic, the Googly Sync set up process went just great on the iPhone 4S. Google recommends setting up GMail using the Microsoft Exchange option in the iOS Mail app, and it's a simple process to execute.

Yesterday the client called me to say that the Sent Items folder had disappeared from the Mail app. I had a look at it today and verified that the GMail IMAP and iPhone's Exchange folder push settings were correct. The Sent Items folder came back when I removed the Exchange account from the iPhone, restarted the iPhone and then added the Exchange account again. The Sent Items folder magically reappeared and Google Sync started to sync the folder correctly again.

I've read a few reports of this happening on iOS5 iPhones, and this 'last resort' course of action (as I'd describe it) of removing and re-adding the Google Sync Exchange account seems to have resolved the issue for others also. Hopefully it's an issue that will be addressed either by Google or in a future iOS update from Apple.

In the meantime if you choose to do this to resolve your own iPhone GMail sync issues, please make sure you back up any contacts, calendars and any other data connected to the Exchange account before deleting it from the iPhone.

Samsung Exhibit II 4G review

Here's is T-Mobile's first 4G branded prepaid smartphone, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G. The Exhibit II 4G launches officially for $250 on November 2nd but it available now at Walmart for $200. The major selling point of the Samsung Exhibit II 4G is that it's available on T-Mobile's new no-annual contract plans, which can make a lot of financial sense compared to being locked into a two year contract. Historically prepaid phones have been so-so, but recent Android and BlackBerry releases from several prepaid carriers have sought to change that. Let's see if the Samsung Exhibit II 4G is the real deal...

First impressions of the Samsung Exhibit II 4G

The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is light at 4.1 ounces and sports a bright, clear 3.7 inch screen, which is a good balance between ease-of-use and 'pocketability'. The Exhibit II 4G feels a little plasticky and less premium than Virgin Mobile's competing LG Optimus V, but you're getting a lot for your money in the Exhibit II 4G and I guess something had to give!

So what exactly are you getting under that ho-hum exterior? The Samsung Exhibit II 4G has a snappy 1GHz processor and ships with Android Gingerbread version 2.3.5, which is the current production released version of Android until 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich becomes fully available in a month or so. I feel compelled to comment that it's great that the Exhibit II 4G ships with the current version of Android, but I shouldn't have to. It should be the norm. By comparison Virgin Mobile recently launched its flagship device, the Motorola Triumph, with the previous version of Android (2.2), so it's good to see T-Mobile and Samsung doing the right thing for consumers in this instance. Keeping the operating system up to date on Android phones has continued to be one of the biggest problems with the platform, hopefully Samsung and T-Mobile will keep the Exhibit II 4G up to date with the latest software releases.

Once the Exhibit II 4G has started up for the first time, it reports about 1GB of internal storage space for app downloads and another 1.6GB for photos and other media. There's a 3 megapixel camera, which is below my expectations for a 1 GHz Android smartphone in 2011. There was no MicroSD card in the box, but a separate power charger and USB cable were there. The Micro USB charging port on the Exhibit II 4G also has a built-in dust cover, which is a nice touch.

Using the Samsung Exhibit II 4G

For a prepaid smartphone, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G impresses. The 1 GHz processor keeps Android Gingerbread moving along nicely and I noticed minimal lag when using the Exhibit II 4G. During the course of the review I tested high bandwidth apps such as Skype and Netflix as well as lower bandwidth apps like Google Maps and Pulse. All of these worked well over WiFi, with Netflix in particular impressing with decent load times and smooth playback.

The Samsung Exhibit II 4G's screen is responsive and has a similar quality to other Samsung smartphones such as Sprint's Epic 4G, with deep, saturated colors. While the Exhibit II 4G doesn't have a 'retina' display, its 800 x 480 pixel resolution on the 3.7 inch screen produces a beautifully dense and detailed image. Curves look like curves.

Most outdoor photos I took with the Samsung Exhibit II 4G had over-exposed whites. On this photo the Exhibit II 4G is unable to capture any detail in the white feathers, while the rest of the image comes out well. The only issue I have with the screen is that in sunlight it washes out more than the (exceptionally bright) screen on the LG Optimus V. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is usable on sunny days, but you'll need to stand with your back to the sun to see the screen properly.

Moving on to media, the speaker is loud, although similar to most phones it lacks bass. There's just not enough depth in a smartphone to create any kind of bass port! Using my trick of placing the Samsung Exhibit II 4G in a bowl or leaning it against a hard surface provided amplification and gave the sound more body. Streaming from Pandora worked well.

The camera on the Samsung Exhibit II 4G is just OK. It's sad to see a 1 GHz Android smartphone with a lowly 3 megapixel camera. Spending $250 on a smartphone in 2011 should buy a camera that can replace a point-and-shoot digital compact camera for most uses. This indoor photo with average ambient light and no artificial light came out reasonably well, although the 3 megapixel sensor fails to capture sharp detail in the woven basket.Unfortunately the Samsung Exhibit II 4G's camera sensor struggles with bright light in its out-of-the box configuration., especially in shots that have a mix of shade and sun. I'm not going to start suggesting that with an optimal configuration the Exhibit II 4G's camera can produce amazing photos because most owners are never going to dive into those configuration settings, and should not have to do so for typical usage. There's also no dedicated camera button. If there's an upside to having only a 3 megapixel sensor, it's that it creates relatively small photo files that will email or upload to Facebook quickly compared to a smartphone that creates larger photo files from a 5-or-more megapixel camera.

I made several calls over T-Mobile's cell network, as well as using the WiFi calling feature, and as mentioned over WiFi with Skype. In all cases I was able to hear people clearly and nobody offered negative comments Most websites render well on the Samsung Exhibit II 4G's Internet browser. Here is one of my personal favorites.about how my voice sounded. They didn't make positive comments either, but the message is that the Samsung Exhibit II 4G does just fine for voice calls. I've always liked T-Mobile's WiFi calling feature that offers to route normal voice calls over your WiFi connection, which will often provide better call quality compared to using the cell network. This is a particularly useful here in Durham NC where cell coverage can be spotty. Once enabled, this feature worked seamlessly on the Samsung Exhibit II 4G, but note that using T-Mobile's WiFi calling still uses voice minutes from your plan unless you have an unlimited voice plan.

In terms of data speeds on the Samsung Exhibit 4G in Durham NC, I saw download speeds of The Samsung Exhibit II 4G has a built-in dust cover for its Micro USB charging port4-6Mbps in good coverage areas around Durham's Southpoint Mall, 1-2Mbps dowloads in average reception areas down to 0.4Mbps in the outskirts of what T-Mobile defines as its 4G coverage area for Durham.

I've been using the Samsung Exhibit II 4G for a few days now and it seems like battery life on the phone is fine. That means over the course of a day I've neither been thinking "Wow this thing has amazing battery liffe" nor "Yikes this is terrible". As with most smartphones, expect to charge the Samsung Exhibit II 4G every night and occasionally during the day if you're using it heavily.

Should you buy the Samsung Exhibit II 4G?

During the course of the review I've been impressed overall with the Samsung Exhibit II 4G. It performed well, handling most of the basics without issues and coping well with more demanding tasks like streaming Netflix and making Skype calls. I haven't experienced any crashing or unexpected reboots so far. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is let down by a below par camera and a screen that could do a little better outdoors. A thumbs-up overall!

What's Going ON? Episode #3

So much has happened since the last episode of What's Going ON! The iPhone 4S has reached our mortal hands, BlackBerry service failed all over the world and we've started talking to our phones. T-Mobile has launched a great new range of no-contract plans and a whole new version of Android was announced. Mobile is making the news at the moment!

Netflix viewing grows, Time Warner subscriber numbers fall

Hot off the press from this morning's newswires, Netflix now accounts for 32.7% of Internet traffic in North America. In other news Time Warner Cable's stock slumped last night after the company announced it's been losing cable subscribers. Netflix angered customers earlier this year by increasing costs for subscribers who use both the DVD and Internet streaming services, while the monthly cost for streaming-only customers went down to $7.99. Netflix streaming is available on the Apple TV, Roku, iPad, iPhone, most Android smartphones, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and many Internet-enabled TVs and home theater systems.

T-Mobile's new no annual contract phone plans

The prepaid no-contract phone market used to be all about low quality basic phones but that changed in 2011. Virgin Mobile, Boost and Cricket all offer either BlackBerry or Android smartphones and now T-Mobile has become the first major national carrier to throw its weight behind no-contract plans, starting at $30 a month as long as you can live with a small number of voice minutes. At the same time, T-Mobile has launched its first 4G branded prepaid smartphone in the form of the Samsung Exhibit II 4G. This Android-powered smartphone is a mid-range device but may well have the services you need wrapped up in a low cost mini-computer. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G goes on general release on November 2, but I have one right here for an early review!

Durham Apple Store on iPhone 4S launch day

The line at the Durham Apple Store on iPhone 4S launch day was strong throughout the morning, and my conversations with Apple Store staff and local Durham cellphone stores tells me that demand for the 4S has been exceptionally strong. The best way to secure one is through Apple's online reservation system for collection at the Durham store. If you do make a reservation, it's best to arrive at the Apple Store before your appointment to minimize wait times. In related news Gazelle, the gadget trade-in website, reported that Android trade-ins spiked 72% following the release of the iPhone 4S.

BlackBerry service outage leads to class action lawsuit

Going without email for a few days might sound like a blessing to some people, but others took a different view following the recent BlackBerry service outage. A class action lawsuit has been filed against RIM and the company looks to be heading towards increasingly difficult times. RIM recently delayed operating system updates to its PlayBook tablet and I think the company needs to concentrate on earning back its reputation for its core messaging service as soon as possible.

Talking Siri

There have been some creepy, peculiar and downright unfriendly talking computers in years gone by, but Siri looks set to change that. I have a feeling that we might remember this time as the era when we regular people started interacting with computers in natural language. Here's why.

Happy Birthday...

...to Windows XP, which just turned 10 years old! Many important applications, such as Internet Explorer 9 and Microsoft Security Essentials do not work on Windows XP and are only available on Windows 7 or Windows Vista, so if your computer is still soldiering on with Windows XP, it might be time to start thinking about an upgrade! Black Friday is coming up soon!

Have a great weekend!

Siri is the start of something amazing

When Apple announced the iPhone 4S, it made a big deal of the built-in Siri voice interaction technology. I say 'interaction' rather than 'recognition' because using Siri really feels like you're interacting with the iPhone 4S in a meaningful way. For example, holding the iPhone 4S to your ear and saying "Tell Neil Berman I love gadgets too" will result in Siri composing a text message with the words "I love gadgets too" and addressing it to Neil Berman in your contacts list.

Pretty cool stuff, but not revolutionary you may say. After all, smartphones and even regular phones have had voice recognition technology for years. The difference is that you had to be so specific about your language, you had to be in a silent environment so the phone would hear you perfectly and you often felt just darn silly talking to your phone. With Siri I believe that will change. It's amazing how much natural language Siri understands. It's frankly incredible how well Siri works in noisy environments, and I mean not skipping a beat in the Durham Apple Store which is a cacophony of voices on a weekend. It remains to be seen whether it ever becomes cool to talk to your phone...but I see enough people doing it in the Apple Store to make me think this is going to catch on.

I have to think that there's some amazing technology at work in the microphones of the iPhone 4S. Siri's ability to work in noisy environments must be due in part to some amazing noise cancelling technology, which I expect goes beyond the capabilities of most other smartphones.

Coming back to the whether Siri really is the start of something amazing, I honestly believe this will be the time that many consumers recall as first experince of talking normally to a computer. The benefits to vision impaired consumers are also huge, just like the woman in the video demonstrates. I think we're going to see Siri work its way into more Apple products, and it certainly seems like a perfect fit for a future iteration of Apple TV. Maybe we'll finally be able to get rid of all those remote controls!