Mobile Tech: May 2006 Archives

If the FCC documents that leaked out are any indication, the Sidekick 3 (Hiptop) will include some sort of Bluetooth capability.

No doubt, this will be used with a headset profile, but what about the huge potential in allowing Bluetooth tethering to a laptop? The Hiptop is a very useful device today even without Bluetooth... I can receive email from multiple accounts over POP3 or IMAP. And the web browser works pretty nicely as well, especially with the recent addition of a Javascript interpreter.

A Bluetooth unit would allow a wireless headset first of all, making phone calls a more comfortable affair. Perhaps if there are MP3 capabilities that are used in conjunction with the new MicroSD slot, Bluetooth can also be used to drive stereo headsets. But a great use would be to allow data service to computers via tethering, something that many other T-Mobile phones support today.

T-Mobile, keep up the great work and make sure to allow tethering on the upcoming Sidekick 3. I'm sure many of us would even be willing to pay a few dollars extra for the freedom, on top of our existing unlimited data plans.

Otherwise, you're making the MDA a much more attractive option with its WiFi, Bluetooth, and wider application support via WM5, including video playback. The Sidekick 3, which is rumored to be launching this summer according to hiptop3.com, is widely believed to have similar capabilities minus the WiFi. I won't call WM5 a definitive gain because as I've written many times before, the Hiptop OS is a wonderful approach with its own set of strengths too . I will be seriously considering the MDA, however, if the Sidekick 3 falls short. (Don't even bother bringing up the Mototola Q, launched by Verizon - I can live with GPRS speeds as long as Verizon's EDGE plans are so pricey)

In February I wrote about how I exchanged my first iGo Wallpower adapter for a new unit after the first one ceased powering my iBook and decided instead to emit a bizarre buzzing sound.

A few short months later, I'm sorry to report that the second adapter has gone bad. This one emits no noise, but gets very hot very fast. I imagine I was lucky to discover this before my home was incinerated.

I'm left with a dilemma- do I begin shouting at iGo in hopes of getting a new unit (I pay shipping and handling), or do I just go get a new Apple adapter? Well, despite my concerns over the thin wire on the Apple adapter, I'm leaning toward getting it because the thin wire is my only material concern.

The iGo system is a really great concept, but if I can't trust the hardware then what good is it? If they send me a third unit, how can I be sure it's safe after two incidents that indicate the opposite? Should I really have to install a halon fire protection system just to use what should be a simple power adapter?

The original iBook power adapter that came with my iBook was of the yo-yo design and lasted for years, until the unit was damaged by my own lack of care. I've taken good care of the iGo device, and two of them have failed utterly.



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This page is a archive of entries in the Mobile Tech category from May 2006.

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