The Daily, it seems had someone “close to the project” come into their office and demo the software for them…or at least that’s what they are claiming at this time.  The Daily claims upside down, backwards and sideways that the report is credible and that the image that they posted (seen below – Credit: The Daily) isn’t doctored, but is a digital image they snapped of the software’s main program screen on the iPad that it was demoed on.

Credit: The Daily

Last year, Microsoft released OneNote for iPad, and that of course sparked all sorts of rumors and speculation that MS would release the entire Office 2010 suite for iPad.  Well, before you start drooling all over the tablet you’ve come to know and love, grab a napkin and sit back.  Microsoft adamantly denies the entire story. 

According to the New York Times, Microsoft has issued the following statement:

“The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation. We have no further comment.” She added that an image with The Daily’s article depicting an Office product for iPad was not from Microsoft. “The screenshot is not Microsoft’s software,” she said.

Its too bad. OneNote for iPad, currently version 1.3, has mixed user ratings; but it syncs desktop and device based notes, and (the version I have) supports both handwritten as well as typed notes.  A full Office suite on the iPad could be huge for Microsoft, if they ever do decide to pursue it.

About 8 months after I got the account, I got moved to a new location here at the office.  While that’s the life of a contractor, it did sorta suck. I am no longer in a cubicle at the office. I’m currently stationed in a contractor’s bull-pen, and have a 36” lateral section of shelf to call home. I don’t have any room for my second laptop, and as such, I haven’t used my mobile broadband account, much.

The purchase of an unlocked iPhone 4S for Christmas has me living in the world of EDGE, and I don’t like it. EDGE works, but it is so slow.  There are a number of applications and activities that you simply can’t complete or that time out due to the slow speeds on EDGE, and it totally kills the iPhone’s online experience. Knowing that I had the MB account, I tried putting that SIM in one of my 4G Android phones to activate it as a mobile hot spot, but that didn’t work. The SIM wasn’t provisioned for a smartphone, and the thing wouldn’t even get online with a data signal, let alone serve up a hot spot signal.

The solution was obvious to me – the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Hot Spot.

The T-Mobile Sonic 4G Hot Spot

T-Mobile has a couple different Mobile Hot Spots: the T-Mobile 4G Hot Spot and the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Hot Spot.  The former is the original mobile hot spot that they have offered.  The latter is the newer, updated version.  The comparison chart between the two is below.

As you can see from the comparison chart, there’s very little that’s different from one model to another.  However, the differences that are there, are significant. Going down the list, here they are

• 50 hours more standby battery life in the Sonic 4G
• 30 minutes more continuous use in the Sonic 4G
• The Sonic 4G is 1.24oz heavier than its predecessor.  Likely due to the larger battery.
• The Sonic 4G is larger, wider and thicker than its predecessor.  Again, likely due to the larger battery.
• The 4G Mobile Hot Spot has a quad-band chip and supports 1700mHz, 1900mHz and 2100mHz.
• The Sonic 4G has a penta-band chip, supporting 4G on just about every GSM frequency available in the USA
• The 4G Mobile Hot Spot supports Local Synchronization (whatever that is) with Wi-Fi.

Based on the penta-band chip alone, the Sonic 4G was the better device to get. I picked one up, and have the following to report.

Configuration
During the initial setup of the device you’re asked to do a couple of things related to hotspot configuration.  There are a couple things that you need to keep in mind related to security and your hotspot.

1. Your default administration password is “admin.” I couldn’t find this documented anywhere in ANY of the included documentation , and was seriously thinking that my hotspot was defective, as the default user password wasn’t working when the configuration app asked for a password.
2. Setup and configuration of the hotspot allows you to change the SSID and to make it visible or invisible. Hiding the SSID made connecting to it problematic for me and both my Apple MacBook Pro, iPhone 4S and iPad 1. I have no idea why.
3. Your default SSID and password are hard coded into the device’s ROM (or other non-volatile area). They are also printed on a factory label  under the battery cover. If you reset the hotspot for any reason (all of your custom configuration information will be wiped), your hotspot will revert to factory settings and you’ll need that information to get everything back up and running.

Configuring the actual device is really rather easy.  You MUST be connected to the hotspot via Wi-Fi in order to configure it.  You can install the configuration app for your OS, or you can simply open up a browser window and surf to 192.168.1.1.  This will bring up the configuration page, and the hotspot will ask you for a password.  This is where you put the ADMIN password in (again, “admin” without the quotes), not the default user password.

Initial Admin Login Page

The first screen you see after you log in is the Settings Page. Here you can change the SSID of the hotspot and have it broadcasted or kept hidden.

Settings Page 1 of 2 – SSID & Broadcast settings

The second page of the setup wizard allows you to specify the type of wireless security you want to use and the device’s use password.  Make any appropriate changes and click the Finish button.

Settings Page 2 of 2 – Wireless security type & Password

If you have wireless networking in your house, the  rest of the configuration pages are pretty much self explanatory.  However, you will want to click on the Wi-Fi header and change the following Basic Settings: Change the Wi-Fi Auto Off setting to “Disabled.”

Wi-Fi Basic Settings – Disable Wi-Fi Auto Off

According to information I was able to find in the support forums for the Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot, there appears to be a connectivity bug preventing both the device from connecting to T-Mobile’s 4G network as well as devices trying to connect to it, when the device tries to wake from sleep because an allowed or recognized device tries to access the web through it.  Disabling Auto Off seems to either minimize or eliminate the bug.  T-Mobile needs to address this issue with a firmware update as quickly as they can.

Reception & Signal
T-Mobile’s signal in Chicago over the last two years has been simply amazing.  Back in 2003-2004 time frame, I wouldn’t have even considered being a T-Mobile customer, due to their horrible coverage.  They were good around most, if not all, of the interstate corridors and about 1000 yards to either side.  Other than that, it was a crap shoot. They’ve come a long way since then.

On the 7th floor of the BDBS-IL building in downtown Chicago, I’ve got a 4-bar 4G signal on the Sonic 4G.  This level of reception is a far cry better than I got from the Jet 2.0 Web Stick. With it, I was lucky to get 2-3 bars anywhere inside the building.

The T-Mobile Sonic 4G’s screen

Battery Life
The Sonic 4G Mobile Hot Spot is rated at 4.5 hours of battery life while its in active use. I’ve been getting 4-4.5 hours consistently over the past week or two since purchasing it, so its been right on the money.  Its standby time has also lived up to its specifications.  I’ve only got a couple devices configured to use it, so its either off or left on at night, in sleep mode.  It lasted a good couple days without a recharge over the weekend, but quickly died after I started using it Monday morning.

Here’s the bottom line as far as power is concerned – If you’re going to use it, keep the USB and/or power cable around.  I use this basically all day, every week day; and without access to power, I could find myself cut off from the outside world if the battery dies.

Speeds
I’m mostly using the Sonic 4G with my unlocked iPhone 4S, though I have also configured it to work with my MacBook Pro.  The following are network speeds received through the Sonic 4G on my iPhone 4S.  The top two were done on the train on the way into Chicago from the house. The other four were done while I was in the office, sitting at my desk.

These are the speeds that I’ve been getting on the Sonic 4G Mobile Hot Spot	Additional speed test results. Notice the 10 & 16Mbps entries. With a good connection, this thing really cooks!

I’ve been taking some additional speed tests with the Sonic 4G.  I was really surprised to get some of the test results I got the other day. I was able to clock just over 16Mbps down.  That was blazing fast, and the download was almost over before I could even mentally acknowledge that it had taken place. Average speeds for me between downtown Chicago and my home are between 2Mbps – 6Mbps down with a median of 4.53MBps down; and .50Mbps – 1.25Mbps up with a median of 0.89Mbps up.

Conclusion
This is an awesome choice for mobile broadband users.  You get up to 5 devices on the hotspot at a single time, and can get cable modem speeds or better.  I was able to have a FaceTime video call with a writing partner this morning and the call was flawless.  However, additional attempts at video calls during the heart of the day proved to be either not possible or result in the call being dropped. However, for simple, low-bandwidth tasks, like light surfing, mail and texting, the Sonic 4G has been perfect.

The device is small, easy and convenient to carry, as its about the same size and shape as a small smartphone.  Its display is easy to read.  The device really only has had two problems during my time with it.

1. There appears to be a known bug with the device reconnecting to mobile broadband service and allowing devices to send and receive data  after waking from sleep. I was able to find a work around for this issue by disabling auto sleep, but that option clearly impacts battery life.  I’m hoping T-Mobile addresses this known issue with a firmware update in the near future.
2. The device gets hot during use. So hot, in fact, that the carrying pouch that comes with the device CLEARLY states that you shouldn’t have the device in the pouch when you want to use it.  Here in Chicago, despite the unseasonably warm Winter we’re having, this isn’t a problem.  In the Summer if it gets very hot, that may be a different story.

Price: $0.00 to $99.99 USD on contract, $174.99 Contract Free from T-Mobile USA.

Pros:

• Fast
• Affordable
• Up to 5 concurrent users can connect, but will share bandwidth
• Small, easy and convenient to carry

Cons:

• Poor documentation (admin password)
• Device overheats easily during extended use
• Performance tanked after about a week requiring a factory reset
• Customizing and disabling broadcast of the SSID prevented connectivity

• 2.3gHz Quad-Core i7 Processor
• Anti-Glare, HD Screen with 1680×1050 native resolution
• 12GB RAM
• 240GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD – Boot Disk
• 750GB Seagate Momentus XT (Data Drive)

As you can see, its missing the Double Layer SuperDrive. I took it out of the computer and replaced it with Other World Computing’s DataDoubler (a hard drive caddy) and originally, OWC’s 60GB 3G SSD. Nice drive. Peppy…Way too small. 

Anyway, OWC makes a nice DIY kit with their 60GB 3G SSD that includes their DataDoubler for about $165 USD, as of this writing. When you’re all done with the DIY replacement of your MBP’s SuperDrive for an SSD, you’ll need to find an enclosure solution for the SuperDrive.  Thankfully, OWC also recently added the OWC SuperSlim for Apple SuperDrive USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure to its DIY catalog. With it, you’ll be able to take the SuperDrive and hang it off of one of your USB ports and use the drive externally. However, you’ll need to make a couple of binary modifications so that DVD Player (as well as other apps) work with an external DVD drive. Its a nice little setup; and one that makes the PC very green and very fast.

However, I almost immediately ran into storage problems with the 60GB SSD, and I began looking for alternatives. The problem is that SSD’s are expensive, and I was hooked on the SSD performance, which, unfortunately is like crack. Once you wrap your lips around that pipe, you’re never going to go back.  Thankfully, I’m patient, and I know how to search the internet for deals.

The Patriot PS-100 3Gbps 128GB SSD

In June or July I found an awesome deal on a Patriot PS-100 128GB 3G bps SSD at NewEgg. I ended up paying about $150 for the drive, and doubled my boot drive’s storage space for about the same price I paid for the 60GB SSD from OWC. It was ok; but the performance on this drive was horrible. It was very slow, and didn’t support TRIM.  This started being a problem as the drive started to fill up. Both performance and battery life began to take a hit, and it was CLEAR I needed to do something.  The drive does not support TRIM, even with LION and TRIM Enabler. It is heavily fragmented, and while it had enough space, for now, I knew I would need more for applications and such, even though I store my Mac’s home directory and all other data (including my iTunes library) on that Seagate 750GB Momentus XT Hybrid Drive.

I began looking for an alternative SSD solution, one that would be a tad bigger, have better performance and must, of course, support TRIM.  My problem was that I didn’t want to spend a lot for it.  I really spoiled myself when it came to the PS-100. $150 for a 128GB SSD is STILL a good deal (as of this writing); and I really didn’t want to spend much more than that.  However, the next step up in size from 128GB is 200-256GB; and the way things were looking, the deal that I found on the PS-100 was a fluke, fire sale or some other type of product dump. I wasn’t going to find something that cheap again; and the way the PS-100 was performing, I probably wouldn’t want to, either.

The OCZ Agility3 3Gbps 240GB SSD.

What I did find was the OCZ Agility3 3Gbps 240GB SSD. NewEgg currently has it on sale, and as you can see from the basic spec comparison table, below, its a much better drive.

The PS-100 has mediocre read speeds, and near snail-paced write speeds. the OCZ Agility3 is somewhat faster reading data, and is nearly twice as fast writing data as the drive its replacing. Now, what does this all mean?  Very simple – its a much better drive. The performance boost I’ve seen in the short amount of time that I’ve used it is clearly noticeable. At 240GB, I shouldn’t have any issues with Mac OS or application storage. Its also rated to last twice as long as the PS-100; and most importantly, has TRIM support. (For those that don’t know what TRIM is, you can check out this article on Wikipedia.) However, suffice it to say, that for as much data as I’ve had on and off the drive, the lack of TRIM support on the PS-100 was causing some really huge problems for me.  The PC, with its processor and large cache of RAM was really taking a performance hit, and I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong.

I’ll be following up with another post, in a month or so, on the performance of the new SSD.

What I liked: Cost per GB, Improved Read/Write performance, TRIM support

What needs Improvement: Cost per GB. TBD. The updated post will likely highlight potential performance-based improvements.

Conclusion: At $1.25 per GB, the drive is a pretty good deal for an SSD; but its still nearly four times as expensive as the 750GB Seagate Momentus XT I’m using as a data drive. Given that most SSD’s will likely dip below the $1/GB price in 2012, this isn’t a GREAT deal, but its still not bad.  SSD’s will eventually replace spinning media for mass storage in PC’s.  The only thing currently holding it back, is the cost.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a decent case, that doubles your iPhone’s battery life.

The battery in the case is great. The case functions exactly as you would expect it to, and I’ve had zero problems with the battery.

1. It nearly doubles the depth of your phone. This may or may not be an issue for you, but when the phone is in the case, its very fat.
2. It adds about a 1/2 inch to the length of your phone. Again, this may or may not be an issue for you, but in order to accommodate the built in 30 pin connector so the case can charge your iPhone, it requires nearly a 1/2 inch of space at the bottom.
3. The case connects and charges to your computer with a micro USB cable, not a 30 pin connector. This may be an issue for some; and there are a few reasons why.
   a) Not all of the phone’s identifying information comes through. iTunes would not display my phone number on its Summary screen when the device was in the case and connected to the PC. This makes me wonder what other device meta data is not coming through and what I’m missing.
   b) The JPAir has power indicator lights and an activator button on the bottom of the case, where the 30 pin connector would normally go. Because this space is used by the indicator lights, the standard connector is missing, which means you can’t use the device/case combo with standard iPhone accessories (like an iHome, a car kit, or any other widget, gadget or gizmo that connects to the phone via the standard 30 pin connector. If you want to use the device with those accessories, you have to take it out of the case.
4. Photos taken with the device in the case have a flash halo effect due to the flash reflecting off the case backing.  Both the iPhone 4 and 4S has nice cameras. Its a shame that its pictures are ruined by the case.  You can somewhat prevent this by removing the top of the case, but as you’ll see below, this is problematic.
5. The case is made of plastic, and the top is rather flimsy. I can see it breaking very easily if you take the phone in and out of the case a lot.

I recently purchased a Magellan Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod touch. Great device, better with the 4S than the 4 due to Siri, but that’s another review for another time.  However, it can’t be used with the JPAir. It uses the 30 pin connector, so in order to use the car kit with the phone, my iPhone 4S has to come out of the case. With the top being so thin and flimsy, I will eventually break it accidentally. Its just a matter of time.

I’ve given this case 3 out of 5 stars. The battery part of the case is great. It nearly doubles the battery life of my iPhone 4S, insuring that it lasts a complete 16-18 hour work day without any issues or concerns. As a case it provides decent protection, but the flimsy plastic construction and the lack of a 30 pin connector may be a deal breaker for some.

The case retails for $79.99, and is Amazon Prime eligible.  However, you’ll likely find it for cheaper than that. It is, by the way, worth the purchase price; and you will get your money’s worth from it.

If you’d like to see an extensive array of battery case reviews, BYTE has a great iPhone Battery Case Roundup that examines nine different cases and provides an extensive and thorough video walk through with Larry Seltzer, Fritz Nelson and David Berlind.

This week, I started a new podcast with two members of TeamBYTE – Todd Ogasawara and Larry Press.  The Mostly Windows Podcast is going to cover, well, mostly Windows and Microsoft related news, events, happenings, etc. However, when something cool and interesting comes along, you can bet we’ll jump on it. 

Show notes, an embedded player and a download link for the show can be found below. You can also find it in iTunes by searching for the MobileViews.com Podcast series.

Mostly Microsoft Podcast #001

1. HP Slate with Windows 7. $699
   http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/hp-slate-2-is-a-win-7-tablet-for-road-warriors-699-video/28200
   Q: Is this priced too high for mass consumer market? Is it purely a vertical product? Don’t road warriors need a physical keyboard?
2. Nokia Lumia 800 review
   http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/3/2534861/nokia-lumia-800-review
   Q: Will it save both Microsoft and Nokia?
3. Bing app for Android & iPhone updated
   http://socialtimes.com/bing-apps-for-android-iphone_b83116
   Q: But, will we ever see Microsoft Office mobile for Android & iOS?

Download this MP3 – (Right Click)

The idea here is to bolster Oracle’s cloud offerings, making it a more competitive cloud player. It currently ranks number 80 in the Washington Technology 2011 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.

I’ve been asking one question regarding cloud computing for the last few years and I’ve yet to get a decent answer for it: What happens when the cloud evaporates?

More aptly put, and in more detail, what happens when you can’t get to the cloud and the resources or tools you need to do your job? How do you diagnose the problem? Is it YOUR network? Is the problem on the cloud’s end? Is it a problem with your ISP? Is it somewhere in between your ISP and the cloud (the internet)?

This also begs additional questions. What about security and compliance issues? How can you insure the security and retention of your data for eDiscovery, monitoring and audit trails? How to you insure HIPAA and other regulatory compliance? All very important when you’re dealing with either regulated industry clients (FDA, DoJ, etc) or governed industry clients, like heath care providers and hospitals.

These are huge questions; and while providers like Google have been doing a really good job with offerings in the consumer space, like Gmail, their performance in larger corporate settings like the City of Los Angeles have been less than satisfactory. The issue with the Google/LA contract is security. Google Apps has no built in security that complies with LA’s DoJ-based security requirements. Google’s native API’s don’t support enhanced security and they have been unable to deliver these DoJ based requirements, despite working with some of their security focused partners, since the deal was announced in 2009. As a result, nearly 13,000 LAPD employees are still using the legacy mail system two years later. In order be successful with their cloud offering, Oracle must be able to adequately address issues like accessibility, access, security and retention in order to avoid some of the pitfalls that Google has fallen into.

The Oracle-RightNow deal is currently expected to close by the end of the calendar year and at $43 per share, as of the final bell on 10/24/11 represents only a $0.06 per share premium for the company. Inter-day trading has the stock trading right around the $43 mark. Shareholders still need to approve the deal.

Apple Store is down as of 10am Central…

In a not so surprising move, Apple’s online store is down in advance of today’s press release. Aside from a revamped (and perhaps free..?) MobileMe, everyone is anticipating a refreshed iPad 2 announcement, availability..?  Today?  Tomorrow?  June..?  Who knows.  We’ll have to wait and see what Santa Jobs brings us.

Keep your eyes open, as I’m certain JAMM and iTechGear as well as other sites, will have news, analysis, as well as other articles pour over everything shortly after the Event concludes.

• 13″ Aluminum, Unibody MacBook (Late 2008)
• 60GB 5G iPod
• 8GB 2G iPod Touch
• 8GB 3G iPod Nano
• 32GB iPad (Wi-Fi Only)

I love my Apple hardware, but on iPad 2 Day, I am hoping my personal wish list gets some attention. Let’s take a quick look, and see if we’re on the same page with our iPad wants.

What will Santa Jobs bring us..?

Screen
Many people are hoping that iPad 2 will include a Retina display. Honestly, the screen is pretty amazing as it is. The colors are rich and the display is clear and bright.  A Retina display will likely just drive the price up. Apple has a decent shot at making the iPad ubiquitous. Increasing the price is just going to jeopardize that.

The iPad has a 1″ bezel, which is a lot of dead space. I’d prefer a larger viewing area. If I have to have a bezel, I’d prefer if it wasn’t so large.

I’d also like to see an active digitizer in the device. Handwriting on the iPad is seriously painful, due to the iPad’s capacitive touch screen, which doesn’t require a stylus and allows you to interact with the device using your finger. I’d like to see the iPad use an active digitizer; but I also realize that this would kill using your finger as a “stylus.” I’m not certain what the right solution is, especially since Apple’s focus isn’t handwriting on the iPad.

Processor
The iPad needs a little more punch. Multi-core would be nice, especially since I’m very likely to be reading a book while listening to music, (or perhaps streaming a movie via Netflix or Amazon’s new Streaming Service); and then taking a quick detour when I’m notified of new e-mail, Tweets, or Facebook updates.

Memory
iBooks/Kindle, music, video, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, streaming audio or video… All of this is likely running at the same time on my iPad. It’s gonna be a smoother experience with more RAM.

Casing
While aluminum is fine, the device is heavy. I have a 2-hour, one way commute on Chicago’s commuter rail system. I use my iPad a lot. Anything Apple can do to make the device lighter would be a huge plus. Carbon fiber is nice, as long as I don’t sacrifice durability for weight.

Camera
A rear-facing camera is silly. I’m not going to take stills with my iPad. It’s too big and awkward for that. A front facing camera for video calls would be a nice addition.

Seems safe, right? No kidding. I’ve learned that speculating on what Apple is going to announce is risky, as they are very good at keeping a secret. Most people, including experienced analysts, don’t get it right.  At the end of the day, we’ll just have to wait and see what we get from Santa Jobs; and that’s all there is to it.

The simple fact that Apple scheduled an event and sent out invitations yesterday has the entire tech sector speculating on iPad 2, iPhone 5 as well as the MacBook Pro refreshes that are likely a lock.  If there’s one thing that I know about Apple, trying to guess what they are going to do isn’t always easy… Trying to crack that nut can be an exercise in futility.

Apple’s going to do what Apple’s going to do; and while its fun to play “what-if,” they’ve thrown too many curve balls for even the Wall Street Analysts to get it consistently right.  Steve/Tim (cuz, they really ARE the same person now, right..?) play their cards close to their chests and they don’t let anything out until THEY are ready for it to be out/known.

Case in point – Many, myself included thought that Apple would hold off on the details of the new MacBook Pro line until next week.  I noted that above, and a number of different Wall Street analysts said much the same thing.  While writing this up, I got a press release announcing the availability and shipping those new MacBook Pros.  So much for waiting 6 days.

New features of the new MacBook Pro line include:

• Dual-core and quad-core processors—The latest Intel Core i5 and i7 dual-core and quad-core processors provide up to twice the performance compared to previous generations.
• High-performance graphics—Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 are part of every MacBook Pro model. 15- and 17-inch models also include AMD Radeon HD graphics and up to 1GB of video memory, delivering up to three times the performance over previous MacBook Pro models.
• Thunderbolt port—This groundbreaking I/O technology allows you to connect up to six high-speed peripherals, including a high-resolution display.
• FaceTime HD camera—Make widescreen video calls with three times the resolution of the previous MacBook Pro camera. The FaceTime for Mac App comes on all new MacBook Pro models and is also available for Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store.

New MacBook Pros are now available and are shipping!

I took a look at the offerings and they look, as usual, really sweet.  So sweet, in fact, that I had to wipe a layer of drool off of my Late 2008 13″ Aluminum, Unibody MacBook.  At 2 years old it is holding up really well, and the 8GB RAM upgrade and 750GB hard drive aren’t shabby, either…but the Core i5 and i7 processors as well as the Thunderbolt ports are really talking to me.

You can ask Santa Jobs for stuff for Christmas all you want. You won’t know if you’ve been good or bad until you open your gifts on Christmas Day, which apparently, is today as well as next week..