If there's one thing that I know in this world, its software.  I've been involved in the Shareware Industry for 12 years and have attended the Shareware Industry Conference (SIC) and have worked directly with shareware developers on product development, design, and testing.  Its one of the ways I made a transition from Manufacturing Quality to Software Quality back in the late 1990's.

Recently, I saw a story on Computer World where users of the Mac virtualization software Parallels Desktop reported a number of problems in their support forums.  Many of the issues, dealing with upgrading VM's from version 3.x to 4.0, are really catastrophic to those users encountering them,

Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.0, which the company released Nov. 11, has been blasted by some users on the company's forums for troubles ranging from locked up virtual machine migrations and jumpy cursors to flaky Internet connections and slow performance once the upgrade is completed. Messages began to accumulate on the support forums soon after the upgrade hit the street.

So when I see a story like this, where multiple users are having a great deal of trouble with multiple features of an application I have to ask a couple-three questions (or so):

• What was the project plan like? - How many times did the End-Development Date slip? Did the End-QA Date move in like kind, or did QA get compressed?
• What was the QA Test Plan like? - What kind of scope creep was encountered? Was the QA plan able to accommodate it? How was robust were the test cases?  What level of identified risk was presented to management?  What was the final QA recommendation (to release or continue testing and delay release)?

While NONE of these questions are meant to point fingers at the company, I do have a problem with some of their policies...for example, they don't monitor their support forums.  After a version release, a retail software developer needs to monitor their forums, at least unofficially if not officially, to watch for reported issues and problems.

I could also say, but won't, that I have a problem with the way the company's CEO responded. He effectively said that a couple dozen [bad apples] upset customers have gotten a lot of unnecessary press by complaining, when his engineers have told him that there's "no real problems."

He answered his own question - "Happy customers don't go to forums."

I could say that...but I won't.

I would have taken a different approach. Obviously there are some issues to resolve.  I would have instead, acknowledged the customer's concerns, indicated that the company would look into them and respond with any appropriate statements and/or updates.

What do YOU think?  Have you upgraded to PD 4.0?  Have you bumped into any of the reported issues?  If you're a PD 4.0 user, do you feel like you're part of the "testing team;" or are you satisfied with the product's quality?

Why don't you join us in the discussion and give us your thoughts?

If there's one thing that I know about all of the mobile electronics I've got, its that power is a problem. I've got more device holders and power cords in my car than I know what to do with, AND I have so many that I had to get a goo-jam that increased the number of power sockets in my car from 1 to 3.  Yeah...I've got gadgets.  Now about powering them...yeah, that's a problem too. 

Over the past year or so, I've bumped into problems where I've run out of power at the most inconvenient times and places.  So what do you do, especially when you carry more than one device, and carrying a spare and/or extended battery for each device is not an option?  The answer is simple if you have the Devotec Solar Charger...you carry it and the appropriate power tip. But does it do the job?  I mean, does it have the juice to give you what you need on the go?  Let's take a quick look and find out.

 

Power on the Go
Having power on the go, especially for cell phone users, is important.  To someone like me, or to someone who carries more than one mobile device (cell phone, iPod, etc.), running out of power is a definite possibility. In fact, I don't know anyone who, at one time or another, hasn't run out of power. When you're out and about, having access to an additional sip of power can mean the difference between the end of a conversation on your cell phone and wrapping it up; or a longer than necessary car/plane trip with a dead iPod. 

I've had the Devotec Solar Charger since May, and I have to say that this little baby has saved me a couple of times from a longer than necessary trip.  My biggest problem with it, however, is remembering that I have it.  Its small, has a great many different power tips, and unfortunately for me, is easily forgotten in my gear bag.  However that's more me than the Solar Charger.

The Solar Charger is about the same size as a candy bar cell phone

 

The entire contents of the box, including battery, power tips, USB cable and power tip extension cord

Strangely enough, Devotec doesn't include or even make a Treo connector.  I found that very puzzling, especially considering how popular the Treo line is.

 

Battery Specifications:

• Solar panel max efficiency: 15%
• Solar panel specification: 5.5V/80mA
• Battery size: 1800mAh
• Output voltage: 5.5v
• Output current: 700mA
• Charging time: about 12 hours by solar, 4 hours by USB/AC
• Size: 95x43x10mm

 

The bottom of the battery, with the USB cable connection

 

The top of the battery with the power tip connector

 

The left side of the battery...or is it the right??

 

The other side of the battery

 

Conclusion
The battery did well, but won't power anything bigger than your iPod.  With 1800 mAh, however, I wouldn't have suspected anything less. The fact that its solar powered, only made things easier, as I didn't have to worry too much about it completely discharging. While direct sunlight worked best in charging and powering the battery, just about any light source did the job. I was disappointed to find out that Devotec doesn't make a Treo connector. That still doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

Cost: The Devotec Solar Charger retails for £24.99 (or about $37.00 USD) and can be purchased from the manufacturer here.
What I liked: 1800 mAh of portable power, solar recharging, USB charging
What needs improvement: Solar charging takes too long. Can't power anything (really) larger than your iPod or cell phone

I've been very fortunate to have a wonderful working relationship with the folks over at E-TEN, now part of the Acer family.  The folks associated with the Glofiish mobile devices have been wonderful to work with, and have been very generous. Over the years, they have been kind enough to send me a number of devices to review.

Recently, we reviewed the Glofiish X800, Glofiish X650, and we gave away the X800. It was all very exciting.  Recently, Acer sent us the Glofiish V900.  I've been using it for a while and its been an interesting go.  How interesting..?  Let's take a quick look and see...

As you can see from the date on the picture, I've been in the device for a little more than 7 weeks.  Personally, I don't care for reviews that critique a device over a few days, or even a few hours of use. While many impressions may be somewhat accurate, I believe it takes time to get to know what a device can and cannot do.  That being the case, the previous 7 weeks have been interesting to say the least.

Accessories and Cases
The included case is, well... just ok.  It does a great job of holding the device; and the belt clip insures that it won't fall off of your belt when you bend over; but the case does just an OK job of protecting the device.  My device fell to the ground, only once, during the review period when I was on my iPhone, trying to take the V900 out of the case (when it was NOT on my belt). Unfortunately, I haven't seen any other case offerings for the device anywhere. 

As I mentioned, the case is nothing to write home about

Spb Mobile Shell
I get the feeling that the V900 is supposed to be the Glofiish answer to the HTC Touch.  I could be wrong and off base, but I don't think so... I've used Spb Mobile Shell before, and a lot of people like it.  On a device like the V900 though, I wasn't very impressed. I don't like that the interface is part of the ROM, and that the base OS install has it tied into the registry.  E-TEN allows you to uninstall just about any of its system software; but when one of the device's soft buttons default to relaunching Mobile Shell, uninstalling it really isn't an option. 

Spb Mobile Shell's main screen

While I'm all for tweaking, and always have been, lately I've been on a "let's use it out of the box and see if it will fly" kick.  That might be related to my recent iPhone purchase and the complete LACK of tweakability on its part. It might be to the way things have been running for me lately. I haven't had a lot of free time to tweak and play with my stuff as I usually do.

 

 
Spb Mobile Shell's Programs page

Interestingly enough, you can get from one page to another by swiping to the left or right.  While Spb Mobile Shell is an OK enough interface, I had a hard time getting used to it. I really wasn't that keen to it. Maybe its my time with HTC Home and some of the recent TouchFlo 2D/3D cooked ROM's I've been using on my Tilt. Maybe not... However, I did find it to be a bit on the heavy side when it came to performance. I found that the device did much better with Mobile Shell turned off, than on.

 

Hardware Impressions & Issues
I want to start off by saying that the BIGGEST draw for this particular device, the digital TV tuner, doesn't work in the US.  The tuner can't receive the digital broadcast signals we use in The States; and therefore, in my opinion, the biggest draw for the device is gone.  At this point, the device simply becomes a 3G device with VGA screen, a fancy-schmancy, default UI, and average (by modern comparison) hardware specs.

Don't get me wrong, the form factor is nice.  The V900 isn't too large, or too small.  It fits very well in my hand and feels pretty good.  The flush screen is nice, too. The bevel on my Tilt can be difficult to work with, especially if I have to tap an area of the screen near the edge.  With the flush screen on the V900, this isn't a problem.

 
The V900 fresh out of the box.

The device also has a configurable accelerometer.  Included as part of the way cool digital media/TV experience, physically rotating the device in any particular direction, like its (very) distant cousin, the iPhone, will automatically rotate the screen in that direction.  I had a bit of a problem with this thing... No matter how I configured it, it was way too sensitive. When enabled, the device would rotate, and then not rotate back to the way I wanted it, without a lot of trying, retrying and trying again.  This was a cool feature, and is likely to be a huge boon in countries where the digital TV tuner works, but to me, was a huge PITA.

Radio Reception
As a phone the device was solid.  I really have to hand it to E-TEN (now ASUS).  They finally got the radio part of their devices right. The 3G radio on the V900 had absolutely NO problem finding, and retaining a 3G signal here in Chicago. I travel on the train to work, and my line, I'm finding, has a lot of holes when it comes to cell coverage. My iPhone 3G had a great deal of time finding and holding ANY kind of cell signal on the rail line.  The V900, on the other hand, has been a wonder. I've almost always got a 3G signal, and its usually three or greater bars. In the basement test lab where I work, it has 1-2 bars while my Tilt has 1, and the iPhone, usually none. It also was quick to reacquire a signal coming out from under the Old Post Office, a-top Union Station inside The Loop, when I was on the train.  The iPhone sometimes took 15-20 minutes to reacquire a signal if left to its own devices.

The form factor for the V900 is awesome. The device is about the same size as a Blackberry Curve (it fits in my BB device case without a problem), and feels very nice in your hands. If the device had a keyboard of some kind...and not the standard on-screen keyboard SIP that Windows Mobile has, it would be a very cool device here in the States.

The biggest problem that the device has is the lack of hardware buttons. It has a camera button, call send and end buttons, a volume rocker, record button, and a power button. That's it. The lack of application buttons on the device, is a sore point with me.  I don't care how wonderful Spb Mobile Shell is.  I may not want to use it, and may want to uninstall it. Thankfully...you can. All of the installed apps from the extended ROM are fully appear on the Remove Programs list, and are uninstallable.  However, the inclusion of a customized UI doesn't make up for the lack of application buttons, and I see that deficiency as a problem.

 

The Full 360

The AT&T Tilt, the Glofiish V900, the Glofiish X610 and the iPhone 3G. The V900 is about the same size as a BB Curve.

As you can see from the picture, above, the V900 and the X610 are similar in size, but smaller than both the Tilt and iPhone 3G.

 

The front of the V900...Icky finger prints!

The V900 is nice sized; but finished with a glossy, finger print-magnet black finish.  The flush screen is nice as well, but as you can see, the device doesn't have any hardware based, application buttons.  The front has a light sensor, a front facing VGA camera, a call send button, call end button and a multi-directional joystick/action button.  The joystick is not a joy. It's stiff, not very responsive and really, difficult to use. It and the lack of hardware buttons really make this device more difficult to use than it has to be.

 

The back of the V900...if you look, you can see my palm print

The back is made of a matte finished, black plastic.  While it doesn't collect finger prints as easily as the front side, you can still see some smudges on it.  The back also has the device speaker, 3.0MP camera, flash, and self-portrait mirror.

 

Right side from top to bottom: The Glofiish V900, Glofiish X610, AT&T Tilt and iPhone 3G

The V900 has two buttons on the right side of the device: the power button at the top and the camera button at the bottom. The right  side also has a covering for the device's microSD memory card slot.

 

Left side from top to bottom: The Glofiish V900, Glofiish X610, AT&T Tilt and iPhone 3G

The left side of the V900 has the volume rocker and the record button.

 

Bottom from top to bottom: The Glofiish V900, Glofiish X610, AT&T Tilt and iPhone 3G

From left to right, the bottom of the V900 has a telescoping antenna for the digital TV and FM radio, the 2.5mm headphone jack, mini USB jack and stylus.

 

Top from top to bottom: The Glofiish V900, Glofiish X610, AT&T Tilt and iPhone 3G

The top of the V900 has a lanyard hole, but that's about it.

 

Conclusions:
Over all, the Glofiish V900 is a decent device. I am not quite certain what I am going to do with the device, as right now, it really doesn't fit my needs. The device doesn't have a keyboard for my e-mail centric job as a Software QA Director, and doesn't hold any dazzle for me without the digital TV working.  The GPS receiver, as always is spot on, and the device works well with AT&T Navigator, though the VGA resolution does make it a challenge with the version that I tested with.

The device is likely a slam dunk in countries where the digital TV works, however, here in the US, its not high on my "must have device list," due to its lack of a keyboard. However, the form factor is awesome, and as a phone, its going to be hard to beat.

I wasn't all that taken with Spb Mobile Shell.  Its not my favorite interface; and the device uses it extensively and is designed around it. If I found the device compelling enough and could find an alternate interface for it, I would. However, I've got bigger fish to fry and better devices that fit my needs at my disposal. Though as always, your mileage may vary...

 

Cost: The Glofiish V900 retails for $799.99 and can be found here for much less than that.
What I liked: The form factor, the radio, and the GPS receiver, are solid. E-TEN/ASUS finally got the cell radio part right, and that's HUGE!
What needs improvement: Hardware buttons, the joystick/D-pad, Digital TV compatibility, Spb Mobile Shell...not so much on it; but that's a personal choice.

Mike Temporale over at Mobile Jaw has a good review of custom in-car mounting systems for your mobile devices and your vehicle.  Mike starts out the review by saying -

I don’t think I need to sit here and tell any of you that driving and using your electronic devices is a bad idea. Your attention should be focused on the road and the other cars around you on the road. Trying to dig your phone out of your pocket, or trying to hold it and the steering wheel at the same time, is just asking for problems.

 

I'm a huge fan of mounting systems and think they are a NECESSARY part of any setup you might have, want or need for your device and your car.  Sticking devices in cup holders, the empty seat or in your lap while they are plugged in to a car charger just doesn't do it.  Unsecure devices lead to accidents... Give Mike's article a read.  I think you'll find it very valuable...

Its no secret. I purchased an iPhone 3G on iPhone 3G day, July 7, 2008. I've chronicled many of the issues I bumped into in a number of different posts, including my series on the iPhone 3G as a Business Tool.  You can catch the three part series, here:

• iPhone 3G as a Business Tool – Part 1: iPhone OS
• iPhone 3G as a Business Tool – Part 2: Calendar, iCal and Exchange
• iPhone 3G as a Business Tool - Part 3: Conclusion & Recommendation

Despite Apple's hard work to resolve all of the device's issues, the three software updates they've released since the device's initial release almost four (4) months ago, I have continued to have device issues on a daily basis. I continued to have applications crash, both core Apple apps like Mail, iCal and Safari, as well as 3rd party apps...ANY third party app..., and calls drop every day. The BNSF rail line that I commute on for 4 hours every day, has some of the worst coverage on the AT&T network in Chicago-land...but only on my iPhone 3G. EVERY other GSM phone I have that carries an AT&T SIM doesn't have the coverage problems that my iPhone 3G does.  I'm actively carrying 3 cell phones right now: the iPhone 3G, the AT&T Tilt, and the Glofiish V900.

 

My Tilt, for example, even with a wacky cooked ROM and non-standard radio, doesn't have the same problems that my iPhone does.  I can't count on the ferkackta thing to hold any kind of call at any time. My iPhone drops an average of 4 calls a day, and I've had it.

Uncle, already!

I was doing the best that I could, and doing ok at it...to ignore or live past the issues I had identified with Exchange and with the device as a business tool (see my articles, links above), and was doing ok with it; but when I was speaking to a very close friend on Friday, and had to deal with 8 separate call drops during the conversation I had to stop before trying to call them back the last time (never hooked back up with them...) and ask myself if I would have stuck it out like this with any other phone?  Would I have put up with all of the quirkiness, memory issues, application crashing, and above all, call dropping issues?  The answer hit me like a truck - hell no! I would have contacted the device manufacturer, shared my findings and told them I was returning the device. 

I might just give Stevie J. a call or drop him a line and let him know what is going on. It likely won't result in anything, and again, I have already sold the phone (it ships out tomorrow, 03-Nov-08).  Unfortunately, the device, in my opinion while nice for casual cell phone users, is just NOT ready for prime time with a power user like myself.  I depend on my phone too much to put up with the really, reALLY bad performance I've been ACTIVELY excusing over the past 4 months.  I've become way too accommodating, and I really need to be more "me-centric" right now.

So, selling the phone took all of, about 10 minutes... and I plan to use the proceeds to purchase a Samsung Epix sometime in the next few days.  If it performs anything like the other two Blackjack devices that it resembles, it will be a good choice.  If all else fails, I've got the Tilt and the V900 to fall back on as backups, in that order.

I may consider another iPhone in the future, but not without some serious hands on time and research first.  I'm sorry Mr. Jobs...I didn't sign up to be a beta tester for this device; and for me, in my market, the device just isn't ready for wide distribution.