Traveler 2.0

WSJ has helpful story about Twitter tools small businesses can use for marketing. http://ping.fm/tVLhJ

Compare Bing and Google Search Results, Side by Side

Today's NYTimes mentions a cool tool that lets you compare Bing and Google search results side by side. http://ping.fm/3Zlit

A Few Early Impressions of Google Voice

Google Voice, announced in March, is still not available to the general public. However, I've been using Google's free voice over IP/centralized messaging service for a few weeks, and I'm impressed.

A few early impressions:

* Audio quality has mostly been good. A few times, the person I was talking to said there was some crackle on the line, or that they couldn't hear what I'd just said. But the majority of the time, call quality has been much better than a cell phone but not quite as good as a landline.

* I love the ability to send and receive SMS messages for free from Google Voice. Yes, you can do this in Gmail already. But with Google Voice, the replies to your text messages come to your mobile phone as well as to your Google Voice inbox. With Gmail, the responses to my text messages only go to my Gmail account--which means I have to be at my computer to get them.

* Voicemail transcription accuracy is better than I expected, though not as accurate as Vonage's voicemail transcription service. However, Google Voice transcriptions are free; Vonage charges a nominal amount per transcription.

Google Voice isn't going to replace any of my phone services, at least not yet. You can't currently port an existing phone number to a Google Voice account, for one thing. And unlike Skype or a softphone application, you must have a landline, mobile phone service, or other existing phone line in order to use Google Voice. (To place a call for you, Google Voice must call you on a phone. Once you answer, Google Voice connects you to the number you've dialed.)

When will Google Voice be available? It could be tomorrow, or it could be two months from yesterday. Google is being vague. Stay tuned.

Amazon Kindle DX: A Burden to Behold, Apparently

The initial reviews of Amazon's new, larger-screen, bigger-bodied Kindle DX e-book reader are in. Both the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reviewers, among others, have said the larger format device is not comfortable to hold.

The Journal: "While it performs its promised tasks adequately, I found that its size and weight made it awkward and tiring to hold for long periods of reading. It's still fairly thin and light, but it's 85% larger and heavier than the standard Kindle."

The Times: "...after toting around the Kindle DX, it suddenly feels as if I am carrying a computer. Furthermore, its larger size means the DX is, while no heavyweight, still heavier than I think I’d want it to be. (One indication: eventual palm fatigue when holding the DX in one hand, as I would when riding the subway.)"

That's a relief.

Having bought the Kindle 2 in February, I was irked when Amazon announced the Kindle DX just three months later. I was preparing myself to experience buyer's remorse. But if the Kindle DX is cumbersome to carry, that defeats one of the primary reasons of owning an e-book reader in the first place. So I'm not interested, thank you.

I suppose if you had the money, you could have a Kindle DX at home and prop it up on a document stand, keep your Kindle 2 in your bag, and keep them wirelessly synced. That way you could pick up reading a particular book on the Kindle DX where you left off on your Kindle 2, or vice versa. Maybe when the economy rebounds...

Samsung N120 Netbook Shows Stamina at Twitter Conference

Last Sunday, I attended TWTRCON SF 09 in San Francisco, the first conference focused on Twitter. It was a long day. But I'm happy to report the Samsung N120 netbook I took lasted longer than I did.

Though power plugs were available to attendees in the Hotel Nikko conference room, I decided to push the netbook's battery as long as possible. Despite having Wi-Fi wireless networking on, the screen's brightness jacked all the way up, and frequent hard drive saves, the N120's 6-cell battery went for about 5 hours before I received a warning that only 10% of the battery's juice was left. Add that to what's probably the best netbook keyboard yet, and we have a winner, ladies and gentlemen.

My next stress test will be to play a video downloaded from iTunes. Video is a weak spot for many, but not all, netbooks. So far, the netbook that's performed the best in my video tests is the Asus Eee PC 1000HE.

As for the Twitter conference? Lots of interesting stuff. But I can't get the words of one analyst out of my mind: "Three years from now," he said during an on-stage panel discussion, "we'll laugh at ourselves for attending a Twitter conference."

Samsung N120 Netbook: Great Keyboard (for a Netbook)

Samsung has become the Octomom of netbook makers, dropping new models out every five minutes or so.

Just got my hands on the Samsung N120, which is getting kudos for having what's said to be the largest netbook keyboard yet. Truth be told, I don't know that the keyboard is physically any larger than those found on HP's Mini 1000 and Mini 2140 netbooks. But the N120 keyboard feels somehow a bit more spacious--just a bit. I do find it comfortable to type on.

Anyhow, of the netbooks I've tested so far, I'm liking the N120 the best. The screen is bright (and glossy, yes, but not obnoxiously so), and the speakers put out decent audio (for a netbook). A big bonus: You get a 6-cell battery, which should last you about five hours or so, maybe more, depending upon how you use it. But the battery doesn't protrude much; at least, not like the 6-cell batteries I've seen on other netbooks, like the HP Mini models.

I've seen the N120 for about $410 online at JR.com. That's a little pricey, but I think it's worth it. I've only had the Samsung in my greedy clutches for 2 days now, so take that into account.

Tip: If you buy a Samsung N120, get it from JR.com, because they have a 30 days return policy but don't charge you a restocking fee if you return it because you don't like it. The majority of online retailers, however, will hit you with a 15% restocking fee, unless the merchandise you're returning is defective or was shipped in error by the seller. 

Amazon Kindle iPhone App: Slow Downloads, No Search

The Amazon Kindle e-book reader debuted today in Apple's iPhone App Store. Cool idea: Read a bit of a Kindle e-book on your iPhone while waiting in line at the grocery store. When you're reunited with your Kindle, you can pick up exactly where you left off reading that book on your iPhone.

In my brief test of the Kindle iPhone app, two areas for improvement became clear right away:

1. It can take a long time to download a Kindle e-book from your library onto the iPhone. One reference book took about 15 minutes to download from my Amazon.com e-book archive to my iPhone. Definitely not something you want to do when you're on the go.

2. I couldn't find a search function in the Kindle iPhone app. While this isn't necessarily a problem with fiction books, it's a big drawback for reference books. For instance, I wasn't able to search my Kindle e-book copy of Frommer's 2009 New York City guide on my iPhone, though I can search it on my Kindle 2. 

Still, I love the concept behind the Amazon iPhone app, and no doubt it will be improved in subsequent updates.

Amazon Kindle 2 Text to Speech vs. Audible.com Audiobook

The text-to-speech feature on the new Amazon Kindle 2 ebook reader has been a tad controversial. The Authors Guild, for instance, is concerned that the feature, in which a digitized voice can read aloud any content on the Kindle 2, will erode the market for audiobooks. 

It's a valid concern. Or is it? Listen to the MP3 clip below, which compares two different audio readings of the same passage from that timely classic, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Can you tell which one is the Audible.com audiobook, and which one is the Kindle 2 text-to-speech version?

If you can't, please hang up and dial 911, or go to your nearest hospital emergency room.

Amazon Kindle 2, Asus Eee PC 1000HE: Two Things to Get Excited About

Amazon Kindle 2 and Asus Eee PC 1000HE--at last, some true stimulus packages for tech lovers.

Last month's Macworld and Consumer Electronics Show product announcements were largely underwhelming. But in the past week came the announcements of two promising gadgets: Amazon's second-generation Kindle e-book reader, and a new Asus netbook that promises up to 9.5 hours of battery life.

When Amazon's first Kindle came out, I was intrigued. But I try never to buy a first-generation hardware device. Why pay money to be a beta tester? So, as I did with the first iPhone, I waited out the first Kindle.

The new Kindle, according to Amazon, includes more memory (2GB), a crisper display, a thinner and lighter chassis, and 25% longer battery life. It's still a little pricey, at $359. But the improvements were enough to make my finger hit the 'Pre-order with 1-Click' button.

As for the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, I've also refrained from buying a netbook so far. I've tested a few, and overall I liked Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 best. But poor battery life has been a problem with just about all the netbooks to date. If the latest Asus Eee PC can achieve at least half of its proclaimed 9.5 hour battery life, I'd be extremely tempted.

RadioShack to Sell $100 Netbook with Mobile Broadband

RadioShack just announced it will begin selling the Acer Aspire One netbook for $100. That's about $250 less than you'd pay to buy that netbook from Amazon.com.

The Acer Aspire One from RadioShack features built-in mobile broadband service from AT&T. I bet you know where I'm going with this, don't you?

Yes, there's a catch to that $250 savings. You must agree to a two-year AT&T mobile broadband contract, which starts at $60 a month.

Here's another catch I bet you didn't expect: RadioShack says the offer is good only through Dec. 24. 

I've tested the Acer Aspire One without AT&T broadband service. While I like this netbook, I seriously question the wisdom of buying one with built-in mobile broadband, even at a discounted price.

A more practical approach would be to buy a USB mobile broadband modem and use that with a netbook. Think about it: Netbooks have only been around for a little over one year now. The Aspire One is an early Acer netbook model. Do you really want to lock yourself into using a first-generation netbook for the next two years?

I realize you could upgrade to another netbook with built-in AT&T broadband later. But just as with cell phones, such upgrades usually reboot your contract. And you may have to wait two years to get another netbook on discount.

Oh, yes, here's another thing: It's not clear yet to me if the Acer Aspire One model you'd get for $100 has a three-cell or a six-cell battery. My guess is the three-cell. If that's true, I would be concerned. In my experience using the Acer Aspire One with a Wi-Fi connection, the battery lasted only 1 hours, 45 minutes. A netbook's display and its wireless connections are two big battery drains.