Can I stream an MP3 file on the iPhone? If so, could I put my whole library on the web and stream the day away? Here’s a test that I won’t be able to leave up for too long. [Edit: removed link to MP3 file to keep the RIAA happy. ]

Attached Media: audio/mpeg (3 381 ko)

Yes, I’m talkin’ to you [in my best Tony Soprano impression, which actually is pretty awful]

See, I actually haven’t written a single post here since April 17th of this year when I started writing for jkOnTheRun. Here’s the funny part…some of you fine folks are still hangin’ around! Oh I know…it’s likely that you haven’t updated your feeds to weed me out and that’s cool. What tipped me off was a note from my registrar indicating that my domain was set to expire. I figured, no worries, nobody goes there anymore and then I checked my Feeedburner stats. There’s still a few hundred folks that either still remember me OR a few hundred folks that forgot to forget about me. (It actually makes sense if you read it a few times)

So you know what? I just renewed my domain here. I’m not sure why and I can’t guarantee you that I’ll have time to share thoughts here. Quite honestly, I barely have time to share my mobile tech thoughts with the great audience over at jkOnTheRun, but heck, I’m game!

Still reading? Drop me a note in the comments to let me know and tell me what you’d like to see here. I see the comment spammers haven’t forgotten me; there’s over 640 spam comments since I last wrote. Give it up, people…give it up….

So not only is it Tax Day here in the States, but today is the big change over at jk On The Run! Now that the change is public, I can see why he made the change:

• Twice as much technology coverage at no extra cost to the readers
• James wisely waited for a “2.0″ version of tech to add to the site (good rule: always wait for the second version of something)
• Folks don’t have to go to two places for mobile tech news, commentary, tips and tricks!

So did you see the change yet? More to follow as the story develops…

Dave’s got the day off, so James and I muse mobile tech with our typical banter. We’ve got two listener e-mails with questions, which are always fun and fresh; (Hint on) wish we had more of ‘em! (Hint off) There’s also a little speculation on which Tablet PC manufacturer might have the first EV-DO integrated tablet, the secret to getting Gmail’s SSL server port numbers in your Windows Mobile Messaging configuration and of course, the freeware of the show. Enjoy!

Download the show directly here or click to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

James doesn’t mention what the change is, but he does say that Monday is the day. What could it be? Here are my initial thoughts:

• He’s going to run the entire site off a mega-powered UMPC device.
• Since he covers mobile tech like nobody else, you’ll only be able to read his site on a mobile device.
• He’s starting a second site called jkInTheHome that will cover non-mobile tech.

Ah, who cares what I think. The real question is what do YOU think? Drop your random thoughts in the comments and we’ll sort it all out once the big news hits us on Monday!

Part two of the extremely in-depth review is out; I didn’t see any surprises here as several folks I know nabbed a Treo 700w about three months ago. Still, it’s great to see this level of detail in a well written review. If you missed part one earlier this week, you can start with that one here. Of particular note is the infamous “Program Memory” issue; upon a hard reset, the Treo 700w exhibited about 13 MB free and in the review it was mentioned that 7 or 8 programs could be run without issue. As a comparison, I can open almost 20 applications on the XV6700 just to simulate having a few meg of memory free like the Palm. Oh and don’t panic: while I’m definitely a multi-tasker, this was just a test; I don’t actually run 20 apps at once on the XV6700! If you’re still considering a Treo 700w purchase, this two part review is a must.

Part two of the extremely in-depth review is out; I didn’t see any surprises here as several folks I know nabbed a Treo 700w about three months ago. Still, it’s great to see this level of detail in a well written review. If you missed part one earlier this week, you can start with that one here. Of particular note is the infamous “Program Memory” issue; upon a hard reset, the Treo 700w exhibited about 13 MB free and in the review it was mentioned that 7 or 8 programs could be run without issue. As a comparison, I can open almost 20 applications on the XV6700 just to simulate having a few meg of memory free like the Palm. Oh and don’t panic: while I’m definitely a multi-tasker, this was just a test; I don’t actually run 20 apps at once on the XV6700! If you’re still considering a Treo 700w purchase, this two part review is a must.

I don’t know what to call this device that Averatec is planning according to Brighthand and others. (Origami, Jr.?) The small device is expected to have a 5-inch screen and here’s the kicker: SXGA resolution of 1280 x 1024. I’m already questioning if that’s a native res or not; my gut says no and to be honest, with that many pixels per inch, it would be overkill anyway. The Avertec entry has a hidden keyboard behind the screen, which is nice touch, but if the device will run the Tablet PC operating system, it would likely be quicker to use a stylus over the smallish thumb-board. No word on if the screen is a touch-screen or not, but that would be the mostly likely assumption due to costs. Connectivity comes through the integrated WiFi and Bluetooth, two USB ports are included (did I already dream about 3G USB modems today? Oh that’s right, I did) as well as an SD/MMC card reader and a 2 Megapixel camera, which appears to be on the front of the device. Makes it good for video conference, but pretty difficult to actually take pics.

As a self-proclaimed “HDTV-snob” it takes a bunch to impress me from a mobile television perspective. Well, consider me impressed. I just caught a video from CTIA that shows off the Sling Media client that’s optimized for the UMPC form factor. Not only is the client design intuitive looking, but Sling clearly considered usability of the touch screen as evidenced by larger buttons that are used often. Paperback PC has the write-up on the demo, while the video is hosted over at their sister site. My only concern with television on a UMPC is that for the moment, you’re generally restricted to WiFi usage. I won’t be touching a UMPC without the ability to connect an EV-DO modem or use my XV6700 as a tethered modem. 3G USB modems are on the way, but for now, I’m in an Origami holding pattern. Regardless, that doesn’t take away from the solid changes that Sling Media is planning for UMPC support.

Just yesterday I noticed that Toshiba’s M400 series will be found on retail shelves, but I missed Barry Doyle’s M400 review over at TabletPC Review Spot. The M400 is generally a dual core refresh of the M200 that I currently use daily, so this review hit the spot for me personally. Regular readers know I’ve outlined requirements for my next Tablet PC purchase, but I can’t justify the $2,000 “upgrade” from an M200 Tablet to the M400. After using a 12.1-inch tablet at 1400 x 1050 res for over a year, I think I can sacrifice some screen size in order to give up some weight. However, other folks looking for their first Tablet PC might be very tempted by the M400’s dual core 1.83GHz processor, built in Bluetooth and optical drive; both are missing on my M205. Barry’s insightful “cons” of the device are dead on: no dedicated graphics option and average battery life. The graphics issue is somewhat surprising as the M205 has an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with 32 MB of dedicated memory. My thought is that the shared graphics memory on the M400 is forward thinking for Vista.

Just yesterday I noticed that Toshiba’s M400 series will be found on retail shelves, but I missed Barry Doyle’s M400 review over at TabletPC Review Spot. The M400 is generally a dual core refresh of the M200 that I currently use daily, so this review hit the spot for me personally. Regular readers know I’ve outlined requirements for my next Tablet PC purchase, but I can’t justify the $2,000 “upgrade” from an M200 Tablet to the M400. After using a 12.1-inch tablet at 1400 x 1050 res for over a year, I think I can sacrifice some screen size in order to give up some weight. However, other folks looking for their first Tablet PC might be very tempted by the M400’s dual core 1.83GHz processor, built in Bluetooth and optical drive; both are missing on my M205. Barry’s insightful “cons” of the device are dead on: no dedicated graphics option and average battery life. The graphics issue is somewhat surprising as the M205 has an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with 32 MB of dedicated memory. My thought is that the shared graphics memory on the M400 is forward thinking for Vista.

I don’t have too many old SecureDigital cards sitting around, but ThinkGeek has something for those that do. For $15, you can buy a USB drive “shell” that accepts SD and MMC cards. Any storage capacity up to 1 Gigabyte will work in the device and there’s a nice blue light to indicate activity. Personally, I think blue LEDs on mobile devices should solely be used to indicate Bluetooth connectivity, but hey, that’s just me. Anyway, this is a great use for older cards or for mobile devices that support USB ports but not memory card readers.

Nice to see that we’ll have more Tablet PC choices in retail stores. When it comes to price, I tend buy on-line, but for a personal computer choice, I prefer to get my hands dirty in a retail store. What works for me in a mobile device won’t work for you and vice versa, so a quick trip to a CompUSA or a BestBuy is the ticket for me; even if it’s just to evaulate a device for an hour or so. Not only is Toshiba joining Lenovo with a larger retail presence, the pre-configured dual core M400 (known as the M405) will be showing up on store shelves at a discounted price of $1,999. We need to see more of this: a larger computing population needs to get some “playtime” with a Tablet PC to help spur on the “ink-olution”! The M405 sports a hearty 1.83 GHz Core Duo CPU, 100 GB of storage, one Gig of RAM and a 12.1-inch XGA screen. The same configuration on Toshiba’s site (as the M400) will cost $400 more, so this is a great value, comparable to the M205 (which I have) vs. the M200 deal I took 16 months ago.

I know I asked earlier if you had questions on the case, but I had 15 spare minutes to do the video overview, so here it is. I’ll still take questions directly in the comments if you have ‘em. Overall, I’m very happy with the case, but have a few items you should be aware of. They’re not deal-breakers for me, but every mobile user is different, so I want you to have all the information you need to make an informed purchase. This video is under 15 minutes long, is roughly 55 MB and is formatted in a 320 x 240 WMV file. You might need to bump the volume up a tad as the mic on the web-cam isn’t as good as my USB headset. I also called the IR port a USB port; hey what’s a few letters? I’ll work out those kinks next time; promise!

Download the video here.

I know I asked earlier if you had questions on the case, but I had 15 spare minutes to do the video overview, so here it is. I’ll still take questions directly in the comments if you have ‘em. Overall, I’m very happy with the case, but have a few items you should be aware of. They’re not deal-breakers for me, but every mobile user is different, so I want you to have all the information you need to make an informed purchase. This video is under 15 minutes long, is roughly 55 MB and is formatted in a 320 x 240 WMV file. You might need to bump the volume up a tad as the mic on the web-cam isn’t as good as my USB headset. I also called the IR port a USB port; hey what’s a few letters? I’ll work out those kinks next time; promise!

Download the video here.

Looking to pick up a TabletKiosk eo v7110 UMPC? Sure, you could pre-order one for $899, or you could just enter your name in a drawing for one over at TabletGear.com! TabletGear is giving away one UMPC, the lower model eo, which has 256MB of memory and a 30 gigabyte hard drive. You’ll need to register on the site and then enter the contest. The winner will be chosen after June 1st, so don’t delay! Actually, I just entered a few minutes ago, so on second thought, take your time.

Just received the Sena case I pre-ordered for the XV6700 and I have to say it’s very innovative in terms of design. I’m not surprised, as all of the cases I’ve purchased from Sena share great design methods. This particular case is one of the very few that allow the keyboard to slide out of the device without removing the device from the case. However, this is a tradeoff because you can’t charge or synch the device while in the case; something I could do with all of the previous Sena cases. There are some other initial issues I see as well, but rather than hit them here, I think a video overview is called for. Tell ya what: if you have specific questions about this particular case for the XV6700 (or PPC-6700 on Sprint’s network), leave a comment and I’ll try to address the questions in the video overview.

Dave’s got yet another new toy with his new Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC. Sounds intriguing to me as it’s the same general form factor of my current Toshiba Portege M205 tablet, but I’m a sucker for the 1400 x 1050 res that Toshiba provides. The X41 is a respectable 1024 x 768 and I’ve gotten very used to the higher res. Hmmm…wonder if the UMPCs will work for me with the lower res? We chat about those too, since James did his 32 minute in-depth video overview of the TabletKiosk eo v7110. Don’t forget the freeware too!

Download the show directly here or click to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

You know you’ve squandered 30 minutes or so on frivilous media like SpongeBob (which rocks), so why not use that half-hour and learn something new? Take for instance, the 32 minute video review of TabletKiosk’s UMPC entry: the “eo”. James has the prototype and wasted no time in putting together a 360-degree hands-on review of this new Origami device. Remember, this is the $899 device that ships later this month, so if you haven’t put your pre-order in, here’s the demonstration you need to see. Heck, even if you DID pre-order, don’t you want to see what you’re getting? The device is very impressive as the “star” of the video, but I think I’m still holding off. If I see some EV-DO modems that work via USB for these devices, I might change my mind. Connectivity is king in my house!

Push e-mail keeps coming up as topic these days since wireless data access is on the rise. Hey, we’re paying good money for that “connectivity everywhere” concept, so we might as well use it right? I’ve personally held off on using a hosted Exchange server to push e-mail to my XV6700 since the device doesn’t quite support push e-mail just yet. A company called emoze might make me happy that I didn’t contract for hosted Exchange services. emoze is a free bit of software and supporting services that push POP e-mail from Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail right to your mobile device at no charge. Currently supported mobile Operating Systems include PocketPC 2002, Windows Mobile 2003 & 2005, and Symbian series 60. Microsoft Smartphone and Palm users will have to wait a short while for support. More to follow after I download the software, get configured and start pushing my mail with authority.