If you carry a lot gadgets and not heard of Scottevest, then you are in for a treat. Many gadget lovers suffer for the lack of pockets, and what Scottevest sells are jackets, vests, sweatshirts, and shirts with lots of pockets. I recently bought the Scottevest Cotton Hoodie that I have been enjoying very much.

The Hoodie has 13 pockets and is very comfortable, even when the pockets are full. Most Scottevest products include a system for securing headset wires inside the garment so that you can walk around without having the wire dangling outside your clothes. The Hoodie has two clear view, zippered pockets on the chest that I use for my cell phone and MP3 player.

You will also find two large hand pockets in the Hoodie, which include two small change pockets that are secured by velcro. The hand pockets have magnetic closures and during a recent stay at a hotel I did have issues with the hotel door key being messed up by the magnets, so I suggest being careful handling cards with magnetic strips in these pockets.

Where Scottevest products really shine is traveling through airports. With all of gadgets that I use secured in the pockets of my Hoodie, I just took the Hoodie off and put it in one of the bins for the x-ray scanner. Once I got through the security line, I just picked up my Hoodie and put it back on and went on my way. The Hoodie was also very convenient while on the airplane as I had everything I needed in in easy to reach pockets.

At $70 the Scottevest Hoodie is more expensive than most hoodies that you find, but the added convenience of the pockets provide makes the purchase more than worthwhile. Scottevest products are available for purchase on their web site.

Over the weekend word came of an update to Google Maps that supports multitouch features such as Pin-To-Zoom on the Motorola Droid. The same update is available for the T-Mobile G1 and myTouch, but it does not support multitouch.

The news had to be frustrating for Droid owners wishing to use multitouch in the browser and picture gallery applications like Nexus One owners, but fear not Droid owners, Engadget is reporting that you will be receiving the full Android 2.1, update 1, version for your device very soon. While no specific date has been provided, it sounds like Droid owners will have to only be patient a little longer.

Last Friday I installed the 1.2 update to my Barnes & Noble nook ebook reader. Since then I have been using my nook and I thought I would share with you my impressions of the new software. When the nook first shipped in mid December 2009 the early reviews were very negative, mostly because of slow page refreshes and the slow response of the capacitive touch screen. I decided to buy the nook because I expected B&N to provide software updates to address the problems, and I think this second release of the nook software in a matter of weeks meets that expectation.

Page refreshes are now faster on the nook than when I first bought it, and the touch screen is now more responsive. The UI on the nook has also been updated slightly to make the buttons more three dimensional, making it easier for me to navigate the screen. You tap buttons on the touchscreen to navigate the cursor on the larger e-ink screen, and previously there was a noticeable delay between when you tap a button and the cursor moving. After the 1.2 update I find that the cursor moves much sooner.

One area that still needs improving is highlighting. To select text to highlight one must tap buttons that are displayed in a circle and I find the buttons to be too small. I think it would be better if the buttons were in an upside down T configuration like the cursor keys on many keyboards, but regardless of the configuration the buttons must be larger. The nook also needs to provide an overview of the highlights and notes that you add to a book. Right now you have to scroll through the pages and look for highlights. A work-around is to create a bookmark whenever highlighting as the nook does provide a way to jump between bookmarks. The nook currently does not synchronize bookmarks, highlights, or notes with other versions of the B&N eReader applications, and this is a feature I really would like to see implemented soon.

Finally, I stopped by my local Barnes & Noble to see what additional in-store features have been added. The update notes says there is enhanced in-store connectivity and additional More In Store content. When I was at the store on Saturday I did not see any additional content beyond what I had seen in previous visits. Another feature we heard about when the nook was originally announced is the ability to read full copies of any book while you are in the store, and this feature is still not available.

Barnes & Noble will finally have nooks available for sale in their stores this week, and the devices that you buy in the store should already have the 1.2 update applied. If you want to see whether your local store has devices to sell, you can check for availability on their web site at barnesandnoble.com.

Now that I have my feet under me here, I would like to take this time to introduce myself. Hello, I am Frank McPherson, and I am happy to join Todd in writing for this web site. I have been using mobile devices since the early 90's when I bought a Sharp Wizard QZ-7000. When I first heard of the Newton MessagePad I just new I had to have one, and bought one of the very first MessagePads when they were released in 1993.

What Apple did with Newton continues to influence my views of mobile computing to this day. I know I am in a minority that thinks that a stylus is actually a natural form of input, but we don't write on a pad of paper with our fingers, we use a pen or pencil, and I think mobile devices ought to be replacements for pads of paper. I wouldn't want to go back when a stylus is the only way we interact with mobile devices, but I also do not think it should be done completely away with.

Steve Job's return to Apple marked the beginning of the end of Newton's short life, and as I looked at the handheld computing landscape at the time my choices were the new Microsoft Handheld PCs or the new Palm Pilot. I was attracted to the Handheld PC's expandability via the PC Card slot, and larger screens. While I didn't particularly like the keyboards on the handhelds, I also did not think I should have to learn how to write in a different way such as how you had to write on the Palm Pilot's input area.

My decision to use the Handheld PC lead me to find the MSN Handheld PC forum and my introduction to Todd, who was the forum manager. Todd's invitation to me to become assistant forum manager later lead to being named a Microsoft MVP for mobile devices, a relationship with the mobile division at Microsoft, and to writing four editions of books on using the Handheld and Pocket PCs.

When Google announced Android, I became intrigued by Android's integration with the Internet and particularly the Google applications I found myself using more and more every day. I bought the T-Mobile G1 shortly after it was released and tolerated its shortcomings until T-Mobile released the myTouch 3G, which is my current personal phone. I continue to also use a Windows Mobile standard phone to keep up with Microsoft's developments.

I am excited about writing for MobileContentToday because it aligns with my own long-held belief that what is important is how we use mobile devices to be more productive, grow, and have fun. While I am attracted to shiny objects like most other men, I am less excited with the latest and greatest hardware than by the latest and greatest software and capabilities. What is certain is that the mobile industry is rapidly changing, which makes keeping up with and writing about the mobile industry fun. I hope that you come along with me for the ride

Screen captured image courtesy of Apple

Aha! My iPhone and iPod touch connection problems and generally iTunes "crash-iness" was not unique to me. Apple just relesesed...

iTunes 9.0.3 (DL927 description)

Here's what's fixed:

- iTunes no longer ignores your "Remember password for purchases" setting.
- Addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with iPod.
- Resolves a problem recognizing when iPod is connected.
- Addresses issues that affect stability and performance.

It would be great if Apple fixed iPhoto 09 next. That application crashes about 50% of the time I connect and iPhone or iPod touch (via USB) and doesn't recognize the device about 25% of the time

When Steve Jobs announced the Apple iPad last month, I could understand (or guess) why it was not immediately available (my guesses: FCC issue(s), component availability, design issue still being worked out). What I couldn't understand, however, was why it was not available for pre-order the day of the announcement. My rationale for making it available for pre-order goes like this: Take advantage of announcement day excitement to get lots of people to pre-order. Then, those who pre-ordered would help maintain pre-availability excitement by continuing to hype the iPad as a way of dealing with pre-order buyer's remorse (people would want to maintain that they made a good decision while waiting).

It may be that Apple should have created this pre-availability buzz machine since there tends to be a loss of interest after a product announcement if there is a big delay between announcement and availability (look at the Nokia N97 and Palm Pre as two examples of that effect). Retrevo notes that iPad buzz has been going downward (as expected) in this article...

Apple iPad Hoopla Fails to Convince Buyers

Many people have noted that the iPad is a solution in search of a problem. Many of these same people have also noted that tablet devices have appeared and failed several times over the past decade (including two attempts by Microsoft - Tablet PC & UMPC). I don't have a crystal ball that can tell me whether the iPad will be another iPhone-like success or a resounding failure like the Apple iPod Hi-Fi (remember that giant stereo speaker with a tiny iPod nano sticking out of its top?). I will, however, note that the original iPod emerged as an expensive MP3 player alternative back when MP3 players were appearing to go nowhere. We all know what happened to the iPod. Could the iPad redefine a market no one cares about right now? I think it might.

Speaking of Frank McPherson (see previous blog announcement item): He wrote about a new iPhone 3GS (3GS-only it appears) app named Siri that got a lot of attention last week...

Turn Your iPhone Into A Personal Assistant

Siri lets you speak a question (such as "nearest gas station") and will then direct you to or initiate a voice call to an appropriate nearby business. If you are like me, you probably wondered how this developer came out of nowhere with a useable speech recognition component. Well, it turns out it came from a well-known long time player in the game: Nuance. Here's the announcement in their Dragon Mobile Apps blog...

Need a Personal Assistant? Check Out the New Siri App for iPhone Featuring Speech Recognition from Nuance

If you want to learn more about Nuance's mobile speech recognition technology, you can listen to a podcast I recorded with Nuance Sr. VP Michael Thompson in December 2009. We spoke about the then new Dragon Dictation for iPhone app (embedded player below).

You've probably noticed a second blogger byline appeared on the MobileContentToday blog last week. It is my great pleasure to welcome my old friend and fellow mobile tech geek Frank McPherson as co-editor and co-blogger here. Frank and I go way back to the Windows CE days in the 1990s. We've remained friends and gadget hounds over the years. Frank will provide more information about himself and his focus here. I'm excited to have a second voice and opinion appear in this blog. Although Frank and I are friends, we don't always agree (although I'm slowly coming around to his point of view about speech recognition - we've argued about that topic for years). But, I think that the fact that we don't always see eye-to-eye will make this blog more dynamic and interesting.

Frank was kind enough to participate in a series of podcasts with me before he started blogging here. You can find the two most recent podcasts embedded below (both from November 2009). You can look forward to more tag-team podcasting from us as well as Frank's daily contribution to this blog.

So, please join me in welcoming my old friend, a great guy, and an extremely knowledgeable gadget geek, Frank McPherson!

AT&T Wireless must feel very confident about their recent and future 3G network upgrade plans. They recently started allowing Apple iPhone users to make VoIP calls over their 3G network. Then, to everyone's surprise, Apple announced that the upcomng iPad will have 3G service from AT&T. Then, last week, AT&T announced that it will support video retransmission over 3G by a Sling Media app.

AT&T and Sling Media Collaborate on SlingPlayer Mobile App for 3G Mobile Broadband Network

We should know by this summer if all these data-heavy products brings AT&T's 3G wireless data network to its virtual knees (again). This will be the case even if the iPad does not see well (or if most people buy the WiFi-only models).

Looks like Apple is in a really disagreeable mood iPhone app-wise. Stanza lost its ability to share ebooks via USB last week. Now, MacNN reports...

Apple prohibits App Store devs from using location-based ads

The ability to deliver hyper-local ads based on a person's current location has been a big dream in mobile commerce for a long time. The large worldwide populatin of iPhone users, its GPS feature, and the favorable demographics of iPhone users (disposable income) makes it the ideal platform for location-based hyper-local ads.

If Android gains more market traction (and a decent app store), hyper-local location based ads could give it a leg up on the iPhone.

I admit to being mystified by why the pinch-to-zoom gesture is not supported on some U.S. Android phones (this problem does not appear to be an issue outside of the U.S.).The Motorola Droid sold by Verizon was completely missing this feature when it launched last Fall. However, the HTC Droid Eris also sold through Verizon supported pinch-to-zoom gesturing. The HTC Nexus One was also befret of pinch gestures at its launch. However, an OTA (Over The Air) Android update bestowed support for this gesture a little over a week ago.

The Droid, unlike the recently updated Nexus One, still doesn't provide system-wide support for pinch-to-zoom type gestures. However, a recent Google Maps update for the Droid added support for pinch-to-zoom for that one app...

(Android Central) Motorola Droid gets pinch-to-zoom in Google Maps application (update)

You can also get the pinch-to-zoom feature while browsing the web on a Droid by installing the 3rd party Dolphin Browser.

AT&T's FamilyMap service lets you find the geographic location of 2 ($9.95/month) to 5 ($14.95/month) family members (or presumbly any group who chooses to affiliate themselves as a group for this plan). AT&T recently announced a free iPhone app that works with this plan...

AT&T FamilyMap App Launches on App Store

AT&T FamilyMap 1.0 (iTunes App Store)

The app and service provides the following features:

- Interactive map
- Assign name & photo to each account
- Schedule checks
- List of landmarks
- Map panning
- On-demand locating
- Messaging

You can find more information about the service here...

http://www.att.com/familymap

Here's my question about this service: Why pay $119.40 (2 people) or $179.40 (up to 5 people) per year instead of using the free...

Google Latitude

My understanding is that Apple didn't let Google update Google Maps for iPhone to support Latitude. However, the service works fine as a web service in the browser. Just point your browser at Google.com and select the Latitude option from the pull-down menu. Latitude offers a number of benefits over AT&T's FamilyMap.

Google Latitude:

- Works with more than 5 people
- Works with people on different carriers
- Works on desktop and notebook/netbook computers too
- Is free