First is the worst, second is the best, …you know how that school yard rhyme goes. And there certainly is some truth to it. It’s not always good to be first – as Navigon clearly demonstrates to TomTom with its own GPS iPhone app. Full featured with text-to-speech and now with live traffic, it’s sure to give TomTom a run for it’s money as MobileNavigator users who purchase the app for $89.99 can now pay a paltry $24.99 for lifetime traffic. But wait…there’s more! Get it within the first month that it goes on sale and you’ll get an extra $5 off. I’ve tasted what Navigon can make – and I’m pretty excited even though I don’t have an iPhone. If Navigon’s program is as good as the actual 2200T that I had my hands on then it would be well worth it. My favorite part about Navigon’s GPS systems is pictured below – the which lanes are safe to take to get out on your exit. Well, the iPhone sure is becoming a portable computer of a platform which makes it even more valuable as a multi purpose tool.

Technorati Tags: GPS devices, IPhone, Navigon, App, Tjchan, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

Step right up and grab your XNA Game Studio SDK – version 3.1 which adds the ability to develop for the Zune HD platform. You my friend, have the opportunity to create some really neat apps for Zune HD with the XNA framework with touch support as well as accelerometers. Yes, this is the exact development kit that’s used to create XBox 360 games.

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I have had the opportunity to check out a number of different cases from Noreve over the years, and I have always been impressed by the quality and construction in every one.  Fortunately, the case for the Palm Pre continues this tradition.  The case is a flip case, and is hinged at the top, meaning it folds down across the face of the device.  I am always leery of flip style cases on a phone, but I have to say that I thought it worked pretty well.  When you flip it open, the hinge lies just above your hand, allowing the cover to rest on your hand.

On the bottom, you will find the strap, which has a magnetic snap to secure it to the back of the case.  The nice thing here is that when the case is open, this strap is folded well out of the way.  I have had problems in the past with these straps flapping in front of the screen, and I was happy to see that would not be a problem here.

Around the edges are cutouts and openings for all of the connections and buttons on the device.  Most impressive here, however, was the double hinge on the back.  When you flip open the cover, you may notice that the camera and speaker are covered by the back of the case.  Well that would be a problem…if Noreve had not added the double hinge. 

Just keep pulling the cover open to remove a second flap, revealing easy access to the camera lens and speakerphone.  I thought this was a great feature. 

Unlike most cases, it protects the camera when not in use, but still makes it easily and quickly accessible.  You will also notice the belt clip space on the back, and we will come back to that in a minute.

Let’s go ahead and open the case and see how it works with the Pre.  There are two arms on the sides which hold the Pre securely in place.  What I really liked about this is that it gives the device no lateral wiggle room.  In other words, if your Palm Pre has the dreaded “Oreo” effect, then this will hold it securely in place.

That being said, I did notice the Pre did not seem to rest well in the case.  I finally figured out the problem was that the Pre has a curved back, while the back of the case is flat and hard.  This means the Pre can shift vertically a little easier than I would have liked.

The real problem I had with the case, however, was the inability to charge while using the Pre in the case.  We can start with the Touchstone charger.  While I will agree that it may not be fair to expect case designers to account for the special connections required by the touchstone, it was still a hassle to slide the Pre in and out of the case each time I wanted to charge the battery. 

Likewise, if I plug the pre in using the sync/charge cable, then the side of the case interferes with the cable, meaning I cannot easily slide open the keyboard while the phone is charging.  This is a real problem, since I frequently leave my phone plugged while I am at my desk or working, in order to keep the battery charged. 

If we go ahead and close the case again, you can see that although it is well padded, it does not add an excessive amount of girth to the device.  I thought Noreve struck a pretty good balance here, managing to keep the device relatively well padded (and I ought to know since I dropped it the other day, and suffered no damage).

A minute ago, I said we would come back to the belt clip, so let’s go ahead and do that now.  I am not a fan of belt clips anymore, having lost far too many phones due to broken belt clips.  What I like about Noreve is the belt clip is completely removable.  They even give you a placeholder screw to fill in the hole where the clip would go.

The belt clip which comes with the Noreve case is really nothing special.  Just a standard plastic belt clip, ready for me to break.  If I am going to use a belt clip, I need to know my device is secure, and that is probably not going to cut it.   So, I was pretty happy to find that in addition to the case, the folks at Noreve also sent over their new heavy duty metal belt clip.

This belt clip is really unique.  Instead of the typical mechanism, which requires you to slide it in to lock and push a button to unlock; the Noreve clip has a D-shaped button.  When aligned properly, it will slide right in and then twist to lock.  When you need to access your phone, just spin it until it slides out. 

I like this because I am so prone to accidentally pushing the button which releases the phone.  I was a little nervous that this spinning mechanism would inadvertently spin, releasing my phone unintentionally, but I found it held pretty securely, and did a nice job of securing the phone.

I have to say that I really wanted to like this case.  Noreve has always offered fantastic quality, and it is often extremely difficult to find a nice case for a phone with a slider style keyboard.  Unfortunately, a few design problems, most notably the interference of the case with charging, made this a less than ideal option for my use. 

 What I Liked:

• Fabulous construction
• Extra durable metal belt clip
• Access to all ports and controls
• Extra hinge provides access to the camera

What Needs Improvement:

• Sides block charging cable

Where to buy: Noreve

Price: Case: $51.00

         Belt clip: $17.92

Along with the new Zune HD that was launched yesterday (see Doug’s article from yesterday, Zune HD unboxing and quick first look), Microsoft has also launched the new Zune 4.0 PC software release.  According to Matt Rosoff at CNET <Article Here> the new version of the software is optimized for Windows 7, which is scheduled to launch next month.

Check out the following feature article from Microsoft regarding Zune 4.0:

REDMOND, Wash. – Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 – Zune HD starts rolling off the shelves today, and with it comes Microsoft’s vision of connecting entertainment seamlessly from your pocket to your PC to your TV.
The new Zune HD boasts an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, high-definition video output to television, HD radio and a touch screen that allows for easy navigation.
The new Zune HD boasts an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, high-definition video output to television, HD radio and a touch screen that allows for easy navigation.

The launch of Zune “Wave 4,” which includes Zune HD, the first touch-screen version of Microsoft’s multimedia player, marks a significant shift in how the company will deliver music and video to consumers, says Dave Alles, general manager of Zune Service software. “The premise is that you should be able to access your movies, music, and TV shows wherever you are, on any device, and that there is value for customers beyond pure file playback,” Alles says. “We’re putting all the pieces together so consumers can get their entertainment however they want and have the world’s best way to discover and share more.”

How Zune will help consumers do that is through a combination of new hardware, software and services, Alles says. In the past, Zune was mostly focused on being an MP3 player. With today’s simultaneous launch of the device and the Zune 4.0 software, Microsoft is positioning Zune as an entertainment platform that allows people to watch video or listen to music on their Zune HD, their PC, or their TV and seamlessly transition among them.

Designing the software in tandem with the hardware was what let the Zune team put the end user at the center of their entertainment, says Kevin Shields, general manager of Zune Devices. He acknowledges that people will compare the Zune HD to the iPod touch, but states that Microsoft’s focus is not on a device-to-device competition, but rather on the complete service: “With the work we did with both the hardware and the software, Zune offers the best experiences for music and video lovers anywhere and on their terms.”

Right out of the box, anyone holding the device will quickly notice it has received a significant makeover, boasting an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, high-definition video output to television, HD radio and a touch screen that allows for easy navigation through intuitive menus. Other new features include an Internet Explorer browser; Quickplay, a new menu that puts your favorite content, latest downloads and recently viewed files right in front of you; and Artist View, where the user can easily find more information about an artist including bio, discography and photos.
The new Zune HD is available in 5 colors, including Platinum and Ebony.

With Zune 4.0, customers will be able to access their music and video in more places than the new OLED screen, though. The software delivers the Zune experience on the PC, where users can organize music or download new songs from the Zune Marketplace, Shields says. With a Zune Pass, users don’t even need the software to access great content; they can sign in on Zune.net from any PC and instantly start playing their favorite music.

Starting this fall, the Zune service will expand to the nearly 20 million users of Xbox 360 LIVE. That means Xbox 360 users soon will be able to buy or rent movies for the console using the Zune service, later downloading the files onto their Zune device or Windows PC for no extra fee. The new collection for Xbox 360 users will include an extensive library of music videos available for download to the Zune.

Alles says it makes sense to expand Zune beyond a piece of hardware into a service when you think about the number of devices people use every day. “If you think of the customer at the center, as opposed to a specific device, you start to realize all these things are important, and you want some of your experiences to flow across your devices,” Alles says. “In the entertainment space, Zune video will be the tip of the spear for Microsoft’s ‘three screens and a cloud’ strategy.” He says to expect Microsoft to continue expanding Zune into other Microsoft platforms.

That strategy, outlined previously by Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and other senior leaders, refers to the concept that people soon will access Web-based information and applications through their PC, their mobile device and ultimately their TV. Zune is Microsoft’s initiative to connect video and music entertainment across those screens.

The connected experiences can come together in a variety of ways, says Jose Pinero, director of public relations for the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business. For example, say a father wants to leave the house, but the kids are watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” on TV. He could download the episode from the Zune Marketplace onto his Zune HD, where the kids could watch it while in the car. When they get back from running errands, Dad can place the Zune in its dock and output HD video to the big TV screen in the living room.

Pinero is confident that placing the consumer at the center of their entertainment is how Zune will win. “Putting it all in front of the consumer and making it seamless — Microsoft is the only company that can do that,” Pinero says. “Letting people enjoy their entertainment on any device is our winning strategy.”

Today is Zune Day!!  Today is the day the much discussed Zune HD is due to be officially released, and I was lucky enough to get one on launch day.  Well…maybe luck had nothing to do with it.  Maybe I did pay a little extra for faster shipping.   But you really do not care about that story.  You want to see the goods.

I was a little surprised to find that Microsoft had not significantly changed the packaging.  It is pretty much identical to previous generations of the Zune. 

Just slide open the box, and on top you will find some paper.  Feel free to take a look at that if you like.  I was too excited and just tossed it aside for the time being.

Under that initial layer, rests the Zune HD…in all its glory, nestled in a shell of plastic and cardboard.  That is really on gorgeous looking device (sorry, I had to get it syncing and charging before I had a chance to snap all of the pictures). 

I was initially impressed by how tiny and skinny it is up close.  From some of the publicity shots I had seen, it looks a bit bigger.

Here, you can see a shot of the Zune alongside the iPod Touch 1st Gen and Cowon S9. 

Alongside the Zune, you will also find the bare minimum of accessories in the box.  There are the standard Zune headphones, which rank about equal to the earbuds which come with most iPods.  In other words, garbage before they come out of the box.  I’ll be testing this one with my Ultimate Ears earbuds. 

Also in the box is the standard sync/charge cable.  I really appreciated the fact that this appears to be identical to previous generations of Zune cables, meaning that although it is proprietary, the three cables I have from my old Zune media players should still work fine with it (thought I have not tested it yet).

Getting set-up takes a bit of time, even if you have used Zune in the past.  Your old Zune software will not work with the Zune HD.  You will have to use the new Zune 4.0 software, which was released today.  that is no big deal.  just head over to Zune.net and download the new software. 

The next thing you will need to do is update the firmware.  I was a little annoyed by this.  Here it is the first day the new device is available, and the firmware is already out of date.  Still, this was pretty much a matter of plug it in and let it go.  Before long, I had Zune 4.0 loaded on my computer, and Zune 4.1 firmware on the Zune HD. 

Let’s go ahead and take a bit of a closer look at the Zune HD before I leave you for now.  The design is absolutely exquisite.  Like I said, it is a bit smaller and much skinnier than I expected.  it is extremely light, but does not feel cheap are poorly constructed at all. 

Most of the controls are handled by the touchscreen, so there are only three physical buttons on the device.  On the top is the power button. 

On the face is the back button for navigating the menus.  In this picture, you can also see the headphone jack and sync/charge cable port on the bottom.

The most interesting button to me was this small one on the side.  At first, I thought it was the volume control.  In actuality, it calls up an on-screen menu, which allows you to adjust the volume, or control the music. 

This is pretty slick looking, but I will have to play with it some more to let you know how effective it really is.

I also really liked the fact that the metal parts were not the same shiny metal as the back of the iPod.  Instead, it is made from a brushed metal, which stays much nicer longer.  Which, of course, is not to say that you will not be facing the age old problem of fingerprints.  Like any touchscreen device, fingerprints are going to be an issue.  So, before I gunk up the screen with fingerprints, here are a few shots of that OLED screen in action.

That is it for now.  I will be back soon and again from time to time as we look at everything this new Zune can do, including a full review of the Zune 4.0 software and the new Zune app store in the marketplace (yes you read that right).  So, stay tuned!! Plenty more to come…