SpoonAlarm 2.0 Is Now Released!

I posted that SpoonAlarm 2.0 was coming soon, and well it didn’t take as long as expected. Author Gil Bouhnick has released SpoonAlarm2.0 today and it is still free!

Here is a list of the enhancements:

The new version includes a lot of enhancements:
1. New finger friendly user interface
2. Recurring alarms
3. Support for both mp3 and wav files (filtered in the selection dialog)
4. Normal and countdown alarms
5. Tray icon
6. SpoonAlarm Snoozer tool that will play the song and let you snooze some more…
7. Auto start
8. Settings are changed.
I tested the new version on couple of devices and so far I found few issues with HTC Tilt.
Besides that everything else seems to be working just fine!

I just got done testing it out and it works on my Tilt. The only bug I found so far is that closing the program with your ok button (Mine is reassigned to close/ok) will terminate the program and not place an icon on the lower tray. But, by closing SpoonAlarm with the close on the top right of the screen, it works fine and puts an icon on the lower tray. I’ll keep testing it and keep you posted with updates.

To download SpoonAlarm 2.0 CLICK HERE

           

Free Vista SP1 Support (until March 18, 2009)

Did you know that you can get free technical support on Windows Vista SP1 until 18 March 2009?  Free, unlimited installation and compatibility support is now available for all worldwide customers using Windows Vista SP1, until March 18, 2009. Telephone support is available worldwide.

Find out more and access the service here. 

 

This support for SP1 is valid until March 18, 2009. Availability of chat or e-mail support differs depending on your geographic location. For customers residing in North America or Canada, chat and e-mail support is available.

Some issues may require more advanced support for which there is a charge.

           

Simple and fun.

Gather round kids and let me tell you a tale.

It was 1979.  The Susan B. Anthony Dollar was on the way to taking the US by storm.  VisiCalc is introduced and the first Usenet is created.  Heady times indeed.

Back in yonder days, there was no MMORPGs; people would get together to play “card games”  These games involved interacting with people, in-person and used real printed cards.  One game in-particular was called “Uno”.  Simple rules and lots of fun to play. I loved it.

Jump ahead 29 years.

Thanks to the folks at Oranga Programaro, Uno is back for the PPC! 

             

 

The game loaded quickly and easily and even though I hadn’t played it in, well, let’s just say “awhile”, I picked it up immediately.   If you can match colors or numbers, you’ll do fine with Uno.

I don’t load many games on my Tilt but this one is a keeper!

           

Trip down Nokia lane

Don’t get me wrong, I happen to be a big fan of Nokia smartphones, this article is not meant to bash Nokia smartphones in the slightest.

I took a short trip down Nokia lane a couple days ago in pondering purchasing an N95.  As some of you already know, I already have an AT&T Tilt (HTC TyTN II) which is a very powerful device that I’m very happy with.

However, something with the UNIX-ness of Symbian made me want to try it out again but, after closer inspection, I remember why, after literally countless hours of studying and deciding, I chose the Tilt.

The big reason was the QWERTY keyboard.  I hate button mashing and lacking a hardware keyboard, I turn to my Tilt.

I also noticed that the Nokia uses a lesser chipset as well.  Only 332Mhz (for the primary processor at least, I couldn’t find details about the secondary processor) as opposed to the Tilt’s 400Mhz dual core processor (one 400Mhz primary ARM11 processor and a secondary ARM9 processor running slower to process radio interactions and such).  Correct me if I’m wrong though.  More after the break.

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Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile with HSDPA

Do I need one?  No, not really but those device envy juices are always flowing.  I have looked at the Q1 since it first appeared and have come close but I just have not taken the plunge …but I just might do it.  I missed this announcement that was out on Monday but saw it today on Akihabara News and thought I would pass it along for those of you that have an interest in the Q1.  The US release of these two new UMPCs with HSDPA and Vista Business, the Q1U-CMXP and Q1UP-V should make a few folks that have been salivating for a cool UMPC very happy. 

The Q1UP-V is equipped with a Core Solo U1500 (1.33GHz), 2GB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 1.3Mpix camera. The Q1U-CMXP features almost the same specifications, but also integrates a HSDPA 3G cellular modem.

Read the press release after the break

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Compose, Play and become a Star!

There is always something of interest at GottaBeMobile that will make you Tablet Experience just a little better and often a little more fun.  Today was no exception because Rob Bushway posted a neat item that allows you to “get a little groovy with your touch-based Tablet using these free online virtual keyboards from bgfl.org and numbers.com“.  It was neat diversion as I was using my LS800 this morning drinking my coffee….

           

Microsoft’s Vista Performance and Tuning Guide

Microsoft has released a PDF Document showing users what to do to tune Vista for a better performance. The Guide that is available for download here can be categorized as a good start point and I hope that Microsoft keeps posting other guides like this one. 

Vista Performance and Tuning Guide. It is available as a download through the Microsoft site and will guide you through the most common changes you can make to Vista to get better performance, especially out of computers with borderline components such as mobile PCs. Give it a try and see how it works for your setup.

Via: jkOnTheRun

           

Transit Directions with Google Maps 2.2

Darius Wey over at Pocket PC Thoughts had this great tid-bit for those of you that are Mass Transit riders.  Now you can check bus and subway schedules on your Windows Mobile device, determine what transfers you need to make, and plan adventures in more than 50 cities around the world with Google Maps. 

Simply point your mobile browser to google.com/gmm to download.

           

HTC TyTN II/Kaiser coming to T-Mobile

From phonenews.com: “The FCC has revealed a version of the HTC Kaiser/TyTn II with 1700Mhz 3G access, making it one of the first smart devices to be compatible with T-Mobile’s emerging 3G network.

The device also includes a front facing camera for video calls, but it is unknown whether T-Mobile will support the functionality on its network according to UMTS spec or if it will offer a one way service similar to AT&T.

It is otherwise similar to the current Kaiser/Tilt with the addition of TouchFLO and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, internal GPS transceiver with both TomTom and QuickGPS software, and 3.2 megapixel camera.”

Guess we gotta deal with no more AT&T exclusivity now… Read the full article here.

           

High End Eees Coming Soon

On top of the 11 current flavors of Eee netbooks produced by Asus, yet more devices are due to be released in the next few months…including hardware (and prices) previously thought beyond the ken of the UMPC/Netbook market. According to Asus president Jerry Shen, Intel is anticipating the netbook market demand to exceed a billion units and he feels the Eee brand is well positioned to snag the lion’s share of those purchases.

Shen has stated that two completely new categories of Eees, Ultimate (or S series) and Pro Fashion, are planned for the second half of 2008. These high end lines will include dual-core Atom processors and larger storage (such as120GB HDD or 32GB SSD).

An Ultimate Eee PC with 32GB SSD (S series) will be introduced as early as late September, featuring a 10.1-inch 16:9 ratio LED backlit screen and (supposedly) battery life of 4-5 hours. The Ultimate Eee PC will be priced in the range of US$700-900 and be targeted to the “high-end market”.

A high end Eee? Asus continues to seem to miss the point about the niche market they themselves pioneered. Will consumers pay a price for a “luxury” netbook that could buy them a reasonably powerful mainstream notebook? Somehow I doubt it.

(Source – Digitimes)

           

Nokia Nixes BlackBerry Service

In a move apparently designed to bring more differentiation to the smartphone market, Nokia has stated they are dropping BlackBerry Connect support from their business-oriented E-series smartphones. In a statement to customers; the Europhone powerhouse said the following:

RIM are a competitor and have done a reasonable job in a space that is traditionally ours, so it’s no great surprise that we see this as an opportunity to give consumers a proper choice on what email solution they want.

“A space that is traditionally ours”…? Those are fighting words. Nokia’s new E-71 QUERTY smartphone lacks all trace of the ability to make use of RIMs email services, so that the only option is Nokia’s own email service which according to many users is not ready for prime time. Hopefully the feature will improve fast now that Nokia’s massive customer base will not have the option to use BlackBerry emailing instead on Nokia handsets.

Beyond being a somewhat logical business move to push their own brand in the massively lucrative mobile email business, in the long term this will further handicap Nokia smartphones in the US market. In the US BlackBerry has a very firm hold on the business and corporate email market, with WinMo in second. Symbian, the European smartphone OS of choice but already little seen in the US, will now have an even tougher row to hoe with a proprietary and substandard email client.

           

GottabeMobile got ink!

Yes, GottabeMobile, one of the most important sites about Tablet PC got ink support in its forum thanks to a collaboration with TodoUMPC, the European site about UMPC.

In this way GottabeMobile becomes the first forum in English with Ink support in the whole world!

           

Experience Mobility . . . All Over Again!

Our friend Jack Cook at Experience Mobility has revealed his site’s redesigned layout.  Apparently the old site had some vulnerability that was exploited, so a major overhaul of the site was in order.  Jack’s still got some work to do restoring some of his previously posted reviews, etc. but you can check out the new look right now and Experience Mobility . . . all over again!  You’re invited to Jack’s site-warming party here.

           

Dell DJ Redux?

Dell is looking to revamp its consumer electronics unit again by delving back into the PMP arena again with a new MP3 player and web portal

The company currently sells several MP3 players on its site, including Microsoft’s Zune, but chose not to ally with Microsoft when building its new device. According to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the news, Dell will offer a tighter, seamless experience between PC, music player, and music store. The player itself will be cheaper than Dell’s previous line of Dell DJ products, will offer WiFi on at least some models, and should come in under the $100 price point.

Also new this time around is Zing, a startup company Dell bought back in 2007. Zing will serve as a comprehensive portal for a variety of Dell entertainment devices and services that will eventually encompass both consumer PCs and consumer electronics.

MP3 players may be old business for Dell, but the company has never tried to launch its own media hub or an all-in-one media service. Historically, these types of business initiatives have not fared well; Gateway’s attempt to reinvent itself as a consumer electronics company failed miserably, and Microsoft hasn’t been able to put much of a dent in Apple’s market share, despite the company’s best efforts (though it is beating out other competitors like Creative).

 

Link: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080730-dell-designs-own-music-player-again.html

           

What about bricking? (or what exactly bricks a device)

So you’ve probably heard about being careful with flashing and such because it can brick your device.  And you obviously know that bricking a device renders it unusable.  But what exactly causes this brick?

Enter the world of embedded devices.  Needless to say, your Tilt (herein called an embedded device) lacks a hard drive, so it needs some sort of involatile memory (id est, memory that does not get erased after power to the memory is cut) to store the OS (firmware) and other persistent data.

Embedded devices now days typically turn to a type of flash memory known as NAND flash, which tends to be a lot smaller and more economically feasible than NOR flash, albeit less resilient.  More after the break.

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