Zune 30 freezing issue - [Update and Resolution]

Just posted at Zune.net.  Full details can be found here:

http://forums.zune.net/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=408989

It’s a bug in the clock that will take 24 hours to work itself out.   I’ll be trying the solution myself (waiting 24 hours) and will report back if I have any ongoing issues.  Good luck with the solution and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

[Update]  Looks like it will happen again in four years if our 30GB Zunes lasts that long.  J

           

That’s a Wrap!

Well, it was an interesting year in 2008 for mobile devices; Google brought us Android, iPhone continued to trounce the competition, RIM intro’d a couple of very nice devices and Palm…well, we’ll see.

Windows Mobile had a kind of crazy year.  There were a TON of new WinMo devices that came out this year with some VERY standout winners such as the Touch Diamond, HD and Pro, XPERIA X1.  Windows Mobile continues to sell well, mainly because the manufacturers and resellers have been able to create enough buzz about their version of the WinMo smartphone.  Microsoft this year has not really done anything to help in creating a buzz for their mobile OS, which is a real shame.  While some of the updated UI’s like Touch Flo, Mobile Shell and the XPERIA widgets help with the initial face of Windows Mobile they just don’t go deep enough to create a compelling UI.  Microsoft REALLY needs to come on strong in ‘09 with some kind of UI update.

One of my predictions for 2009…the reintroduction of the PDA. “What’s that?”, you say…

Everyone has dropped the PDA saying that smartphones are simply going to replace them.  While smartphones will certainly continue to be the most diverse segment I think you will see some companies jumping back into the market with PDAs.  Apple had the foresight to release the iPod Touch and it has done VERY nicely for them!  My guess is that others will follow suit.

I am certainly looking forward to 2009.  All of these OSes are maturing and bringing us the kind of user experience we have craved far too long.  Bring on the new gear!

Wishing everyone a safe and

Happy New Year!  See you in ‘09!!

           

Z-Day Hits Zune 30s

In a story that is all over the net already, it appears a strange malady is hitting many if not all first generation Zune 30s. At some point on Dec 31 (no word if there is a specific time that is most common or if the time is even relevant), they are resetting and then freezing up with the progress bar stuck at full, becoming immediate bricks. The Zune cannot be hard reset from the Zunepad as it is locked up so you are left with a Zune logo glowing on a doorstop. There is a process for cracking it open and manually resetting it by breaking and restoring the connection to the battery that is making it’s way through the Zune fanboy forums, but just reading it made me wince and want to cross my legs. Some people are also saying letting the battery drain completely may also solve the problem but no confirmation on that.

No idea how or why this is happening…but it is now pretty clear that it may be one of the most comprehensive and widespread tech snafus ever.

For now, all those people affected can do is wait for MS to come up with a fix once the New Years holiday is passed. Needless to say, this is another blackeye for MS in the MP3 market and a massive headache for Microsoft’s skeleton support staff stuck covering the holiday. Sorry guys.

On the bright side (beyond the fact that my Zune 80 is running fine), for the first time in forever Zune has the top 4 Google search spots, with Zune frozen, reset Zune, Zune locked up and Zune troubleshooting.

Sigh.

(Thanks to Andrew Girdwood for the Google info)

           

Is Your 30GB Zune not working? Neither is mine!

The official word from Microsoft is that we’re not alone.  According to www.zune.net/support :

Status:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

I hope this gets fixed soon.

           

How To Work with both TouchFlo 3D and the Standard Today Screen

I really love this one:

When I just started using the TouchFlo 3D I was certain it will be a matter of days before I switch it off and go back to my favorite SPB Mobile shell or the good old WinMo Today screen.

As time went by, I found many ways to improve TouchFlo 3D (speed and other tweaks - which I will summarize soon in a different post) and started to actually like it.

But still, I missed the ability to add more content to it, similar to the way Today plug-ins can be added to a Today screen. Call me old fashion, but I missed my standard Today!

So, I started looking for ways to combine both: WinMo Today screen and TouchFlo3D.

I found few ways, but eventually only one of them worked perfectly:

The solution is done by using a small utility called SecondToday.

(This is exciting! I love it!)

I installed it and now it’s easy to toggle between the TouchFlo 3D UI and the standard Today screen with just one click! Yippee!

(BTW, SecondToday is useful and available for all WinMo devices - for free)

I think it’s one of the best tweaks for the TouchFlo 3D - judge for yourself:

Download the SecondToday freeware.

Did I mention I really love this tip?

           

Apple Speaks to Goldman, Again

Gizmodo has started a bruhaha with the newest rumor about Steve Jobs’ health….and Apple has denied that health is a factor currently to CNBC’s Jim Goldman, the same person that Apple denied the last “Steve is VERY sick” rumor to.

In his TechCheck blog, Goldman relates the following….

I spoke to Apple after these headlines crossed and the company, which officially doesn’t comment on rumors, reiterated the reasons it offered two weeks ago: Apple was pulling out of Macworld because the company didn’t see the need to continue its investment in the expo, which included Steve Jobs’ keynote.

I was told this morning (Tuesday) that nothing has changed since then. The same reasons apply today that applied two weeks ago.

I was told two weeks ago by sources inside Apple that the decision had nothing to do with Jobs’ health. I got the same message today. Period.

That is all well and good, and I hope Apple’s statement to Goldman is totally on the up and up and Steve is off playing Wii Fit even as we speak. However, two questions keep cropping up in my mind…

First of all, why not send out a proper statement to deny the rumor since it has such a possibility of knocking Apple’s share price? Yes, I know Apple doesn’t like to respond to rumors, but when stock prices are at risk you would think they could make at least a slight exception. What’s with the stoic silence? Why make an unattributed statement to Goldman and apparently Goldman alone over such an important issue? Why not at least make the same unattributed statement to Mossberg and Pogue and a few other key journalists as well? Stephen Fry perhaps?

Secondly and more salient I feel, if they REALLY want to put this issue to bed, why not have STEVE JOBS make the statement? Goldman says that “sources inside Apple” spoke to him….why won’t Steve just pick up the phone and say “Yo Jim, I feel great”? Better yet, call a flash press conference at Cupertino, have Steve get on stage and say that rumors of his impending doom are once again exaggerated. Maybe do a little jig.  Have John Mayer do a duet with him. If I were an Apple shareholder right now, I would want them to squash this thing once and for all, by whatever means necessary.

…unless of course, the rumor is true.

           

SpeedScript offers a 70% discount for MobilitySite members!

From our good friends at SpeedScript, comes an amazing holiday discount!

SpeedScript 2.0 Holiday special:
70% discount offer for Mobilitysite Members

Happy Holidays!

We’d like to invite you to download the new SpeedScript 2.0 cab here. Until January 6th, 2009 you can buy the new major version with a 70% discount.
Use this Promotion Code on our website:  MobilitySite

Independent reviews on SpeedScript 2.0 can be downloaded here.

New in SpeedScript 2.0: 
• 32 languages supported
• Thumb keyboard layout for finger based text input 
• Landscape support 
• Smart- and qwerty layout in one
• SpeedScript can be set as default keyboard.

The folks at Speedscript wish you a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year!

           

USB Racing into 2009

It appears the long awaited advance in USB technology is finally just around the corner. A storage solution using USB 3.0 version 1 will be demoed at CES by Symware, who say they have created the first USB 3.0 or Superspeed USB external storage solution.

What is SuperSpeed USB 3.0? Well it is the next step in componant connectibility, with the last three years spent developing the standard. It features the following attributes:

• 10 times better bandwidth than existing USB 2.0 technology at 4.8 Gbits/s
• Faster then current eSATA interfaces
• Lower operating power demands then SATA or USB 2
• Backwards compatible

USB 3.0 ExpressCards or PCI Express slots will ensure the new standard can be used on existing machines so there is no need to panic. When they said 2009 was coming up FAST, it appears they weren’t kidding. USB 3 is one of the technologies I have been really looking forward to and it stands a good chance of revolutionizing PC connections in the coming year.

(Source: Slashgear)

           

Steve’s Health, Again

There have been almost as many Steve Jobs health scares over the last few months as there have been announcements of how many gazillion programs have moved thorough the App store. One (quickly disproved) even nearly caused a run on Apple’s stock. However, those of us who have been watching his appearances (and have knowledge of how these things look) have been growing more and more concerned.

Jobs’ decision to skip the MacWorld keynote caused much speculation which most of the best blogs downplayed as baseless, but now Gizmodo is running the following rumor, from a source they say is connected and impeccable….

Steves health is rapidly declining. Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring.

This strategic loss will be less of a bang with investors. This is why MacWorld is a no-go anymore. No more Steve means no more hype. Saying they are no longer needing [MacWorld] is the cover designed by the worldwide "loyalty" department.

That Gizmodo is reporting this causes me to pause and consider…and it certainly fits with the sparse facts as we know them….especially as Apple has misinformed about Jobs’ health in the past. Of course, it is no ones business and I wish him long life and the best of health, but it does make one stop and wonder what sort of effect the retirement of such an iconic figure from the tech scene will have.

           

Vaja shows an iPhone Nano Case…

I took some of the other iPhone Nano rumors with a grain of salt, including the one I posted last week. Today, I feel a little better about those rumors now that a well known, reputable case manufacturer, Vaja, has a listing on their site too.

The listing is no longer on Vaja’s site now.

Source: iPhone Alley via BGR

           

SIM manager for Smartphones

So you have a SIM manager program on your smartphone?  If not, here is a FREE one that will allow you to copy, backup and restore SIM and phone contacts on your Windows Mobile smartphone.

Download the SIM manager v1.4 free for Windows Mobile Smartphone

smartphone-freeware.com via  Pocket PC Freak

           

USB Wireless Keypad with Track Ball

Brando always amazes me with the slew of items they carry on their site.  Here is a cool item that Chris sent over to me to check out.  If you like those little “extras”, then this might strike your fancy.  It is a USB Wireless Keypad with a Track Ball.  It has 19 keys + 13 hotkeys.  For $37.00, it might be a neat addition to your desktop.

Features:

19 keys slim link off keyboard

Built-in trackball for optical mouse

Resolution: 1000

Powerful office function with 19 keys and 13 hotkeys

Operating distance: 10 meters

Operating frequency: 2.4GHz Radio frequency

Operating current: 35mA max. (Keybaord)

Operating current: 15mA max. (Receiver)

FN: Num lock change function

Support Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Dimension: 114 x 134 x 25mm (approx.)

Weight: 143g

Hot Keys:

Mouse Left Key, Mouse Right Key

Num Lock

Window Magnifier

www, Email, Media, Power Point, Word, Excel *The Word, Excel and Power Point only work with old office.

Play/Pause, Prev Track, Vol +, Stop, Next Track, Vol -

Check it out here at Brando

           

Wind U115 Hybrid Specs

TechRadar is reporting that the much discussed new MSi Wind featuring both SSD and HD storage, the U115, has now gone official as it’s CES debut approaches.

With a 10-inch 1024 x 600 resolution screen, the new netbook laptop will run the OS (XP baby) and applications from the SSD, using the HDD for storage. Therefore, both drives will be able to run in parallel. Another nice touch is an an Eco Mode button which shuts down the storage HDD to save power. This sort of control is becoming very fashionable as I saw a similar button on some leaked shots I saw of Sony’s upcoming P series Netbook, though I am not sure if it is connected to overclocking or drive usage. As more and more Netbooks flood the market, brand differentiation is becoming very important, and performance and battery life are two important areas for that.

According to TechRadar, here are the spec released by MSi thus far:

• Intel Atom Processor Z530 （1.60GHz）
• Intel Poulsbo US15W Chipset
• up to 2GB DDR2 533MHz RAM
• 10" Widescreen LCD (1024×600 resolution)
• 16GB SSD and 160GB HDD
• 2.0MP Webcam
• 4 in 1 Card Reader
• 802.11b/g/n Wireless, Bluetooth
• Windows XP Home

No word on pricing or availability yet. This looks like an impressive piece of kit, and if you are planning on buying a new Netbook soon, it may be worth waiting to see if MSi can overcome it’s serious execution problems during the initial Wind releases to get this new one out in a timely fashion. I am sure we will find out more the closer we get to CES.

           

MSNBC.com article "What flavor is your smartphone OS?"

Suzanne Choney has published a well-written article that will help all of us better understand the smartphone OS war currently being waged.

“When you buy a new computer, you may first think about its operating system — is it PC, Mac, Linux? Smartphones have those same operating systems and others. But the OS isn’t likely to be the No. 1 issue for many consumers even though it’s playing an increasingly important role.”

The full article can be found here.

           

Tired of carrying your phone?

LG has the solution by introducing their 3G HSDPA wrist phone, the LG-GD910 that supports both 3G and HSDPA technology.  Pretty cool huh?

Well it is just another “toy” but a darn cool one that got me interested.  It has a 1.43-inch color LCD touchscreen and it has a video camera integrated in the watch face for video recording. In addition, it has text-to-speech, Bluetooth, MP3 playback and voice dialing with speech recognition. I hope to see this at CES  and I will ask if it is just slated for the European market or will we see it in the USA.

Akihabara News via Electronista