Krusell’s Top Phones for June

Mobile device case company Krusell has released it’s list of the top selling cases for the month of June. This is usually a pretty good indicator of how well phones are really selling in the field.

Last month, Nokia utterly dominated, taking the first three spots. Not so this month. They still take five out of ten overall, but in the top three they are joined by Apple’s iPhone (likely due to the 3GS excitement) and HTC’s Touch Diamond 2. HTC made a strong showing in general in June with four phones on the list, and Samsung barely missed the list with their Omnia.

However, for the me the biggest surprise is that the number one phone in terms of new case sales for June is the humble Nokia 6300, a feature phone that is more then two years old! Perhaps the phone buying public are not as fickle and dominated by the new hotness as everyone always says.

Here is the full list…

1.(3) Nokia 6300  
2.(-) Apple iphone 3G  
3.(-) HTC Touch Diamond 2  
4.(2) Nokia 3109  
5.(-) Nokia E51  
6.(1) Nokia 5800  
7.(5) Nokia E71  
8.(6) HTC Touch HD  
9.(-) HTC Magic  
10.(-)HTC Touch Pro2  
11.(4) Samsung SGH-i900/i910 Omnia  
() = Last month’s position. 

See the whole press release HERE.

           

T-Mobile Touch Pro2 Delayed So Android Can Look Good

According to pocketnow.com, the T-mobile version of HTC’s Touch Pro2 has been delayed.  Why?  Because T-Mobile is afraid the Touch Pro2 will overshadow the MyTouch3G phone. 

The phone has been pushed back from a late July release to August 12.  The MyTouch3G is set to be released on August 5.  That gives the MyTouch3G about a week to get some sales before the Touch Pro2 comes and steals the spotlight.

 

via pocketnow.com

           

How To Carry Extra Memory/SIM Cards When You Use a Holster

I recently switched from an HP 111 to a Tilt.  I prefer holsters and I purchased one for the Tilt.  One problem though, the holster doesn’t have card holder like a leather case does.  With the holster I no longer have a place to carry my On Course Navigator microSD card and an additional SIM card that I have. I searched around for a solution and I finally found the Proporta Aluminum Memory/SIM Holder.

It is the size of a credit card, and has the thickness of 4 credit cards.  It holds 3 SD cards or SIM cards. It is quite sturdy and fits perfectly in one of the pockets in my wallet.  I use an inexpensive tri-fold wallet that I purchased at Walmart.

The length of a SIM card is the same as the width of an SD card, so a SIM card sits in one of the holder’s slots sideways.  To hold a microSD card I use an SD adapter.  I can now easily carry On Course Navigator, my SIM, and an extra SD card for my camera safely in my wallet.

The cards are easy to insert, easy to remove and are securely held in place.  Proporta is a company in the UK that sells accessories for gadgets.  I ended up purchasing it through Amazon for $8.32 with free shipping.

http://www.proporta.com/

           

TuneWiki for BlackBerry

I’ve had enough of iPhone this and iPhone that.  Let’s talk cool apps for your BlackBerry, shall we?  Gear Diary reported that TuneWiki is available for the BlackBerry.  What is TuneWiki?  It’s a website that plays music of your choice and displays lyrics.  It’s a community forum.  It displays maps that show what other users are listening to.  It may still be a beta, but it’s pretty darn cool!  Now they have an app available in the BlackBerry App Store (yes, we have one too).  It’s a free download, but you can upgrade to the Pro version for $4.99.  Supposedly the free version is ad-supported, but I didn’t see any.  So let’s give it a quick walk through…

[Read more]

           

Celebrate Independence Day with Handmark Fireworks!

What better way to be festive for the American Independence Day, than with a newly updated application!  Links to the FREE download can be found at the bottom on the article.

Handmark Fireworks is a simple FREE application, showing sequences of fireworks flying and exploding into the air. Perfect for Independence Day, as 4th of July is traditionally a time for fireworks and celebrations in the USA, or for any other celebration when fireworks are used!

Handmark Fireworks features a selection of patriotic backgrounds including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Stars and Stripes, and offers a choice of stirring tunes including the Star Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes Forever!

Handmark Fireworks is available for Windows Mobile® and BlackBerry® smartphones and for iPhone and iPod touch. The BlackBerry version doesn’t include music, so sorry BlackBerry-owners - this time round you’ll have to hum your own marches! What better way to celebrate 4th of July than with some Fireworks? Download your copy today - it’s available for a limited time only! Oh, and did I mention, it’s FREE?!

Windows Mobile (touchscreen): http://www.astraware.com/ppc/fireworks

Windows Mobile (non-touchscreen): http://www.astraware.com/wmsp/fireworks

BlackBerry: http://www.astraware.com/blackberry/fireworks

           

A portable scanner in my pocket! (or faxing from a mobile device)

I’ve been exploring creative ways to use the camera on my Windows Mobile device to boost my productivity.  Qipit provides a way to copy and email or fax documents to anyone at any time from any web enabled mobile device. 

Qipit works from any mobile device that has a web browser and is not limited to windows mobile handhelds, iphones or any other mobile device.  Qipit is almost like having a scanner in my pocket.

[Read more]

           

Agendus for Blackberry v. Pocket Informant for Blackberry

PI icon top right, Agendus icon middle right

I recently received a Blackberry 8350i for work, and like Windows Mobile, the built in Contact Manager is inadequate.  There are separate modules for each function.  If you want to make an appointment you must open the calendar.  To view contacts you must open contacts.  These two suites I am reviewing combine all the functions into one program.  Open a contact and you can make an appointment, send an email, assign a task and so on.  So I am putting both Pocket Informant  for Blackberry v1.6 and Agendus for Blackberry v1.21 through a rigorous testing process.  Both have features that enhance contact management, though they go about it in very different ways.  And both versions are relatively new and will likely see enhancements and improvements in the months to come.

Agendus uses the built in databases to perform its duties.  Pocket Informant (PI) feels that the built in databases are too limiting, thus they have their own databases.  There are many other differences as well.  I will attempt to illustrate them in this head to head comparison.

[Read more]

           

Palm Pre fans line up to buy the new smartphone

Saturday was the day for fans of the Palm Pre – Palm’s hot up-and-coming SmartPhone.  One of the guys I work with has been really anticipating getting his – his computer has has screen-saver pictures of the device for weeks!

The reviews of the device seem to be mixed.  The new “Web O/S” is said to be pretty impressive.  The device itself is supposed to be pretty nice as well though maybe a little lightweight for business users.  Time will tell.

The launch yesterday morning was seen as not being quite as hyped up as the launch of the Apple iPhone but from what I’ve read there was a shortage of devices at the outset.

Anyway … it’s here.  I’m looking forward to seeing the one my coworker brings to the office tomorrow. He was probably camping on Friday night!

Read more about it here or click the Computerworld logo below.

-CB

           

What is Doodle?

That is what I said when I first heard of it.  Of course I was thinking of what I used to do during those long boring lectures I had to attend in school but in fact  it is something much more useful and certainly productive.  Doodle is a means of helping you find dates and times for group events (like an appointment, a conference call, a family get-together) and it is incredibly easy to use!  And BTW, Doodle is a free service!

What else can you do with Doodle?  Click READ MORE to find out!

[Read more]

           

A Mobile Version of Bing

BaDa (Mobile) Bing!

Recently Microsoft introduced their  NEW search called Bing and my guess is that many, if not all of you, have tried it.  So far, I’ve been really pleased with the results and in fact it has been the ONLY Search Engine that I have been using since its introduction.  That is not because I think it is the best but rather because I really want to give it a good workout.  So to my surprise (again), there was yet another “quiet” release from Microsoft and that was the mobile version of Bing.

Have you tried it?  If not, you may want to run it through its paces as well.  I think you will like it.  So check it out and point your mobile browser to http://m.bing.com.

           

Vito Technology Contest and Discounts

Vito Technology is getting ready for the summer and announcing its Summer Actions -

a lot of cool initiatives to enjoy the hottest season of the year!

First of all the Vito Technology contest ‘Give a new face to Winterface’ opens today. 

A lot of Winterface fans have expressed the desire to create new skins for Winterface and now the opportunity is there for them to grab. So get creative and send Vito Technoogy your new Winterface skins.

- Vito Technology will collect them and show them on the http://blog.vitotechnology.com selecting “staff favorite” each week.

- Vito Technology will select the best skins, adapt them and let our users download freely additional skins for the new Winterface version coming out in summer

- with previous creators’ agreement Vito Technology will name the new skins with the title given by its creator (feel free to use your personal name or use your creativity for it)

- Great prizes are available for the best skins: a mobile device for the winner and bonus cards ($) for second and to fifth place. 

Few tips on how to take part in it:

• format of skins should be png or psd, each element in the separate layer (further details on how to make it and an example psd file find on our blog)
• send your skins via email to Olya at vitotechnology dot com
• follow updates and see your skins published on Vito Technology http://blog.vitotechnology.com/?p=78
• send skins in the following 3 weeks 
• winners will be announced one week after

Please note that Vito Technology designers will have to work on the files sent by the participants or make sure they fit with the new Winterface technical requirements. Some changes might apply.

Vito Technology also understands that during summer a lot of people feel like changing style. No better opportunity than this one to enjoy the super discount on Communication Suite now at only $24.95 (you save another $15). Communication Suite changes the style of your Windows Mobile Phone giving it a complete remake and functionality. It includes 5 programs: Winterface, Fun Contact, SMS Chat, ZoomBoard, Weather and you pay for each of them even less than $5.

           

Supercharge Your Outlook with Agendus for Outlook v5.41

I’ve had a Windows Mobile device since 2000.  But recently my work gave me a Blackberry 8350i to replace my aging Nextel phone.  I had the opportunity to reduce my load from two devices to one.  I had to make a lot of changes in order to accomplish my goals of continuing to carry my important business information and integrating the Blackberry into my business routine.  One big switch I made was moving from Act! Contact Manager to Outlook.  I suppose I could’ve kept Act! if I used the excellent CompanionLink software to sync my device, but I want a more direct solution.

Outlook excels at email, but is not a great contact manager.  Act! is a great contact manager but does not excel at email.  Hmmmm.  If I downloaded the Business Contact Manager for Outlook add-on, I’d have to use CompanionLink, so I felt stuck.  That is, until I demo’d Agendus for Outlook.

[Read more]

           

Ultrasound Imaging on a Smartphone

Yesterday I had my annual physical with all the basic tests.  I had to get some additional testing done which had me going to the lab that all sorts of medical equipment.  But those days may well be over after I caught this item at The Red Ferret Journal.  Imagine, your doctor performing a test and at the same time chatting with someone on the same device he is testing you with……….

Computer engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are bringing the minimalist approach to medical care and computing by coupling USB-based ultrasound probe technology with a smartphone, enabling a compact, mobile computational platform and a medical imaging device that fits in the palm of a hand.

You can read the article Ultrasound Imaging Now Possible With Smartphone here.

           

Illinois programmer sues Google over “Android”

 
The owner of an obscure Illinois software development company is suing Google and everyone else in the Open Handset Alliance over their use of the word “Android.”

The suit has made public the fact that Google’s own attempts to trademark the word have been rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), largely because the software developer, Eric Specht, had been granted a PTO trademark for his company’s name, Android Data.

The Future Branch Office: Download now

Specht filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, seeking an injunction on Android-branded products, which would include T-Mobile’s G1 smartphone, and $94 million in damages for trademark infringement. Besides Google, the Alliance includes a set of blue chip technology firms such as Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, China Mobile, Samsung and Vodafone.

Click Here (Or on the NetworkWorld Logo) to read the rest of the article…

-CB :D

           

Samsung I7500 uses Android

Manufactures are always cautious when new OS are released and that explains why we did not see right after the Android OS release a bunch of other devices in the market. But that does not mean the Android is a failure. Anyone following the Android Community and the developing of Android OS knows the huge activity around Android. The Cupcake version was released for developers this week. This version includes natively Video recording, something that iPhone still dreaming with. This shows the power of an Open Source OS in the hands of the right people. Today we have pictures and videos of a new Samsung Phone that will be released soon using Android.   

The Smartphone also looks decidedly thin, and the design of the hardware buttons at the base is very slick.  If you’ve been waiting for the first “mainstream” Android device - thinking HTC’s offerings to-date have been a little too “business” in their design - then the Samsung I7500 could be the device for you.

The fact that a company without any experience in the Phone industry and using a network which is a lot smaller than AT&T has sold more than 1 million Android phones seems to me is a very good sign of how healthy this new OS is. Will it win the race against the iPhone? It’s early to say but one thing is for sure, it’s even now when it still young a very good adversary for the iPhone and it has done what Microsoft have not done with a single phone in many years.

Samsung I7500 caught on video | Android Community