Velocity Mobile 111 Gets FCC Approval

I’ve been pretty excited to see this new Windows Mobile OEM get into the game. Lately, I was beginning to get worried that they would just flop though. Earlier this year they announced a couple phones coming and we’ve still not seen them hit the streets. Now things are looking up though, we saw the 103 hit the FCC earlier this year and now the 111. Come on Velocity, bring something hard hitting to the arena. Thanks.

Read more at the FCC (via Engadget)

Microsoft in the Pink?

An interesting Microsoft rumor is being discussed by Jim Goldman on his TechCheck blog at CNBC.

He says that he has from a reliable source that Microsoft is going full steam ahead on the often rumored but never verified “ZunePhone” to try to compete directly with the iPhone. This source, unnamed of course, says that the new phone is codenamed Pink and will combine Zune functionality with the smartphone knowhow Microsoft took on board with the purchase of Danger. Basically Pink would be a Sidekick style device running Zune style software.

Says Goldman…

I’m hearing that a prototype of the new Pink could be unveiled as soon as the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but that it could be pushed back into a February release. Some reports suggest the phone could be released at the 3GSM conference and that a wide shipment release could be a year away. The idea, my source says, is to develop a product that offers true competition to Apple’s iPhone which continues to enjoy huge market momentum.

Of course this is followed by the normal Anti-Zune snarking, but there have certainly been indications that something is in the works as far as a ZunePhone. Ballmer’s recent comments that MS is planning on using the Zune software and user experience in “other mobile devices” for one, not to mention the fact that MS has yet to actually make use of the purchase of Danger, at least publically. Redmond spent an awful lot of money on that acquisition if they didn’t intend to make their own phone. Also, the various problems of the 3G iPhone has shown that even if Apple isn’t really vulnerable in the space, it has certainly been brought down a peg or two. On top of that, people are still waiting for an Android phone that lives up to the potential of the OS. Perhaps this is a window of opportunity for Microsoft.

I admit I really love the Zune software and think it could be used as the core of a classy, powerful “Superphone” like the iPhone and Android powered G-1, especially backed by the hip sort of hardware vibe the Sidekick devices always had. Also, The Social framework is already in place, rapidly maturing, and almost tailor made for a phone based community right out of the box combining the best features of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. Of course, I also have to wonder if Microsoft is willing to take on Apple in one of it’s core product lines again. While I love the Zune, it going up against the iPod has always been a point of fanboy and tech media derision. If a ZunePhone is coming soon, codenamed Pink or no, I hope Microsoft makes sure the product is ready for prime time before putting it on the market and that they design it to stand on it’s own, not to just get lost in the ever expanding sea of  wannabe “iPhone Killers”.

HTC Max 4G - My Dream device…

A new device was announced by HTC and it passed right under our noses… the HTC Max 4G, the first WiMax phone. Recently announced by HTC and it is expected to be released in late November… only … it will be in … Russia! under the Yota carrier.

This dream device sports 4G connectivity to a WiMax service that will provide blazingly fast data connection. It will also include the usual connections for all those aging GSM/GPRS/EDGE carriers out there… The screen is a beautiful WVGA 480 x 800 pixels, 3.8 inches diagonal that we all love from the HTC Touch HD, TouchFLO 3D, accelerometers for auto rotate, proximity for screen auto-turn off (which can heavily extend power management), 288Mb RAM, 256Mb ROM and a whopping 8Gb user available internal storage memory plus the corresponding extension slot for microSDHC.

[Read more]

Windows Mobile 6.1 SMTP fix

Have you experienced issues with the SMTP functionality of POP and/or IMAP accounts on your Windows Mobile 6.1 device.

This behavior is associated with a feature that is introduced in Windows Mobile 6.1. The feature allows for mobile operators to specify an alternate SMTP server name that is used if e-mail messages cannot be sent by using the user-specified SMTP server name. If the mobile operator does not specify an alternate SMTP server name and if the Windows Mobile 6.1-based device does not connect, the e-mail account is corrupted and cannot send e-mail messages.

Microsoft has made this fix which should correct the issue:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9d71b2e-d2dd-44f2-86e5-1e53aad7fb7a&displaylang=en&tm

Special thanks to Johan from the BostonPocketPC for this tip

Take the Survey - Win a Device!

It is that time of year again and the pot is sweetened with the potential of YOU winning a a great device!

Spb Software, world’s leading mobile software developer, invites all mobile users to participate in its fifth annual Spb Survey. The Spb Survey is a mobile software industry report that identifies the changing user profiles, mobile device preferences, and handset use cases. Spb Software will release a report on the results of its fifth annual Spb Survey in the beginning of December 2008.

Issued by a mobile software usability expert and a recognized brand on the consumer market, Spb Survey reaches out to mobile users directly, bypassing the prism of mobile operators and professional analytical houses. This year’s survey has a more compact structure, new questions, and is supported by eXpansys, the world’s leading retailer of smartphones and handheld devices with wireless connectivity. A few lucky, randomly picked Spb Survey participants will receive valuable ‘thank you’ gifts, such as a Windows Mobile device or software by Spb.

 

Spb Software invites all mobile users to spend a few moments and take the Spb Survey here:

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/support/survey.php

Review - Palm Treo Pro

If you’ve been reading my sites for a while, you’d know that ever since the Treo 700w hit Verizon a couple years ago, I have had a soft spot for the Palm Treo line. The Treo 700w was the 1st Treo to come out with Windows Mobile. That was huge in my book for Palm. Following on, The Treo 750 became my go to phone for about 6-9 months and I really loved the phone and email experience on the 750.

This year, Palm released the Treo 800w on Sprint. If history would repeat it’s self, you would have expected a GSM version of the 800w a few months later. I was expecting to see a Treo 850 on AT&T sometime late 2008. I am not sure if Palm will offer a Treo 800w in the GSM variety, but they have released the Palm Treo Pro, unlocked in the GSM Variety. That is what I have been using for the last couple weeks.

The Palm Treo Pro is a Windows Mobile phone that breaks out of the typical, yet popular, Treo mold that we’ve all become familiar with. The progression has gone from the early Treos with the big antenna to the sleek, antenna-less Treo 750, to the smaller (non Windows Mobile) Centro, to the Treo 800w, and finally a new chapter in the book in the Treo Pro.

The Treo Pro is a slim, more modern phone with a glossy black finish. The Treo Pro has been manufactured by one of the leaders in mobile phones, HTC too. The buttons have been moved around a bit from the Treo and the keyboard has been redone to be smaller.

[Read more]

Palm Treo Pro Photos

As I am getting close to completing my review of the Palm Treo Pro, I decided to throw up some photos that I would normally have already posted. Better late than never, right?

Read on for the rest…

[Read more]

The Keyboard Challenge

 

What good is a portable device if you have no effective means of inputting data?  Manufacturers have come up with creative ideas for interacting with our devices.  I’ve divided them up into three basic categories.  The first, pictured below left, is the candybar keyboard as illustrated by the Blackberry Curve.  Our next challenger is the two-handed keyboard shown on the Sprint PPC6700.  Finally, the iPhone uses a software keyboard. 

The challenge:  Which category provides the most effective means of interacting with your device?

Read on to find out…

[Read more]

Does my device have a WM6.1 upgrade available?

When someone asks me if a device they have has a Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade available, invariably I go to Jason Langridge’s WebLog by entering this link: Upgrades

Jason has been terrific about publishing what devices have received upgrades and he always adds the “tag” upgrade.  So if you want to know if a device has an upgrade available, by clicking on that link you get to see the list of all articles he has done to find all the 6.1 upgrades. 

Thanks Jason for making life a bit easier!

 

Full Page Wall Street Journal Ad - SanDisk 16GB MicroSDHC

Today’s Wall Street Journal contains a full page ad announcing the SanDisk 16GB MicroSDHC card.  The ad caught my attention because the top half shows only an actual size microSD card with the following caption in red ink: “innovating the impossible.”  The bottom half of the page contains the following:

“From the inventor of flash memory cards comes the first and only 16GB memory card for mobile phones.

“With room for up to 7 hours of video + 2,000 songs + 1,200 photos, the 16GB SanDisk card is compatible with millions of mobile phones worldwide and works seamlessly with microSD-enabled MP3 players, digital cameras, personal computers, new car and home entertainment systems, and other devices consumers already own.  Available at local electronics and mobile retailers, the 16GB card is revolutionizing the way consumers are.able to use their phones.

“‘Handsets have become far more than just phones-they’ve become mobile jukeboxes,
mobile offices, ,even mobile movie theaters. Flash memory cards have increased in
storage capacity, but even an 8GBcard may be too small for anyone with GPS map data,
a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications. There is an
acute need for more mobile storage capacity. 16GB gives consumers the ability to carry
their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones.’
–Avi Greengart, Research Director for Mobile Devices at Current Analysis.

“It’s another industry-changing innovation from the company that pioneered the digital film market and sells more flash memory cards than anyone else in the world.”

What I find personally intriguing is the coincident comment from Woz that, “The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one. Things like, that if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while. It’s kind of like everyone has got one or two or three. You get to a point when they are on display everywhere, they get real cheap and they are not selling as much.”

If Microsoft delivers on their recent hint to put the Zune player software on Windows Mobile and you can then add 16GB of memory to your Windows Mobile phone, does the iPod fade away?

What do you think?

I am Carrying the Palm Treo Pro Now

I got the Palm Treo Pro last Thursday. I haven’t had any time to take photos or videos, but those will be available on Mobilitysite in the next couple days.

So far I am impressed. Windows 6.1 runs amazingly fast on the hardware, the form factor is Super Slim. Photos can’t do the phone any real justice. This thing is ultra thin compared to the AT&T Tilt or Treo 750.

What I miss so far is the Palm love that has become synomous with Treo Phones. The ease of one hand calling has been somewhat limited without their software key shortcuts on the today screen.

Another small, early complaint is the black glossy finish on the back. The Palm Treo Pro is a fingerprint magnet. That’s not my main concern though. I am more worried about the Treo Pro slipping out of my hand. It lacks the rubbery feel that the Treo 750 had.

Like I said, I will have photos and video up tonight or tommorow.  I did take a snapshot to test the camera. Read on to check out that photo.

[Read more]

HP Silver Smartphone. Does HP Ever Launch on Time?

Way back to the HP iPAQ 6500 series Pocket PC Phone, there has been a history of slow, super slow, launches. Mobilitysite in part evolved from iPaqHQ and one of the reasons we moved forward, away from iPAQ was their apparent lack of commitment to Pocket PC and Smartphones. They even said they were getting out of the game, but never did. Their launches have been way off target though. The iPAQ 6900 series was about 6 months late to the game when it hit AT&T. It would have been a hit had it made it into users hands around the time the review units were handed out. This was all about the time that HTC started hitting home runs every time that came up.

Last night, an “in the Wild” post over at Engadget shows an HP Branded Smartphone called “Silver”.

Head over to Engadget for a couple more snapshots of this HP iPAQ Smartphone. I hope it’s not a cheap feeling as the 510 was.

iPhone Silliness Watch

I came across another iPhone howler today, this one at Epicenter at Wired.com.

Kevin Maney wrote the following in a piece entitled Android Today, Total Upheaval in Cell Phones Tomorrow.

Actually, Android and Apple’s iPhone are early signs of a revolution.

Until now, most people have chosen their cell phones based mostly on hardware — what the phone looks like, its size, its functionality. All that is changing. People will buy phones based not on what they are, but on what they can do on the network.

As the iPhone App Store so glaringly proves, the more phones open up to developers, the more that allows users to do anything they want with their phones — much as we now do with our laptop computers.

Wow, so iPhone (launched in June of 2007) and now Android finally allow us to focus on usability, install any third party software we like onto our phones and make the phone into a proper network device…

…but haven’t we been able to do all of that on our Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian phones for, oh gosh, like half a decade or so?

So who are the real revolutionaries?

BTW, what exactly does “People will buy phones based not on what they are, but on what they can do on the network.” mean, and how is that different from functionality?

Smartphone or Superphone?

John Sangiovanni wrote an excellent guest column at GigaOm recently in which he looked at the high end phone market as it exists today and sees a new device category developing…Superphones.

He numbered in this new Superphone category such devices as the iPhone, Samsung Instinct and LG Dare and sees them as devices with “vastly better performance, desktop-grade web browsing, and high-resolution displays”.

I definitely agree with his main point, and feel that a serious paradigm shift is taking place in the smartphone market as devices like the iPhone are transcending even the broad feature sets found in smartphones. Just as the first smartphones such as the Treo and the original BlackBerry melded the cell phone and the PDA (killing the PDA category in the process), so I feel the iPhone and it’s cousins are merging smartphones and MIDs (soon to follow the PDA into Betamaxland). They are more or less the mobile Internet devices that we have seen alot of vapor about, without many actual releases. The slow roll out of WiMax in the US, the duck soup of 3G standards in Europe and Asia and the resulting dependency on WiFi for mobile internet by many devices has effectively shut the window of opportunity on the MID as a mass market device in my opinion. As an ultra mobile notebook replacement MIDs have been overwhelmed by the Netbooks, and as a Mobile Internet device by the so called Superphones .

[Read more]

RELEASE: Spb Online

Spb Software, the world’s leading maker of Windows Mobile software releases Spb Online to end-users. Spb Online is a set of attractive online services that share a practical user interface and make superior quality mobile entertainment available on handsets at a single fixed-price fee (no subscription). The services offered include Mobile TV, Online Radio, News, Weather, Online Games, and On-device Catalog — all subject to automatic updates and powered by Spb’s exclusive interface engine and patent-pending TV technology.

Spb Online is robust and easy to use even for novice smartphone users. All of Spb Online services support adaptive skins, smart scrolling, 3D transition effects, and one hand navigation.

[Read more]