SoftMaker Office for Pocket PCs
Posted by Jack Cook on 11/30/08 in Pocket PC Phones, Software
SoftMaker Office is an absolute favorite of mine so I wanted to give you a quick reminder that SoftMaker’s Black Friday/Saturday/Sunday sale ends today. For the rest of this Sunday, you can still purchase all SoftMaker products with a 20% discount.
Find out more: http://www.softmaker.com
Review: Samsung Epix
Posted by Jack Cook on 11/20/08 in At&t, Mobilitysite Reviews, Samsung
Author: Jack Cook
Vendor: AT&T
Cost: $199.99 (after a mail in rebate)
Back in October I posted a news item about the new Samsung Epix where I said that if you are lusting for a new device and you are an AT&T user then check out the new slim touchscreen Samsung Epix with a full QWERTY keyboard! I liked the looks of the device and was initially impressed with the feature set that included Windows Mobile Professional 6.1, global coverage for those that travel, decent memory stereo Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi. I liked the look of the device and felt that for those that wanted a reasonably powerful device that could be used easily with one hand, this was one to consider.
My thoughts about the device were further bolstered by commentary from others after they had tried it. Chris Leckness indicated in his use of the AT&T Epix that he was about to go 4 days without a charge. That was impressive although he did indicate that his use was moderate. I liked that especially since I generally carry two devices with me so one generally gets used far less that the other so having the ability to have a device last several days without having to charge it was very enticing to me.
Chris Leckness did a 1st Look Video that gave an excellent overview and I walked away with the very strong feeling that I wanted to give this device a try. The biggest reasons were the 1800mah battery , the keyboard and WiFi. Although WiFi is probably not a big factor for many folks here in the US because our data coverage plans are so good, I am in an area half the year that I have little (or no) coverage and so I tend to use WiFi to check my mail and a few feeds. So I got a call the other day and was asked if I would like to take a look and give the Epix a test drive … of course I said yes.
O2 XDA Zest Reviewed
Posted by Jack Cook on 11/20/08 in Pocket PC Phones
Here is a review you may well want to read if you are in the market for a new device.
It’s nearly 7 years now since O2 launched their pioneering XDA range and introduced the British public to the delights of Windows Mobile. Since the original XDA O2 have presented us with a plethora of HTC devices that have kept us captivated. The XDA Zest is the latest device to wear the XDA insignia but it hides a secret. This XDA is not HTC, it’s ASUS. The famed motherboard manufacturer from the Far East has jumped on to the Windows Mobile band wagon and has made its intentions clear. Is ASUS’ Zest a worthy addition to the XDA range?
Head over to 4WinMobile.com to read the O2 XDA Zest review
O2 Xda Serra
Posted by Jack Cook on 11/8/08 in Pocket PC Phones
The folks at 4WinMobile.com got their hands on the new O2 Xda Serra. A candy-bar design (but with a slide-out hardware keyboard), the Serra has some pretty neat features including a 3.2MPixel camera, 528MHz processor, VGA (640 x 480 display), Quad band, large ROM / RAM, A-GPS, 3G phone / video phone, Touch FLO 3D interface, etc.
Click the link above and check it out ….
HTC Touch HD available at eXpansys UK
So most of us are salivating for this device and those of you that absolutely have to get it then head over to eXpansys UK and place your order. If you do then you will enjoy music videos, films and streaming like you never thought possible on a mobile device with a pixel-packed 3.8” WVGA screen and seamlessly tied together with touch-responsive TouchFLO 3D.
Sounds tempting….
Technical Specifications of Touch HD after the break
A little HTC Touch HD goodness for you
Some folks are really drooling over the HTC Touch HD so here is a very short video to whet your whistle for the weekend!
Palm Treo Pro Review
Dieter Bohn from WMExperts has put together one terrific review of the NEW Palm Treo Pro that is well worth reading if you have a desire for a great Windows Mobile 6.1 device.
In part, Deiter said:
The Treo Pro is easily Palm’s best Treo yet. It finally hits all of the feature checkmarks that users have been clamoring for and does it in a way that’s well-integrated with the hardware. Where other smartphones have a tendency to just throw hardware onto a device and leave out making it easy to use, the Treo Pro rarely feels awkward.
Just as importantly, the Treo Pro is the first Treo in a long time to sport a thin and sexy form factor compared to other devices on the market. From the packaging to the look to build quality to feature set to battery life, the Treo Pro is a real winner and doesn’t feel like it’s a year behind the smartphone curve.
Take the time to click the link and read what Dieter had to say especially if you are looking for a device that has great build quality, ease of use for one handed operation, some very cool hardware design touches and most importantly some great device specs.
Review: Palm Treo Pro
I read this review this morning on WMExperts as I was traveling from Maine to Vermont on a quick trip and wanted to pass it on because it was a great review. As many of you know, the Treo Pro is the latest addition from Palm featuring Windows Mobile. We can expect it in the US later this Fall in an unlocked, non-carrier-subsidized form for $549. Clearly a business user device, it has some great features that you just might like and I believe that those of you that love Palm’s form factor will love it no matter what you use a device for.
So what do the folks at WMExperts think about this new entry from Palm?
The Treo Pro is easily Palm’s best Treo yet. It finally hits all of the feature checkmarks that users have been clamoring for and does it in a way that’s well-integrated with the hardware. Where other smartphones have a tendency to just throw hardware onto a device and leave out making it easy to use, the Treo Pro rarely feels awkward.
Just as importantly, the Treo Pro is the first Treo in a long time to sport a thin and sexy form factor compared to other devices on the market. From the packaging to the look to build quality to feature set to battery life, the Treo Pro is a real winner and doesn’t feel like it’s a year behind the smartphone curve.
It is a well done review that you will enjoy reading. You can check it out here at WMExperts.
Sprint Drops Price on 2 Smartphones
Posted by Jack Cook on 07/21/08 in Pocket PC Phones, Smart Phones
If you were hesitant to get the HTC Touch or the Samsung Ace when they rolled out last Fall because the price was just a little high for your finances then you made good decision because now Sprint has dropped the price to $100 after rebate with a 2-year contract. Chris let all of us know about this a little over a week ago but I thought it was one of those items worth mentioning again … especially since my son just asked me what phone should he get. Either one of these two devices is a neat device and at $100, they are terrific!
If you remember, the Touch initially cost $250 after rebate with a 2-year service agreement so waiting a bit has saved you a few bucks. The Samsung Ace, a Windows Mobile smartphone, originally sold for $200 after rebate with a 2-year contract and is now $100 too. The Ace is not a touchscreen device but it does have a QWERTY keyboard and a 2.3-inch QVGA display.
While $100 is a pretty good deal for either handset, Sprint’s latest release with Samsung, the Instinct, is only $30 more if that device strikes your fancy.
One week with the HTC Touch Diamond
Posted by Jack Cook on 06/15/08 in HTC, Pocket PC Phones
HTC sent Matt Miller an HTC Touch Diamond last week and he posted some unboxing and first thoughts on it later that day that we posted here. So now he has had it a week and put his thoughts together about the device. It is well worth the read as describes performance, battery life, camera functionality, and more.
What were his final thoughts? This is part of his conclusion:
The HTC Touch Diamond is not perfect and there are a few issues that need to be updated soon to provide for a solid experience, yet I think these can be addressed with a firmware update. I will be buying one of these as soon as the U.S. model that works with AT&T or T-Mobile’s 3G network is released.
Check out Matt’s thoughts here at The Mobile Gadgeteer
HTC Touch Dual is available but only online
Posted by Jack Cook on 05/26/08 in HTC, Pocket PC Phones
So if you have had that hankering for the Touch Dual, it is available on the Best Buy website ONLY. Too bad it is not in the stores, my guess is that there would have been a number of folks that would have liked to see it, hold it and possibly try it before they bought it.
In any event, if you want an unlocked black HTC Touch Dual Cell Phone that will give you a pretty good Pocket PC phone experience, click the link and head over to Best Buy
Touch Dual available at Best Buy … almost
Posted by Jack Cook on 05/24/08 in HTC, Pocket PC Phones
Supposedly the HTC Touch Dual will be available at Best Buy this weekend but it has not appeared as available as of Saturday morning … I guess we will just have to wait a bit longer. In any event, this is a pretty cool device that comes with Windows Mobile 6.1 right out of the box. The TouchFLO touch screen will make navigation easy as you read your email and browse the “net” and the slide out 16 key number pad should make that little extra difference in ease of use with one hand.
There is no question that it has been a long time coming to the US but if you have had a hankering for this baby at least you know that it will operate on our networks …. you can check it out here at Best Buy
Long Drive - Short Distance
I’m on a quick trip and I had a long drive yesterday with only a short distance traveled because of rain, a couple of car accidents and incredible traffic in Connecticut and New Jersey. I can’t imagine anyone traveling like this on a daily basis but I am sure it was just a fluke of weather and Friday traffic. The end result was that had to stop much before my anticipated destination to get something to eat before it was too late.
So the question was where do I go? I dislike the off road fast food restaurants and much prefer a nice sit down restaurant featuring the cuisine of my choice. How do you find the right place and once you find it, how do you get there? Windows Mobile Live Search of course!
So out came my Bluetooth GPS and I fired up Windows Mobile Live Search only to see that a new version has been released. Windows Mobile Live Search 3.0 was a fast download, a quick install and I was seeing a few new features like:
Map a contact: For any people in your address book, immediately view their address on a map and get directions there.
View Virtual Earth collections: View custom maps of locations and events that are created on the PC by you, your friends, or the broader community.
Web search: Launch web search directly from the client to find webpages, product price comparisons and reviews, news, images, and more.
Very cool! I will check out all the new features later but I did a quick search for Italian restaurants in the area close to where I was and found a slew of them all within reasonable distances from where I was. Windows Mobile Live Search gave me the directions and in a few short minutes I was sitting in a neat little place having a glass of wine and ordering my meal. Of course while I was waiting I was able to find a Hampton Inn within a mile of where I was so I was able to book a room and finally just rest after a grueling drive … hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day and we will arrive at our destination early.
And our dinner was terrific too!!
So check out the latest release of Windows Mobile Live Search 3.0 and enjoy all the benefits of this great program. You can get it here at http://wls.live.com
O2 Xda diamond - A Quick Look
Arne Hess from the::unwired got a hold of a pre-production unit and has some pictures and brief thoughts that you might like. In part, Arne said:
Like HTC’s version, also O2’s smartphone features a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera without flash on the back and in the upper right corner on the front a VGA video telephony camera which can be used for self-portraits as well. Unfortunately there’s no hardware shutter button for the camera anymore which means you either have to start the camera from the Start menu or from HTC’s TouchFLO 3D Today screen UI.
Gigabyte GSmart MW700 unboxed
Posted by Jack Cook on 05/1/08 in Pocket PC Phones
Matt from Tracy and Matt’s Blog got his hands on the GSmart and did an unboxing. It is a nice looking device and has sparked an interest in me …. what do you think? Well before you reply, check out Matt’s unboxing video by clicking on the link above or on the picture below.
Gigabyte GSmart MW700 Specification:
Windows Mobile 6 professional 520 MHz Intel x-scale CPU 256MB ROM / 64MB RAM 2.8″ QVGA display GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900 CSD, GPRS, EDGE microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash, SDIO 802.11b, 802.11g SiRF Star III GPS Bluetooth 2.0 CMOS sensor, 2.0MP camera 59 x 116 x 14.95 millimetres Battery - 1300 mAh 130 grams (battery included)
