"Microsoft Tag creates unlimited possibilities for making interactive communications an instant, entertaining part of life. They transform physical media (print advertising, billboards, product packages, information signs, in-store merchandising, or even video images) - into live links for accessing information and entertainment online. "

Well, I have no clue how viable this technology will be - it depends on the adoption rate. I am impressed though with the application. It is small and lightning fast even on an older HTC Wizard. Download the app directly to your device at http://gettag.mobi on your device. It installs just fine to a storage card. Then see where the tag shown above takes you. Don't try to press the button on your camera. Tag will automagically process the tag once it is recognized in the view screen.

"One of the things I like best about owning a Windows Mobile phone (a Samsung BlackJack II running Windows Mobile 6.1) is the diverse ecosystem of developers writing apps for my device. Whenever you have a strong developer community, you find a range of alternatives to match the way you like to work and play. When it comes to Web browsers for Windows Mobile, there are a number of options other than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Mobile. Let’s look at a few of the browsers out there today, and one that’s in development."

Hulu video on Skyfire browser

Jim Causey gives a pretty good overview of alternatives to the rather anemic Pocket Internet Explorer currently on devices. Needless to say, I am anxiously awaiting the IE 6 on 6 browser we keep hearing about, but until then. if Pocket IE isn't meeting your needs, one of these alternatives may.

After a few minutes of beatboxing and a seemingly enthusiastic Gary Shapiro introducing Steve Ballmer on to the stage, Microsoft's keynote was under way. This was Ballmer's first keynote at CES since taking over from Bill Gates, who delivered it for the first time almost 15 years ago and has traditionally done so up until last year. The question on everyone's mind was whether this keynote would be as memorable as the last. In a time when the very word, "recession", strikes fear into both consumers and businesses, would Microsoft have enough up its sleeve to turn 2009 into a year of ambition, innovation, and prosperity?

Ballmer kicked things off with some light humour. He had apparently received a deluge of messages and words of advice leading up to CES.

• One from Bill Gates: "There are always two conventions going on during CES - make sure you go to the right one." Apple fans know the other.
• And another from Jerry Yang: "Steve, why do you keep ignoring my Facebook requests?" Ouch.

From there, Ballmer adopted a more serious tone and stressed that Microsoft had delivered many positive outcomes in the industry, helped lift many families to the middle class, and would continue to drive innovation and make a difference. He made clear that as the recession ripples across the globe, reduced expectations were a natural response and there would be a temptation to temper optimism and scale back ambition. Yet despite all that, he still believed that our digital lives would only get richer, and Microsoft would be there every step of the way. Just last year alone, the company channeled more than eight billion dollars into R&D.

But just how rich can our digital lives become?

The original vision was to have a PC on every desk and in every home. However, Ballmer recognized that today, only a billion or so have a PC. The aim now was to make computing more accessible and more affordable for the next billion or so people, which we are currently witnessing in the booming netbook market and OLPC initiative.

Another vision centered on convergence - an amalgamation of displays, the phone, and the PC to deliver a seamless ecosystem for this idea of "anytime, anywhere" computing. Over one billion mobile phones are sold each year. Ballmer noted that in emerging markets, it is the phone that is often people's first experience with computing, and that smartphones will soon be ubiquitous to the point that they will make up over 50% of the mobile phone market. In the world of TVs, while resolutions have improved, capabilities have largely remained the same. Ballmer anticipated that TVs will soon become more sophisticated and connected, and that the boundary between the PC and TV will eventually dissolve.

Ballmer then went on to discuss our interaction with computers and other devices. He believed that it would evolve in more natural ways. Natural user interfaces such as speech, gestures, and handwriting would become mainstream, although the keyboard and mouse would still have its uses. We're currently seeing examples of this in the upcoming Windows 7, Surface, and touch-enabled smartphones.

Microsoft's last area of opportunity - at least in the short-term - would be in connected experiences. Until recently, we've been largely disconnected when moving from one device to another. But these barriers are slowly crumbling, thanks to the cloud. Ballmer believes that nailing this would deliver a huge breakthrough in computing.

To help realize these visions and areas of opportunity, there is Windows, which Ballmer tagged as a linchpin and the centre of people's technological solar system. What was once simply a PC operating system for the masses would soon become a phone platform and cloud platform for the masses, but it would not be possible without the cooperation of hardware manufacturers. Ballmer recognized their efforts in delivering innovative hardware for Windows to run on.

]]> Darius Wey Digital Home Events http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/showthread.php?t=92047 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:45:00 GMT http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/news/show/92041/new-sd-spec-allows-for-2-tb-cards.html http://www.sdcard.org/home/

"The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, announced today at the 2009 International CES, dramatically improves consumers’ digital lifestyles by providing the portable storage and speed needed to store weeks of high-definition video, years of photo collections and months of music to mobile phones, cameras and camcorders, and other consumer electronic devices. The new SDXC specification provides up to 2 terabytes storage capacity and accelerates SD interface read/write speeds to 104 megabytes per second this year, with a road map to 300 megabytes per second."

Don't get too excited, remember this is just the specification we are dealing with here. I'm imagining it will be many years before we actually see 2 TB of storage in something the size of an SD card.

"Last month, some rumors floated around about a new and upcoming T-Mobile Dash (aka the HTC Excalibur) which turned out to be true. However, it's not a completely new T-Mobile Dash but just a color update to the 2006 released T-Mobile Dash. Still not 3G capable, this sleek Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone keeps you connected with all your E-Mail easily. View and share photos, videos, and attachments or browse the Web. Still available exclusively from T-Mobile, the black T-Mobile Dash, has a soft-touch exterior and full QWERTY keyboard. It still supports quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth and WiFi and also features the now outdated 1.3 megapixel camera. "

It is surprising to see HTC and T-Mobile coming out with a different colored Dash so long after the initial device was released. Granted the Windows Mobile offerings on T-mobile are slim pickings right now, especially in the windows Mobile Standard realm, and anything is better than nothing. It is nice however to see the T-Mobile Dash getting a little bit of love in the news realm as of late.

Hey loyal Thoughts Media readers, I'm checking in with you all from Las Vegas where I'll be reporting on what I see at CES. I'm by my lonesome, so don't expect Engadget-like coverage, but I did bring my video camera so I'm hoping to get some cool interviews, product demos, and find everything that's new and exciting at CES. Stay tuned - I'm here until Sunday night.

In a little under nine hours, Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach will deliver the Microsoft keynote at CES. What's in store for Windows, Windows Mobile, Windows Live, Office, the Xbox 360, and Zune? You'll have to tune in at 6:30 PM (PST) to find out, or simply wait for our post-keynote report. Whatever tickles your fancy.

• Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle: Wednesday, 6:30 PM
• Chicago, Houston: Wednesday, 8:30 PM
• New York, Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, 9:30 PM
• London: Thursday, 2:30 AM
• Paris, Berlin: Thursday, 3:30 AM
• Moscow: Thursday, 5:30 AM
• Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong: Thursday, 10:30 AM
• Perth, Tokyo: Thursday, 11:30 AM
• Brisbane: Thursday, 12:30 PM
• Sydney, Melbourne: Thursday, 1:30 PM
• Auckland: Thursday, 3:30 PM

Live Webcast: 100k, 300k, 750k

"As president-elect, one of Obama's first tech-related decisions has been to select the Recording Industry Association of America's favorite lawyer [Tom Perrelli] to be the third in command at the Justice Department. And Obama's pick as deputy attorney general, the second most senior position, is the lawyer who oversaw the defense of the Copyright Term Extension Act--the same law that Lessig and his allies unsuccessfully sued to overturn."

This is one presidential appointment that is sure to affect many music and video lovers, directly or indirectly. This is the guy that tried to get Verizon to release names of purported file sharers to the RIAA without a judge reviewing the evidence first. It was the old "guilty until you are bankrupt from legal fees" ploy. You can read about more of his shenanigans at the article. Here is hoping that the Perrelli meets severe challenges by the confirmation process and backs out or is rejected.

"Mono Bluetooth headsets are already everywhere, but this could be the year that those of the stereo variety take off, and Altec Lansing's hoping its new BackBeat series will be a contender. They're made in partnership with earpiece-guru Plantronics, so callers will find integrated voice dialing, omnidirectional microphones, 7 hours of talk time, and AudioIQ to boost volume when you're in a noisy situation."

After a 6-month study-related hiatus, I'm back! And this first post is on something I've been looking at for some time. Stereo BT headsets have largely been a niche area over the last few years, but the technology has certainly improved in the interim. What still bothers me though is the price, with most stereo headsets coming in at the US$100 dollar level (like the Backbeat). That's the price for a premium mono headset with noise-cancelling, and way, way over what typical mono headsets cost these days - not exactly a recipe for mass-market adoption. Granted, you've got a lot more technology and research dollars embedded in stereo headsets (and hopefully better quality sound), but is that worth the premium? Thoughts anyone?

"HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile design and innovation, today unveiled the HTC S743, a compelling fusion of style and power. By combining a traditional 12-key keypad design with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the HTC S743 was created to bring the muscle of Windows Mobile 6.1 to customers who prefer a more traditional user interface. The HTC S743, which supports high-speed HSDPA (850/1900 MHz) networks, will be available through select retail outlets, including dell.com and cdw.com, during the first quarter of 2009. 'While others are content focusing on a single design or user interface, HTC is dedicated to bringing the benefits of mobile convergence to all consumers, without forcing them to use a device that doesn’t truly fit their lifestyle,' said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. 'The HTC S743, which packs high-design and high-performance into a trim 4.9 ounce package, is a great example of HTC’s rejection of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy.'"

It is nice to see HTC bring this seriously sexy Windows Mobile Standard handset to the US market. I have been lucky enough to get my hands on a HTC S740 that I have had for a few weeks and after playing around with that handset I might just have to pick up this model once the device is released on our side of the pond. I don't want to say too much since our review of the S740 should be up by the week’s end but I can tell you that I truly sad to have to send it back. We will keep you guys updated as we receive more information on the HTC S743. Also be sure to check out the full press release after the break

Sleek and sophisticated HTC S743 comes to the US market

Slim, stylish smartphone combines conventional navigation with unconventional capability

BELLEVUE, Wash. – January 6, 2009 – HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile design and innovation, today unveiled the HTC S743, a compelling fusion of style and power. By combining a traditional 12-key keypad design with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the HTC S743 was created to bring the muscle of Windows® Mobile 6.1 to customers who prefer a more traditional user interface. The HTC S743, which supports high-speed HSDPA (850/1900 MHz) networks, will be available through select retail outlets, including dell.com and cdw.com, during the first quarter of 2009.

“While others are content focusing on a single design or user interface, HTC is dedicated to bringing the benefits of mobile convergence to all consumers, without forcing them to use a device that doesn’t truly fit their lifestyle,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “The HTC S743, which packs high-design and high-performance into a trim 4.9 ounce package, is a great example of HTC’s rejection of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy.”

Featuring the same ‘faceted’ design first implemented in the highly popular HTC Touch Diamond™, the HTC S743 was also engineered to deliver an outstanding voice experience. At a mere 1.7 inches wide, the HTC S743 fits comfortably into the palm of the hand, allowing for ergonomic and comfortable voice calls. Despite its narrow profile, the HTC S743 still boasts a large and bright 2.4 inch QVGA display for reading and responding to e-mail and SMS or accessing the Internet.

With its full QWERTY keyboard, the HTC S743 is able to take advantage of its full suite of messaging options. As a Windows Mobile 6.1 based device, the HTC S743 interfaces seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange as well as personal POP3 and IMAP4 email protocols. Along with SMS and MMS messaging, support for a number of instant messaging standards is included with the HTC S743, making it fast and easy to stay in touch with friends and family while on the go.

The HTC S743 marks the latest HTC device to be made available through independent channels in the US. Underscoring its commitment to delivering choice to the smartphone market, US consumers can choose from unique HTC devices including the GSM variant of the HTC Touch Diamond and the HTC Touch Dual™ through a number of electronics retailers including national retailers, independent wireless outlets and online e-tailers such as dell.com and cdw.com.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) designs innovative, feature rich smartphones. Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

"It's not the T-Mobile Shadow II as you would expect, it's going to be called the Shadow 2009. When the original T-Mobile Shadow came out, it was kind of ground breaking. It was one of the 1st Windows Mobile phones to radically change the default UI. It took some criticism, but it also took in a good deal of praise. Well, BGR has some info about the Shadow 2009, but a big problem is looming for it, no 3G support? I realize T-Mobile's 3G network is young and not widespread, but they are doing themselves no favors if they leave 3G out altogether."

With everything else out there, does the Shadow 2009 even stand a chance? It's fairly ordinary looking, no qwerty keyboard, and the real killer... no 3G? This seems more like a 2007 phone than a 2009 upcoming device. It's at least @Home (Hotspot Enabled). Are any of you planning to pick this one up and if so, why? And does anyone else feel T-Mobile is falling way behind? I'm curious to know what you all think.

"We are a team of security researchers, software developers, and mobile technology fanatics who want to help make the mobile world a safe place to work and play. Our team is primarily comprised of very technical folks who want to take on the challenge of developing security solutions for the next generation of computing devices. Most importantly, we are the kind of people who love building great products that are as easy to use as they are advanced in how they keep you safe."

Flexilis is a new security suite that is designed to protect your data from malware, viruses, theft or loss. It is in beta right now. To find out more, or to sign up for the beta, head over to their site.

"Conduits Technologies, Inc., announced today the release of Pocket Player 4.0, an alternative media player for Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC and Smartphone. Pocket Player aims to satisfy consumers who demand more from a dynamic media player on a mobile device, and recently won Best Audio at the 2008 Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards for its Pocket PC and Smartphone editions. Pocket Player 4.0 introduces AAC and M4A playback and podcast subscriptions, as well as enhanced MP3 support and other improvements. Pocket Player 4.0 is fully compatible with all Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6, and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices."

A free trial version of Pocket Player 4.0 is available. If, after trying it, you like what you see and want the full version, you can grab it from our affiliate software store (Windows Mobile Classic/Professional, Windows Mobile Standard) for $19.95. However, if you purchased Pocket Player 3.x on or after December 1, 2008, you're eligible for a free upgrade; if you purchased any version of Pocket Player before that date, then it's just $9.95 for an upgrade.

Rentoble will allow you to rent the latest phone from the four major US carriers, or rent an unlocked GSM phone to use wherever you want. When you are done, just send the phone back and pick out a new device. They don't have every phone the carriers handle. For example, for T-Mobile they only have the G1 and Sidekick LX, and for AT&T a couple of Blackberry's and the Samsung Epix. The only Windows Mobile devices I saw were on the Sprint and Verizon networks.

If you are the kind of person that is constantly buying a phone, then selling it after several months when something new catches your eye, this might be a cheaper alternative.

The Motley Fool posted an article a few days ago on how Palm could lose everything (haven't they just about done that already?) and what they must do to survive. The main reason I am posting this is the Fool has some research showing that closed systems are crushing open systems in the marketplace. Closed systems are represented by Nokia, Apple and RIM, where the own the operating system and do much if not all of the hardware design. Open systems would include Palm, HTC and Motorola where the software is purchased from a third party, like Microsoft or Google.

This is the exact opposite of the PC world where only Apple owns their own OS. All other PC vendors buy from Microsoft or use a flavor of Linux, and despite all of the media attention on Apple, it is still below 10% of US share, though it is growing, especially in the consumer space.

Years ago when MS got into the phone OS business, they hoped to repeat their desktop success in the mobile device world and to date, aren't even close, while newcomers like Apple and very focused developers like RIM own the top positions. Do you see this trend continuing? What can the open system vendors (MS, HTC, Palm, etc.) do to turn this around? Should MS release their own phone? I know one of the things that really frustrates users is when there is a problem with their Windows Mobile device, Microsoft won't even talk to them. It is the carrier's responsibility to service the consumer, and speaking from experience, in all but the easiest of solutions, the carrier immediately responds with "wipe the devices memory and let's see what that does." That response simply says "I have no clue about this OS we've put on your phone, so just reset it." If MS sold a phone, I suspect they'd be far more inclined to help the user than their OEM partners are.

To kick off the new year, we're announcing the winners of last month's Ringtone Shuffler contest. If your username is listed below, congratulations! Please check your private messages within the next 24 hours for registration details.

• edhead
• janoulle
• maskology
• paulsg63
• ucfgrad93

Thanks to Gx5 for their generosity. Stay tuned as we bring you more contests in the coming weeks!

"Meteor: You have to destroy bricks, saving your meteor from enemy missiles and getting as much power-ups as possible. 90 various levels with attractive space environment make much fun for players of all ages. Jackpot Casino: Virtual casino with blackjack, roulette, video poker, caribbean poker, craps and slots"

I just ran across a couple of fairly priced games in our affiliate store to help ring in the New Year. For those of you that like casino games we have Jackpot Casino as well as the 90 level meteor defending Meteor - both from Mobile Steam. Until January 4th both games are on sale for a mere $3.95, saving you a whopping $12+ off of each of their respective price tags.

Depending on where you are in the world, it's already 2009, but I've still got a few hours left in 2008 so here I am writing up a quick post. I wanted to wish everyone in the Thoughts Media community a very happy New Year! 2008 ended a bit rocky for most of us, but I hope 2009 will be a great year of prosperity and hapiness for everyone. I want to thank each and every one of you who regularly visit our sites and have made them your technological home on the Web. Your support is deeply appreciated. I also want to thank the great teams of volunteers that make each of these sites tick: your dedication and desire to strive for excellence helps make these sites great. Here's to a great 2009!

We'll all be taking January 1st off to relax and come January 2nd we'll be back to the news as normal.

With the release of the iPhone in 2007, upgraded to 3G in 2008, the release of Google's G1 on the T-Mobile network and Windows Mobile seemingly treading water for a few years, user enthusiasm for the platform seems to have waned recently. RIM isn't sitting still either as both the Blackberry Storm and Bold have given users more than just push email.

We've all seen rumored screen shots and articles on Windows Mobile 6.5 and 7.0, as well as purported integration of Zune bits to replace Windows Media Player on the devices, though no real timelines or confirmations of anything have surfaced. Do you think Microsoft can turn the tide with new releases and regain some of the enthusiasm surrounding their platform they enjoyed in previous years?

Website Polls Powered By MicroPoll

Click here to vote. It is a free poll at my site - a simple yes/no vote. I look forward to additional comments in the forum.

"SmartphoneNotes is a powerful text notes organizer for Windows Mobile-based Smartphone. With SmartphoneNotes, you can easily create and manage text notes directly on your Smartphone and synchronize them with Microsoft Outlook® on your desktop computer"

This app appears to make Notes on your device behave a bit more like they do in Outlook, allowing you to color code and categorize them. All of the settings are synchronized back to Outlook. Be sure to look at the requirements. For the Smartphone (aka WM Standard) it supports all the way back to 2003, but for the Pocket PC, you need Windows Mobile 5 or later. Vista and XP are supported, and it is compatible with Outlook 2000 or later, assuming the OS supports it. I am not sure if Vista and Windows Mobile Device Center support Office 2000 or not. We could have a discussion as to whether it supports 2002, 2003, or 2007 as well, but that is really for another thread.

There is a trial version for both platforms. The Smartphone version is $17.95 and the Pocket PC version is 19.95.