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All posts tagged "Mobile"


Friday, April 25, 2008

iFitOne - Mobile Diet and Fitness Motivation Made Simple

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Software" @ 04:30 AM

http://software.smartphonethoughts....on-Made-Simple!

"iFitOne is a breakthrough solution that makes getting fit and losing weight fun and helps you every day to stay motivated and reach your fitness goals. It's easy! Forget calorie counting. iFitOne motivates you with friendly reminders to focus on the basics of eating right and getting exercise. Amazingly easy-to-use daily log screens help you quickly enter and update your information throughout the day. Brilliant graphs and summaries show you how you're doing and will keep you motivated to succeed! Get started today."

At work I am participating in a program that requires me to wear a pedometer to track my daily steps, and I am also supposed to report the amount of fruits/vegetables I eat each day. Simply tracking the two has helped me quite a bit. John, the founder of Developer One Software, over the last five year period has developed a strategy to lose weight and keep it off. That strategy has been evolved in to a Windows Mobile application. Sounds promising; I am thinking of checking out the trial version. Follow this link to check out some more screen shots and the explanation. The software can be purchased for $12.95 from here. [Affiliate]


Friday, April 18, 2008

CorePlayer Mobile v1.2.3 Released

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Software" @ 07:00 AM

http://software.smartphonethoughts....-for-SmartPhone

"CorePlayer™ Mobile is at the center of the CoreCodec™ Universe for playing multimedia on your mobile phone, portable media players, PDA, GPS or convergence device. CorePlayer™ is truly the next-generation in multimedia playback. Its simple yet powerful interface and advanced features is designed to empower the CoreCodec™ community. See why the Chicago Suntimes times says that it, "actually has a user interface designed with bipeds in mind" and why companies like Joost are using CorePlayer technology!"

If you are looking for mobile media player, then look no further. CorePlayer is the way to go. It supports tons of audio-video codecs and streaming techniques. It even has YouTube support, which I haven't tried out yet. So in short it overcomes almost all the limitations of the Windows Media player on your smart phone. Check out the features over here, and if you are interested you can buy it for a special price of $24.95. The special price is for today only, so hurry up; after the special promotion is over the price will be $29.95. [Affiliate]


Monday, March 17, 2008

Microsoft Announces Silverlight for Windows Mobile

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone News" @ 05:05 AM

http://silverlight.net/learn/mobile.aspx

"Bringing Silverlight to devices expands the reach that developers and designers have when creating rich internet applications. This enables them to easily leverage content, assets, and code that they are using today for browser-based Silverlight applications. Support for Silverlight on devices will quickly help change the landscape for the types of user experiences consumers can expect from their phones by bridging rich interactivity, wireless data, media and more."

Silverlight is Microsoft's answer to Adobe's Flash technology, the technology that primarily enables Internet sites to offer interactive applications and media content within the browser. Silverlight will be offered as a browser plug-in and will be available for Windows Mobile 6 devices. According to the Microsoft Web site, the developer preview will be available in the 2Q 2008 but no details are provided as to when the end-user will get to see this on their handsets. Arne over at the::unwired has raised a good question - it is not clear if this feature will be made available in a new ROM version or as a direct download from Microsoft.

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  • Source: the::unwired


Saturday, January 19, 2008

Toshiba Announces Portege G710 QWERTY Smartphone

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Other Microsoft Smartphones" @ 07:06 PM

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.pocketpcitalia.com/News/2008/01/Toshiba-presenta-i-nuovi-Port-/&langpair=it|en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

According to PocketPCItalia.com Toshiba has officially announced a bunch of phones and one of them is a Windows Mobile 6 Standard based device featuring the popular QWERTY candy bar form factor. The original story is in Italian, the Google translation can be found here. I love the design, looks elegant and has a trackball for navigation. This design could have easily given the Blackjack and the Q9h series a tough competition if it included the 3G radio in its specs. It is sad to see a device slated to hit the market in March 2008 not having 3G. The other key highlights of this smart phone are GPS, 2.46" screen and Quad-band GSM.

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  • Source: engadget


Sunday, January 6, 2008

Windows Mobile 7 to Focus on Touch and Motion Gestures

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone News" @ 05:51 PM

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/archives/2008/01/06/exclusive-windows-mobile-7-to-focus-on-touch-and-motion-gestures/

"Microsoft is currently developing Windows Mobile 7, the first revolutionary change to its mobile device operating system. Recently, I was given a document by a source inside Microsoft that details the touch and gesture plans for Mobile 7. This document is a confidential internal use only document, used to explain the plans for Mobile 7, and contains well over a hundred pages of designs, ideas, and changes to the way we interact with our mobile devices. ... The document appears to be from the past summer, and some of the details may change before the product is announced. However, the touch and gesture plans appear to be set in stone, and will be the focus of Windows Mobile 7."



I have not read the complete article yet, but I can confidently predict that every reader would be impressed by the elements going into the next generation of Windows Mobile. This is not the Windows Mobile 6.1 update that we have been hearing about recently but the next major release of Windows Mobile slated for 2009. While on the surface it may seem like Microsoft is imitating Apple's iPhone, but readers who have been following the innovations over at Microsoft would easily notice that the Windows Mobile platform is borrowing features from the ZenZui (now Zumobi) and Microsoft Surface projects. Now, let's hope that all this true. And that Microsoft will pack in more surprises for the users when the next generation of Windows Mobile ships in 2009 because the competition is not going to sit idle in 2008.


Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Has Anyone Seen Windows Update Work on their Mobile Device?

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Talk" @ 07:00 AM

One of the big Windows Mobile 6 features was its ability to check and install updates automatically. As a T-Mobile Dash user who received the free Windows Mobile 6 upgrade, I was hopeful like others that Microsoft will be putting out minor updates and patches just like it does for its desktop version. And that my Dash will remain free of glitches and improve over time. I was hoping that I might get a new home screen, or better patches to fix a couple of annoying glitches - like the alarm clock that can't be turned off and the reminder that won't play a sound in normal profile. I am sure there are other issues with the Dash and possibly with the other Windows Mobile 6 devices out there. But I haven't heard from a single ecstatic reader who said that his/her smart phone automatically updated itself and corrected an annoying problem. Other competing products that do not even have an auto update tool like Windows Mobile have seen plenty of updates. I know Nokia N95 has seen a lot of firmware update action, so has the media darling - the Apple iPhone. So does this mean that Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 is perfect? Who is at fault - Microsoft, the manufacturers or the carriers? Microsoft, please put this feature to some use. Show us that it works.


Monday, December 3, 2007

BGR Uncovers a Moto Q9 with Wi-Fi and Windows Mobile 6.1

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone News" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/12/03/windows-mobile-61-standard-in-100-pictures/

"Can’t believe we missed this! The brand new Motorola Q9 with Wi-Fi we just got? Yeah, that has Windows Mobile 6.1 on it! We’re getting the video up soon, but for now, check out our full Windows Mobile 6.1 gallery, and the new things we found!"

Wow! Double wow! The recent Mobius related posts had mentioned the existence of Window Mobile 6 update, and we knew that we would be getting some more details soon. But I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly. The first big news item is that Motorola is working on an AT&T branded Q9 with Wi-Fi, you can check out the details in this Boy Genius Report post. The even bigger news item is that it is running Windows Mobile 6.1 Beta. It features a new home screen with left-right scrolling for missed calls, emails and other functionality. Head over to this post for more details. After checking out the screenshots, we can agree with the Mobius attendees about their comments. It is true that Windows Mobile 6.1 features a lot of must-have features and improvements, like copy-paste, threaded SMS, recent programs in start menu, auto-complete for To: field while composing emails and much more. It also has something called the Getting Started wizard, that I am sure will make newcomers to the Windows Mobile world feel comfortable. I am super excited about the features I have seen so far, and can't stop wondering the improvements that might be in the Internet Explorer. Unfortunately the Q9 with Wi-Fi comes with Opera pre-installed, so we will have to wait a bit longer to uncover the Internet Explorer improvements. So what do you like the most about the Windows Mobile 6.1 feature set?


Spb Announces its Fourth Annual Windows Mobile Survey with Some Cool Prizes

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Events" @ 07:30 AM

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/support/survey2007.php

"Spb Software House, a leading Windows Mobile software maker, launches its fourth annual Spb Windows Mobile Survey. This year, the Spb Survey will not only address Pocket PC, but also Smartphone users. The Survey covers a range of usability topics, attempts to capture the general WM device user profiles, and aims to establish the "perfect software" recipe. An expert and opinion leader in the field of making mobile software for the consumer market, Spb Software House will make the Spb Survey findings public on December 18th. This year, three random respondents will receive just in time for Christmas "thank you" gifts from Spb. The company is giving away a high-end Windows Mobile device, accessories from JustMobile, as well as a $100-worth of Spb software."

The survey covers both the Pocket PC and Smartphone devices, and takes roughly five minutes to complete. The best part is that you can win a Windows Mobile device of your choice; it's not a random device but a device that you would like to own, now that's a very good reason to take part in the survey.


Sunday, December 2, 2007

Firefox Mobile is Currently Under Development for Windows Mobile

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Software" @ 05:30 AM

According to Christian Sejersen and Doug Turner, Mozilla has officially ended the Minimo project which continued for over an year and failed to deliver version 1.0 Mozilla based browser for the mobile devices. Now, Mozilla claims to have learned from the Minimo experience and is channeling its energy to develop Firefox Mobile. Christian Sejersen, recently the head of browsers at Openwave, has been hired to be the lead for this project. While no time-lines have been mentioned, Christian did mention in his blog that Windows Mobile 6, possibly the HTC S730, and Linux based Nokia N800 will be the target devices for the first round of development. According to the post, the N800 version is already functional. Let's hope that we will soon be hearing about the availability of a new beta release for the Window Mobile platform. Personally I am fed up with the Internet Explorer on my smart phone and Opera Mobile is too pricey, hopefully Firefox Mobile will be free and better than both.


Friday, November 30, 2007

Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 Now Available, Upgrade for Microsoft Office 2007 File Format Support

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone Software" @ 05:00 AM

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4b106c1f-51e2-42f0-ba32-69bb7e9a3814&displaylang=en&tm

"Microsoft Office 2007 introduced new Open XML-based file formats for Office applications. These new file formats reduce file size, improve security and reliability, and enhance integration with external sources. To allow Windows Mobile users to work with Office documents created in the Open XML formats, Microsoft has developed an upgrade for Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile applications. This upgrade to the Office Mobile applications allows viewing and editing of Word documents and Excel workbooks and viewing of PowerPoint slideshows created by using Microsoft Office 2007. ... The Office Mobile application suite includes Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint® Mobile for Windows Mobile 6 powered devices, helping users manage and review documents. Microsoft Office Mobile includes support for rich reviewing and minor editing capabilities as well as support for rights-managed documents. The primary user scenario enabled by Office Mobile is viewing e-mail attachments, performing minor edits, sharing document versions, and opening documents from an SD card or a SharePoint server. Office Mobile provides a high-fidelity document viewing experience, with capability to edit as well as fast performance in loading the first page of the document."

If you have switched over to Office 2007 on your desktop or get a lot of Office 2007 documents via email, then head over to the Microsoft Website to download this much needed update. This update will only work for those who already have the older version of Office 2007 installed on their phones. Those who did not get Office Mobile pre-installed can purchase this software.

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  • Source: Jason Langridge's WebLog


Saturday, November 10, 2007

PC Magazine: Windows Mobile Devices Get Better

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone News" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2213489,00.asp

"We've taken Microsoft to task for the company's various faults in Windows Mobile 6. But despite our qualms, it's still our Editors' Choice for the best mobile operating system. Windows Mobile has been around in one form or another for a decade, but only came into its own a few years ago, when Microsoft's policy of encouraging a wide variety of manufacturers to produce smartphones based on the OS really started to pay off. Devices like the T-Mobile SDA, Cingular 8125, and Motorola Q proved that Microsoft was capable of taking on Palm and Research in Motion. ... What does Windows Mobile 6 offer compared with, say, BlackBerry, Palm, and Symbian operating systems? For starters, it integrates beautifully with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office, including out-of-the-box connectivity to corporate Exchange servers. Handsets running WM6 also serve as nifty portable media centers that synchronize well with Windows Media Player. But Windows Mobile's real strength is in its diversity, much as it is Windows' strength in the PC world. Hundreds of developers are working on third-party applications for the platform, and you can find Windows Mobile phones from every carrier in the land in all sorts of different shapes and sizes."

PC Magazine is praising Windows Mobile. Am I surprised by that? Yes. We are living in an era where apparently only Apple and Google can make cool useful products. At least that is what the media wants us to believe. So that is why I have this expression of disbelief when I read a main stream media praising Microsoft and Windows Mobile platform. Windows Mobile has definitely come a long way, and I am happy to see the partners improving the designs especially on the hardware side. Check out this PC Magazine article, the Motorola Q9m and Q9h are second and third respectively on the best Windows Mobile device list. It seems like the PC Magazine editors haven't had the chance to check out the T-Mobile Shadow yet, that would have surely taken the first spot which is currently being occupied by a Windows Mobile Professional device.


Friday, October 19, 2007

Verizon Wireless Officially Announces the SMT5800

Posted by Kris Kumar in "Smartphone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/10/18/verizon-lays-out-upcoming-smartphone-lineup-samsung-i760-comes/

"No surprises in the mix here, but we're delighted to see that Verizon is finally getting official with four smart devices that have been rumored to be in its pipeline for ages. Of the four, only the i760 from Samsung's been priced and slated for release -- October 19 online, November 2 in stores for $350 on contract after rebates -- featuring Windows Mobile 6 Professional, QWERTY slide-out and offset numeric keypads, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The XV6800 succeeds the tired XV6700, going up against Sprint's Mogul by offering the HTC Titan reference design in a custom Verizon skin; it shows up with a 2 megapixel cam, WiFi, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Already released on several CDMA carriers, the HTC Libra sees the light of day on Verizon as the SMT5800 bearing Windows Mobile 6 Standard and a 2 megapixel cam (we loved the Libra's GSM cousin, and we're guessing this one's great too)."

Verizon Wireless has officially announced the UTStarcom SMT5800. This Windows Mobile 6 Standard device is the CDMA cousin of the popular HTC Vox/S710. This QWERTY slider with 1xEVDO support is a nice add to the smart devices line up on Verizon Wireless. The pricing and availability details were not mentioned in the press release. Let's hope that it will become available soon. The official Verizon press release can be viewed over here.


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