Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Often the best ideas are the simplest. A laptop which locks itself as you walk away with your Blackberry® or iPhone™ and unlocks as you return. Cool, easy, secure! Just think of the benefits: One: More security - Freeze is designed to lock an XP or Vista based laptop when you walk away from it and unlock it when you return. All you need to activate the service is a Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone. Once you step out of the "zone of safety" your laptop is locked and your data is safe."

On the surface this looks pretty cool, I've seen versions of this idea using proprietary hardware, but letting it use a Bluetooth device you already have is a unique way to deal with it. Probably more than adequate for the home user, but without some further research, I'm not sure Bluetooth security is robust enough to make this the only form of authentication used on a corporate network. However, as part of a well-designed multi-factor authentication system, it certainly has potential. Notebooks.com has a video showing how this works.

This is an article that discusses the 5 W's of Bluetooth, the who, what, where, when and why.

"The story of Bluetooth technology is an historic one. It includes a king, an army 11,000+ strong, over two billion dedicated fans, global recognition and a decade of perseverance and hard work. The story of Bluetooth is at its heart a story of evolution - where we are today is a long way from where we were 11 years ago"

For the record, I'm still not a big Bluetooth fan. My headset forgets about once every three months it is paired with my phone and I cannot pair my Pocket PC to my Windows 7 based netbook with anything but "0000" as the passkey (hoping that is a build 7000 bug). I love it for my headset and I use BT for tethering unless there is an outlet nearby - I'll opt for the USB cable which has charging goodness, but given my druthers, I avoid BT when at all possible. But I know I am unique in all of my issues with Bluetooth. It works perfectly for everyone else, and I recognize that.

"Broadcom has released the latest of its so-called combo wireless chips, this time putting single-stream 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and FM radio reception and short-range transmission into its BCM4329. These combo chips are designed to bring high-end wireless features to handsets and portable media devices by reducing chip count and overall integration costs. Chris Bergey, Broadcom's director for embedded wireless LAN, said that WiFi has moved from a smartphone requirement "into the high-end feature phone market," which led to the necessity for combination chips like the BCM4329. Feature phone is the euphemistic industry term for cellular handsets that have basic functions, but lack the computation power and flexibility of smartphones."

There was a time when it was a struggle finding a Windows Mobile device with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These days, said devices are ubiquitous, yet almost all of them - including HTC's newest beasts, the Touch HD and MAX 4G - only go as far as 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Enter Broadcom's newest wireless chip: it packs 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and an FM radio receiver/transmitter. Let's hope a Windows Mobile OEM takes note.

"The title of this software is self-explanatory I guess. BT Spammer is a tool for one time or periodical "spamming" all nearby Bluetooth devices (in visible mode). BT Spammer allows users to set up ..."

Here is a freeware Bluejacking app for you guys called BT Spammer. As it states above BT Spammer lets you send out periodic bust of unwanted Bluetooth messages to unsuspecting individuals. As Spider-Man has taught us in the past, with great power comes great responsibility... so in other words, this program is intended for practical jokes and fun, not actual spamming!

"On the first of July, California residents will no longer be allowed to talk on the phone while driving, without using hands-free accessories. This is the reason, tomorrow LG Mobile will give away more than a thousand Bluetooth headsets at a special event. It will be hosted in Los Angeles, at the Petersen Automotive Museum (6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036) from 11AM to 1:30PM (or while supplies last) on the 19th of June. All are welcome."



First off, I apologize we're posting this so late. I didn't catch wind of this story until 20 minutes ago. Now on for the goodies! LG is showing a lot of love to cellular phone users in Los Angeles, CA. As the post says above you LG will be giving away 1000+ Bluetooth headsets between the hours of 11AM and 1:30PM PST on Thursday June 19th, 2008. If you live in the Los Angeles area you should take an early lunch tomorrow and treat yourself to little gift because nothing says fun like brand spanking new electronics before lunch! To get your free headset you have to go to the following address:

Petersen Automotive Museum [map]
6060 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036

"Aliph's original Jawbone received one of the most difficult B ratings we ever issued to an accessory. Much hyped and unquestionably impressive from a technology standpoint, the first Jawbone was a wireless Bluetooth headset with breakthrough noise-cancellation abilities, but suffered from two serious issues: an uncomfortable design and a high price tag. Retailer discounting eventually helped solve one of those problems, and now Aliph has taken care of the other one in a brand new version with the same name: Jawbone ($130), known alternately as Jawbone Earwear or Jawbone with Noise Assassin. Simply put, the new Jawbone is the best Bluetooth headset we've yet tested with the iPhone -- the first one ever to receive our high recommendation -- and only two things stand in the way of it being a complete replacement for every other option we've seen."



That's a comparative picture from iLounge, who managed to get its hands on the device early and publish a full review. It looks like a significant improvement over the first; anyone thinking of picking one up, or have managed to get one?

"A new reference site launched by Motorola in the UK will allow Bluetooth users to check their devices for compatibility and help with a 'plain English' guide to the pairing up of devices. The website lets you do a compatibility search from either your mobile device or with the designated accessory. According to the manufacturer, 'Motorola’s Bluetooth headsets are designed to be compatible with over 200 Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones from more than 15 manufacturers, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung, as well as Motorola devices.' 'The intention is to provide some much needed clarity to the market by creating the ultimate Bluetooth compatibility reference point,' said Steve Gaskell, General Manager, Accessories, Motorola EMEAI."



It is about time someone created a site such as this. During my time slinging handsets the most frequently asked customer question was "Can you help me pair my headset?" I guess one of the downsides of creating incredibly small and useful products is that they can be a bit hard to manage and figure out. If you have an urge to learn more about the magic known as Bluetooth, than check out Motorola's new site here.

"My brother, the cinematographer, is a MAC kinda guy. So, naturally he packs an iPhone of which he is very proud. While visiting me last week he was showing off the virtues of his iPhone with a bit of a smug air and a tinge of superiority. He quickly established that the iPhone makes phone calls, surfs the Web, does email and SMS, takes pictures (but has no flash), and it does it all on a really cool, high-resolution, finger-friendly touch screen..."



Over at Mobility Site, Tim Hillebrand has brought us one of the most amusing articles I have read this week. I was hoping to post this earlier in the week, but with our server woes I decided to push this back to Friday to give you guys and gals a good chuckle before the weekend. Tim goes through the list of all of Apple's good qualities that was packed into their little device that could and than in classic 1980's buddy comedy fashion the article takes a turn for the comical going through everything you would think this fancy high end device should/would include in its repertoire list but doesn't. It just goes to show us that Apple's handset has as many growing pains to conquer as Microsoft's cellular device offerings and also that Tim's brother is a good sport for letting him write this article about him. ;)

I am sitting at the airport and decided to plug my TyTN II in to guarantee that 100% charge before I board so I can watch movies on the flight and then I think of all of those emails in my outbox in Outlook 2007 on my laptop. I don't have a WiFi account here and can't justify $8 to send them now as opposed to 1am when i get home, but then I remember the "Internet Connection Sharing" icon in WM6 on my TyTN II. I have never played with it before and thought now would be as good of a time as any.

I started the connection on the device, it told me to go to my PC and connect to the bluetooth PAN. I opened Vista's network settings, clicked on "create a new connection" then scrolled down to the PAN setting. Clicked it and within 10 seconds I was online. I was absolutely floored it was that easy, and those that know me know that I hate bluetooth. I've never had a bluetooth connection work so flawlessly.

So, my EDGE connection was surprisingly fast, my emails are sent, and this post got posted all on that little connection. If you have it on your device, do you use it often, or ever?

"Motorola has issued a new firmware update for the Motorola Q9m. The update is not detected by the standard version of Motorola Software Update. Users must go to the MSU web site (Motorola Software Update), and select the Verizon Q9m from the list of available phones. A special version of MSU for the Q9m will download and install. The Q9m update upgrades the Windows Mobile 6 version from AKU 0.2 (which shipped initially) to AKU 0.6. The updated radio firmware version stands at 03.20.29P."


[Photo courtesy of PhoneNews.com]

There really wasn't much said on this upgrade besides the Motorola Q9m being upgraded from Windows Mobile 6 AKU 0.2 to AKU 0.6. If any of our users do own this handset and happened to apply the firmware update, let us know. I would love to hear if this software update is anything worth taking the time to reinstall of your handsets software and reconfigure all of your email accounts.

Do you guys remember that Motorola Q9h review that I have been promising you guys? Well, I did not forget about it and I promise I'm not slacking. This weekend Motorola was kind enough to send me the AT&T version of their newest Windows Mobile Standard device. Seeing as I now have two of these devices, one European model and one US model, I figured the best way to showcase them would not be in a another boring old review, but in a round of no-holds bar bare knocking boxing! Now before I go off and pin these two devices up against each other, I thought it would be nice to snap a quick picture or two and post it up here for our readers.



The neat part about the above images is that they were taken with my original European/Asian Motorola Q9h. The camera is not half bad, huh? It is nice to finally use a Smartphone with a decent camera! Expect my review by weeks end.

I have fantastic news. I just sat down by my desk after a nice hearty lunch to find my brand new Motorola Q9h waiting for me. This is not the AT&T version, so their are a few tiny differences compared to our recent offering from the "Powers That Be" in AT&T Headquarters. For one, the packaging is different and as well as the name and nowhere throughout the packaging is the word "Global" used. Not a big deal, but I figured it would be nice to clue everyone in on this before I show the images.

Now that we have taken care of the disclaimer, it is time for a quick sneak peak at the unboxing on this surprisingly nice handset!


(Figure 1: The packaging that my brand spanking new Motorola Q9h arrived in!)
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"It has been a couple of years since I checked out a Motorola Q Smartphone and it looks like Motorola has made some major improvements. The Moto Q Global is now available from AT&T for US$299.99 after mail-in rebate and 2-year contract. The keyboard is curved and it actually looks like an solid Windows Mobile device. The Motorola Q Global is a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device that has a QWERTY keyboard, HSDPA radio, 325 MHz processor, 128 MB ROM, 64 MB RAM, integrated GPS receiver, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo support, and microSD expansion card slot. Battery time is shown on the specs as “strong battery life - up to 9 hours of talk and 30 days standby”. This was the Achilles heel of past Q devices and if this spec is true I think this new Motorola Q will have one of the highest capacities I have ever seen in a smartphone."



The Motorola Q9h Global is large and in charge. I wish I could get 9 hours of talk time out of my current handset, or for that matter, any handset I have ever owned! If all goes well, I should have one by the beginning of next week so be on the lookout for a ton of pictures!

"The gilded touch hasn't evaded the mobile realm entirely, but it has been a tick since we've seen anything (well, anything worthwhile) come through that was Midas-approved. Bucking that trend is none other than Jabra, who is apparently readying a Cara Gold JX10 headset designed by Jacob Jensen. Reportedly, the device will be limited in production, will weigh less than ten grams, and will tout DSP technology to reduce background noise whilst chatting. Additionally, it should last through about six hours of talking before needing a recharge, and while we aren't much on wearing a BT earpiece around in public anyway, we'd be extra cautious with a $300 iteration."



I had one of these once (not the gold version) and I liked it while it lasted. If you go to the article you will notice the USB connector on the device is very tiny. The male end of the wire plug (without the stand) fit in both directions. Of course it should only fit one way. Eventually the connector broke on the device rendering it useless. A poor design if you ask me.

"A new company called Aliph, has built their first offering around what they call Noise Shield technology. The idea is simple � the headset should only care about sound when the person is talking, which requires moving their mouth (and thus, the name "Jawbone" for their first device). The headset extends over the muscle that moves the jaw so that when the mouth moves, a small rubber piece moves. This acts as a switch that tells the headset, �Hey, there�s someone talking here!� Noise that occurs without the wearer moving their mouth is greatly diminished. Ventriloquists will want to look elsewhere."



I've heard some good things about this headset. I've used a number of different headsets over the years, and I keep coming back to a wired headset or this Motorola one I have. They're either too hard to put on quickly when the phone is ringing, or they sound like crap. So I'm wondering what you guys use? Is this one really as good as I've heard and read?

"I�m Greg Scott and I work as a developer on a team that provides core networking technologies on Windows Mobile. There has been some [negative] feedback from the community about Bluetooth dial-up networking (DUN) being removed in WM5 AKU3. I�ll do my best to explain that. ... In WM5 AKU3 we introduced a new application called �Internet Sharing�. The technology behind this is actually referred to as Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). But our usability folks decided to drop the word �Connection� since it didn�t fit nicely in the user interface."

I am happy with the inclusion of Internet Connection Sharing; it definitely makes connecting my laptop to the data network a snap. I see a lot of users benefiting from the it-just-works approach of the ICS. But the Bluetooth Dial-up Networking profile is supported by more devices, especially the older ones, like my HP iPAQ 2210 Pocket PC 2003 which refuses to connect to the Internet using my T-Mobile Dash now. Windows Mobile Team is looking for our feedback, so if you have any suggestions then make yourselves heard by posting a comment in their Blog.

"People with Windows Mobile devices � whether they be network-connected smartphones with the latest EVDO or UMTS wireless technology, or PDAs using 802.11b WiFi � all have one thing in common: they want to get rid of all the wires. I can recall the days when PDAs required connecting to a phone line or CAT5 Ethernet cable in order to get Internet access (yes, I am getting old). Now that we have the wireless networking part more or less nailed, there�s just one more wire that�s got to go: the cable connecting headphones for listening to music. Helium Digital�s HDBT-700 Bluetooth headphones aim to do exactly that."



The Two Inch View has a review on the HDBT-700 Bluetooth stereo headphones. The article states they were tested on the Dash and Treo 750 and it's interesting that they apparently sound better on the 750 than they do the Dash. I use the Motorola HT820 BT stereo headphones on my Dash while they sound great, they make me look like I have the Princess Leia hairdoo. :oops: So how about it? Do any of you use bluetooth stereo headphones with your A2DP device? Let us hear from you.

UPDATE: Want to save $10 off the purchase price? Use the code Thoughts-HD (valid until the end of May) when buying the product directly from Helium Digital.

"The HDBT-110 Bluetooth Communicator is a stylish, portable, lightweight device designed to connect to your Bluetooth enabled cell phone, adding handsfree capability to your phone whether in your home, in your office, or in your car. Utilizing the EasyMount magnetic mounting system, it can easily be positioned within your vehicle without the hassle and mess created by adhesive mounting solutions. The Bluetooth Communicator is contained within an extremely small form factor (98.6mm x 98mm x 27.5mm), and weighs in at an incredibly lightweight 77 grams. It utilizes cutting edge noise cancellation and echo elimination technologies delivering best-in-class voice quality, even when placed within a wide range of noisy environments. In order to ensure safe operation of a vehicle while driving, the HDBT-110 utilizes four simple operating buttons, as well as voice dial capability. The low power consumption of the internal rechargeable lithium ion battery will support up to 10 hours of talk time, and up to 500 hours of standby time."



This product interests me quite a bit - I've had Bluetooth on every Pocket PC Phone and Smartphone I've owned over the past few years, yet when driving I always end up with my phone on my ear (I dislike wearing Bluetooth headsets). Having something like this that I can leave in my car would be quite nice. The price of $89.99 CAD (about $78 USD) seems quite reasonable. Have you used something similar to this in your vehicle? The product isn't available until March 2007, however, so for now all you can do is look...

"The Washington Research Foundation, which markets technology from the University of Washington, is seeking damages from the three mobile-phone makers for using a radio frequency receiver technology without paying royalties, according to court papers obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. A University of Washington scientist Edwin Suominen was awarded a patent in 1999 for "simplified high frequency broadband tuner and tuning method"."

If you can't make money selling it, sue over it. I'm at the point where when I see this stuff I don't even care if the claims are legitimate. I just assume it is nonsense now. I think it will keep getting worse too.

"Mobis Technology Ltd., a leading manufacturer of mobile accessories, today presents Just Mobile RoKy, a Fabric Bluetooth Keyboard. Just Mobile RoKy, the lightweight and flexible keyboard designed for mobile computing devices uses Bluetooth connectivity, is 100% fabric, water-repellent, and comes with a mobile phone/PDA stand. With a pair of AAA battery allows you up to 10 hours of usage."



When it gets a little dirty you can toss it in the wash with your smelly gym clothes and have it all fresh and clean. Oh wait, it is water repellent, never mind. Aren't there some flexible plastic versions of this kind of keyboard floating around? Does anyone like them? I have no interest in them myself.