Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

With the latest and greatest version of Windows Mobile finally starting to appear on the streets, I thought it would be a good time to go back through my complaint bin and see if anything has changed. First up, Call Display.


The look of days gone by. The incoming call screen from Windows Mobile 2003 was nothing fancy. At least it showed you the number, right? ;)

For those that might not recall, I've written two previous articles on the subject - the first one related to Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition devices, and the second one was focused on Windows Mobile 5 devices (Of course, this is on the Smartphone side only). The end result is that Microsoft chose a poor template to use as the default, expecting that the carrier or device manufacturer would customize this setting. In the end, I don't think any carrier ever touched it - beyond changing the colors.

So, has anything changed? Does Windows Mobile 6 have a better template? Let's take a look at the before and after images.

Windows Mobile 5 was the first release where Microsoft had added in support for Contact pictures that are stored in your Outlook contacts. Until now, caller ID was only available as a third party add-on.


Six months later we started to see devices with landscape screens hit the streets. These devices didn't make any better use of the space available for displaying a picture.


Which brings us to today. In my opinion, Windows Mobile 6 is a significant improvement. The pictures are larger and the screen space is used in a much better fashion.



While I will give credit to Microsoft for improving the default template, there is still lots of room for improvement, like adding user customizable (via XML) caller ID screens. Or maybe just a couple templates that we can choose between. I'm sure those ideas are years away making it onto our phones. For now, I am happy that there is a more realistic caller ID layout.





For the record, I did have some problems getting the image sized just right. I took the picture using the camera on the device and found that it wasn't sized or aligned very well at all. So I had to transfer the image over to my PC and crop/resize it down to 77x106 and then load it into my Contact card in Outlook. Complete the sync and then everything was working nicely. It would be nice if there was a built in tool that would allow me to zoom and crop the picture I just took so that it would fit nicely in the Outlook contacts field.

"Mobile-phone shipments long ago passed PC shipments, but most mobile-phone displays have yet to approach the resolution PC monitors started delivering many years ago. The excitement at shows like CES centers around impossibly large flat-panel televisions, but display manufacturers gathered here for the DisplaySearch U.S. FPD Conference this week are starting to talk about the small screen. There's nothing that gets corporations going like a group of potential customers that will soon include half the people on the planet. Mobile-phone shipments long ago passed PC shipments, but most mobile-phone displays have yet to approach the resolution PC monitors started delivering many years ago. The excitement at shows like CES centers around impossibly large flat-panel televisions, but display manufacturers gathered here for the DisplaySearch U.S. FPD Conference this week are starting to talk about the small screen."


Figure 1: The photo taken by Mike for the SP5m review, compares the 320x240 QVGA screen (top) and the older 176x220 resolution. Notice the pixelated screen in the bottom photograph?

When it comes to the mobile phone screen resolution, I think the QVGA on my Cingular 2125 is perfect and I am not looking for anything more than that. And on the Pocket PC Phone edition devices I would like to see the VGA screen as a standard. When it comes to the mobile phone screen, I am more concerned about the battery power required to operate the screen and would like to see the manufacturers focus their energies on reducing the energy consumption. What are your thoughts? Would like to see the resolution improved further?

Update: While posting this article, I didn't realize that Jerry had already posted it. :oops: Please continue the discussion in the original thread over here.

"Mobile-phone shipments long ago passed PC shipments, but most mobile-phone displays have yet to approach the resolution PC monitors started delivering many years ago. The excitement at shows like CES centers around impossibly large flat-panel televisions, but display manufacturers gathered here for the DisplaySearch U.S. FPD Conference this week are starting to talk about the small screen."

It would be nice to see some evolution in the display area and finally there is some rumbling noise. Here is one area where I have to hand it to Motorola. They made and I owned a StarTac with an OLED (Organic LED) display. In case you don't already know this type of LED emits it's own light. No back light is required as with standard LED's

"ASUSTeK Computer Inc (ASUS), a leading provider of high-quality mobile communication devices, today previewed one of the most compact 3G smartphones in the world to date � the P305, at the 3GSM World Congress . As a Windows Mobile 5.0 powered 3G smartphone, the P305 offers powerful multimedia and productivity features that allow users to be more productive and truly experience a mobile lifestyle. ... The mini-SD expansion card slot also allows for additional memory for storing a wide range of content including music, games, photos and video. With 3G capabilities along with the power and functionality of Windows Mobile 5.0 in a small and sleek form factor, the P305 offers endless hours of fun while serving as mobile business companion."



Wish the Asus press release came with a photograph of the product. It is not clear whether this handset is powered by Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition, but all the hints point in the direction of it being a Smartphone device. The reference to small and sleek form factor, miniSD and the lack of any reference to QWERTY keypad or touch screen, indicates that this device is a Windows Mobile 5.0 based Smartphone device. Some of our readers might remember the forecast for 2006 made by Mobile-review.com, which talked about Asus launching a 3G clam shell Smartphone called the P305 this year, looks like it is coming true. 8) Does anyone know more about this Smartphone?

"Mobile devices, such as smart phones and handheld computers that use cellular or Wi-Fi technology, give enterprise users ready access to phone, email, websites, and company applications while in the office, at home and when on the road. But the question facing many enterprises is whether it�s worthwhile to equip some or all of its employees with mobile technology. Let�s take a look at how mobile computing can contribute to a solid ROI."

Aren't there enough abbreviations in this area already? Do we really need another? It's ok to spell out Return of Investment guys! Enough rant. How could it not be cost effective to have a mobile work force have mobile devices to stay connected?

"We�ve received confirmation from several different sources now that T-Mobile is going to be the first (and possibly only) US carrier to get its hands on the HTC Tornado (aka the Qtek 8310), that new Windows Mobile-powered Smartphone that comes with built-in WiFi and a QVGA display. Better yet, they�re aiming for a $200 price point (with a one year contract, natch) and probably won�t be crippling Bluetooth on the phone. Not sure what it�ll be called when it turns up on T-Mobile (it definitely won�t be called the Qtek 8310 or the HTC Tornado), but we did have a chance to play around with this phone for a few minutes yesterday. All we gotta say (for now) is that the QVGA display is totally slick."



I don't want to jinx the chances by saying anything. :worried:

"M�tro finds your way in public transport systems in more than 300 cities around the world (Paris, New York, London, Tokyo, any city with a subway & many more!). Many more features to discover: Directions and informations to major tourist attractions (in selected cities), Take only the cities you need on your PocketPC, Easy station search"



Ok, I'm sure they meant to say "Take only the cities you need on your Smartphone". ;) Metro is another free application that is available from our affiliate store. Who doesn't like free? :mrgreen:

After putting my Fido SIM into the WM5 phone the first thing I needed to do was get my data onto it. It would be cool if the phone asked the network for the GPRS settings, but it doesn't, so I manually created the GPRS connection for Fido - easy enough. Then it was time to get my data onto the phone. Since I'm using a hosted Exchange solution (courtesy of 4smartphone) it was fairly simple. The new ActiveSync client on the phone has an easy menu option: Add Server Source (I think that's what it said - now it says "Configure Server"). I entered in my Exchange settings, and when I pressed finish it kicked off a GPRS connection and began to sync my data. The on-device ActiveSyc client has an updated UI, and it seemed a bit faster than before (though that's all relative when we're talking about pokey GPRS speeds). There are new icons that display as the device is synchronizing calendar events, contacts, etc. I've read that Tasks sync is now supported, and there's finally a Tasks client on the device [edit: there has always been a Task client, which I forgot because it's so useless and didn't sync against my Exchange server], but none of my tasks synchronized. In fact, on the device ActiveSync client there's no option for Task sync under the Exchange Server section. It is listed under the Windows PC sync list, but I don't normally set up a sync partnership with my desktop PC. If that's the way Microsoft chose to implement Task sync, I'm very disappointed.

The biggest user interface change is that the menu system is now iconic, three rows of three, instead of the list we had before. The number keys still work as shortcuts though, so if you're used to pressing START > 2 to get to your app, that will still work. The numbers don't appear in the UI though, so this is more of a power-user feature that will be discovered by new users over time (which is the way it should be). There are other minor UI tweaks - some of the options screens look different, and unless I'm mistaken there's a new default font that's easier to read.

So what's it like using a WM5 Smartphone day to day? Tune in next time faithful reader... ;-)

"Now that I�m a Podcaster (if there is such a thing) I thought it would be interesting to sync my podcast files down to a Smartphone device running Windows Mobile 2003 � it�s so easy, even someone with an MBA should be able to do this� (anyone remember the FedEx MBA advert? � it seems to have gone missing from their web site). Podcasts are typically exposed through an XML file (some, like DotNetRocks [an excellent podcast, I especially like the intro to episode #100] require you to use a download tool like BitTorrent). Let�s assume that you�re wanting to listen to my Podcast (and why on earth wouldn�t you?) � Here�s what you will need to sync the Podcast to your Smartphone."

Here is a guide for those of you interested in Podcasting. I have never tried this myself. Podcasting has always looked to me to be a big pain to set up and use. Am I wrong? Is it worth the trouble it appears to be?

"While attending the recent Featured Community Summit at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, I had the pleasure of an hour of Mike Hall's time. The job title that he currently has is one of Technical Product Manager, which apparently falls under the marketing group, however, he describes his role as more of a technical evangelist than anything else. His day-to-day activities include things like researching embedded technologies, building code samples, recording tutorials, communicating with the press and speaking at both Microsoft and third-party conferences, all at a deep technical level."

This is an interesting peek at what might be coming our way.

"MobileTracker has found a group of online support documents from AT&T Wireless concerning the Motorola MPx220. The set of 38 documents were all updated today, November 5th."

Looks like AT&T Wireless is preparing for the MPx220 launch. We may soon be getting the promised E-Mail from HelloMoto proclaiming the availability of this Smartphone. I did a quick scan of the documents, did not find anything special. The only two things I noticed was that unlike Cingular, AT&T's MPx220 has a more customized Home Screen. And in this document the SW Version on the label is 323, whereas my Cingular branded version is 325. If you find anything interesting, please do share it with us.

It looks like this device will finally see the light of day! This linked page clearly shows that AT&T will be the carrier of this beauty. They are also going to be offering a free Motorola Bluetooth hands-free headset to the first 1000 people to register their MPx220's. Also, if you click on the offer details link, you might notice that this offer expires on October 29th. 8O I think we're going to see this phone very soon. :clap:

"I have spent the last year working with Smartphone technologies in the USA, Europe and here in Australia, in order to pass on some of the lessons learnt I have put together this hands-on guide to help you and other developers get started with developing for the Smartphone platform. In this guide I am going to introduce the current Smartphone technologies with which you can develop, along with exploring how you can start thinking about development on the future Smartphone platforms, now branded Windows Mobile for Smartphone. We are going to write a simple weather application called SmartWeather for the Smartphone, first on the Smartphone 2002 platform, then porting it to the Smartphone 2003 platform and finally as a Web Application we can access from the Smartphone."



Dr. Neil Roodyn famous for his SMS Utils has written this useful programmers workbook for developers who are interested in writing programs for Windows Mobile Smartphones.
Note: Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader required to view this workbook.

Additional sites and resources for Smartphone developers:
� Getting Started With Windows Mobile
� Windows Mobile Development FAQ
� Developer Tools
� Smartphone Thoughts Developer Forum :)

One of the mind-bogglingly bad things that Microsoft did with the Smartphone is the way they implemented Pocket Internet Explorer Favorites. Or, rather, how they didn't implement it. You see, several years ago when the Pocket PC came out, Microsoft came up with a clever solution: when you installed ActiveSync on your desktop computer, it would create an Internet Explorer Favorites folder called, appropriately, Mobile Favorites. When you came across a mobile site suitable for display on your Pocket PC, you'd add it to the Mobile Favorites folder. When your Pocket PC synchronized with the desktop computer, these favorites would sync with your Pocket PC.

The problem is that the Smartphone doesn't synchronize these Mobile Favorites - I believe it's because no file synchronization conduit was included in the phone, which means the Smartphone doesn't have the capability of synchronizing any sort of files, including the Internet Explorer shortcuts. This has many other negative side effects such as not being able to sync across digital wallet files - in several ways this keeps the Smartphone from becoming a replacement for my Pocket PC because it lacks the basic functionality that I need. :(

Anyway, Arne Hess over at PPCW.net has written a tip that will allow you to get your Mobile Favorites over to your Smartphone. It's a manual process you'll have to repeat every time they change, but it's a good way to get started if nothing else. Check it out!

Chandu Thota works for the MapPoint group at Microsoft and posted an interesting photo to his blog today. This shows an app built using a pre-release version of the MapPoint Location Server. Man... that's one product with a lot of potential to stir up the industry. There's going to a few talks about this at MDC for developers who want to get the scoop on what it will do and how to use it.

"With SmartCD, visualize your MP3 and your WMA differently. SmartCD puts together files MP3 and WMA in the form of SmartCD albums equivalent to the albums CD These albums are displayed in a tree structure. Needless to use a function �File/Open� to find, the files or Playlist, on your memory card. SmartCD sees to present to you the MP3, the WMA and Playlist, present on your memory card, in an organized and simple way. It only remains for you to move in the tree structure and to select the titles which you want to listen to!"

This looks like an amazingly rich application for those of you serious about using your Smarpthone for audio. Definitely worth a look!

"Mobiqa are the world's leading pioneers in intelligent mobile solutions, developing products with instant commercial applications in the real world. Our mobile phone barcode technology is employed in our current flagship products: mobi-tickets�, mobi-coupons� and mobi-rewardcards�. Recent product developments awaiting market readiness are 2D barcodes and multi-media mobi-tickets and mobi-coupons. Mobiqa has won an impressive range of customers and formed strategic alliances with partners who when combined with Mobiqa's technology will change current market practices..."

This looks very cool - they send you a bar code via SMS, and that bar code is your event ticket, or a promotional discount, etc. When you get to the event, they scan the barcode on your phone screen and you get in. Or, if it's a store, then scan it and you get the discount. I think this is a very cool idea - the whole concept of having to remember to bring a dead-tree coupon is outdated. It will be interested to see how widely adopted this is, because some coupon-based marketing programs (like the Blockbuster Rewards program) bet on you as a customer forgetting to use all the coupons they gave you (this increases their profit margin). If the use of discount coupons goes up dramatically because people always have them on their phones, I wonder if we'll see a reduction in coupon value or frequency of issuing?

I was poking around the Windows Mobile website and found this little teaser:

"Get Ready for Moblogs - Turn an ordinary blog into a moblog by including pictures from your Pocket PC or Smartphone. Check back here in December to learn how to create yours."

For those unfamiliar with moblogs, here is an excerpt from an article at Editor & Publisher that explains the concept pretty well: "A moblog is typically a photo blog where an individual or group of people post images taken with photo phones, plus accompanying text (or even audio). The moblog concept has caught on in a big way since first introduced in 2002. Many individuals maintain moblogs, and new moblogging services like TextAmerica.com make it super easy to have a moblog; to publish an image, you simply use your photo phone to e-mail it to TextAmerica.com."

I have no idea what this teaser on the Microsoft website means, but definitely look forward to finding out. Will they be releasing an app to make mobloging from Windows Mobile devices easier? Could they be starting a moblog hosting service? Or maybe it's just a step-by-step tutorial on how to moblog from Smartphone and Pocket PC devices... Let the speculation begin! What do you think they are going to announce?

You wouldn't believe how many people that have tried to use my SPV as a real phone and failed. "Can I use your phone"... shortly followed by "How do I make a call?". It's actually quite amusing :)

If you're just getting started with your Smartphone handset then you might want to check out the recent how-to guide posted by Carlo Guerrero over at PPCW.Net.

"The Smartphones powered by Microsoft's Smartphone 2002 software have a distinct advantage over the basic handsets and normally even the most advanced one found in the market today. They have Pocket Outlook built into them. This I feel is a very powerful feature of the Smartphone. It let's you store numerous entries, and supports more than 40 fields. But with that much information, how do you handle calling a contact or sending a contact an SMS with ease?"

This detailed, yet concise guide goes through each of these tasks that you'll need to master before you can take full advantage of your phone. PPCW also has other helpful how-to's, including a step by step guide on using your Smartphone as a GPRS modem.