Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

My, oh my. Where to start? Google has delivered numerous updates to its mobile apps and search services. To kick things off, if you're a user of the Google Mobile App, visit m.google.com on your Windows phone to download the latest version. It supports location services, Google Suggest, and map search. Next on the list is Local Search for Mobile. It's been redesigned to integrate with Google Maps and adds supports for categories. Finally, you can now keep your mobile and desktop search histories in sync. The only catch is that it doesn't yet support Windows Mobile, though we can't imagine that being a permanent omission. We'll let you know as soon as Windows Mobile support gets two thumbs up.

"To sync tasks you need a compatible device (iPhones don't have tasks support yet but Windows Mobile, Nokia and Palm Pre phones do). Register for a Toodledo account (free or pro). Enable and configure tasks on our web site---enter your Toodledo username and password."

A few months ago I wrote about NuevaSync's Push GMail Solution which beat out Google's official support for GMail through Exchange ActiveSync by quite a few months. Now that Google has caught up, NuevaSync has again decided to up the ante by adding Tasks support! The catch is - the tasks sync isn't with Google Tasks (Since it's pretty bare bones and doesn't have a published API), it's with a task managing service named Toodledo!

I hadn't used Toodledo before so I signed up this morning and tried it out - and I'm pretty impressed. I can now manage my tasks from the cloud (even from within GMail thanks to the Labs "Add a gadget" feature), and have them synced on my device. Oh yea - Toodledo also has a native Android client! So if you're a Google user or cloud patron that just wants to keep his or her to-do list in check, take a look at Nueva's latest premium offering!

"Just as the world itself can be viewed through many lenses, the latest version of Google Maps for mobile allows you to view many layers of information on your map at the same time. Layers make it easier and more useful to find and interact with geographic content, like public transit, traffic (with incidents!), local search results, Latitude friend locations, Wikipedia and more. You can also see your own My Maps content as a layer on Google Maps for mobile. And finally, multiple layers can be combined at the same time to give you a content-rich view of what's around you."

Layers and improved search are nifty additions to Google Maps for mobile. The updated version is available for Windows Mobile, so what are you waiting for? Go get it!

Earlier this week, synchronization service NuevaSync announced their latest addition to the platform, push e-mail. NuevaSync already had calendar & contact sync from Google to Windows Mobile, iPhone, and pretty much any platform that supports the Microsoft Activesync protocol. Since I've been using Google for the last month or so (in lieu of my exchange server), I thought it may be interesting to give this service a shot. After all, only $25 for a year of service isn't too pricey (.002 cents per hour if you want to think of it that way...).

The first thing you notice about NuevaSync is it's no-frills website. This makes it mobile friendly, and still usable on the desktop. Their site was a bit disjointed (with a Wiki and Blog loosely linked up, with recent navigation improvements) but it gets the job done. After upgrading to Premium (for $25 a year), you can access the e-mail action. This is where you link up your IMAP e-mail account. Any IMAP server that supports the IDLE command should work just fine with their service, and they have an express setup option for GMail users. Contacts & Calendar set up easily as well, and as a premium user you can select which Google Calendars you want to sync with your device. Read more...

About a month ago I decided to try something. For over 4 years I'd had a Gmail account that did little more than filter SPAM before it passed up to my exchange server, yet I kept hearing about all the awesome things you could do with Gmail. Sites touted various features and gizmos, the ability to search easier and the quicker load times than my existing solution, Outlook. So I decided to take the plunge and go Google for a bit and see how I felt about it.

Photo Credit: flickr user murilomernardes

On February 26 I disabled Gmail's forwarding to my exchange server, and now after 1 month, I'm ready to share my impressions. Read more...

"Way back in November 2007, we location-enabled all of our Google Maps for mobile clients to bring location awareness to the masses and improve the local search experience. Using My Location, millions of you have been able to easily find yourselves on a map at the touch of a button. But what about finding other people? Lots of you have been requesting to see where your friends are on a map, too. Well now you can with Google Latitude. Latitude is a new feature of Google Maps for mobile, as well as an iGoogle gadget, that allows you to share your location with your friends and to see their approximate locations, if they choose to share them with you. You can use your Google account to sign in and easily invite friends to Latitude from your existing list of contacts or by entering their email addresses. Google Talk is integrated with Latitude, so you and your friends can update your status messages and profile photos on the go and see what everyone is up to. You can also call, SMS, IM, or email each other within the app."

Unlike previous Google Maps for mobile innovations, Google is making the new Latitude feature available to Windows Mobile users from day one. To start spying on connecting with your friends, fire up your mobile browser and grab the app from google.com/latitude. It's 100% opt-in, and you can choose just how much or how little information you want to share, and with whom.

"We're excited to announce the availability of Google Maps for mobile version 2.3 with Street View on Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile. Street View was previously released on Google Maps for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone. Street View lets you access street level imagery to help orient yourself when looking for places, businesses, or getting directions. Say you're going to meet with friends at an unfamiliar restaurant. Now you can search for it in Google Maps for mobile, click on "Street View", and see what the place and surrounding area look like. Similarly, say you need to get to a shop in a part of town you don't know. Find it using your phone, get directions to it, and see how to get there with full-screen panorama images of every step along the way."

Google Maps 2.3 has arrived, but this release is more than just a bunch of bug fixes. It includes walking directions, transit alerts, POI reviews, and Street View support, so you can take the sights of the United States, Australia, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain with you wherever you go. It's a free download from google.com/gmm.

"The smartphone landscape is changing rapidly with the arrival of the T-Mobile G1, the first phone based on Google's Android software, and the huge success of Apple's iPhone business. And if both of these take big slices of the smartphone market, that leaves less for everybody else – unless they can find a way to respond."

[Courtesy of The Guardian. Illustration by Tobias Hickey]

I was reading The Guardian this morning when I ran across this interesting Windows Mobile article, "Can Microsoft be a Mobile Hero?" There isn't anything new in the doom and gloom department that hasn't been said a million times already but it is nice to read the opinions of a person that isn't as closely tied to the Windows Mobile experience as all of us are here. It amazes me to see the Internet turn so quickly against Windows Mobile and cast it aside like an old shoe. I personally do not believe the situation is as dire as everyone else believes, but I do feel it is very important that Microsoft steps up their game and focus on usability for their next release as if their lives depended on it. I don't see Microsoft letting Windows Mobile die anytime soon, but on this current path-to-nowhere I can easily see Windows Mobile quickly becoming irrelevant.

"When Google, T-Mobile, and HTC unveiled the first smartphone running Android last month, Google's many fans were excited by the idea of a mobile phone tied to the online services they enjoy. Other were less enthusiastic, pointing out that Android is an untried operating system and the T-Mobile G1 is only going to be available from a single, relatively small wireless provider in the United States. Nevertheless, there are enough optimists that 1.5 million G1's have already been pre-ordered, sight unseen. And this number would be higher, except that T-Mobile has sold all the devices it has available to ship by October 22, the launch day."

This number doesn't surprise me at all. As a T-Mobile customer, pre-ordering this handset is a pretty big deal. It is the only handset in who knows how long where you have been able to get the subsidized price while still in contract! Usually you have to wait 11 months out of a 12 month contract or 21 months out of a 24 month contract before you can get the discounted price off a device. T-Mobile has definitely did their customers a solid here, and at the same point managed to convince up to 1.5 million people to sign up for their data plan, which I'm sure they make a killing on. Heck, even I have been considering pre-ordering a T-Mobile G1 until I can scrub up close to $700 to buy a HTC Touch from Best Buy or eXpansys!

"T-Mobile G1 manufacturer HTC plans to develop more handsets based on Android. It maintain this will not affect its Windows Mobile business - the Google platform and Microsoft's are 'complementary', it claimed. According to a report by DigiTimes, John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer at HTC, said that both systems have their merits, and so handsets based on either platform will appeal to different users."

I'm sure we can all agree that the only way this newest HTC Android enabled device is 'complementary' to Windows Mobile is due to how ugly it is and the wonders it will do for pushing users to the new Touch family of devices! All kidding aside, I have to agree with HTC on this one. Google Android and Windows Mobile are not even in the same league. Both platforms target completely different groups of consumers and where the Windows Mobile camp has been screaming at the top of their lungs for years hoping Microsoft will release a more consumer friendly version of their flagship mobile operating system, nothing has come of it at all. Even being as ugly as the T-Mobile G1 is, it will still sell a lot of handsets. This device is target to the general consumer and doesn't focus on the business aspect and because of that I can't take three steps outside of my front door without hearing someone talking about the T-Mobile G1 or having them ask me about it.

HTC will now be able to create new super sleek consumer friendly devices and at the same time, continue to cater to the enterprise and enthusiast crowd. This is the best of both worlds for HTC. Hopefully this will be a good swift kick in the posterior to make Microsoft hustle to bring us something really cool in Windows Mobile 7.

After months of teasing via product demos and leaks, Android is finally coming to a T-Mobile USA store near you in the form of the G1. At 10:30 AM (EDT), the G1 press conference will kick off in New York; be sure to tune in at that time, if you're interested in seeing what's unveiled. Can't make it? Don't worry - we'll be covering Android and the G1 from top to bottom right after the press conference.

So, just how will Android impact Windows Mobile? We'll soon find out.

T-Mobile G1 Press Conference (September 23, 2008):

• GMT -7 (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver): 7:30 AM
• GMT -5 (Chicago, Houston): 9:30 AM
• GMT -4 (New York, Washington, D.C.): 10:30 AM
• GMT +1 (London): 3:30 PM
• GMT +2 (Paris, Berlin): 4:30 PM
• GMT +4 (Moscow): 6:30 PM
• GMT +8 (Perth, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong): 10:30 PM
• GMT +9 (Tokyo): 11:30 PM
• GMT +10 (Sydney, Melbourne): 12:30 AM (September 24)
• GMT +12 (Auckland): 2:30 AM (September 24)

As I am sure all of you have heard the release of Google's open source operating system is right around the corner. As Jon posted yesterday, T-Mobile is having some weird special event pre-sale to kick off the release of the first Android device, the HTC Dream, and T-Mobile subscribers can expect to pick up this new handset for a mere $150USD. This is an amazing price for a touch screen smartphone.

As some of you have probably heard me say before, as of the last Android SDK release, the operating system felt more like a collection of stuff rather than a useable mobile platform. With the recent release of the Android SDK we can see a lot of that "hobbyist" feel that usually accompanies most things open source start to peel away from the device as Google shapes Android up to a viable iPhone killer. Read more...

"The word from Half Moon bay is that Google’s 'GPhone' cell-phones, being built by various handset makers, could be delayed from an end-of-year introduction to sometime later in the first quarter of next year, according to Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research. Among the issues causing the apparent delay are the following: Handset maker High Tech Computer (HTCKF) is 'having structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set'; HTC is 'demanding a guaranteed minimum revenue surety from Google', from which Chowdhry concludes that 'Probably HTC does not think there will be enough demand for GPhone.'"

When Google's operating system was first announced I was incredibly excited. The more competition there is, the better the products get for us consumers over time. Though after taking some time to play with Google's Developer kit every few months since it was released, I became less and less impressed with it over time. Sure it does some cool things but just like Google's Internet presence, Google's operating system feels like bits and chunks services thrown together into a big pile of Beta. This might work for the web but I cannot see this working for the average consumer. It seems as though the Powers That Be at HTC are starting to have their doubts about Google's operating system as well, but their doubts come from a different problem that I never even thought about; will there really be that much of a demand for a Google phone? What do you guys think?

"A few weeks ago we released Google Maps for mobile with Transit directions for BlackBerry and Java-based handsets. Now, with the release of version 2.2 of the application for Symbian S60 (3rd edition or later) and Windows Mobile (2005 or later), we're happy to say that Transit directions will be available to a bunch more smartphone users around the world."

Google Maps 2.2 is now available for Windows Mobile. It adds Transit directions for over 50 worldwide cities/regions, star ratings for businesses, faster search, and user-generated content. Simply point your mobile browser to google.com/gmm to download.

"As our exclusive demo videos show, the Android team have been putting in some long hours bringing the user interface up to the standard people expect. The iPhone sets the bar high, and leftfield rivals like Samsung’s TouchWiz GUI really pile on the pressure. What they’ve given us is, at first glance, a blend of the successful parts of each of those, together with a dose of Google’s own minimalist aesthetic. Hopefully you’ll agree with us, once you’ve looked through the photos and watched the video, that the design is a winner."



Android has certainly come a long way! Just check out the video above, and the rest of the eye-candy over at Android Community. There's a level of innovation here that we've not seen in the mobile industry for quite some time, and it should offer some healthy competition for Microsoft, Apple, and all the other major players.

Is there anything in the demos that's tickled your fancy? Perhaps the pattern-based unlock system or Street View with a built-in compass? Drop your thoughts in this thread.

"Thanks for all the feedback you have sent us about Google Calendar Sync. We're rolling out an update that should make it a lot more useful. Previously, your Google Calendar email address needed to be the organizer or an attendee of your Microsoft Outlook events for the Outlook events to sync to your Google Calendar. Now, when you choose to do a 2-way sync or a 1-way sync from Outlook calendar to Google Calendar, all of your Outlook events will be synced to your Google Calendar. If you haven't been auto-updated to Google Calendar Sync 0.9.3.2 and you don't want to wait for the update, you can download it here."

Google is pushing out an update to correct some bugs in their Calendar Sync. I've been too chicken to try it out yet, I'll let the suckers...err...early adopters iron out any bugs first (hehe!). My main concern is how well recurring appointments sync up between Outlook and Google Calendar. For those of you who've used Calendar Sync, do you have any good or bad feedback to share? Has anyone had their calendar wiped out or other horror stories? Or has it been smooth sailing?

"Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) today announced that following a failed attempt on February 1, 2008, to acquire Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO), it had made a second proposal to the Yahoo! Board of Directors on March 30, 2008, to acquire Yahoo! for a total equity value of approximately $49.8 billion. This proposal was formally accepted by Yahoo! on the morning of March 31, 2008. In addition, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) today announced that it had made a proposal to the Microsoft Board of Directors on March 31, 2008, to acquire Microsoft for a total equity value of approximately $270 billion, which Microsoft formally accepted on the same day. On the morning of April 1, 2008, Yahoo! made a proposal to the Google Board of Directors to acquire Google for $1. Google accepted this proposal immediately, citing it as a fair and honest deal. Together, Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! believe that these acquisitions will create a more competitive company providing superior value to shareholders and better choice and innovation for customers and partners.

On April 15, 2008, the three companies will meet officially to discuss leadership options and industry consolidation and convergence. On April 16, 2008, Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), Eric Schmidt (Google), and Jerry Yang (Yahoo!) will participate in a televised round-robin Dance Dance Revolution, SingStar, and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock contest, where the overall winner will be formally recognized as the CEO of the new company, Yahooglesoft. The remaining two participants, along with existing members of the Board of Directors from Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! will participate in a round-robin Rock-Paper-Scissors contest to establish a new Board of Directors at Yahooglesoft. The new company, Yahooglesoft, will be formally established on May 1, 2008, and be based out of the Bermuda Triangle, before shifting to Virgle City in 2108.

Members of the press are encouraged to submit questions and statements to www.yahooglesoft.com/press. A mobile-friendly version of the web site is available at m.mobile.we-just-cant-standardize-mobile-urls.yahooglesoft.mobi."



Wow. Time to contact my stockbroker.

"Win or lose, all the bidders wrapped up in the so-called Auction 73 for precious spectrum in the 700MHz band are still under tight FCC-imposed gag orders in an effort to stem any funny business, but it looks like they're at least ready to come out and dip their toes into the PR waters. Verizon, the biggest winner having claimed the big, wide Block C prize, says that it's "pleased with [its] auction results"... and that they're now better positioned to lead the way with new services and devices. Meanwhile, AT&T seems happy with its purchase, too -- but then again, it's not like any of these companies would be issuing immediate statements expressing buyer's remorse, we guess."



Verizon and AT&T both made out like bandits in the recent FCC spectrum auction. As noted above, Verizon came out on top with the coveted C Block and following behind with nothing but smiles was AT&T, which completed successful bids for the B Block. Along with AT&T's recent purchase of Aloha Partners, the largest owner of the 700MHz spectrum, AT&T can now boast that it covers over 95% of the U.S. population! The real winner of this auction though is Google. Even though Google did not come out of this auction with a pocket full of spectrum, it is safe to assume they accomplished exactly what they set out to do - force the bids high enough to ensure that the 700Mhz spectrum will be open to all devices, as well as keep over $4.6 billion dollars in the bank, and in their shareholders’ pockets.

"If you're a Windows Mobile user, browse to mobile.google.com on your device to download the plug-in and start searching faster than ever. Once you do, we think you'll find it so much faster and easier that you'll start conducting more mobile web searches than you ever had before. How do we know this? Well, when we look at the combined usage numbers for BlackBerry and Symbian versions of this plug-in, we see that users are able to get Google search results up to 40 percent faster. And, BlackBerry and Symbian users with the plug-in installed search 20 percent more than those without it."



It pleases me to see that more and more companies are showing our Windows Mobile handsets some love as of late. First we get MSN Direct, then Google Gears and now a dedicated Google Search homescreen/today screen plugin. Installing this application couldn't be easier. Just point your mobile browser to mobile.google.com and select the "Search (Download)" link to start a download of the plugin. After it is installed the program should send up a message to inform you of whether or not the plugin can work with your existing homescreen. If you are using an incompatible theme, Google Search will offer to automatically switch your theme to one that does work. Like I said, this plugin couldn't be simpler to use. Hats off to Google!

"Google's offline-enabling project Gears released a version for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices last night, and mobile web apps like online document editor Zoho Writer and money manager Buxfer have already thrown their hats into the not-always-mobile ring. It looks like documents are read-only in Zoho at this point, but, like its desktop brother, Zoho Writer Mobile will likely upgrade to full online/offline sync soon. Similarly, Buxfer lets you check account balances and see transactions, but not make any account changes. It's a nice start, however, and more mobile apps, and functionality, are likely to follow. Visit gears.google.com from your Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device to install Gears."



This seemed like an incredibly cool software package for us Windows Mobile users and I was hoping I would be able to post this article with a ton of screenshots from a few offline web applications, but unfortunately I have not been able to install the recent release of Google Gears on my Samsung Blackjack. Since this story broke, whenever I have tried to browse the Google Gears site on my handset, I am presented with this "403 Forbidden" page. Though I cannot seem to find any confirmation of my theory, I think this might only be available for Windows Mobile Professional handsets. If this is the case, I for one would be a little annoyed with Google for leaving the rest of us in the dust. Has anyone else had any luck getting Google Gears up and running on their devices?

NOTE: We received confirmation that Google Gears is in fact allowing Windows Mobile Standard users to download and use the application... Except for me. I have no idea what I did to upset the Google gods, but every site I browse to loads perfectly except for the Google Gears Page.