All posts tagged "great"
Friday, January 20, 2006
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 01:00 PM
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/findpodcasts.mspx
"Audio broadcasts, spoken word and musical, have been available on the Internet for years, but the recent combination of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and audio files have made the process much simpler. When a site has an RSS feed, it means you can subscribe to the content � if there's new content, you'll get a notification in your RSS reader (usually a software program, or a Web site). By wrapping an audio recording inside an RSS enclosure (special XML code), the RSS software knows it's audio or video content and will download it automatically to a location that you specify on your hard drive. Then, when you connect your Windows Mobile powered device, you can sync it to your device for listening or viewing. That's the basics of how it works � though it's important to note that a lot of content can be viewed or listened to inside your browser as well. In fact, since I don't have a commute to work, I tend to access content like this in "real time" rather than downloading it onto a device."
I recently wrote an article for the Windows Mobile site on finding podcast content - it's aimed mostly at Windows Mobile devices, but the core article is useful to anyone looking to get into podcast listening.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 09:00 AM
http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=2535
"For a limited time (as long as items are in stock), I'm happy to announce the PPCW.Net Shop Summer Sale, hosted by the::unwired, for the i-mate SP3i Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Smartphone which is available from now for 199,00 Euro/US$ 242.78 only (without VAT and excluding shipping)."
Wow! $243 for an i-mate SP3i - that's a great deal. If you've been thinking about getting a Smartphone, the::unwired has an awesome summer sale on. Please note that this phone is the 900/1800/1900 MHz version. You should also be aware that Expansys USA is selling the same model for $330. If you're interested you'll want to check out the PPCW.net store for full details.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 10:30 AM
http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/3976-22164-10852-4?mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]&mpvc=
I took GoToMeeting for a spin a couple of weeks ago, because I was curious about it as a solution for conference calls (and you've no doubt seen all of the banners for it on this and other sites). I'm usually in a couple of conference calls a week, and even with some of the biggest companies on the planet it's often difficult to get the right information for the call. Most companies send you an email with the info you need, but you have to figure out the time zones, enter it into your calendar, they're usually a pain to get set up, and they only involve voice - you need a separate solution to share applications or do collaborative white boarding.
GoToMeeting is different in a few ways that I thought were impressive. First, the installation of the client is completely silent - which is a bit scary in a way. When you run the install EXE it installs itself without any dialog boxes, which was surprising (this might be from it's Java heritage though). Once installed (and only the person who wants to organize the meetings needs to install it) it lives in your system tray, allowing you one-click access for setting up meetings.
It also installs hooks into Outlook and MSN Messenger, which I thought was very cool - in MSN Messenger windows there's a little tab that appears in the chat window, and with a single click you can create a meeting and invite the person into it. It's a very streamlined process that would be perfect for sharing on-screen ideas, even if you didn't call in. You could also combine this with using Skype for a low-cost conference call and collaborative session. I might use this with Fabrizio when we're talking about design changes. :-)
It's Java based, so there's no client software for the person to install and should work through most firewalls. I'm not normally a fan of Java applications because they're usually slow and the UI design is always a bit alien, but GoToMeeting looks and feels like a regular Windows application.
The Outlook hook is equally nice - it installs a small toolbar where, with a single click, you can start up a meeting and it opens up an email with the meeting details and links. You'd enter in a few email addresses and send it off, people click on the link, and as long as they have a Java VM installed, they'd be in your meeting within a few minutes. You can also schedule meetings in advance, selecting the date, time, meeting name, and even a meeting password. It then opens up an Outlook appointment and automatically populates the correct fields. Slick!
The interface of the application is excellent - it's a docked toolbar of sorts that sits on the right side of your screen. You can turn screen sharing off and on, give another person in the meeting control of your keyboard and mouse, or make another person the presenter - which means everyone in the meeting would be looking at their screen. There's a chat window which is useful for sideline comments or input from people who aren't in on the conference call, and you can send private messages to people in the call. Each meeting has a unique meeting ID, making it incredibly easy to join a meeting. That's what impressed me the most about this application - the ease-of-use and streamlined nature of setting up a meeting. They did a superb job of making it easy.
There are always ways to make things better however. One of the things I'd like to see them add though is a voice over IP (VOIP) solution for the meeting organizer in the instances where you want to present something and it's ok for the others in the meeting to use the chat feature to ask questions. In fact at one point in time I had grand visions of a huge Pocket PC Thoughts interactive chat, but when I realized GoToMeeting was aimed at a different scenario, I gave up pretty quick. If they were to add VOIP features I think this could become an even better solution.
You can &mpvc="]try out GoToMeeting for a 15 day free trial - if you're involved with conference calls and online meetings on a regular basis, especially if you're in charge of hosting them, I think you'll find GoToMeeting a useful tool.
Friday, October 8, 2004
Posted by Kris Kumar in "NEWS" @ 09:15 AM
http://www.ppcw.net/?itemid=2094
"Motorola hadn't only improved the software but also the hardware and the latest software will not work that good with the previous hardware anymore but great with the final device. Therefore my clear advice is to keep the hands off from pre-production units, doesn't matter how alluring it is. On the other hand, the final Motorola MPx220 will become a great device, even better than expected and it's worth to wait for!"
Arne Hess over at PPCW.Net is talking about his recent conversation with the Motorola folks, during which he found out the significant improvements that Motorola has made to the Smartphone prior to its commercial production. Improvements like better stand-by time and an external display that works even in bright sunlight. I wonder if picture quality was also improved, because that was one of the significant shortcomings as per the reviews based on the pre-production models. Arne is also warning folks to stay away from the pre-production/engineering samples, as the latest firmware update for the MPx220 renders them practically useless. If the above is true, then I may forgive Motorola for all the delay. ;-) What do you think?
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Posted by Mike T in "SOFTWARE" @ 07:00 AM
http://www.airfagev.com/forum_view.asp?nav=1&msg_id=50710&referer=forum%5Ftopics%2Easp%3Fcode%3Dall
"SecureInbox is a first-level security to prevent other people from reading your messages (SMS and Email) or using your phone to write SMS without your permission."
This looks like a handy little application. It works on 2002 and 2003 based devices, and best of all, it's free! :D
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