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All posts tagged "preview"


Thursday, June 5, 2008

Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Software" @ 06:08 AM

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...&DisplayLang=en

"Windows® SideShow™ for Windows Mobile® is an application for Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PCs and Smartphones that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow-compatible device. This enables you to use your phone as an extra window into your PC. You can both access your computer’s information from your Pocket PC or Smartphone, and control the computer through a gadget interface. While the phone is out of range, or when your computer is off, you can continue to view content sent to the phone previously. This makes it easy to send information to the phone that you'll need later on."



Last year, I trekked over to Beijing with fellow MVPs and other technical community leaders to meet with the Microsoft Research and Windows Vista teams. There, we discussed the direction that Windows Vista was going to take over the next few years. Microsoft obviously wanted to make the user experience better, but they wanted (needed?) ideas. While a great deal of the week-long meeting focused on the product itself, we did spend some time discussing how it could better communicate with the rest of Microsoft's products, and most importantly, take advantage of them. For the most part, it was all about Windows Mobile, and I was brimming with ideas. Can you see where this is heading?

Yes, we discussed Windows SideShow, which at the time was one of Windows Vista's most impressive features, yet sadly, one of the most underused, too. Not everyone has a digital picture frame or a laptop with an in-lid display. But a lot of us have phones, and if you're reading this, it's probably a Windows Mobile phone. I often wondered why Microsoft didn't endow its own mobile product with SideShow support right off the bat. Some third parties cooked up their own solutions, but adoption was far from widespread, and I was sincerely hoping that Microsoft would realize their oversight and rectify the situation by releasing an official solution to bring SideShow to Windows Mobile.

So, here we are, a year later and Microsoft has heeded advice and finally released a developer preview. It's at v0.01, so don't expect it to be rock solid, but it'll still give you a taste of things to come. Our pal, Arne, has given it a test run and likes what he sees. Maybe you will too. Download it, install it, and let us know what you think.


Saturday, February 17, 2007

Toshiba Slider G500 Preview and Photos

Posted by Kris Kumar in "ARTICLE" @ 09:30 PM

http://mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=3161&source=HOME

"Along with its new G900 Windows Mobile 6 device, Toshiba also announced the new G500 Windows Mobile 5 smartphone from 3GSM in Barcelona this week. This attractive 3G handset has solid features to match its solid feel, with connectivity options to please business users. Tri-band GSM and HSDPA connectivity are mated with Bluetooth and 802.11b/g WiFi, making Microsoft's Direct Push email solution quick and easy. Up to 10 days standby and 3 hours UMTS talk time will keep you going strong, and a 2.0 megapixel camera makes the G500 great for the weekends as well as for the office. The large 2.3" QVGA resolution TFT display makes usage simple, and fingerprint recognition keeps your data secure. The Toshiba G500 includes 64MB of on board memory, with miniSD memory expansion. From our hands-on with the device at 3GSM, we can tell you that the Toshiba G500 is a solid feeling handset, though the odd hinging of the soft keys makes them a little difficult to use."

User submitted image

MobileBurn.com has posted a preview, along with some nice photos, of the Toshiba slider Smartphone announced at the recent 3GSM. It looks like the official name for this Smartphone is G500. As stated earlier in the FCC post, it is running Windows Mobile 5 and is a 3G Tri-band GSM unit. Wish the specs were as good as the awesome styling. :-(


Friday, October 27, 2006

Windows Mobile "Crossbow" Preview!

Posted by Rocco Augusto in "NEWS" @ 01:07 PM

http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=60&page=2

"These days there is quite a bit of confusion between Smartphones and PDAPhones, but when Smartphones first came out at the tail end of 2002 with the Orange SPV / Qtek 1010 they were the first phones running on a Windows/WinCE platform. At the time WinCE was used mostly on PocketPCs that came all the way from the fist Windows CE 1.0 devices launched in 1997. A lot of "convergence" has happened since, with PocketPCs having had GPS and GSM/CDMA modules grafted on and Smartphones acquiring more power and the higher resolution screens of the PocketPCs. Today, the main differences are the touchscreen that remains a PDA exclusive and a more limited number of applications running on Smartphones, notably Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and GPS related."

User submitted image

This screenshot is a thing of beauty! I honestly was starting to wonder if we would ever see Office Mobile and Voice Command make their presence felt on the Smartphone. It appears that the powers that be inside of Microsoft have heard our cries and for that I am grateful. The good news is that Crossbow will be released to manufacturers at the end of this year so we should start to see new devices with the Crossbow platform around the second half of 2007! :D


Thursday, April 27, 2006

ActiveSync 4.2 Beta Preview

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SOFTWARE" @ 08:15 PM

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync42.mspx

"ActiveSync 4.2 Beta Preview is an early look at the latest sync software release for Windows Mobile devices. Microsoft ActiveSync provides a great synchronization experience with Windows powered PCs and Microsoft Outlook right out of the box. ActiveSync acts as the gateway between your Windows powered PC and Windows Mobile powered device, enabling the transfer of Outlook information, Office documents, pictures, music, videos and applications from your desktop to your device. In addition to synchronizing with a desktop PC, ActiveSync can synchronize directly with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 so that you can keep your e-mail, Calendar, Notes, and Contacts updated wirelessly when you�re away from your PC."

Another update, and a beta no less, to the incredible ActiveSync. There seems to be no information, as with previous updates, as to what has changed or been fixed. Just install and enjoy the act of discovery! Any takers?


Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Moto Q Preview on CNET.com

Posted by Kris Kumar in "ARTICLE" @ 05:00 AM

http://reviews.cnet.com/Motorola_Q/4505-6454_7-31473357-2.html?tag=tab

"One of the most highly anticipated smart phones on the horizon, the Motorola Q hopes to merge form with function in a supercompact and stylish design. Set for release in early 2006, the Motorola Q is some ways off from seeing the light of day. That said, based on the initial information we've received, we're excited about this product. Described as razor thin at 0.45 inches, a direct reference to Motorola's popular Razr V3, the Motorola Q will be one of the first smart phones to ship with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. Since Windows Mobile 5.0 comes with support for Exchange 2003, Outlook information can be pushed to mobile products, which means the device is poised to take the smart-phone world by storm."

User submitted image

CNET.com has posted a review, well a preview of the Motorola Q. It seems like once again the main stream media has written up a review or a preview based on the press release information. :roll: Hopefully they will be posting the hands-on review soon. Though the article does not present any new information, I am sure everyone will appreciate the way in which they have summarized the upside, the downside and the outlook.

Tags: preview, moto, cnetcom

Saturday, April 2, 2005

Opera 7.60 Browser Technical Preview 3

Posted by Kris Kumar in "SOFTWARE" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.opera.com/winmobile/changelogs/760tp3/?session=

The most awaited browser for the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform has now entered the Technical Preview 3 stage. I have read lots of good feedback from our readers for this browser. And this time I intend to give this browser some serious trial. :-) This updated beta release expires on June 30, 2005 and supports only Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003 devices.

User submitted image

Please share your experience and let us know what you like the most about this browser.
Changes since Technical Preview 2:
� Fixed encoding problems.
� Keypad shortcut 5 now consistently toggles between loading all or no images.
� Added notification when changing image mode.
� Opera can now be stopped and restarted from the task manager.
� Improved spatial navigation in normal screen rendering.
� Fixed memory leaks.
� Various stability fixes.
� Improvements to memory usage.
� Various rendering fixes.

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  • Source: PPCW.Net


Thursday, December 23, 2004

Opera for Smartphone Now Available in 2nd Technical Preview

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SOFTWARE" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.opera.com/download/mobile/?man=Windows+Mobile

"A couple of weeks ago, Norwegian browser developer Opera Software released the first, pretty limited, technical preview of Opera browser for Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003. Today Opera today released the second technical preview of its Opera browser for Windows Mobile. Smartphone 2003 users can now enjoy the benefits of a faster and better Internet experience from their mobile phones. This development supports operators' need for choice in OS distribution, meeting their customers' demands for an exceptional full Web browser on their mobile phones."

User submitted image

I've been playing with this for a couple hours now and I really like it. Using the short cuts takes some getting used to but I think this is a real alternative to what comes with Smartphones.

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  • Discuss [15 replies]
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  • Source: PPCW.Net


Thursday, October 14, 2004

Opera Releases Technical Preview Of Their New Windows Mobile Browser

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:00 AM

http://my.opera.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69630

It wasn't that long ago that we told you about Opera's decision to release a Windows Mobile version of their popular browser. Opera has just made the technical preview (beta) version of this browser available for download. So if you're interested in testing this out, or just want to give something new a try, head on over and download it.

And now for the standard "mother" speech: This is a pre-release version. It could potentially cause serious problems for your device and may ultimately force you to hard reset. You should only install beta software if you are an experienced beta-tester. Oh, and make sure you backup your device first!

Now get out of here and go download your software. :wink:


Friday, July 2, 2004

MSN Releases Preview Of New Search Engine

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 04:00 AM

http://features.engadget.com/entry/9423298118686276/

Microsoft has released a preview or beta version of their new search engine which is aimed directly at taking some steam out of Google's whistle. It's a scaled down interface, with-out the advertisements, and mobile device friendly. Or is it?

Engadget tested the new search using a Pocket PC, so I felt it was only right to test it out on my Smartphone. :D The search home page is pretty straight forward.

User submitted image

The results, however, are a little disappointing. My simple search returned 2 pages of 15 items. That's no big deal. The problem is that the result pages scroll horizontally. This is a big no-no for any mobile HTML page. I dislike it when it happens on my desktop, let alone my Smartphone. When the page loads, the screen is already off center, I have already scrolled the page left before taking this screen capture.

User submitted image

The search results seem fine. I'm disappointed that Microsoft failed to take the Smartphone into account when they built these pages. It is an early release, so there is an off chance that this will change, but I wouldn't count on it.


Wednesday, April 21, 2004

OneNote 2003 SP1 Preview

Posted by David McNamee in "SOFTWARE" @ 04:00 AM

http://www.microsoft.com/office/onenote/prodinfo/sp1/guide.mspx

If you've got a Tablet PC, you're probably already familiar with OneNote. It is an application that I use nearly every day of the week. Microsoft is updating the product with features that largely come from user feedback. Among these new features is support for importing handwritten or recorded notes from the Pocket PC and Smartphone:

"OneNote incorporates all the content collected in the Pocket PC Notes application, including handwritten text, typed text, text converted from handwritten to typed text and hand-drawn diagrams. OneNote converts Pocket PC ink to OneNote digital ink that can be searched or converted on a Tablet PC. Audio recordings created using the Record button on a Pocket PC or Smartphone can be copied to individual pages in a special section in OneNote (called Copied Pocket PC Notes) for easy playback on your PC."

I can't wait to try this out!

Tags: preview, 2003, onenote

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Power Calendar Preview

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:00 PM

http://www.mpx200.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article

"As I see it, there were two major things missing from the SmartPhone
operating system as it comes on the phone, a good e-book reader (preferably Palm
Reader) and a powerful calendar application. I would go as far as to say
that all Windows CE devices have had weak calendar applications. Every
device I have had so far, I have always used a PIM replacement program. For SmartPhone, there has not been any options yet, but just around the corner you will be able to get Power Calendar by Developer One and guess what, as the name suggests, this program will give your calendar some power for a change."

User submitted image

Sean Murphy from Mobile Gadget News (formerly MPx200.org) has written up a nice sneak preview of the upcoming Power Calendar release from DeveloperOne. If you find the current calendar application is lacking a little, you should check this out to see what's coming from DeveloperOne really soon.


Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Connected Bits Weather Preview R1

Posted by Jason Dunn in "SOFTWARE" @ 12:18 PM

http://www.smartphone.net/smartphonethoughts/software_detail.asp?id=256

This is easily the nicest-looking weather application I've ever seen on any platform, so if you're in the US and have a Smartphone, download this now - it's free! I'd pay for a version that worked in Canada though. :?

User submitted image


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