Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

HTC isn't the only one showing off new devices today. LG has its own pair, too. The Eigen (GM730), pictured above, runs Windows Mobile 6.1.4 Professional and packs an MSM7201a 528MHz processor, 128MB RAM, and 256MB ROM. There's also quad-band GPRS/EDGE and UMTS connectivity, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, a G-sensor, an FM radio, a 5.0-megapixel camera, a microSDHC slot, and a 240 x 400 (WQVGA) touch screen to seal the deal. It's definitely not as impressive the Touch Diamond2 or Touch Pro2, but it's not too shabby, either.

Jump the break for more shots of the Eigen (GM730), as well as a look at the HQ.

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"Microsoft has built Windows Update into the OS and nobody uses it, and everybody blames everybody else for the fact that today, we still can't keep our devices up to date without tethering with a PC... While the people who supply us our devices decide who takes responsibility for deploying our updates, and as scores of users take to trying 'Cooked ROMs' to get the features they want, why not develop an OTA (Over The Air) update method of our own? It sure is possible using the work already done by others on custom bootloaders, and the work i've already done with AppToDate."



I was incredibly excited when Windows Update was announced for the Windows Mobile platform. Logic fooled me into thinking that if Windows Update was being included with our new devices then Microsoft most have cooked up a plan to issue us system updates without the need to flash our devices - and risk something going wrong and bricking our handsets - or even distribute updates to software packages like Office Mobile or Live Search Mobile. Unfortunately at this moment in time I cannot think of anything that was distributed via Windows Update at all. This is why I love the idea behind AppToDate. The whole concept behind this application is so simplistic and beautiful that I am completely baffled as to why a system such as this is not included with our handsets!

As the video above shows it is perfectly within our grasps to issue complete system upgrades over the air without the need to connect our devices to our computers. Personally I would never feel comfortable upgrading a device in such a way, but it can be done! Read more...

"The latest Windows Mobile upgrade brings minor, but very welcome additions to the platform. In this article, we'll cover both the Standard (non-touchscreen) and Professional (touchscreen) editions and show you what's to love about the Windows Mobile 6.1 update. Now, you'll notice this is not a full version upgrade, but just a ".1" upgrade so you know you can't expect a full overhaul. It really feels like just a quick update intended to fill in a couple of gaps between the Windows Mobile and Apple iPhone functionality. You'll notice some similarities between the Standard and Professional operating systems (such as the Internet Explorer and Text Messaging updates), but you'll also notice some odd differences. Read on for our thorough rundown of the next version of Windows Mobile to hit your phone!"


[Windows Mobile 6.1 in the flesh! From left to right - Standard and Professional]

Pocketnow.com has brought us a quick review of Windows Mobile 6.1. This review contains a ton of screenshots and two videos of WM 6.1 in action on both the Standard and Professional handsets! All in all, I'm really excited to get my hands on either a device that is equipped with this new update or a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM image for my Emulator. Oh man, good times! You guys have no idea how relieved I am that this didn't turn out to be a huge April fool’s joke from Microsoft!

You can see the videos (I promise it isn't another Rick Roll) for the Standard platform here and the Professional platform here. Enjoy!

One of my favorite things about my Windows Mobile device is Voice Command. I tend to prefer devices with larger screens and slide-out keyboards, but that makes dialing numbers a bit of a hassle, and impossible with one hand. Voice Command lets me get around that by just saying "Call Jim Smith on mobile." The problem is, if I say "Call Jim Smith at work" and his work number involves an extension, then unless you have the phone number configured correctly, you'll have to reach down and tap out the extension.

Fortunately, Windows Mobile has a built in solution, but it is quite well hidden and as far as I can tell, undocumented in the help system on the device. If you save a phone number from your call history, there is a menu on the lower left that says Pause, Wait and Cancel. Honestly, I am not sure what the difference between Pause and Wait is, other than one inserts a "p" and the other inserts a "w" after the phone number. I just use the "p" setting that seems to give a 2-3 second pause before continuing. So, if you enter a number as +1 (555) 888-0000p103, about 3 seconds after the number is dialed, your phone will dial 103, which is perfect for dialing extensions, especially with Voice Command. Note you don't need to be in the screen shown above to make this edit. You can use your on-screen keyboard or keypad. I only show that screen because this is where I found the feature. It looks very similar in the WM Standard screen. Read more...

"Electric Pocket, developer of mobile media and media applications for Smartphones, today introduces FindMe for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices. FindMe enables users, their friends, family and colleagues to share their current locations automatically and securely through their BlackBerry or Windows Mobile Smartphones without needing GPS. FindMe offers the opportunity to “tag” commonly visited locations, such as home, office, soccer field or favorite bars and restaurants, and post those locations on their Facebook profiles."



This is probably one of the coolest applications I have seen come out in a while. There really isn't much to say on it as the program itself is pretty basic. In a nutshell, what you do is install a tiny application on your Windows Mobile device. This application grabs information about the cell tower that you are connected to and allows you to assign a tag to that location. Then the application uploads your current location to Facebook which in turn allows all of your friends to see where you are. The only downside of this application that I can see is it will make a bit harder to hide from those individuals that you do not want to hang out with.

If you're a Facebook user then I recommend giving FindMe a download to play around with this simple, yet fun, program.

We have just received word that NormSoft, Inc, a leading supplier of software for smartphones is looking for Beta testers for an upcoming Windows Mobile release. Their are a few rules to being a Beta tester which I have outlined below:

1. You must be willing to sign an non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
2. You have to own a Windows Mobile 5 or Windows Mobile 6 handset. (Professional or Standard)
3. You must be willing to provide feedback on your experiences via email with NormSoft

If you are interested in signing up to become a Beta tester, please email the following information to NormSoft, Inc at .

Required Information:

• Name
• Email Address
• Which device(s) you are using
• What is the Windows Mobile Operating System of your device(s)

"A professional protocol client, designed for network system administrators, end users and web designers, working with Unix/Linux/BSD systems. This new, operating system independent version comes with extended functionalities, including smart phone support, ability to save, restore and edit sessions, virtual scrolling screen with adjustable size, floating keyboard, different font sizes, support of all possible display sizes and orientation, any many more. ZaTelnet Professional is a Telnet / SSH / SSH1 / SSH2 client for devices supporting Microsoft Compact Framework 1.0 or 2.0. It also emulates terminal VT100 (basically enough for working with Midnight Commander and others console programs). ZaTelnet Professional supports SSH2 authorization both by "plain password" and "keyboard interactive". The latter mode can be useful in using RSA SecurID tokens."



If you are looking for this kind of capability on your Smartphone then zaTelnet is the software you should check out. This software has been updated and according to the developer the Professional version boasts a handful of improvements that make remote administration using Windows Mobile devices simpler and more efficient, check out the details on the Web site.

"I never thought I'd write this, but our "Freeware of the Moment" is Windows Vista Business and Office Professional 2007. Really! You'll have to sit through three Microsoft webcasts or virtual labs on the products, but that's a small price to pay considering you'll actually learn about the software features. There are some relatively minor restrictions, however this is an offer you just can't refuse. These packages can cost you upwards of $300 or more out-of-pocket, so I'd consider this time well spent."



Now you can't say anymore Microsoft never gave you anything! It might be worth the price of admission so if you are interested, go check it out.

"Pocket Controller-Professional allows users to bring up their device screen on their desktop computer in a high-resolution skin that matches their device. Users can enter data, transfer files, synchronize files/folders, check system status, run macros, manage running tasks, and much more, all from their desktop PC."



The folks over at SOTI have updated the Pocket Controller Professional software. The update includes some minor improvements, fixes and the device agent is now Microsoft M2M certified. However, the update it seems does not include an updated animated graphic for the product information page; as you can see it still shows the MPx200. ;-) So if you were having a problem with your current version or haven't upgraded to the 5.xx version, then I would recommend taking a look at this update. For the current owners of the 5.xx version, this is a free upgrade.

Microsoft has just released a preliminary outline of what will become Exam 70-540 - Windows Mobile 5.0 Application Development. Currently the outline indicates that this exam is going to focus on .NET Compact Framework Foundation, User-Interface, integrating and managing data using ADO.Net, XML, File System, and SQL Mobile, Interoperability and Platform-Specific Features, as well as Optimize, Package, and Deployment. If you're already a Microsoft Certified Professional or you are working towards your certification, you might want to add this exam to your list. :)

In celebration of MEDC, this weeks Gigantic Giveaway Event item is Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. If you're not a developer or you have no interest in developing, then this is not the prize for you. ;) We've got one copy to giveaway and to win it all you need to do is reply to this thread and let us know why you should win this prize. :) You have until 11:59pm (PST) on Monday May 15th to enter. Winners will be randomly selected from the responses and announced on the following Wednesday.



"Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition is a comprehensive, high productivity professional development environment (for devs working alone or in small teams) for building high performance, multi-tier applications for Windows, the Web, and mobile devices. With Visual Studio 2005, professional developers can:

� Create multi-tier Windows, Web, SmartPhone, and Pocket PC based applications
� Integrated Visual Database Tools for designing databases, tables, stored procedures, and more
� Integrated database report designer and viewer
� Design, debug, and deploy multi-tier applications
� Integrated XSLT debugging"

Ilium Software is offering you a chance to save $6.00 off the cost or eWallet Professional between now and May 8th. Just use the coupon code: DC2X278 while you are checking out at the Ilium store and they will knock 20% off the price. It looks like the code is good for any platform - Smartphone, Pocket PC, or even <gasp> Palm. In my opinion, it's a great program, well worth the original price. 8)

Microsoft has released the video recordings of the PDC 2005 presentations. Microsoft had earlier released the presentation slides. Now you can watch the presenters walk you through demonstrations and listen to their comments. I believe that this is the first time that Microsoft has made the conference presentations available for free, instead of the conference DVDs, which you had to buy. :-)



Following is the list of Windows Mobile related presentations.

� Putting a Conference In Your Pocket: By Marcus Perryman
� .NET Compact Framework 2.0: Optimizing for Performance: By Roman Batoukov � Extending Virtual Earth for Windows Mobile Devices: By Steve Lombardi
� Windows Mobile: New Emulation Technology for Building Mobile Applications with Visual Studio 2005: By Amit Chopra and Barry Bonds
� How Microsoft Gathers Expense Reports on Windows Mobile Devices: by Mark Brown
� 10 Tips for Extending Your System to Windows Mobile Devices: By Andy Sjostrom from the:unwired

The complete set of presentations can be downloaded from here.

One day, one item. That's the wonder of Woot. Today's item is the Voq Professional phone for $159.99. Who would have thought a Smartphone would make it to Woot? And not just any Smartphone, we're talking the only Smartphone with a built-in fold-out keyboard. Yeah, sure it lacks Bluetooth and a camera, but if you're looking to get a cheap entry level Smartphone, the Voq has your name all over it. :) Woot usually has the best price in town, but this time they've been beat out by Expansys who has been selling off their Voqs for a month or so at $3.05 less. For more information on the Expansys deal, check out this post we made from late last month. :)

"Sierra Wireless, Inc. has announced plans to exit its Voq Professional Phone initiative and that it is shifting some Voq resources to its core PC Card and Embedded Modules business. "These actions are designed to focus the company on the core areas of our business where we have extensive experience and a well established market position. We believe that both the PC Card and Embedded Module markets represent significant growth opportunities with the highest potential returns in our portfolio. Our goal is to ensure that we have a strong, sustainable leadership position in these areas," said David Sutcliffe, President and CEO of Sierra Wireless. "We have enjoyed limited success to date on the Voq Professional Phone and have concluded that continuing to proceed with Voq is no longer the best use of our resources, given our other opportunities. We will now seek the most effective exit, whether by divestiture or by termination of the initiative."



This is too bad. :( Sierra had a really good product, as anyone that has used the Voq will tell you. Overall it was a great phone with a solid feel to it. All they really needed to do was add support for Bluetooth, and drop the size a little, which could easily be added in version 2. I, for one, am sorry to see them go, there was so much potential in that phone. :(

You can read more of the press release on Sierra's website.

"Though larger than other Windows Mobile Smartphones, the Voq is still significantly smaller than Pocket PC phones and features a phone-centric design that beats holding a Pocket PC phone to your head. The Voq comes in two flavors: the A11 for the North American market which we received for review, and the A10 triband world phone. The A11 supports the GSM 850/1800/1900MHz bands (850 and 1900 are used in the US, 1800MHz is used primarily in Asia and somewhat in Europe) and the A10 supports the 900/1800/1900MHz bands (900MHz is pervasive in Europe). Other than band support, the two models are identical. The Voq is sold unlocked by various electronics, handheld and computer vendors and isn't offered by US carriers. That means you can buy the phone for use with any GSM carrier and will not have to start a new contract to obtain the phone. Sierra Wireless tells us that Voq is pronounced "voke", reminiscent of the word invoke."



Ah, the Voq... Everyone's favorite Smartphone to hate. :lol: All things considered, it's not a bad phone. Size is the worst part of the Voq. If they could trim it down a little, I'm sure they would have more success. A little Bluetooth tossed in wouldn't hurt either. :wink:

It looks like the Voq rumour Jason posted about last week is true. So if you're in Canada this is about your only choice, right now. You can pickup the Voq at Cellcom Wireless and Uptown Communication House, however there will not be any carrier subsidies offered.

"Sierra Wireless today announced that the Voq Professional Phone(TM), a tri-band Smartphone developed by Sierra Wireless, is now available in Canada for use on GSM/GPRS networks. Canadian customers can purchase the Voq Professional Phone and Rogers Wireless airtime bundles through Cellcom Wireless and Uptown Communication House, Inc. The Voq Professional Phone offers the best features of a mobile phone, a messaging device and a PDA (personal digital assistant). Designed for mobile professionals, the Voq Professional Phone features a unique, flip-open QWERTY thumbpad for quick text entry and easy-to-use software solutions, including VoqMail(TM), a secure, "Always There"(TM) e-mail application that requires no additional enterprise server or desktop redirector software to purchase, install and maintain. The unique, easy, and powerful myVoq(TM) software enables predictive search, storage, and sending of information."

"Sierra Wireless and USA.NET today announced that the Voq Professional Phone(TM) is now available from USA.NET through an initiative to offer an end-to-end voice, data, and email solution to mobile professionals. The Voq Professional Phone, a Windows Mobile-based Smartphone designed for mobile professionals, is available from USA.NET for $299, when bundled with a voice and data service plan from AT&T Wireless and a hosted Microsoft Exchange 2003 or POP3 eMessaging service plan from USA.NET."

Wireless connectivity is all the rage. The Voq is a very nice handset, especially with that fold out keyboard. I'm sure that Voq users will benefit from the automatic synchronization features offered by USA.NET.

"This is a review of the Voq Professional Accessory Kit. I purchased the kit from MobilePlanet, however, there are a number of vendors that carry the kit. The Professional Accessory Kit contains the following warranty-approved Voq Professional Phone accessories: Leather Carry Case, Stereo Headset, Desktop Cradle, Car Lighter Adapter, AC Adapter, AC Adapter Clips..."



If you're a Voq Smartphone user and are interested in the accessories kit [Affiliate] that you can get for the phone, check out this review.

"Sierra Wireless today announced that the Voq Professional Phone�, a Microsoft Windows Mobile-based Smartphone developed by Sierra Wireless, is now commercially available across Europe through key distribution partners."



In case you haven't heard; the Voq is a unique phone that offers a fold-out QWERTY keyboard, and is now available in Europe. :)