Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Product Category: Windows Phone running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard

Manufacturer: HTC / T-Mobile

Where to Buy: T-Mobile

Price: $349 (No Contract) / $199 (2 year Contract)

Requirements: Need to speak to others, desire to be connected to information.

Specifications: QUALCOMM 528 MHz, Quadband GSM, Dualband UMTS (Supports T-Mobile USA 3G), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 2 MP Camera, GPS.

Pros:

• 3G Data Connection (In T-Mobile 3G Markets);
• GPS Capabilities;
• Speedier than the original!

Cons:

• Imprecise Trackball;
• Button arrangement will confuse Dash devotees;
• No real incentive to upgrade if you aren't in a 3G market or don't need GPS.

Summary: The original T-Mobile Dash was a great little device that only started to feel dated recently. With 3G rolling out farther, GPS being standard, and 1 MP being woefully bad for a camera phone, the Dash 3G sets out to update its older brother into 2009. But is it worth the price to upgrade?

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"In the hand, the Snap feels almost illicitly good. In an age where everybody else (including, er, HTC) is going with glossy and shiny, the Snap is unabashedly covered in the best "soft touch finish" I've ever laid hands on. The thing is grippable and the best way I can explain the feel is that it's a very good mix of organic curves and hard lines. I also adore the color, which has just enough brown notes to be interesting without falling into Zune territory."

The new HTC handset looks downright incredible. At first I did not think the rendering of the device, with the giant overlapping round buttons, would translate well into the real world. From the looks of the video WMExperts managed to snag of this handset I see this fear was a little premature as the big thumb friendly design is not only pleasing to the eyes but looks really fun to use. I've been out shopping for a new phone as of late and now I am almost 100% positive that I will hold out to buy this bad boy when it is finally available.

Samsung's latest release is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard device known as the Valencia. It sports an ST Micro 8810 393MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 128MB ROM, tri-band GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a 320 x 240 (QVGA) display, and a microSD slot.

Yes, we know what you're thinking. It's a little dull, huh? If you love the best of the best in your devices, you'll find none of that in the Valencia. Everything about Samsung's latest release has entry-level written all over it. We can only hope that the price tag backs it up. More images after the break.

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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...

"It's a race to get rid of all your cards. Just like the best selling UNO® card game, UNO® is easy to pick up, yet impossible to put down. When you have one card left don't forget to shout 'UNO®™!'"



UNO is probably my most favorite card game of all time. I know this game has probably been out for a while now, except no one told us about it! So I'm telling all of you about it!

Now you can have UNO in your pocket to play whenever you're on the go! This version of UNO works on all Windows Mobile Standard handsets, from Windows Mobile 2002 all the up to Windows Mobile 6.1. You can purchase UNO from our affiliate store for $19.99

"Yesterday offered up a sneak-peek at the next version of Internet Explorer Mobile and today brings a look a the Windows Mobile 6.1 Home Screen. Actually, if you caught our video demo of the MSN Direct service for WinMo, this will look familiar. The same tiled approach applies to the new Home screen: there are panels for each category and you can scroll left and right for data in each category. It's probably easier to understand with the above video from the Windows Experience blog, but I like what I see so far: quick and easy access to the information you need the most."


[Video: Demo: Windows Mobile 6.1 Home Screen]


Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun has brought us another cool video of the Windows Mobile 6.1 homescreen in action on a Samsung Blackjack II. The video is short, but still pretty cool and the camera quality is really good as well. If you haven't had a chance to play with the Windows Mobile 6.1 emulator and are dying to see what the new homescreen looks like in action, now is your chance!

"Running short of time to reshape your body? No problem. Fat Flush On the Go – adapted from the bestselling The Fat Flush Plan by hottest diet contender – Ann Louise Gittleman is now on your mobiles. Experience accelerated weight loss and weight control while managing hormones and bringing out your most radiant looks! It uncovers and corrects the five hidden factors that sabotage weight loss and vitality: liver health, food sensitivities and resulting waterlogged tissues, fear of eating fat, excess insulin/excess inflammation and stress. Fat Flush On the Go addresses these problems with a targeted diet and exercises."



There really isn't much to say about this program other than it makes me laugh to think about it. If you happen to be searching for a nice application to help you get fit and healthy, you might want to try Fat Flush on The Go. You can purchase this application from our affiliate store for a mere $9.95

"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...

"Featuring an innovative dual slide/double-keyboard design, the Pantech Duo smartphone is as comfortable dealing with 9 to 5 business as it is with keeping up with your 24-hour-a-day communication needs. Powered by the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, it includes Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts. In addition to its quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, it also runs on AT&T's 3G HSDPA/UMTS network for fast Internet browsing, high-speed music downloads, video streaming/casting. The ultimate all-in-one device, it also features a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity with stereo music streaming, and MicroSD memory expansion."



Here is a little beginning of the week pick-me-up for you guys! Yep, you read the title right. Right now you can head over to Amazon.com and pick up a Pantech C810 Duo Windows Mobile Standard handset for one penny. To qualify for this fantastic deal, all you do need to do is sign up for a new two year service agreement with AT&T or upgrade your current contract with AT&T through Amazon's storefront. That's an incredible deal, right? Well, it gets better! On top of that, Amazon is also offering an additional $50USD off via a mail-in rebate. So after all is said and done, they will pay you $49.99 to purchase this device! Now thats what I call a bargain! To take part in this awesome deal, head on over to Amazon.com [affiliate] and pick up your nifty Pantech Duo today!

"Since its inception, the Motorola Q has been successful. Versions of the popular slim handheld—originally billed as the "RAZR smartphone" at just 0.4 inches thick—can now be found on three carriers, with the device available in both CDMA and GSM versions. When Motorola revamped the Q, Verizon saw the new model first and branded it the Q9m. AT&T followed with its upgraded version, the Q9h, which bested the Verizon model with its excellent software bundle. Now Sprint finally has a new Q, and I'm pleased to report that the Q9c is a highly capable, inexpensive ($99.99 with a two-year contract, after a $100 mail-in rebate) smartphone, even if a few flaws hold it back from true greatness."



PC Magazine has reviewed Sprints Motorola Q9c handset. Though I'm sure Jerry probably cringed as much as I did at the sheer mentioning of the RAZR, this is still a good read! If you are a Sprint user who is looking for an inexpensive and sleek looking Windows Mobile Standard device, than head on down to your local Sprint-Nextel shop to pick up this bad boy!

"Although we briefly mentioned Silverlight for Windows Mobile a couple days ago, we added the fact that it would be arriving this Spring (specifically, “Q2”). Want more proof? Check out these Demo videos of Silverlight's UI abilities. They're pretty low-rent looking, but what's engaging is that it appears that Silverlight developers will be able to take advantage of them without much complex coding."


Video: Silverlight Mobile Demo - MIX

This is not the greatest demo in the world, but it is nice to see that the Silverlight platform is starting to mature into something that is usable, especially on the mobile front. Now if only Microsoft would stop teasing us with news and video demos and give us the actual software to play with. I for one am excited by the notion of creating fancy rich media applications!

"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)

"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.

"Motorola has issued a new firmware update for the Motorola Q9m. The update is not detected by the standard version of Motorola Software Update. Users must go to the MSU web site (Motorola Software Update), and select the Verizon Q9m from the list of available phones. A special version of MSU for the Q9m will download and install. The Q9m update upgrades the Windows Mobile 6 version from AKU 0.2 (which shipped initially) to AKU 0.6. The updated radio firmware version stands at 03.20.29P."


[Photo courtesy of PhoneNews.com]

There really wasn't much said on this upgrade besides the Motorola Q9m being upgraded from Windows Mobile 6 AKU 0.2 to AKU 0.6. If any of our users do own this handset and happened to apply the firmware update, let us know. I would love to hear if this software update is anything worth taking the time to reinstall of your handsets software and reconfigure all of your email accounts.

"First impressions aren't always the best. When I first received the Pantech Duo, the small, plasticy device looked too. . . plasticy and I thought the worst. The lowly 1.3 megapixel camera, old-timey Bluetooth 1.2 and lack of GPS, a suddenly standard high-end amenity in AT&T smartphones, didn't help. In this country, Pantech mostly makes petite low end phones, and that also didn't help. But they did design the Helio Ocean, a dual-slider phone that's wow-d everyone (even us). Happily, the Duo owes more to the Ocean than phones like the C3 and C120 in terms of features and clever design. There's a hint of C3 only in the Duo's diminutive pre sense: this is one tiny Windows Mobile smartphone!"



MobileTechReview brings us another review, this time of the low-end-but-stylish Pantech Duo. I'll be honest with you guys, while I loved the idea of a dual slider phone, I myself just didn't trust it for the simple fact that it was created by Pantech. During my tenure on the cellular chain-gang I saw more than a few Pantech handsets make their way back to our stores due to poor build quality of the devices, usually followed by a very unhappy customer. After reading Lisa Gade's review though, this appears to not be the case. With its beefy processer, tiny form factor, and super attractive price - I for one feel a little bad for just overlooking it. I guess you should never judge a phone by its carrying case, huh? ;)

"The slim, affordable Samsung BlackJack was one of AT&T's big hits in the smartphone space last year. So what's next? The BlackJack II with a variety of tweaks, updates and additions just in time for the Christmas 2007 holiday season. The form factor is identical, and that's a good thing since the BlackJack felt great in the hand and in the pocket. New is the gloss black finish which isn't a good thing: it shows fingerprints like crazy and is so slippery we felt like we were trying to hold onto a bar of soap in the tub. Everyone loved the soft touch, grippy finish on the BlackJack and we can only guess that this was a cosmetic move to make the phone look more high class and err... sexy?"



MobileTechReview has put up a great review of the Samsung Blackjack II. For those that are unfamiliar with this device, it is the update to Samsung and AT&T's breakout Smartphone of 2006-2007. This bad boy comes equipped with Windows Mobile 6 Standard, HSDPA radio, 2MP camera, larger screen, GPS, and a improved upon QWERTY keyboard. If I didn't already own a Motorola Q9h Global, I would definitely be all over this device. Also, in time for Valentines� day, you can pick up a sleek and sexy red Samsung Blackjack II from your local AT&T store for a mere $99USD (most likely after mail-in-rebates). All in all, this device is a welcome edition to the Samsung Blackjack family and if you're in the market for a new device, you might want to give this device a look.

"Through an intuitive user interface, take the basics of the conversation in a foreign language everywhere you go and speak in the most common situations."



Help 2 Speak is now available as a free download for Windows Mobile Standard devices. With an easy to use intuitive interface, support for 5 of the worlds most common languages as well as a slew of phrases to choose from up to 9 different categories makes this application a must have for any Windows Mobile user! I mean, come on, it's free and handy! What are you waiting for? Go download it!