Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Friday, June 29, 2007

God Bless the i(Pod)Phone for Making AT&T Boost their EDGE Network Speed

Posted by Kris Kumar in "NEWS" @ 11:40 PM

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cutting-edge/att-edge-speeds-on-steroids-273470.php

Steve Jobs must have gotten really angry when he tried his soon to be revolutionary mobile gadget for the very first time on AT&T's EDGE network. That would explain why the AT&T executives scrambled to get the EDGE data network performance up from the dismal 45Kbits/sec. I tried the DSLReports a few times on my Dash, and put together the above animated image that shows the results ranging from 66Kbits/sec to 165Kbits/sec. I am easily averaging speed over 100Kbits/sec and even saw a high of 175Kbits/sec. I know it is not as stunning as the latest speed boost that the Verizon EV-DO customers got, but still for us EDGE users it is a big improvement. Who would have thought that Windows Mobile users will also benefit from the launch of a competitor's phone; thank you Apple. The one thing that bugs me is that how come AT&T didn't perform the upgrades a lot sooner, aren't BlackBerry, Treo and Windows Mobile data users worthy of speeds over 100Kbits/sec? :evil: Anyway, lets enjoy the speed boost. Please do share with us the speed that you are getting using the test site over here, and also your location.

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Tags: edge, at&t, network, speed, their, making, boost, bless, i(pod)phone

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Good Announces Version 5 of Their Mobile Messaging Suite

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 08:30 AM

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200000615

"Good Mobile Messaging 5.0, is a best-of-both-worlds tool that "gives IT everything they could ever want" in terms of centrally controlling any policy over remote devices, while "not impairing users' ability to get stuff done on the smartphone." To a large degree that means managing applications. The new software allows IT departments to require all devices to use mandatory applications, such as virus-protection software, and to ban the launch of blacklisted applications not meeting company guidelines. Good 5 also allows advanced password and encryption management and the temporary lockdown of possibly compromised devices -- rather than a complete shutdown and erase requiring the full reinstalling of software if the device is recovered."

User submitted image

Good has stepped things up a notch with their latest release, providing IT departments with more tools to manage the ever increasing mobile work force. I've never used Good Messaging - I did use the Good MP3 player for the Handspring Visor, but that was a long time ago, before Good found their true calling. ;) Anyone here use Good? How do you like it compared to Microsoft's Direct Push?

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Tags: mobile, messaging, suite, announces, version, their, good

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

SPB Looking for Beta Testers of Their Smartphone Products

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SOFTWARE" @ 10:00 AM

http://spbclub.com/smartphone_signup.php

"One of the Spb's highest priorities for the next months is to release Windows Mobile Smartphone versions of our most popular Pocket PC products. We have already released several Smartphone versions of our programs and others are at different stages of development."

User submitted image

If you can't get enough of beta testing Vista everyday here is your chance to do even more testing! SPB is sending out the call for beta testing its Smartphone applications. SPB, for those of you who have been living under a rock, has been making really great Pocket PC applications for years. So head on over and sign up. A little more beta testing is good for you!

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Source: Jason Langridge's WebLog

Tags: beta, smartphone, looking, testers, their, products

Monday, April 10, 2006

Study Shows Consumers Want More from Their Phones

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 12:00 PM

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2006-04-06T232754Z_01_N06196507_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-CELLPHONES.xml

"Not many people use their cell phone to buy movie tickets, watch videos or play games, but a significant number of Americans are interested in doing just that. A national study by the Pew Research Center's Pew Internet & American Life Project, the Associated Press and AOL supplied statistics to support these beliefs as it examined how people use their phones. The survey conducted last month found that 6 percent of cell phone users play music on their device, for example, while 19 percent wish their phone had that feature. A mere 2 percent watch mobile video or TV, but 14 percent said they would like to. Looking at the simpler entertainment-related options, 65 percent of cell phone users have customized their handsets with personally selected ringtones or wallpapers."

Interestingly enough, only 8 percent admitted to voting for American Idol by sending a text message from their phone. I'm really surprised by this number considering the number of text messages that American Idol claims to be getting. There is also some interesting numbers on who wants to watch TV on their phones and how that relates to age. Not really surprising, the younger crowd is most interested in this. :)

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Tags: study, from, more, phones, want, consumers, their, shows

Thursday, April 6, 2006

41% of Americans Use Their Cell Phone to Kill Time

Posted by Kris Kumar in "ARTICLE" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/16810.php

"The cell phone has become an integral and, for some, essential communications tool that has helped owners gain help in emergencies. Fully 74% of the Americans who own mobile phones say they have used their hand-held device in an emergency and gained valuable help. Another striking impact of mobile technology is that Americans are using their cell phones to shift they way they spend their time. Some 41% of cell phone owners say they fill in free time when they are traveling or waiting for someone by making phone calls. And 44% say they wait to make most of their cell calls for the hours when they do not count against their "anytime" minutes in their basic calling plan."

Here are some of the highlights of this report:
� Only 8% of cell phone owners who have email access use their cell phones for email and 24% would like to have or use this feature
� 14% of owners who have Internet access use the feature to surf the Internet
� 41% fill in free time while traveling or waiting for someone by making phone calls
� 44% wait for the night and weekend hours to make the phone calls ;-)
� 28% admitted that the cell phone is a distraction while driving
� 86% was irritated at least occasionally by loud and annoying cell users in public places, 8% admitted of being guilty of being the culprit
� 36% have been shocked by their monthly bills from time to time :)
The complete report can be viewed over here">http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Cell_phone_study.pdf]here. [PDF]

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Source: Cellphones.About.com

Tags: phone, cell, their, time, americans, kill

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Carriers have Once Again Pulled Out Their Hatchets, the Victim This Time is Sling Media

Posted by Kris Kumar in "THOUGHT" @ 08:30 AM

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/02/27/cingular-verizon-sprint-cz_td_0227slingbox.html

"We have no immediate plans to run that service, What runs on our network are our services."

The above statement was issued by Jeffrey Nelson of Verizon Wireless and "that service" is the Sling Media's Windows Mobile based service that lets the users of Slingbox view their recorded TV shows on their mobile devices. Why doesn't Verizon want their customers to watch their favorite recorded shows, because Verizon offers it own video service. :roll: The one thing I could not understand from this Forbes article is, why Sling Media is seeking consent from the carriers? Am I missing something, shouldn't a customer who is paying $$$ for the high speed data networks be allowed to pick and choose their own services? Which means Sling Media should be free to offer whatever services it feels is right for its customers. Maybe I have not read the fine print on the terms and conditions for data network access. That said, the carriers are known for their walled gardens and Verizon probably leads the pack, when it comes to nixing technology and services that benefit its customers without benefiting its own pockets. When will this end? I would like to take a moment to talk to the carriers - please, the high speed data networks have plenty of bandwidth for your own services and your customers', by blocking your customer's wishes you are turning them away from your own services.

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Source: engadget mobile

Tags: media, , carriers, their, time, this, have, again, once, sling, pulled, hatchets, victim

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Vodafone Testing Their v1240 and v1640

Posted by Jerry Raia in "HARDWARE" @ 04:00 PM

http://www.coolsmartphone.com/news2111.html

"These two handsets are familiar to us already on many different networks, however we have it on very good authority that Vodafone are ready to release these in the UK. The HTC Universal (aka o2 XDA Exec / SPV M5000 etc) will be called the Vodafone v1640 a - that's the one with the keyboard. The HTC Tornado (iMate SP5) will be called the Vodafone v1240 - that's the phone-shaped one and yes, it's got the WiFi too."

User submitted image

The picture quality is nothing to cheer about but notice the v1240 has a silver keypad. Think it looks better than the black one? I prefer the black one myself.

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Tags: testing, vodafone, their, v1240, v1640

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Visto Pushing Their Push Email

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 11:30 AM

http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2005/11/09/visto_going_for_broke_in_push_email.html

"Visto, the Redwood City provider of mobile push email, said it got another $70 million in financing from DFJ ePlanet Ventures and existing investors. That's a horde of cash, especially for a company that has previously raised at least $80 million. (UPDATE: In fact, Visto has now raised $230 million"

$230 Million? That's a lot of cash to invest in push email. Especially when there are so many others already doing the same thing. They have a lot of ground to make up on RIM and Microsoft. Does anyone think the market is big enough for this many push email vendors?

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Tags: email, push, their, visto, pushing

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

The Worst Thing You Could Do to South Korean Teenager? Take Away Their Cellphone

Posted by Kris Kumar in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 08:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000997041935/

"Want to punish a South Korean middle school or high school student? Forget about grounding them or whatever it is parents in South Korea do these days, because a survey done by an ad agency over there found that most students said that confiscating their cellphone, and thus their connection to the outside world, would be the absolute harshest punishment you could mete out."

Ouch! Having your Smartphone taken away from you can be the worst form of punishment. How do I know? That is how my fianc�e punishes me. :-( What are your thoughts? Have you punished or been punished in this manner? :-)

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Tags: could, away, take, their, cellphone, teenager, thing, south, worst, korean

Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Can Students Text Their Way To A Passing Grade?

Posted by Jerry Raia in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 07:30 PM

http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/007284.htm

"A very interesting article on student cheating, from uh, the horse's mouth, published in a school paper by the students themselves of Montgomery Blair High in Silver Spring, Maryland. The article gives first account stories of student who have actually cheated during exams, unbeknownst to their clueless teachers. "Teachers' ignorance of text-message cheating makes it even more tempting for students: In an informal Silver Chips poll of 19 teachers from different departments on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, only two were aware that students use text-messaging to cheat. None have caught any students in the act. Rachel, a student, feels that teachers are too inexperienced with technology to realize students would use it to their advantage. "They're not expecting [cheating] to be that high-tech. When they were in school, they didn't have cell phones. That's never going to cross their mind," she says."

The only way I can see someone cheating by means of SMS is if the exam is multiple choice. Again, Maybe I'm out of the loop on this one, but I can't see someone texting me the answer to "Discuss the different services a junior college offers a community.", or what about "Define recession and discuss the probable effects a recession would have on today's society."

Earlier today I was posting a reply to this topic on my iPAQ. I had accidentally double posted my reply. I went to the bottom of the screen found the X and presto! I deleted the entire thread by mistake!!! Wrong X. Of course I didn't read the confirmation dialogue either. My humble apologies to Mike whose post it was originally and those of you who took the time to reply. Here it is again for comments and of course, flaming yours truly.
:oops: :splat:

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Tags: text, their, students, passing, grade

Monday, December 13, 2004

Celluloco.com Offers Up Kleinweder's Work As Their Own

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.coolsmartphone.com/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle

We've posted about Kleinweder homescreens before, and I'm sure we will again. 8) These are, hands down, the best homescreens available for your Windows Mobile Smartphone.

User submitted image

So I was a little more than shocked to read that Celluloco is offering up some of Kleinweder's work as their own. We attempted to contact the Celluloco guys for clarification, when Gears from CoolSmartphone.com posted about this last week, . However they have not replied to us. Celluloco's actions are down right disgusting. Not only should Celluloco be giving credit to Kleinweder, they should also be seeking his permission to redistribute this amazing work. :evil:

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Tags: their, work, offers, cellulococom, kleinweders

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Sesame Street Selects Intellisync For Their Always On Mobile Needs

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.pdatoday.com/more/2292_0_1_0_M/

"Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the world-famous Sesame Street(R) brand, has selected the Intellisync(R) Mobile Suite(TM) platform to provide mobile data access for employees who travel the globe. ...Some of the organization's executives receive as many as 500 emails per hour, which are easily managed through Mobile Suite's Intellisync Email Accelerator technology to monitor and push email across enterprise workgroups. Intellisync Mobile Suite works seamlessly with clustering and load balancing systems, and can even redirect information traffic to a newly activated device when users are completely disconnected or change devices."

A couple things come to mind as I read this press release. First, if you're getting 500 emails an hour, you need to take a step back and re-evaluate things. You can't possibly read each one of those emails and still get work done. Seems to me that they need to improve their skills on delegating work and learning to let go. Secondly, I know they say employees, but all I can see is Big Bird and Elmo sitting at Mr Hooper's shop texting away on their mobile devices, while Oscar sets up a flash mob from his trash can. :lol:

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Tags: mobile, their, intellisync, needs, sesame, street, selects, always

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:

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Tags: preview, windows, mobile, browser, releases, their, technical, opera

Sunday, November 30, 2003

Consumers Are Replacing Their Home Phones with Cell Phones

Posted by Robert Levy in "NEWS" @ 08:00 AM

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031125/255679_1.html

""Consumers are pulling the plug," said Dan Ness, principal analyst with MetaFacts. "Nationwide, nearly one in thirty (3.5%) households with Home PCs have no phone line, up from 2.4% only one year ago and 0.3% the year before that. Although this number may seem small, it's part of a growing trend that we spotted the year before. At the same time, the 2-line household is in decline, decreasing to less than one fourth (23.2%) from 26.5% the year before.""

I know there are a lot of people taking this route, but I never would have guessed that 1 in 30 would be the number. I wonder what percentage of people actually need a regular phone line in addition to a cell phone. I could probably survive without one - how about you?

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Source: MobileTracker

Tags: home, cell, with, phones, consumers, replacing, their

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Friday, June 29, 2007

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

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