Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Monday, June 4, 2007

HotSpot Providers Need to Better Understand the Mobile Devices World

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

http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3886

"Another day, another city and another coffee shop which offers a public HotSpot. So far so good I thought and fired up my Smartphone since I wanted to do some E-Mails, etc. Doesn't matter if it is a free HotSpot or one which costs, most HotSpots requires a login on a web frontend which is generally fine for me even if completely useless if it is a free HotSpot (like the one bellow). Anyway - it's okay and not bothering too much except if you get what I just got when I've tried to use the HotSpot in the cofffee shop I'm currently relaxing:"



Arne Hess had an interesting experience while trying to use a local hot spot. Read the article to understand what it was. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Personally I not longer have any use for hot spots. I have been sticking to unlimited data plans from the carriers I use.

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Monday, March 19, 2007

World Cup Cricket Series - Track it on Your Smartphone with Mobile CricketCast

Posted by Kris Kumar in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:30 AM

http://plusmo.com/cricket/getcm.shtml

Are you following the World Cup Cricket series? Or wish that you could fit in the World Cup series into your mobile lifestyle? Here is a solution for your Smartphone that will make it really easy and fun. Before I share with you the link for the application, I would like to ask the cricket lovers to post which team they think will win the World Cup this year? :) Also, if you have been using your Smartphone to track the games, which application or Web site are you using?

Mobile CricketCast is a service brought to you by Willow TV and Plusmo, with commentary from Cricinfo. It offers ball by ball commentary that refreshes automatically and live scorecards. I have used this application, and I am impressed by its design and features. Best of all, this application is FREE. Give it a try today. Few more screen shots after the break.

Figure 2: List of matches that are currently live.


Figure 3: Score card.


Figure 4: Ball by ball commentary.

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Sunday, March 4, 2007

PC World: Cell Phones from 3GSM - Best in Show

Posted by Kris Kumar in "ARTICLE" @ 05:30 PM

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129362-page,1-c,cellphones/article.html

"Seeing the fancy new phones at last month's 3GSM trade show--one of the biggest mobile phone conferences in the world--was exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting. What's more, the show was held in Barcelona, where I could have spent days admiring Gaudi architecture, feasting on tapas, and sipping Cava. But the trip was all about business, so I quickly went to work checking out the latest wares from HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and many other players in the mobile phone industry. ... The HTC S710 (code-named Vox) has a secret: Beneath its simple, candybar-style facade is a handy, slide-out keyboard. For phone calls you hold the phone vertically, with the keyboard tucked in. When you want to use the keyboard, you slide out the bottom half of the phone and hold it horizontally. With the keyboard in use, the 2.4-inch screen automatically shifts to landscape mode."



PC World columnist Grace Aquino has put together an article describing the best and the most promising cell phones that she saw during her trip to the 3GSM conference. Among the models selected by the PC World columnist, I feel that the Moto Rizr Z8 has the most innovative and creative design but it is the HTC S710 (Vox) that has the most practical design. What do you think? I am sure by now, like me, you are sick and tired of praising the form-factor of this smart phone, and just want HTC to end the torture and release this (above) Standard device in the market. :)

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Monday, February 12, 2007

3GSM - Lenovo Joins the Windows Mobile World

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 09:00 AM

Lenovo made a name for themselves when they purchased IBMs hardware line and it appears they�re not going to just sit back and ride on that one move. Lenovo has announced a couple of Windows Mobile devices. The Smartphone is dressed much like the popular ThinkPad line � all black. It�s a pretty nice look, if you ask me. I haven�t been able to locate any specs on this guy yet, but I will let you know as soon as we get more info. :mrgreen:

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Saturday, February 10, 2007

Nokia Delivers Free Downloadable Maps to the Mobile World, Windows Mobile Included

Posted by Kris Kumar in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:00 PM

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1103306

"Nokia today announced that it is making its smart2go mapping and navigation platform, available for free download (www.smart2go.com), enabling millions of people to use the most comprehensive map coverage offered on a mobile device. The platform allows for mapping and routing in over 150 countries and has support for full turn-by-turn satellite navigation in over 30 countries. The application allows people to view where they are on a map, search for points-of-interests (POI) around them and create routes to get them there free of charge. Nokia plans to start offering the smart2go application for free, on Saturday, February 10th, for selected Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices initially and has plans to roll out support for most of the major mobile OS platforms including Nokia S60, Series 40, PocketPC, Linux and other Windows Mobile devices."



Nokia has surprised the mobile world by releasing FREE mapping software for not only its own Nokia S60 devices, but also for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. 8O This unexpected gift for the Windows Mobile world has got some blogs speculating that Nokia might be interested in Windows Mobile and planning to launch a device with it. In fact I believe the IDC or Gartner has even recommended that to Nokia. Getting back to the mapping software, Microsoft and Google both offer similar applications, the unique feature of Nokia's application is that it an hybrid application; it allows the users to download the maps on to the storage card and also access the maps real-time like Google or Microsoft. I like the ability to have the maps available on my phone instead of downloading it always, not everyone has an unlimited data plan. The thing that bugs me is that this free download was supposed to become available today but Nokia's smart2Go Web site still says "Coming Soon." :roll: Oh, forgot to mention the one and only catch. The free mapping software offers only viewing locations, for turn-by-turn direction with voice prompts you will have to pay a fee.

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Saturday, December 30, 2006

PC World Includes the T-Mobile Dash in the 20 Most Innovative Products of the Year

Posted by Kris Kumar in "NEWS" @ 04:30 PM

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128176-page,4-c,electronics/article.html

"The slim Motorola Q brought a usable QWERTY keyboard to Windows Mobile smart phones--and then the T-Mobile Dash came along and got the rest of the package right. Combining a stylish, superthin design with sculpted keys that correct the deficiencies we found on the Q, and offering both cellular service and integrated wireless capabilities, the Dash makes a great impression. You also get a 1.3-megapixel camera and a miniSD slot for expansion in this 4.2-ounce handset, and it's an affordable $250 with a two-year contract. Our minor pet peeves: The device's software bundle isn't as robust as that of some of its competitors, and its built-in user-accessible memory is a paltry 23MB."



Personally I want to gloat about the fact that I am one of the proud owners of a T-Mobile Dash, and how happy I am that it beat the Moto Q and the Samsung BlackJack. :mrgreen: I don't want to come across as an insensitive person, so I would like to take this opportunity to ask our readers which is the best model of the year?

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• Source: pocketnow.com

Wednesday, August 9, 2006

HTC vs. The World

Posted by Rocco Augusto in "THOUGHT" @ 07:33 PM

Why would the release of the first UMTS Windows Mobile Smartphone be marked with cries of agony instead of songs of joy? Well it wouldn't, as long as you live in Europe or Asia. Unfortunately for all of those on the left side of the pond, a recent blooper on behalf of HTC could leave many new MTeoR owners in tears.



If you look at the circled areas of this image you can clearly see that HTC states that their new handset contains Tri-Band UMTS/Quad-Band EDGE and a jog wheel. This does not however appear to be the case at all. If you look closely to some of the photos Arne Hess recently took over at the::unwired you can clearly see that this device does not contain a jog wheel. Instead it contains a rocker type of dial which on any given day would not have upset me at all. However, the disappointment does not stop there. Closer inspection of the device's packaging (see image below) also uncovers that this handset only has the 2100 MHz UMTS band and is Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900). So if this is a Quad-Band device, where is 850MHz frequency?. That is a huge difference! While this device has not been released here in the North America, there are plenty of places online that will import it, which in turn means we will have people spending $400USD or more on a phone that has been falsely marketed. Do I think HTC did this on purpose? Not at all! I can say though that this is without a doubt a huge typo on their part and since these fliers have been out for a while I am highly disappointed that no one who works for HTC has picked up on this sooner. :(

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• Source: the::unwired

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

World Cup Mobile (Smartphone) 1.60

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:00 AM

http://www.pocketland.net/30762

"World Cup Mobile (Smartphone) provides you with the latest news and information related to the World Cup directly on your Windows Mobile Smartphone. A Pocket PC version is also available."



Baseball fans this is for you! Ok I'm just trying to get your attention. If you are into Soccer this might be for you. There is a demo version as well for your consideration.

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Resco Releases Mobile Guide to the World Cup 2006

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 06:00 AM

http://www.resco.net/smartphone/wmmobil/default.asp

"Experience this year's World Cup on your Smartphone. Keep in touch with every match, watch online scores and results from an authorized provider, get always fresh news and commentaries right from the stadium. Easy-to-use navigation ensures fast data access, modern design and style raise user's satisfaction."



Is it time for the World Cup already? ;) Do we have many soccer fans here? If so, you can follow all the action on your phone thanks to Resco. Check it out and let us know what you think. :)

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Thursday, February 16, 2006

World Atlas for Smartphone

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 06:45 PM

http://www.smartphone.net/smartphonethoughts/software_detail.asp?id=2009

World Atlas will give you access to maps for every country. The graphics look pretty good to me. It allows you to select the country from a list for easy navigation, and you can install it on your Flash card to save space on your device. That's a good feature, considering it's almost 2MB in size. ;) You can grab the trial version, or purchase a copy for $19.99 from our Affiliate store.

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Sunday, February 12, 2006

Asus P305 Smartphone has been Sighted at the 3GSM World Congress 2006

Posted by Kris Kumar in "HARDWARE" @ 06:00 PM

Earlier while reporting the Asus P305 press release we were not sure if it is a Smartphone or a Pocket PC Phone edition. Our readers will be happy to know that the Asus P305 is a Smartphone and the folks who have been waiting for a new clam-shell Smartphone will be very pleased to see this one. :) Asus P305 a Smartphone that supports 3G. Click on the image for the hi-res version (359KB) of the photograph.Check out the keypad, it looks like there are some dedicated buttons for the pIE browser, IM and possibly contacts. I like the layout of buttons on the keypad. What are your thoughts?

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Asus P305 Smartphone has been Sighted at the 3GSM World Congress 2006

Posted by Kris Kumar in "HARDWARE" @ 06:00 PM

Earlier while reporting the Asus P305 press release we were not sure if it is a Smartphone or a Pocket PC Phone edition. Our readers will be happy to know that the Asus P305 is a Smartphone and the folks who have been waiting for a new clam-shell Smartphone will be very pleased to see this one. :) Asus P305 a Smartphone that supports 3G. Click on the image for the hi-res version (359KB) of the photograph.Check out the keypad, it looks like there are some dedicated buttons for the pIE browser, IM and possibly contacts. I like the layout of buttons on the keypad. What are your thoughts?

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Monday, October 3, 2005

Halo Takes on the Mobile World

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 02:30 PM

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5283

"In-fusio will publish mobile applications based on the Halo franchise created by Bungie Studios, one of Microsoft's first party game development studios. Extending an existing partnership with Microsoft, the agreement establishes In-fusio as the worldwide mobile publisher for one of the most valuable properties in interactive entertainment. The multi-year deal gives In-fusio rights to develop and publish downloadable and embedded mobile applications based on the Halo universe. To date, more than 14.3 million copies of Xbox and PC titles based on this franchise have been sold. The most recent game accounted for US$125 million in sales within the first 24 hours of release at retail, tallying the biggest single day gross for any type of entertainment property."


Halo 2 Homescreen Theme created by "the Cardinal" and can be found on Airfagev.com

Wow, this is pretty big news for the gaming community. The Master Chief needs your help to save the world, one Smartphone at a time. 8)

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Sunday, August 21, 2005

Saving the World With Cell Phones

Posted by Kris Kumar in "NEWS" @ 04:30 PM

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Get the World Leaders in your Pocket

Posted by Mike Temporale in "SOFTWARE" @ 05:45 AM

http://www.smartphone.net/smartphonethoughts/software_detail.asp?id=1475

"The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities since the days of George Washington, but only since World War II have they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. The Central Intelligence Agency publishes a directory of Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments this directory is intended to be used primarily as a reference aid and includes as many governments of the world as is considered practical. ...The Database includes information on more than 5,500 world leaders in 271 countries, territories and other areas. Each country listing includes the Date of Last Update and name listings of the country's heads of state, cabinet members, ambassadors, permanent representatives to the UN, and other selected leaders."



Looking for some good bar trivia, or perhaps you want to look up some old friends. ;) Regardless of your reasoning, you can download a trial version, or purchase a license for $4.95 here. [Affiliate]

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Thursday, April 14, 2005

The Wireless World Tops CNN's Top 25 Technological Breakthroughs

Posted by Mike Temporale in "THOUGHT" @ 05:30 AM

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Friday, February 18, 2005

Laptop Magazine: 3GSM World Conference Coverage

Posted by Mike Temporale in "ARTICLE" @ 06:30 AM

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Thursday, February 3, 2005

Take The Action Engine Challenge At 3GSM World Conference

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 12:15 PM

http://www.actionengine.com/News/releaseDetails.asp?prID=92

"Shattering the mobile usability barrier, Action Engine Corporation, the mobile application platform leader, today announced the Action Engine Challenge and free smartphone giveaways among several promotions to be offered at the 3GSM World Congress being held in Cannes, France from February 14-17, 2005. The no-risk promotions are intended to make it easier than ever for mobile device users to test drive the Action Engine Mobile Application Platform(tm) and its Brand-n-Go(tm) applications. "Action Engine makes bold claims regarding the highly intuitive, responsive, and personalized mobile applications running on our platform," said Scott G. Silk, president and CEO of Action Engine. "This show is our opportunity to prove our speed and ease of use to some of the world's most sophisticated mobile users.""



Action Engine is also giving away 20 Smartphones over the course of the 3GSM conference. You must be wearing an Action Engine sticker, and of course, be at the conference. :wink: Is anyone here planning to attend?

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Monday, November 29, 2004

Smartphones on the Verge of World Domination

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 06:15 AM

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• Source: Darius Wey

Friday, November 12, 2004

SMS Guerilla Projector Helps You Share Your SMS With The World

Posted by Mike Temporale in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 11:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/entry/2015678567944324/

"Troika, a London-based collective of artists, designers, and stoners, have created the SMS Guerilla Projector. This military-looking device allows you to project SMS messages on buildings, signs, or whatever other surface you feel requires a 10-cent message from your message buddies. Why? Well, because it�s subversive and annoying. Black clothing, Williamsburg loft, and trucker hat not included."



The perfect tool to help you share your SMS messages with the guy in the apartment next to you, or on the side of your previous employers office building. :wink: You can see some examples of this projector in action on the Troika web site. (Look under Devices / SMS Guerilla Projector )

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