Fonte: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/news/show/88619/touchbrowser-available-for-pocket-pc.html

by Jon Westfall in "Pocket PC Software"

http://www.makayama.com/touchbrowser.html

"NEW Get iPhone-style internet browsing on your Pocket PC. TouchBrowser lets you control everything using only your fingers. You can type using the large keyboard, glide through web content and scroll through pages with a flick, with full page view. Tired of Pocket Internet Explorer? Forget about the stylus, the tiny scrollbars and the keyhole view of the internet. TouchBrowser gives you the smooth webbrowsing experience of the iPhone, right on your Pocket PC. It lets you scroll pages with animation and iPhone inertia effects for easy reading"

Lord knows that the conversations between the Windows Mobile team and Windows Mobile MVPs at the Summit this year were full of talk about Pocket IE. If you're unsure what we were saying - take a look at alternate products like this one. Possibly IE will be better in the future, however if you're a heavy internet user, products like this one may be worth the small license cost now! Trial doesn't look like it's out there, but they do have a YouTube demo video.

Fonte: http://glofiish.com/ by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Hardware"

"E-TEN Information Systems has announced the Glofiish M810 and M750, the first in a new series of Pocket PC Phones that put the focus on portable entertainment, dynamic social networking, and go-anywhere communications ideal for the web 2.0 generation. E-TEN's newest Pocket PC Phones harness the latest mobile hardware technologies together with innovations in software to create a pair of sleekly portable, multi-connected devices, designed to help the new breed of bloggers, podcasters, video makers, and chatters, stay online and updated wherever they are."

E-TEN has just announced two new Glofiish devices, the M750 and M810. Inside, there's a Samsung S3C2442 500MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 256MB ROM, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GPS (SiRFstar III), a 2.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a microSD slot, and a 2.8" QVGA touch screen, all powered by Windows Mobile 6 Professional. The M810 has the added bonus of tri-band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity. Specs-wise, there isn't much here that sets it apart from previous Glofiish devices, but the design has certainly been kicked up a few notches.

Jump the break for a press release and another picture.

Update: Both have started shipping and should be available in 2-3 weeks.

"E-TEN Information Systems has announced the Glofiish M810 and M750, the first in a new series of Pocket PC Phones that put the focus on portable entertainment, dynamic social networking, and go-anywhere communications ideal for the web 2.0 generation.

Fonte: http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/hp-ipaq-900-series-smartphone-hits-the-fcc/

by Donald Melanson

HP's iPAQ 900 series smartphones haven't exactly had the smoothest of releases ('round these parts at least) since they were first announced way back in September of last year, but one of 'em has at least managed to recently trickle out into the hands of the lucky folks at the FCC, which could possibly indicate that it's actually nearing a US release. In case you missed it, the Windows Mobile-based phone was previously hinted as coming to AT&T in its iPAQ 910 incarnation, although the FCC unsurprisingly doesn't have anything to say about that possibility. If you want a better idea of what may be in store, however, you can find plenty of pics of the device (including a peek at its innards) and its complete manual at the link below.

Fonte: http://mobilitysite.com/2008/04/30-reasons-windows-mobile-is-superior-to-iphone/

Posted by Tim Hillebrand

Last week I published an article about my initial experience with my brother’s pride and joy, his iPhone. I found the iPhone to be lacking in several areas compared to my Windows Mobile Professional device. Since then I have been delving deeper into the virtues of iPhones and found even more astonishing lacks that I hadn’t noticed or had taken for granted would naturally be there. The inability to highlight, copy, cut, and paste is one example.

In this article, I have included my initial observations and added some new ones for a condensed list of 30 features lacking in the iPhone. I say condensed because I have subsumed some items into a single point. For example, rather than list all the peripherals the iPhone does not support, I merely say that it doesn’t support peripherals. At the end of the article, I try to be fair by pointing out what I like about the iPhone in its current stage of evolution.

I suppose you could call this a wish list, but it is still an inventory of what I found lacking in an iPhone. There may be more, but I grow weary of the process. Here is my condensed list:

1. It won’t perform simple computer operations such as word processing, spreadsheets, relational databases, and PowerPoint presentations

2. You can’t use your own MP3 sounds to make ringtones.

3. No GPS

4. No MMS

5. No expansion slots

6. No flash camera

7. Doesn’t take videos

8. Doesn’t have dual cameras for video conferences and self-portraits; you can’t take screen shots either; only has 2.0 MPX

9. There’s no QWERTY keyboard or even a phone keypad. Instead, it has a klutsy popup input panel. It took me five minutes to type my name correctly without any errors owing to my fingers being on the gorilla end of the scale. The input panel is made for fingers of a five-year old.

10. Can’t even perform the simple operations of highlight, copy, cut, and paste

11. Doesn’t have an eBook reader program

12. No InfraRed–can’t beam files, photos, tunes, text, contacts, applications

13. Doesn’t have Bluetooth 2.0

14. Can’t use wireless Bluetooth headphones

15. Won’t work with optical eyewear players

16. Doesn’t have 802.11 g/e Wi-Fi

17. Doesn’t have universal mini-USB connector for syncing and charging

18. Doesn’t have real downloadable programs, only Web Apps that force you to go online to use. What if you don’t want the expense of going online or there is no connection? Apple boasts 600 Web Apps. Windows Mobile has 12,000+ actual programs.

19. You can’t transfer files between devices or even to a MAC with an iPhone, and there’s no peer to peer connectivity possible either.

20. There’s no removable battery. You have to send the unit to Apple at your own expense and suffer downtime. Wow.

21. There are no peripherals for the iPhone such as a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, headphones, GPS, printer, scanner, hard drives, storage cards, video eyewear, or projectors.

22. There are no voice commands for viewing photos, videos, files, listening to tunes, or running applications. I really enjoy bossing my pocket concierge around with voice commands. You can’t talk to iPhones; you have to poke them in the tummy with your finger to get them to do anything.

23. You can’t watch and control your home TV DVR remotely from anywhere in the world

24. There’s no FM or satellite radio

25. You can’t use an iPhone as an extension of your desktop monitor and move the mouse and data between them.

26. Touch screen is not sensitive to a standard stylus, only a blunt instrument like a finger or a ball-peen hammer.

27. Finger gestures are crazy-making on a page with lots of hyperlinks because you cannot point precisely

28. Cannot change page transitions or animations

29. You cannot control your computer or anything else remotely with an iPhone; you can’t even have the fun of using it in a bar to change the TV channels surreptitiously.

30. No programmable hardware buttons for easy control and access to such functions as volume control, camera, and digital recording.

Conclusion

My initial conclusion is reinforced even more:

When you want to do serious handheld computing, you need a machine that means business and serves for more than poking fun at with your nose picker. I appreciated my tour as a stranger in the strange land of the iPhone, and thanks for the finger frolics, but I’ll stick with my far more powerful Windows Mobile device.

However, I hasten to acknowledge that the iPhone does what it does very well indeed. I never had it hang up on me and never had to reset it. The screen is crystal clear and the graphics a pleasure to view. The finger-friendly navigation has its problems and limitations but it is still a smooth solution that is fun to do. Everything on the system is easy to implement and ideally suited for consumers who do not know about or care about power computing on a handheld device.

The bottom line is that in a year, iPhone has made a huge splash in the handheld market and is a tremendous success by any measure. I am grateful to Apple for raising the bar and Microsoft had better pay attention if it wants to compete. I am also pleased that Apple took control of its product instead of the sponsoring telco (AT&T) dictating the terms. This is a healthy precedent that I hope will eclipse the power of the telcos and be the end to the silly stuff they put on phones to fill their pockets.

In an excellent and thoughtful article, Hal Goldstein, the Publisher of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine offers a list of five things for which we can thank iPhone. To view the article, click here.

Finally, I want to point out that the iPhone platform is still in its infancy. I remember when I first made the switch from Palm to Pocket PC. There was an embarrassing lack of applications for the latter platform, and it took a while for developers to create them. Apple has opened the door for third party developers to create applications for the iPhone, and I expect the flood gates to open wide with a plethora of new software. Just around the corner is the release of a second version of iPhone, which may have already addressed some of the issues I raise in my list, but I’m not an insider here. In any case, I expect that most of the items on the list above can be checked off as time goes by. But, for now, I’m sticking with my WM device and will wait until I can do things like word processing with a Bluetooth keyboard, take videos, use Bluetooth headphones, highlight, copy, cut, and paste before I consider an iPhone seriously.

Keep connected

Fonte: http://www.shubaroo.com/index.php?module=group_sms

Description:
As most Windows Mobile devices lack the functionallity to send the same SMS to a group of contacts i decided to make this small application. It can be started from the Start menu or by the right menu in the messaging application.
The application reads the categories from the Pocket Outlook database. If you own a Smartphone, you have to create the categories in Outlook and sync them to your device.

Screenshots:

Supported devices:
All Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC and SmartPhone devices and newer.
Not tested on older devices so it might work..

Installation on device:

1. Download GroupSMS_v1.4.5.CAB
2. If you downloaded it to your desktop, transfer it to your phone by either ActiveSync or a memory card.
3. Open the .cab file in File Explorer.
4. Run the application from Programs.

Changelog:
Version 1.4.5 [15.02.2008]
A minor update for the Smartphone users. The list of receivers can be scrolled by pressing left and right to get Page up and Page down functionallity. In the previous versions left and right checked the selected receiver.
Version 1.4.4 [06.01.2008]
Contacts that where member og more than one groups did not show in "Select receivers".
Version 1.4.3 [16.12.2007]
Three bugs fixed
A small memory leak.
The last contact was not looped.
Fixed the window size on VGA devices.
Version 1.4.1 [18.05.2007]
Fixed a small bug. If a contact was member of more then one group, the application sometimes displayed group names with strange characters.
Version 1.4 [16.05.2007]
Rewritten the looping of contacts, it is now more effective and should use less memory. I've also moved the menu extension. It is now located in the form where you write a new SMS. This makes it possible to forward SMS messages to a group.

Version 1.3 [14.02.2007]
Added a default "Show all contacts" group.

Version 1.2 [23.01.2007]
Did a small rewrite of the plugin in the messaging application. It can now be installed to a memorycard..

Version 1.1 [17.01.2007]
Fixed a screen rotation issue. It now works in both landscape and portrait mode.

Older versions:
GroupSMS_v1.4.4.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.4.3.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.4.1.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.4.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.3.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.2.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.1.CAB
GroupSMS_v1.0.CAB

Fonte: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc461417.aspx

The Microsoft Device Emulator uses the following two emulator images to simulate the use of a Windows Mobile 6.1 device:

• The WM 6.1 Professional image simulates a Pocket PC device.
• The WM 6.1 Standard image simulates a Smartphone device.

Use the appropriate Device Emulator to simulate the use of a Windows Mobile 6.1 device on your System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM) system. You will get both emulators in the Windows Mobile 6.1 Emulator Images download which is available on the Downloads page of the following Microsoft Web site: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=115896.

Requirements

Before you install and configure the Device Emulator, make sure that the computer hosting the Device Emulator meets the following requirements:

• Is running a 32-bit version of the Microsoft Windows® operating system
• Has Microsoft Virtual PC installed
• Has a connection to the MDM Gateway Server.

Host Computer

Do not install the emulator software on a computer running a 64-bit version of Windows. Install the software on an x86-based computer that is running a 32-bit version of Windows.

Microsoft Virtual PC

To establish communications, the Device Emulator requires a virtual machine (VM) network driver that enables you to configure the emulator to use the physical network card. This VM network driver is available with Microsoft Virtual PC, which is a free download at this Microsoft Web site: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46859

Direct Internet Connection

For MDM features to function, the Device Emulator must be running in an environment that has a direct connection to the Internet. If you are working in a lab environment and can connect directly to the MDM Gateway Server, you do not need an Internet connection.

Process Overview

To simulate devices running Windows Mobile 6.1 on your MDM system, you will perform these steps:

1. Install the Device Emulator Software.
2. Establish Network Connectivity on the Emulator.
3. Validate Device Emulator Connectivity.
4. Enroll the Simulated Device with MDM.
5. Enable Logging on the Simulated Device.

Fonte: http://msmvps.com/blogs/nunoluz/archive/2008/04/21/creating-a-unc-file-share-and-accessing-it-from-windows-mobile.aspx

de nunoluz

Sometimes it might not be safe to carry arround corporate data on your device, but it might be usefull at the same time to be able to access it wherever you go.

UNC file shares and Sharepoint shares can do the trick because you can share files with you co-workers and browse a directory in your server, for instance you home directory.

In this article I explain how you can create a UNC file share from a Windows Server 2003, share a file through Outlook and access it via your Windows Mobile device.

STEP 1: Create a shared folder

You must first create a shared folder, and then you must go to "Web Sharing" and select the site from wich the folder shoulb be accessible.

STEP 2: Create a Virtual Directory

Afterwards you must go to IIS and create a new Virtual Directory on your website and point it to your newly created Web Shared folder.

You must also set the correct permissions. These might include, in example the possibility to browse the entire directory and sub-directories.

STEP 3: Sharing and accessing your files

Now if you have a file you wish to share you must copy it inside the shared folder and create the apropriate link to send to your co-workers.

When your co-worker recieves the e-mail in the device it should look like this.

Next thing to do is click on the url and authenticate yourself.

If all goes well and you have the needed priveliges to access that file, you should be able to download it to your device and view or edit afterwards.

Fonte: http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-software/267793/dupededupe-remove-duplicate-contacts/

This is a very very very simple application for WM5+ PPC / SP (CF2.0) I rustled up in response to a need to remove duplicate contacts on a device.
It is an EXE only (copy to your device and run), which has a basic GUI which allows you to scan for duplicates, and then choose (after being told your duplicate count) whether to remove them. Contacts are compared based on 'File As', field, 'Email' field and 'Home / Work / Mobile' phone fields. If all those fields match, it's deemed a duplicate.

The application scans my ~200 contacts in under 2 seconds
Hope this is useful to someone!

PS If you think it's worthy of me cabbing up, or extending to Calendar support etc., let me know!
[Edit: Now available by request in CAB form with AppToDate support without registration required for download: http://www.apptodate.org/dupededupe.cab]

Fonte: http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles/2008/4/2008-4-9-Tip-Windows-Mobile.html

By Amy Mayer

The Messaging option in Windows Mobile 6 lets you send photos or even video and audio clips via your phone service. It's a handy and fun way to get those bigger files on their way. But the user interface on the MMS screen for Verizon diverges from the standard format and takes some getting used to. Here's a tip for sending multiple photos in one message:

Fonte: http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles/2008/4/2008-4-18-Tip-Windows-Mobile.html

By Amy Mayer

While it can be handy to receive a notification when you receive a message or call—and especially when you've missed one—it's irritating to see it when the message is no longer new. But that's what happens if you "hide" the notification in Windows Mobile.

So, instead, when the notice is showing, tap "dismiss" in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Interestingly, even if you have deleted the message and your inbox is empty, you can still see the notification pop up if you haven't actually dismissed it. This feature sprouts for new e-mail and MMS messages and for missed phone calls.

The "notification" message switches to "hide" while you're viewing it, which is why the "dismiss" button doesn't grab your eye. But it's there, quietly on the right, waiting for you whenever you decide you've had enough of the reminder.

Just to keep things interesting, if you're using the mobile version of Outlook and a reminder pops up for an appointment or task, that notification has the "dismiss" button on the lower-left side of the screen (with "menu" on the right). Apparently, you're not to be tempted with the option of hiding you're responsibilities.

Fonte: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS2917538848.html?kc=WFDEMNL042408

Those eagerly awaiting the day they can get their hands on a Windows Mobile 6.1 device have a way to try the OS now, Microsoft says. The company has posted free emulators, along with instructions on how to use them to test System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM) if desired.
The new posting on Microsoft's TechNet website helps readers get through the somewhat complicated process of creating mobile device images. The posting was intended to help enterprise admnistrators begin testing the company's recently released System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM). However, the instructions provided also make it easier to set up Windows Mobile 6.1 emulation, for example to try web browsing via the revamped Internet Explorer, or to try the new Task Manager utility.
Open to anyone who is interested, the Windows Mobile 6.1 emulators are free and do not require the installation of any commercial programming tools, such as Visual Studio. They simulate either Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard or Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, with a variety of "device" resolutions ranging up to 800 x 480.

Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1 (left) runs on a PC (right)
(Click on "phone" to enlarge)

The Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard emulator sports a refreshed user interface (above left), with a repositioned menu and large icons for commonly used applications. Since it simulates non-touchscreen devices, it must be operated partly via an emulated keyboard (above right). The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional emulator (right) has a more traditional appearance and responds to a host computer's mouse pointer.
The Windows Mobile 6.1 emulators require 32-bit versions of Windows, such as Windows XP or Windows Vista. In addition, as WindowsForDevices.com has discovered, the host computer should be booted into Windows, rather than running Windows in a virtual machine via Parallels, VirtualBox, VMWare, or other third-party software. This is because the emulators need a network driver that requires installation of Microsft's own Virtual PC 2007 virtualization software, which is fortunately also downloadable for free.
The process of installing the Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard or Professional emulators is as follows, according to Microsoft:

• Install Virtual PC 2007
• Install the Device Emulator software
• Establish network connectivity on the emulator.
• Validate Device Emulator connectivity
• Enroll the simulated device with MDM, if desired

To use an emulator, pick one (left), then bind its network adapter to the host PC's physical hardware (right)
(Click either to enlarge)

With networking working, it's easy to check out Internet Explorer's new features (below left), consisting of "one column," "fit to screen," "desktop," and "full screen" display options. Task Manager (below right) monitors the programs loaded and amount of free memory. As in previous editions of the Windows Mobile device emulators, a shared directory on the host PC can be designed to act as the virtual device's "storage card."

Windows Mobile 6.1 has a revised Internet Explorer (left) and new Task Manager (right)
(Click either to enlarge)

It is possible to install just about any Windows Mobile application on the emulator that could be installed on an actual device. In particular, says Microsoft, the emulator supports MDM client tools that are included with the MDM Resource Kit. It thereby allows administrators to test MDM device enrollment, logging, software distribution and VPN issues.
To read the detailed TechNet posting on how to install the Windows Mobile 6.1 Device Emulators, and use them with MDM, if desired, go to the company's website, here. To obtain the MDM client tools, go here. To get Virtual PC 2007, go here.

Fonte: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS8336599833.html

Sharpcast has announced a web-based service designed to provide online synchronization of files between Windows Mobile devices and Windows or Macintosh desktops. SugarSync copies changes made on one device to the others, and also provides secure access to the synchronized files via a website, Sharpcast says.
(Click here for a larger view of SugarSync)
SugarSync is a subscription-based service that supplies a user with from 10GB to 250GB of online storage. Once an account has been created, data can be uploaded or downloaded by using any browser to go to a personal website, with a URL such as johndoe.sugarsync.com.

The SugarSync architecture
Source: Sharpcast

The automatic synchronization capabilities, however, come into force when dedicated SugarSync Manager client software -- currently available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Mobile, and Macintosh OS X -- is installed on one or more devices. From that point, the SugarSync Manager software will automatically upload files to the SugarSync website from designated folders.

SugarSync Manager software
(Click to enlarge)

These "SugarSynced" folders are continuously monitored for changes, so files can be uploaded automatically to the online backup whenever one is changed. From there, they are automatically updated on every device associated with the same SugarSync account. For example, if a Microsoft Word file in a folder being monitored by SugarSync Manager is edited on a Windows machine, the changes will be copied to the SugarSync website, then mirrored on any connected Macintosh or Windows Mobile devices.
If disk space or bandwidth are of concern, SugarSync can be configured so that new files are not pushed to every device, but merely made available from the website on demand. Also, if any of the devices being synchronized is temporarily offline, it will receive updates as soon as it reconnects, Sharpcast claims.
Another advantage of SugarSync is said to be the fact that all data is located in "geo-redundant, world-class data centers," and stored using 128-bit AES encryption. Further, Sharpcast touts special handling for photos, which are "automatically organized into gorgeous online albums." Thus, the company says, a single service can now provide for both photo sharing and backup.
Limitations
The Windows Moble SugarSync client (shown below left) allows photos taken with the phone's camera to be automatically synchronized to other devices. Alternatively, photos can be automatically downloaded to the phone and reformatted for its screen size.

SugarSync has a Windows Mobile client (left) but must use a web browser (right) for file transfer

There are some limitations, however. File types other than photos are not moved to and from the phone automatically. Instead, users must employ a mobile web browser to upload and download files from the SugarSync website (above right). Sharpcast did not provide information on when the Windows Mobile client will be brought to full parity with the Windows and Macintosh desktop editions.
Further information
Pricing for the service ranges from $5 per month for 10GB of storage to $50 a month for 250GB of storage. Sharpcast is currently offering a 50 percent discount to those who sign up by Apr. 15, and also offers a 45-day free trial. More information is available from the company's website, here.

Fonte: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS5180964400.html

Resco has announced backup software for Windows Mobile devices. Designed to save all third-party programs and data to a removable storage card, Resco Backup offers full and incremental backups, the ability to compare two backup sets, optional compression and encryption, and backup scheduling, Resco says.
By default, Resco Backup is set to back up messages, PIM (personal information management), databases, and a device's entire file system (below left), according to the company. This includes the registry and third-party software, allowing a device to be returned to its prior state even after a hard reset.

Resco Backup can backup an entire device (left) or just selected files (right)

In addition, users can create backup sets (above right), choosing to backup only specified files or file types. As with most other backup software, an incremental backup feature is offered, capable of backing up only the files that have changed since the last time the program was run.
Encryption and compression can be optionally invoked. In addition, a scheduler allows for unattended backup at any preset time or day of the week.

After a backup has been run, Resco Backup can verify the results

After a backup has been run (above left), Resco Backup can verify the results (above right), doing a byte-for-byte comparison to make sure a backup is accurate and up to date. Backups can be read in an emergency via any desktop computer with a storage card reader, since Resco Backup uses standard ZIP file formats. However, not all desktop ZIP utilities support AES encryption, Resco warns.

Resco Backup allows for full (left) or partial (right) restoration of files

Should file restoration be necessary, Resco Backup can do either a full restore (above left), or allow restoration of selected files only (above right). However, a device's PIM information, registry, and other specialized internal databases may only be restored or backed up all at once because of the file formats Windows Mobile uses, Resco notes.
Availability
Resco Backup supports Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices that have removable storage, such as SD, microSD, or CompactFlash cards. It costs $20 but will run in free trial mode for 14 days. The application is downloadable in both EXE and CAB formats from the company's website, here.

Fonte: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS7977277988.html?kc=WFDEMNL042408

Microsoft has announced an Internet-based service designed to synchronize and share data among multiple desktop PCs and mobile devices. In addition to synchronization, Live Mesh provides users with 5GB of storage and remote access to any device in their "mesh," according to the company.
Microsoft describes Live Mesh as a "software-plus-service platform." Apparently slated for integration with Windows desktop and mobile OSes, it reportedly provides synchronization and remote access services similar to those offered by products like LogMeIn, GoToMyPC, and SugarSync.
Live Mesh is built upon a bevy of web standards, including XML (extensible markup language) and REST (representational state transfer). It includes APIs for core services that include online and offline storage, syncing, and peer-to-peer communications. Ultimately, it could enable users to license applications for use across their "mesh," rather than installing them on individual devices. A blog posting by the Live Mesh team explains, "The programming model is the same for the cloud and all connected devices, which means an application works exactly the same regardless of whether it's running in the cloud, in a browser, on a desktop, or on a mobile device."
Much of this is in the future, but a technology preview of Live Mesh was opened yesterday to approximately 10,000 invited users. The preview currently supports Windows XP and Vista clients, with Windows Mobile devices and Macintosh OS X desktops to be later this year.

Microsoft's Live Mesh website
(Click to enlarge)

Users of the Live Mesh technology preview can log into Microsoft's Mesh.com website, where a personalized home page (above) lets them add one or more devices to their own personal mesh. Once appropriate client software has been installed on each device, designated applications, files, and folders become accessible from any of the devices, and changes made are propagated across the entire mesh, Microsoft says.
Of course, accessing or updating files on any device won't work if it is powered down. Therefore, Microsoft also provides what the company calls Live Desktop, a server-based storage space -- 5GB, in the technology preview -- that provides another synchronization point and a buffer for changes awaiting offline devices. Data stored there can be accessed remotely from any web browser.
An application provided with the Windows client software for Live Mesh pops up to provide users easy access to any device in the mesh (below left). It also permits sharing files with friends, family, or colleagues. In addition to tracking contacts' online status, the software provides an indication of who has added or made changes to shared files (below right).

Live Mesh permits accessing devices (left) and sharing files (right) via special Windows client software
(Click on either to enlarge)

Not to be confused with the "Live Desktop" mentioned above, Microsoft's RDP (remote desktop protocol) is also built into Live Mesh. Users can interact with the desktop of any connected device simply by double-clicking on it, Microsoft says.
For more information on Live Mesh, see the complete coverage on our sister site eWeek.com, here. To access the Microsoft Live Mesh blog, go here. To join the waiting list to become part of the technology preview, go here (Microsoft Live ID required).

Fonte: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/informatica/ult124u394142.shtml

CAMILA RODRIGUES
da Folha de S.Paulo

Mais rápidos, um pouco mais baratos, mas ainda sem informações de trânsito --assim estão, no Brasil, os navegadores baseados em informações de satélite, o sistema GPS (sigla em inglês para sistema de posicionamento global). Esse tipo de guia eletrônico de ruas, com exibição de mapas em 2D e 3D e orientação falada, chegou ao país em meados de 2006.

No início, demoravam cerca de dez minutos para captar o sinal do satélite e identificar sua posição. Hoje, a maioria leva em torno de cinco minutos.

Luis Filipe Costa, coordenador de produtos da Movix, que vende navegadores, explica que a mudança se deve à atualização do Sirfstar, chip responsável pela captação do sinal.

Os preços caíram ainda mais: chegaram custando cerca de R$ 2.000 e, hoje, o valor deles é de, em média, R$ 1.100.

Apesar de tal evolução, os aparelhos ainda não conseguem avisar seus proprietários sobre quais vias estão congestionadas --o que já é realidade nos EUA e na Europa. No próximo semestre, porém, a Map link deve lançar um serviço de informação de trânsito para navegadores GPS, disse Costa. Para 2009, está prevista a versão brasileira do serviço de informação de trânsito da Traffic (www.traffic.com).

Segundo Helder Azevedo, diretor-geral da Navteq da América do Sul, a ferramenta usará empresas de trânsito como a CET (Companhia de Engenharia de Tráfego). "Outras fontes são empresas de rastreamento de veículos, estações de celulares e até previsão do tempo", afirma.

Fonte: http://forum.imasters.uol.com.br/index.php?showtopic=7474&mode=threaded&pid=774034

Técnica de reunião coletiva de criação, adotada principalmente em agências de P.P. Consiste em reunir pessoas de diferentes especialidades, envolvidas na elaboração de uma campanha, para a discussão livre e descontraída, onde os participantes podem expor qualquer idéia, por mais absurda que pareça, sobre todos os aspectos relacionados à criação e ao desenvolvimento da campanha, sobre o produto, seu mercado, possibilidades, características, possíveis slogans, etc...

É geralmente com brainstorming que se iniciam, na agência, os trabalhos de criação de uma campanha.
Obs.: Estes são principios básicos e que podem ser úteis no bom funcionamento do fórum, porém existem certas variações dos métodos de brainstorm, como por exemplo dar pontuações para a idéia mais criativa, ou gerar um tempo limite de reunião, o que obviamente não se aplica ao nosso contexto.

Fonte: http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/PermaLink,guid,325ae5b8-2850-43eb-803e-00eecde398f1.aspx

de fyiguy@bostonpocketpc.com (Steve "fyiguy" Hughes)

I received a few emails on the application we demoed at the last meeting allowing you to access YouTube and other online videos and wanted to share it with those that weren't able to attend. The application is from Andover, MA based VeVeo called vTap. It is currently in beta, but for a beta it works pretty well. It recently received Microsoft's Designed for
Windows Mobile”Certification and is now available on Microsoft's Mobile2Market Catalog.

To install all you have to do is go to www.vtap.com and it automatically find your phone and tell you what version to download.

You just type in what you are looking for it brings up a list. As you move down the list it will display a brief description. Clicking on the info button will bring even more details about the video.Then you select to download. When it is ready to play(the entire file isn't needed) the play button will turn yellow and you can start viewing it.

The video format will play in full screen. If you click on you directional button, you can pause the video and gain more information on it.

You can even learn something and use it to search Wikipedia.

It does a pretty good job of searching its archive of videos, which is basically a direct interface to their website.

For more information on the mobile version head here and they do support other phones.

They even have a UMPC version (as seen above) here.

Their blurb:

There are hundreds of millions of videos available on the Web today, and millions more are added every week. But try searching, browsing or viewing them on your TV, your mobile, or even your brand new iPhone™. It’s frustrating, if not impossible, simply because most Web video services are desktop based and not designed for the mobile or TV user. And those that do focus on the mobile or TV limit the Web video universe to only a small sliver of what exists.
That’s why we at Veveo™ created vTap—the quick and easy Web video solution that lets you search, browse and pinpoint the exact Web video you’re looking for—from sources all over the Internet—and play it on any supported device! With vTap's unique character-based incremental search—where results are returned with every character entered—you can perform searches using just a few characters instead of whole keywords. It’s so easy, you’ll think it’s reading your mind.

Check it is pretty cool, who knows how long it will last and how long it will be free, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Fonte: http://celso.arrifana.org/archives/434-Getting-things-done.html 

Por Celso Marinho

À medida que a minha vida profissional vai evoluindo (discutível, é uma expressão forte, eu sei) vou eu perdendo cada vez mais uma série de características cuja memória de as ter já remonta para aí a uma década atrás, nomeadamente: concentração, organização, memória, foco, etc.. O meu dia a dia agora é conseguir fazer uma balança o mais eficaz e inteligente possível entre o que esperam de mim e o que eu espero de mim mesmo. Não me queixo, dá-me gozo, mas não é fácil. Também se fosse... Já lá vão os dias em que a gestão do meu tempo e das minhas prioridades era feita sem o auxílio de ferramentas, tranquilamente. Hoje não dá mesmo.

O problema é que também ainda não encontrei "a ferramenta ideal" para o meu problema. O OSX foi um grande salto para a minha produtividade pessoal há uns anos atrás mas não chega. Já tentei um pouco de tudo, desde Wikis,  Stickies, TODOs, Tickets, Omnifocus, Backpack, um simples Moleskine ou mais recentemente o iGTD. Mas nada parece resultar a médio prazo, ou porque são over-featured, ou não "sincronizam" com a minha vida móvel ou com as outras ferramentas que utilizo, ou porque não oferecem comodidade ou porque não resistem à prova de fogo: a inevitável vontade de ignorar todas as ferramentas e baralhar irreversivelmente a nossa agenda quando estamos mesmo debaixo de água.

Os meus amigos têm-me sugerido uma série de outros produtos ou abordagens ao problema, sendo que a minha favorita (mas não convincente) são os cartões do Pedro. Para command line junkies, também acho esta bem gira.

Na eTech deste ano assisti a uma sessão fabulosa sobre Getting Things Done (aliás, atrevo-me a dizer que para além da surpresa da predominancia dos temas sobre o cérebro humano, a gestão de tempo foi o outro grande tema desta edição). Para quem não sabe o GTD é uma metodologia de gestão de tarefas que está na moda, yada yada vão ler. A sessão foi feita pela Gina Trapani do blog Lifehacker, e que acabou de escrever um livro "Upgrade your life" sobre este tema. A apresentação está online mas vão poder ver que é inútil porque são só imagens de auxílio para aquilo que para mim foi um grande momento de comunicação e que mereceu uma ovação no fim. A Gina tem um post muito interessante sobre a aplicabilidade do GTD para o comum dos morais.

Nesta onda, também vale a pena ler uma série de posts da 43folders sobre o que eles chamaram de "Inbox Zero" (vejam também o video, especialmente a parte de QA). Um dos momentos que retive do video (38:10) e com o qual concordo tanto é que a malta mais geek confunde frequentemente a utilidade da ferramenta em si com a excitação de simplesmente querer experimentar algo de novo. E passam(os) a vida a brincar com software. So true. "One thing about geeks, in my experience, is that they don't have a lot of what David Allen calls contexts, or a lot of different sets of tools or opportunities. They're at the computer, that's pretty much it. And so, for a lot of us GTD can be a just a text file. All I would say is whatever you choose, choose the tool that stops just short of being fun to use. If it's too fun to use, you're gonna fiddle (..) keep it to where you kind of don't love to use it.".

Neste momento estou a experimentar (cá vou eu outra vez) o Things, que é uma espécie de iGTD mas mais bem feito. Há uma série de vantagens que eventualmente podem resultar para mim: para além dos projectos tem a noção de contextos, tem o next, someday e postponed de que a Gina fala, é muito cómodo e está muito bem integrado com o OSX (o iGTD não está), sincroniza com .Mac e a base de dados é um ficheiro de XML que está documentado e que posso usar para meter numa página web ou no geektool. O screencast também vale a pena ver, o homem sabe do que está a falar. Só tem um defeito, é "fun" que se farta.

E vocês? Como é que resolvem a vossa vida? Cada um é um caso mas estou mesmo interessado em saber como andam a abordar isto.

Fonte: http://www.efetividade.net/2006/11/11/gtd-conheca-um-metodo-eficaz-de-organizacao-e-produtividade-pessoal-que-pode-melhorar-sua-motivacao-e-seus-resultados/

GTD é um método eficaz de organização e produtividade pessoal que pode melhorar sua motivação e seus resultados, e como tal já foi abordado diversas vezes aqui no Efetividade.net.

A metodologia GTD, ou Getting Things Done, foi descrita inicialmente no livro “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity“, de David Allen. Os preceitos de Allen (veja um resumo deles na Wikipedia), baseados em idéias simples e relativamente fáceis de manter, por não dependerem de nenhuma técnica complexa nem de suporte tecnológico avançado, vêm ganhando adeptos no mundo todo, e inclusive me inspiraram a criar o Efetividade.net - embora eu esteja longe de ser um dos seguidores quase religiosos que seguem à risca os dogmas do “Culto de Allen” ;-)

Em compensação, após ter lido e estudado os 2 métodos recentes aparentemente mais populares no Brasil, acredito que quem está em busca de organização e produtividade pessoal está muito melhor nas mãos de David Allen e sua metodologia GTD do que se buscar ajuda da Franklin-Covey e seus “7 hábitos das pessoas muito eficazes”, método que está muito mais próximo da escala da auto-ajuda.

As idéias de David Allen são realmente simples e fáceis de botar em prática, se baseando em uma premissa que qualquer um compreende sem esforço: nossa capacidade de ser produtivos é diretamente proporcional à nossa capacidade de deixar o trabalho fluir sem necessidade de intervenção consciente no gerenciamento da seqüência de tarefas. É preciso criar uma base de organização mental e do ambiente para poder atingir o patamar desejado de produtividade com menos stress, liberando o nosso potencial criativo.

E o método está longe de ser abstrato. Embora inclua “regras” como as que permitem escolher quais tarefas realizar imediatamente e quais adiar, ou como tratar a sua lista de atividades e projetos pendentes, ele também envolve aspectos bastante práticos, incluindo sugestões sobre qual a melhor forma de armazenar e classificar o oceano de papéis (contas, bilhetes, relatórios, etc.) em que nossas vidas flutuam, ou como usar um Palm ou o seu cliente de e-mail a seu favor, e não contra a sua produtividade.

Veja abaixo como se informar melhor (e em português) sobre os métodos e conceitos de produtividade pessoal e o ganho de motivação e desempenho que o método GTD pode trazer.

Para saber mais sobre GTD em português, recomendo a leitura da tradução mais recente do livro que descreve o método, que no Brasil recebeu o título de “A Arte de Fazer Acontecer“, com o subtítulo de “Uma fórmula anti-stress para estabelecer prioridades e entregar soluções no prazo”. O link é do Submarino, mas você deve encontrar o livro à venda em sua livraria preferida, já que é da editora Campus e foi publicado em 2005. São 224 páginas de tradução bem feita e fácil de ler, eu comprei (mesmo já tendo lido a versão em inglês anteriormente) e achei que valeu o investimento de R$ 39,00 (na época).

Se você já conhece o básico do GTD e quer dar o próximo passo, uma sugestão é ler também o novo livro do próprio David Allen, lançado nos EUA 2 anos depois do Getting Things Done com o sugestivo título de “Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life“. Eu recebi meu exemplar esta semana e ainda não li, mas acabei de ver que já saiu a tradução brasileira, com o título de “Gerencie sua mente, não seu tempo - 52 princípios do código da produtividade“. Eu folheei o meu exemplar e percebi que os 52 princípios se concentram ao redor da idéia central do GTD: criar suportes confiáveis para não ter de ficar mantendo o estado de todas as pendências e tarefas constantemente na sua mente, procurar ativamente (e fechar) as pontas soltas, como ajustar o foco, etc. etc. As dicas e exemplos práticos continuam presentes, então estou recomendando a leitura também ;-)

Se você quiser saber mais sobre GTD sem gastar nada, uma boa dica é visitar a página do gtdbr, grupo de entusiastas que discutem, em português, “assuntos relacionados ao sistema de organização pessoal Getting Things Done - GTD - de David Allen”. O grupo não se limita ao método GTD, falando também sobre produtividade e desenvolvimento pessoal e temas relacionados, usando principalmente GTD, mas não exclusivamente. Assuntos relacionados são bem vindos. Você pode visitar o arquivo de mensagens sem fazer parte do grupo, mas para enviar mensagens, ter acesso aos arquivos e outras vantagens, é necessário assinar (gratuitamente) a lista de discussão.

Outra dica é ler os diversos artigos sobre GTD já publicados aqui no próprio Efetividade.net, incluindo:

• Getting Things Done: Um resumo do GTD em 2 parágrafos, pelo próprio autor do método
• Simples e efetivo - Conheça o gerenciador de tarefas e pendências criado por Gina Trapani, do Lifehacker
• Esvaziando a sua caixa de entrada de e-mails
• Organizando sua caixa de e-mail com efetividade
• TiddlyWiki: o bloco de notas do futuro
• Uma agenda personalizada que cabe no bolso da camisa e não custa (quase) nada
• Produtividade servida em uma bandeja
• Mantendo o controle das tarefas que você delega (atualizado)
• Transformando um caderno comum em uma agenda de compromissos personalizada

Entre outros. E muitos outros virão!

Fonte: http://msmvps.com/blogs/nunoluz/archive/2008/04/07/securing-mobile-devices.aspx

Por nunoluz

Exchange Server 2007 as added some cool new features for Windows Mobile Devices, like managing your Out Of Office and Fetch E-mail.

But also it also helps IT Administrators to secure company information on the devices and control potential security risks by enabling the new Exchange Activesync Mailbox Policies.

Now with Service Pack 1 you can do even more: not only the existing policies have been enhanced, but also new security policies have been introduced.

These new policies are divided into three major categories: Device Control, Application Control and Network Control. In order to implement these policies, not only you will need an Enterprise CAL, as well as a Windows Mobile 6.1 device.

Some of these policies include camera lock, application disallowance or even Wifi deactivation. 

Applying them couldn´t be easier: all you need to do is create a new EAS policy and apply all your company's IT policies, and apply it to a user's mailbox. Of course that the user must have a Windows Mobile 6.1 device, or the device will cease to synchronize with the Exchange Server.

After the device synchronizes it will ask to reset in order to apply the new policies.

As soon as it reboots, the device is now secure and IT policies will have been applied.

If you are interested in learning more about the great new features for Windows Mobile devices that Exchange 2007 has to offer, visit this Blog frequently