Fonte: http://www.mytodayscreen.com/shootout-weather-applications/

Here it is.  High Noon at the MTS Corral.  We’re standing at the crossroads in the center of town.  Ahead of us, the doors to the saloon swing open as our first competitor strides into the street…Fizz Weather.  The wind starts to blow gently, just enough for a tumbleweed to kick up some dust on the far side of town.  As the dust clears, we can see our second competitor striding up the road…Spb Weather.  The two stand at opposite ends of this crossroad, staring each other down, their hands gently resting on the six shooters hanging from their hips.  Then, a noise sounds behind us.  SBSH Pocket Weather has arrived, irons hanging loosely from his belt.  The game is afoot. We move quietly out of the way as these hardened competitors draw closer to one another. Three will enter this battle, but we already know only one will escape unscathed.  Let the Shootout begin.

Intro: There are dozens of weather applications out there.  In fact, a quick Handango search identified nearly 100 separate applications for Windows Mobile, not to mention all of the web-based applets.  So, choosing which ones would be meeting here outside the MTS Corral was not easy.

In the end, I chose three of the most popular weather applications for Windows Mobile 6 Professional: Fizz Weather, Spb Weather, and SBSH Pocket Weather.  I considered adding Weather Panel into the mix (by popular demand), but it could not get its irons strapped on (ie: it is no longer supported by the developer).  So, I went with just the three, and to be honest, I think these three represent the field of weather applications quite well.  Then again, if you have other thoughts, feel free to leave them for a possible sequel (Weather Apps. Part II)

Setup:  All of these programs downloaded in the usual way, and could be installed via Activesync from an installation package on your desktop computer or over the air via a cab file.

All three programs also offer a limited time trial, during which you can enjoy all of the features of each program.  Spb and SBSH both offer about two weeks (Spb is actually 15 days while SBSH is 14).  Fizz, however, offered a disappointing three day trial.  This was really wholly inadequate to experience all of the features offered by this program.

Once you have the programs installed, you will need to set them up be telling the program where you live.  Obviously, the world experiences a vast variety of weather patterns all at the same time.  Heck, sometimes one town can have drastically different weather than a nearby city.  So, it is critical that you are able to hone in on your location.

Fizz Weather allows you to choose from a list of major cities its database.  If you do not feel like scrolling through the list, you can also search for your Zip Code or city name.  I easily found my city of Bristow, Va.

SBSH Pocket Weather is just as easy to program.  Just select your country (and your state if you are in the US).  You can then choose your location from a list of cities or enter a city code or Zip Code.  Again, I was able to zero in on Bristow, Va. with no problem at all.

Unfortunately, I did not fare as well with Spb Weather.  Here, although there is an option to find your city by Zip Code, the program was completely unable to find my Zip Code.  As such, I was limited to selecting a location from the predetermined list of cities and states.  There were no cities listed in my county in Virginia.  The closest cities on the list were Alexandria and Washington, DC, each over 20 miles away.  Not very good at all.

In the end, I was relatively impressed by how easy it was to setup all three programs.  With each, I was up and running in a matter of minutes.

• I awarded 1 point in this category to Spb and SBSH for their lengthy trial periods which really allow you to fully test all of the features before purchasing.
• I also awarded a point to Fizz and SBSH for their full coverage city selection.  Spb Weather’s limited ability to locate cities was extremely problematic as it means that you could be viewing weather patterns for cities 20 miles or more from your location.

One feature which I did not find in any of the three programs, but would love to see in the future, is the ability to set your location by GPS.  This feature would access your GPS and give you the weather forecast for your current location.  If you moved, then the weather forecast would change as well.  This would completely eliminate the need for a city list at all.  Just configure it to your GPS, and the weather report will always be accurate for your current location, anywhere in the world.

Score for this section:

• Fizz Weather = 1
• Spb Weather = 1
• SBSH Pocket Weather = 2

Weather Source and Accuracy:  This is probably the most important category for any weather program (and, by probably, I mean definitely).  A weather program can have all of the bells, whistles, and extra features you can imagine, but if it does not give you an accurate forecast then it is really going to be pretty worthless.  Kind of like a phone which checks email, surfs the Internet, keeps your calendar, and more, but cannot make a simple phone call.  So, I knew that I was going to have to spend some time testing the accuracy of these programs.

Of course, a problem immediately arose when I started comparing the three.  I needed to find a benchmark against which to compare each of the programs.  Otherwise, there was simply no way — other than looking out my window and guessing — to determine which was more accurate than the others.  Then, my good friend, Wayne over at Gear Diary, gave me the answer when he posted about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) weather service.  NOAA is the standard bearer for all weather applications in the United States.  It is considered by far the most accurate, and many programs obtain their data directly from NOAA (or its affiliate, weather.com.)  Interestingly, none of the programs I looked at used NOAA as their primary source for data.  So, in order to test the accuracy of each program, I compared the four-day forecast for each against the four-day forecast provided by NOAA over the course of several days.

Fizz Weather proved to be a competent weather service.  It was the most accurate of the three 40% of the time.  Fizz had extremely consistent high temperatures, however, the lows for each day tended to be considerably less consistent.   I awarded Fizz Weather 4 points in this category for its 40% accuracy rating.

Spb Weather has a long standing reputation for being terribly inaccurate.  In fact, their forums are filled with problems relating to their reliance on the Gismeteo weather service.   I have to say that Spb Weather lived up to its reputation on this one.  This program, with the Gismeteo weather service, was the most accurate only 25% of the time.  And even then, it was wildly inconsistent, hitting the mark more by happenstance than by actually predicting the correct weather.  Their forecasts were regularly 5-10 degrees off the mark.

Of course, unlike the other services, Spb does allow you to customize create a template to instruct Spb Weather to use a different weather source.  This is not particularly easy to do, however.  In fact, it requires considerable knowledge of XML coding, something which I am not about to start doing, and I know many of you are not either.  There are, however, quite a few templates in their forums which you can try if you wish.   I initially awarded Spb Weather only 2.5 points for this category.  I then gave them an additional bonus point for their template and customized weather data features.

The most accurate weather program was SBSH Pocket Weather.  SBSH hit the ark a whopping 50% of the time, and even when it was not the closest, it was still extremely consistent, with forecasts that were within five degrees of NOAA’s data almost every time.  I awarded SBSH Pocket Weather 5 points in this category for their spot on forecasting.

Score for this section:

• Fizz Weather = 4
• Spb Weather = 3.5
• SBSH Pocket Weather = 5

Updating feeds: Another important area for a weather program is updating the feeds.  All three of them rely upon Internet data feeds to convey their forecasts.  As such, they each need a data or Wifi connection to download information.  Personally, I prefer to set this to automatic and let it download data at regular intervals.  If you do not have a solid or unlimited data connection, however, you may prefer to do it differently.

Really, I thought all three did a great job of giving the user control over these updates.  They all allow you to determine whether to download updates automatically, on demand, or only when docked.  When downloading automatically, they also allow you to determine how frequently data will be downloaded.  This gives you complete control over how your data plan will be utilized and conserved.

I did find, however, that SBSH Pocket Weather stood out slightly from the others by allowing you to set each item on a different interval (above).  Fizz allowed you to toggle different items off or on, but SBSH actually allowed you to set different schedules for current conditions, images, forecast and earthquakes.   As such, while I awarded one point to each of the programs, I awarded SBSH Pocket Weather a bonus point for its extreme customization.

Score for this section:

• SBSH Pocket Weather = 2
• Fizz Weather = 1
• Spb Weather = 1

Today Screen Plugin: The today screen plugin is going to be your primary interface with each of the weather applications.  Because of its importance, each of the three developers obviously put a lot of work into the look and feel of this interface.  In the end, it was interesting to note the vastly different approaches they each took to solving essentially the same question.  Because of these different approaches, this was also the most difficult section for me to compare

Fizz Weather offered an attractive plugin, which could be customized to show the 4-day, 5-day, or 7-day forecast, or the current conditions (along with an abbreviated forecast).  While there was some customization, there was not an opportunity to skin the plugin or add any additional information.  Still, all of the necessary information was readily available for up to three cities at a time.  One thing which I felt also set Fizz Weather apart was its use of weather alerts.  When there is a weather alert in your area, an icon is displayed on the today screen.  While I thought this alert icon could have been more visible, it was a fantastic tool.  Just tap on the alert icon and you will be taken to the alert information.  I awarded Fizz Weather a point in this category for the ease of use of its today screen plugin.  I also awarded a second point for including the alerts indicator directly on the today screen.

I really liked the default view in Spb Weather, which showed a tab for each day of the week.  The tab displayed a summary of the day’s forecast, with more detailed information appearing upon a tap of the tab.  There were also several other views of varying detail which could be displayed, for up to ten cities at a time.  In addition to changing views, you can also switch to one of several included skins, or create your own skin.  This was an extremely nice customization option, and there are numerous skins available from the Spb Weather site.  One important note, however, these customization skins only allow you to change the icons.   They do not alter the actual layout of the plugin.  Tap anywhere on the display and you will be rewarded with a nice popup dialogue  with an expanded forecast.  I was extremely pleased with Spb’s today screen plugin.  I awarded them a point for the clean and attractive tabbed interface, a point for customization, and a point for the expanded popup display.

At this point, we can almost see a sort of progression developing.  If Fizz Weather offered minimal skinning and customization, and Spb offered partial skinning and customization, SBSH — true to their reputation — must offer almost a blank slate with Pocket Weather.  Unlike the other programs, Pocket Weather is not locked into a particular format with skinnable icons.  Instead, everything in the plugin is up for grabs.  You can make it look and feel however you desire, and display any information you require, including images, maps, radar, moon phases, and more.  A quick glance at the Pocket Weather forums, in fact, reveals an extensive library of available skins, suitable for almost any layout you could desire.  Even without skinning, however, Pocket Weather offers incredible customization, with numerous included layouts and options.  Some of this was a bit complicated to configure, but the payoff was well worth it.   By default, Pocket Weather will even display the current conditions next to the city name.  It was the only one of the three which displayed the current conditions, regardless of the layout you selected.   I awarded Pocket Weather one point for skinnability, one point for customization options, and one point for displaying the current conditions on all views.

Score for this section:

• Fizz Weather = 2
• Spb Weather = 3
• SBSH Pocket Weather = 3

Integration With Other Programs: Just a quick note on integration, because all of the programs seem to integrate relatively seamlessly with other programs by the same developer.  This is fantastic if you only use programs by the same developer, as it really gives the appearance of a unified software suite.  This appearance starts to break down, however, if you want to mix and match programs.

For example, Spb Mobile Shell includes a weather module, which can incorporate Spb Weather.  This is great if you use Spb Weather and don’t mind the Gismeteo service.  If you prefer a different program, however, then Mobile Shell will continue using the Spb weather engine, rather than incorporating the selected weather program.  The same hold true for Pocket Plus (and Mobile Shell’s Weather Tab), which offers a dynamic icon (above) which can display the weather from the feed on top of the tab.  This only works, however, if Spb Weather has been loaded on that tab.  Load a different program and the dynamic icon will show only “N/A”.

Likewise, SBSH PocketBreeze can only display weather data if you have Pocket Weather installed.  I really liked many of the integration features which were built into several different programs, however, I did get frustrated that none of the programs could incorporate weather services from other developers (as a reviewer, I understand that there are significant complications associated with this, however, as a user, I want the freedom to choose which program will work best for me.  No points were awarded in this category, as all three went about as far as they could with this feature.  The limitations all arose from outside the programs and, therefore, it would be unfair to penalize any of these programs for those limitations.

Other Features: Aside from the today screen plugins, these programs really started to show their personalities in the other features which were included.  To access many of these features, you would have to dig deeper into the program than the plugin would typically allow, however, most of them make the journey well worth it.  Oftentimes, it is these features, more than anything else (except forecast accuracy) which result in a decision whether or not to purchase the program.

Fizz Weather took the approach of offering not just the basic weather forecast, but also an assortment of complex and also niche based weather reports.  Many of these reports are targeted at a specific audience or individual, including:

• Airport report (right), which tells you the conditions at the airport at various  times throughout the day.  This is one piece of information which you will surely want to have handy as prepare to travel.

• Ski reports are another useful feature of Fizz Weather.  Well, useful if you are a skier.  Personally, the idea of strapping two greased sticks onto my feet and hurtling off the side of a mountain sounds about as much fun as diving out of a perfectly good airplane.  So, you can imagine that unless the ski report included a hot cocoa report, I did not use them very often.  However, if you are a skiing enthusiast, or planning a ski trip, then you will certainly want to consult this feature before heading off to the cliffs…I mean mountains.
• I already mentioned weather alerts as they appear on your today screen.  I was actually quite surprised that none of the other programs included these alerts.  They provide critical information when there is extreme weather in your area.

Both Fizz and SBSH also offer significant access to downloadable maps, radar images, and other images, in order to help you visualize the weather patterns in your area.

Additionally, SBSH Pocket Weather also offers an iconic representation of the daily moon phases, as well as sunrise and sunset times.  This is awfully handy, especially for those who celebrate holidays based upon this information.

Pocket Weather also offers a full METAR report for your area airports.  METAR data is probably going to be meaningless to many of you, however, it is the primary means by which pilots track the weather.  So, pilots will certainly want to take a closer look at Pocket Weather.

Of course, SBSH also included what I felt as one of the most extraneous features, the earthquake report.  Maybe I would have felt differently if I lived in a high earthquake area, but this report, which marks recent earthquakes on the map, seemed somewhat pointless to me.  It only provides information about the earthquake after the fact, by which time it is already too late to do anything with the data.  I would have much preferred a hurricane tracking map, which could show me the progress of tropical storms and hurricanes as they approach the coast.

Finally, all three programs offer the ability to view a much more detailed forecast.  Spb does this through a popup dialogue from the today screen, while the others provide it as a separate screen within the program.  [Images: Spb Weather upper left, SBSH Pocket Weather upper right, Fizz Weather below.]

As I mentioned, it was extremely interesting to examine which reports and features each developer determined would be useful or not useful to you.  Spb even went so far as to take the opposite approach, determining that everything was extraneous, except the today screen plugin display.  As such, almost no additional information is available which could not be accessed directly from the today screen.

I awarded Fizz Weather 5 points for their impressive array of reports and options.  SBSH offered an equally impressive set of reports (albeit almost completely different ones that Fizz chose).  I gave them 4 points because of their choice of the Earthquake tracker.  I simply did not see a practical need for this information to be included in a weather application, particularly since it could only report recent activity, and not predict (not that anyone can predict) upcoming earthquakes.  I awarded Spb 3 points, based upon their daring decision to include no options beyond the today screen.  By doing so, it was clear that they were targeting a specific type of user, and I had to give them credit for knowing what their target audience wants.

Score for this section:

• Fizz Weather = 5
• Spb Weather = 3
• SBSH Pocket Weather = 4

Conclusion: Before we wrap up our inaugural edition of the Shootout feature, let’s take a look at the final scores.

Fizz Weather: 13

Spb Weather: 11.5

SBSH Pocket Weather: 16

Anytime you start an article like this, you tend to go into it with some preconceived notions.  I certainly had mine, having used all three of these programs fairly extensively in the past.  I have to admit, however, that some of my initial thoughts were soundly shattered very early on in the testing.  In fact, by the end of the article, I had no idea who was going to win until I tallied the final scores.  What I found most surprising were the variances in secondary features and options.  I mean, everyone expects the multi-day forecast, and none of the programs disappointed on that.  Most users know that Spb Weather has had considerable problems with the accuracy of the Gismeteo weather source.  And most of us are aware of SBSH’s blank slate philosophy toward skinning.

What I did not expect to find, however, were ski reports, moon phases, and satellite imagery.  These and other reports and features are what made each of these programs more than just another weather application.  And, of course, Spb stands alone as the choice of the user who just wants a simple weather application.

The dust has settled.  The smoke cleared.  The battle is over.  The outcome:  SBSH Pocket Weather stands alone in the crossroads of the town.  While all of the contenders offered a nice application, Pocket Weather was the only one that offered the complete package.  It was incredibly accurate, fully customizable, and allowed users to determine which information they could access, as well as when, where, and how it would be displayed.  Additionally, the extra features, such as images, maps, and radar; detailed forcast, METAR data for pilots; and more, set it over the top.  Sure, I would have replaced the earthquake report with a hurricane tracker, but that is a pretty small complaint against a mountain of incredibly useful and usable features.  Congratulations to Pocket Weather, the winner of our first My Today Screen Shootout.

Information About The Featured Programs:

Fizz Weather:

• Developer: Fizz Software
• Version: 2.4
• Price: 16.95
• Where To Buy: Fizz Weather

Spb Weather:

• Developer: Spb Software House
• Version: 1.7.4
• Price: $14.95
• Where To Buy: Spb Weather

SBSH Pocket Weather:

• Developer: SBSH
• Version: 2.0.7
• Price: $14.95
• Where To Buy: SBSH Pocket Weather

Tested Device: Sprint Mogul with Windows Mobile 6 Professional

If you would like to suggest a topic for a future Shootout on My Today Screen, or if you are a developer and would like to see your product featured in a future Shootout, please let us know by leaving a comment or completing the contact form.  You can view all of the Shootouts on My Today Screen in our Shootout archives.

Fonte: http://www.clintonfitch.com/reviews/vito/smschat-1-0/default.asp

It is estimated, conservatively, that there over 6.5 billion SMS (or Text Messages) sent each day worldwide.  That equates to roughly 1 SMS message for every person on Earth - each day!  It is a staggering number to think about but one that has grown by over 4 billion in just the last three years.  Often these messages are short, one or two word questions or answers.  Further still, for many, the "language" of SMS is short abbreviations or acronyms such as LOL (Laugh Out Loud) or BFF (Best Friend Forever).  Regardless of the content or length however, keeping up with messages can be challenging.  Catherine, my daughter and fellow writer here at Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! has expressed on many occasions her frustration with friends who don't immediately reply to an SMS and expect her to "remember the conversation" some hours later.  Given this is coming from one who sends nearly 5,000 SMS messages per month, I do not find this surprising.

An application designed to help you keep up with your SMS conversations comes to us from the iWindowsMobile division of VITO Technology.  SMS-Chat is a SMS application that threads your SMS messages into a conversation by keeping them organized by conversation and date.  This eliminates the guess work of who said what in a conversation, especially if some time has passed between messages.  It is a simple, lightweight application that can make SMS a bit more friendly and easy to manage.

SMS-Chat is installed on your Windows Mobile 5.0 or higher Professional (Pocket PC) Device via ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center (for Windows Vista users).  It requires approximately 1.2MB of storage space on your device and can be installed either in your device's main memory or on a Storage Card.  In using SMS-Chat, I've found it to be more responsive when installed on the device itself rather than a storage card.  Once you start SMS-Chat, you are provided a simple interface which has your "Chats" organized by person.  Note that the application looks in your SMS folders so it builds these chats on what you have already sent/received on your device.  At the bottom of the display is a task bar with icons that allow you to view the various options of SMS-Chat or start a new chat session.

Figure 1:  SMS-Chat Main Display

To begin using the application, either select a chat you already have started with someone or tap the envelop/pencil icon on the taskbar to create a new one.  If you choose an existing chat, all of the SMS traffic back and forth with that person will be displayed, in order.  This makes it easy to follow a conversation and provides IM-like functionality.  Any message you have sent out will have a blue arrow pointing left while a received message will have a green arrow pointing left next to it as well as the time it was received.  Further, sessions are divided into days so you can follow which conversations happened on particular days. 

Figure 2:  SMS-Chat Chatting Window

At the top of the chat window is the name of the person you are SMS chatting with along with two icon options.  The arrow icon will take you back to the chat listing on the main display of SMS-Chat.  The menu option on the right will take you to the options for this particular chat session.  Some of the options include adding persons to a SMS chat session, viewing the contacts information and deleting the chat all together.  You can also use Templates to have pre-defined text sent to the recipient. To send a SMS to the recepient, type your text into the textbox at the bottom of the chat session and tap the envelop icon to send it.

Figure 3:  SMS-Chat Session Menu

Figure 4:  SMS-Chat Templates

The ability to add multiple people to a chat session is particularly handy in my view.  One of the great nightly debates in the Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! house is "what are we doing for dinner?"  Instead of trying to get everyone on the same floor or dare I say in the same room to make this important decision, I often start the conversation using SMS.  It's not a matter of laziness or ineffective parenting (by-and-by, Clintonfitchdotwife participates as well), it is a matter of getting responses faster via SMS than the standing around and getting "I don't know" answers.

From an overall operations perspective, SMS-Chat has two great features that make it stand out from other applications.  First can configure the application to give you an on-screen notification when someone has sent you a SMS. This feature works even if you do not have SMS-Chat running in the background.  Second, you have a long list of languages that are supported in the application.  These languages include English, Spanish, German, Russian and others.

Figure 5:  SMS-Chat Options Menu

Figure 6:  On-Screen Notification

If you are one who uses SMS a lot, SMS-Chat could prove to be a real frustration saver.  Not only are you able to keep your SMS messages neatly organized, but you are able to see the conversation in order, something that can be an ever increasing challenge the more messages you get each day - or hour!  SMS-Chat is backed up by online support at http://vitotechnology.com/en/support/ as well as a well developed help file in the application.  Test messages sent to support were answered in 24 hours or less and proved to be accurate.

SMS-Chat is available directly from iWindowsMobile or the Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! store for $14.95.  From either location you can also download a trial version to make sure that SMS-Chat is right for you.

Fonte: http://ce4all.blogspot.com/2008/02/finding-cellcore-examples-for-use-in.html

If you are trying out the Cellcore component in CE6.0 to dial voice numbers, receive calls, send and receive text messages and are looking for code examples then try the Smartphone SDK, there are examples under here most of which will compile as they are:

\Program Files\Windows CE Tools\wce500\Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone SDK\Samples\CPP\Win32\Cellcore\..

For example the SMS\HelloSMS code can be used for sending and receiving SMS messages, this uses the SmsOpen and SmsSendMessage functions which are identical between CE6.0 and Windows Mobile.

There are many code examples in here which certainly helped me out with the TAPI system for setting up voice calls for outgoing and incoming calls.

Fonte: http://ce4all.blogspot.com/2008/02/windows-ce-codenames.html

Found this nice bit of text describing the history of Windows CE codenames which for some Windows CE Engineers might be interesting:

Windows CE 4.0 - Talisker (Jan 2002)
Windows CE 4.1 - Jameson (Jun 2002)
Windows CE 4.2 - McKendric (Apr 2003)
Windows CE 5.0 - Macallan (Aug 2004)
Windows CE 5.0 Network Device Feature Pack - Tomatin (Apr 2006)
Windows CE 6.0 - Yamazaki (Sep 2006)

Fonte: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=14049

According to a roadmap from device manufacturer MWg, the company plans to have a Windows Mobile 7 device on the market some time in the fourth quarter of this year. That's earlier than this version of this operating system had previously been expected.

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The revelation came during a press event to announce the launch of the MWg brand in Europe, which was previously marketed as O2 Asia. At this, the company displayed a roadmap listing a number of smartphones and handheld devices. On this was a smartphone scheduled for release in Q4 running Windows Mobile 7.

Previously, Windows Mobile 7 wasn't expected to be seen until some time in the first half of 2009, having been pushed back when Windows Mobile 6.1 was created.

This was the second delay that the new operating system, reputedly code-named "Photon," had suffered, also having originally been planned as the next version after Windows Mobile 5.

The device, listed as the Flame II, was described as having a 3.5 inch or larger screen and being multimedia oriented, as well as including GPS.

Details On Windows Mobile 7 Scant

Reputed screenshot of
Windows Mobile 7.
Via MoDaCo

Very little is known for certain about Windows Mobile 7. However, leaked reports state that it will focus heavily on touchscreen and device gestures, such as swiping a finger to scroll or skip, and shaking the device to wake it up.

It will also radically overhaul the existing interface, following the patterns started in Windows Mobile 6 Standard, with increased use of scrolling, tiles, and visual aesthetics.

It has also been previously reported that Windows Mobile 7 is intended to merge the touchscreen and non-touchscreen versions of the operating system, creating a single common platform, though whether this is still planned is unclear.

Related Articles:

• Windows Mobile 7 Interface Exposed
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Review

Via MoDaCo

Fonte: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=14054

A high-level Microsoft executive says his company has set an ambitious goal for itself: it wants  Windows Mobile to have 40% of the world smartphone market in the next few years.

This comes from Eddie Wu, managing director of Microsoft's OEM Embedded Devices in Asia, who was talking to InfoWorld.

Microsoft is a long way away from its goal. Windows Mobile had just 13% of the global market last year, well behind Symbian, which has two-thirds of the market, but slightly ahead of RIM.

Still, it's not out of the question that Microsoft could reach this goal, considering the rate at which Windows Mobile shipments are increasing. There were 11 million smartphones running this operating system shipped during the mid-2006 to mid- 2007 period, while it is expected to be on 20 million devices in the mid-2007 to min-2008.

Fonte: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=14057

Earlier his month, the wraps were taken off the HTC Touch Diamond for the first time. Although this smartphone is not yet available, yesterday I was given a preview of it by Eric Lin, Manager, Global Online Communications at HTC.

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I also had a brief time to spend with the device, and I wanted to share my first thoughts.

Hardware

Externally, the Touch Diamond is a fairly small device, and it's easy to tell that HTC worked hard to make it look "sexy".

The touchscreen is beautiful, and its VGA resolution makes everything look very crisp. Naturally there's no bezel around it, so the front of the device is almost completely flat.

The most unusual thing about he design is the faceted back panel. The facets are slightly raised, and although the smartphone feels comfortable to hold, it's going to be a challenge for hardcase makers.

Speaking of cases, Lin showed me the soft case HTC had originally intended to bundle with the Touch Diamond., but recently changed its mind. (view an image). This is too bad, as this device looks like it could easily get scratched up. Also, the case has microfiber interior that cleans the many, many fingerprints off the shiny exterior of the smartphone every time it is inserted to removed.

Software

The cornerstone of the HTC Touch Diamond is TouchFLO 3D, HTC's user interface that has been overlaid on Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.

This device is primarily target at consumers, who in general haven't warmed up to the standard Windows Mobile UI. TouchFLO 3D essentially takes over the look and feel of this smartphone, and aside from a few things like the Start Menu it would be easy to forget that it is running Windows Mobile at all.

In my brief time testing it, I'm pleased with the UI that HTC has created. It's simple to understand, fast, and easy to use. It works a great deal like the enhanced Today Screen from Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, where all the commonly performed tasks are grouped one above the other, so you can easily scroll between them. As you get to each item on the list, it becomes larger and more detailed. This allows you to, for example, move down to the audio player and start a song playing, then scroll up to read a new email.

I can't go over every feature, but I'll share some of my favorite parts of TouchFLO 3D. I like that when it shows you an icon of an email to show you that a new message has arrived, the icon has your actual email text printed on it.

And it isn't just a fancy launcher the way the original TouchFLO was. It extends throughout the features on the Touch Diamond. There's a finger-friendly keyboard that can be used in any application, for instance.

(view large image)

In addition, spinning the D-pad zooms in and out on the screen. This works in most of the applications on the Touch Diamond, including the web browser. And this zoom state is saved; if you zoom in on a web page and then switch away to another application you won't be zoomed into the new app, but when you switch back you'll still be zoomed in to the web page.

Although this smartphone will be released in Europe next month, HTC is still tinkering with it a bit.  USB mass storage mode for the 4 GB of storage was just added on Tuesday, for example.

Preliminary Conclusion

As cool as the Touch Diamond is, and it is very cool, those who are looking for a high-end for business device should look elsewhere. This is a smartphone primarily for consumers who won't need the features it's lacking, like a memory card slot.

I'm also a bit concerned about how long it will last on a single charge, as this model has only a 900 mAh battery. Still, I'll wait and see, as Microsoft has made the latest version of Windows Mobile use significantly less power than its predecessor.

Still, at first blush it seems to me that HTC has a winner on it's hands.

The Touch Diamond is going to debut first in Europe, but will certainly be available in othr parts of the world in the second half of this year.

HTC Touch Diamond Specifications

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• 528 MHz Qualcomm processor
• 192 MB SDRAM, 256 MB ROM, 4 GB internal storage
• 2.8-inch touchscreen with VGA resolution
• GPS and A-GPS ready
• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800/1900 MHz)  HSDPA (900/2100 MHz)
• Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, VGA videoconferencing camera
• FM radio
• 3.9 inches by 2.0 inches by 0.42 inches (99mm x 51mm × 10.7mm)
• 900 mAh Battery

Fonte: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=14016

Most people who travel with a smartphone and a laptop would like to be able to use the phone as a cellular-wireless modem for the notebook. There are a variety of ways to do this, including physically connecting the two devices with a cable and a wireless connection with Bluetooth.

WMWifiRouter, an application from Morose Media, adds a new option: it turns your smartphone into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that you can connect to wherever you go.

I've used this software on a variety of Windows Mobile Professional devices, and it has become a permanent part of my kit.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The primary advantage of this approach is range. If you're connecting a laptop to a smartphone with a cable, obviously the two devices have to be very close to each other. Bluetooth gives you a bit more range, but an intervening wall can bring that to an end. Wi-Fi transmits data over a much wider area. As I write this, I'm on my back deck, and I have a solid Internet connection thanks to WMWifiRouter running on a smartphone that's on the other end of my house.

Another advantage over Bluetooth is flexibility. If you're going to make a Bluetooth connection between your smartphone and you laptop, naturally your laptop has to have Bluetooth. Not all of them do, while these days you'd be hard pressed to find a laptop without Wi-Fi. This means you can use WMWifiRouter with more devices.

Also, you can use WMWifiRouter with more devices at the same time. It lets you connect multiple units, whether these be laptops, handhelds, Internet tablets, or of another type.

A cable provides the fastest data connection, but Wi-Fi comes out well ahead of Bluetooth.

Naturally, how fast you end up connecting to the Internet is going to heavily depend on the speed your smartphone connects to the cellular-wireless network. I've tried it with both 3G and 2.5G smartphones and I've generally been pleased with the connection speeds.

The primary disadvantage of WMWifiRouter is it's murder on your smartphone's battery. A smartphone that is running Wi-Fi and has a 3G connection at the same time runs out of juice surprisingly quickly.

You can save some power by turning the smartphone's backlight off, but most of the time I'm using WMWifiRouter I have the phone plugged in. This is where Wi-Fi's range comes in handy. You can plug the phone in, turn on Wi-Fi, and you're free to roam around your hotel suite, office, or house. If you're planning on using this set up in your car, I strongly suggest you invest in a car charger.

WMWifiRouter will keep your smartphone from going to sleep when it's acting as a hotspot, which is another reason you should keep it plugged in. Otherwise it's very easy to end up with a completely drained phone.

In contrast, Bluetooth uses much less power, and a cable hardly any. Still, keeping 3G going continuously is hard on a smartphone, no matter what you connection is.

Setting Up

There's some configuring you have to do to make a connection between your smartphone and the laptop, but it's no more difficult than pairing these two devices with Bluetooth.

I won't get into the technical details here -- that's what the manual is for -- but WMWifiRouter lets you change the name of your hotspot and set a WEP password, so your access point isn't wide open for anyone to use.

An important part of setting up this application is making darn sure you have an "all you can eat" data plan. The monthly prices for these range quite a bit depending on what carrier you're using, but they are cheap when compared to to phenomenal bill you'll surely get if you use WMWifiRouter without an unlimited data.

Conclusion

The standard price for this application is €19.99 (about $30 USD) but Morose Media is currently offering an early adopter discount reducing the cost to €14.99 (about $22.50 USD). That's a good price for a useful utility like WMWifiRouter.

To try it out for yourself before buying, you can download a time-limited trial version from the Morose media website.

Fonte: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13902

If you have a smartphone or handheld you don't need to buy a stand-alone GPS navigator; you can save some money by using what you already own.

But unless your device has a built-in GPS receiver, your going to need to buy an accessory that adds this function. These are much less expensive than a full unit, because they don't need a screen or storage or things like that.

The one I use is the Freedom Keychain GPS, but there are several of these available. What these have in common is they talk to your main device over Bluetooth.

Once you have one of these, you're going to have to get it set up with your smartphone or PDA. Unfortunately, the process for doing this with a Windows Mobile device can be surprisingly difficult. That's why I've put together a set of instructions to walk you though it.

Part I: Pair the Two Devices

To start off, you'll need to pair the two Bluetooth devices. This should be easy, especially if you're familiar with the process with other accessories, like maybe an external keyboard.

First off, turn on the GPS receiver and put it in Discovery mode. You may have to refer to the manual to find out how do this with your particular accessory, but most of the external GPS units I've tried have always been been in Discovery mode, so you just have to turn them on.

Next, go to your Windows Mobile device and hit Start > Settings and tap on the Connections tab. Look for the Bluetooth icon and open it.

Tap on "Add new device". Your smartphone/PDA will look for the GPS receiver, and its name will show up when it's found it (see image at right). Tap on the name and then hit the Next button.

Next you'll be asked for the  GPS receiver's passcode. This is another thing you'll need to look up in the manual, but if that's missing there are some standard ones you can try: 0000, 9999, and 1234.

Once the passcode has been accepted you'll be able  to choose a display name for your GPS receiver, and then you'll see a list of services supported by the Bluetooth accessory. Be very sure you put a checkmark next to "Serial Port", then hit the Finish button (see image at left).
Part II: Set a COM Port

Pairing the devices is something many of you are probably familiar with if you have other Bluetooth accessories. The second part of this, though, requires you to set up a COM part, something I've only ever had to do with a GPS receiver.  Don't be worried, this isn't hard. But it's something that cries out to be simplified.

Go into Start > Settings > Connections > Bluetooth > COM Ports

(If  you just got through with Part I of these instructions, just tap on the COM Ports tab at the bottom of the screen.)

Now, tap on "New Outgoing Port", select your GPS receiver from the list of devices, and hit Next. On the next screen, assign this Bluetooth connection a port (I suggest COM6) and check that this a Secure Connection (see image at right). Hit Finish.
Then go into Start > Settings > System Tab > External GPS
Make sure the GPS Program Port is set to something different from the COM Port you just assigned (I suggest COM5).

Next, without leaving the External GPS app, switch to the Hardware tab. Now set the GPS Hardware Port to the port you set in the first step, the one I suggested be COM6.  Set a Baud rate of 4800. (Faster isn't better.)

And you're basically done. You can run the Navigation application of your choice, but in some cases you'll have to tell it which COM port to use. Most of them, however, will know to automatically check the External GPS settings.

GPS Suggestions

If you're in the market for an external GPS receiver for your mobile device, the one I use is the Freedom Keychain GPS Receiver.

And if you have a Windows Mobile smartphone and you want to get started with GPS navigation, I'd suggest you try out Google Maps Mobile. This isn't a web service like the regular version of Google Maps; it's a stand-alone application. It works with a GPS receiver and, best of all, it's free.

Fonte:

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

HTC announced its latest handset at formerly known as the HTC Raphael, will now be known as the HTC Touch Pro.

HTC Corp., a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled its advanced next generation business phone, the HTC Touch Pro™. Bringing a beautiful new angle to mobile business productivity, the HTC Touch Pro utilizes similar styling and functionality of the highly anticipated Touch Diamond™ and introduces a variety of business-focused enhancements that make getting work done on the go quick and easy.

The rest of the Press release is here. HTC also announced some accessories for both the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro with similarly designed desktop cradles,a travel charger accessory pack, an extended battery and slim collapsible case for the Touch Diamond.

Compared to the HTC Touch Diamond, which is available this week online for the price of $795.95 (Check some great videos of it on YouTube), Touch Pro is basically the same device with a 5 row keyboard which only adds 6.77mm about 60% thickness. The Touch Pro also has a larger battery (1350mAh vs. 900mAh), but it also has less storage space due to the fact that the Touch Pro adds a microSD slot for expansion,which is more aligned for Power Users and people like myself, who like the ability for expandability.  Another interesting thing that is added is the HTC Ext USB that is 11-pin miniUSB 2.0 port, audio jack and TV out so you can display your PowerPoint presentations on the big screen. I don't know if the Touch Pro has the same magnet in the stylus like the Touch Diamond, that turns the device on when removed, but one can only assume it does. It looks like HTC is covering all their bases and has another nice looking device on their hands and looks to be the sole competitor to the Sony Xperia for my next device.

Also before you ask, HTC won’t be releasing this in the US yet due to the lack of the 850 band support, but I am sure many will still order one via online retailers according to HTC in late 2008. Hopefully retail outlets like BestBuy will also make these available in the US for easy purchasing of nice unlocked phones.

HTC Touch Pro Specifications:

• Processor:Qualcomm® MSM7201A™ 528 MHz
• Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Memory: ROM: 512 MB and RAM: 288MB
• Dimensions: 102 mm (L) X 51 mm (W) X 18.05 mm (T)
• Weight: 165 g (with battery)
• Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with VGA resolution
• HSDPA/WCDMA: in Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz - Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE in Europe/Asia: 900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
• Device Control:
  TouchFLO™ 3D
  Touch-sensitive navigation control
• Keyboard:Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
• GPS: GPS and A-GPS ready
• Connectivity:
  Bluetooth® 2.0 with EDR
  Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
  HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* all in one)
• Main camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash light
• Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera
• Audio:40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
  Built-in microphone, speaker and FM radio with RDS
  Ring tone supported formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and AMR-NB
• Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion or Lithium-ion polymer battery
  Capacity: 1340 mAh
• Talk time: Up to 397 minutes for WCDMA /Up to 485 minutes for GSM
• Standby time: Up to 503 hours for WCDMA / Up to 406 hours for GSM
• Video call time: Up to 201 minutes for WCDMA
  (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
• Expansion Slot:microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter:Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
  DC output: 5V and 1A

* HTC TV Out cable needed.

There are more pictures of the Touch Pro in their gallery here.

Fonte:

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

Our good friend Arne Hess over at the::unwired posted up an article about Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile, something that many people have been waiting for when Windows Vista was released (recently mentioned an update to it here). Well its still not ready for the mass-market yet, Microsoft’s Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview v0.01 is an application for both Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 Profesional/Classic/Pocket PCs and Smartphones/Standard devices that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow-compatible device. Basically using a Windows Gallery Gadget that runs on your computer as another window or remote control that allows for two-way communication between your computer and the information on your Windows Mobile device. If you do happen to fall out of the 30m range or if you shut off/sleep/hibernate your computer you can still view the content sent to the phone previously.

System Requirements

• Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista Business; Windows Vista Enterprise; Windows Vista Home Premium; Windows Vista Ultimate
• A Bluetooth-capable Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6 Standard, or Windows Mobile 6 Professional device with the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 installed.
• A Bluetooth-enabled PC. Note: this release is not compatible with computers running Toshiba Bluetooth drivers. See the “Troubleshooting” section below for more information.

Instructions

1. Download and run WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.exe on your PC, and open the folder it was installed to.
2. Connect your phone to your computer over USB and select "Open device to view files".
3. If the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 or later is not installed on your device (it is not on most Windows Mobile 5 devices), install it:
   1. Copy NETCFv2.wm.armv4i from the installation folder to the My Documents folder on your device.
   2. On the phone, open File Explorer.
   3. Open NETCFv2.wm.armv4i in File Explorer, and follow the instructions to restart the device.
4. Connect your PC to the Internet if it is not already connected.
5. Drag WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.CAB to the My Documents folder on the Windows Mobile device.
6. On the phone, open File Explorer.
7. In File Explorer, select WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.CAB in the My Documents folder. Click OK if you get a publisher warning. The program will install on your phone.
8. From your PC, pair and connect your phone over Bluetooth.
   1. On the device, click the Start button, click Settings, click Connections, and then click Bluetooth. Turn Bluetooth on and make the phone discoverable.
   2. On your Windows Vista PC, open the Bluetooth Devices control panel, and then click Add.
   3. Select your device and click Pair. If you do not see your phone, make sure it is in discoverable mode, and that there is a Bluetooth adapter connected to your PC and turned on.
   4. Select "Let me choose my own passcode", and then enter a passcode.
   5. A dialog box will appear on the phone asking you to enter the passcode.
   6. Enter the passcode and then press return. If notifications to enable other services come up, click Allow All Connections.
9. When a message appears on the PC to install driver software, click Locate and install driver software.
10. After the drivers install, go to your phone's home or today screen, where you will see the SideShow logo with the text not connected (you may have to scroll to see this). Select the text. If you do not see this text, click the Start button, click Programs, and then click Windows SideShow.
    1. If you get an error saying you do not have the latest version of the .NET Compact Framework installed, perform step 3 to install the .Net Compact Framework. Remove and reinstall Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile by clicking Start, clicking Settings, clicking Remove Programs, clicking Windows SideShow, and then clicking OK. Then start again at step 7.
11. Wait a few seconds for the phone to connect. If it does not connect automatically, click the Connect button on the lower left. Your phone may take up to 30 seconds to connect. If the phone does not connect, try turning it off and on, and see the“Troubleshooting – Phone fails to connect” section in the readme.
12. Choose your user account on the phone, when prompted. You can change this later by clicking Menu.
13. 
    Open the Windows SideShow control panel to pick gadgets to use on your phone. You can click the "Get more gadgets online" link at the bottom of the screen to access the Windows SideShow section of the Windows Live Gallery.

The Power Point Remote control application is great. Its also pretty cool to control your Media Player via Bluetooth. I can't wait to see more gadgets like some Media Center based ones. :)

Fonte:

do Antenando.com.br de Rael

O celular Samsung Instinct está sendo apontado como um grande concorrente para a série 3G do iPhone, que está por vir. Quer saber por quê?

Este é um celular 3G que vem com uma inovadora tecnologia touchscreen, câmera de 2 Megapixels, Bluetooth 2.0, sistema de GPS integrado, e ainda oferece conexão de TV (da Sprint TV). Fora isso, você conta também com até 8GB de expansão via cartão microSD, e uma bela interação com o Microsoft Live Search.

Um recurso interessante que acompanha este celular, é o Voice mail, do qual você poderá escutar os e-mails recebidos com um simples toque no display.

Para nós, brasileiros, vamos nos contentar apenas com as imagens deste belo aparelho, pois ele será lançado nos States no dia 20 de Junho, sem data de chegada aqui no Brasil.

Quem sabe, em um futuro próximo, não encontramos um brinquedinho destes nas prateleiras tupiniquim?

Via | MobileCrunch

Fonte:

do Antenando.com.br de Rael

Não sei se devemos chamar este aparelho simplesmente de celular, ou smartphone, pois na verdade, este é um verdadeiro UMPC (computador ultra portátil) dotado de telefonia móvel.

Nele você encontra tudo o que um tradicional geek procura em um dispositivo móvel: display de 3 polegadas touchscreen, teclado slide completo, sistema operacional Windows Mobile 6.1, TV móvel, slot para cartão microSD, 128 MB de memória RAM e um processador Marvell PXA270 de 520 MHz…

Falando em telefonia móvel, este aparelho oferece a tecnologia 3G, além de Bluetooth 2.0, Wifi, e ainda acompanha uma câmera de 2 megapixels com auto-foco (sim, modesta… mas quem precisa mais do que isto?).

O único item que senti falta nesta listagem foi um navegador GPS, que ao menos nesta publicação, GPS não consta na sua lista de recursos. É uma pena!

As dimensões do Willcom 03 são de 50 x 166 x 17,9 milímetros, pesando 135 gramas. Infelizmente não foram divulgados a data de lançamento e o preço deste aparelho, mas já foi adiantado que este Smartphone/UMPC será comercializado nas cores: dourada, rosa e verde… O que? Nada de preto, branco ou prata???

Via | IntoMobile

Matérias Relacionadas:

Fonte: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/antenando-tecnologia/~3/300203805/htc-dream-um-celular-touchscreen-com-android-os

de Rael

Ainda não se sabe muito sobre este celular, mas durante uma conferência em San Francisco, foi realizado uma pequena demonstração sobre o potencial do sistema operacional Android no HTC Dream.

Pelo que podemos conferir no vídeo, este celular vem equipado com um acelerômetro, que interage com o Google Maps e Street View. Desta forma, girando o seu celular, você consegue girar a visão da rua em tempo real no celular. Incrível!

As únicas informações divulgadas até o momento sobre o HTC Dream, é que este é um celular com display touchscreen, que mede 3 x 5 polegadas e que acompanha um teclado slide. Mas até o momento, o grande protagonista desta história é com certeza o Android OS, que se mostra cada vez mais inovador.

Você pode conferir uma série de fotos desta apresentação no Phonemag.

Via | Engadget

Vídeo de apresentação do HTC Dream + Android OS:

Matérias Relacionadas:

• Dream – O primeiro celular da HTC com S.O. Android (0)
• Confira o Android OS em ação (vídeo) (0)
• Novo Smartphone XV6800 da HTC (0)
• ANDROID é anunciado! (1)
• Conheça o celular smartphone Samsung i900 (3)
• Celular Smartphone Willcom 03 é anunciado no Japão (0)

Fonte: http://www.antenando.com.br/tecnologia/arquivo/conhea-o-celular-smartphone-samsung-i900

de Rael

O pessoal da UberGizmo teve o imenso prazer em botar suas mãos no novo Samsung i900, que já está para ser lançado em breve.

Este smartphone 3G vem com uma tela WQVGA touch screen de 3,5 polegadas, que roda o sistema operacional Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional em uma resolução de: 240 x 400 pixels.

Além disso, ele vem com uma câmera integrada de 5 megapixels, conectividade HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.2, 256 MB de memória RAM e navegador GPS.

Para guardar seus arquivos, você conta com nada mais do que 16 GB de memória ROM, podendo expandi-la ainda mais via cartão microSD.

O preço deste aparelho ainda não foi revelado, mas é claro que com características como estas, não se pode esperar um preço de um smartphone comum. Certo?

Via | UberGizmo

Fonte: http://www.allshadow.com/2008/05/29/tired-of-neo-download-htc-home/

Brandon Miniman

If you get tired of the Neo Home screen, you’re in luck - there are a plethora of other Home screens you can load onto your Shadow, and heck, we even have a Themes Forum that puts them all under one place.

I recently found a Home screen that I thought to be particularly good-looking: the HTC tabbed Home screen.  If you’ve seen HTC devices like the TyTN II or Touch, you know that they come with HTC Home out of the box.  Good thing we have a version that works on the Shadow - download the CAB here.

To get it going, transfer the CAB to your device and run it.  Then, go into Settings, Home Screen, and choose “HTC” … be sure to set Color scheme and Background image to “default.” Also, in order to get weather updates, you’ll need to be on a data plan or on a WiFi network.

Thanks to ShadowMike for posting this in the forums.

Fonte: http://www.allshadow.com/2008/05/30/how-to-sync-music-with-windows-media-player/

Mike Benton on May 30th, 2008

This video is a short introduction to syncing music with Windows Media Player. If you are new to Windows Mobile devices then this video is must as it takes you through the basics of taking your music with you. .

Fonte: http://www.allshadow.com/2008/06/03/the-public-library-is-now-open-for-private-entertainment/

de Mike Benton

Adam Z Lein at pocketnow.com has an informative article about how public libraries offer all kinds of DOWNLOADABLE digital content including movies, music, audio books, and eBooks. I didn’t know about this until I saw the article so I decided to do some checking on my own. Your library might do the same. For the most part you will need your Library card number and PIN. I checked mine, and it turns out that the Greater Phoenix Library system does offer downloads. I conducted a quick grab and check out so I could tell you how well these work.

It works just like a physical library, there are only so many copies allowed to be checked out at a time and each for a specific period of time. The movies, music and audio books are authorized via the Overdrive Media Console, so you will need that on your computer before you can transfer to your Shadow. The eBooks can come in Adobe Reader format (which is already installed on the Shadow) or MobiPocket MobiReader format. For Adobe Reader format you will probably need the Digital Editions Desktop software, and an Adobe ID.

Once I checked out I was able to access the ‘Digital Bookshelf’ and download my goodies. I noticed there were two versions of the movie I checked out. One for desktop and a mobile version. Since we are interested in mobile stuff I clicked the mobile version. Right from the start it asked me to upgrade Windows Media Player OH NO!. Not a problem though because it made it super easy. Once you download the Overdrive Media Console, run it and select Tools > Windows Media Player Security Upgrade. It took less than 30 seconds to complete the ‘upgrade.’

It then asks where to download to, I selected my Windows Mobile Video folder I have set up. The download size was 370 MB and the download speed wasn’t too shabby at less than 10 minutes. You will need to have a sync partnership established with desktop Windows Media Player before the Overdrive Media Console will sync the movie. Be sure to choose to sync to the Storage Card from the Overdrive Media Console as well. Remember that sync and transfers go quicker over a wired connection versus a Bluetooth connection.

The movie took less than 30 minutes to transfer for your reference.

The Audio Book didn’t take long to transfer as well.

I was able to transfer to downloaded music as well. It’s not exactly Rhapsody but for those of us with limited budgets sometimes it’s nice to check out some random music.

The Audio Book, Music and Movie all played simple as can be once transferred.

I think this is a wonderful public service and can be very useful considering the wide variety of material available for download. The audio and eBooks cover every subject and can help make a long plane/train ride or business trip more comfortable.

Sources: pocketnow.com
Overdrive
Adobe
Adobe Digital Editions
Mobipocket
Greater Phoenix Digital Library

Fonte: http://www.allshadow.com/2008/06/07/shadow-ii-on-ebay-sold-at-buy-it-now-for-499/

de Mike Benton

Not bad of an unsubsidized price. But seriously? We have a clearer image now. The seller’s located in Seattle, Washington, which leads me to wonder by what shady methods did they get a hold of this thing? Congrats to the buyer. I kind of like the Red and wonder what other variants will be available. If you are the buyer, give us a buzz.

From the item description it says Push To Talk, this is news to me and T-Mobile doesn’t offer that service so perhaps this is an early prototype with a non locked down version of Windows Mobile. The image also shows the phone without a network/SIM card. Perhaps the seller knows about the tracking ability of carriers for individual ’special’ devices. Stay tuned…

Thanks to Muamer at benzinsider.com for the tip!

Fonte: http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_details.php?id=16046

I'm pretty sure you've heard of the AirPen, or its equivalent. Thanks to a proprietary system glued to a notebook, it allows you to save all your writing as is in a digital format. What many of us are waiting for is a Pocket PC or Windows Mobile version/reader with AirPen companion software.
Finally, here it is! The AirPin Note Pocket. Instead of connecting the AirPen system to your PC, you can hook it directly your WM device (WM 5 and 6), and start saving your data directly (like to the Willcom). The result is stunning! See for yourself in the gallery. I only wish the AirPin Note Pocket used Bluetooth instead of a standard USB cable.