28 Aralık 2008 Pazar

MobileFiles Pro Lets iPhone Users Edit Excel Documents


QuickOffice Inc. is best known for its suite of applications that allow Symbian S60 devices to work with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. This company has now taken its first step toward bringing this same functionality to Apple's iPhone line.

QuickOffice MobileFiles ProThe recently-released MobileFiles Pro, among its other features, allows users to edit and create Microsoft Excel 2003 documents in their native format.

The iPhone 3G comes with a viewer that can display Microsoft Word and Excel files, but not edit them. This requires third-party software. MobileFiles Pro isn't the first application to add Excel support to this line of smartphones, but QuickOffice is the best-known company so far to release such an app.

Other Features

MobileFiles Pro adds a file manager to the iPhone, and also allows users to remotely access their files.

iPhone users with MobileMe accounts have easy access to their email, contacts, calendar, and gallery but can't retrieve their iDisk files directly from their smartphone. MobileFiles adds this missing feature.

It also lets users wirelessly transfer files between a desktop (Mac or PC) and the iPhone.

In addition, it includes a viewer for a wide variety of file types, including images, media files, Microsoft Office, iWork, PDF and many others.

MobileFiles Pro is available on the Apple App Store for $9.99.

A free version, called MobileFiles, just allows access to iDisk files on the iPhone.

Source brighthand

27 Aralık 2008 Cumartesi

I moved my blog

Hello my friends

I moved moy blog to http://mobileagenda.org address...

Look there for the mobile technology news after all...


See you later...

25 Aralık 2008 Perşembe

Follow me

After all please follow me from this web site

See you

Take care my friends...

24 Aralık 2008 Çarşamba

Nokia N96 Comes With Music Edition launches in the UK


As has been expected for a few weeks now, Nokia have launched a Comes With Music version of their N96 handset, in the UK. The N96 now joins the N95 8GB, and 5310, to come with the Comes With Music service. The N96 Comes With Music edition will sell for £540/€570/$800, which is approximately £60 more than the non-Comes With Music N96.

The Comes With Music service lets you download, for up to a year and keep an unlimited number of songs, for free, which can be played on the handset itself, as well as the user’s computer.

Source mobile-review

23 Aralık 2008 Salı

HP Enables Photo Printing From The iPhone

Hewlett-Packard on Monday launched an application that allows users to print pictures wirelessly from an iPhone.The free application, HP iPrint Photo (App Store link), allows pictures stored on an iPhone to be printed using certain HP's inkjet printers attached to a Wi-Fi network.

read more | digg story

iPhone Nano cases appear online

Has a rogue case manufacturer once again jumped the gun on an Apple iPhone announcement?

XSKN has a section of its Web site that promises an "iPhone Nano" case alongside cases for the iPhone 3G and the first-generation iPhone, as noted by MacRumors. Earlier this month a Chinese Web site called iDealsChina reported that XSKN was working on a case for a purported iPhone Nano that is supposedly shorter and thicker than the iPhone 3G.

It still seems a stretch that Apple would be gearing up to release such a device, given the screen size on an iPhone Nano would make typing a chore and could present problems for developers who designed applications with a different screen size in mind. These rumors are not new, however, and it has always seems evident that Apple planned to roll out a family of iPhones over time.

An iPhone Nano certainly would give Macworld 2009 a bit of a boost. XSKN prematurely revealed its case designs for the iPhone 3G before that device made its debut in June, so they've at least got a track record of scooping Apple. At the moment, the link on their site for the iPhone Nano case is generating errors, and it may not be long before it disappears entirely.

Source cnet

20 Aralık 2008 Cumartesi

Touch HD gets Mobile Internet Explorer 6

A cooked ROM to enable HTC Touch HD users to have Internet Explorer 6 on their device

read more | digg story

17 Aralık 2008 Çarşamba

Motorola apparently planning another year of existence with claimed 2009 lineup for Verizon


Our first thought when we saw Boy Genius Report's alleged shots of Moto phones that'll find a home on Verizon in 2009 was, "holy cow, these look fake." And yes, granted, they're all renders -- but what really set off the alarms for us was the fact that they look... well, nothing like Motorolas. At all. But then we thought about it for a second and realized that hey, you know, when you're a once-great cellphone manufacturer losing market share hand over first and you're looking for the Next Big Thing, you probably want to try something a little new, a little fresh, and a little crazy. So on that note, Verizon can apparently expect a "Rush 2" early in the year that continues Moto's contribution to the low-cost messaging phone trend; the "Calgary" (pictured), looking like a high-end Sidekick Slide minus the Sidekick; the "Inferno," presumably succeeding the ZN4 (which was coincidentally codenamed "Blaze"); and finally the gorgeous "Flash," which -- as far as we're concerned -- should just take the A3000's place. So yeah, these could be an elaborate hoax, but for Motorola's sake, we hope they're not.


Source engadget

GPS homing device gets you back where you started, nowhere else


If there's one problem with modern GPS devices it's that they're "highly complex" -- at least that's what you might think if you're a frequent Hammacher Schlemmer shopper. Believing that people find things like touch screens or buttons a little too much, the gadget company has created what it calls a "GPS Homing Device." For a penny under $80 (roughly the price of a real nav system) the over-sized key fob lets you mark your current location and then, after an exhausting day of bargain hunting, find your way back to where you began just by following an arrow -- all without relying on the help of the parking lot attendant. Makes a great gift for the directionally-challenged shopaholic in your life.

Source engadget

Easy iPhone 3G Unlocking Coming Soon

The infamous iPhone Dev Team is close to releasing a tool for easily unlocking the iPhone 3G, which will allow this smartphone to be used on networks other than AT&T.

The team said on its blog that work on this software -- codenamed yellowsn0w -- is complete, but is currently being packaged into a user-friendly application. The target release date is New Year's Eve.

It will require an iPhone 3G that has been jailbroken and has baseband 2.11.07 or earlier.

Freeing the iPhone

Installing this software will allow the iPhone 3G to be used with any GSM network, such as T-Mobile USA or Rogers. However, 3G service won't be available with T-Mobile, as it uses an incompatible frequency for this service.

Naturally, AT&T objects to this -- it is offering the iPhone 3G at a discount in exchange for two years of subscription fees. AT&T's partner Apple has done everything in its power to prevent people from unlocking this device, which explains why it has taken about 6 months for this software to be developed.

More information is available on the Dev Team Blog.

Source brighthand

Unlocked 3G Iphones being sold in Taiwan

The iPhone 3G launched recently in Taiwan, and users are reporting that the phones are being sold unlocked.

read more | digg story

Windows Mobile Now Compatible With Pandora

Pandora, the popular free radio streaming service can now be used on select Windows Mobile handsets including the HTC XV6900 and Motorola Q9C.

read more | digg story

Transition from Windows Mobile to the iPhone - Pros n Cons

As a longtime Windows Mobile user , what were the Pros n Cons of switching over to the iPhone, we take a look @ some of them.

read more | digg story

Motorola n Windows Mobile come up with some fancy designs



Motorola can build good looking phones but their OS sucks big time, according to wmpoweruser.com these new babies run on Windows Mobile. The BGR has got some more spyshots of few of the upcoming models from Motorola check it out here.


Source 1800pocketpc

15 Aralık 2008 Pazartesi

Skype for Windows Mobile 2.5 Beta Released

"Based on feedback from you guys, our Mobile team have overhauled Skype for Windows Mobile and released Beta 2.5. It features improved sound quality, better stability and a more familiar user interface. Download it now and give it a whirl."


The eagerly awaited Skype for Windows Mobile update is now available for both Windows Mobile Standard and Professional devices. Go get it!

Source pocketpcthoughts

Video: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic unboxing



We've seen reviews, videos, and video reviews of Nokia's touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic, but sometimes you just can't get enough of a good thing, so luckily Mobile Bulgaria's here to help you out with their unboxing video. You get a hot 19 seconds of the box just chilling all by itself on a table at the front-end of this celluloid masterpiece, then some real unboxing, handling action, all with a smooth, atmospheric soundtrack. You can check out the 5800 in the video after the break, or you can start the video, lay back and travel on a journey of the mind. Your choice

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic unboxing from mobilebulgaria.com on Vimeo.

Source enagdget

Gresso's Avantgarde Skeleton is both a limited edition and of limited interest


Gresso, the Russian company known for its luxury electronics, is back with the scarily named (and strangely apt) Avantgarde Skeleton Collection. Another benchmark in conspicuous consumption, this Windows Mobile 6.0-sporting, Bluetooth 1.2-supporting brickphone is housed in a titanium alloy case "with high-tech ceramic coverage." But no, the luxuriosity doesn't stop there -- both the 240 x 320 display and the transparent back panel are made of crystal sapphire glass. The battery case is made of stainless steel, with a leather cover and magnet release, and the back of the handset features the Gresso logo covered with 10 micron gold. Sure "elegance" is timeless, but it ain't cheap: only fifteen of these guys will be made, and they'll be available for five grand. Tough choice between this and five Kodak OLED frames, we know -- life is so hard sometimes.

Source engadget

Microsoft Releases an iPhone App

Microsoft, the company behind Windows Mobile, has released an application for the rival iPhone. Seadragon Mobile allows users to view images with giga-pixel resolutions.

This application has been created to allow users easily to zoom in on the details of very high-resolution images, such as a map. It makes use of the iPhone's multi-touch capabilities, so users can zoom in or out on an image by tapping or pinching their fingers.

Seadragon Mobile is available for free on the iTunes App Store.

Why iPhone?

The first question many are asking is "Why is Microsoft releasing an application for the iPhone and not Windows Mobile?"

The answer comes from Alex Daley, a group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs, who told TechFlash: "Most phones out today don't have accelerated graphics in them. The iPhone does, and so it enabled us to do something that has been previously difficult to do."

Video Demonstration

Microsoft has created a video of Ben Vanik, one of the developers of Seadragon Mobile, talking about this application:

Source brighthand
The Nokia N79 has made its official, retail debut in U.S. shops and retailers. This model, along with the N85 which just debuted last week, update Nokia's device portfolio in the U.S., and bring many of the features once reserved for high-end mobiles to a more accessible pricing range.

Nokia N79The N79 is a small, candybar-style smartphone which runs the Symbian S60 operating system.

A spiritual successor to the very popular N73, this device features a QVGA screen, 5 MPx camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, built-in GPS, and compatibility with N. American 3G GSM networks (850/1900/2100).

It is a svelte 4.3 inches tall, 1.9 inches wide, and 0.6 inches thick.

Nokia N79 also features three colored Xpress-on smart covers (red, white, and brown), which automatically change the device theme to match the cover.

A memory card slot compatible with the microSDHC format is also included.

Software Compatibility

The N79 has been designed to work with all of Nokia's software services such as Ovi, Nokia Maps, Nokia viNe, and many other third-party applications.

Due to the addition of S60 Feature Pack 2 (3.2), this device is able receive firmware updates over-the-air (OTA), meaning that a connection to a Windows PC is not needed for these updates.

Availability

The Nokia N79 is available for an estimated retail price of $440. It can be purchased from Nokia flagship stores in Chicago and NYC, some Best Buy Mobile retailers, and various online retailers.

For more information about the N79, visit the Nokia N-Series web

Source brighthand

10 Aralık 2008 Çarşamba

101 Most Essential iPhone Apps of 2008

It seems like only yesterday a young Steve Jobs sheepishly took the stage and announced that the iPhone and iPod touch would have native third-party applications. Now it's December, and the App Store boasts over 10,000 apps and Apple reports over 300 million downloads. Here is a list of the 101 most essential iPhone Apps.

read more | digg story

2nd Android Smartphone to Launch Unlocked on Jan 29 for $225

Australia will be the place of birth for of the second Android-powered smartphone. Sold under Kogan brand, the Agora and Agora Pro devices will sell unlocked for $225 and $295 respectively, without the need to sign a service contract. Customers might be able to get the phone online and simply swap in their existing SIM module.

read more | digg story

9 Aralık 2008 Salı

LG tests world's first LTE cellphone chip: 60Mbps downloads are go


As mobile service providers ramp-up for the WiMAX vs. LTE battle, LG just announced a significant milestone: the world's first 3GPP LTE chip for cellphones and data cards. While theoretically capable of 100Mbps/50Mbps download/upload speeds, LG's 13 x 13-mm chip was able to demonstrate 60Mbps down and 20Mbps up, under what we can only assume to be controlled (read: optimum) conditions -- easily besting existing 7.6Mbps HSDPA networks. Great, too bad this isn't the year 2010 else we'd have a national LTE infrastructure (right!) and we'd all be driving plug-in hybrids (sure).

P.S. We don't know what those thin handsets are flanking the chips, but we doubt those are functional LTE devices. LG said that it used a "test terminal running Windows Mobile" to demonstrate its new chips. Could be data cards but we think we're seeing a volume rocker along the side. Check another pic after the break.

Leaked pictures of new Nokia touchscreen interface


Where would we be without leaked pictures?! This time, we have some leaked pics from none other than Nokia themselves, seemingly showing a new touchscreen user interface for an as yet unnamed mobile phone. The pictures come from a slide presented at Nokia's Capital Markets Day 2008, so as it comes from the company itself, the pic itself is genuine. Quite whether the phone it depicts is real or just a Photoshop teaser is another matter, though.

If nothing else, though, it shows the direction Nokia are working towards. Full touchscreen phone, context and presence, integrated services, multiple homescreens. Seems that direction has "iPhone" written on it in super-huge letters!

[Source: Engadget]

Google Introduces Mobile Ads For Android And The iPhone

Google is now formatting AdWords text and image ads for Android and iPhone mobile browsers. The ads can include mobile-only calls to action, and can be created from standard Google ads run on the Web. The ads will also work on other phones with full HTML browsers in the future as they become available.

read more | digg story

How to read Ebooks on Your iPhone

Printing things out in order to read them away from your PC is so last century. Today, devices like the iPhone offer perfectly readable displays, and bookmarking articles to read on tiny mobile screens is no problem thanks to apps like Instapaper.

read more | digg story

How to read Ebooks on Your iPhone

Printing things out in order to read them away from your PC is so last century. Today, devices like the iPhone offer perfectly readable displays, and bookmarking articles to read on tiny mobile screens is no problem thanks to apps like Instapaper.

read more | digg story

How to read Ebooks on Your iPhone

Printing things out in order to read them away from your PC is so last century. Today, devices like the iPhone offer perfectly readable displays, and bookmarking articles to read on tiny mobile screens is no problem thanks to apps like Instapaper.

read more | digg story

Visual Dialing For iPhone

iPhone will be getting a new feature app soon... picture icons for speed dial.

read more | digg story

World's first WiMAX phone an iPhone-killer

Ever since the launch of the iPhone, people have been totally gaga over it. Love it or hate it, the iPhone does bring some unique tricks to the table. But the lack of basic features (like SMS forwarding and video recording) tend to be overshadowed by the sleek interface and the fact that the phone at the end of the day, is a darn good media player

read more | digg story

7 Aralık 2008 Pazar

Video of China's Android-running QiGi i6 in action unearthed



It wasn't too long ago that we heard about China's QiGi i6 handset, the one that supports both Windows Mobile and Android. Well, now we've got a video of the device in action (running Android) -- and we do mean action. The i6 is definitely running at a lower resolution than the G1 (probably QVGA) which kills some of the excitement. The video's epically long, but it'll also probably answer any questions you might've had about the handset, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the footage after the break. Things get really wild at the end -- zombies everywhere -- so be sure to watch it all the way through.


Source engadget

Little speed machine? Asus N10J A1 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 10

CNET's comprehensive Asus N10J A1 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 10.2 coverage includes unbiased reviews, exclusive video footage and Laptop buying guides. Compare Asus N10J A1 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 10.2 prices, user ratings, specs and more.

read more | digg story

6 Aralık 2008 Cumartesi

Apple: 300 million iPhone apps downloaded

Apple on Friday said 300 million iPhone apps have been downloaded from its App Store since it opened in July.

read more | digg story

Apple Blocking iTunes Competition for iPhone?

Rivals of Apple's iTunes store and technology rights groups are speaking out. They believe Apple may be unfairly blocking rival software makers from selling music on the iPhone and new iPod Touch. Currently, four out of every five songs purchased on the Internet come from the iTunes store.

read more | digg story

5 Aralık 2008 Cuma

Yahoo launches iPhone-friendly Flickr with video

Search engine giant Yahoo has formally launched an updated version of Flickr optimized for mobile phones and with special formatting friendly to the iPhone, including a newfound ability to watch streaming videos.

read more | digg story

10 reasons to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch now

The super apps, skins and handy tweaks you've been waiting for. Does jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod touch mean you're a subversive terrorist bent on brining down Western civilisation? I'd expect not, unless Osama bin Laden has just received a free upgrade.

read more | digg story

10 reasons to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch now

The super apps, skins and handy tweaks you've been waiting for. Does jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod touch mean you're a subversive terrorist bent on brining down Western civilisation? I'd expect not, unless Osama bin Laden has just received a free upgrade.

read more | digg story

Meizu M8 gets stripped of its shell, dignity


See that Meizu M8 there? See that multitool-equipped hand? Yeah, you know damn well what's going to happen next, and we think the translated text expresses it best: "Well, the last one of the screws removed, MEIZU M8 has been completely broken up in a heap before us." The M8's guts make for some predictably boring pictures (unless you're really into circuitry), but the interesting bit might come in the accompanying narrative where we learn that the phone seems pretty dang solid -- good build quality, good materials, and name-brand components. That being said, they found it wasn't quite up to the iPhone 3G's standards for sheer manufacturing prowess -- but hey, they wouldn't want to take any cues from Apple, would they?

Source engadget

ITRI's folding TFT-EPD display: ready for smartphones next year


While everyone wants their gadgets, particularly smartphones, to become smaller and smaller we paradoxically want the screens to get bigger and bigger. That's why so much R&D money is spent on wearable, folding, projecting, swiveling, and rollable displays: there's a gold mine to be had by the first to offer a solution with mass-market appeal. Here's Taiwan's great economic hope developed by its Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) with some help from industrial design house, PilotFish. The TFT-EPD (Thin Film Transistor Electrophoretic Display) panel combines a folding-top display with a bottom-sliding secondary (separated by a 1-cm flexible strip) to double the total panel size to 5-inches -- other screen sizes are also in the works. What looks like a break through the center of the combined display above is actually a software taskbar. While these are obvious mock-ups, prototype displays do exist with plans to take the technology -- which will included touchscreen capabilities -- into production sometime next year. Imagine this applied to an N97 followup and you might appreciate our enthusiasm.

Source engadget

4 Aralık 2008 Perşembe

Amazon's iPhone App Remembers So You Don't Have To

Amazon Mobile lets you browse and buy from your phone, You can use the iPhone's camera to snap a picture of anything you may want to buy, The photo is saved on your iPhone, and on Amazon's servers, Amazon will then attempt to match your picture up to a product. If it's successful, Amazon will fire you an email to let you know.

read more | digg story
The folks over at T-Mobile have done us all a big festive favour with this little offer.

Previously at £40 per month over 18 months they have decided to knock £10 of the price per month which is a more than welcomed move.

Flext 30 with Web n Walk Plus will get you a monthly credit worth up to 700 mins / 1400 texts or any combination in-between and comes with unlimited mobile data allowance (fair use policy in place).

Whilst we are STILL waiting on someone to send us a G1 I think this is a great deal and if I weren't tied up with O2 just now I might well consider a move.

Source tracyandmatt.co.uk

100+ iPhone Games That Use the Accelerometer

The iPhone’s built-in accelerometer has opened up a new world of mobile gaming, introducing fun, engaging, and interactive applications from virtual golf to racing games, mobile beer pong, and more. Here are over 100 free and paid apps that are lots of fun and worth checking out.

read more | digg story

2 Aralık 2008 Salı

HOW TO: Convert Your Blog Into a Podcast on iTunes for Free


Bloggers can now add text-to-speech capabilities to their site with new tools such as Odiogo, allowing readers to actually listen to blog posts on the website, and even on iTunes (as well as iPods and iPhones) as a podcast.

While this is a cool feature for readers, it could be a very valuable tool for the visually impaired. These tools also provide benefits to readers with learning disabilities like Dyslexia.

As a demonstration of how easy it is to setup this text-to-speech technology, we’ve actually gone ahead and helped Rachel from Why Not Rachel setup Odiogo for her blog. Why Rachel? Well, she’s legally blind and truly needed something like this so she and many of her subscribers could experience her posts in an audible manner. This means less strain and fatigue for the eyes and more accessibility as the posts can now be heard from mobile devices.
Easy 10-Step Setup Guide for Text-to-Speech Conversion

1. Join Odiogo.

2. Download the player button plugin that you will need depending on the blogging platform that you’re using. Odiogo will work with several popular blogging platforms such as: WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, BlogEngine.NET and Terapad. Note: In this example, we will use a WordPress blog.

3. Upload the directory odiogo_listen_button to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory via FTP.

4. Login to your WordPress admin account.

5. Click menu Plugins and Activate the Odiogo Listen Button plugin.

6. Click menu Setting > Odiogo Listen Button.

7. Enter your Odiogo Feed ID and click Save. (You’ll receive this feed ID in email after joining)

8. Click menu Presentation > Widgets (or Sidebar Widgets depending on your WP version).

9. Drag and drop Odiogo Subscribe Button from Available Widgets to Sidebar.

10. Click Save Changes.

Within minutes, your blog posts can be heard online and on iTunes or mobile devices such as iPods and iPhones. Here’s a post from WhyNotRachel with the Odiogo Listen button clearly visible within each and every post just under the post title.


Source mashable

1 Aralık 2008 Pazartesi

Linux for iPhone May Open the Door to Android iPhone


Here you have it. Linux running on the iPhone. Yes, it's only the first port, but it's the iPhone running the Linux OS, controlled with a USB keyboard running off the iPhone multi-purpose port thanks to the reverser engineering of Apple's hardware drivers by iPhone Dev Team member planetbeing. And while it is still limited and doen't have support for many things, this work opens the door to a much more interesting thing than just a character-based terminal: Google's Android running on the iPhone hardware.

Just imagine that. Google taking the smartphone war directly into Apple territory. Sure, most people would not care about this, but if Google does this—and most probably not even Google directly, but someone else using Android's codebase—it would really make things interesting. I, for one, would love to see this happening, even while I personally think that Android is half-baked and most people will ignore it. For now.

At this time, the Linux port has the framebuffer driver (for video), the serial driver, serial over USB driver, and drivers for the interrupts, the clock, and miscellaneous hardware components. They don't have most of the other things, like write support for the NAND memory, wireless networking, touchscreen drivers, sound, accelerometer, and, one big and, the baseband chip, which is what makes the iPhone communicate with the cellular networks.

But the fact is that it's getting there and, knowing this, I'm sure several Google employees are scrambling to get the codebase for this port, and maybe help in the effort.



iPhone Linux Demonstration Video from planetbeing on Vimeo.

source gizmodo

Meizu M8 gets demoed in multi-part video form


We've already seen it unboxed and, of course, endlessly shown off by Meizu's own J. Wong, but it looks like some independent demos of the now infamous Meizu M8 are finally starting to crop up online, with one of the first coming from Chinese retailer CNMO.com. While some of the details are lost in translation, there's still quite a bit to be gleaned from the ten videos available at the link below, not the least of which is the fact that the touchscreen seems to be somewhat of an exercise in patience, to put things kindly -- check out part 8 for the challenge that is pausing a track. The phone's camera also seems to be a bit sluggish, but not completely out of line with your run of the mil cellphone camera. Touchscreen aside, however, the phone's interface does appear to be fairly slick and, yes, oddly familiar. Head on past the break to get started with part one of the blow-out, and hit up the read link to check out the rest.



source engadget

30 Kasım 2008 Pazar

GPS-Action is a location-based application for Symbian S60 mobiles which sets automatic alarms and performs different actions depending on where the device is at any given moment.

It works alongside the Landmarks application to set the type of action and alarm to be executed, as well as alarm frequency, minimal playtime, condition, and corresponding landmark.

Some of the other features of GPS-Action include:

* Recurring alarms and actions set by schedule
* Two types of geo positioning: based on GPS and Cell information
* Full synchronization with native Nokia Landmarks
* Personalized and custom alarm tones
* and more

GPS-Action works with Symbian S60 devices whether they have a GPS radio or not. It is compatible with S60 version 3.

This application sells for $9.99. For more information, or to download the 10-day trial , visit the GPS-Action website at Symbian Guru.

Source brighthand

Better Viewing Experiences from Mobile Devices


Microvision is working with business partners to enable better viewing experiences for users of mobile devices. Sharing photos, watching movies, and giving presentations using the small screens of today’s devices limits our ability to imagine, entertain, and share.

Microvision is the number one choice for OEMs who wish to breakthrough through the display bottleneck and provide customers with new viewing experiences. From embedded projectors that sit inside a handset to accessory projectors that connect to mobile devices, Microvision's PicoP display engine offers OEM customers the ability to design next generation mobile devices that delight customers while creating new business opportunities.

Source microvision

29 Kasım 2008 Cumartesi

How To Send Email To Any Cell Phone (for Free)

Want to send a short email to a friend and get it delivered to his/her cell phone as SMS? If you know your friends’ phone numbers and the carrier they are on then you can easily send emails to their cell phones directly from your email program.


Here is how it works:

Most of mobile carriers offer free Email To SMS gateways which can be used to forward simple text emails to a mobile phones. And the good news, majority of those gateways are free and available to the general public.

You just need to know the number and the carrier of the recipient to start emailing them to mobile phone. Below we put together a table listing free email to SMS gateways for different carriers. You can use as quick reference both for US and international mobile numbers.

source makeuseof

28 Kasım 2008 Cuma

NEW Samsung Omnia Case from Vaja

Here is a holiday gift that you can get for yourself if you have a Samsung Omnia!


Vaja has a NEW ivolution leather case for the Samsung Omnia. This new case allows either outside and inside color customization. ivolution Leather case MSRP $ 75

Check out this new addition to Vaja Leather Products here!

Source mobilitysite.com

Motorola Alexander and Attila spotted, but not clearly


This is really just confirmation of existence more than anything, given that we've already seen purported shots of both the Attila and Alexander before, but at least we're assured that these forthcoming Motorola smartphones are more than just subjects of one's Photoshopping escapades. The image you see above is accompanied by no additional information whatsoever, but we must say, these look strangely seductive in greyscale. Could these really be the first truly black-and-white handsets? Do it Moto, we dare you.

Source engadgetmobile.com

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17 Kasım 2008 Pazartesi

800 MHz CPU-packing P565 handset appears on ASUS site


ASUS' P565 has been pretty much unofficial until now, though we did see some alleged photos and specs of the device not terribly long ago. The phone has just been officially listed on the ASUS site, however, and we've got a quick rundown of its stats (which are pretty much exactly what we'd seen before). The Glide UI-sporting, HSDPA smartphone -- which ASUS claims is the "fastest business PDA phone" in the world -- runs Windows Mobile 6.1, has an 800MHz Marvell CPU, a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 256MB flash memory and 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, and a microSD slot with SDHC support. Like we said, none of this is a big surprise, but it's the first official look we've had at the handset, though we're still waiting on word about pricing and availability.

Source engadgetmobile

15 Kasım 2008 Cumartesi

HTC Touch HD review roundup



The HTC Touch HD may be somewhat hard to come by 'round these parts, but it certainly hasn't been making itself shy overseas, where it has been unboxed, examined, and given the early review treatment. Now that it's readily available in the UK, there's even more reviews of the phone cropping up, which seem to mostly agree that while it's not a phone for everyone, it definitely impresses. Among those completely blowing things out is Phone Arena, which, as you might expect, was especially impressed by the phone's screen, and describe it as "the phone for document viewing." Pocket Now was equally impressed by that "HD" display, as well as its overall performance and battery life, which they were pleased to find was about on par with the HD-less Touch Pro. CNET was even more effusive in its praise, saying that, despite its drawbacks, it is "HTC's best Windows Mobile phone yet." Windows Mobile, and HTC's GUI, proved to be a point of contention for the folks at Slash Gear, however, who say the phone would be even better running a next-gen version of the OS, or possibly even Android (a sentiment also echoed by Phone Arena). Other drawbacks include the phone's sheer size, some poor performance from TouchFLO 3D (despite an update) and, of course, it's lack of US 3G bands, which presents a bit of a problem for folks considering importing one. Still undecided? Then dive into the links below and watch the time slip away.

Orijinal...

BlackBerry 8350i chirps its way through the FCC


FCC labs must just love testing iDEN devices, since you're basically guaranteeing yourself several days of super-annoying "beep beeps" emanating from phones placed in proximity to bizarre, gelatinous objects designed to simulate human flesh. Of course, RIM owns its own testing facility (no conflict of interest there or anything), so they've no one to blame but themselves for producing the 8350i -- a Curve-alike designed to keep the push-to-talkers of the world calm and happy. We still don't have an exact release date, but we've previously heard that it's on track for the current quarter; if FCC certification was the only thing they were holding on, we imagine could see it pretty shortly.

Orijinal...

The handsets of GITEX 2008: HTC, SE and TechFaith


Given that Dubai pretty much has it out for every other spectacle in the entire universe, it's no shock to see the mecca pick up a major consumer electronics trade show of its own. This year's GITEX 2008 has come and gone, but there are still images left to remind us of the show that was. PocketPCDubai was fortunate enough to tour the show floor with a camera in hand, and while the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 wasn't a shocker, there were quite a few intriguing WinMo handsets in attendance. For a look at what all TechFaith had to offer (along with a few shots of the luscious Touch HD from HTC), head on down to the read link.

Orijinal...

Fix for Windows Mobile Email Bug Released


Microsoft has released a fix for a bug in the latest version of Windows Mobile that can prevent email from being sent.

This bug can potentially corrupt the email account of any smartphone. According to a description from Microsoft:

This behavior is associated with a feature that is introduced in Windows Mobile 6.1. The feature allows for mobile operators to specify an alternate SMTP server name that is used if e-mail messages cannot be sent by using the user-specified SMTP server name. If the mobile operator does not specify an alternate SMTP server name and if the Windows Mobile 6.1-based device does not connect, the e-mail account is corrupted and cannot send e-mail messages.

To remove this bug, all users of Windows Mobile 6.1 devices -- both Professional and Standard -- who use POP3 or IMAP4 email should download a patch from Microsoft's website.

Orijinal...

New Images May Be Screenshots of Windows Mobile 6.5


A pair of screenshots have been making the rounds online, claiming to show the user interface of the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5.

The first of the images, originally obtained by website SmartphoneFrance.info, depicts a hexagonal application launcher featuring several common Windows Mobile applications, as well as a new YouTube icon.

The second image shows a vertical listing of items not dissimilar to the "tile" interface on Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, listing time, weather, and messages along with other entries.

The poor quality of the images -- including small typographical errors such as "Task" instead of "Tasks," and "Youtube" instead of "YouTube," as well as the switching of battery and signal strength icons between shots -- has resulted in widespread speculation that they are fakes, and not representative of UI changes in Windows Mobile 6.1.




However, the possibility exists that the alleged screenshots are something like concept art created for internal use at Microsoft to provide a feel for new UI ideas, and not actual images of a working build. For that reason, it is impossible to disprove them as yet.

More About Windows Mobile 6.5

Though previously unknown, the existence of a Windows Mobile 6.5 was accidentally revealed to the public two weeks ago when Sanjay Jha, the head of Motorola's mobile device division, mentioned it as part of the company's strategy, noting that it contained "significant new added features which will help the platform."

Only a few days ago Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed the existence of the new OS build, saying only that it would be available on devices some time next year.

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BlackBerry Storm: A Potential iPhone Killer in the Enterprise


Although Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) refuses to say so explicitly, the company has delivered to enterprises a viable alternative to the iPhone with the new BlackBerry Storm.

This device debuted last week from Vodafone in the U.K. but hasn't yet been released in the U.S. Verizon is scheduled to do so later this month, however.

Ken Dulaney, vice president and distinguished analyst for Gartner Inc., said the first touch-screen BlackBerry isn't quite up to par with the iPhone from a consumer perspective, but CIOs who have been feeling pressure from users to support the iPhone now have a comparable device that will meet their security requirements.

"Overall, the design of the user interface of the iPhone is much better, but the BlackBerry Storm is good," he said. "The [Storm] is a little bit thicker and wider than the iPhone, about on par with the typical BlackBerry. It has extremely good potential in the enterprise space."

The Storm has some innovative design elements, such as a capacitive touch-screen, which improves touch-screen accuracy and gives users a more tactile feel for navigating in the device.

Dulaney said the Storm's browser is still inferior to the Safari browser on the iPhone, which is one of the most important features on a touch-screen device. But he said that BlackBerry has greatly improved its own browser.

He calls the Storm RIM's most important product launch to date. He said it has the potential to help RIM regain some of the market momentum it has lost since Apple launched the iPhone.

Is it an iPhone Killer?

In general, RIM declines to speak about the devices of its competitors when talking about its strategy for the BlackBerry. When we arranged to interview a RIM executive about the Storm, the company agreed to speak to us on the understanding that the company representative could not speak about competitors' devices. Therefore, we were unable to ask RIM whether the Storm is meant as an iPhone killer, but there's no doubt in most people's minds that this is the company's strategy.

David Smith, senior director of product management for RIM, said his company built the Storm in response to interest from Verizon and Vodafone in having a touch-screen smartphone. RIM had built the BlackBerry 8830 exclusively for those companies as one of the first single-chip, dual-mode CDMA and GSM handsets a few years before.

"Vodafone and Verizon came to us and said [they] would like to do something even more different," Smith said. "Something that has a large screen on it, ideally a touch-screen."

Smith said RIM has been looking at touch-screens for a long time -- since the early 1990s. RIM had seen companies like Palm and Casio do early work with touch-screen PDAs, he said, but didn't think the technology was ready yet.

"The challenge with touch-screens is they combine and mix up navigation and confirmation," Smith said. "As soon as you lift your finger, that's an action. And you're kind of committed once you start touching the screen."

Smith said that is why RIM has added a capacitive touch-screen, a mechanical subsystem that "clicks" when the user presses down on it. This allow the user to separate navigation from confirmation. RIM believes this to be a big differentiator.

Dulaney said the touch-screen of the Storm makes it a serious alternative to the iPhone.

"It takes some of the pressure off IT to support the iPhone," he said. "They've permitted [it] to come in [to companies] in some instances, and we're fine with that as long as a company's security policies are minimal. In the case where security requirements are higher, they've kept [the iPhone] out."

Raising a Storm in the Enterprise

The security and email capabilities of the Storm are comparable to other BlackBerry devices, making it an extremely appealing alternative.

Mike Jude, senior analyst for Nemertes Research, said the Storm is the first touchscreen smartphone built to enterprise standards. Nemertes' research has found that nearly 23% of enterprises support the BlackBerry. Clearly, the Storm is poised to satisfy a growing market demand.

"I would think that [IT departments] want to offer choice, and their employees will ask for choice, and that's what we are trying to meet," RIM's David Smith said. "I know with many of the enterprise customers we've met with, whether with the Storm or with the Pearl flip, they're seeing opportunities to put BlackBerrys into the hands of more employees.

Dulaney says that many enterprises may want to stay with other BlackBerry devices, however, depending on what their user requirements are. Despite the excitement among consumers about touch-screens and the big browsers they offer, enterprise users are more split on the form factor. He said many mobile workers value a QWERTY keyboard's accuracy for writing emails. Dulaney, who tested a Storm for several days, said the tactile feel of the device's touch-screen makes for an improved typing experience over the iPhone, but it still doesn't match up with a Qwerty keypad.

He said organizations that use browser-based business applications will find the improved browsing experience of the Storm appealing as well, as long as users don't mind being unable to use the applications when not connected to a network, such as on a cross-continental flight.

"It's about the way you use it," Dulaney said. "The browser and the large screen on a touch-screen is probably the most important thing [for the Storm]," he said. "If you do email and don't care about the browser, then go with a QWERTY design. But if you go to a touchscreen, be ready to sacrifice the keyboard. Go with the Pearl if you've made a conscious decision that the design, size, weight, and telephony are important."

Smith conceded that the touch-screen certainly isn't for everyone.

"We know there are people who will want to continue to buy products with conventional keypads," he said. "It's all about choice."

Orijinal...

Google Mobile App for iPhone, now with Voice Search

Application for iPhone. Voice search...

read more | digg story

HTC MAX 4G alias HTC T8290 Announced

It seems like more and more of the rumours posted here come true so not to break the habit of a lifetime we can now officially say that the HTC MAX 4G alias HTC T8290 is real and ready.


The HTC MAX 4G is a WiMAX-enabled high-end device that's exclusive for Yota WiMAX network in Russia. The handset is simply based on an HTC Touch HD with its 3G stripped and added WiMAX support. But there are several more new goodies on board.

The MAX 4G is not as big on the multimedia front as the Touch HD, but is still impressive. The main disadvantage of the new HTC MAX 4G is the lack of 3G support, which however won't be an issue for its Russian owners, as there is still no active 3G network in Russia.


Instead, they get the Mobile WiMAX. WiMax is like Wi-Fi only its coverage is much wider and can span across whole cities, however, don't confuse it with the upcoming 4G wireless data standard which we are yet to see in action, but WiMax is a good alternative that's already available to notebook users in various countries.

Stepping away from the WiMAX fuss, the tri-band GPRS/EDGE HTC MAX 4G differs from the HTC Touch HD by several key features. The MAX 4G has 8GB of user available memory, 3.2 MP autofocus camera, and a proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off during calls - much like on the iPhone. The weight and dimensions remain nearly the same, but the new baby is almost 2mm thicker than Touch HD.

You will also get some extra services, granted by the Yota Center, Yota Phone, Yota TV and Music, Yap-Yap, Video, etc.

HTC MAX 4G will be released exclusively for the Yota network in Russia, which is a brand under the Scartel company in the end of November. It will have a rather hefty pricetag of about 840 euros (1050 US dollars), which gets you into a two year contract but promises lots of free music and video content.

Orijinal...

9 Kasım 2008 Pazar

Nokia Releases the Nokia N96 in the US

Nokia today announced the availability of the Nokia N96, its flagship multimedia computer, in the United States. The Nokia N96 will now be available through open channels in the United States, including the Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, on www.nokiausa.com and a number of independent retailers and e-tailers.

More info on this Nseries smartphone:

The Nokia N96 boasts a powerhouse of entertainment ready features, including a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, turn-by-turn voice navigation, 16GB of internal memory, expandable up to 24GB with an optional microSD card, superior sound and music, N-Gage gaming and a stunning 2.8" display.



The Nokia N96 has the ability to store up to 40 hours of video content transfered from a PC via hi-speed USB 2.0 connection or online with WLAN and HSDPA support. The device also supports the most common video formats including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video. Enjoy the action on your videos with the device's vivid 2.8" display and built-in 3D stereo speakers. Sit back, watch the plot unfold and experience the special effects hands-free, thanks to a cleverly designed 'kickstand' on the back cover.


With the Nokia N96, users will capture clear, vibrant, high quality video clips at 30 frames per second as well as sharp, defined photos with the 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED Flash. Tag the location of your new images with integrated geotagging, and with just one click, upload your images straight to online image-hosting communities, including Share on Ovi from Nokia - a great way to relive your favorite moments.

The enhanced navigation experience on the Nokia N96 includes rich, easy-to-use maps with urban detail as well as satellite views. Try out three months of free voice guided turn-by-turn navigation - for walking or driving - along with the new City Guides that offer a great way to explore undiscovered places.

Specs:

Quad band GSM, US dual band HSDPA 3G
S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
16 gigs storage plus SDHC microSD card slot
5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash
Can record video at VGA resolution at 30fps
950 mAh Lithium Ion battery (gee, that's low!)
2.8" QVGA display
4 x 2.2. x 0.7 inches, 4.4 ounces
WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
3.5mm headphone jack
GPS (with assisted GPS) and Nokia Maps 2.0

Compatible with high-speed 3G HSDPA networks in the US (850 and 1900 MHz), the Nokia N96 costs an estimated 895 USD.

Orijinal...

Microsoft Introduces Windows 7 to Hardware Partners

Today at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2008, Microsoft showed some new features in Windows 7 that make it easier for hardware partners to create new experiences for Windows PC customers. Here is more info:

"We've done a great deal of work in Windows 7 to enable new scenarios with our hardware partners, and we are excited by the partner innovation we have shown today," said DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System Division at Microsoft. "Windows 7 presents tremendous opportunities for hardware developers. This innovation will enable our hardware partners to provide customers with even greater choice in rich computing experiences."

Opportunities for Hardware Vendors With Windows 7

Microsoft demonstrated new features in Windows 7 that optimize how customers interact with Windows PCs, manage devices, access broadband and engage with wireless experiences, providing new opportunities for partners to improve their customers’ experience. The following features in particular were highlighted:

• Devices and Printers. To make it easier for customers to interact with all the devices on their Windows PC, Microsoft has created a new feature in Windows 7 called Devices and Printers. Devices and Printers provides a single place for customers to interact with devices, browse files or manage settings. Devices can be connected to the PC using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, with simple wizards that simply the setup process.

• Device Stage. Device Stage enables hardware manufactures to create an even richer user experience, especially for more specialized devices such as cell phones, multifunction printers and digital cameras. Device Stage is designed to help Windows 7 customers take advantage of advanced features for devices. For mobile phones, portable media players, cameras and printers connected to a Windows 7 PC, Device Stage provides information on the device status and runs common tasks in a single window customized by the device manufacturer.

• Mobile broadband. Windows 7 delivers a simpler and more reliable way to connect to the Internet using wireless modems. The process is similar to connecting to any other wireless network, and is done using the View Available Networks feature. A consistent experience for customers and a common infrastructure for partners enables lower support, maintenance, deployment and management costs, and allows partners to focus on higher-value services rather than basic connectivity development.

• Windows Touch. Controlling the computer by touching the screen is a core part of the Windows 7 experience, with visual feedback provided for tap and double-tap gestures. The Start menu, Windows Taskbar and Windows Explorer are touch-ready. Windows 7 also introduces support for multitouch technology, which enables customers to control what happens on the screen in new ways by zooming in, zooming out and rotating images with their fingers.

Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering that weaves partner feedback more closely to the development process, and enables the delivery of innovative new features while preserving compatibility and performance.

Device-Makers Laud Microsoft’s Early Partnership Efforts

Microsoft also announced early industry support for Device Stage from partners including Brother, Epson, HP, Motorola, Nikon, Sansa, Canon and Sony.

As part of the keynote, Microsoft demonstrated Canon’s SD990 digital camera and a Nokia N95 smartphone to show how Device Stage makes it easier for people to use multifunction devices and makes it easier for hardware companies to package custom applications and services as part of the user experience.

Early-partner adoption of Windows 7 and Device Stage illustrates the larger industry opportunity for device manufacturers to increase customer satisfaction by providing customized device information that can be updated at any time. It also provides a platform for device manufacturers to offer customers built-in support for common features and direct access to services such as ring tones, ink cartridges and photo printing. The investments being made in Windows 7 not only help customers get the most from their devices, but also create new opportunities for partners.

Linux Based Motorola EM35 spotted

Motorola look to be releasing a new Linux based Smartphone which will be running on Linux Montavista 2.6.10 OS with an SCM-A11 500MHz processor to power it. Named the EM35 it is planned as the successor of the music based EM30 and will feature a rich music player and stereo FM radio with RDS support


So what we know so far is the following:

* 110MB built-in memory
* microSD card slot up to 8gb.
* Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
* Tri-band GSM
* GPRS
* EDGE
* NO 3G.
* 2.22" QVGA TFT display with 256K colours
* 3MP camera
* 107 x 49.5 x 16 mm
* 117 grams.

Orijinall..

HTC Touch HD now in Asia


We have received word on the next wave of countries to get the Windows Mobile uber device - HTC Touch HD. Only a few days after its European premiere HTC brought joyful news to all its fans in Asia by announcing that the HD will be available on the World's most populated continent as soon as the beginning of next month. Unfortunately for our American friends, there is still no word of when will the phone become available there

The first two countries from the Asian tour of the HTC Touch HD will be Malaysia and Singapore. The prices of the multimedia powerhouse in those countries will be respectively 730 euro (930 US dollars) and 750 euro (950 US dollars). The twenty euro difference can easily be explained by the 8GB microSD card that will be included in the retail package in Singapore.

Equipped with a large 3.8" WVGA screen the HTC Touch HD is surely one of the most interesting devices to hit the market this year. Even though multimedia isn't normally one of Windows Mobile devices' elements the Touch HD has a specs sheet that can put much of the competition to shame. The large display, the 5 MP snapper and the 3.5mm audio jack are just some of the niceties it brings.

The connectivity includes all contemporary means of data transfers - 3G, Wi-Fi and of course the microSD card slot. There is also a built-in GPS to make the specs sheet on the HD almost as complete as it can be.

Orijinal...

8 Kasım 2008 Cumartesi

Pay attention or pay the price...



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Windows Mobile 6.5 confirmed by Steve Ballmer, might solve half your problems


We've all been scratching our heads ever since Motorola name-dropped Windows Mobile 6.5 in a recent earnings call, and at last the ever-reserved Steve Ballmer has come forward to set the record straight: Windows Mobile 6.5 is on the way. The the update is due to hit next year, while Windows Mobile 7 development -- an OS that was never supposed to be the be-all and end-all -- seemingly continues to wallow. As for improvements, there's little to go on right now, though it does sound like the interface might get some work. In all it seems like increasingly little, increasingly late, but we're willing to be surprised, Microsoft.

Orijinal...

Mobile Millennium project promises to track traffic with cellphones


UC Berkeley has been working on using cellphones to track traffic for some time now, first under the the decidedly less expansive Mobile Century project, and now under its new Mobile Millennium project, which has the backing of Nokia, NAVTEQ, and others. It actually first kicked off earlier this year, but it looks like it's now about to take another big step forward, with the researchers set to open things up to the general public -- or the general public in Northern California, at least. The idea here is to collect data from folks with GPS-equipped cellphones and combine it with existing traffic data, and then in turn make that information accessible via cellphone to let you plan out the speediest route. According to the researchers, the software will work on both Nokia and non-Nokia phones, but it seems that they've only tested it on the E71 and N95 so far (you can also view real-time traffic data on your computer). More details will apparently be announced when this new stage of the project officially gets underway on November 10th, but those interested in taking part can already register by hitting up the read link below.

Read

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Xperia X1 Still Headed to the U.S. Soon, Despite Component Shortage


The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 recently debuted in Europe, but supplies there are limited because of production problems.

Despite this, a company spokesperson told IDG that this smartphone is still scheduled to debut in the United States this month. He did not say if this will be through a wireless carrier or via direct sales.

The spokesperson also declined to say what exactly is causing these delays, but said his company and HTC -- who is actually manufacturing this device -- are working to alleviate them. Additional personnel have been put on the project.

More units should be available in European countries in the coming weeks, and the Xperia X1 is expected to debut in Asia soon.

The dearth of devices in Europe is affecting grey-market retailers in the U.S. For example, neither eXpansys nor Dynamism have this device in stock yet.

UPDATE: eXpansys USA has received a single shipment of the X1, but all these units were immediately shipped out to people who had placed pre-orders. This company is expecting additional shipments "soon".

More about the Xperia X1

This smartphone includes a 3-inch WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) touchscreen that can slide aside to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Other navigation options are a four-way key and an optical joystick.

The version of X1 that will be released in the U.S. will be a quad-band GSM phone with support for 3G, including the frequencies used in this country. It will also have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

This Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device includes up to 400 MB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot for additional storage.

In addition, this model has a-GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and an FM receiver.

It is 4.3 inches wide, 2.1 inches tall, and 0.66 inches thick (110 mm x 53 mm x 16.7 mm). It weighs 5.1 oz. (145 g).

Orijinal...

T-Mobile G1 Review

It's not often we see the launch of new mobile operating system, especially one that many people are expecting to become one of the major forces in the smartphone market. But that's what's happening with the T-Mobile G1, a device that's significant because it's the first running Google's Android OS, not because of its slightly boring hardware.

This is a consumer-oriented smartphone with an outstanding web browser and strong ties to Google's online services, like Gmail. Its GPS receiver makes its version of Google Maps more accurate.

It has a touchscreen but depends heavily on its integrated QWERTY keyboard.

The G1 also has Wi-Fi and access to T-Mobile's extensive hotspot network.





Inside this Review

It's All About Android
Software and More Software
For Consumers Only
T-Mobile G1 Hardware
Conclusion
It's All About Android

The T-Mobile G1 is sometimes called the "Googlephone" because its operating system -- called Android -- was created by Google, and much of the bundled software ties in to Google's services.

This means that you can get your Gmail on the G1, your contacts are the same as your Gmail contacts, and you can keep a copy of your Google Calender with you all the time on this smartphone.

This might be the best part of Android. The synchronization between the G1 and Google's online services is easy childishly easy to set up, and changes are made instantaneously. If you're a user of many of Google's services, you can be up and going in about two minutes by just entering your email address and password.

Going forward, your emails will automatically be sent to your G1, and you'll be notified as soon as they arrive. This is called "push" email and it's something that once was available only to BlackBerry users. If you want to make changes to your calendar or address book, you can do so either on the G1 or with a web browser on your PC. No matter which one you choose, the other will be updated immediately.

Browser: With Google behind the design, it's no surprise that Android has a very good web browser. Truly, it's one of the better mobile ones I've used. It renders large pages fairly quickly, and reformats text on the fly to make it fit on the G1's small screen. Moving around on large pages is made easier with a small window that acts as a magnifying glass, letting you choose exactly where you want to zoom in.

Combined with the G1's high-speed wireless access, I predict you're going to find yourself regularly surfing the web when on the go.


Google Maps: I'm sorry to say that the version of Google Maps that's built into Android is fairly useless.

As it stands, this application can show you where you are, and give you a set of directions to where you're going. But to actually use those directions is a huge hassle. The software shows you an icon to indicate your position, but it seems almost unaware of your location. Whenever you make a turn, you have to tap on the screen to ask for the next turn, it doesn't happen automatically. If you miss a turn, Google Maps can't create a new route for you on the fly. You have to manually start the process of creating a set of directions all over again. There's simply no way to use this software while driving in anything like a safe manner.

I have been using the versions of this application on other mobile platforms for a long time, and I've never complained about the limitations because it's free. However, Google Maps is now a significant feature in a smartphone people are paying for, and it's time for it to grow up.

Multimedia: As long as I'm pointing out problems, Android, and therefore the G1, is fairly weak in multimedia. There's no video player in the bundled software. You can play music off a memory card, but not video. You also can't record video with the built-in camera.

There's no way to play streaming audio off the Internet. You can, however, play Flash video streamed from YouTube using one of the better clients I've seen. This isn't surprising when you consider that Google owns this video service.

A file browser would be nice, too, to help you easily manage your images and MP3s the a memory card.

Software and More Software

As time goes by, one of the greatest strengths of Android is going to be the wealth of third-party applications available for it. Google is actively encouraging developers to create software, and they are responding.

The T-Mobile G1 is brand new, but there are already more than 50 software titles available on the Android Market.

The Android Market is Google's system to allow developers to easily distribute their applications to users. It's still in its infancy, and everything available now is free because there's no system for charing yet, but it shows promise.

For example, there are apps that try to take care of the holes in Android's feature set I mentioned earlier. But both the video player and the file browser need a great deal of work before they will be truly useful.

The Market is available on the smartphone, and lists applications in a variety of categories. You can quickly download any of these over the air, and it will automatically be installed on your device.

My only complaint with this process is the limited amount of storage you have to holding applications. All third-party software has to go into a 70 MB space. It doesn't matter how much storage capacity you have on a memory card, you can't store software anywhere other than internally. To give you an idea of what this means, I've installed a few utilities and a couple of games and I'm already down to 50 MB. Basically, you're going to have to carefully manage which applications you keep on your G1.

For Consumers Only

In the early days of smartphones, the majority of these devices were created for business users. Android is different. It has been created for consumers, and everything about it reflects that.

The home screen functions as a clock and an application launcher, but doesn't give the sort of information businesspeople generally want at a glance, like when their next meeting is.

While getting email from a consumer service using POP3 or IMAP is a breeze, currently, there is no way to connect to an Exchange Server to get corporate email.

Android's support for working with Microsoft Office files is weak. For example, you can view a Word document that comes in as an email, but some of the formatting, like images and footnotes, won't appear. There's no editing of Office documents.

Also, there's no support for tethering, so it's not possible to use the G1 as a modem for a laptop.

However, these are all areas where I expect third-party development to step in.

T-Mobile G1 Hardware

As important as Android is, it still needs good hardware to make a successful product. And, unfortunately, I don't think the device Google and T-Mobile chose was the best option.

The G1 is a version of the HTC Dream, and despite the name this is an entirely unexciting model. It's loaded with nice features, but the overall package isn't one to inspire cravings in the target market.

In the same way that a business-oriented smartphone needs to look professional, a consumer-oriented one needs to look cool. The G1 doesn't. Not at all. It looks like something an engineer would carry around to test out a new software platform.

I was hoping for something sleek, but at 0.6 inches thick and 5.6 ounces, this model is relatively large and heavy. It's not something that rides easily in a regular pants pocket. You'll likely be carrying it either in a cargo pocket, on your belt, or in a purse.

Screen: The T-Mobile G1's best feature is the HVGA touchscreen. This is a capacitive screen rather than the more common resistive type. What this jargon means is that you need to touch the screen with your fingertip rather than a stylus. The G1 doesn't come with a stylus and won't register screen taps with anything but your fingertips, not even your fingernails.

Android seems to have been designed for just this sort of arrangement. Just about everything is large and easy to tap on, and it's great being freed from the need to constantly pull out a stylus.

One of the few times when you want to select something small on the screen is in the web browser. Web pages are often dense with text and links, making it hard for your relatively large finger to tap on exactly what you want. Fortunately, the G1 had a trackball that you can use to select small items.

Keyboard: Don't worry about trying to type on the screen with your fingertips because Android doesn't include an on-screen keyboard. Instead, you'll be using the G1's hardware keyboard. You get to this by sliding the screen to one side, which automatically puts the display into landscape mode.

At this point, this device starts to resemble a T-Mobile Sidekick. As I understand it, many of the people who liked the Sidekick are pleased with the G1. I was never a Sidekick user, and the G1's keyboard seems awkwardly placed to me. Even with the screen slid out of the way, there's still the section of the phone with the hardware buttons off to one side -- this is sometimes called the chin -- and you have to reach around this with your right hand to access the keys.


Hardware Overview
Still, the keyboard itself is OK. I generally prefer a hardware keyboard to an on-screen one, I just wish there was an option to enter text with the G1 in portrait mode.

Wireless: An area where I have no complaints is wireless networking. The G1 is T-Mobile's first smartphone with high-speed 3G cellular-wireless networking. I live in an area with 3G coverage, and I can definitely notice a speed difference between it and the older 2.5G standard EDGE when I'm web browsing or downloading maps.

For those of you who don't have 3G coverage yet, this device sports the short-range wireless standard Wi-Fi. You can set up an access point in your home or office if you don't have one already, and the G1 comes with free access to all of T-Mobile's hotspots around the world. Wi-Fi is a bit speedier than 3G, but I found myself rarely turning it on, as 3G is fast enough for me.

I'm happy with the G1's Bluetooth performance when using a headset, but those with a set of wireless stereo headphones are in for a disappointment; they can't be used with this device.

Headphones: Speaking of headphones, this device comes with an accessory that does double duty as a headset and stereo headphones. This is nice, as the G1 doesn't include a standard jack. Instead, you have to use its mini-USB port.

Memory and Storage: I've already mentioned the parsimonious amount of storage the G1 has for installing applications, so I won't bring that up again.

This device has an externally accessible microSD memory card slot, and comes bundled with a 1 GB card, which you use to store music and pictures. You can swap out cards with more capacity, too.

To copy files onto this card, you can use a card reader, but there's a much better option. If you connect the G1 to your Windows or Mac PC with the included cable, the memory card will show up as a removable drive. This makes moving files on to or off of the device a snap.

Performance: The G1 runs Android on a 528 MHz processor and includes 192 MB of RAM. That seems like a good configuration, as I have no complaints about general performance at all. Everything happens virtually instantaneously.

I have had no problems with stability. I think one application may have crashed on me since I've been using the G1, and it didn't take the whole device with it.

Battery Life: The T-Mobile G1's battery life is about the minimal I'll accept without complaining. It's not great, as I can run through a charge in a single day if I use the device frequently. On the other hand, I put the device aside as I was working on other projects and left it just checking for my push emails to come in. At the end of three days it still had a 30% charge.

Still, if you want to be sure your G1 is ready to go when you need it, you're going to want to charge it every night.

Conclusion

When I think of the T-Mobile G1, the phrase that occurs to me is "a good first step". Most of Android's basic features are there, and they work very well. But there are enough extra features either missing or so poorly handled to make this smartphone seem unfinished.

Fortunately, I'm sure Google is going to keep plugging away at improving the software, and third-party developers will help fill in the holes. It will take a while, but eventually I expect Android to be an impressive mobile platform.

There's nothing any software upgrade can do about the G1's rather boring look, though. At least its feature set is pleasing and the price is good.

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