Smartphones and Cell Phones

July 2nd, 2009

Celebrate 4th of July on your smartphone with Handmark Fireworks

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:24 pm

Categories: AT&T, Apple, BlackBerry, Microsoft, Mobile software, RIM, Windows Mobile, iPhone

Tags:

I thoroughly enjoy launching and watching fireworks on the 4th of July and with the native American reservations close to my house I get the chance to buy some pretty fantastic explosives. If you want to play it a bit safer and save yourself some money you can visit Astraware and load up their free Handmark Fireworks application on your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile device.

The BlackBerry version does not include music while the iPhone and WIndows Mobile versions include the Star Spangled Banner and Stars’n'Stripes Forever. The music can be toggled off and you can have fireworks and cheering (sound effects) enabled. You can also select from Iwo Jima Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the American flag as backgrounds. Custom backgrounds from your photo album can also be used on the iPhone.

July 1st, 2009

CoPilot Live GPS navigation solution now available for Google Android devices

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:20 am

Categories: Android, Google, HTC, Mobile software, T-Mobile

Tags: Software, Google Inc., High Tech Computer Corp., Google Android, Data Connection, Location, GPS, Mobile Operating Systems, Tools & Techniques, Smart Phones

I posted a full review of TeleNav GPS Navigator software on the T-Mobile G1 and for a long time it was the only voice navigation software for the platform. Today, ALK Technologies announced the release of CoPilot Live for the Android platform that can be purchased for $34.99 in the Android Market. It is designed to run on the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1), HTC Magic, and upcoming HTC Hero. One of the major differences between this software and TeleNav’s solution is that you download all the maps for your selected region and store them on your microSD card so that no data connection is needed for the full navigation experience.

There are services provided by ALK though where a data connection is needed so it is best to use the software when you do have a data connection. You will be able to get real-time traffic alerts, 5-day weather forecasts, and the ability to share your location with family and friends.

Some of the features listed in their press release include:

• Flickable scrolling menus and maps supports touch screen gesture recognition
• Clear turn-by-turn voice directions with a choice of voices
• Widescreen portrait or landscape mode
• CoPilot® LiveLink™ location sharing allows you to view the location of your CoPilot friends on-screen and share your location with them
• Phone integration, allowing direct dialling to POIs, location sending via text and photo navigation
• Safety camera alerts with free database updates

Many years ago I used the CoPilot Live solution on my Windows Mobile non-touchscreen smartphone and it is great to see such a solid solution coming to the Google Android platform.

While some may say the price is too high, you are getting a complete set of maps for your selected region and access to their servers for live data and IMHO this is a VERY inexpensive navigation solution. You can purchase additional regions to download too so if you travel overseas you will still have a full navigation solution.

June 30th, 2009

Review: T-Mobile Dash 3G takes the Dash torch and runs with it

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:04 pm

Categories: HTC, Microsoft, Review, T-Mobile, Windows Mobile

Tags: T-Mobile, T-Mobile Dash, Dash 3G, 3G, Keyboards, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, GPS, Wireless And Mobility, Handhelds

This summer is a blockbuster season for touchscreen smartphones with the Palm Pre, iPhone 3GS, Nokia N97, HTC TouchPro2, and T-Mobile myPhone. However, not everyone is crazy about touchscreen devices and they just want a solid smartphone that gets the job done in a compact form factor that is easily operated with a single hand. One of the hottest selling smartphones ever for T-Mobile has been the T-Mobile Dash. I personally used this device for about a year and have given out a couple I had to family and coworkers who still enjoy using the Dash today. T-Mobile announced the Dash 3G a couple weeks ago and I have had the chance to spend the last week and a half evaluating one of them. Actually, T-Mobile may have a tough time getting this review unit back anytime soon You can check out product images and software screenshots in my image gallery along with a short video of it in action and my thoughts on the device below.

	Image Gallery:Check out product photos of the T-Mobile Dash 3G.

The T-Mobile Dash was an almost perfect non-touchscreen smartphone with a long lasting battery, bright display, very functional keyboard, compact form factor, rock solid stability, excellent functionality as a one-handed device, and relatively low price. I know several other mobile enthusiasts that thoroughly enjoyed using the Dash even though they could use just about any other mobile device if they wanted to. I found the Dash just needed a few more things to make it an even better device, including support for 3G data networks, GPS integration, and a better camera, and I thought we lost our chance of ever seeing this upgraded model when HTC and others started focusing primarily on touchscreen devices.

Many of the people I interact with as part of the Mobius group also enjoyed using the T-Mobile Dash and we asked about this device just about every time we met with HTC. I was very pleased to hear that HTC listened and took our feedback as they created a very nice successor to the Dash with the Dash 3G. I am most likely going to have to pick one up when they become available and I am sure my wife will be taking it from me as soon as she gets a hold of that keyboard.

As I will discuss in detail, the T-Mobile Dash 3G steps up in a couple of ways and is an even better product than the T-Mobile Dash. You now get support for T-Mobile’s fledgling 3G network, the processor sees a major bump in performance, the battery gets bumped up, and a GPS receiver is included in the device. The form factor is very similar, but HTC actually significantly improved the QWERTY keyboard. The T-Mobile Dash 3G isn’t the most powerful Windows Mobile device, but that is not what it is designed to be and given the intended customer it is just about a perfect upgrade to the Dash.

Specifications

Here is a rundown of the specifications of the T-Mobile Dash 3G, with a list of the differences between it and the T-Mobile Dash shown below:

• 2.4 inch 320×240 pixels non-touchscreen display
• Quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS (1700/2100 MHz) support for 3G data
• 528 MHz processor
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo support
• Integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi
• 2 megapixel camera
• Integrated GPS receiver and Windows Live/Bing Search application
• 5-way trackball
• HTC extUSB/mini USB port for charging/syncing/headset
• 1500 mAh Lithium ion battery
• Weight of 4.2 ounces
• Size of 4.6 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches

Looking through the list of specs you can see that the Dash 3G is Read the rest of this entry »

June 29th, 2009

Palm gets personal, Apple & RIM don't

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 9:07 am

Categories: Apple, BlackBerry, Palm, RIM, WebOS, iPhone

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Palm Inc., Apple Inc., Device, Smart Phones, Sales Strategy, Cellular Phones, Channel Management, Wireless And Mobility, Telecom & Utilities

Very few people ever seem to read the manuals that come with the products they purchase and I imagine it is even more rare for someone to read all of the terms, conditions, and privacy documents related to their smartphone. A ZDNet reader sent me a note about Palm’s WebOS terms and conditions because they seemed quite intrusive and the reader wondered if every smartphone company was the same. I found and reviewed the privacy information for RIM and Apple too and found that Palm’s WebOS privacy document is overly personal compared to these other two companies. Windows Mobile is too difficult to find this type of information for since Microsoft makes the OS, but several different companies make the devices and terms and conditions vary by carrier and manufacturer while RIM, Apple, and Palm all develop and make their own line of products.

Palm: If you look at paragraph 4 of the Palm WebOS terms and conditions (PDF document) you will find the following:

The Services automatically send Palm various types of information, which may include the wireless phone number associated with your Device. To back up your Device information, the Services regularly send us your contacts, calendar, account credentials and settings, and preferences. During automatic remote diagnostics, your Device sends us its device ID and other related information to help us diagnose any Device issues and troubleshoot. You agree that Palm and its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, suppliers, and agents (collectively, Affiliates) may collect, store, access, disclose, transmit, process, and otherwise use your Registration Data, account or Device information, content, and technical data for Palm and its Affiliates to provide you with the Services, address your requests, provide technical support, process any transactions for your account, and otherwise in accordance with Palm’s privacy policy found at http://www.palm.com/us/company/privacy.html, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Palm may also provide or enable certain Services through your Device that rely upon location information. In order to provide such Services, Palm and its Affiliates may collect, store,access, disclose, transmit, process, and otherwise use your location data (including real time geographic information) in accordance with Palm’s privacy policy. You also agree that Palm has the right, without liability to you, to disclose any information, including but not limited to your Registration Data and other information, to law enforcement authorities or government officials, to the extent Palm believes is reasonably necessary or appropriate.

In looking through this I thought to myself it was pretty standard since Palm does reference their privacy notice. However, if you look at paragraph 2 of their privacy notice you will see they can actually share your personal information with Palm affiliates and subsidiaries to support sales and marketing.

We may share, disclose, or transfer your personal information as follows:

• To Palm affiliates and subsidiaries to support business operations and sales, marketing, and customer support processes;
• To third party service providers and suppliers acting on our behalf to provide products or services to you; and
• To other third parties for purposes you have allowed.

We may also disclose your personal information as we determine reasonably necessary to (a) comply with applicable law, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable governmental requests, (b) respond as necessary to an actual or potential lawsuit, or (c) protect the rights and property of Palm or others. We reserve the right to retain, use, and disclose aggregate or anonymous information developed from personal information at any time.

Apple: In comparison to Palm’s terms you can check out Apple iPhone terms where it is pretty clear Apple is gathering data too, but specifically states, “Apple may use this information, as long as it is in a form that does not personally identify you, to improve our products or to provide services or technologies to you.” Also, in regards to location data Apple clearly states, “The location data is collected in a form that does not personally identify you.”

RIM: Similar to the way Apple collects and uses your information, RIM’s privacy terms state that the personal information they collect and use does not include, “the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.” RIM also clearly states the following:

Except as part of the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of RIM, RIM will not sell, trade or rent your personal information to any third party unless we have your consent. We will only use and/or disclose personal information in order to:

• understand and meet your needs and preferences;
• develop new and enhance existing service and product offerings;
• manage and develop our business and operations; and
• meet legal and regulatory requirements.

We also reserve the right to use, disclose, sell, trade, or rent data aggregated provided that the data is not linked to any specific individual.

Am I being a bit too paranoid regarding Palm’s collection and sharing of my specific personal information? It seems that Apple and RIM have reasonable terms and privacy policies, but Palm gets too personal for my comfort.

June 27th, 2009

MobileTechRoundup show #176, I need a Hero

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:25 am

Categories: Android, HTC, Linux, Podcast

Tags:

Listen here (MP3, 30.4 MB, 33:10 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

We missed recording a show last week since I was in line for my iPhone 3GS, the first time, and so now have our second show of the week for you all to enjoy. James, Kevin, and I all started off MobileTechRoundup show #176 by talking about the announcement of the new HTC Hero and HTC Sense UI coming later this year. Palm seems to be doing well with Pre downloads, but needs to get their SDK out for applications to start filling up the Palm App Catalog. Kevin mentioned that iPhone tethering works with a simple provisioning file and then we each told how much we would be willing to pay for the service that should be coming to AT&T a bit later. There are a couple of slick new netbooks available from HP and ASUS and Kevin has one in his shopping cart. There won’t be a show next week since we’ll be off enjoying the 4th of July.

June 26th, 2009

TouchDown adds Private appt creation in Google Android

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 6:05 am

Categories: Android, Google, HTC, Linux, Microsoft, Mobile software

Tags: Google Inc., Google Android, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Mobile, TouchDown, NitroDesk Folk, Mobile Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Advertising & Promotion, Operating Systems

One reason I keep a Windows Mobile device around is because of the outstanding Exchange support. I recently mentioned my experiences with Exchange and other operating systems as most of them integrate Exchange support. I understand the new HTC Hero Android device may have some kind of integrated Exchange support, but I also wanted to remind current T-Mobile G1 and future myPhone 3G that there is an outstanding client from NitroDesk called TouchDown. I found out that one of my desired functions, private appointment creation, is now integrated into the latest beta of TouchDown.

The NitroDesk folks are some of the most responsive developers I have seen as they release updates just about weekly and they aren’t just minor updates either as you can see below from the latest list of fixes:

• Sensitivity settings (including Private)
• Ability to select Menu/Search to search your contacts.
• Ability to select Menu/More/Search in email view to display a search bar.
• Ability to select Show Addresses in an email to see the list of addresses and add to contacts.

If you are interested in testing out the latest beta of TouchDown on your Android device, visit the NitroDesk Google Groups site for more details and instructions.

As TouchDown gets more and more powerful, I have to say I am leaning more and more towards moving away from Windows Mobile and onto Google Android.

Then again, I just watched a video of Exchange 2010 and Outlook Mobile running a WM 6.5 device and think Windows Mobile is probably going to still be the go to operating system for heavy Exchange users.

June 24th, 2009

Do Palm Pre owners have to look to the past to get apps?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:38 pm

Categories: Linux, Mobile software, Palm, Sprint, WebOS

Tags: Operating System, Palm Inc., Palm OS, Mobile Operating Systems, Operating Systems, Handhelds, Mobile Applications, Wireless And Mobility, Software, Hardware

Come on now people, let the Palm OS apps go and move on to the future of mobile technology. I received an email notifying me that MobiHand and MotionApps announced the grand opening of the MobiHand Classic App Store that is dedicated to offering those ancient Palm OS apps to run in the MotionApps Classic Palm OS emulator. It seems a bit sad that there are still so few apps for the WebOS and Palm Pre while the Classic Palm OS emulator has to be promoted as the place to get applications.

I installed the trial of Classic back when I had my Palm Pre, but did not find it valuable enough to pay the $30 for it at the time. I only really used it for two applications, MyBible from Laridian and Tide Tool. The problem was that more than 1/3rd of the display was taken up by the virtual Grafitti area and there was no way to minimize this like I used to on my Palm Tungsten T3. If I could have minimized this and used the full display for reading and viewing then I probably would have purchased Classic on the Pre.

While it is true that you can run hundreds of the old Palm OS applications, you should be able to do most of what you need in modern applications that have better user interfaces and are optimized for today’s high end hardware.

Am I being too harsh on the Palm OS apps or do you agree with me that it is time to cut loose and live in the present?

June 24th, 2009

HTC announces the Hero with HTC Sense and Adobe Flash Player 10

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:27 am

Categories: Android, Google, HTC

Tags:

HTC held a big event in London today to announce the new HTC Hero Google Android device running with their new HTC Sense user interface. The Hero is a sleek looking Google Android device that appears similar to the HTC Magic with a slimmer form factor that still incorporates that distinctive “chin”. The HTC Sense UI integrates methods of communication to improve the end user experience and is a UI that will be incorporated across HTC devices in the future. HTC and Adobe also announced that Flash Player 10 will be integrated in the Hero.

The HTC Hero has specifications like a 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display, anti-fingerprint coating (similar to the new iPhone 3GS), 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.5mm headset jack (thank you HTC), digital compass, accelerometer, and microSD card slot. Search is also well integrated into the Hero device.

HTC Sense was created with three main principles: Make it Mine, Stay Close, and Discover. As detailed in the press release HTC uses widgets, scenes, integrated communication applications, and hardware design features to create HTC Sense. It looks to me like this is definitely something that has to be seen in person to fully understand. There are reports on site in London and I’ll try to find some hands-on articles to link to as the news develops.

The HTC Hero will be available to people across all major European carriers in July and in Asia later this summer. A distinct North American version will be available later in 2009.

June 24th, 2009

Review: In depth look at AT&T Navigator voice navigation system on the iPhone 3GS

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:29 am

Categories: AT&T, Apple, Mobile services, Mobile software, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Destination, T-Mobile G1, AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., AT&T Navigator, Voice Navigation, TeleNav, Tools & Techniques, Smart Phones

Back when I saw the TeleNav client come to the T-Mobile G1 I knew it was just a matter of time before we would see this application come to the Apple iPhone. It has taken Apple a lot longer than I thought it would for them to open up true voice navigation, but the 3.0 OS now allows for this functionality and TeleNav wasted no time at all in rolling out AT&T Navigator for the Apple iPhone. Check out my image gallery containing screenshots of the application and service in action, as well as my video below. The application is quite fast and responsive on the iPhone 3GS and is pretty full featured. There are some areas for improvements, but it is a great first start and I am excited to see it on the iPhone.

	Image Gallery:Check out a ton of screenshots of AT&T Navigator running on the iPhone 3GS.

If you have ever used AT&T Navigator before, then you will immediately recognize the user interface on the Apple iPhone as it is the same as seen on other smartphone platforms. Actually, comparing it side-by-side with my T-Mobile G1 shows the G1 has a few more advanced features, such as daily traffic alerts and location-based weather data.

UPDATED video showing navigation better than my last one, sorry about that folks.

The AT&T Navigator for the iPhone solution includes the following:

• Full color 2D and 3D moving maps
• Voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions
• Automatic rerouting
• Gas price listings
• Traffic alerts and avoidance options
• Trip preplanning online through your My TeleNav site

Advanced features

The trip preplanning is probably my favorite feature of the TeleNav Shotgun and other clients and I am pleased to see Read the rest of this entry »

June 23rd, 2009

Qik rolls out live video streaming for Google Android

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:03 pm

Categories: Android, Google, HTC, Mobile services, Mobile software, T-Mobile

Tags: Google Inc., Facebook, Google Android, Streaming Video, T-Mobile, YouTube Inc., Video, Qik, Web Site Development, Web Technology

My T-Mobile G1 is my preferred T-Mobile device and it just gets better and better all the time with more developers supporting the Google Android platform. The latest software/service available for the Android devices is Qik mobile video streaming application. iPhone users cannot say, “There’s an app for that.” since Apple still does not allow video streaming with Qik. I have been using Qik a bit lately on my Nokia N97 because it allows me to simultaneously upload videos I take to Facebook and YouTube, as well as my Qik site. The Qik Android alpha requires a device with firmware 1.5 (aka Cupcake) and a microSD card.

Features in the current alpha release include:

• Live streaming with live chat
• Share videos to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
• Ability to set your videos to Private / Public with a touch of a button
• Add Title / Description to the video prior

That is quite a feature list for an alpha release and I am quite pleased with the support for Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube right out of the gate. I am downloading it right now onto my T-Mobile G1 to give it a whirl. Now I just need to find a good T-Mobile 3G connection because those are still difficult to find.