Windows Mobile Pocket PC & Symbian Smartphone software and freeware, reviews, tips & tricks

Dec 28 Samsung WiBro Slider Windows PDA Phone SPH-M8000
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Devices, Smartphone, Samsung,

Yesterday Korean site AVing had photos of the Samsung SPH-H1000. Today they published close-up photos of the Samsung SPH-M8000 Windows Mobile 5.0 WiBro PDA phone. The Samsung SPH-M8000 has a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out at the bottom of the Windows PDA phone (runs still Window Mobile 2003 Second Edition and not Windows Mobile 5.0).

The SPH-M8000 features a Intel PXA272 520MHz CPU and a 2.8" 262k TFT-LCD screen with QVGA resolution. Of course it also has satellite DMB TV reception.

The Korean pushed WiBro is competing with the WiMAX. The SPH-M8000 was shown first in November, when Samsung introduced their first WiBro phones.

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Dec 28 Samsung SPH-H1000 S-DMB WiBro Mobile Phone
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Devices, Smartphone, Samsung,

We reported the first time about the Samsung SPH-H1000 when Samsung introduced it's first WiBro phones at a trade-show in November. Korean site AVing has a couple of close-up photos of this feature packed mobile phone.The SPH-H1000 supports satellite DMB TV and has a full QWERTY keyboard.

A 2.2 inch color QVGA screen is used in this still very compact phone. The phone also has a TV-out.

WiBro (Wireless Broadband) offers 30 to 50 Mbit/s (aggregated) and works also on the move at speeds of up to 120 km/h. The Korean pushed WiBro is competing with the WiMAX.

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Dec 28 Hear a Podcasts on your PDA device
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Mobile News, Tips, PDA,

For those of you who don't own a slick new iPod, it's easy to hear a Podcast on your PDA. For the uninitiated, Podcasts are the fastest growing segment of iTunes. PDA users may be feeling a little left out in the cold, but we don't have to be.

Podcasts are essentially audio files, either MP3 or MPEG-2 audio available through iTunes (as well as various websites). Podcasts are available on just about every subject — from hard news to comedy — downloaded to your computer.

Getting Podcasts onto your Palm or Pocket PC is very easy, and you don't need to buy an iPod to do it.

The process is so straightforward, you'll wonder why you haven't done it sooner.

First, download iTunes onto your desktop computer. Yes, there is a version for Windows-based computers.

Next, from the main menu of iTunes, click on Podcast. Choose what category of Podcast you want to get or do a search for a specific Podcast.

Once you've found one or several, you can then click the icon to start downloading a specific Podcast or you can subscribe to the entire series.

The only technical thing you'll need to feel comfortable with, especially if you don't have an iPod that will automatically sync your content for you, is into which folder iTunes is putting your Podcast files. You'll need to be able to find that folder so you can transfer the Podcast files to your PDA.

Podcasts will automatically show up in Windows Media Player, which will let you sync directly to your storage card whether you are using a Palm or Pocket PC.

I strongly advocate storage cards for your Podcasts since they tend to be very large audio files. After you listen, you can always delete them and put on more if your space is at a premium.

Palm PDA users can skip Windows Media Player all together and sync directly to their storage cards using Quick Install.

From there, Podcasts work just like any other audio file on your PDA. All free or commercial music players will play them.

Unfortunately, Video Podcasts don't seem to transfer at all.

I admit to trying several different methods to copy and convert a Video Podcast MPEG-4 file to my PDA since the excellent and free video viewer application TCPMP (more about this great application next week) can handle the format. But all attempts ended in vain.

So, until someone comes up with a work around, we PDA users will just have to settle for the audio Podcasts, which are better than nothing. If I hear of a better solution, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

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Dec 28 RIM BlackBerry 7130e Review
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Devices, BlackBerry, Reviews,

When it comes to memory, the 7130e improves upon its predecessors by doubling the amount of flash memory to 64 MB. The handset's swappable battery has a poor showing, however, delivering up to three hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby. The BlackBerry 7130e is the first BlackBerry handset from Research In Motion (RIM) specifically designed to operate over today's high-performance Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) networks.

Measuring 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches and tipping the scales at 4.7 ounces, the 7130e looks more like a conventional mobile phone than many of the earlier BlackBerry models. Moreover, the handset's scratch-resistant color screen is definitely bright enough to be read under a wide variety of lighting conditions.

The slimed-down design of the unit's keyboard falls midway between a full-blown Qwerty-style thumb-board and the standard keypad found on conventional mobile handsets. RIM's engineers assigned two or more text characters on each of the smartphone's 20 keys, which means you may need to press each key two or more times to arrive at the desired text character. Fortunately, the 7130e -- like all of RIM's 7100 series handsets -- incorporates the requisite Suretype predictive technology to simplify text entry.

Features

The BlackBerry 7130e sports a high-resolution LCD screen featuring 240 x 260-pixel resolution, 64 MB of flash memory, and a built-in speakerphone. The handset also incorporates wireless Bluetooth technology for enabling hands-free operation by way of a Bluetooth-enabled headset.

As is the case with all other BlackBerry handhelds, the 7130e has been designed to operate in tandem with RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, which works behind the corporate firewall to push e-mail and other corporate data to wireless handsets with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell Groupwise e-mail accounts. If you still have security Relevant Products/Services from Microsoft concerns, you also can take advantage of the software's end-to-end Triple DES encryption capabilities.

Small businesses and even individuals without the requisite BlackBerry support behind the corporate firewall will be able to use Verizon's Web client to access up to 10 corporate and/or personal e-mail (POP3, IMAP, AOL, or Hotmail) accounts from a single device.

You can also take advantage of RIM's Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) package, which employs public-key cryptography to provide additional security features such as writer-to-reader authentication and digital signatures.

Performance

When it comes to memory, the 7130e improves upon its predecessors by doubling the amount of flash memory to 64 MB. The handset's swappable battery has a poor showing, however, delivering up to three hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby, far less than the 5 hours of talk time of the Treo 650.

RIM also chose not to offer an SDIO or MMC expansion card slot in any of its latest handheld products. Connectivity options are further limited by the handset's Bluetooth radio, which will only work with a limited number of Bluetooth profiles, such as those associated with hands-free headsets and car kits. And like all other BlackBerry handsets, the 7130e fails to incorporate voice-dialing capability.

The Verdict

Available from Verizon Wireless for $299.99 with a two-year contract, the BlackBerry 7130e certainly would be a good choice for mobile workers looking for a stylish handset with high-speed EVDO support. However, unless you have corporate RIM server support, road warriors with deeper pockets may find the Samsung SCH i730 to be a better choice.

BlackBerry 7130e

Specs: Abbreviated Qwerty-style keypad; 64 MB of flash memory; 16 MB of SRAM; Bluetooth radio.

Pros: Svelte form factor; scratch resistant screen; EVDO.

Cons: No expansion card slot; Bluetooth support limited to headset and hands-free car kit profiles; sub-par battery life.

Verdict: The BlackBerry 7130e is an excellent choice for buyers looking for a slim and trim telephone handset that can also send and receive data at blistering EVDO speeds; however, the Samsung i730 may be the better choice for those looking for more connectivity options.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Price: $299.99 with two-year service contract

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Dec 28 ClearVue 3.0 for PocketPC just released
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Software,

Office Mobile from Microsoft - even in its latest version (i.e. for Windows Mobile 5.0) - has no possibility to edit PowerPoint PPT files - it has only PowerPoint viewing capability. The newly released version 3.0 of Westtek ClearVue can do it!

Version for MS Smartphone however still is available only in older version - 2.41 ...

Tim Wells from Westtek said:

We just released verion 3.0 of ClearVue for the Pocket PC. The "Professional" version of the product allows native (PowerPoint PPT file) Presentation editing (round-trip device to desktop). Our image editor has also been enhanced (performance improvements, editing improvements - TextArt functionality, etc). PDF viewer now supports embedded fonts (with a new built-in font engine).

Through the end of the year we are also offering a 50% discount on all products.

Details are here:

http://www.westtek.com/products/

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Dec 28 Windows Mobile PDA phones from Acer in late 2006
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Mobile News, PDA,

Acer plans to venture into the PDA phone market in the second half of 2006, with its smart handheld devices built with CPUs and flash memory chips from Samsung Electronics and running on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system, according to company sources.

Acer’s first PDA phone will be a 3G-enabled model, and the company will launch the model in the second half of next year when the market for 3G handsets is more mature, the sources noted.

Meanwhile, Acer also aims to ship 1.5 million PDAs in 2006, with one-third of the shipments to be GPS-enabled devices, the source indicated, adding that all of the company’s PDAs will feature LCD displays of 3.5-3.7 inches in size.

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Dec 28 Pocket PC and Smartphone Personal Mobile Vault released
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Mobile News,

If you have a WM5 Tornado device from HTC or the Cingular 2125, you may try the call recorder application named "PMRecorder" to record your phone conversations. The recorded calls can be uploaded to your 1800message.com account and automatically sync with your call history.

Check out Personal Mobile Vault (PMVault) and Personal Mobile Recorder (PMRecorder) - free services of 1800message.com. Archives all your text messages, call history, voice notes, pictures and contacts for Smartphone and Pocket PC devices. If you have a recent HTC Smartphone (Tornado, Cingular 2125, etc.) or Pocket PC, PMRecorder also records your phone calls and archives them. Go to 1800message.com and download our final beta software. Send feedback to techsupport@rsshome.com

More information:

This release of Personal Mobile Vault™ for Windows Mobile Smartphone and Pocket PC Phone Edition supports Over the Air [OTA] archiving of the following Smartphone personal data elements:

* SMS Messages
* Call History
* Contacts
* Pictures
* Voice Notes
Coming soon:

* Merge pictures to your favorite photo service
* Contact integration into Outlook

Download and install the PMVault CAB file on Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition (2003 or Windows Mobile 5.0). After you run the application called "PMVault", you can come back to this page and click 'Log In' above to view your account.

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Dec 28 Price for PALM Treo 700w
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Devices, Palm, Treo,

Not a chance we're going to vouch for the validity of an anonymous forums user -- though some Howard Forums users seem to be pretty reliable -- but someone going by "VZW Employee" has called out all the specs on the 700w (nothing we didn't know from using it, of course), and rattled off prices for the device's supposed CES launch.

Apparently when it debuts, you'll be able to snag one for $549.99 with a 1-year contract, $499.99 with a two-year, and $619.99 with no contract at all. Even if these numbers aren't real, they sound about right to us -- either way, we know (and totally understand) why you cheaped out on presents this year.
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Dec 23 Mortgage SIM for Windows Mobile 5.0
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Software,

Visual Byte has released Mortgage SIM 2.1 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC. Their latest Windows Mobile 5.0 compatible version is now available on both the Windows Mobile Smartphone and Pocket PC platforms. New features in this product that are specific to Windows Mobile 5.0 devices include the ability to send amortization schedules and payment comparisons by email. Real-estate agents, brokers and people who assist clients with mortgage issues will also find this a convenient way to forward payment schedules or comparisons to their clients on their contact list.

This version also fully supports portrait and landscape screen orientations as well as high DPI and square screen device form-factors, so it will perform well on all of the interesting new Windows Mobile devices that have been recently hitting the market.

A trial version, which is limited to a maximum loan amount of $1,000 dollars, is available for free download.

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Dec 23 HanDBase for Windows Mobile Smartphone release soon
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Software,

Here we present review of upcoming HanDBase for Windows Mobile Smartphone. HanDBase is a database management system (DBMS) available for Palm OS, Pocket PC and Symbian Series 60. A version for MS Smartphone is not released yet - it is coming soon - but we already managed to review it! Generally this program allows you to define database structure (i.e. define tables and fields) and to enter or change data - all in a very user friendly way:

Unlike a version for Pocket PC, this version (for MS Smartphone) does not allow for creating the databases on the device (but you can edit/change data on the device), you have to use the HanDBase Desktop (an application for Windows XP or Mac):



As you can see above you can define tables and fields and you can fill it with data - already on the desktop. Then you have to copy the database file (in example above: inventory.PDB) to "\My Documents\HanDBase3" folder in your MS Smartphone. Once you have the database file in your smartphone you can select it from within HanDBase for MS Smartphone:



Please note that this version is still a pre-release version so there are still bugs (that should be debugged once the final version will be available), particularly regarding Beaming via Infrared, Filters and T9 support. Also Sending via Bluetooth has not been tested. DDH Software (makers of this program) are still working on these issues. HanDBase for MS Smartphone is not available for purchase or download yet, but you can check DDH Software website for latest releases and information about HanDBase for other platforms.

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