Neuros has generously offered us a second Recorder 2 Plus to giveaway to pocketnow.com readers! As a reminder…
The Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 Plus allows you to record digital media from TV, cable box, DVR, gaming console, or camcorder, onto a huge variety of flash memory formats: SD, miniSD, microSD, MMC, CF, and Sony MS Duo/Pro. The new ?Plus? model also adds 3GP recording.
The Samsung BlackJack runs Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU3 instead of AKU2, so there are some unique changes that are noticeable. For a full list, read the post over at MoDaCo.
The default theme, seen as the top image below, is boring and ugly. Samsung, though, includes several good-looking and functional themes, as seen below… Read More
Today is the last day that we?ll spend on hardware.
In the last post, I mentioned my tendency to skip the learning curve on the scroll wheel and just use the D-Pad. Well, fortunately, Samsung discourages this behavior by making the D-Pad awkward to use (that?s my theory, anyway). It?s almost the same height as the hardware buttons surrounding it, meaning that a press to the right may… Read More
I would like to take a few moments to wish all of our US readers the happiest of Thanksgiving’s from everyone here at pocketnow.com.
Personally, I’m thankful for the site, my family, new house and new job. What are you thankful for this year? Why don’t you join in the discussion and let everyone know?
My good friend Judie over at Gear… Read More
A student from San Diego State University wrote in with news of a survey his team is conducting. They are looking for your support.
| Quote: |
| My name is Jason and I am one person of a 4 person group at San Diego State University. In one of our classes, we have to write a report on Pocket PC Security. As part of our report, we have to collect primary data through use of a survey.
We are curious to know about your Pockets PC habits and if you use any form of security – software and/or hardware – for your mobile devices. We will gladly share our results with you; please leave your e-mail if you are interested in a report summary of the survey results. By completing this survey, you will greatly help us in finishing this report and helping us graduate; it will only take 5 minutes of your time. |
If you’ve got a few minutes and want to help them out, hit the link above and fill out the survey.
Well, we’ve finally reached day 10. It’s been an interesting journey; I’ve certainly learned a significant amount about both the Dash and the Smartphone OS.
The device itself is innovative, small, and (thus far) very reliable. The solid casing minus any moving parts, such as sliding keyboard/clamshell screen, indicate that this thing could take quite a beating and still function.
“Today we are getting our readers to know the new mobile operating system by Microsoft codenamed ?Windows Mobile Crossbow?. The most probable title for the commercial edition, though, is ?Windows Mobile 6.0?, but it is the thing to remain veiled until an official announcement is made. Beginning from the previous version of Windows Mobile, the company has put into practice a new approach to indexing, so that now codenames are replaced by numbers, like ?5.0?, ?6.0? etc. Interestingly, the second digit in the index hasn’t been called for up until now, in other words, we haven’t seen Windows Mobile 5.2 or 5.3 yet, since all intermediate updates and patch-works have been introduced within various versions of AKU (Adaptation Kit Update) update packs…The new version of operating system is destined to fill the time gap between Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile Photon (Windows Mobile 7.0?). Truly significant updates are few, which, on top of that, are aimed at reacting to the change in the market environment. Early in 2007 Microsoft is thoroughly revamping its software range with Windows Vista, Office 2007, MS Exchange 2007. Therefore, against such impressive background an updated version Windows Mobile was simply bound to come out.”
Juicy screenshots and information abound in this Mobile-review.com write-up. It was hard to pick out just one for the image above, but I decided to give you a sense of the new eye-candy we can expect in Crossbow. Out with old icons (and the old Phone ringer, sadly), and in with the new. For info on the superficial and the substantial, check out the write-up.
“This will probably be the last update I will make for a while on this issue. Handango is still not willing to re-open my account at this time. Will Pinnell said in their official reply ?We treat all of our 16,000 global content providers with respect and professionalism?. I just wish I was one of those 16,000 because I probably would have then been extended the respect and professional courtesy of an advanced notice informing me that my account was at risk of being closed, and the opportunity to fix whatever the problem(s) were before it had to be abruptly terminated. Even though Handango will not re-open my account (so now I’m loosing almost half of my sales), they did send me a check for part of the ad allowance ($4,250.00 of the $5,500.00 total). However, they did not offer this to me until after all of you showed your support 
So, you did make a difference!”
If you recall our original post on the subject, John Cody from Omnisoft was going through a rough time with Handango. Well, things have progressed and it looks like John is in a much better position now: they sent him back $4,250.00 of the $5,500.00 total, and Pocket PC Thoughts partner Mobihand has agreed to offer up some promotional support for John’s applications. It’s nice to see some support for Omnisoft!
This afternoon I received a Samsung Blackjack unit from Cingular Wireless. I’ve only got the unit for 20 days, so I must not grow too attached (smirk).
My first impressions: the device is small, sleek, and sexy - more so than I had imagined by the pictures. It seems that there’s an issue with the button layout, though, because when I try to press the D-Pad to the left or right, I accidentally… Read More
You know, we?ve all gotten used to the interesting naming schemes that Windows Mobile OEMs use for their devices. The i-mate JASJAM and HTC Muse come to mind. From a formatting standpoint, the name UBiQUiO can be a nightmare. Why not be like Palm and keep it simple?
Today, while browsing a fellow WM website, I thought I came across a spelling error in a news bit about the upcoming… Read More
While a fair number of hacks have already emerged enabling further enhancement of the Dash, one thing still bugs me…
Being a leftie, the Dash keyboard unlock sequence can be a wee bit tricky (left soft key -> star). Sounds simple enough, that is until… Read More
“It’s not often that I will just give up on a device, but the iPAQ has managed to evoke that reaction from me. Let’s just say that this is a huge difference from the days when I would try an iPAQ and quickly become enamored, and I am feeling the let-down.”
Judie over at Gear Diary really didn’t like the rx5915. Of the 2GB, only a quarter was available for use. There were no dedicated soft key buttons, the ROM image was wildly unstable, the D-pad was a real pain, and the list goes on. Do any of you have the rx5915? If so, what do you think of it?
Today I’d like to discuss something that’s particular to the Dash:
The infamous JogBar. Love it or hate it, it’s there to stay. Out of the box, this piece of hardware lets you adjust in-call or device volume only. Back on Day 2 I briefly mentioned the registry… Read More
Size matters.
Since owning the Dash, I have come to realize just how much I love this form factor. Historically, form factor was never a big driver for me; WiFi, GSM radio, battery life (the list goes on) were all priority, with form factor being further down the list.
When I acquired the Dash, I compromised on the Operating System and put form factor ahead of having… Read More
We were fortunate enough to get our hands on a Cingular 8525 for review, and new review team member Clinton Fitch (yes, that Clinton Fitch) is taking it for a spin. For now, here are some high-res hands-on photos for your enjoyment.
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For years, savvy cell phone shoppers in the US have known that Amazon offers aggressive discounts on many high-end phones, including Smartphones and Pocket PC Phones, but only with activation. For example, Amazon is currently listing the Cingular 8125 for $99 after rebates — that’s $150 less than what Cingular lists with a 2-year service contract. [Affiliate link] Of course, this assumes you’re good about rebates and don’t want one of the newer phones (either the iPAQ 6920, or the rumored 8525/Hermes or Palm’s 750).
What’s new, though — and I don’t know how new, but a PPCT reader recently spotted a post on techdeals.net and wrote in about it — is that you can now upgrade existing Cingular service through Amazon and get the same deal!
Presumably, this means you’d be renewing your contract, but nevertheless this is a pretty nice opportunity if you’re happy with Cingular and are looking to upgrade your setup. You’ll want to read the fine print, and take care if you have an unusual account (family plans, no-longer-available special deals, etc.), but it’s certainly another tool to use in your shopping arsenal. 
(Alas, it doesn’t look like it’s supported for other carriers yet. 
)
How did day two treat me?
Done with all the initial setup, I decided to take an objective look at this phone. As mentioned previously, the OS handles applications with ease; in fact it’s somewhat reminiscent of the Palm OS hwo quickly and effortlessly tasks can be achieved. The only noticeable lag I’ve found is while opening Papyrus;… Read More
Day one with the Dash… Many of you are aware of the new Smartphone released this week by T-mobile. For those of you who missed it, it’s a variant of the HTC Excalibur (S620), plus and minus a few bits.
I’ve been using PDAs sine 2000; my first device was the grand old Handspring Visor Deluxe, and I’ve owned several devices since then. The Dash, however, was my first foray with… Read More
“Handango, probably the largest online mobile software store, has abruptly closed my account for no stated reason, thus making it impossible to honor a raffle prize that I won from them last year. History: In 2005, I won a raffle that Handango had, which resulted in me receiving $5,000.00 in ad allowance to use on advertising my products on their site and in their newsletters. When I first tried to use part of the balance to take out two ads, Handango forgot to schedule one of the ads, so they apologized by giving me two additional ad allowances…”
This is what I call one sticky situation - all I can say is read through the email thread (if you have the time - there’s a lot of email!) and you can get a feel for how both sides came to the decisions they made. Got a comment? Please post in this thread.
If there’s one thing that I hate in life, its moving. We’re in the middle of it right now, and I’m writing this from my laptop, without the benefit of desktop monitor, keyboard, mouse or any other stationary gear. I’m stepping over and through boxes, things that need to be put in boxes, etc.
UGH!!
If I can, I’ll post again before we go, but it may not be from the laptop or… Read More
There?s one thing about the Windows Mobile Smarpthone OS that really bothers me ? perhaps anger may be the right word to describe how I feel, but to avoid sounding hostile, we?ll just say that it bothers me. Every once in a while, when I try to make a call, I get the below screen. It doesn?t just occur one time ? it?ll happen on the next few call attempts. Sometimes it takes 3-5 cycles of selecting… Read More
“Microsoft and Orange will link their instant messaging systems later this year, allowing up to 375 million people to chat with each other using their PC or mobile phone, the companies said Wednesday. In reality, take-up will be much more limited…Behind those numbers, though, the immediate potential of the link-up is more modest. Just 700,000 of Orange’s customers will have handsets compatible with the service when it launches in December, said Didier Lombard, chief executive officer of Orange’s parent company, France Télécom. It will be several years before all customers have replaced their handsets with compatible models. Worse, before Orange’s Internet access customers can contact Windows Live Messenger subscribers from their PCs, they will have to download a new version of Orange Messenger, incompatible with the existing one. Once a user has moved to the new Orange Messenger, they will be unable to contact friends still using the old system. Orange is still considering what migration options to offer users, a company spokeswoman said. “
If this is integration, then I don’t think I’ll be giving up my multi-platform IM clients anytime soon! This integration sounds suspiciously more like an “encouraged” upgrade (In this case, if one person upgrades all their friends need to upgade if they still want to contact that person!). The question that bugs me is - Why? Why can’t they truly build gateway software and setup gateway servers that would allow true integration. Sure it would be expensive, but at least it would be user friendly! Any Orange users out there (at all) excited about this?
According to Yahoo news, Scott Wilder, a Fox reporter, was near the recent mini plane crash in NYC, and ran the 20 blocks to be able to videotape the scene. Using his Palm Treo 700 Smartphone (no word on if it was a Sprint or Verizon unit), he recorded live, and had it streamed to the TV network as he spoke.
This was… Read More
Have you ever been to Kleinweder?s site? If you?re wondering how to pronounce that word, don?t ask us!
Kleinweder creates some of the most vivid Smartphone themes available. His downloads are free (though he accepts donations) and they are small in file size, so it won?t take up much memory. He?s known for his QVGA themes, but has recently added several landscape… Read More
Mike Calligaro has written up a blog post called “The Emperor Has No Close.” It is the latest apologetic work 
on why the Pocket PC has a button that looks like a close button but is really nothing more than the equivalent of the minimize button.
Over three years ago I wrote an article about the lack of a close button and except for the logo requirements changing, the article and most of your comments are right on point. I don’t really see a need to rehash all of the points brought up in that thread, though you are certainly free to do so. 
I do know from a user point of view, the memory management is not any better than it was then - at least from my observations. I have to forcibly kill PIE at least once a day to get my K-Jam back up above 2MB of free RAM, which seems to be the magic point at which it runs like it has a 16MHz 286 processor with the “turbo” switch off.