NYT's Pogue disses, really, really disses the Blackberry Storm

We've offered up our own coverage of the Blackberry Storm, the keyboardless smartphone just released by Verizon in the US last week.  We're still using the heck out of it a week later and so far our opinion of it hasn't changed from that we shared originally.  That's not the case with a lot of reviewers and the latest to jump in the ring with the Storm is the New York Times' David Pogue.

Pogue makes it clear, really, really clear that he hates the Storm.  His review is brutal to say the least and if my experience with the Storm had been anything like his I would be just as grumpy.  He's not finding anything that works the way it's supposed to work and it's obvious he's just plain irked at the phone.

But wait, there’s less. Both of my review Storms had more bugs than a summer picnic. Freezes, abrupt reboots, nonresponsive controls, cosmetic glitches.

My favorite: when I try to enter my Gmail address, the Storm’s camera starts up unexpectedly, turning the screen into a viewfinder — even though the keyboard still fills half the screen. (RIM executives steadfastly refused to acknowledge any bugs. I even sent them videos of the Storm’s goofball glitches, but they offered only stony phone silence.)

Whew!  That's one unhappy camper!  The entire review he's written is as scathing and negative as this snippet I've shared so you can see his experience has been not only bad but horrible. 

I don't know what to tell David other than this is the opposite of my own experience of a week with a Storm.  It's not perfect, I haven't found a gadget yet that is in all respects.  But it does what I expect it to and I just haven't seen all the glitches and freezes that Pogue mentions.  I'm not saying he doesn't have them, maybe there's a quality control problem letting bad units go out the door. 

I will say that after reading Pogue's review it is plain that he finds a touchscreen Blackberry without a keyboard to be silly.  That smacks of "preconceived displeasure" to me and maybe that's coloring his impression a bit.  I'm just sayin'.

Xperia X1 Xpands: Facebook, Windows Live, Dashwire panels

Some are calling Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 the "best Windows Mobile phone in business" and whether you believe that or not, you can't argue that the handset's on-screen panels make it unique. The large, touchable panels are akin to widgets or applications that sit atop the base Windows Mobile user interface. Part of me believes that the Xperia's panels are not just for quick-and-easy access to useful apps. Since Microsoft doesn't offer a centralized mobile application store as Apple and Google do, I'm wondering how large the downloadable Sony Ericsson software offering could get.

It actually gets a little larger today with the addition of three new panels:

• Facebook - Om returned his X1 review unit just before this launched, and that's probably a good thing or  he'd be a social butterfly and get nothing done. With the new Facebook panel, there's a new visual representation of your friend's status, you can upload photos directly, even use a click-to-call feature to actually speak to your online friends. Imagine that!
• Microsoft Windows Live - With a Windows Live ID, you can sync contact information stored in the cloud with your local X1 contact list. This panel also offers access to Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger for even more communication options.
• Dashwire - Here you can automatically sync information between your X1 and a Dashwire account in the cloud. Contacts, text messages, photos, videos, calls and settings from your X1 can all be viewed from a web browser on any computer. Looks like it provides some peace of mind as a backup of your phone's data.

Hanging out with the T-Mobile G1, iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Storm

I take this mobile tech stuff seriously.  I review a lot of gadgets and smartphones certainly play a big role in that coverage.  I have voice and data plans on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile which I pay far too much for but I need them to be able to play with all the phones I get in my hands.  Right now in front of me I have what are undoubtedly the hottest smartphones available on all three of those networks.  Sitting on the table is the iPhone 3G, the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm.  You have to agree those are the hottest smartphones in the US right now and I'm in the unusual position to compare the three for your edification.  OK, mainly it's because I like to play with them.

How do they compare?  That's not really a fair question because at the basest level they are totally different phones that should appeal to different users.  What I find the most interesting about this comparison is that all three phones are smartphones that are aimed at the consumer.  This is a big change from the not so distant past when smartphones were almost exclusively the domain of the enterprise worker.  The phones such as these three have straddled the fence and shown the consumer that the benefits of good smartphones are not restricted to the enterprise.

Blackberry Storm just $99 at Verizon with New every Two

I just visited the Verizon Wireless web site to see if I would qualify for the $199 price that is appearing everywhere.  This is basically a $249 price less a $50 mail-in rebate.  What I found online really surprised me, after inputting my account information they gave me the $199 price and took another $100 off for the "new every 2" discount.  I didn't buy one but it sure is tempting at just $99.

Blackberry Storm available today at Verizon

We told you all about the Blackberry Storm including how you could pick one up starting today.  This just appeared in my inbox showing it's true:

jkOnTheRun review- Blackberry Storm, yes it can cut and paste

We've seen a good run on hot smartphones being released since the iPhone 3G.  The T-Mobile G1 was introduced recently as the first Android-based smartphone and RIM has been releasing Blackberry models every few days, at least that's what it seems like.  One of the most anxiously awaited smartphones is the Blackberry Storm as it takes a path RIM has never taken before, and that's to shed the physical keyboard.  Blackberries have always enjoyed a great reputation for good keyboards and the Storm drops one entirely.  Many have been waiting to see how well RIM could provide the Blackberry experience with just an on-screen keyboard and just a few days before launch on Verizon in the US we've got one of these jewels in our hands.

The short answer to the question of how good a Blackberry can a device be without a keyboard is pretty good, at least the Storm is.  The innovative touchscreen is in essence not one but two keyboards depending on the orientation of the screen.  We'll address that in detail below but first here's a video overview of the hardware to get things started.  Pay close attention in the video and you'll see you can in fact cut and paste on a touch screen.  The rest of the review is after the jump, including another video showing off the sweet web browsing on the Storm.

Stay tuned...

Verizon's HTC Touch getting OS upgrade, faster 3G, GPS

How did I miss the fact that the HTC Touch on Verizon Wireless's network doesn't come with Rev. A support for EV-DO? I'd think that by now, every 3G phone on the network is Rev. A and not the slower Rev. 0. After all, the entire network has been Rev. A-capable since July of 2007! Regardless of my oversight on that, it's all good now because there's a firmware update coming soon for the Touch.

Aside from the 3G support bump, the operating system moves up from Windows Mobile 6 to 6.1, adds Opera Mobile and Brighthand says that GPS support is included as well; makes sense because VZNavigator is there as well. Phonenews got their mitts on the update and have it available for download, but you might want to wait for the offiical bits from Verizon Wireless. Then again, it took this long to get Rev. A on the HTC Touch, so maybe you'll want to jump on this now after all.

AdMob reveals that iPhone is popular for browsing. Really!

Not really a news flash to most folks, but if you're a numbers-crunching kind of person, the latest AdMob metrics report might give you something to chew on. I'll cut to the chase: they say that the iPhone is the number one smartphone worldwide in mobile browsing. Here in the U.S., their metrics show the iPhone is only behind the RAZR in terms of web-browsing. I honestly can't say when I ever last saw someone immerse themselves on the Internet with a RAZR, but how can I argue with AdMob? They provide ads to over 6,000 mobile content publishers, which equates to more than 5 billion, with a "b", mobile banner and text ads per month. Turns out that all that advertising code makes it pretty darn easy to track what devices and platforms are viewing them.

A few other quotable tidbits for those that plan to skip the full PDF report:

• The iPhone is now the #1 device in the AdMob Network with 4.1% share of requests in October.  Since AdMob launched its ad units for iPhone sites and applications, iPhone requests have increased from 28 million requests in July to 236 million requests in October.  This month, we break out iPhone requests by country and region.
• 62.8% of iPhone requests were from the US, where the iPhone is the #2 device behind the RAZR. 5.0% of iPhone requests came from the UK, where the iPhone is the #3 device behind the Nokia N95 and Sony Ericsson K800i.  Other top markets include Canada, France, Japan, Australia, and Germany.
• As part of our commitment to providing detailed insight into different regions, this month we provide traffic, manufacturer, and device data for Latin America & the Caribbean.  Traffic from the region increased 138% in the last 12 months to 109 million requests in October 2008.  The fastest growing countries in the region were Puerto Rico, Guyana, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Mexico.
• Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson all have greater than 20% market share in Latin America and are each leaders in different markets. The Motorola RAZR is the top device in the region with 10.3% share and is a Top 20 Handset in each of the top Latin American markets.
• Worldwide requests grew 13.8% month over month to 5.8 billion.  US requests grew 7.9% to 2.2 billion and UK requests grew 16.0% to 229 million in October 2008.
• Sony Ericsson passed Motorola and is now the #2 handset manufacturer worldwide.  Apple jumped ahead of LG and RIM and is now the #5 handset manufacturer worldwide.

Bear in mind that this data is based solely on AdMob's platform. Although it provides meaningful trends, it doesn't encompass global data from various sources.

New Celio REDFLYs: one more mobile, one extends media devices

Normally, this time of year is what I call the "CES quiet period". Major product announcements are farther and fewer between than normal because the massive January show is right around the corner. Luckily, nobody told the folks at Celio because the company just announced two new REDFLY models, the C7 and C8N. These are both slightly different than the original (see our video review) and are far below the original price of that device when it came out, which addresses some potential customer's concerns. Both devices are still meant to pair with your Windows Mobile smartphone, a unique solution that brings the mobile OS, connectivity, and processing power to a more usable display and keyboard.

The REDFLY C7 shaves of a little size and weight, moving down to an 7-inch display, lighter battery and weight of 1.5 pounds. Celio says the C7 should run for five hours on a single charge. I'd think most folks wouldn't use this smartphone companion for all day computing, so it sounds like a workable situation to me. The C7 can be pre-ordered today at $229, with delivery starting December 1st.

The new C8N REDFLY model extends the device beyond the traditional smartphone to bring media to your mobile environment. The C8N supports USB connections to an iPod, iPhone, Microsoft Zune player or supported digital camera so you can view and listen to media on the 8-inch 800x480 display. Celio will offer a $19.95 REDFLY Media Cable that provides a third USB port to the REDFLY and also accepts composite video signals. The C8N is also available for pre-order today at $299 and shipping is expected to start on the same day as the C7.

Update: our podcast co-host, Matt Miller, put the new REDFLY C8N through the paces and offers up a review with video. Looks like he was able to connect his iPhone and Nokia N96 for media playback on the 8-inch display.

Flash 10 coming for almost every smartphone except iPhone

The Flash coders at Adobe have been very busy folks and this week they've demonstrated full versions of Flash 10 running on Nokia, Windows Mobile and Google Android devices.  Adobe wants to get the latest full version of Flash running on all mobile smartphones and frankly that's what we as users want too.  Pick up a new smartphone on the market and the first question you'll hear a geek ask is "does it do Flash?" because it is becoming a big portion of our web browsing experience.  It is great to see Flash growing up and coming to the little screen.

Apple on the other hand seems to be saying "no Flash for you!" and although Adobe indicated they are working on a version of Flash for the iPhone it is unlikely we will ever see it come to the swipe screen. Wired opines that Apple cannot let Flash appear on the iPhone because it is a platform for developers and as such takes the user experience out of Apple's hands.  We know they hate that and Wired feels they hate it enough to never let it happen.  They point out that even the iPhone developer's SDK prohibits Flash from appearing in the App Store:

Allowing Flash — which is a development platform of its own — would just be too dangerous for Apple, a company that enjoys exerting total dominance over its hardware and the software that runs on it. Flash has evolved from being a mere animation player into a multimedia platform capable of running applications of its own. That means Flash would open a new door for application developers to get their software onto the iPhone: Just code them in Flash and put them on a web page. In so doing, Flash would divert business from the App Store, as well as enable publishers to distribute music, videos and movies that could compete with the iTunes Store.

Apple's well aware of these problems, which is why the company wrote a clause in its iPhone developers' Terms of Service agreement that prohibits Flash from appearing on the iPhone:

"An Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise," reads clause 3.3.2 of the iPhone SDK agreement, which was recently published on WikiLeaks. "No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and built-in interpreter(s)."

Let's hope that Apple is not that unbending as Flash has become such a standard that the iPhone will be harmed long-term with its omission.  That's our take on it anyway.

(via neowin)

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic: first thoughts on touch

I've been playing with the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone that arrived yesterday for a bit last night and again this morning. Since the touchscreen is a major feature, I want to share a few initial thoughts about that in particular, after just a little bit of usage. I realize this isn't the first touchscreen Nokia handset, but you can't overlook the fact that the touch experience is a major factor with the device.

I'm finding that the resistive touchscreen isn't as effective for me as a capacitive touchscreen, but that's likely not news to anyone. It works far better with a fingernail, the included stylus or the "guitar pick" than it does with my fingertips. I'd rate the experience similar to the Nokia Internet Tablets, so if you poked at one of those, you'll know what to expect with the 5800 XpressMusic. The device does provide haptic feedback, which is a little vibration each time it registers a key-press for menu options, the keyboard and other input. I think I've only felt two times when the haptics "jiggles" but the device didn't register what my key-press was. All in all, that bit of it is pretty accurate.

Where I'm struggling a wee bit is in the operating system when combined with the touch. The best way I can put it: it doesn't feel consistent. From what I can see (or feel, rather): some items are a single tap on the screen, while others are double-tap. It could just be me getting used to the device or it could be due to my not using an S60 unit in quite some time. Either way, it feels like the touch and the user interface could use a little more in the optimization department; something that can easily be addressed via a software update if Nokia felt the need to refine it.

Browsing solely by touch has been an adventure, but I'm still getting used to the touchscreen and I hope it becomes easier. It seems to be a little more of a chore than a benefit at the moment, i.e.; tapping with a finger in standard view is sometimes inaccurate so I almost always have to zoom in before tapping links. A double-tap zooms the page, but there's slight lag before it happens and I've still had link taps go unrecognized or activate the wrong link. I'll chalk some of this up to my limited usage for sure, but I'll be watching to see how much better the experience does or doesn't get.

Crapware on phones- growing trend

We're all familiar with junkware, crapware, whatever you want to call it on PCs.  This consists of trial versions of programs that are limited unless you buy the full version, or full versions of programs you don't want.  OEMs get paid by these companies to include their program on every PC they sell and we the consumer suffer for it.  The programs take up valuable storage space at the very least and slow down the performance of the PC at the worst.  I can't tell you how many hours I have wasted removing such crapware from brand new PCs I have used.  Talk about ruining the OOBE.

Michael Gartenberg points to a disturbing trend in the smartphone area as OEMs have picked up on this practice.  He shares that some phones he is evaluating are chock full of "bloatware" as he kindly terms it and as he points out the problem is a lot harder to deal with on phones compared to PCs.  You often don't even have the option to spend hours removing such junkware on phones, you can be stuck with it forever.  I hope this is not going to be as widespread a problem on phones as it is on PCs.

Dell offers $100 instant rebate on Palm Treo Pro in U.S.

Some Black Friday deals are already trickling out on netbooks and we're hearing that Apple will continue their tradition of holiday discounts as well. [I'll need someone to hide the car keys or I just might end up with a new MacBook.] If you can't wait until late November for a deal and you're considering a Palm Treo Pro smartphone you'll want to hit up... Dell?!? Yup, that's right, Dell.

The computer retailer is long-known for selling non-PC products ranging from overpriced UMPCs to HDTVs and they've got a deal on the unlocked Palm Treo Pro, which normally sets you back $550. Treonauts caught word of a $100 discount code, which gets you Palm's newest GSM smartphone for $449.99, which includes a free 3-5 day shipping option. Here's the catch: it looks to be U.S. only and you can't wait until Black Friday for this deal as it expires next Wednesday, November the 19th.

Sideshow gadget turns WinMo smartphone into a full-featured Media Center remote

The iPhone can already control iTunes and an AppleTV through Apple's free Remote application and now Windows Mobile devices can claim a similar accomplishment In fact, after watching Ian Dixon demonstrate this feat, I think I'm more impressed with the WinMo solution because it offers far more than just remote control features.

Ian shows off an early look at a Windows Sideshow Gadget for Windows Mobile that functions as a full-featured remote for a Windows Media Center system. Aside from the basic remote control functions for audio and video, Ian can set up DVR program recordings or view program guide information that offers information about what's on television. It functions over Bluetooth and looks pretty slick... slick enough that I might dust off that ol' HTC Dash and use it as a full-time remote once this gadget gets a little more stable.

HTC FUZE for AT&T debuts, gets reviewed

The wait is over for HTC's FUZE on AT&T as the device with the intuitive TouchFlo 3D is now available for $299 after rebate and two-year commitment. I'd say the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device is pretty much loaded:

• Integrated aGPS, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Tri-band HSDPA support
• 3.2-megapixel camera
• 2.8-inch touchscreen with VGA (640x480) resolution
• Slide-out, backlit full QWERTY keyboard

Opera appears to be the native browser paired with this 3G handset, which should make for a better web experience. That's arguable of course, and fans of Internet Explorer can always switch if they want. It's nice to see another VGA device out on the market; I still think at this point, that's the lowest resolution we should deal with on a phone with a 2.5-inch or better display size.

Mobility Site has a full review of the HTC FUZE already available so you can get a detailed look at all of the pros and cons. I'm still not sold on the five-row keyboard as it looks a little cramped to me, but I'm sure some folks won't mind it.

T9 Nav: full device search for S60 phones

Did you ever wish for a desktop search function for your handset? Windows Search, Google Desktop Search, Copernic and others have made it quick and easy to find practically anything on the computer, so why not a similar solution for your mobile? Copernic actually offers a mobile client that lets you remotely search your home computer, but T9 Nav lets you search your handset for information with just a few keypresses.

For the moment, T9 Nav is a free beta only for Symbian S60 devices, but after watching the demo video, I like what I see. I keep thinking that for as much infomation I have on my various computers, the vast majority of information I really need is on my phone. T9 Nav helps find it fast. Some of the examples in the demo video:

• Type 3, 3, 6 (D, E, N) to find your next dentist appointment in your calendar
• Type 7, 5, 4 (S, I, L) to quickly get to the slient feature of your phone and turn the ringer off
• Type 2, 3, 9 (B, E, Y) to get to the latest Beyonce song on your phone. [For the record: there is no Beyonce song on my phone. Nothing against Beyonce and if she ever recorded a Country album, I'd give it a listen. ;) ]

You get the idea: data and commands are indexed in the background by T9 Nav. As you use the T9 entry system, results are shown and narrowed down as you enter more characters. All in all, looks like a useful solution to find information fast on your S60 phone.

(via TRFJ)

Documents To Go Premium Edition arrives for BlackBerry Bold

New BlackBerry Bold owners that want more productivity from their handset might be interested in DataViz's Documents To Go Premium Edition that hit the web yesterday. At $69.99 for a license, it's not cheap, but your Bold is worth it, no? You could also opt for a yearly subscription at $49.99, but I'd only consider that if you plan drop your Bold in the next twelve months or so. Here's a taste of the features of the Premium Edition:

• Create new Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
• Spell check
• Advanced formatting for character, font and paragraph
• Advanced track changes including accept/reject changes, track new changes
• Insert and edit comments
• Password protection support
• Charting
• Table support
• Hyperlink support
• Bookmark support
• Edit and create auto bullets & numbering

In a nutshell, you've got a powerful way to create, edit and manage Microsoft Office documents on the Bold. DataViz is also throwing in their PDF To Go software, so you can easily view Adobe PDF files on that shiny new handset. There's a 30-day trial available direct from DataViz and they say that a version for the BlackBerry Storm will appear later this month.

Smartphones as laptop replacements: can you see the trend?

Is it time to leave the laptop behind? That's the question asked today over at the Wall Street Journal in Nick Wingfield's thoughtful piece. Actually, there's more than just thought and opinion in it. There's some cold, hard facts that illustrate a trend we've been watching develop for several years. In 2004, global smartphone shipments were half that of notebooks. Last year, the tables turned as there were more smartphones than notebooks shipped world-wide and that trend is continuing.

Qik launches live-stream alpha for BlackBerry handsets

The live video-streaming boxing match enters a new round today with Qik counter-punching an alpha for select BlackBerry handsets. Those of us sitting ringside saw a similar function land a right-hook on the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve through software from Next2Friends. Any corner manager worth their salt is obviously going to fight back as this space heats up. Not only does your phone act as a live web-cam for all the Internet to see, but the streams are recorded for posterity and you can tie in your activities with Twitter so all your peeps know when to tune in.

Qik's free alpha software requires the BlackBerry Operating System 4.5 and up plus one of these handsets: the Pearl 8120, 8130 or the new Bold. Qik tells us that their software for the Curve and Pearl Flip 8220 will be available soon. What started out as a live video streaming solution for Symbian S60 devices has "qikly" moved to Windows Mobile, Java-based feature phones and now BlackBerry devices. There's an iPhone version in the works as well. I haven't seen it myself, but Robert Scoble got the Qik folks to install it on his non-jailbroken device and it should be submitted to the iTunes App Store soon. Of course, the round after that is sure to focus on the Android platform and that point, we can all point our handsets at each other and say "cheese!" regardless of the device type we prefer.

ALP is here (sorta), but does anyone care?

After much talk and even more screenshots, ACCESS indicates that their Linux-based mobile OS is ready to roll. Michael Gartenberg feels that the ALP effort is "too little, too late" and I'm inclined to agree. Matt, James and I have a little more discussion on this topic in the next podcast which should be live in less than 24 hours. Before you hear our thoughts, I'm curious what you think:

• Given the quick and widespread growth of the iPhone combined with the recent Google Android launch, is there room in the market for another mobile OS? Don't forget that Symbian, RIM, Windows Mobile and to a smaller degree, Palm are already entrenched in the game.
• Is ALP better poised to be successful in the non-U.S. market?
• Do you expect ALP to offer either an experience or functionality that the competitors simply can't deliver?
• What would it take for ALP to gain a sizable chunk of mobile handset market-share?

I just don't see big things for ACCESS on this front. Had you asked me this question two years ago, my answer would have been completely different. Unfortunately, that was the time to cast off in this market and shake it up. That didn't happen in any noticeable way and now I see ALP playing catch-up... if they even play in a measurable way at all.

AndroidDevCamp in Dallas Oct 25

They haven't given much notice but since the T-Mobile G1 has just launched it is appropriate to point out that what is probably the first AndroidDevCamp will be happening in Dallas in just a couple of days.  The press release details how budding Android developers can benefit from attending the camp:

The event will feature presentations on:

-- How to get started on Android;
-- Google's Android Developers Challenge I and II;
-- Lessons learned in the development of ShopSavvy; and
-- Understanding Android fundamentals.

The event will include breakout sessions where developers can share ideas and form working groups to begin building Android applications.

The event will be held at Architel located:

Infomart
1950 Stemmons Fwy
Suite 2022
Dallas, TX 75207

You can find additional information and sign up for this and other camps at the website here.

iPhone sales haven't made BlackBerry any less Bold

Apple might be outselling RIM, but the BlackBerry handset maker still has bold plans. Literally. The BlackBerry Bold finally has a release date of November 4th on AT&T's network. Hey, if the network is good enough for the iPhone, it's good enough for the Bold, right?

The Bold offers the same half-VGA or 480x320 resolution as the iPhone, but since the screen itself is smaller, there's a higher pixel density which should offer a very clear display. That's 163 ppi or pixels per inch for the iPhone vs. 217 ppi for the Bold. There's also the QWERTY keyboard, GPS, WiFi, 3G, 1 GB of internal storage and support for up to 16GB of expansion capacity just to name a few features. Although there were some early reports of a slow browsing experience on the Bold with beta firmware, the release date kept unofficially creeping back and I wonder if some under-the-hood tune-up efforts were the cause.

Documents To Go by DataViz is pre-loaded on the device, which is a nice plus and will come in handy for editing and viewing Office docs. With RIM passing Windows Mobile in terms of market share recently, the Bold looks to continue RIM's growth, especially in the consumer space. Expect to pay $299 with a two-year agreement if RIM's BlackBerry Bold is the apple of your eye. Making the smartphone launch even more bold is yesterday's announcement from RIM: they're launching the BlackBerry Application Storefront in March of 2009.

Wrike pulls Exchange contacts into T-Mobile G1

Several potential buyers of the T-Mobile G1 have lamented the lack of support for Microsoft Exchange synchronization. Exchange is so embedded in the enterprise, I can certainly understand that. Even from a consumer view, I used a hosted Exchange service for years because it's a rock-solid solution and one that many individuals have started to embrace.

Clearly any handset powered by Google's Android operating system is going to work natively with Google's infrastructure, i.e: Gmail, Google Calendar and less than robust Google Contacts, which is actually more of a Gmail feature than a full solution. The free ContactsSync from Wrike might help if you're tied to Exchange, but as the name implies, it only works with Contacts. The application is available through the Android Market and synchronizes your Exchange Contacts with a T-Mobile G1. I no longer have my Exchange service as I opted to move to Google Apps nearly a year ago, but James still has his Exchange account, so perhaps we can cajole him too test this out.

ContactsSync works with the 2007 Edition of Micrsoft Exchange and requires that Exchange Web Services are installed and running on the server. While this looks useful if you're planning to stick with Exchange (and hope for other third party Exchange support options on the G1), it could be handy migration tool as well: pull down your Exchange contacts and sync them back up to the Google server. I'd be curious how well the app handles duplicates if you have the same contact both in Google Contacts and in Exchange. Might want to back up your contacts in both prior to using this.

Nokia E90 update: so long BlackBerry Connect, hello Nokia Maps 2.0

Nokia E90 Communicators have a week-old firmware bump waiting for them, but if you use BlackBerry Connect, you'll want to hold off on this one. Version 300.34.84 will do away with support for BB Connect, although it does offer some new features that might interest you enough:

• Faster screen orientation switching
• Nokia Maps 2.0
• Download! application updated (v 3.1.736)
• Update for Flash Lite 3 and Flash video
• Wi-Fi improvements
• New baseline for VoIP
• FLV format support in RealPlayer

If you can do without the BlackBerry support, the addition of Maps and Flash improvements might be worth it. You'll need a PC running Microsoft Windows XP or Vista to make this happen through the Nokia Software Updater.

Video of YouTube video on the G1

 

My friends over at NewTeeVee must have caught Om sleeping because they absconded with his T-Mobile G1 just long enough to make this short video. They dive into the native YouTube app on the Android handset and show you the greater amount of detail you find in the software when compared to that "other" phone with YouTube functionality. It's also a great example of the "press and hold" touchscreen feature offered by Android.

T-Mobile G1, a hands-on introduction to the first Android phone

We've only had a few short days to get our feet wet with a T-Mobile G1 phone and while there are definite similarities to other devices and platforms, this is certainly a different beast. First and foremost, the entire Android ecosystem is much more open from a development point of view. While this is clearly a handset review, I've said before that the true story is the Android platform and more importantly, what will developers bring to the table?

Why would I say that? Because as good as the base functionality is in the phone, it's the third party applications that will truly set the device apart. Sure, there's great integration with Google services, but what consumers see after that will help or hurt the success of Android devices. Speaking of which: let's get on with a high level look-see at the first Android device: the T-Mobile G1. There's far too much to cover in a single post, so we'll kick things off with a first look, both video and written, and then have follow-ups over the next several days. Don't hesitate to drop specific questions in the comments.

BlackBerry fans will flip over the new Pearl 8220

I've been a flip-phone fan ever since my Motorola StarTAC days, but much of the smartphone market has stayed away from the form factor. There have been a few exceptions and RIM adds another one today with the launch of their BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 on T-Mobile's network.

The 3.6-ounce handset is small like most flippers, only taking up 3.9” x 1.96” x 0.68” of space when folded. Even with the small size, RIM still saw fit to include a 2.4-inch QVGA display. Text entry tends to be T9 with a flip form factor, but the Pearl Flip leverages the SureType keyboard found on earlier candybar 'Berrys. The unique entry system offers word prediction combined with keys that handle two letters the alphabet; you can catch a demo of the system here.

The Pearl Flip is chock-full of features, in fact, other than 3G support on T-Mobile's fast new network, there isn't much that's missing from what I can see:

• WiFi which supports T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot calling, Bluetooth with A2DP support for wireless stereo sound
  
• MyFaves support
  
• 3.5mm headset jack
  
• 128MB of internal flash memory, 256MB microSD card included, supports up to 16GB of SDHC microSD
  
• 2.0-megapixel camera with integrated flash and digital zoom, video recording support

If you're doing somersaults over the Flip, you can find it at T-Mobile retail locations and online starting today. The phone is launching in black, but T-Mo says you should see it in red within a few weeks. The handset retails for $349.99, but I see a $150 instant discount and a $50 mail-in rebate right now online, bringing the phone down to $149.99 with a contract.

With the Pearl Flip, RIM continues to make moves into the consumer space and blur the lines between feature-phone and smartphone. Clearly the approach is helping the company's strategy since they more than doubled their market share between the second quarter of 2007 and the same period in 2008.

Windows Mobile 6.1 available for HTC Touch Cruise, Touch Dual

HTC now offers the incremental bump from Windows Mobile 6 to 6.1 on both the Touch Cruise and Touch Dual handsets. Like other phones already running the latest version, upgraders will see the sliding-paneled Home screen, easier Bluetooth pairing, threaded text messaging, e-mail message grouping and more.

You can find the upgrade software and info for the Touch Cruise here, while the Touch Dual upgrade is here. No such upgrade luck for my T-Mobile Dash, but then again it did get an upgrade from WinMo 5 to 6 a while back.

(via Phone Scoop)

Motorola's Q11 adds WiFi, drops 3G

Hello MOTO, or should we say hello MOTO Q11? Motorola's newest evolutionary (at best) Q-series device is due out in December and adds few new bits and changes from the Q9 that arrived last year. The most noticeable addition is the availability of WiFi, something that many readers can't do without on a phone these days. WiFi is supplemented with out-of-the-box support for Boingo, which is a nice touch. Then again, there no mention of 3G, so you you'll be sacrificing one radio for another here. The camera sensor gets a boost up to 3-megapixels, but the 2.4-inch display stays status quo with QVGA resolution of 320x240.

GPS for location-based services is starting to take off in the handset market and the Q11 will ride those coattails with integrated GPS. The question as always: which carriers will enable that out of the box and which will try to charge you for navigation services? Motorola is listing this as a GSM phone and while there might be future models for Verizon or Sprint, you can bet this one will show up on AT&T or perhaps T-Mobile's network.

Windows Mobile 6.1 is the operating system here; no WinMo 7 just yet but folks can always hope for an update. On the inside, the device is powered by an Intel Bulvarde chip, just like the older models, although Moto hasn't outed the speed. All in all, I'm underwhelmed, but I'm curious to your thoughts.

Next2Friends streams live video from a BlackBerry

Looking to get your BlackBerry invited to the live-streaming scene? Qik is out of the question because it only supports Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile devices for the time being. However, Next2Friends just announced support for their competing service on the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl handsets. The company already supports Symbian S40 & S60 devices as well as Windows Mobile 6 handhelds.

You'll have to sign up for the free service first and then you can download the app to your 'Berry. Once installed, you can stream live video from your phone and of course the content is recorded and stored for future viewing as well. Next2Friends complements the video streaming service with online chat, video messaging and other social network features. People don't normally think of the BlackBerry as a multi-media or content creation device, but an app like this could change opinions. If you're going to Next2Friends, or a competing service for that mattery, you're going to want an unlimited data plan. Oh... and a camera in your phone.

HTC to USA: Can't Touch (HD) This!

Sorry for the MC Hammer play, but I try to have fun to offset bad news. Here's the deal: the HTC Touch HD you might be salivating over isn't Coming to America like Eddie Murphy. In a recent Twitter posting, a company rep says:

"sad news, US. we looked into it- by the time we could bring Touch HD to the states, it would be old news. we do have other cool stuff coming"

That means you have two choices if you want the 800x480 Windows Mobile 6.1 handset: move or look for an importer. Even if you go the import route, you won't see a compatible 3G frequency here in the States, so relocating might be the more attractive option.

Now that the bad news is out of the closet, let's turn that frown upside down: who still has those baggy MC Hammer pants in their closet? They make for comfy pajama bottoms. At least that's what I've been told. Just sayin'.

(via Mobile Devices Today)

De-bloat that smartphone for better performance

Smart Device Central shares a short list of ways to de-bloat your smartphone which could be helpful for those new to this type of device. Most of the article explains how to use the standard methods to remove programs on all of the major platforms: BlackBerry, Palm OS, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile and iPhone.

From a Windows Mobile perspective, I'd also add the method to remove temporary files if you're using Internet Explorer. In WinMo 6, it's Menu, Tools, Options, Memory, Clear. I also only download the last three days worth of mail so I don't fill up my limited memory with gobs of old messages. You can always get more if you need 'em and I find Pocket Outlook to be more responsive when it doesn't have to show tons of data. Lastly, I'm very careful about what add-ons and plug-ins I keep on my phone. What other tips did Smart Device Central leave out? How do you keep your smartphone lean and mean?

Qik almost comes with the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Qik is scoring a big win with that new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone we heard about yesterday. Wannabe small screen directors will see Qik in the Downloads area of their 5800, making it a tap or two away from installation and live video streaming all around the town. Qik will take advantage of that nice 3.2-megapixel camera with obligatory Carl Zeiss optics and autofocus plus HSDPA support. Amazing that a relatively young software solution has found a bundled home on a handset so.... "qikly". Oh, stop... you had to see that one coming!

Android Marketplace will have free trials, but developers may pay

One of my biggest gripes with the iTunes App Store is the lack of free trials. There seems to be little in the way of Apple logistics to offer this choice to developers. That's one reason I've added less than a handful of paid applications to my iPhone. I simply don't want to risk my money by purchasing software that doesn't meet my needs. Just because an application is popular, doesn't mean it's good.

The grass is slightly greener on the other side of the operating system: the Android Marketplace will allow for free, limited-trial applications. The only fly in this ointment is that there still may be a cost involved, just not to the consumer. T-Mobile intends to charge developers $2 per month for any free Marketplace app that will use more than 15-megabytes per month. I'd expect that many apps would fall into this category and I'm not sure exactly how T-Mobile has any say over this anyway. Last I checked, this was the Android Marketplace, not the T-Mobile Software Shop. That's one way to subsidize the cost of that shiny, new 3G network. Lighting up San Francisco alone cost the carrier over $322 million dollars.

T-Mobile G1 out in four weeks, manual available now

So plunked down $179 or more for a T-Mobile G1 handset but you've got to wait, wait, wait until October 22nd for your "preciouss-s-s" to arrive. What's a geeky Android fan to do? Well, it won't take you four weeks to read though, but you can get yourself familiar through the G1 PDF user manual that's making an on-line appearance.

It's an electronic version of that little bunch of papers you normally toss aside when getting a new device. Don't lie: you do it, I do it, we all do it. Today's the day to make a change and take a stand for the oft-overlooked and usually under-appreciated user manual. Seriously, how else would you know that the Specific Absorption Rate of RF signals is 1.11 W/Kg @1g when holding the G1 to your head?

(via AndroidGuys)

T-Mobile G1: developers, developers, developers!

Matt Miller kicks his new Smartphones and Cell Phones blog into high gear with a lengthy overview of the T-Mobile G1 handset. Matt spent well over two hours playing with the phone yesterday and although he ordered one, he's not overwhelmed just yet. After reading his thoughts, I'm feeling the same way. At least initially.

Much as I suspected last week, the story here is about the Android platform and the software. Matt notes that there are many G1 limitations on day one:

• No Exchange support, which could be a deal-breaker for some
  
• No desktop app, and therefore no way to sync with any local-only data
  
• No app for Notes, Tasks, or even RSS reading. Why no Google Reader app, Matt asks?
  
• No support for videos, other than YouTube
  
• Music can only be downloaded from the Amazon MP3 store over WiFi

When asked about the lack of these and other apps, the response Matt received was "Developers are welcome to create" whatever apps there's a demand for. (Why does this video suddenly come to mind?) In theory that's fine, but in practice? Time will tell. One other interesting thought: the G1's inability to sync to a personal computer might be one of the first phones (high-end or smarphone, that is) in recent memory that can't do this. I'm wondering if this signals a switch in the phone market: away from the desktop and towards the cloud.

Google Android photos underscore it's all about the software

Hard to tell if these pics of the Google Android phone from rizzn are legit or not, but with so many prior leaked images jiving with them, it's a low-risk bet that this is the real deal. Looking at what's likely the HTC Dream, it's really hitting home to me that mobile devices are less and less about the hardware and more about the software and user experience. We'll know for sure at Tuesday's 10:30am T-Mobile / Google Android launch event; in fact, I should be there thanks to an invite that fell into my Inbox earlier this week.

With each new device announcement that comes my way, my eyes are first drawn to the hardware look, feel and specifications. And with each new device announcement, I see much of the same. Sure, there's some revolutionary changes every so often: the move from resistive to capacitive displays, for example. By and large however? Evolutionary in terms of the hardware. In fact, the photos above don't show any great hardware leaps: we've had touchscreen phones with slide-out QWERTY keyboards for several years now.

Services and software are starting to garner more of my focus as result. We spoke about the Google Android phone on a recent podcast and while Matt & James were licking their chops over the Android phone, I was the nay-sayer. I even asked them: "but what will you be able to do with that device that you can't do now?" I still think the question is a good question, but I also think the answer isn't yet fully written. Time will tell as we wait to see how developers take advantage of the Android platform, which will take a while. Just like it's taken me a while to get past my "hardware addiction." OK, I'm not actually over it yet, but admitting the problem is the first sign of recovery I hear.

T-Mobile, Android event confirmed for September 23rd

If you had doubts about the expected T-Mobile & Google Android announcements next week, you can erase them now. Michael Gartenberg has an invite for just such an event in New York City on September 23, so all systems are go. Makes me wonder if T-Mo will announce more 3G coverage area activations to coincide with Android.

What if you can't wait a week for the news? Why not sneak a nearly-eight-minute peek at an actual Android device demo recently shown? The HTC Dream brand-covered phone looks pretty interesting, but I keep coming back to how iPhone-like it is... at least from what we've seen so far in these types of demos.

Palm Treo 700wx joins the Windows Mobile 6 fray

One of the first Windows Mobile Treos becomes one of the last to get the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade. At this point, I actually would have expected the Treo 700wx to just jump right up to WinMo 6.1, but I suppose it's about the journey and not the destination, right? Verizon customers with the Treo 700wx running firmware 1.22 can grab their free update direct from Palm, but make sure you've got ActiveSync 4.5 as well because you'll need that too.

Not sure if Windows Mobile 6 is your thing? Take a load off, relax and run through the 348 page PDF manual for the Treo 700wx with the newest mobile OS from Microsoft. Well, almost the newest since everyone else seems to be getting WinMo 6.1 these days. ;) All kidding aside, I found Windows Mobile 6 to be far more stable than its predecessor and it also provided several new features and functions that made it worth my while. Your mileage may vary of course. Note that this is a "once and done" deal: if you take the red pill and upgrade, there's no going back to Windows Mobile 5.

(via Treonauts)

Smartphone market: RIM jumps past Windows Mobile in 2Q08

Just yesterday I was taking note of how much of a consumer push BlackBerrys are making these days. A few years ago, the word BlackBerry was synonymous with with "work", but I'm seeing more and more consumers carry the RIM devices around. More support for entertaining functions like audio and video content are surely helping that trend, which continued yesterday with the announcement of a partnership with TiVo. Based on that, I probably shouldn't be surprised at the latest smartphone market share numbers from Gartner. Nearly every platform sold more devices, but the big winner in my mind was RIM. The graph above shows the smartphone market share in the second quarter of 2008. Here's a quick rundown of the numbers this year and last, as well as my thoughts on what the 2009 will look like.

Control your TiVo with... a BlackBerry?

Sorry for the incredulous sounding title, but when it comes to mobile video entertainment, BlackBerry isn't likely the first brand that comes to mind. Big kudos to RIM on this one though; today's announcement thatthe coming-soon remote TiVo recording through a 'Berry shows that the handset platform is continuing a consumer push. You won't be able to view TiVo content based on this news, but it's not a leap to see this develop in the future. In fact, the press release mentions "Future collaboration between the companies will focus on software applications that further simplify mobile access to video content". When the software arrives later this year, the integration will allow users to control the TiVo so you can set up recordings remotely.

Note that this type of service isn't exactly new: using a web-browser and Windows Media Center PC a good few years ago offered me the same functionality. Folks that own a SlingBox can also remotely control their DVR, as well as watch recorded content. However, there's a vast number of TiVo units out there so enabling them for easier remote access with a BlackBerry, or other handset for that matter, is something that many consumers will welcome.

(via SlashGear)

HTC Touch HD has WVGA goodness for Windows Mobile 6.1

HTC looks to be advancing the "Touch" concept of Windows Mobile phones even further; this time with an 800x480 screen on a device that's comparable in size to current iPhones. MoDaCo shares the specs on this Windows Mobile 6.1 device that's due out "in time for Santa":

• GPS, Bluetooth and HSDPA support. I'd assume WiFi as well.
• Same 528 MHz Qualcomm CPU as the Touch Diamond
• Large 512 MB of ROM / 256 MB of RAM
• 5-megapixel camera
• 3.5mm headphone jack at the top of the device

My goodness that screen looks sweet! Personally we're at the point now where QVGA screens are just downright disappointing to me and devices with larger screens should have at least VGA resolution. The HTC Touch HD goes the extra mile with WVGA which is the max that WinMo 6.1 supports. My guess: a European launch first with other countries to follow in early 2009. Stay tuned.

Samsung Blackjack II sees a WinMo 6.1 upgrade

Just a quick hit as I step away from more testing with the MSI Wind for a sec. Samsung Blackjack II owners will be happy to know that a Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade is available. Seems like there's a slew