Considering my iPhone is ringing off the hook with CES meeting requests, Trinket Software's latest application has me considering a move to Windows Mobile. Their Do Not Disturb software is still in beta, but it's just what I need right now. Using the software, you customize settings for your WinMo 5, 6, or 6.1 phone to force incoming calls to voicemail without your handset even ringing.
Do Not Disturb allows you to set which contacts, phone numbers or categories are allowed to disturb you... or not. You can also set profiles for contact groupings as well. It looks handy, but you'll want to get in now on the beta since the application is due for general release next month and is expected to cost between $5 and $10.
Microsoft has surprised a few folks with the release of Seadragon Mobile for the iPhone. Yes, it is only available for the iPhone which I'm sure surprised quite a few partners making Windows Mobile phones. Seadragon Mobile is a showcase for some amazing technology that allows smooth display of images no matter the physical constraints of the screen. It is worth checking out if you have an iPhone and want to see how cool working with images can be. From Microsoft Live Labs, makers of Seadragon:
"The aim of Seadragon is nothing less than to change the way we use
screens, from wall-sized displays all the way down to cell phones, so
that graphics and photos are smoothly browsed, regardless of the amount
of data or the bandwidth of the network."
So why did Microsoft release this app for the iPhone and not its own Windows Mobile platform? Alex Daly, group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs:
"The iPhone is the most widely distributed phone with a (graphics
processing unit)," Daley explained. "Most phones out today don’t have
accelerated graphics in them The iPhone does and so it enabled us to
do something that has been previously difficult to do. I couldn’t just
pick up a Blackberry or a Nokia off the shelf and build Seadragon for
it without GPU support."
So the answer is simple- Windows Mobile devices cannot run Seadragon so we had to go with the iPhone. There must be a few embarrassed folks at Microsoft this morning, at least there should be.
Handango has long been one of the biggest online retailers for software for PDAs and phones. They offer apps for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm and S60 devices. Their announcement details a new deal to sell software in the Best Buy brick and mortar stores. They will have a special branded version of their online store, In-HandT, that will dispense programs using Best Buy's Mobile Genie point-of-sale system. This will let customers browse and purchase programs which are then downloaded directly to the customer's device. Kind of like you can do now with Handango's online store even outside of Best Buy.
We love us some Skype on jkOnTheRun, Kevin and I were in a Skype chat when word of a new beta version of the VoIP software for Windows Mobile came over the wire. Skype for Windows Mobile has been a long time sitting at the same version so this new beta version 2.5 is welcome news. Skype claims the usual improvements with this new version:
Improved sound quality
Better stability
Familiar Skype interface
There are versions for both Windows Mobile Standard and Pro and according to Skype calls can be made using either WiFi or 3G connections. I wonder if this new version is gentler on battery life than the older one? If anyone has tried it and can let us know please do.
The O2 website is now offering a unique Windows Mobile 6.1-based clamshell device that has some decent specs. The O2 Xda Flint has a detachable keyboard, 5-inch VGA touchscreen, 624 MHz processor, ATI graphics, 16 GB internal flash memory, 3 MP camera, quadband radios and integrated GPS. If you're thinking this is a re-badged HTC Advantage then you would be correct.
Skyfire is a mobile browser that has been in beta for a very long time. The browser is one of the only mobile browsing solutions that supports the "full Internet" including Java, Flash and Silverlight. Unfortunately, the one thing it didn't support was devices using a VGA screen but that is a thing of the past. The current beta version 0.85 adds support for VGA resolution screens so at long last I can give it a try on the HTC Advantage. We interviewed the CEO of Skyfire earlier this year who shared the vision of the company.
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.
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.
You Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device users who have been wishing for a way to sync your AOL contacts and calendar can wait no more. AOL has launched the AOL Sync which keeps your calendar and contacts in sync with WM and AOL. It works over-the-air so once you set it you you can forget about and keep everything the same everywhere. It's free so give it a shot.
Mobile browsers are the hot item on the smartphone front with everyone consuming more web content on them than ever. There are some good browsers out there in various stages of release with Opera Mobile, Skyfire and Mozilla coming to mind. We shouldn't forget about the Iris browser from TorchMobile which has been in beta for a good while and according to CNET it's coming along nicely. You've got to sign up for the beta to get your hands on Iris but if you have a Windows Mobile phone you might want to take a look. Just for the sake of information sharing, of course.
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Considering my iPhone is ringing off the hook with CES meeting requests, Trinket Software's latest application has me considering a move to Windows Mobile. Their Do Not Disturb software is still in beta, but it's just what I need right now. Using the software, you customize settings for your WinMo 5, 6, or 6.1 phone to force incoming calls to voicemail without your handset even ringing. 
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