Verizon locates switch to enable GPS on RIM 8330, 8130

It's nearly 18 months since we struggled with the GPS radio that wasn't meant to be on the BlackBerry 8830. Oh, the device has a GPS radio, but Verizon Wireless disabled it when the 8830 debuted on the VZW network. Eventually, that got resolved, although not in the way we had hoped. Similar shenanigans continued on the network with RIM's 8330 Curve and 8130 Pearl, but Boy Genius reports that Verizon Wireless has enabled the embedded GPS radio to work on the handset, and not just for the premium VZ Navigator service they offer.

Unfortunately, the radio only appears to work with the integrated BlackBerry Maps program at this point, so if you have a Curve or Pearl and were counting on Google Maps and the GPS, you'll be let down.

I have no issue with the carriers making a fair profit and offering add-on value services, but the disabling or limiting of hardware features has to stop. It's like buying a new car with a high-end stereo system and then not being able to listen to music while driving because the dealer claims they haven't tested the radio's effect on the roads. VZW: if you have to test advertised hardware features in handsets on your network, that's fine. Just pick up the pace so the features get enabled before the handset model sees EOL.

Coffee break- GMail not playing nice

Our GigaOM mail is using GMail and normally everything works just fine.  I can either interact with the mail using the standard web interface or with Apple Mail under IMAP.  The iPhone can interact with the mail using IMAP too and everything is hunky-dory.  When it works.  The past two days everything works as advertised when I'm in my home office but as soon as I leave my cocoon of happy WiFi things start going bad.  I can connect to an external hotspot via WiFi and everything works as expected except the IMAP portion of GMail.  I can interact with my mail using the web interface just fine which is good enough but Apple Mail cannot connect to the GMail IMAP server.  That means the iPhone can't connect to it either meaning no email for me without the laptop.

It's not any particular hotspot as I've had the same results in two different ones.  When I figured out that IMAP wasn't connecting I turned WiFi off on the MacBook and plugged in the Verizon EVDO modem.  Guess what?  Same results, which is darn strange.  No IMAP for me since yesterday unless I am in my home WiFi network.  What could that be?  I've seen commentary on TWITTER that indicates others are having GMail problems too.  It's a royal pain, especially not getting GMail on the iPhone away from home.  Did Google change something yesterday?

A "Green" Apple leaves a sour taste for accessories

If you live in the U.S., you've probably seen the latest Apple ad spot on television by now. The company is touting the new unibody MacBook as "green" for the environmentally conscious. I'm in that group myself with a hybrid car, a solar-powered attic fan and as a fanatic about recycling. No scrap of paper in our home is safe from the recycling bin, not even the puny little ATM and purchase reciepts I get at WaWa. We're getting ready to start composting in the near future as well.

From my perspective then, it's nice to see Apple's green take on the new MacBook. That's why I was flabbergasted to see my Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter today packaged in a box that's at least as big as the one my MacBook came in.

FolderShare becomes Windows Live Sync. So what about Live Mesh?

It's hard not to ask the question that many folks are already asking over on the Windows Live FolderShare Team blog. In reaction to an announcement that FolderShare is going away and getting replaced with Windows Live Sync, the obvious question is: why Live Sync and not Live Mesh? It's a fair puzzle to be perplexed over and it echoes the same sentiment we've had for a few years now: why have all of these overlapping tools in the Windows Live world?

I'm sure there are very good technical or platform reasons that these overlaps exist. Perhaps too much time, effort and money have been thrown at some solutions and therefore, it's not yet cost-effective to morph similar ones together or summarily just end some. But the situation keeps repeating itself and it brings one key element to mind: Microsoft either doesn't yet have or can't effectively communicate precise, long-term consumer service strategies. I'm not a Mobile Me customer, nor would I say that the platform is the best solution out there. But comparing the two, it does emphasize the simple and communicative differences between Microsoft and Apple and that goes a long way towards explaining consumer sentiment between the two brands.

In any case Windows Live Sync will appear in December with these features:

• More folders and files - sync up to 20 folders with 20,000 files each.
• Integration with Windows Live ID - no more extra sign-in stuff to remember.
• Integration with the Recyle Bin - no more separate Trash folder to fiddle with.
• New client versions for both Windows and Mac. 
• Unicode support - sync files in other languages.

Seems to me that Live Mesh would essentially offer all this and more by adding remote desktop support an both mobile and cross-platform clients. I must be out of sync to think there's a problem here.

UPDATE: No you can't have it: Internet Explorer 6 Mobile will only come on new phones

The web browsing experience in Windows Mobile has long been terrible if users stick with the default web browser.  Internet Explorer Mobile has never been good at all and that's the reason that Opera Mini/ Mobile has done so well.  Microsoft has been touting for a good year that the next version of the browser would be very cool, Internet Explorer 6 Mobile would finally start competing with those third party browsers in an area in which Microsoft has no business being poor.  The new browser will start hitting the shelves by the end of the year, but only on new devices.  Microsoft has stated that it will not be available to current Windows Mobile customers in any fashion and that new devices are the only way to get it:

Regarding making IE Mobile available as a separate download or update, the rich media experiences that IE Mobile 6 enables require more powerful, advanced devices. That is why it will not be available as an upgrade or direct download for current phones, but rather will be made available on new phones.

This is a total load of bunk, I'm sorry.  Other browsers are currently available even better than what Microsoft has demonstrated in this as yet unreleased browser and they run just fine on today's hardware.  This is the perfect example of how broken the Windows Mobile ecosystem is today.  Microsoft is so beholden to the partners who produce the devices that they leave important decisions like who gets an upgrade to those partners.  This shoots the existing customer in the foot every single time and it's getting very old indeed.  Don't forget that Microsoft's partners on Windows Mobile devices are usually the carriers, and they always have customers best interests at heart.

(via Brighthand)

UPDATE: Reports are coming in that the first device to ship with Internet Explorer Mobile 6 is the Samsung Omnia being released in China.  Why China?

Scott Rockfeld, Microsoft’s director of Windows Mobile, mobile communications business, told ZDNet Asia over the phone Tuesday that China Mobile was chosen as the first operator to get mobile IE6 because Microsoft hopes to tap the vast growth in the number of new mobile users in the country.

“We want to have users in [emerging markets] get their first online experience with Windows Mobile,” he said. “Our target is not to convert existing users of the competing phones like the iPhone or Google’s Android. We want to grow faster than the market.

So take that you.  You already have alternatives available besides Windows Mobile so you don't need it.  Straight from Microsoft.

(via wmpoweruser)

Why are MSI Wind netbooks crashing Apple routers?

I've been following Dave Winer's new netbook passion with obvious interest. He dipped a toe in the netbook waters back in July with the purchase of an Asus Eee PC 901 and it's clear to me that Dave "gets it" with this device genre. He needed a low-cost, highly portable device that could still run Microsoft Windows XP. He has other requirements too, but they're all met by a netbook. While we (and by we I mainly mean me) sometimes try to push the limits of these small companion devices, Dave happily uses a netbook for its intended purpose.

Let's fast forward in time a little from July. Dave thought about getting another netbook: one that offered a little better experience from a screen and keyboard standpoint. Although my experiences weren't the sole factor in Dave's upgrade decision, he read the many positives I've shared about my MSI Wind, so he bought one. And that's when the trouble started....

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.

Ballmer: we're going to launch a Windows Mobile App Store

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shocked folks at a recent event in Australia by confirming rumors that the Redmond giant would soon be following the Apple business model of opening an App Store to offer Windows Mobile programs direct to customers.  Ballmer went on to confuse the audience with his contention that the Apple App Store is not making any developers much money:

"[They've] made it easier to kind of get exposure for your applications," Ballmer continued. "There's not much money being made, but the general concept of giving developers a way not only to get their code distributed, but to really get visibility for the code, is a good idea."

Last I heard Apple was selling programs hand-over-fist and developers were indeed making a fair coin for their efforts so I think Ballmer is down-playing that a little bit.  At the end of the day a Microsoft App Store will not make a bit of difference anyway.  There are already a number of retail outlets for Windows Mobile wares so this will just be another one.  Unlike the Apple App Store, which was the first and only outlet for iPhone apps, there is no compelling reason for WM customers to only shop at the MS store.  Let's face it the ONLY place you can buy iPhone apps is the Apple App Store so they have a built-in advantage over this MS store.  That's kind of the business model, isn't it?

Looking at the Dell Mini 9? Read this first

The Dell Mini 9 is the Texas-based firm's first foray into the world of netbooks and it's pretty solid.  Like any purchase decision though the ability of the company to deal with problems you encounter is an important part of the purchase decision, at least it should be.  Our good friend Jason Dunn bought a Mini 9 and he needed to return it for reasons we won't go into here as it's not important to his recent recounting of that experience.  It seems that Dell has made a painful process unbearable and Jason has spent days and days dealing with it.  Bad, Dell, bad.

Life Takes Vista: is this real?

Reader Lornie sent me a link to what looks like an advertising campaign for Windows Vista that leaves us both scratching our heads.  It's a very professional web site but the message is, um, strange to say the least.  Don't miss the proud guy who "takes Levitra" with his Vista.  Take a moment to visit and see what you think.  Or scratch your head.