by Frank McPherson, author of How To Do Everything With Windows Mobile

 
Now that I am using the T-Mobile G1, I realize that this blog has the potential of changing from a Pocket PC/Windows Mobile specific blog to a blog all about the G1. I am not sure what to do about that, but my thinking is that if there are any readers left here, this audience would be more interested about my G1 experiences than those who read my general blog.

By far the most frustrating thing about the G1 for me has been the battery life. It cannot get through a day on one charge, even if I am not using the phone very extensively. There may be many reasons for this, but one thing different between Android and Windows Mobile is that Messaging in Windows Mobile only downloads a few kilobytes of email unless you configure it to do otherwise, whereas Gmail downloads everything except pictures. I also notice the synchronization symbol on the status bar a lot, so it may be that sync doesn't time out quickly enough if there are communication issues. Hopefully there are some optimizations that Google can make to Android to get it longer battery life, otherwise this device is not going to sell very well.

Not all of the device's capabilities and functions are obvious, nor documented. For example, how do you quickly mute the phone? I found you have to press and hold the End (red) button then tap Sound Off.

The Marketplace is a cool application, but it needs an easy way to show new applications that are available to download. I think a simple Added In The Last 7 Days menu option would be sufficient. They could send an email or text message (free of course) to indicate new apps, but the point is that I shouldn't have to wade through a list of items to find something new. Right now there aren't many applications, but we all hope that will change soon, right?

Speaking of cool applications, Android is in need of what I would consider some key applications:

• A twitter client. Yes SMS works and the web page works, but none are like Tinytwitter or Twirl


• A Facebook client. Facebook is cool on the iPhone, it should be cool on Android. I know that there have been articles suggesting that for some reason Facebook won't come until the Cubs win the Series. Whatever!


• A podcatcher. I really want an easy to use application that can subscribe to podcasts and can automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks and download the podcasts in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. I've tried to make BeyondPod do this on my Tytnn II and it won't work for me. Unfortunately, the iPod and Zune require a physical connection to a PC to download podcasts.


• A to-do application, though I do have a workaround for this using Gmail and Anycut that will write more about in another post.


• A notetaking application. Here I am hoping that Evernote will come out with an Android app has they have done for iPhone and Windows Mobile, though I really want it to be better so that it stores notes locally.

Speaking of third party applications, the two I am using the most at the moment are Locale and AnyCut. Locale is a profile application for Android that is capable of taking certain actions when it detects you are in a certain location. I've been using the cell tower form that is not as accurate as GPS, but it seems to be good enough. The one problem is that it doesn't seem to consisently detect that I am at home. A few things that I would improve with Locale is to provide users with an option to turn notifications on or off. It's nice to see that it knows I am in a locale the first time it happens, but repeatedly showing afterwards is annoying. It also a nice ability to send a message to Twitter when you are in a location, but that can only be the same message. Locale needs to be smart enough to realize that if I have been in the same location for a period of time it doesn't need to send the same message to Twitter. Here again they could provide some options, like allow user to specify to only send one message when you enter a location per day. Another thing I notice is that for some reason Locale changes the sound settings, I have noticed this because I am using it to set the phone to vibrate when I am at my work location. Finally, I would like Locale to be able to do more things, maybe it could be the podcatcher that I am looking for.

Finally, we come to the Google applications, which I think is most frustrating for users because they had high expectations for Google. In a nutshell, the Google apps are littered with little problems that show a lack of paying attention to detail. One big example: there isn't an easy way to delete large amounts of email. I really, really, like the web-based Gmail because in two clicks, click Unread to select all unread items, then click Delete, I can delete all the messages I am not interested in reading or saving. This approach is very fast and easy, and there is no reason it isn't on Android. Just put all the Select options at the top of the screen, and then give me a one click button to Delete on the top screen. I shouldn't have to press and hold or press menu to delete mail messages. For that matter, how about providing all of the keyboard shortcuts I can use on my desktop on the G1, after all you seem to expect me to be using the keyboard all the time!

The Calendar application has similar deficiencies, and it is obvious to me that not much thought is put into using Calendar as a serious way for tracking appointments for business. There is no way to view the day view in 30 minute increments, and there is no setting that allows the user to specify the default duration for a meeting. Most of my appointments are scheduled in 30 minute increments and there is no simple way for me to set them that way. While the web desktop version of Calendar allows me to request other people to participate in an appointment, there is no similar option in Android.

The main message to Google here is that users are expecting that they have ALL the application functionality on Android as they have on the full web. Making decisions for users on what they will or will not use is the Microsoft way for mobile computing, and would best not be repeated by Android. The appeal for me to Android is the power behind flexibility and tight integration with Google applications, to which much to my shock I have become more dependent.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 9:11 AM 4 comments Links to this post

 
One of the cool things about Android is that it comes with the Amazon MP3 store for buying music. You can buy tracks on the G1, though you need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to download the song to the phone.

As far as I can tell, the process for moving the music that you buy on the G1 to a desktop PC is manual. The good news is that you can connect the G1 to a Windows desktop and the microSD storage card that is included mounts like a USB storage device. You can then drag and drop the folder containing the music you buy (it's stored in an amazonmp3 folder on the card) to your PC.

Hopefully a developer will write a desktop application that will simply the process of moving music back and forth between a PC and the G1, because moving music to the G1 is the same manual copy process.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 9:03 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
To prepare for when I would get my G1, I cleaned up my Google contacts by deleting all the entries and then importing my Outlook/Exchange contacts into Google contacts. The export/import process is not as straight forward as it should be. You export the Outlook contacts to a *.CSV file, which is very straight forward, but I had problems with the import into Google.

The problem is that addresses did not appear in Google contacts even though they were right where they should be in the CSV file. After a search I found out the problem seems to be with the version of Gmail I was using, which is the newest version. I switched back to the older version and re-imported (after deleting all the contacts first) and then the addresses appeared as they should. I was then able to switch back to the newer version of Gmail and the addresses still appear.

Today was the true test for how the contacts sync would work and it has one problem. Several of my contacts are businesses for which I don't enter a first and last name but rather a company name. The company name appears as you expect in the web version of Google/Gmail contacts, but the company names do not appear in Adroid's contacts list, instead I just see the phone numbers for those companies at the top of the list. I think to fix this I will have to edit every one of the company contacts that I have to put the company name in the last name field.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 8:26 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
So I signed up to buy a T-Mobile G1 on the first day it was available, and it arrived today, giving me the benefit of playing with it about 10 hours before folks can buy one at a store. Obviously, I have had very little time to explore so these are my very first experiences with the device.

I did not understand the instructions for removing the back cover, and I think that what you have to do is exactly opposite to what you need to do, which is to lift the release tab and then push the back to the right vs. "peel the back cover off."

The screen is freakin great. I know that people with iPhones and HTC Touch Diamonds will not see the big deal, but I am coming from a HTC Tytnn II and a T-Mobile Shadow, and the text looks like a picture and is crisp and clear. Very nice.

I had some trouble with the initial set up as there was communication problems with Google. Actually, I think the problem may have been network connectivity. I first tried setting the G1 up in The Cave, which is in the basement, and had no signal. It would have been really cool if Android recognized that and offered to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Instead, I went upstairs and tried signing in about five more times before it finally seemed to work.

No surprise, 3G is not on in West Bloomfield nor anywhere else in Detroit AFAIK. Now the wait is for when T-Mo turns on 3G, I will be anxiously checking the status bar at the top of the G1 to see if is enabled, but I believe that won't happen until November.

So far after a very brief period of typing some text messages and a couple of emails, I am not liking the keyboard. The keys are a bit hard to find, but I am finding the real problem is that unlike my Tytnn the keyboard isn't the full length of the device and the bottom "button bar," where the send, home, back, and end buttons reside, gets in the way on my right hand. Clearly I need to hold the G1 differently. It amazes me that given HTC has much better slide out keyboards on their Windows Mobile devices that they would chose such a bad keyboard for the G1, and I am guessing Google made that call to make it similar to the Sidekick.

The G1 doesn't appear to have any better cellular radio strength than my Shadow, as it barely gets one bar of signal in The Cave. I had hopes that I might get a bit better signal. I know that my signal strength in The Cave has more to do with T-Mobile's frequency than anything. My Tytnn II is on AT&T and it gets four bars of signal in the basement thanks to being on the 850 Mhz band. I am sure that if I put my AT&T SIM in the G1, and the G1 was unlocked, I would get more bars in the basement.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 7:49 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Back in 2000/2001 I, along with several other Pocket PC MVP alums, wrote articles for Microsoft's Club Pocket PC. (I think it might have originally called Pocket PC life?) This evening Ed Hansberry posted a piece on Google celebrating their 10th anniversary by making their index from 2001 available. From that I stumbled upon an index of the articles that I wrote for the site. Here is the first one that I did for the site, published one day after my birthday in 2000.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 7:53 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Of the T-Mobile G1/Android launch event coverage that I have read, it think that Matt Miller's is the most comprehensive, particularly with the pictures.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 10:07 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Glad to see that T-Mobile has listened and is pulling back on the 1 GB cap on data usage for their 3G service. One of the reasons why I have been a loyal T-Mobile customer is the fact that T-Mobile seems to be much more reasonable with dealing with customers. They provide good customer service and don't appear be out to screw folks over.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 8:55 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Ok, to get the obvious question out of the way, yes, I did place my order for a T-Mobile G1, aka the Gphone. However, there is good news and bad news amongst the river of news that has flowed through Google Reader today.

First, the good news is that I will be able to get T-Mobile's G3 service for the same monthly price as I pay today. T-Mobile has two price plans for the G1 data service, one is $35/mo for unlimited Internet and text messaging, the other is $25 per month for unlimited Internet and 400 text messages. Today I pay $4.99 per month for 400 text messages and $19 per month for unlimited Internet. Now, with the G1 data plan I believe I do lose access to the T-Mobile Hotspots, which is curious since the G1 has Wi-Fi. Hotspots is currently bundled in my $19 per month Internet access and I don't see why that couldn't continue. Isn't AT&T providing Hotspot access to iPhone customers?

Bad news with the data service is that Gizmodo has found fine print indicating that T-Mobile states that if I use more than 1 GB of data per month they may restrict my data rate to 50 kbps, which is less than what I get today on Edge. That is not acceptable!

Also found out that the G1 will not support tethering so I won't be able to use it with a laptop computer. I think the fine print that Gizmodo found is T-Mobile's back up plan knowing that since Android is largely open source some developer is going to figure out how to tether. If you tether you are really likely to use more than 1 GB per month. I think at some point T-Mobile will have to get real and support tethering, probably with a higher monthly data plan.

Despite these negatives I want to be an early adopter, primarily because I am becoming frustrated with the lack of much new with Windows Mobile. News that came out today that Windows Mobile 7 is even further delayed didn't help.

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 9:41 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
The coming week might be huge for those of us that are into mobile gadgets as September 23 brings the public unveiling of the Google Android based smartphone produced by HTC and sold by T-Mobile for their network. To me Android is about connecting mobile devices to the Google Internet cloud, so I expect to see Google Gears deeply embedded in the OS to make the Google apps (Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Notebook, etc..) really useful on a mobile phone. Because you cannot rely on constant mobile connectivity, Gears will be a critical component for providing a useful experience while connected and disconnected. I think Google has to make the experience seamless, which is unlike the current experience with Gears which requires users to manually determine the connectivity state.

I have come to realize that my personal computing has really moved to the cloud. I use Gmail as my email client, and forward my POP mail to it. I still use hosted Exchange with my Windows Mobile Smartphone, and forward specific email from Gmail to the phone so that key email is pushed to me when I am away from my personal desk. However, I expect that Android will support push email from Gmail, which might make the host Exchange service that I currently use less necessary.

While I expect much of the buzz this coming week will be on Android, I am equally anxious to learn of of T-Mobile's 3G rollout for the Detroit area. Reports are that it comes by the end of the year, and most prognosticators believe that the 3G rollout is specifically tied to Android. That is, Android will be the first device that T-Mobile will ride to promote it's new 3G network. Likewise, I am anxious to know when T-Mobile will first start selling a Windows Mobile device that works on their 3G network, my personal bet is that it will be the Shadow II. T-Mobile's 3G network uses a different frequency than AT&T's meaning that no currently available Windows Mobile device, and for that matter few phones at all, currently work with their 3G network.

Two key things I am anxious to learn from T-Mobile is, what is the cost for 3G and will Android support tethering? I very much hope they retain the same pricing as they have for their Edge service, providing an "all you can eat" plan at a reasonable price. I also want to see whether the HTC Dream / Android /GPhone will support tethering to notebook computers. Historically, T-Mobile has done nothing to prevent users from tethering their phones, which is much more user friendly than their competitors who either break the phone's capabilities to support tethering, or require a higher cost plan to use tethering. Low data rates and consumer friendliness are key differentiators for T-Mobile and have kept myself and many current customers from jumping ship to other carriers even while T-Mobile has been so far behind in data speeds. I hope T-Mobile rewards us current users for this loyalty.

Finally, I am interested in seeing how accepted Android will be and whether it will influence Microsoft with Windows Mobile. So far Microsoft has been too slow in reacting to iPhone, and has slipped behind iPhone and RIM in the mobile marketplace. I have to wonder how committed Microsoft is to the mobile marketplace. At the same time, I am hopeful that the length of time in releasing WM 7 is due to Microsoft spending extra time to completely overhaul Windows Mobile.

The truth is that Windows Mobile is long in the tooth and currently does not standout in the mobile operating system crowd. I am not holding my breath for this overhaul, but very willing to be surprised. After the dust settles on the Android announcement the mobile world will begin to focus on Microsoft to see what they will come out with next. Will Microsoft jump the shark with Windows Mobile 7, or restablish themselves in the mobile market?

Labels: 2008, android

posted by Frank at 12:10 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
An increasing number of mobile device manufacturers such as Palm, HTC and Velocity Mobile are starting to sell their Smartphones directly in retail outlets that are SIM-Unlocked. This is great because it enables people to get the newest phones faster and not have to worry about whether they can use the phone with their preferred wireless provider.

However, there is a price to be paid for the flexibility. Because the phones are not subsidized by a carrier, they are usually several hundreds of dollars more expensive than the equivalent phones sold by a carrier. I am wondering whether these companies will have much success with selling these phones in quantity. I just don't see $500 and higher phones flying off the shelves of Best Buy. People who shop for mobile phones at Best Buy are shopping for price. Geeks who are willing to pay a premium for the latest and greatest will go to the Internet.

It will be interesting to see whether retail stores like Best Buy will continue to sell unlocked phones at these prices. My guess is that prices will have to come down to generate any type of serious sales, so the race will be on between falling prices and the patience of retailers. My bet is that this is one experiment that is not going to work for HTC.

Labels: 2008, products

posted by Frank at 3:16 PM 1 comments Links to this post

 
I think one of the longest debates tied to Windows Mobile is the price of the software for the device. I noticed that when the iPhone App Store first appeared it seemed the average price per app was $10, though there are exceptions.

For the most part I think the sweet spot of Windows Mobile software has been $20. Now that eWallet is available on the App Store I see the price for it is $9.99. As this is one of the first Windows Mobile apps that I know of to cross over, I am curious on what the affect on the pricing for Windows Mobile software.

I wrote a comment on Ilium's blog asking their point of view on the price difference between the Win Mo version, $19.99 and iPhone. It is going to be a interesting debate.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 12:06 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
The iPhone / iPod Touch App Store is freaking awesome! One of the applications that I have installed on my iPod Touch is Evernote. The Evernote team has been releasing frequent updates for all their clients, and they have already released an update to their iPhone client. Today the App Store icon on my iPod Touch had a little red 1 on it, indicating that I had an update. I open the store up, tap the Updates button and it shows you what updates are available. Just tap Update All and boom, down comes the update to my device and is automatically installed. The one quirk is that it moved the Evernote icon from the first home page to the second, but I can live with that.

The bottom line, this is how updating mobile devices should work. I should know on the device when an update is available and the software should do the work of getting that update to my device rather than my having hunt all over the Internet to find something.

It's scary how Apple, a company that has been only selling a mobile phone for a little more than a year, gets how to do these things, while Microsoft, who has been at this more than ten years doesn't seem to. I know there are many good people at Microsoft and I am certain there have been those within Microsoft who have been pushing for these type of changes for years. If some people at Microsoft had their way, I am sure the Windows Mobile U.I. would have been improved years ago.

IMHO, the problem here is bureaucracy. Apple is a corporate dictatorship driven by A person who is passionate about creating the best devices based on HIS view of what that means. Microsoft has become consensus driven, making decisions based on polling, causing changes to take years if they occur at all, resulting in just looking the same rather than standing out.

It's like how we want people to run for president in the U.S. versus how people actually run for president.

What is refreshing about Apple's entry into the mobile market is their willingness to be different. I personally don't agree with their approach to text input, but I do appreciate their willingness to be different and stick to their guns. That attitude is what allows them to change quickly.

I believe Microsoft is coming to a crossroads with their mobile devices. Are they going to continue trudging along at a slow pace and risk following Palm's path, or are they going to become passionate about being in the race with Apple in making mobile devices that stand out?

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 9:27 AM 1 comments Links to this post

 
Todd Ogasawara has written an interesting article about the iPod Touch's place in the mobile computing category of devices. I think he appropriately summarizes the many shifts that seem to have gone on within the mobile market over the years. My one comment to what Todd has written is that I think the shifts back and forth, say the view on physical keyboards on mobile devices, may be due to improvements in the designs. For example, it's not that people didn't like the idea of a physical keyboard in the Handheld PC days, but rather that the size of the keyboard made the device larger than people wanted for carrying around. Apparently the thumb keyboard on the Blackberrys became good enough.

The point, I think, is that the original ideas may not be bad, just poorly implemented.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 9:16 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Until now, the only way to access the most Facebook features on a Windows Mobile device is to use Internet Explorer and the Facebook mobile web site. Today I have learned about a new Facebook app called FriendMobilizer that does more than just upload pictures, you can use it to access the majority of Facebook features. I haven't checked it out yet, but I will soon.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 8:33 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
This morning I came across this article in The Register that chronicles the history of Psion, a British company that was making handheld computers at the time Windows CE (for the forerunner of Windows Mobile) came to be. The article came to me by way of Michael Mace.

Few today probably remember some of the innovative development going on in handhelds during late '80s and '90s around chip design and the integration of software with hardware. Looking at the buzz around the Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-note, I can't help but be reminded that Psion (HP, Atari, and others) were developing keyboard-based minicomputers almost 20 years ago. What Asus and HP are doing today is not new, it's just that there is now a larger market for these devices than existed back then.

Another interesting tidbit in the article is the conversations between Psion and Microsoft. Essentially, Psion wanted to make Windows CE devices provided that Microsoft would provide free licensing of Windows CE. Psion believed they could develop better Handheld PCs than Casio and Philips because they recognized the failings with their development of drivers. When I put this information in perspective of Microsoft's acquisition of Danger, it makes me wonder whether the Danger acquisition is a do-over. At the time of the Handheld PC, I think a Psion Windows CE Handheld would have made a hit out of the park and accelerated Microsoft's success with Windows CE. Rather than making money on the licensing, Microsoft could have acquired all or part of Psion and made money on the hardware. At that time Microsoft refused to get into the hardware biz, making the recent Danger acquisition all the more curious.

For me the article goes back to the argument in handheld computing about whether to design a device from ground up as a mobile device (Psion, Newton, Palm), or to re purpose intellectual capitol to develop a mobile operating system (Microsoft, Symbian). In my mind there is no doubt that devices designed and built holistically, including operating system and hardware, are much more elegant than mass produced devices. Both, however, are needed: one side to drive down prices, the other to drive up quality and user experience. The degree to which these two forces compete is the extent to which consumers benefit, and this is why Apple's iPhone is so important to those of us who use Windows Mobile.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 1:00 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Seems that folks on the street were really surprised by the new iPhone when Mahalo Daily took one to the streets. I actually liked the very last comment, it's so very true.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 10:11 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Since I have upgraded my TyTNN II to Windows Mobile 6.1 I have had a few instances of notifications being stuck. What happens is that the notification appears just as I press the phone button to make a call. The notification bubble goes away, the left soft button doesn't indicate that there is a notification that I have not dismissed, yet the notification sound keeps going off and there is no way for me to stop it except to do a soft reset. The problem might be with Spb Mobile Shell causing problems with the left soft key, but I don't know why that is the case. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this behavior?

Labels: 2008, device problems

posted by Frank at 6:49 PM 2 comments Links to this post

 
There is an interesting article at the Wall Street Journal online about how Apple must avoid the Razr trap. The article compares the iPhone 2 announcement against the preceding "hot" mobile phone, the Motorola Razr noting that the biggest news in the iPhone 2 announcement was the pricing and not any technology innovation. Motorola did the same thing of cutting the price to spur sales of the Razr, and ultimately because the Razr never changed sales tanked and there have been rumors of Motorola pulling out of the cell phone business.

I remember that when Apple started selling the iPhone John C. Dvorak was saying that they should NOT get into the cell phone business. Apple is going to find the cell phone business to be much more demanding because there is a ton more competition. After what Apple announced yesterday, and comparing it to some of the innovations that HTC is doing, not to mention what Sony-Ericsson and Samsung are doing, I think that iPhone 2.5 or 3 may have to come sooner than a year from now. The one thing that may save Apple are applications, which is why their iron fist control over iPhone developers is a bit puzzling.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 6:32 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I am sure that I am no different from most Windows Mobile users in that I read about the latest iPhone news with interest. At the end of the day I think the biggest part of the announcement was the price: a $199 iPhone is very compelling. The two things that most caught my eye is the news that Apple and AT&T have redone their deal and MobileMe. (I wonder how much Apple payed for me.com?)

The big deal to me about re-doing the deal is that Apple is no longer receiving a cut on the phone services side. This allows AT&T to keep all the revenue for their part and to subsidize the device, which is probably a key enabler for the $199 price point. Why I think this is important is that it means Apple's only revenues on the iPhone will come from selling the hardware and software, so it will be in their interest to get the device into as many distribution channels as possible. I wonder if Apple's exclusivity deal with AT&T prevents it from selling a SIM unlocked version?

MobileMe is interesting to me primarily because it represents something that I believe Microsoft should already be providing with Windows Mobile. Mobile Phones are becoming primary data stores meaning that users will much prefer over the air synchronization of data rather than having to tether their devices. All of the pieces to enable this for Windows Mobile have been available for years with Exchange ActiveSync. IMHO Microsoft should have partnered with one of the hosted Exchange providers to include a year's worth of Hosted Exchange for free with every new device. Microsoft could still do this to counter MobileMe, though it needs to add file synchronization. Perhaps Live Mesh will provide something like MobileMe, but I am not holding my breath until it is available.

Labels: 2008, devices

posted by Frank at 7:09 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
As was suggested by the HTC tech support guy, the meltdown of my Tytnn II did have the side benefit of accelerating my upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1. Given that I am about to head out of town for the week, I probably would not have done the upgrade until I came back, but the meltdown yesterday left me no choice but to do the upgrade.

So, what do I think? Well, it's really been too short of a time but I can comment on a couple of things. The Tytnn II runs Windows Mobile Professional, or what was previously know as a Pocket PC, and does NOT have the Today screen features that were all written about when 6.1 was first announced. I was speculating that I may be able to not install SPB Mobile Shell, but alas that is not to be. It is not clear to me why Microsoft made this decision. To me it doesn't make sense for the appearance between Smartphones and Pocket PCs to be so different, and Pocket PCs have navigation buttons that make the Today screen experience useful.

One thing that I have already found to be a positive experience is pairing my Jawbone bluetooth headset to the Tytnn II. Windows Mobile 6.1 automatically uses the most common pairing codes (PINs) so that you don't have to enter them. I had to do was make the Jawbone visible, then go into Connections, Bluetooth and tap Add New Device. The Tytnn automatically found the Jawbone, paired with it, and that was it; I didn't have to enter any codes. This is how easy Bluetooth should be, though for now you will only have this experience with headsets. If you pair with a notebook computer or another handheld device you will still have to enter codes.

Labels: 2008, Windows Mobile 6.1

posted by Frank at 12:09 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
In little more than two months I have had two problems with my HTC Tytnn II resulting in a hard reset. In both cases I let the power get too low and I tried a soft reset. What happens is the initial "Smart Mobility" screen displays, along with the version numbers for the radio and it stays there, rather than completing the rest of the boot process.

The first time this happened I was able to get past this screen after a couple of soft resets until I got a screen telling me that it was resetting the device. This time no matter what I did, I was not able to get past the screen. I called HTC's support and was told, "bad news, you are going to have to do a hard reset" losing your data. Ok, I was already prepared for that. The support guy then said, "the good thing is, HTC just released the Windows Mobile 6.1 update for the Tytnn II so if you were going to install that you would have done a hard reset", which is true.

So, the question is, how do I force a hard reset to get past the screen. The magic key sequence to force a hard reset is here. Unfortunately the key sequence didn't help; I kept getting stuck at the same screen.

I then tried to run the Windows Mobile update, but that didn't work because when I plugged the device in to my desktop PC it wasn't being recognized. Finally I got the device into the bootloader by pressing and holding the Camera button, then pressing the soft reset button and releasing both once the bootloader screen appeared. With the bootloader up I then connected the device to my desktop at which point the USB connection was recognized and the Windows Mobile update ran successfully.

So, in the end all is well, and since I synchronize this device with an Exchange server, all of my data was quickly back, and since the last time this happened I copied all the cab files of the applications use to my storage card, I was able to pretty quickly restore all of my applications. For now the device appears to be running well, though I have to admit that two occurrences of this in a matter of months is not reassurring.

Labels: 2008, device problems

posted by Frank at 12:12 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Several months ago HTC announced that they would be selling the HTC Touch Dual in the United States at Best Buy. The key thing here is that HTC is selling this directly, SIM unlocked so you can use it on any GSM network. In my opinion this is an important experiment that HTC is doing to see how well an unlocked device will sell at a retail store. Prior to this step pretty much the only way to buy a SIM unlocked phone was online. While the upside is that you can use the device on either the AT&T or T-Mobile networks in the U.S., the phone is not subsidized so it costs a little over $500.

BTW, most of the recent buzz with HTC has been about the Diamond, but the Touch Dual features the nice touch interface and a slim size with a slider 20 key keyboard that I am sure uses the same T9 recognition I use on my Shadow. I am sure this is a very nice device that also happens to feature Windows Mobile 6.1.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 10:45 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Mobigasmic has a nice review of ceTwit, which is a Twitter client for Windows Mobile. Prior to my Tytnn II meltdown I was running a twitter client that was not ceTwit, but I haven't reinstalled it so I may give this one a try.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 10:35 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I don't mention it much here, but I also have been writing a personal weblog for several years. Unfortunately, the hosting provider has either taken down the site, gone out of business, or had a server crash because it is no longer available. I have moved to a new hosting provider: WordPress.

If you are interested in my other writing, you can bookmark www.frankmcpherson.com, or use my handy Friend Feed.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 1:42 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
If you are interested in knowing more about the design decisions that HTC made with the HTC Diamond, I recommend that you watch this video of an interview with HTC's Chief Innovation Officer. About two minutes and thirty seconds into the video you'll see what I think is a really cool feature: the ability to mute the phone simply by flipping it over.

With some of the features being included in the Diamond it is going to be hard to resist, though I think I would prefer a keyboard like my T-Mo Shadow has.

Labels: 2008, devices

posted by Frank at 1:38 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Today HTC officially announced the HTC Touch Diamond. Check out the video, the device is pretty sexy, and with no keyboard I am sure it is very thin. The battery size is small, so I suspect battery life is going to be a problem. It won't be available in the U.S. until later this year, and I am wondering about how much it is going to cost.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 11:10 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Another web browser has become available for Windows Mobile Professional devices. TouchBrowser from Makayama is mimicing many of the features of Safari on the iPhone. Check out the YouTube video, it looks interesting but it is too bad they don't have a trial version to download.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 10:01 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 9:46 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I just read this information on Microsoft's MSDN site about Windows Mobile 6.1, which provides more information about new features that corporations will like. Of the features, I think the on-device encryption and the bandwidth optimizations will be the most appealing. These features do require Exchange 2007, SP1.

Labels: 2008, Windows Mobile 6.1

posted by Frank at 12:59 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
One thing that I lost when I gave up the Blackberry and switched to Windows Mobile was the ability to have custom alerts for email from specific users. By default a Blackberry either vibrates or plays a sound whenever you receive an email. I immediately found that behavior annoying and I turned off those notifications, however the downside is that then I may miss an important email.

A co-worker showed me how I could create rules using the Blackberry desktop software so that I could have the Blackberry vibrate whenever I received an email from a specific person. I therefore created rules to vibrate when I received emails from my boss, or when I received emails flagged for high importance.

Unfortunately, Windows Mobile does not have a similar feature built-in. You can configure text messages and email separately, and I played around with creating rules to have Exchange send me a text message whenever I received an email from a specific address, but I couldn't figure out a way to either not forward the entire message to my phone or not send a copy of the text message to the person who originally sent me the email.

Watchflag is a new program for Windows Mobile that provides the ability to create custom alerts for email messages. You can create rules that alert you for email received from specific addresses, or with certain words in the From field, and you can create rules that have certain words in the subject. The rules can also be specific to whether you receive email marked for high importance.

Watchflag provides several different alert options, including Light Up The Screen, Wait For Acknowledgement with or without a repeating alert, Vibrate, light the LED, or play a sound. You can define different sounds for different rules, and the sounds can be MP3 files in the /My Documents/My Music folder on the device. One thing I think the program should do is use the /My Documents/Ringtones folder for alerts as well since ringtones are usually smaller in length. The program also doesn't provide a way to only make rules active during specific times, though the program's author has stated this is a feature they plan to add.

I've been using this program for about a week now and have been pleased with the results. It does seem as though there is a small hit on battery life, which the program author acknowledges particularly if you have rules including Wait For Acknowledgement, which I have found seems to be needed to be sure you actually notice a vibrating alert. If you transitioned to Windows Mobile from Blackberry you might want to try this program out!

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 6:33 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
One of the worst kept secrets has been the pending release of Version 6.1 of Windows Mobile. Today Microsoft officially announced it at CTIA, and according to reports new devices sporting this version may be available within a couple of months. The timing of the announcement with device availability is an improvement over the past where such an announcement came as much as six months in advance of one's ability to actually get your hands on the software.

PocketNow has a very comprehensive overview of the changes, which while not earth shattering are what I think are very useful and good improvements. No word on how much it will cost people who own devices targeted for upgrades, such as the AT&T Tilt, but if the upgrade is cheap or free it looks like it will be worth the upgrade.

To me the upgrade boils down to two major improvements: changes to the Today screen to make information navigation faster, and a new version of Internet Explorer to improve navigation on web pages. The Today screen changes are similar to the Neo changes that I have been experiencing with my T-Mobile Shadow. From what I read the improvements may be better than what HTC came up with. I am curious to know whether HTC will improve upon Neo or abandon it for what Microsoft provides.

Internet Explorer now has zoom out and zoom in capability so that you can see an entire page, albeit as a thumbnail, on one page. Obviously this change was inspired by the iPhone and it remains to be seen whether it as nice browsing with IE as it is using Safari on the iPhone.

Several smaller, but welcome changes are also included in 6.1. For example, you can now cut, copy, and paste in Windows Mobile Standard. (Finally!!) Heavy text messaging users will like the threaded SMS client.

Now the wait begins for when upgrades will be available as well as new devices. Matt Miller reports on the HTC Dual to be released in the U.S. that will sport 6.1 and will be sold SIM-unlocked via BestBuy. Very interesting, I am wondering how much it will cost? I am looking forward to getting the upgrade for my Tytnn II when it becomes available.

Labels: 2008, Windows Mobile 6.1

posted by Frank at 8:47 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I've been reading James', Kevin, and Matt's posts on the Celio Redfly with interest. As I read their experiences with the device I am finding myself thinking that it could be useful. Adding a full size keyboard and larger screen could increase my use of Windows Mobile devices from occasional use devices for looking up info, triaging email, or making a phone call, to a pro-long use device for longer text entry such as long email or larger documents. It sounds like the Redfly is small enough to carry around, just as I found my Eee PC to be a perfect size to carry to meetings. However, the big obstacle is price. I can't justify $500 for what amounts to a phone accessory. By this I mean the device is useless unless you have a Windows Mobile device in hand because it has no processor, no operating system, and no storage. It just has a display, keyboard, ROM chip with software to connect and handle the display and input and some USB and VGA out ports. Now, if the price drops to $200 I think it is a no-brainer basically as a replacement to a Stowaway keyboard. I wouldn't mind playing with one; I am particularly intrigued by the Bluetooth connectivity.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 6:48 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
It can be good sport right now to speculate on what Microsoft is going to do with Windows Mobile. First there was a leadership change, then the announcement that Microsoft was acquiring Danger, who makes a popular mobile device called the Sidekick that does not run Windows Mobile. The latest to chew on is Len Kawell's hiring at Microsoft and this bit of information:

Kawell is also working on scaling Windows Mobile to “new kinds of devices with larger screens and faster processors — also known as Mobile Internet Devices, or MIDS,” his bio adds.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 6:41 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Yesterday I wrote about TrueConnect and how I discovered it could be used to copy and paste information from eWallet on my Pocket PC to my desktop computer. Wingman wrote a comment asking if I had tried MyMobiler, which I did not know about. One big benefit it has over TrueConnect is that it is free. Another big benefit is that it supports IP-based connectivity, meaning that you can connect the Pocket PC to a desktop computer using a LAN connection like Wi-Fi. It doesn't support connections via ActiveSync & Bluetooth, but a posting in the forums suggests that it works with Bluetooth PAN connections, which I have to try.

MyMobiler also has a built-in Explorer for transferring files and a skin that includes buttons for quickly accessing Messaging, Contacts, and more on the Pocket PC. I assume that the skin can be changed, which I may consider doing if I keep using this program because the icons are a light gray that is a bit hard to see on the black background.

The negatives of MyMobiler versus TrueConnect is that it doesn't have integration with SMS, so you can't use it to send SMS messages from Outlook. For me I find that to not be a required feature of TrueConnect, and I think there are some other options to provide such functionality. MyMobiler also doesn't provide a button for enlarging the display, but I think that can be changed by editing a text file for settings. You can maximize the display which puts the Pocket PC window at the middle of the desktop and blanks out the background, which is useful for giving presentations.

The big negative for me for using MyMobiler is that it doesn't work well with eWallet. In eWallet you can tap and hold on the user name or password fields and tap copy in the pop-up menu to copy those items to the clipboard, which TrueConnect transfers to the Windows desktop clipboard. MyMobiler doesn't work with these pop-up options, instead I have to edit a card, select text, and then copy it to get it on the clipboard and over to the PC, which is many more steps that I would have to take over TrueConnect. I have posted a message on the forum at the MyMobiler web site to see whether the program author is willing make the program work with eWallet.

I'll be keeping my eye on the forum to see what type of response I get. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a way to connect your Pocket PC with a desktop computer for transfering information I can recommend that you check out MyMobiler.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 8:36 PM 2 comments Links to this post

 
I've written often of how Ilium Software's eWallet is perhaps the most important Windows Mobile application for me. I use it to securely store all bits of information, particularly passwords, to the numerous web sites that I subscribe to. Most often I will find myself at a web site that I need to log in to, reaching for my Pocket PC to retrieve my user id and password for that site. When this happens I am reminded of something that I really wish I could to, which is to highlight text in a card, tap-and-hold and use Bluetooth to transfer the text over to my desktop PC precisely at the cursor location.

Yesterday I discovered a program called TrueConnect that brings my vision for sharing information between my handhelds and desktop PCs closer to reality. To use the software you connect a Windows Mobile device to a Windows PC and after the connection is made you can do one of two things. You can move the mouse cursor off the right edge of the screen (or any other edge depending on how you configure the software) and the cursor appears on the device, where you can then manipulate the device using the mouse and keyboard. Imagine using this feature with a Pocket PC sitting in a cradle right next to your computer, it allows you to manipulate the device without ever having take the Pocket PC out of the cradle.

Another feature that TrueConnect provides is to display the Pocket PC screen on your desktop computer, again you can operate the device using the keyboard and mouse on the desktop computer. You can enlarge the display even as large as the entire size of your computer monitor, though at full screen QVGA displays are pretty pixelated. The 2x enlargement is very legible and about the right size for a window on the screen. I tested the full size display using my Tablet PC in portrait mode and it was decent, and a bit funky manipulating the device using the Tablet PC stylus.

Now, here is the feature I really like. TrueConnect allows the sharing of clipboard contents between Pocket PCs and desktop computers. So, back to the beginning of this article I described my vision for squirting information between my device and computer, with TrueConnect I can highlight text, copy it to the clipboard, then move the cursor over to the browser window on my desktop and paste the content. With eWallet I click and hold the mouse (simulating tap and hold) on the user id and password fields on the Internet site cards and click copy user id or copy password in the context menu that pops up. (Unfortunately, this only works on Pocket PCs, or Windows Mobile Professional devices because SmartPhones, or Windows Mobile Standard devices do not have clipboards to support copy and paste, an odd lacking given how so many SmartPhones now come with QWERTY keyboards.)

My vision is not completely realized, unfortunately, because to use TrueConnect you must have the device physically connected using a USB cable. So far I have not seen any documentation saying that you can use Bluetooth, but given how Bluetooth connections are made for ActiveSync connections, it may be possible but I have not had time to test it out. Ideally I would like a tap and hold feature that would just send the text to the desktop and insert it without further interaction on my part, but I can live with copy and paste.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 5:54 PM 1 comments Links to this post

 
Recently my T-Mobile Dash started acting flaky. I was often draining the battery all the way down because I would forget to charge it. I have been using the Tytnn more since I have all my email forwarding to Gmail and have my personal T-Mobile number forwarding to my work AT&T number. So, I would recharge the Dash and then turn it on and it would start booting, get to the Windows Mobile startup screen, and then reboot again. First it would do this a couple of times then successfully start up fully, but last week it would just continually boot. Now, it probably just needs a new battery, but would be the fun in getting a new battery when I could get a whole new phone? So yesterday I went to the local T-Mobile store and "upgraded" to the T-Mobile Shadow.

Obviously, I have not used the Shadow enough to give it a proper review so right now all I can do is give my out of the box impressions. The Shadow is smaller than the Dash so that will make carrying it around even easier. I find the external appearance of the Shadow to be very elegant, even if the screen is a finger print magnet.

Aside from the hardware design, which includes a slide out 20-key keyboard, perhaps the big thing with the Shadow is the customized home screen that changes how Windows Mobile looks on a Smartphone. The Shadow has a scroll wheel on the front that doesn't work as I expect with the home screen because you have to press up or down to scroll throw the icons while I it seems more natural to me to actually use the scroll wheel to scroll through the icons.

One thing that I really don't like is location of the mini-USB port which is on the left side of the device. It might be a better location for using a headset (while I do tend to use a Bluetooth headset with my phones more than wired headsets) it doesn't work at all with my PowerStation recharging unit, which expects the plugs to be on the bottom of the device. The PowerStation grabs the device on the left and right side to hold it in place and that can't happen with the USB cable plugged in.

T-Mobile recently released an update to the Shadow's software so that is what I did last night. I've been using Windows Mobile since it's beginning (is it really more than ten years?) and I am amazed at how painful it still is to do a ROM Update. Somehow Apple has figured out how to do a ROM update of the iPod Touch without deleting all the data on the device, while Microsoft still wipes everything requiring the user to restore from a backup or find other ways to reenter data. Incredible.

I'll have more on the Shadow as I use it. Next up is to get it syncing with my hosted Exchange service and get the essential software installed like eWallet.

Labels: 2008, Shadow

posted by Frank at 11:44 AM 1 comments Links to this post

 
For me, I have long believed that "cloud computing" (the storage/synchronization of data to servers on the Internet) makes sense for mobile devices, but so far we have only really seen it implemented well for email. Google and others have made mobile versions of their web applications but most require Internet connectivity to use. Google has solved the problem for disconnected use with their Google Gears api, but up until now that has been only available for desktops. Today I have learned that Google has released a version of Gears for Windows Mobile and Zoho has used it to enhance their mobile application.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 8:28 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
The Mobile World Conference is going on right now in Barcelona, Spain, and apparently now is the time for all the big Windows Mobile news for the year.

First, Sony Ericsson announced their first Windows Mobile device, the XPERIA X1. Of course the fact that a big mobile handset manufacturer has announced they will sell a Windows Mobile device is big news, but I hope the pictures don't do the device justice because to me it just looks ugly. It does look like it will have an interesting home page UI akin to the T-Mobile Shadow. This year you will be seeing a lot of manufacturers trying to stand out by making different front ends to Windows Mobile, which is going to make support a tad of a nightmare. I wonder which U.S. carrier will sell the XPERIA and what it will cost. It looks like a high-end device, probably heading well north of $500. (We need cheaper devices not more expensive devices.)

The next big piece of news is the announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Danger. Seems to me that now that Bill is leaving Microsoft is spending that big stockpile of cash. Frankly, I don't understand this move. Could it be that Microsoft has finally decided after all these years that it needs to sell it's own device, possibly targetted at consumers? Over the years we have debated the benefits of Microsoft manufacturing and selling their own device to have total control over the experience like Palm had and Apple has with iPhone. But aren't the Sidekicks getting a bit long in the tooth, and does Danger really have developers that are better than what Microsoft has? Perhaps Danger can help in the vision area but I don't know, this thing seems too little too late. If Microsoft is planning on using Danger to compete with iPhone I don't think that pig will fly.

Besides the Danger announcement the next big announcement from Microsoft has been that they have made a version of MSN Direct available for Windows Standard (or the device previously known as the Smartphone) available for download. I downloaded and installed the program on my T-Mobile Dash and it runs ok, adding a new plug-in to the home screen. It's not a full implementation of MSN Direct though, as I have more info on my Abacus MSN Direct watch than this applet provides. The program needs to provide a way to configure what is downloaded and provide all the channels. The version of MSN Direct for Windows Mobile doesn't use the FM-based radio network that works with the watches, which I think is a bit of a mistake. OTOH, perhaps some of the devices that will have FM radios will be able to work on that network?

The final announcement that caught my eye is news that a Webkit-based mobile browser is being developed for Windows Mobile. The browser, called Iris, uses the same web engine as Apple's Safari browser. I use Safari on my iPod Touch and I can tell you that Iris is no Safari. Note to developers of web browsers for Windows Mobile: please provide a one button way to go back and forward to pages. I would like to use Opera on my devices, but I can't stand that Back requires two clicks while it's one click in Internet Explorer mobile. All this mobile browser activity is interesting, but I wonder how some of these companies are going to make money.

Labels: 2008, news

posted by Frank at 7:48 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
According to msmobiles.com, Google has fixed Gmail's IMAP service so that it properly works with Windows Mobile. You may recall that last year Google released IMAP support for Gmail, however, there were problems with how it worked causing Messaging to download HTML messages as blank bodies. Apparently that has been fixed, so I have re-created the Gmail account on my device to check it out.

Labels: 2008, e-mail

posted by Frank at 11:03 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
In the Windows Mobile news this past week is an announcement that Microsoft will be including Zumobi with Windows Mobile, and I see the point. I've installed the beta for Zumobi on my T-Mobile Dash, and I fail to understand why someone would want the software. It provides a different way to browse through little applets, but it doesn't provide a way to actually browse your device. The software is a huge memory hog, requiring 10 MB to run, an almost impossibility on most Windows Mobile devices. I don't see how Zumobi makes browsing any easier and it doesn't include a compelling applet that makes it worth the memory hit.

Labels: 2008, software

posted by Frank at 10:53 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Am I the only person who sees something wrong about the existence of an 80-in-1 card reader? Standards, where art thou?

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 10:46 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I just read over on Pocket PC Thoughts that FictionWise has aquired eReader from Motricity. eReader has a long history, originally starting as Peanut Press. It was aquired by Palm and renamed Palm Digital Media (at the time Palm did not sell Windows Mobile devices) and later renamed to eReader and sold to Motricity.

(Here is an interesting tidbit. I believe even to this day the books you buy from eReader are in an encrypted version of the Palm database format, indicated by the *.pdb file extension. If you aren't familiar with Palm, in the earlier days all the files on Palm were stored in the PDB format so eReader's file format shows their original roots of first being available for Palm OS handhelds.)

Next to Audible.com, eReader may well be the most popular electronic book publishing firm, and their success is due in large part to a straightforward DRM implementation that allows for moving ebooks to difference devices. The books that you buy are encrypted using the credit card number that they were purchased with as the key, and you can share books so long as you are willing to share your credit card number. They keep an electronic bookshelf of all the books you purchase, and you can download them at any time. If you change credit cards it is pretty simply to enter a new credit card and have new encrypted copies of the book generated, though of course you would need to download them to your device again.

Over the years I have probably spent a couple hundred books or more on books from eReader. Next to eWallet, it is probably the second application that I install on any new Pocket PC that I get. When I learn of a book that I am interested reading I check eReader first and either buy it or put it on my wishlist. Ed Hansberry thinks FictionWise, who has been selling ebooks on their own for some time. I don't know whether FictionWise's catalog overlaps with eReaders or is the same, but if they have titles originally not available that will be a bonus. My fear is that the continued reselling of eReader is an indication that the ebook market really hasn't matured, hopefully time will prove my fears wrong.

Labels: 2008, ebooks

posted by Frank at 9:20 AM 0 comments Links to this post

 
I've written here before about how I feel that voice interaction with Windows Mobile is a very useful, made possible in large part by Voice Command. Another voice service that expands the functionality of Windows Mobile is Jott. Here is how I use it. First, I created a contact called Jott so I initiate Voice Command by pressing the call button on my Bluetooth headset and say "Call Jott." Once the call is connected I am asked "Who do you want to Jott?" and I say, "Myself." After the beep I then say whatever it is that I want to remember and I hang up. Jott then translates what I wrote to text and sends it to my email address; it even sends me a text message using SMS. When I get to a computer and check my email my reminder is there in my inbox waiting for me, along with a link to the recording in case the speech to text translation isn't perfect.

You can use Jott with a number of other web applications like Google Calendar, or another one of my favorites, Sandy. Jott is free, I think a very useful tool to add to your mobile toolbox. Whenever I think of something that I want to remember, and I am on the go such as driving to work, I Jott myself.

Labels: 2008, tips

posted by Frank at 9:38 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
CES is coming and Redfly's Mobile Companion looks really interesting. If I understand correctly, it enables you to use an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse with a Windows Mobile device, and the device connects via Bluetooth. In effect it enables you to turn a Windows Mobile device into a PC. I wonder how much it will cost?

Labels: 2008, products

posted by Frank at 8:11 PM 2 comments Links to this post

 
Recently I received my copy of the Sharper Image catalog, and it got me thinking about how far Windows Mobile has come and wondering a bit about where it is going. The reason for this thinking is the Sharp Image 101TSI, which is a Pocket PC. I don't think this is the first Pocket PC that Sharper Image has sold over the years, but I do think this is the first branded by Sharper Image and that got me thinking about how pervasive Windows Mobile has become. The two page spread in the catalog shows four different phones, the others are not running Windows Mobile. The 101TSI is the most expensive of the Shaper Image phones, which is unfortunate. The specs aren't too impressive and it doesn't appear to be a 3G phone, but I do find the hardware buttons interesting and I am wondering whether the Talk (green) and End (red) buttons are split in two with the top two programmable?

I haven't heard anything about this device, so I am wondering who is the manufacturer. I am guessing that it is HTC given that OEM phones for carriers such as T-Mobile and AT&T even as they are making a bigger effort at selling under their own brand name. Unfortunately the HTC-branded phones are more expensive than their OEM equivalents, which leads me to my other observation about this Sharper Image phone. The catalog emphasizes that the phones are SIM Unlocked, with the heading "New phone. No strings!" One of the benefits we may all realize from the iPhone is a heightened awareness to the tying of phones to a particular carrier and it appears there is growing consumer displeasure over the idea that if they want an iPhone they have to get AT&T's service.

Because of the tying of mobile phones to carriers there really isn't such a thing as a mobile phone market in the United States, instead there is a cell phone carrier market. The carriers use the phones as competitive advantages such as AT&T is doing with the iPhone. I think that in 2008 we will continue to see the emergence of a mobile phone market in the United States where the manufacturers of the phones compete against each other and you will be able to use the phone with whatever carrier you want. Clearly HTC sees this happening, which is why they are working hard to develop their own brand but for it to succeed the SIM Unlocked, HTC-branded phones have to be price competitive with the carrier tied phones. Geeks like me are willing to pay a premium for an unlocked phone, but the market will not.

A true mobile phone market will be good for innovation with mobile devices because it will force the device developers to be competitive. Today a device manufacturer can use the popularity of a carrier to help sell their device, but when that goes away the manufacturer will have to rely on features or improvements in areas such as battery life and the display. Competition between device manufacturers will create greater demand on the operating systems that run on the devices, which is the tie to Windows Mobile. Finally, features such as multimedia, web browsing, and installing third party applications, which have been the hallmark's behind Microsoft's mobile operating systems since the beginning, will be expected. All mobile operating systems will continue to push the feature envelope, but ironically what will likely become a key differentiator is simplicity. While Palm may slowly no longer exist, the vision of their leaders has been valid the problem is that they got sucked up in the corporate goals like stock value that caused them to bleed the cash cow dry and not investing in true innovation.

All told, I think 2008 will be another interesting year in the Windows Mobile and the mobile device world.

Labels: 2008

posted by Frank at 1:17 PM 0 comments Links to this post