Smartphones and Cell Phones

Last week I was quite excited about the BlackBerry Bold and think it is fantastic piece of hardware and the best BlackBerry device currently available. However, I could not get my Outlook Web Access to work with my work Exchange server and the BlackBerry (security settings prevented the connection) and as much as I loved the Bold hardware I couldn't get past the limited functionality with Exchange. After our Saturday morning soccer game I swung by the AT&T store and swapped the Bold for the new HTC Fuze. I was also sent the Sprint Touch Pro last week so this article is a first impressions of both with a bit of a comparison. You can check out my image gallery and video below for images and experiences with the devices.

November 17, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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I am quite impressed with the excellent applications developed by Spb Software House and I just wish that they were able to develop them for S60 and/or BlackBerry devices too. One of their latest titles that is a perfect fit for me and my regular travels is Spb Traveler 2.0. The software is designed for the mobile road warrior and offers several tools to help make your travel a much better and more organized experience. Please visit my image gallery for screenshots of the software running on my Palm Treo Pro. You can also view the video below to see the software in action.

November 16, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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I was pretty impressed by the RIM BlackBerry Bold (see my first impressions post) and the display and keyboard sold me on it. I still think the display and keyboard are both fantastic and it is definitely the best BlackBerry device to date. However, due to the lack of Exchange ActiveSync support I am being forced to return it and move on. I tried the Outlook Web Access (OWA) method of connecting to my work email account, but the security settings on our server won't allow it to fully function for me. Also, this would only give me email access and not calendar, contacts, or task synchronization. Is it too much to ask RIM to add support for Exchange ActiveSync like Palm, Apple and Nokia have already?

November 15, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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Last month Nokia announced the 5800 XpressMusic device that is the first S60 touch screen device rolling out from Nokia. I haven't had a chance to play with the device yet so I cannot personally comment on the touch screen or optimization Nokia made to S60 in regards to touch, but Kevin Tofel and Steve O'Hear both have spent a bit of time with the device and offer up some initial thoughts.

November 13, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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Google continues its efforts to optimize the mobile experience on the iPhone with their new speech recognition search application that will lets iPhone users ask questions verbally and receive back Google search results. This new search functionality will also take advantage of the iPhone location-based technology and sometimes give you back local results. Other recent improvements in Google services include new search results pages optimized for the iPhone and Google Earth for the iPhone.

November 13, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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My T-Mobile SIM card has been living in my T-Mobile G1 Android device now for a few weeks and I continue to use it for phone calls, email, and web surfing. I was pleased to read that CompanionLink Sofware now has a way for you to sync your PIM data (no email) between Outlook, Lotus Notes, Palm Desktop, Novell Groupwise, and other clients to your T-Mobile G1. CompanionLink for Google Android is available now for US$29.95 with a free 14-day trial.

November 13, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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Just a heads-up that I will be participating in the Smartphone Applications and Services over on TechRepublic in a minute or so (starting at 11 am PST) so if you are interested in talking about mobile phones or participating in this live webcast please join me, Josh, and the others.

November 13, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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I am blessed to have good eyesight and finger dexterity so interacting with the small screens and keyboards that are a part of my daily mobile life is rather easy for me. However, there are people who are visually impaired, have limited internet access, or need a complete hands-free solution that want to access this same content that I enjoy on my devices. A couple of months ago, Audiopoint released their Voice Terminal Service (VTS) that provides instant access to user-defined internet content over ordinary landlines or mobile phones without data plans and by using advanced text-to-speech technology.

November 13, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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My first S60 phone was the Nokia 3650 and it was a device that served primarily as a phone. I don't think many people who owned the device even knew how powerful of a mobile operating system it was and all of the functions they could perform. I know I focus on the higher end smartphone for my personal usage, but there are many more people out there that just want a phone primarily for making and receiving calls. AT&T and Nokia announced the release of a device, the Nokia 6650, that is primarily a solid mobile phone, but also has the backing of S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 so it can do a whole lot more if you want it to.

November 12, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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I have been thoroughly enjoying my new BlackBerry Bold and earlier today I was browsing the social networking apps found on the BlackBerry site and discovered the cool Flickr application to go along with the Facebook application I already downloaded. I was then contacted just a couple minutes later by my RIM contact to let me know that the MySpace for BlackBerry application was launching later today.

November 12, 2008 by Matthew Miller

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