Smartphones and Cell Phones

Cage match: Windows Mobile vs. Google Android

I posted on the status of Windows Mobile 7 that the Motorola CEO spilled out in a recent earnings call. This really wasn't much of a surprise since it has been rumored for months, but this was the first public official acknowledgement of the upcoming OS. The Motorola CEO also talked about the Google Android OS during that earnings call and stated that Motorola was focusing on Android instead of Windows Mobile in 2009 because Android "is more competitive" this year than Windows Mobile will be. Since I have spent an extensive amount of time with both the T-Mobile G1 (see my review) and several Windows Mobile devices (see my HTC Fuze review) I think I can offer up a fair comparison between the two operating systems speaking from real-life experiences so that you can make an informed decision about which is the better OS to focus on at this time.

February 3, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Motorola CEO states Windows Mobile 7 coming in 2010, is that too late for Microsoft?

According to recent financial reports Motorola is not doing too well in mobile devices. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha was on an earnings conference call and according to AppScout he stated that Microsoft will be releasing the rumored Windows Mobile 7 OS in 2010. You can view the full transcript of the call yourself to see what was stated. In addition to the Windows Mobile 7 statement, Android was also brought up quite a bit as a focus for Motorola in 2009.

February 3, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

T-Mobile G1 RC33 update rolling out OTA, not the cupcake update

All of us T-Mobile G1 owners are waiting for the cupcake update, but in the meantime TmoNews reports that the RC33 update is rolling out now and is NOT the cupcake update. The official word is that the update will appear OTA on devices from 5 February until 16 Februay, but some are reporting that it is already starting to arrive on their devices. It has not yet shown up on my G1 here in the Seattle area.

February 3, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Enterprise Software

Toshiba TG01 Windows Mobile device rumored to launch with 1 GHz Snapdragon processor

As readers know I do enjoy using Windows Mobile devices and think they still have a lot to offer, especially for Exchange users. I just read over on The Boy Genius Report that Toshiba may be getting back into the smartphone game with the TG01 Windows Mobile device. Toshiba has made some fantastic VGA devices in the past, but never was a huge player in the Windows Mobile space because they seemed to come in and out with devices and some earlier models did have issues.

February 2, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

Mobile software Monday: WMWiFiRouter turns your Windows Mobile device into a mobile hotspot

Readers have asked me about the capability of tethering your devices to laptops and other devices and I decided to post a review of a very useful utility that lets you turn your Windows Mobile device into a WiFi hotspot. Of all the mobile operating systems around, I think Windows Mobile is the easiest to use as a wired or wireless modem for your laptop and other devices. Windows Mobile 6.1 includes the Internet Sharing utility that lets you connect via cable or Bluetooth to your laptop. However, with the use of Bluetooth PAN and USB it isn't that simple to connect things like the iPod touch or Nokia N810. WMWiFiRouter lets you turn your Windows Mobile device into a wireless hotspot that makes connecting virtually any device quick and easy.

February 1, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobile OS

Sling Media taking a wait and see approach to the Palm WebOS

I've been using a Slingbox and the SlingPlayer Mobile clients for years, but last year I moved to the Hava player because they have free Nokia Internet Tablet and S60 clients. Slingbox now has a SlingPlayer Mobile client for selected S60 devices, but it does not work on the very popular Nokia E71. Dave Zatz sent me an email notice about a new post he wrote on the apparent hesitancy of Sling Media to develop a SlingPlayer Mobile client for the upcoming Palm WebOS while they look to focus on the Google Android platform next.

February 1, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

FlyCast streaming music app now available in the Android Market

I just mentioned some of my favorite applications on my G1 this morning and wrote that I have been using Last.fm and imeem to stream music. Back in early January, FlyCast announced an Android client was coming and I just received word that you can now find the application in the Android Market and give it a try.

January 30, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Developer

MobileTechRoundup show #161, Windows 7, BB Curve 8900, and Shadow

James, Kevin, and I have a real tough time sticking to just 15 minutes or so and we had a lot to talk about in MobileTechRoundup show #161 which runs about 27 minutes. We chatted a bit about the launch of my new Nokia Experts site and two devices that I am currently checking out, the T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 and T-Mobile Shadow. James is running Windows 7 on a new HP 2140 and is pleased with the experience.

January 30, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

Video look at the 2600 mAh Google G1 battery and favorite apps

I enjoy using my T-Mobile G1, but with my usage scenarios I can only go half a day with the battery. I solved the battery issue by buying the Seidio 2600 mAh battery and am now going almost 2 days with a single full battery. I also see daily low memory alerts because of the number of applications I try out and amount of browsing I do. In the video below I show you my new fat G1 and several of my favorite applications in action.

January 30, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Hardware

First impressions of the new T-Mobile Shadow

I was quite the fan of the T-Mobile Shadow and even defended its honor in a post. I bought it the day it was available and think it was a good, solid device. The battery life was the Achilles heel and it never did get an update to Windows Mobile 6.1. T-Mobile announced the second generation Shadow this week and I started playing with it yesterday afternoon. You can check out the video below for some of my thoughts and a walk around the device.

January 30, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Opera Mini 4.2 for Android brings microSD support and video viewing capability

As I pointed out in a recent post regarding the current firmware on the T-Mobile G1 Google Android device there is a major issue with not being able to store applications or content onto the external microSD card. I get low memory errors daily and if I browse a lot with the device my browser cache fills up to 10MB+. Then when I delete the data I lose all my history, bookmarks, etc. and this really limits my usage of the G1. Opera thankfully announced today that its Opera Mini 4.2 product for the Android platform is out of beta already and available as a full release in the Android Market.

January 27, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

T-Mobile announces updated Shadow Windows Mobile Smartphone

Back in the Fall of 2007 (I cannot believe it has been that long ago) I bought a T-Mobile Shadow and thought it was an excellent Windows Mobile Smartphone with lots of functionality and a cool UI to appeal to many people. I actually just sold my Shadow last week on Craigslist to clean out my gadget closet a bit. Today T-Mobile officially announced the new T-Mobile Shadow that has a more rounded design, two new colors (white mint and black burgundy), support for T-Mobile UMA (HotSpot @Home service), and a faster processor.

January 27, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

First impressions of the T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 with high res, GPS, and updated keyboard

T-Mobile may not have the latest and greatest Windows Mobile phones, but they were the first to launch a Google Android device with the G1 (see my review) and are one of the first to sell the latest and greatest RIM BlackBerry devices. They were one of the first with the Curve and Pearl and are the only US carrier currently supporting the BlackBerry Pearl Flip. The latest device to hit T-Mobile is the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 that is currently available in Canada from Rogers. The T-Mobile RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 should be a super hot seller since it offers almost the same specifications (differences are important and noted below in detail) and functionality as the larger and more expensive BlackBerry Bold in a lighter and sleeker package. I've had the Curve 8900 for the last few days and if I didn't have such a need for an Exchange server solution I would be one of the first in line to buy the Curve 8900.

January 27, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Nokia Experts site launches with US focus on Nokia and S60

I enjoy writing about all the mobile operating systems here on this blog, but also have a passion for S60 and Nokia devices. Thus, to be able to post about my experiences, news, and reviews of Nokia and S60 devices that are not really pertinent to the enterprise user I launched the Nokia Experts site that joins several other operating system/device focused sites in the Smartphone Experts family. These sites include Android Central, CrackBerry.com, the iPhone blog, TreoCentral, WMExperts, and PreCentral.

January 27, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

Is the unsubsidized Sprint Palm Treo Pro really going to cost $700?

I thought the $800 price of the XPERIA X1 was high, but according to Engadget the Sprint Treo Pro is priced right now at US$699.99 over on Best Buy. I'm not sure if this is the real final price though since online stores like Best Buy and Amazon have been known post high prices before availability. The SIM unlocked Treo Pro sells from Palm for US$549 so this price makes little sense.

January 27, 2009 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

Matthew Miller

Latest Posts

Cage match: Windows Mobile vs. Google Android

Motorola CEO states Windows Mobile 7 coming in 2010, is that too late for Microsoft?

T-Mobile G1 RC33 update rolling out OTA, not the cupcake update

Toshiba TG01 Windows Mobile device rumored to launch with 1 GHz Snapdragon processor

Mobile software Monday: WMWiFiRouter turns your Windows Mobile device into a mobile hotspot

Sling Media taking a wait and see approach to the Palm WebOS

FlyCast streaming music app now available in the Android Market

MobileTechRoundup show #161, Windows 7, BB Curve 8900, and Shadow

Video look at the 2600 mAh Google G1 battery and favorite apps

First impressions of the new T-Mobile Shadow

Opera Mini 4.2 for Android brings microSD support and video viewing capability

T-Mobile announces updated Shadow Windows Mobile Smartphone

First impressions of the T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 with high res, GPS, and updated keyboard

Nokia Experts site launches with US focus on Nokia and S60

Is the unsubsidized Sprint Palm Treo Pro really going to cost $700?

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