The Mobile Gadgeteer

fring VoIP now available for Windows Mobile devices

Back in February I posted a blog entry on how S60 was in the lead for mobile VoIP and it seems that now Windows Mobile is catching up with the release of a new client. The excellent mobile VoIP application, fring, is now available for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices. The same powerful functionality and connectivity as you have seen on the S60 platform is available for Windows Mobile. Thus you get fring, Skype, Google Talk, and MSN integration as well as Twitter support. I used Skype before, but it is still in beta and has some issues so I look forward to trying fring on my T-Mobile Dash and also a T-Mobile Wing.

June 20, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Networking

MyStrands social recommender service secures US$25 million in funding

In my personal experience, the internet seems to be evolving into a tool that is actually connecting people more than isolating them. I know in the last couple of years that I have met and corresponded with more people than I would have in my limited "real-life" sphere of living. Software and services that connect people are also developing and revolutionizing the way we interact with each other. I am a user of social networking services like Jaiku and Twitter and have been keeping my eye out for others, especially those that can be used from mobile devices. Rudy sent me a press release last week regarding major funding for an interesting social recommendation service called MyStrands that was actually founded in 2003.

June 20, 2007 by Matthew Miller in PCs

Opera Mini 4: who needs an iPhone for mobile web browsing?

As we get closer and closer to the release of the Apple iPhone I think some people are finally taking a more in-depth look at what other choices there are already on the market and trying to understand if the iPhone is as revolutionary as Apple has stated. One area where lots of people think Apple is excelling with the iPhone is in web browsing. FYI, Nokia has had the same Safari-based web browser on its S60 3rd Edition devices since March of 2006. Granted I think Nokia could have done a better job in promoting this amazing functionality, but like I have stated numerous times the S60 3rd Edition browser is the BEST mobile web browser available. Opera released the public beta of Opera Mini 4 and it offers full web browsing on today's existing smartphones so you may not want to jump on the iPhone bandwagon right away since many applications can provide the same experience.

June 19, 2007 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Sprint and HTC announce the HTC Mogul Windows Mobile 6 device

I just returned from a few days of camping with my family for Father's Day and it seems like everyone and their brother was sent a new device from HTC to play with and photos, video, and commentary are appearing all over the place. Sprint announced that the update to the PPC-6700 will be coming in July and will be called the HTC Mogul. The HTC Mogul improves on the PPC-6700 with Windows Mobile 6, double the RAM, higher resolution camera, slimmer form factor, EV-DO Revision A support.

June 17, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Dell coupons may help you buy a new Nokia S60 device

I had a chance to hang out with Stefan Constantinescu at the S60 Summit in Madrid and shortly after returning from that trip Stefan moved from his Ring Nokia blog to serving as an editor at IntoMobile. As regular readers know I am also a participant in the Nokia Nseries Blogger Relations program and one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to educate people on the power of the S60 platform is the lack of high-end Nokia devices in the U.S. Stefan discovered something that should hopefully make it easier for people to pick up these devices in the U.S. Dell is now offering high end Nokia S60 devices, including the N80, E61i, N95 and E61. I paid about this same price, US$423.77, for my Nokia E61i from a US importer, but the thing with Dell is you can sometimes get 10% or more off with a coupon code.

June 17, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Dell

IM from your Nokia device with Gizmo Project

A couple of days ago my Mobile Tech Roundup podcast co-host, Kevin Tofel, posted news that Gizmo Project added IM support for AIM and MSN Messenger. They even made it very easy to add your buddies to your Gizmo Project contact lists. You can also call people on Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live, Google Talk, and Gizmo Project for free from within the Gizmo Project interface. As a mobile gadgeteer I prefer to use VoIP from my devices and there are several Nokia devices that can run Gizmo and connect via WiFi or 3G networks. There is even a great client for the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet so if you have any of these supported Nokia devices (I have the N95 and E61i) then I highly recommend you download and install the latest version.

June 14, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

GotVoice brings some iPhone functionality to your current mobile phone

Back in March GotVoice rolled out a major update to their voicemail management system (see my coverage and image gallery) and this week they announced a couple of advanced features to the system. One feature that Apple has been promoting on its iPhone is visual voicemail. GotVoice now has that available so users with any compatible phone can get GotVoice Visual Voicemail by simple logging into the GotVoice mobile site, http://m.gotvoice.com from their mobile web browser. GotVoice also announced Mobile Compose so you can send a message to your group right from your mobile phone.

June 13, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Collaboration

MobileTechRoundup show #101, What do we think of the Palm Foleo?

Kevin, James and I kick off MobileTechRoundup show #101 with a round-table discussion of the Palm Foleo. We then chat a bit about what makes a device a mobile device. It was good to hear James' feedback on the Nokia PC Suite compared to ActiveSync and I agreed with him. Kevin talks a bit about how his UMPC is changing the way he uses his smartphone. We also talked a bit about the extremely small Raon Everun device and how it seems enticing for the mobile user.

June 13, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

The iPhone will cost me at least US$2245, how about you?

So now that the very slick Apple iPhone TV ads are available for viewing, I am sure many of us have our gadget lust peaked and are thinking about what our iPhone acquisition strategy may be on 29 June. As compelling as the iPhone looks, there are also many of us who are not AT&T customers and are locked into other carriers for a period of up to 2 years. My personal situation results in a couple of alternatives for me to get an iPhone, with a total price difference for 2 years of service totaling at least US$2,245 or US$2,383 and after putting it down on paper I may actually go for it so check out the details below if you are with another carrier and thinking about the switch or addition. If you are with another wireless carrier, have you been considering the Apple iPhone and AT&T service too?

June 11, 2007 by Matthew Miller in iPhone

Will Sprint see the Treo 800w in 2007?

According to a Gizmodo Sprint source a new Palm Treo device may be coming to the Sprint network in the 4th quarter of 2007. This device, the Treo 800w, would be an upgrade to the existing Treo 700wx that Sprint currently has available with the two biggest changes being integrated WiFi (a first for a Palm Treo) and a 320x320 display (the first time this resolution has been rumored/seen on a Windows Mobile device). Other rumored specs make this device the ultimate Windows Mobile Professional device with Windows Mobile 6, EV-DO Rev. A support, GPS, 256MB flash ROM and 128 MB RAM, 1.3 megapixel camera, integrated Bluetooth, and a memory expansion slot. If the rumor is true, then this will be one sweet device.

June 11, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobile Carriers

Is a new form factor Palm Treo on the way?

This weekend has been full of new Palm Treo rumors and I read most of the details on PalmInfocenter. There have been rumors of a device with the code name of Gandolf for at least a year and now rumors state that this device runs Palm OS Garnet (5.x) and will debut on Sprint for around US$200. The blog Morning Paper first posted the rumor and also the photo you see here. Other details also show a version of the device running Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone) with Vodafone branding. A non-touch screen Treo would be a first.

June 10, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Sync your Nokia mobile device media to your Mac natively

As regular readers know I am a part of the Nokia Nseries Blogger Relations program and get the opportunity to review some very cool Nokia smartphones like the N95, N93 and N73. My primary home computer is a MacBook Pro and up until now I have always used the Nokia PC Suite with Parallels and Windows XP. I have a hosted Exchange account so syncing my contacts, calendar, and tasks is taken care of by a server wirelessly. However, to get your media to sync and transfer then you have to take your external storage card out and put it into an external reader or again use Parallels and XP, but then your media is in the PC storage area and not on your Mac. Nokia has finally given some attention to Mac users though and released the Nokia Media Transfer utility.

June 8, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Microsoft

How can you enter text on the HTC Touch?

One of the weak points of the new HTC Touch is the lack of a good text entry system. There is a large option for the integrated keyboard, but even that is too small for using your finger and requires stylus input. I quickly loaded a couple of 3rd party applications, one that I have seen before and the other that I have used for years. They both work with your fingers and thumbs and are good alternatives for the HTC Touch. Check out the 2 minute video of Spb Full Screen Keyboard and MessagEase in action on the HTC Touch.

June 6, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

Hands-on video and first impressions of the HTC Touch

Earlier today HTC announced the HTC Touch device with their new TouchFLO technology. I was able to meet up with my press contact and get a device to evaluate a couple hours ago. I created a quick video to try to show readers how the new interface works and also have some first impressions and thoughts on the device. I also took several pictures of the device, including comparisons between it and the T-Mobile Dash (HTC Excalibur) that can be found in the image gallery. Check out the initial impressions to see how this might stack up with the Apple iPhone.

June 5, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Mobility

HTC beats Apple to the touch

The Apple iPhone will be here at the end of June and I have to admit after watching the latest TV ads that the speed and coolness of the device has me lusting after the device. It seems there may be a solution to take the edge off of the iPhone desire for those of you in Europe with the surprise announcement by HTC (the world's leading provider of Windows Mobile-based devices) of their revolutionary HTC Touch device. The Touch uses their TouchFLO touch screen technology that allows you to sweep your finger (flick it) up the display to launch an animated, 3D interface comprised of Contacts, Media (photos, music, video), and Applications (email, web browser, etc) so that you can get nearly instantaneous access to your device. The HTC Touch is designed to maximize usability without requiring the consumer to manipulate the standard Windows Mobile interface which can be a bit daunting at times for new users who are mobile enthusiasts like us.

June 4, 2007 by Matthew Miller in Apple

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