Friday, March 31, 2006

Preview of the htc hernes

Click on the link below for a preview of the htc hermes. It's the second 3g enabled pocket pc on the market. Fujitsu-siemens will release the third in april. Besides 3g, it also has a slide keyboard. Unwired had the chance to test it. Enjoy: http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=2975.

Turn your Smartphone/Pocket PC into a USB drive


This program will export the flash memory card inside the smartphone as usual USB Mass Storage device (ordinary "usb disk") - effectively turning smartphone into flash reader (albeit USB 1.0 only, and not very fast). It was tested with Tornado Smartphone Platform with recent firmware update. It could work with other phones and even with PDAs, hovewer I cant be sure about compatibility, as I had to break some specifications to defuse bugs in the propietary HTC/OMAP USB hardware driver.Dont install it to memory card. When activated, memory card will not be accessible in the smartphone, as all direct access to the flash card will be routed to USB. Application installed to "Accessories" Start Menu subfolder.Windows Mobile 5 is required. Sorry, but I cant possibly make it work on WM 2003, as only WM5 allows USB protocol implementation separate from USB hardware driver - on WM 2003 Ill have to rewrite whole USB hardware drivers, and of course its not feasible.Of course, you will also need full application unlock. Take note that some recipies do not do full unlock, they still leave some API locked. If you want to uninstall it, I strongly recommend to de-activate mass storage mode first.UPDATE to version 1.2 - added write-protection switch, added checks for ability to actually open memory card (card existance). If "storage card" installation chosen, will install to main memory anyway, as it cant properly run from storage card. UPDATE to version 1.21 - added some additional diag checks to help evaluate possible problems.
You can download the application by clicking here. The site requires that you register before downloading. It's free. I did not test the software yet, but if you do, share your experience with us by posting a comment. Thanks.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

M-Systems to release high density 1GB SIM cards

M-Systems will release later this year a SIM that can hold up to 512MB of storage. This SIM card will thus be able to hold approximately 160 songs, three full length movies and around 80 Java games. The SIM cards, ranging from 16 to 1 GB will be introduced on an LG U8210 handset later this year. Read the article below for more details.

mobile services. made smarter

Personal storage
To enable increased usage of compelling mobile services, operators must empower subscribers with intuitive access to multimedia services and applications from their mobile devices, and have the tools to profit from them.

mSIM high-density SIM cards, based on the MegaSIM architecture, the newest generation of our smart card solutions, deliver flash storage from 16Mbytes to 1Gbyte, independent processing power and high-speed interfaces, while maintaining SIM functionality compatible with legacy industry standards.

mSIM high-density SIM cards leverage the benefits of our years of flash expertise with our field-proven mSafe SuperMAP crypto core technology, deployed in millions of smart cards globally. Together, these competencies enable our mSIM cards to provide high performance and secure personal storage for your mobile applications and services, and for subscriber-generated content such as phone settings, messages and photos.
mobile services. made smarter.

USIM functionality, security and high-density flash
mSIM high-density SIM cards, using our innovative MegaSIM architecture, are fully functional SIM cards, in a ubiquitous SIM card form factor, that offer secure personal storage in a two-chip solution:

Secure smart card controller with additional crypto engines, crypto libraries and MPU provide the highest level of secure operations
A secure, high-performance controller, with embedded mask ROM, is based on a 32-bit ARM SC100 secure core. The controller empowers mSIM cards with multi-tasking capabilities.
NAND flash memory and advanced crypto engines offer high-performance, low-power and secure personal storage.
High speed data protocol for smart card to terminal interface, and quick and seamless direct access from an external interface to the flash memory, accelerate performance without inflating the total power budget
architecture. made smarter.


Innovation
mSIM high-density SIM cards pack innovative benefits:
Cost effective
Secure - supports digital rights management (DRM), data encryption, random number generation (RNG) and unique ID
Backward compatible with existing platforms
Ubiquitous - SIM slots are in all multimedia handsets
Scalable - satisfies subscribers' future needs
Transferable - from old to new handset, from work to private handset
Reduce churn and increase loyalty - subscribers remain within your network

Next Generation High Speed Bluetooth Wireless Technology.


Wimedia Alliance is working on a new generation of bluetooth technology that will make file exchange, both data and video, much faster than the actual technology allows. Expect to see devices with this new technology at the end of next year. Click Here to read the article.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

10 years - Palm celebrates

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Palm is offering free shipping on Palm Treos and Palmone devices. That's great news for the inhabitants of remote Mauritius. There's also 20% off some Treos accessories (www.palm.com). Happy anniversary Palm.

Successful WM5 Upgrade

The upgrade was straight forward. I must say that Eten has done a great job in providing step by step instructions. At some point setup would not detect the device for upgrade, asking to disconnect and reconnect the device again. That was because I upgraded Activesync to version 4.1. But it worked fine when I reverted to 3.8. I tried 4.1, when it was released, with WM2003SE and it never worked. First thing I've noticed is that the device is slightly faster. Bluetooth is working fine. I was able to connect to a laptop, desktop PC and other phones. They included File Transfer service this time. Bravo Eten.

Monday, March 27, 2006

WM5 upgrade for Eten M500

I just received my Windows Mobile 5 upgrade CD from Eten. Tonight I will do the upgrade. Hopefully things will go smoothfully. If you want to know how it went, come back tomorrow.

This is Mago


Recently, details about the Mago Mobile smartphone have been revealed. This is a prototype designed by Evgueni Maslov and engineered by Tancher, who have been working on the project since 2004.The phone measures 134 x 55 x 15 mm and is protected by a scratch resistant casing made of titanium and stainless steel. It has a 2.8 inch TFT touch-screen capable of displaying a 240 x 320 pixel resolution in 262k colors. The processing power is provided by a ARM920 Intel
xScale PXA27X 624MHz processor and the memory includes 128 MB of SDRAM and 128 MB of nand Flash. Connectivity is achieved via Bluetooth 1.2, WiFi 802.11b and USB 2.0. Other features include a 1950 mAh Li-Ion battery, 2.5 mm stereo audio jack for handsfree, two speakers supporting 64 voice polyphony, SD/MMC/miniSD support. The handset runs on Windows Mobile 2005 OS and operates in quad-band GSM/GPRS networks (850/900/1800/1900MHz).

Press Release: Motorola announces release of RAZR-thin Motorola Q


Motorola Q

The First no-Compromises QWERTYToday’s individuals and corporations are looking for mobility to give them an edge, and the new Q delivers. The world’s thinnest QWERTY, Q changes the playing field for mobile email devices by delivering a superior mobile office experience with no compromises. Combining quality voice, data, and multimedia in one amazing “RAZR-thin” package, Q helps make mobility = productivity.
Your Office Space, Any PlaceWith Q, corporations can bring mobile email to their entire organizations while mobile professionals can be confident they can be productive by having a quality phone and email experience in an innovative and stylish form factor. Q leverages Microsoft’s familiar and trusted Windows Mobile software and is among the first devices to run on the new Windows Mobile 5.0 platform which delivers scalable and cost-effective mobile messaging support with Exchange 2003 out of the box. This enables the device to work overtime to leverage existing corporate investments in infrastructure, training and support while continuing to protect office networks, data and applications.
RAZR-thin Look & FeelFifty percent thinner than its top competitors, Q is also lightweight and features electro-luminescent keys, QWERTY keyboard, thumbwheel for single-handed control, and internal antenna. Q also provides users the opportunity to balance work and play through additional features such as a large, vibrant, color screen, Web surfing capabilities, a 1.3 mega pixel camera with photo lighting, video and MP3 audio capabilities, and cool compatible Bluetooth®-enabled accessories like the new RAZRWIRE Bluetooth® eyewear.
The Ultimate Voice ExperienceMotorola invented the mobile phone so you know we know voice! Leveraging Motorola’s expertise in RF technology, the new Q delivers the best phone experience you can get on a QWERTY. Featuring a high-quality speakerphone, voice-activated dialing and Bluetooth functionality, the Q enables hands-free multitasking for today’s busy work environment.

Summary of Key Features•
One of the first devices to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0; Optimized for Microsoft Exchange 2003 and a variety of third party email solutions that enable a broad set of corporate email capabilities*•


Thinnest QWERTY device in the world – 11.5mm• Full, ergonomic QWERTY keyboard, 5-way navigation button and thumb wheel• Video clip capture and playback•

Connectivity via Bluetooth, IrDA and mini-USB; compatible with Motorola's line of Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets•

Multi-Media Messaging (MMS)• Dual, stereo-quality speakers• Audio formats supported: iMelody, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, WAX, QCELP• Image formats supported: GIF87a, GIF89a, JPEG, WBMP, BMP, PNG• Video formats supported: H.263, MPEG-4, GSM-AMR, AAC, WMV•

Mini-SD removable memory card slot• Large, high-resolution display (320 x 240 pixels, 65K TFT)• 1.3 mega pixel camera with photo lighting• PIM functionality with Picture Caller ID• Advanced speech recognition and speakerphone

The Moto Q is expected to be available in Q1 of 2006. For more information on pricing and product availability in your region, please check with your local Motorola representative.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Let’s talk about My Pocket PC (Part 1).


I own an Eten M500 for 5 months now. The make Eten is another device from Taiwan, manufactured by Eten Corp, and is not sold in Mauritius. It is small and very powerful. For comparison, it’s slightly thicker than a Qtek S100/Imate Jam. In fact the M500 is a direct competitor to the Qtek S100 and has even surpassed it.

The M500 comes with 128MB ROM and 64MB of RAM whereas the S100 has 64MB of both. The more memory you have the more speed. The biggest advantage of the M500 is that it is upgradeable to Windows Mobile 5. The S100 is not for two reasons: first, there is not enough memory to accommodate WM5 and the hardware is not compatible.

Here are some of the features of the M500:


Sleek and compact design > Internal antenna > 400 MHz processor
130 MB user accessible memory > SD card slot compatibility provides unlimited space

> Built-in quad-band GSM module > Data support GPRS Class B, Multi-slot Class 10 > Bluetooth® technology> Speakerphone function> Call Recognition function provides the individual photo from the entry of your contact for immediate recognition.

> Built-in 1.3 megapixels digital camera with zoom function.> Support video recording.> Polyphonic, MIDI, MP3 and WMA file format support> Send/receive pictures, graphics, and vCard and vCal> Play on-line games > Downloadable today screens, wav ring tones and games

> GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)> GPRS Class B, Multi-slot Class 10> 240 x 320, 65,536 colors TFT LCD> Built-in 1.3 mega pixels digital camera with flash light > 4x digital zoom > Video recording > Built-in Bluetooth®> Built-in SDIO card slot for expansion memory and peripherals> Messaging functionality includes MMS, SMS, email and MSN® Messenger > Internet browsing > Multimedia features (MP3/WMA/WMV) > Polyphonic, MIDI, WAV, MP3 ringtones > Speakerphone and voice recorder > Voice command > Personal information management and full email support (IMAP/POP3)

These are quite impressive features for such a small device.

To be continued...

How PDAs Help Medical Students



Check out this site: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/.

Personally I like it. You can find there loads of information about PDAs
and software, including reviews of the latest device and software
designed for windows mobile. You might want to check the forum and even
register. The latest article published on the site is about How PDAs
help medical students. Here's an excerpt of the article:

"Brown University medical student Jeremy Boyd leaned on the rail of
Marian Thorpe's hospital bed and asked her about her collapse during
dialysis. Then he asked whether she had any other medical conditions...
They discussed her kidney problems, colon cancer and gout as well as her
allergies and family history. Afterward, Boyd stepped into the hallway
and recorded the information on his personal digital assistant
<http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,47434#> . Brown
recently joined a growing number of medical and nursing schools that
require students to buy and use PDAs. Faculty and students say the
technology saves time and helps them provide better care, in addition to
reducing medical errors. Drug references and diagnostic programs can be
stored on them, giving physicians information at their fingertips."

Remember: Get the word out about this site and luckily our leaders will
know the true definition of technology. :-)

Read the review of one of the latest device from HTC, Imate K-Jam. It's
got a sliding QWERTY keyboard.


Enjoy

Thursday, March 23, 2006

New Software: Eye on Thief

Eye On Thief will automatically send alarm SMS with the new phone number after SIM card is changed by the thief.

Features
Auto Run: When Eye On Thief is enabled, after mobile starts up, it will beep to show that the phone is currently under protection. Eye On Thief will not stay in memory, after detection it will exit automatically. Alarm message will be sent out after the set time if problem is detected.
User-defined Option: The time to send out the alarm message after cell phone starts up, the frequency of sending and the SMS list could be user-defined.
Support multiple SIM cards: It makes the legal user possible to use several SIM cards in a same mobile phone.
Send SIM Contact
Password setting: It is used to set the administrator password.


I've installed and tested the software. This is a must-have. Click on the link to download evaluation:
http--www.mycnknow.com-download-LockApp-LockApppen.zip and her to buy: http://www.mycnknow.com/register.htm

I haven't tested it on a WM5 machine yet. I'll upgrade my Pocket PC next week. Stay tune.

What is it all about?

What is it all about? Pocket PCs, Pocket PCs, Pocket PCs and Smartphones, all of them running Windows Mobile from Microsoft. This blog will talk about hardware and software. There isn’t a day without new software being released or a device manufacturer leaking pictures of new devices.

Let’s start with software. Most of the devices sold locally are running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition and they are not upgradeable to Windows Mobile 5. Yeah, Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) is the latest OS for Pocket PCs and Smartphones released by Microsoft. The biggest thing about Windows Mobile 5 is persistent storage. What’s that? Pocket PCs do not have hard drives, so they store data in ROM and they use RAM to run applications. Prior to WM5, ROM was used mainly by the OS itself and the remaining space, not a lot, was allocated to the user. If you run out of battery, you also lose your data unless you stored them on a SD card. WM5 fixes that. With persistent storage, you never lose anything.

Let’s talk about hardware. Most of the device manufacturers are from Asian countries and the market leader is HTC, a company based in Taiwan. They design and build devices that they sell to, mostly, carriers around the world. You will never find a device branded HTC. You probably saw or heard of Qtek and Imate. You also noticed that they look alike. They are both from HTC. Qtek is the European make and Imate is found mostly in the UK and US. They are also available in Mauritius. But remember, these models are, by my standard, old.

That’s it for now.