Monthly Archives: October 2009

Nokia to Sue Apple over iPhone

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Peter (PDA-247)

iphone2Interesting news on the bbc website – apparently Nokia is to sue Apple for patent infringement.

More information here

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PREview requests

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Peter (PDA-247)

webosI promised a review of the Palm Pre to Shaun this week, but have held off.  Mainly because there’s a mountain of reviews already out there that tell you roughly the same thing.  I’m therefore preparing something much more detailed, different, and analytical.

As part of this, could I ask – is there anything any of you want to know, that perhaps hasn’t been answered yet.  You’ve thought about getting one, but somethings stopping you?  Maybe you’ve some concerns not quite so clear in other reviews? 

Please drop a comment, and I’ll try and include everything I can.  Included is things such as a real depth test of the battery life under conditions, compared to the iPhone.  Also, I plan to give a good look at “Classic” – the Palm OS emulator, that if O2 pushes out the 1.2 patch, I’ll be able to test the hotsync with, and let you know whether you can truly run datebk6 properly (There’s alarm “integration” btw…)

All comments welcome as always.

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QOTD: Mobile email?

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

qotd23How good is your mobile email experience, and by that I mean the email interface? I like the speed of delivery of my BlackBerry, but the layout of the emails could be much better. I like the layout on my iPhone, but the number of clicks required could be less and of course the data input never quite works for me.

6 Comments


smart’PHONE’

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

RuiD made the following comments on Monday concerning the most important features of a smartphone-

“I believe I’m missing the point here… the essential and most important function(s) of a smartphone to me is to make/receive calls or SMS… that’s what they are designed for. PIM and all extra applications are “bonus” ;)

A question: a smartphone in reality is a phone with all PDA features “attached” and built around it, or is it a former standalone PDA featured later on with phone capabilities? ;) ”

This is a subject close to my heart because I use my smartphone quite a lot for voice, and that is why I chose it. However, it seems to me that it is low down on the list of requirements for many smartphone users and that most are happy to put up with poor voice performance provided the phone has a big screen, lots of apps and good connectivity.

We seem to have lost the ‘phone’ part of smartphone and are happy to walk around with PDAs with phone equipment built in. Just how far down is good voice quality on your list of smartphone requirements?

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Windows Mobile 7 screenshots look good- will they be good enough in a year’s time?

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

7Some Windows Mobile 7 screenshots have been published on various sites recently and they do look like a big improvement on the current setup. However, there is still a year to go before we can use the OS I anger and I think we can safely expect improvements on all of the major operating systems during that time. I have to wonder if these changes are coming too late.

From Unwired View- “We’re still about one year ahead of seeing the first Windows Mobile 7 phones launched, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look at what Microsoft’s next mobile OS will bring.

WMExperts has an image that seems to compare Windows Mobile 6.5 with Windows Mobile 7.
The bottom row in the photo below is “roughly” showing what WM7 will look like, and it’s easy to see that the new OS obviously looks much better than WM 6.5.

As you can see, there’s no start button in WM 7, and everything’s optimized for a finger-friendly touchscreen experience…”

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The iPhone encroaches on RIM territory, in a small way

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

appleApple has claimed that the iPhone is starting to encroach into the traditional smartphone territory owned by RIM, but the detail is scarce at this time. The claim that “more than 50% of Fortune 100 companies in the U.S. and about half of the Financial Times 100 in Europe are using the iPhone” is easy to make and conceivably the same could be said of Nokia devices. The question remains as to how many iPhones are indeed connected to corporations back-end systems, but it does look likely that more iPhone will be integrated in the future. More at iPhoneFreak.

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The Palm Pre Calendar: good, but not great

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

prepPre Central has published an article about the Palm Pre calendar entitled Dear Palm: It’s time to fix Calendar and in it they discuss a few annoyances that need to be fixed to make it as usable as the original Palm OS calendar was. It seems that most of the changes can be undertaken with software fixes so hopefully Palm can, in time, regain the king of PIM title they so rightly deserved a few years ago.

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DriveSafe.ly Pro for BlackBerry

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

DriveSafe.ly Pro for BlackBerry performs a useful task, but is maybe priced to high to sell in big numbers. “DriveSafe.ly automatically reads incoming text messages and emails out loud so you can concentrate on the road. Eliminate the temptation to reach for your phone by letting DriveSafe.ly read to you and optionally auto-respond for you.

Stay connected by listening to your messages without texting while driving or reading emails in your car. DriveSafe.ly is the answer to texting while driving TWD.”

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ZingMagic releases 2 free games for Symbian

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Shaun

zingZingMagic has released 2 new free fames for Symbian, Alpha WordSearch and Starts with Wordsearch, and they look like decent time fillers even if they are a little basic. More at AAS.

ZingMagic is also responsible for the wonderful HomeRun which is available on Symbian and iPhone- a card game you must try!

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News round-up: 9700 coming October, nook, heroic Hero & Jim returns

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

news21Vodafone UK is promoting the BlackBerry Bold 9700 with an expected delivery date of 28th October. It is rare to see such a short gap from launch to delivery, but let’s not complain about it. Expect a review here within the first week of release.

the nook is claiming to be the ‘world’s most advanced eBook reader’ and it may well be. The feature set is impressive and on the back of the Kidles success it could do well. This part made me chuckle- “traditional book than a computer screen. With no glare or backlight, and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for hours.” I think eBook readers need a backlight…

HTC is struggling to keep up with demand for the Hero. To quote Jack Tong- “The tight production will not be eased until November and the sales momentum of HTC Hero is expected to continue in the first quarter of 2010.” It deserves all of its success so far and we look forward to more.

Earthworm Jim has been released for the iPhone and is well priced at £2.99 / $4.99. If you loved this years ago, you will no doubt love it all over again in portable form.

American readers have the chance to win a Palm Pixi. Palm is offering 25 for free just for signing up for updates on the upcoming release. It will be on Sprint though so make sure that is OK for your needs.

AAS has reviewed the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic and Ewan concludes that it is maybe too similar to other smartphone to succeed. The problem is that it is too similar to the other Nokia devices and Nokia either needs to cut the number of devices it releases or start varying things a little.

SBSH has released version 2 of the wonderful Facade. There’s a big bundle of changes including a new home tab, custom plugins and much, much more. Good to see developers still supporting Windows Mobile Standard.

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RIM offically announces the Bold 9700

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

RIM has officially announced the BlackBerry Bold 9700 which brings together all of the best bits from its range. I can see almost nothing missing from the specifications.

You get a 480×360 transmissive TFT LCD which will be viewable in all conditions, a 1500mAh battery which will last for days on end, an optical trackpad which won’t get stuck like the silly trackballs and every other feature that the discerning smartphone user could need. I could go on about the excellent keyboard, 3.2MP camera and 256MB of memory and I will. This looks like the best BlackBerry yet to me.

It is set to launch globally in November and the video below gives you an idea of what to expect-

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Microsoft makes fun of silly iPhone apps

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

The latest advert for the Windows Marketplace takes a pop at some of the silly iPhone apps in the app store. It is an amusing advert, but I can’t help think that it only gives Apple more press which is sometimes good for the company being attacked.

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QOTD: Work or home?

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

qotd23Is the majority of your mobile PIM data usage work related or personal? I think it is about even for me and I tend to use the PIM apps in the same way for both.

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Pre-dictions

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

The recent release of the Palm Pre in the UK has finally given us the opportunity to spend some time with the Palm Pre and it would be fair to say that it is receiving mixed reviews. The keyboard in particular is coming in for criticism, as is the battery, and from what I can see it is not going to set the world alight in the same way the iPhone and the Nokia N95 did. It will sell fairly well and the numbers should be enough to squeeze a couple more models out of Palm, but I think that things will need to change if Palm is to get back to the top of the market.

preIf Palm can build a user base that continually expands and if it can entice enough of the better developers to support the platform, webOS may well become a slow burner which carves a substantial niche for itself over the first 2 years. Not every smartphone platform needs to ‘explode’ on to the scene and sell millions of phones in the first few months- we need to face the fact that the iPhones immediate success is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon by a competitor and also need to understand that success can come in time if the momentum moves forward at an adequate pace.

webOS has lots of potential, but I do worry that the hardware could let down Palm once again if it isn’t developed by other companies. Sony helped Palm OS greatly when it jumped onboard and outside companies could do the same again. In my opinion Palm produced a string of smartphones which were poorly put together, had inhibitive battery lives and which could not keep up with the competition. It would be a shame for a platform like webOS to be tied to hardware that once again fails to let users make the most of it. I am not saying that the Pre is bad from a hardware point of view, but the small keyboard and less than stellar battery performance is an indication that Palm has not gone out to make a phone that covers all of the bases.

Some have mentioned that they want Palm to succeed for sentimental reasons. I want Palm to succeed if it makes phones that are worthy of success and sentimentality should not come into it. The more platforms in this market the better it will be, but I think Palm needs to try a little bit harder to compete. It’s a good start and with a bit of luck webOS will grow and entice more people to it. The spectre of Android looms large though…

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Get smart for under £250

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Shaun

You can expect to pay upwards of £400 for the latest and greatest smartphones, and they are arguably well worth the money when you consider the amount of use they get through. However, if you are on a lower budget or simply don’t wish to spend this amount of money there are many excellent smartphone options now available to keep you organised every day. Let’s take a look at some of the best mobile devices available for under £250-

BlackBerry Curve 8520 (£188.60)

I have used all of the available BlackBerry phones and the 8520 is the fastest by far. It has the (currently) unique optical trackpad which is a joy to use and which of course does away with the trackballs that have a tendency to get stuck. A good keyboard, bright screen in all conditions and a pleasing design make this a huge bargain for anyone who needs a reliable and quick smartphone that is more practical than most.

Data Input:  QWERTY hardware keyboard
3G: No
Wi-Fi: Yes
GPS: No
Battery: 9/10
Value: 9/10

HP Data Messenger (£205.85)

The Data Messenger is packed with specifications and was well priced at launch, but the recent reductions make it one of the best value Windows Mobile phones on the market. Nothing is missing and only the rather bulky design and slightly quirky keyboard detract from what is otherwise an excellent choice for the mobile user who needs to accomplish lots on the go. Definitely a workhorse for the masses.

Data Input: QWERTY hardware keyboard
3G: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
GPS: Yes
Battery: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

Also consider the HP Voice Messenger for £159.85

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (£247.25)

The Nokia 5800 has sold by the lorry load since launch and packs a lot into a small space. At launch the 5th Edition software was not quite as smooth as we would have liked, but recent updates have raised it to a level where you can work and play in equal measure. Voice quality is excellent and the inclusion of a 3.2MP camera adds to an impressively build phone that will last you for at least a couple of years.

Data Input: Touchscreen
3G: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
GPS: Yes
Battery: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Acer beTouch E100 (£241.50)

The beTouch E100 is a large screened Windows Mobile 6.5 device which pack copious amounts of memory alongside GPS, HSPA, a 3.2” screen all in a 12mm body. Only Wi-Fi is missing from an otherwise complete feature set which together makes for one of the more stylish and practical Windows Mobile smartphones.
Data Input: Touchscreen
3G: Yes
Wi-Fi: No
GPS: Yes
Battery: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Psion Revo Plus (£143.75)

OK, bear with me here. This is not exactly a smartphone, but I could write for hours about the greatness of Psion PDAs and couldn’t resist including a Psion Revo. Clove sells remanufactured units with a 6 month warranty and also includes the software and docking cradle. Some would say that they are not practical in 2009, but if having the best mobile calendar ever, one of the best keyboards and a battery life that lasts for days and days and days is not practical, I don’t know what is. Still brilliant!

Data Input: QWERTY hardware keyboard / Stylus
3G: No
Wi-Fi: No
GPS: No
Battery: 10/10
Overall: 8/10

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