Facebook for Windows Mobile
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 8-MAY-2009 08:00
Microsoft is making available a free Facebook client for Windows Mobile phones. This application will run on Windows Mobile 6.0 and newer - including Windows Mobile 6.5 devices coming later this year.
I have been running it for a while and here are some screenshots:
The application provides all the functionality you expect from a Facebook client, and the most interesting bit is the ability to upload videos directly from your Windows Mobile device.
Facebook client for Windows Mobile phones runs on Windows Mobilt Professional (touchscreen) and Windows Mobile Standard (non-touchscreen).
I have been running it for a while and here are some screenshots:
The application provides all the functionality you expect from a Facebook client, and the most interesting bit is the ability to upload videos directly from your Windows Mobile device.
Facebook client for Windows Mobile phones runs on Windows Mobilt Professional (touchscreen) and Windows Mobile Standard (non-touchscreen).
The truth about Microsoft Pink
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 29-APR-2009 20:34
Today we saw lots of rumours around regarding smartphones. In one Verizon would be working with Apple to create an "iPhone lite". In another Verizon would also be working with Microsoft to create an "iPhone killer", dubber Pink.So what's the truth? I got some information directly from one of the sources within, and basically he says Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business.
Because of that Microsoft is not building a Zune-specific phone.
The company is actually deepening relationships with hardware partners - I was given a long list of reasons, but it comes down to creating better performing phones that are competitively priced, feature rich, easy-to-use and lustworthy.
There's a lot being done, starting with the upcoming availability of Windows Mobile 6.5 software that will enable OEM partners to build more compelling devices.
But for the moment, Microsoft is not creating a phone.
Help shape Sprite Backup 7.0 for Windows Mobile
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 22-APR-2009 08:36
I got an e-mail from Sprite Software, a New Zealand-based company that produces mobile software such as Sprite Backup for Windows Mobile.
The company is planning a complete redesign of Sprite Backup from the ground up. It will be completely reengineered to make the most of the features offered in Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 7 (and most likely 6.5).
What they need at the moment is user input and to make it a sweet there's something in there for anyone willing to help.
Basically they are holding a Backup 7 Feature Hunt, with some great prizes:
1st prize (2 winners, each receives a HTC Touch HD)
2nd prize (5 winners each receives a Bluetooth GPS Unit)
3rd prize (30 winners each receives an 8GB MicroSD Card)
You can read more about at www.spritesoftware.com/Backup-7-Competition.
The company is planning a complete redesign of Sprite Backup from the ground up. It will be completely reengineered to make the most of the features offered in Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 7 (and most likely 6.5).
What they need at the moment is user input and to make it a sweet there's something in there for anyone willing to help.
Basically they are holding a Backup 7 Feature Hunt, with some great prizes:
1st prize (2 winners, each receives a HTC Touch HD)
2nd prize (5 winners each receives a Bluetooth GPS Unit)
3rd prize (30 winners each receives an 8GB MicroSD Card)
You can read more about at www.spritesoftware.com/Backup-7-Competition.
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The AT&T Matrix Pro Home Screen
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 2-APR-2009 13:12
A couple of weeks ago the Pantech Matrix Pro smartphone landed on my desk. Based on Windows Mobile Standard 6.1, this smartphone is quite a pleasure to use. I have been playing with for a while,and finally got it unlocked so I could test it with a live network connection locally.
AT&T sent me the handset with one of its SIM cards, which I will be using while over in the U.S. next week, but since roaming wasn't activated, the easiest solution was to just get a local SIM and try it on the phone.
Note that while the phone is a 850MHz device, the new Telecom New Zealand 850MHz WCDMA network is not live for customers yet, so I am using the Vodafone 2100MHz network with a prepay SIM - hence the "G" in these screen captures, since their HSDPA coverage in this area is quite poor (having said that, it was a solid HSDPA until a few months ago, and I suspect they moved some panels in their cell sites around here causing this drop in signal quality).
Back to the matter... The AT&T Matrix Pro so far has impressed me. Nice build, quite chunky, but with a dual slider keypad/keyboard it is expected. It is actually smaller than my current Samsung i325 (Ace). The screen is extremely crisp and bright. The keyboard is responsive, and it feels much faster than my other device.
Below is a short capture of the AT&T Home Screen - the main differences are the colours and the new AT&T item on the mai page:
And below is an overview of each of the items on the standard Windows Mobile Home Screen. Note how the right software key changes functions depending on context:
I also installed Google Maps and Windows Live Search and they both instantly worked with the built-in GPS, without any extra configuration needed. The GPS got a fix in a matter of seconds - from cold start in another side of the globe this is impressive. More on the Pantech Matrix Proto come later.
AT&T sent me the handset with one of its SIM cards, which I will be using while over in the U.S. next week, but since roaming wasn't activated, the easiest solution was to just get a local SIM and try it on the phone.
Note that while the phone is a 850MHz device, the new Telecom New Zealand 850MHz WCDMA network is not live for customers yet, so I am using the Vodafone 2100MHz network with a prepay SIM - hence the "G" in these screen captures, since their HSDPA coverage in this area is quite poor (having said that, it was a solid HSDPA until a few months ago, and I suspect they moved some panels in their cell sites around here causing this drop in signal quality).
Back to the matter... The AT&T Matrix Pro so far has impressed me. Nice build, quite chunky, but with a dual slider keypad/keyboard it is expected. It is actually smaller than my current Samsung i325 (Ace). The screen is extremely crisp and bright. The keyboard is responsive, and it feels much faster than my other device.
Below is a short capture of the AT&T Home Screen - the main differences are the colours and the new AT&T item on the mai page:
And below is an overview of each of the items on the standard Windows Mobile Home Screen. Note how the right software key changes functions depending on context:
I also installed Google Maps and Windows Live Search and they both instantly worked with the built-in GPS, without any extra configuration needed. The GPS got a fix in a matter of seconds - from cold start in another side of the globe this is impressive. More on the Pantech Matrix Proto come later.
Pantech Matrix Pro in the house
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 12-MAR-2009 15:00
Very exciting... I've just received an AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro
Windows Mobile Smartphone here. Exciting because this is a very new model, with a sliding keypad and a sliding keyboard as you can see in the pictures below:
The AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro is a WCDMA 850/2100 MHz device meaning it will be perfect for connecting to the new Telecom New Zealand network and for my upcoming trips to Australia and the US.
I have just opened the box and I am now synchronising the phone with my Exchange server, installing important programs and more... Full review later.
The AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro
I have just opened the box and I am now synchronising the phone with my Exchange server, installing important programs and more... Full review later.
Strange Windows Mobile fault: Phone application shows wrong name... Or not?
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 12-NOV-2008 18:20
I had a very interesting phone call today - not because of the call itself, but because it unearthed a very strange fault in the Windows Mobile Phone application.
I have a friend in Wellington, New Zealand, let's call her L.E. with phone number +64 4 555-1234. I have a commercial contact in Auckland, let's call her R.M. with phone number +64 9 555-1234. Yes, same country code and phone number, just different area codes.
An interesting coincidence.
Today R.M. called me. I answer saying "Hello L.E."... But of course it wasn't L.E calling me, but that's what the Phone application tells me.
It seems the Windows Mobile Phone application searches only the phone number (not including the area code). It also seems the index use is probably something like (Phone + Name), therefore a search with Phone = 555-1234 brings L.E.'s record first - and stops there without checking area code to make sure it's really who the caller is.
Freaky how this happened. How big a coincidence to have two people you know with the same phone number just different area codes? I would say it is harder to happen in the USA, but in a small country like New Zealand...
I have a friend in Wellington, New Zealand, let's call her L.E. with phone number +64 4 555-1234. I have a commercial contact in Auckland, let's call her R.M. with phone number +64 9 555-1234. Yes, same country code and phone number, just different area codes.
An interesting coincidence.
Today R.M. called me. I answer saying "Hello L.E."... But of course it wasn't L.E calling me, but that's what the Phone application tells me.
It seems the Windows Mobile Phone application searches only the phone number (not including the area code). It also seems the index use is probably something like (Phone + Name), therefore a search with Phone = 555-1234 brings L.E.'s record first - and stops there without checking area code to make sure it's really who the caller is.
Freaky how this happened. How big a coincidence to have two people you know with the same phone number just different area codes? I would say it is harder to happen in the USA, but in a small country like New Zealand...
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Samsung Omnia Windows Mobile UI
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 11-NOV-2008 16:54
I just got a Samsung Omnia for review here, and before I post the full article I want to let you see what cool user interface Samsung created for this device.
Thy have replaced the standard Windows Mobile Today screen with a "desktop". You have a scrollable sidebar on the left side and you can move it up and down with your finger. You can also move widgets from this bar to the desktop - and back.
Watch the video capture to see how it works (and when you see the widgets moving imagine it's my finger):
Thy have replaced the standard Windows Mobile Today screen with a "desktop". You have a scrollable sidebar on the left side and you can move it up and down with your finger. You can also move widgets from this bar to the desktop - and back.
Watch the video capture to see how it works (and when you see the widgets moving imagine it's my finger):
Geekzone Software Store reopening - and a sofware discount code
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 7-SEP-2008 08:55
A few months ago we entered into an agreement with Mobihand to power a new Geekzone Software Store, which came live a couple of weeks ago, under a new subdomain (store.geekzone.co.nz) - but it still can be accessed from the old www.geekzone.co.nz/store address.
Their platform offers a very complete range of mobile software for Windows Mobile Professional, Windows Mobile Standard, Symbian and Palm OS.
That worked quite well because their platform offers an incredible flexibility for me to configure campaigns, discounts, bundles, specials and most importantly to get reports out of the system - now I know exactly what is selling and what is interesting for users of all these mobile platforms.
We started with a 20% discount code that expired today. This code was well used, so I decided to create a new discount code - "Geekzone" - that will give buyers 15% discount in all products.
I've created a couple of best-seller modules and inserted in our Software page. There you can see all the best-seller software for each platform. Really cool information. Note that this page is only a selection - for the full catalogue you have to visit Geekzone Software Store.
And remember to use the discount codes.
Their platform offers a very complete range of mobile software for Windows Mobile Professional, Windows Mobile Standard, Symbian and Palm OS.
That worked quite well because their platform offers an incredible flexibility for me to configure campaigns, discounts, bundles, specials and most importantly to get reports out of the system - now I know exactly what is selling and what is interesting for users of all these mobile platforms.
We started with a 20% discount code that expired today. This code was well used, so I decided to create a new discount code - "Geekzone" - that will give buyers 15% discount in all products.
I've created a couple of best-seller modules and inserted in our Software page. There you can see all the best-seller software for each platform. Really cool information. Note that this page is only a selection - for the full catalogue you have to visit Geekzone Software Store.
And remember to use the discount codes.
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Update Windows Live Mobile or not?
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 25-JUL-2008 12:51
This week we got the news Microsoft has released an update for Windows Live Mobile. No, don't go updating your Windows Mobile Pocket PC yet. Read on.
First the good news: this update enhances Windows Live on your Windows Mobile. Great. But if you have Windows Live Messenger on your device (installed by an OEM), don't install this update yet. Read more.
Windows Live Mobile is really cool - it enables push e-mail for your Windows Live accounts (this includes Hotmail and even the Geekzonemail accounts).
Here is the bad news: Microsoft stopped providing Windows Live Messenger with Windows Live Mobile - a departure from earlier versions. And if you have an old Windows Live Mobile version with Windows Live Messenger, installing this new version will disable the Messenger component.
The Windows Live Messenger files are still in the system, but the program won't start at all. Uninstalling the "update" will automatically revert to the previous version and enable Windows Live Messenger again.
What is really annoying is that Microsoft makes Windows Live Messenger available for RIM BlackBerry users, but leave Windows Mobile users in the cold, waiting for operators to release their software (which we all know ain't gonna happen any time soon).
If you don't have Windows Live Mobile on your device (some OEMs don't include it), then you can download it now - and use a third party software for communicating with friends on Windows Live Messenger. Try one of the following:
- Fring (free, multiple IM systems, Skype, SIP, Twitter)
- Pocket MSN
- MSN Messenger Force
First the good news: this update enhances Windows Live on your Windows Mobile. Great. But if you have Windows Live Messenger on your device (installed by an OEM), don't install this update yet. Read more.
Windows Live Mobile is really cool - it enables push e-mail for your Windows Live accounts (this includes Hotmail and even the Geekzonemail accounts).
Here is the bad news: Microsoft stopped providing Windows Live Messenger with Windows Live Mobile - a departure from earlier versions. And if you have an old Windows Live Mobile version with Windows Live Messenger, installing this new version will disable the Messenger component.
The Windows Live Messenger files are still in the system, but the program won't start at all. Uninstalling the "update" will automatically revert to the previous version and enable Windows Live Messenger again.
What is really annoying is that Microsoft makes Windows Live Messenger available for RIM BlackBerry users, but leave Windows Mobile users in the cold, waiting for operators to release their software (which we all know ain't gonna happen any time soon).
If you don't have Windows Live Mobile on your device (some OEMs don't include it), then you can download it now - and use a third party software for communicating with friends on Windows Live Messenger. Try one of the following:
- Fring (free, multiple IM systems, Skype, SIP, Twitter)
- Pocket MSN
- MSN Messenger Force
Ilium Software: eleven years
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Windows Mobile, posted: 30-MAY-2008 10:30
I started using handheld devices when US Robotics created the Pilot organiser - the one that later turned into Palm Pilot, and so on.The first software I ever bought for my handheld was Ilium eWallet - it stores information cards in a secure file, synchronises with a desktop, and more. And even after I moved to Windows Mobile years later, this is still the first software I install on any new handheld I get - Pocket PC or Smartphone.
Ilium is now celebrating its 11th anniversary with a week of promotions with prizes including Amazon gift cards, software and more. So check the Ilium Software blog from Monday (2nd June) through Friday (6th June) to find out how to enter.
They are also running a software sale during this period with 55% discount over their regular price. The link will be live on Monday as well.
Enjoy - I have enjoyed for over ten years!
