Tracy and Matt

I've been looking through our stats and noticed a lot of search traffic phrases coming through that are questions about the HTC TyTN and Orange SPV M3100 and I'm wondering if you are finding the answers to your questions?

So here's your chance. Tell me what you want to know about the HTC TyTN, Orange SPV M3100 or HTC Hermes in general and I will see if I can answer it for you. I have several devices at hand if necessary and chances are that other people will want the same questions answered so I'll post up a Q&A.

Drop me a line through the normal feedback form and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Orange, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100, Orange SPV M3100 Review, MicroSD]

Today is the last day for sending in your MicroSD card competition entries. If you wish to enter I must receive your entry by midnight tonight.

Just a reminder that in order to qualify you must email me any 5 of the competition codes that I posted over the last 7 days.

Entries will be numbered and 5 winners will be chosen at random using a random number generator. The first name selected will receive a 1gb MicroSD card, the next four names will each receive a 512mb card

Winners will be announced some time tomorrow (13th September) and prizes sent out Thursday/Friday.

Any questions then email me.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Orange, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100, Orange SPV M3100 Review, MicroSD]

INTRODUCTION

I thought that reviewing a game over the weekend would be a lot easier than trying to fit it around work, boy was I wrong! It wasn’t the fact that I was busy, it was because my phone would disappear for hours and only came back when the battery needed charging. I’d charge the phone and Tracy would run off with it again! I had to make sure Tracy had her own one to play with!

Bejeweled was first released as a web based game followed later by a PC version. The Pocket PC version was originally released as Diamond Mine in 2001, with the first release as Bejeweled coming in 2003. It featured two games modes, ‘Easy’ for relaxation and ‘Timed’ for fast paced, frantic action. The idea of Bejeweled simple all you have to do is tap two adjacent gems to swap them and make vertical or horizontal lines of three or more. Matching gems are then removed from play, their spaces taken up by new gems that fall from above.

Bejeweled(left) vs Bejeweled 2(right)

Bejeweled 2 uses the same idea with a few nice touches and some small changes that make all the difference. Bejeweled 2 has 4 different game modes, Classic, Action, Puzzle and Endless plus 5 unlockable bonus play modes. Classic has no time limit and is played until there are no more moves left, Action has a time bar at the bottom which decreases when you are not swapping gems and increases a little when you make a chain of gems.

Puzzle mode was not included in the previous Bejeweled and is a great addition. Instead of having the screen full of gems they are placed on the screen in specific patterns and the level is completed when you have cleared all the gems. Often there is only one solution to the puzzle. Finally, endless is a relaxing game mode with no time limits and where there is always another move to make.

The game is easy to pick up and learn but requires skill to get past the first level. The updated graphics between 1 and 2 make all the difference. Although in Bejeweled 2 the gems are smaller due to the placement of the pause button but they are a lot clearer. The background pictures which change when you go up a level are also a nice touch. The sound is clearer although the music is still slightly repetitive, but if you have a memory card you can put a few tracks on that.

Other than game modes, graphics and sound there are a few great features that the previous Bejeweled was missing. For instance the clock to tell you that you have been playing the game way too long and you should have been off lunch 30 minutes ago. The battery display to show how much more battery you have and a screensaver for the very rare occasions when your not playing this game.

Bejeweled(left) vs Bejeweled 2(right)

CONCLUSION

This game is highly addictive and has great replay value which will have you playing ‘just one more’ all day long. The graphics are clear and a vast improvement over the last one, although I would have liked the gems to be a bit larger and maybe have the pause and hint buttons on the bottom. If you have the previous Bejeweled and are wondering if it’s worth buying Bejeweled 2 then answer is yes! The extra game modes and 5 unlockable modes will keep you playing for ages. Although I do suggest keeping the game away from partners, friends, children, work colleages or even people on the bus.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Astraware and check it out!

Review by Russell.

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Astraware, M3100, Bejeweled]

About a week ago I told you about the rather cool looking docking cradle that Brando released. Well now it's time to review one!

The cradle is of a sleek back design measuring 85 x 36 x 90mm. It's weighted which means that when you put your device in the dock its really rather sturdy while the rubber feet keep it in place on your desk.

The cradle comes with the required USB cable to plug it into your PC. A blue LED on top indicates when there is power. One thing about the LED is that it's a bit too bright and slightly distracting. It's also illuminated whether or not the phone is docked, I would have preferred if the LED was only on to indicate charging but then I suppose there are LED's on the phone for that.

It took a little getting used to in terms of putting my SPV M3100 in the cradle. To begin with I found it a bit fiddly and it was a bit stiff getting it out again.

It's a shame that HTC don't bundle a sync cradle with their newer devices like they did with the Blue Angel. I really miss having something on my desk that holds the phone in the right position and angle. The Brando cradle is angled just right so that it sits nicely next to my monitor on my desk and I can easily see the display and decide whether or not to answer that incoming call!

Personally I think my Orange M3100 looks better in the cradle than the HTC TyTN but both fit equally well - it's quite snug!

The cradle will fit Dopod CHT9000, Qtek 9600, i-Mate JasJam, O2 XDA Trion, HTC TyTN, HTC Hermes, htc Z, Orange SPV M3100 and T-Mobile MDA vario II devices.

I'm very pleased with the cradle, it works very well for me and for the money, around £12 + p&p, I just can't fault it.

Go on and treat yourself to one, visit Brando Workshop for more information.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Orange, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100]

Treo 750v WM phone has shown up in speed tests over at the dslspeedtest.

There have been rumours that the device will or wont come to Cingular.

This, I believe, is one of the first confirmation that an American-centric version is being tested. And, as you can see below, is being tested by Cingular!

"205 0.553s (600k) mycingular.net Palm750/v0000 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320) UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0"

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, spv headphone socket, m3100 spv usb cable, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100, Hermes Headphones]

I've been asked over and over again "what is the pin configuration of the USB connector on the SPV M3100" and what are the "TyTN connector pinout specs".

Rather than saying "I don't know" I decided to work it out!

The above diagram is of the EMU plug viewed end-on.

Enhanced Mini USB (EMU) connectors are double sided. One side carry's the USB signal data while the other carries audio signals. The pin config is as follows.

Data

Audio

You can find Enhanced Mini USB connectors on a variety of devices. The above config covers the USB configuration of the Orange SPV M3100, HTC TyTN, Vodafone v1605, HTC Oxygen devices and HTC Meteor devices and probably many more.

Use at your own risk though, play safe!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, spv headphone socket, m3100 spv usb cable, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100, Hermes Headphones]

HTC have just released two rather funky looking bluetooth headsets. The first, HTC BH M100 Bluetooth® headset, is a traditional mono bluetooth headset whereas the BH S100 is a stereo bluetooth headset aimed directly at music-lovers with it's 3.5mm jack socket allowing the use of regular headphones.

From the HTC site:

The HTC BH M100 has everything you need in a Bluetooth® headset.

It looks smart, it’s light-weight, comfortable, practical, and delivers crystal clear sound.

The intuitive design of the BH M100 enables you to answer and finish calls at the touch of a button.

A perfect companion for your HTC mobile device.

In the box: Headset, Ear hook, User manual, Travel charger and Charger adapter

The HTC BH S100 Bluetooth® Stereo headset

With the HTC BH S100 you can enjoy your music in wireless stereo, and switch effortlessly between music and your phone so you never miss a call.

Control your phone calls and music at the touch of a button with the clip on control panel. The ultimate in wireless freedom.

Not only is the BH S100 feature packed, but it delivers excellent high quality stereo sound.

A perfect companion for your HTC mobile device.

Specifications

In the box: Headset, 4 x foam earpiece covers, User manual, Travel Charger, Charger adapter and Lanyard

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC, Bluetooth, headset, headphones, SPV]

Sometimes every Smartphone user has to face the difficulty of transfering text from one edit box (any default editable field) to another on their Smartphone. Say, you need to copy a phone number from e-mail and send an sms to this number. In this case, thou funny it may sound, you still have to use a banal pen to write down the number to type it later. This is a big drawback of Windows Mobile platform for Smartphones.

VITO CopyPaste solves this problem with edit boxes and makes Windows Mobile for Smartphones more functional. To install VITO CopyPaste you copy the setup file to your Smartphone and run it. A second later you can bring up a context CopyPaste menu in any default edit box by press'n'holding the central joystick button. In this menu there are options to copy or cut all the text in the currently active edit box, or else choose selection mode and select the part of the text you need to copy or cut by pressing left and right joystick buttons. After you have copied or cut the necessary part of text to clipboard, you can paste it into another edit box.

VITO CopyPaste is easy to operate. Copy the file VitoCopyPaste.exe to your Smartphone (e.g. to StorageProgram FilesVITOCopyPaste) and run it once to activate. Attention! Do not copy it to the default start-up folder (StorageWindowsStartUp or WindowsStartUp). To disable VitoCopyPaste run VitoCopyPaste.exe again.

Read more

Download

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, vito, M3100, HTC Hermes, HTC TyTN, SPV, Orange SPV M3100, Orange SPV M3100 Review, MicroSD]