Archive for April 1st, 2009
Quickoffice today announced it will unveil the first complete Office suite to provide native Microsoft Word and Excel editing for the iPhone, Quickoffice for iPhone, at CTIA, April 1-3, 2009, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Quickoffice is the first iPhone application to include robust document and spreadsheet editors, along with file access and content management functionalities. Quickoffice’s newest suite brings essential high-performance mobile Office productivity to the iPhone with leading-edge innovation and unparalleled ease-of-use.
Enabling quick editing on-the-go with an intuitive user interface, Quickoffice for iPhone offers a comprehensive range of functionality including font formatting, content selection, bullets and cut, copy and paste within Word documents. Users can also modify documents in landscape mode to leverage a wider keyboard. With extensive mathematical and statistical functions, including advanced Excel formulas for spreadsheet processing, consumers can easily revise inputs and recalculate, insert and resize rows and columns within the application.
Dieter over at Precentral has done a sterling job over at CTIA and posted a video demonstration of some 3rd party applications running on the Palm Pre. He has also unearthed another gem of information regarding Palm OS applications. He has spotted an application on the Pre that lets you emulate Palm OS applications, great news for you Palm fans, still no information on a launch date but there is still time. Video of the applications after the break.
After the HTC Snap was announced earlier today, HTC have wasted no time providing us with a video. Its only a short one but quickly explains how the inner circle works and a look at the rather functional front facing QWERTY keyboard. The videos after the break.
So your sitting waiting patiently for the long promised iPhone version of SlingPlayer and you have been a long time user of Sling, looks like you may be out of luck. Original Slingbox, Slingbox AV or Slingbox TUNER owners will not be able to use the iPhone application. Below is the statement form the Sling site.
Sling Media is encouraging customers who own these earlier versions of Slingbox to upgrade to Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD to take advantage of next generation software and services that will only be supported when using the most current Slingbox and SlingLoaded products. Future software includes the highly anticipated SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone software launching soon. Current Slingbox functionality will not be affected if you choose not to upgrade, but software like SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone and future services yet to be announced will only be supported for customers using Slingbox SOLO, Slingbox PRO and Slingbox PRO-HD products or forthcoming SlingLoaded products
A little disappointing especially since I just bought a classic on Ebay in anticipation of the iPhone application hitting the App Store. Thanks to Sling Community for the heads up.
In a rather surprising press release HTC announced their newest handset, the HTC Snap, this afternoon.
HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.
Many people find they are overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.
“Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button,” said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. “The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC’s mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers.”
With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favourite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.
The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.
The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S721 during the summer.
Posted by: Matt
HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.
A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.
This is HP’s flagship Windows Smartphone. It sits alongside the HP Data Messenger, its Windows Mobile brother. It’s a fantastic looking phone but, in my opinion, and like its keyboarded brother, it’s not ready for general use. However for the record here is my 2 cents worth.
The HP iPAQ Voice Messenger
What’s in the box?
The phone supplied with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard aka Windows Smartphone, Mains charger with USB output socket, Micro USB data / charging cable. Ear phones with Call Answer/End button, manuals.
Check out Matt’s HP iPAQ Voice Messenger un-boxing video for more information:
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger specification:
- Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
- Qualcomm 7201A 528MHz CPU
- 128 MB SDRAM
- 256 MB flash ROM
- 2.4” transmissive TFT, 64K colours, 320 x 240 pixel non-touch screen display with LED backlight
- 20-key keyboard with alphanumeric/QWERTY layout
- 5-way optical navigation key
- Integrated WLAN 802.11b/g with WPA2 security
- Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
- Micro-USB connector for synchronisation and charging
- Micro SDHC card slot – supports up to 8GB
- Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- Integrated GPS navigation (Assisted GPS)
- 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera, 5X digital zoom
- LED flash
- Removable/rechargeable 1260 mAh Lithium-Polymer Battery (user changeable)
- Dimensions (W x D x H) – 5.0 x 1.36 x 11.4 cm
- Weight – 107g
General
A solid and conventional ‘candy-bar’ phone but with a great combination of gloss black and deeply chromed trim and back panel make this phone stand out from the crowd. The screen is 320×240 pixels, 2.4” non touch, with LED backlight for high contrast and low power usage.
On the front there is a 20 Key phone pad. Call Answer and End keys with integrated LEDs. Two Soft Keys. Home and Return Keys. 5 way optical mouse with push to select button. LED status indicator.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger front view
On the top a physical switch to select ring or vibrate.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger top view
On the left, Key Lock, volume up/down, voice command select.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger left side
On the right, 2.5mm headphone jack, Micro USB charge/data port, camera button.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger right side
Underneath the back cover are the battery, Sim and hot swappable MicroSD slot. There is no separate reset button; soft reset is accomplished by removing the battery.
On the back the 3.2Mp camera and LED flash.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger back view
Highlights
- Style
- LED Backlit screen
Lowlights
- Raw Windows Mobile 6.1
- Issues with optical mouse and touch sensitive buttons
Review
The phones layout is mostly fine; the keypad has a healthy response to it. The Optical mouse is a nice idea but not quite precise enough for me to use. I found it either too sensitive; jumping several menu options at a time or not responsive enough i.e. not moving when one intended it to. The end result was very frustrating. It was however way better than the optical mouse on the Data Messenger I reviewed last month, and possibly one could get used to it.
In a similar way the 2 touch sensitive buttons each side of the optical mouse were a disappointment. They seem to have great potential but partly the layout and partly the combination of real buttons and touch buttons just didn’t really work for me.
I feel for a active business phone, which seems where these phones are pitched, physical push buttons are still the best option as they reduce the vagueness around ‘did I select it, or didn’t I?’. Especially useful when your phone is having one of those “I will keep you waiting because I sense you are in a rush” moments. In case you wonder why new phones have these slow downs, it’s because they are basically small, but powerful computers. And like computers they too have personalities, the sort found in 4 year old children who have had too much chocolate and coke on a long hot car journey. (J)
The touch buttons on the Voice Messenger were actually so sensitive that they sometimes activated just by bringing your finger near them. Not ideal on a cramped keyboard.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger keypad view
The biggest problem with this phone is that it runs an unmodified version of Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition. Many manufacturers now provide highly modified ‘frontends’ for their phones making the user experience so much better. It’s not that there is anything particularly ‘wrong’ with Windows Mobile it’s just that it is lumpy and has remained virtually the same for several years now. Version 6.5 of WM is due soon and it promises improved usability. These phones may be unreadable to that, but we haven’t had confirmation yet, so check first if it’s important for you. That said this is the Smartphone version of Windows Mobile i.e. doesn’t have a touch screen and because its designed for button and phone pad use, it’s actually less of a problem than the touch screen version.
Conclusion
Very nice looking phone, some features are questionable. But overall there are much better options from other vendors to consider.
Review by: Daniel des Baux
[ Post Tags: HP iPAQ Voice Messenger, Windows Mobile, HP iPAQ, Smartphone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]
Research In Motion launches BlackBerry App World™, a new on-device application store for BlackBerry smartphones. At launch, BlackBerry App World brings together a broad mix of personal and business applications for users to discover.
BlackBerry App World is immediately available to BlackBerry smartphone users in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with more country launches to follow. Users in these countries can download the BlackBerry App World application to their BlackBerry smartphone by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld from their handset.
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