Author Archive: Matt

More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.

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By May 24, 2007 Read More →

O2 Germany releases WM6 Upgrade for Xda Orbit

O2 Germany have just released a free Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the XDA Orbit.

O2 XDA Orbit

O2 XDA Orbit

Remember though, this update is for German Orbit’s only at this time and should not be applied to Orbit’s from other locales or to other devices. Be patient, I suspect that O2 UK will not be too far behind with an English language version of the upgrade.

I hope that Orange will soon follow with a round of upgrades for their current devices. However, if the past is any indicator, then we may have a long wait! :S

Posted by: Matt

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Posted in: Phones
By May 24, 2007 Read More →

US Senator who voted for cellphone-driving law crashes car – while on the phone

I found this story elsewhere on the web and it made me snigger so much that I just had to mention it!

California State Senator Carole Migden, a former voter for a state bill that fines people for using their cellphones while driving, rear-ended her state-issued SUV into a Honda sedan on Highway 12 in Solano County. While on her phone. The driver of the Honda was taken to the hospital with minor injuries that required some medical attention.

Whether they’re sending a text, answering a call, scrolling through social media, or watching a video, by taking their focus off the road, they’re putting other drivers at risk, the National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving, learn more about this state reports at this company website.

According to another study, drivers who are talking on the phone, even on a hands-free device, are up to four times more likely to be involved in a crash.

I suppose that’s one way to prove a point!

Posted by: Matt

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Posted in: Editorial
By May 23, 2007 Read More →

Symantec announces security suite for Windows Mobile

Symantec is set to broaden its mobile security product line by shipping new products designed for Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile devices.

The software will come in two versions: a consumer product called Norton Mobile Security for Smartphones and Symantec Mobile Security 5.0, designed for enterprise users. Both versions will be available May 29, a company spokesman said Monday.

Symantec already sells a suite for phones based on the Symbian operating system, as well as antivirus software for Windows Mobile but these new products will support a much broader range of security features, Symantec said.

Norton Mobile Security for Smartphones will cost US$49.95. Symantec Mobile Security 5.0 will be priced at $79.95(:!:). Symantec will ship a similar 5.0 update to Symbian smartphone software in about six months, a company spokesman said.

Is it just me or does this seem like a real waste of time and money? How many virus outbreaks have their been on Windows Mobile? If this ‘Security Suite’ is as bloated as its desktop brother then I very much doubt it will run on any Smartphone yet made! :crazy: As for the cost, that’s about 10 times more than I would be willing to pay.

Posted by: Matt

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Posted in: News
By May 22, 2007 Read More →

Samsung to provide free WM 6 upgrade for i600

Good news for Samsung i600 owners – according to sources at Smartphone-web Samsung will be providing Windows Mobile 6 for the Samsung SGH-i600 and what’s more, the upgrade will also be free of charge!

Samsung SGH-i600

Samsung SGH-i600

Although this information isn’t truly official yet, we understand that Samsung Germany have already published the link for the upgrade, a release date has yet to be announced.

At the moment the upgrade is only for Samsung’s own version of the i600. As yet it’s not yet clear if Vodafone or Orange will offer upgrades for their branded version of the i600 as well.

Posted by: Matt

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Posted in: News
By May 22, 2007 Read More →

T-Mobile ‘Wing’ launched in USA

Some time ago we brought you news of the T-Mobile ‘Wing’ – the device that was set to replace the ageing MDA. Today saw the launch of the Wing on T-Mobile in the USA.

T-Mobile Wing

T-Mobile Wing

The T-Mobile Wing is based on the HTC Herald platform and is very similar in design to the HTC P4350 but is slightly slicker and includes the much coveted Windows Mobile 6 rom.

Over at BoyGeniusReports, they’ve got a device ahead of time and have some unboxing shots, including pictures of the device next to its P4350 sibling.

Maybe you were a little shy about purchasing an unbranded OEM HTC P4350, maybe you wanted a better price, regardless the T-Mobile should offer you the same device with a couple nice added features. Obviously the biggest selling point is that Windows Mobile 6 Professional is loaded right on. T-Mobile opted to have the case customized and to tell you the truth, it might be a tad thicker, but it almost feels nicer than the standard HTC Herald. The navigation buttons have been redone, also the Windows key, OK key, and a couple others were also changed. With a 200MHz processor it’s still a very speedy device, and WM6 only helps! Pricing as stated before — $499 full retail, $299 with a 2 year agreement and $50 mail in rebate.

T-Mobile Wing Specification:

  • Quadband GSM with EDGE
  • Windows Mobile 6
  • TI OMAP 850 processor
  • 1.9-megapixel CMOS camera
  • 2.4-inch 340×240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support
  • 128MB ROM; 64MB RAM
  • microSD expansion slot
  • Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP
  • 802.11g, USB and infrared
  • 1130mAh battery
  • 111 x 62.5 x 12.8mm; 130g

    • Matt

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    Posted in: News
    By May 21, 2007 Read More →

    Astraware honoured with Passport Exporter of the Year Award

    Astraware is very excited to announce that they have been honoured with the award for Passport Exporter of the Year for West Midlands, from UK Trade & Investment.

    Astraware

    The Passport Exporter of the Year award is given to the company that is judged to have made the best use of innovation, improving processes and/or products/services whilst entering new markets, and the panel particularly commended Astraware’s approach to market entry by building up key relationships with companies such as Palm, Inc. and Microsoft. Astraware was also praised for its product development, and for choosing tactics and growth rate with care.

    “It is tremendously exciting to receive this recognition by UK Trade & Investment,” said David Oakley, Astraware’s CTO. “This award will help us to continue to expand our exports into new territories.”

    “While it has been relatively easy for us as a British company building links with US companies,” said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware, “it has been great to get the additional support to help us make the right links to succeed in the Far East – a huge market and opportunity for us!”

    Doug Mahoney, international trade director for UK Trade & Investment in the West Midlands, said: “I congratulate the team at Astraware on their thoroughly deserved success following their work on the Passport scheme with the Staffordshire international trade team, who will continue to provide them with ongoing support.

    “Not only do they have highly sophisticated products and services, but they have gone to great care to select the right international markets at the right time, and to nurture excellent relationships with overseas partners.”

    The awards ceremony was held at The Thinktank in Birmingham on Friday 18th May and Astraware’s CEO, Howard Tomlinson, and CTO, David Oakley accepted the award from Doug Mahoney, International Trade Director, UK Trade & Investment, West Midlands, in front of an audience of other award winners and nominees. Also in attendance from Astraware were Alison Barclay, CCO; Priscilla Cordova, Partner Manager; Roland Glew, QA Tester; Iain Moore, Windows Mobile Lead Developer; and Kirsten Tomlinson, Customer Service and QA Tester.

    Posted by: Matt

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    Posted in: News
    By May 21, 2007 Read More →

    VITO AstroNavigator II updated

    VITO Technology updates VITO AstroNavigator II, the GPS application that displays the sky map above you according to your current position, time and direction of movement. It is high time to break away from all the high-tech around and watch the night sky! With night view mode it is even easier now!

    VITO AstroNavigator II update

    VITO AstroNavigator II update

    With new VITO AstroNavigator II you can literally reach out and touch the sky. Just slide with a finger to rotate the screen and see a star, a planet, or a constellation. Tap one of them to read a wealth of information about any celestial body.

    A new night view skin allows you to watch the night sky in a more convenient way. You don’t need to wait till your eyes adjust to the night sky after the bright screen of your Pocket PC. The new skin in dim red colors is dazzle free.

    Other improvements include manual GPS set up. The world map has also been improved: now it displays the stars above you more precisely according to the selected location.

    New version of VITO AstroNavigator II requires much less memory and runs swiftly on a wide range of Pocket PCs (from WM 2003 to WM 6.0). Users can also minimize the program now instead of exiting for checking on other applications. The trial has also been renewed of course.

    VITO Technology ltd. is known for its high-tech products in the field of Windows Mobile and Symbian software, GPS navigation and custom projects. Introduced in the present article VITO AstroNavigator II is a GPS application for displaying the sky map according to your current location.

    Posted by: Matt

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    Posted in: Apps & Games
    By May 20, 2007 Read More →

    High cost of Blackberry

    For those of us out there that are IT Managers/Directors does the following sound familliar?

    One of your company directors heads out for a meeting only to return to the office having met someone with a Blackberry. Now he NEEDS a his own Blackberry and nothing else will do!

    I come across this every day. I normally ask ‘Why do you need a Blackberry specifically rather than a Windows Mobile device?’. Generally there is no good reason or answer except that so-and-so told them that they need to get a Blackberry to read their email and access their calendar. All things that Windows Mobile can do!

    Our friend Alasdair has writen a nice piece about this IT Managers headache over on his blog, Mashup of Mayhem. It’s well worth the read and explains exactly why Blackberry devices work out so expensive! If the above conversation is one that you have with your boss you might want to print out Aladair’s post and get them to read it!

    Posted By:Matt

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    Posted in: Editorial
    By May 19, 2007 Read More →

    Vodafone launch HTC Vox as v1410

    Vodafone have just announced that they will be releasing their version of the HTC Vox (aka HTC S710/SPV E650/VDA V) as the Vodafone v1410.

    Vodafone v1410

    Vodafone v1410

    No real difference between the v1410 version and any of the others as far as we can tell. I wonder if Vodafone will leave Windows Live Messenger intact?

    Vodafone v1410 Specification:

  • Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone
  • TI OMAP 850 CPU @ 200Mhz
  • Quad Band EDGE/GSM (No 3G!)
  • 2.4″ QVGA 240 x 320 screen
  • 96Mb RAM, 128Mb ROM
  • Bluetooth 2
  • Dimensions: 100 x 50 x 18mm
  • USB and WiFi (802.11b/g)
  • ‘Spring Loaded’ Qwerty keyboard
  • 2MP Camera
  • 5 way jog bar
  • MicroSD card slot

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    Posted in: News
    By May 18, 2007 Read More →

    Packs of Fun – save bagfuls on selected value packs of games!

    Astraware is excited to announce their Packs of Fun promotion, where you can save bagfuls on their most popular value packs of games. From Friday 18th May to Monday 28th May you can save on a selected range of game packs with up to 6 titles in each.

    Packs Of Fun from Astraware!

    Packs Of Fun from Astraware!

    Packs of Fun is a fantastic opportunity to pick up a bargain on PopCap Games Pack 1, featuring Bejeweled, Alchemy and 3 other great titles, or the Family Games Pack including Insaniquarium, Bzzz! and 4 more fun, family-friendly games. There are 6 different packs to choose from and every one is discounted by $10, so get them now, this offer is only available for a limited time!

    To bag yourself a bargain, head over to the Astraware website at http://www.astraware.com, but hurry, the sale ends on May 28th 2007!

    Posted by: Matt

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    Posted in: Apps & Games
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