Matt
More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.
According to Digitimes, HTC are working on a UMPC with a 7″ Screen as a follow-on from the HTC Athena.
High Tech Computer (HTC) is currently developing its second UMPC (ultra mobile PC), with the new product likely to be launched in the second quarter of this year, according to market sources.
HTC’s second UMPC, which the company prefers to call a “Mobile Office Device,” will have a 7-inch display, the sources noted.
News of the new device comes after Dopod International, a brand-product unit of HTC, announced on January 24 that it will start marketing HTC’s first 5-inch UMPC, codenamed Athena, as the Dopod U1000 in Taiwan later this month.
T-Mobile Germany recently announced that in March it would be launching its HTC-made Ameo smartphone device, which, according to sources in Taiwan’s UMPC industry, is just a version of the Athena. HTC also plans to market the 5-inch Athena in other European markets as the HTC X7500, said the sources.
I think it’s worth pointing out, however, that the HTC Athena is NOT a UMPC. It’s close but still just a PocketPC Mobile device.
Source: Digitimes.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, UMPC, Ameo, HTC Athena, Tracy & Matt]
Today Asus announced its latest Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition device; the Asus P735.
The P735 allows users to make full use of its 3G capabilities and integrates network connectivity, video conferencing, multimedia applications and many other business functions. With the P735, no matter where the user is globally, they can always access the information needed for informed business decisions while keeping total control over their personal life on the go.
“As phones become increasingly powerful, consumers are asking for one device that works for all aspects of life, in and out of the office,” said Mr. Jason Lim, Regional Director, Asia Pacific and Japan, Mobile and Embedded Devices Division, Microsoft Corp. “With the Windows Mobile-powered P735, ASUS is helping people make the professional and personal connections when and where they need them.”
Bundled in the P735 are exclusive ASUS software that provide the user with a variety of helpful options. The My Secret function encrypts and protects sensitive documents away from unauthorized eyes when activated. The ASUS Status feature keeps the user up to date with the status of the device; and the Profile function avoids embarrassing rings during meetings.
Asus P735 Specification
View the full Asus press release HERE.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Asus, P735, Tracy & Matt]
T-Mobile Germany has now officially announced the T-Mobile Ameo (HTC Athena) in a press release yesterday.
Press release (google translated):
T-mobile underlines its role with a completely new PDA (personal digital Assistant) equal to beginning of the yearly as innovation driver in things portable radio. The Ameo of T-mobile stands for a new equipment category: the PDA combines modern computer functions, mobile broadband transmission techniques and telephone with an attractive Design. The innovative concept makes it possible to use the Ameo alternatively with or without its QWERTZ Keyboard. By magnets it is simply and fast stick onable. In each case the large color display, the fast processor, the large non removable disk, different interfaces, high Akkuleistung provide and much more besides for high utilizable value.
Practically all necessary applications available, information and connections makes the Ameo mobilely. Owing to the equipment both with HSDPA/UMTS and EDGE/GPRS and W-LAN is to the users over the T-mobile portable radio net the fastest in each case available mobile transmission technique at the disposal.
The Ameo is a common development of T-mobile and HTC. World-wide it is for the first time available in an exclusive variant with T-mobile starting from March 2007. In connection with a month run time contract in the tariff Relax 100 the equipment 499.95 costs 24 €.
Read the full press release.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, T-Mobile, Ameo, Dopod U1000, HTC Athena, HTC X7500, Tracy & Matt]
The latest Beta version of Microsoft Portrait has just been released.
Microsoft Portrait is a research prototype for mobile video communication. It supports .NET Messenger Service, Session Initiation Protocol and Internet Locator Service on PCs, Pocket PCs, Handheld PCs and Smartphone. It runs on local area networks, dialup networks and even wireless networks with bandwidths as low as 9.6 kilobits/second. Microsoft Portrait delivers portrait-like video if users are in low bandwidths and displays full-color video if users are in broadband. In low bandwidths, portrait video possesses clearer shape, smoother motion, shorter latency and much cheaper computational cost than do conventional video technologies. Microsoft Portrait pursues providing presence notification, chat/voice/video functions anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Find out more on the Microsoft Research site.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Microsoft Research, Portrait, Crossbow]
VITO Technology releases VITO Remote for Smartphone – the first universal remote control for Windows Mobile Smartphones. You can finally replace all your TV, Video, Home Theater and other remote controls with your stylish and compact Smartphone!
VITO Remote for Smartphone allows you to teach you Smartphone all the commands from the original remote controls for your home and office electronics. Simply place Smartphone and an original remote control with their infrared ports facing each other, press a button on Smartphone and then on an original remote control: your Smartphone has learned it! This way you can easily stow all the necessary commands to your Smartphone and control any of your home and office equipment.
With user friendly and straightforward interface you can easily create as many profiles as you wish for all your devices that can be controlled remotely. Every button can have a separate icon or a custom name. With multiple screen layers you can assign as many commands as there are buttons on the original remote control for one and the same device.
VITO Remote for Smartphones is available for $15.95 at vitotechnology.com. The system requirements are Windows Mobile Smartphone with Intel XScale or Samsung processor.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Vito, VITO Remote, M3100, Smartphone Software]
Microsoft has announced the addition of an Extended Support phase for the Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition operating systems, providing consumers with an additional phase of support.
With the addition of Extended Support, the support life cycle for Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition will include a total of five years of Mainstream Support (until April 2009) and five years of Extended Support, matching the support policy provided for Windows XP Professional.
The Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy standardizes Microsoft product support policies for business and developer products as well as for consumer, hardware, multimedia and Microsoft Dynamicsproducts.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): Microsoft, Vista, Windows XP, OS, Tracy & Matt]
It has been a good news day for HTC Athena fans with the news earlier about T-Mobile’s planned launch of the Ameo and now we discover that the HTC commercial arm are going to release the device as the HTC X7500.
I must say that I prefer the device in black as the silver design that we have already seen looks rather 90’s. A few other things (semi)confirmed about the HTC X7500 are that it will include a 8GB Hard Drive, TV-out and a VGA-out connector.
It really is looking like an interesting device but I can’t imagine using it as a phone what would you look like holding that lump to your ear!? 😛
HTC X7500 Specification
You can find lots more photos on HPC.ru
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, T-Mobile, Ameo, Dopod U1000, HTC Athena, HTC X7500, Tracy & Matt]
Ok so maybe this isn’t a ‘repair’ but it’s certainly the next best thing!
I’ve had my iPod video for a little while and a few weeks ago I managed to scratch the screen, it’s a bad scratch caused by putting my keys in the same pocket as the iPod. I’m normally so careful with my devices but the mistake all but ruined the screen!
I had an idea and called upon my old friends a JAVOedge. It may well seem like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted but I thought that an Anti-Glare JAVOscreen might cover up the scratch and prevent any further damage.
So today I got my screen protector from JAVOedge and after cleaning my iPod screen I applied it. I am simply amazed at the results! Have a look at the two pictures below. In the ‘before’ picture you can clearly see the nasty scratch but after applying the anti-glare screen protector it is virtually impossible to see the scratch, even up close and holding it to the light you can barely see it!
Not only does the JAVOscreen hide the scratch but check out the anti-glare coating. This makes the screen so much easier to see, even in daylight it cuts out all the unwanted reflections.
When you buy a JAVOScreen for an iPod from JAVOedge you don’t just get a screen protector that simply covers the screen area, the screen protector covers the whole of the front of the iPod. You also get a circular protector for the click-wheel and another protector for the back of the device!
So whether you are looking to protect your iPod screen from damage or you already have an scratched iPod that you want to ‘repair’ take a look at the JAVOedge JAVOscreen products – they are certainly a cheaper alternative to replacing the screen!
These screen protectors from JAVOedge are available for lots of other products too. So if you have scratched your mobile phone, iPod or PDA screen why not try a JAVOscreen protector?
BTW – Images are straight from the camera, just resized for the web.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): PSP, JAVOedge, Screen Protector, iPod, Tracy & Matt]
A while ago everyone was talking about the HTC Athena, speculating about the specification and wondering if the device would ever come to market. Well today we seem to be a step closer as it looks like T-mobile are getting ready to launch the device as the T-mobile Ameo.
Details of the Ameo have started to emerge and PocketInfo have several images of the device as well as a more up to date specification. It now looks like the OS will in fact be WM5 and not WM6/Crossbow as we first thought however the images currently available are obviously Photoshopped so the final spec when it comes to release could be quite different.
I’m still not convinced by the concept of this device, it’s pretty big yet the screen is ‘only’ 640 x 480. There are UMPC devices out there (eg OQO 2) that are only a little bit larger yet offer higher screen resolution, full blown Windows XP and gigabytes of hard drive space. Also a device like the Ameo could really benefit from USB On-the-Go but there is no mention of this in the spec at the moment.
I’m just not sure where a device like the Ameo would sit in the market. I guess time will tell!
T-Mobile Ameo Specification
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, T-Mobile, Ameo, HTC Athena, Tracy & Matt]
Well I know that it’s a high spec device with VGA screen, 2GB Rom, USB on-the-Go etc. but would you really pay over $1100 (£600ish) for the O2 XDA Flame? Well if the prices at anything online are to be believed then that’s how much the device could set you back! Mind you, it is an Australian site and I have been told that electronics are a bit more expensive there so perhaps we can expect the Flame to retail for less in the UK – lets hope so!
No firm date for release (coming soon) but you can pre-order the XDA Flame if you are feeling flush!
O2 XDA Flame Specification
Check out MrPalm for more images.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, XDA, XDA Flame, O2, NVIDIA, GoForce, USB On The Go, Tracy & Matt]
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