Author Archive: Gareth

App stores and why they are important

Apple Inc. was not the first computer company to use the idea of an app store, which they did for their iPhone. Other computer platforms have even more sophisticated software installation processes. On the IBM mainframe computer I work on, our systems programmers first run installation of software in “prelim mode” to make sure all necessary updates are in place before proceeding with a “final” systems software installation. Down time is unheard of for large 24/7 businesses these days.

Windows Mobile 6.5 devices not coming until end of 2009

Reports are popping up today telling us not to expect to see any Windows Mobile 6.5 devices until earliest third quarter of 2009 and more than likely the end of the year for the majority. If as expected Windows Mobile 6.5 is announced next month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona how come it takes so long to appear on devices and do we even care anymore. Looking at this more closely where does this leave Windows Mobile 7, if this follows a similar path and also taking into account that it supposedly is a much bigger update than 6.5 can we expect to see this any earlier than 2011 now. It is not looking good for Windows Mobile, lets hope this 6.5 update is worth waiting for, multi touch would be a nice surprise but a media interface overhaul, finger friendly OS and a central app store are the bare minimum.

Why Apple won’t make an iPhone Nano

There has been rampant speculation all over the internet about an iPhone Nano. The rumor mill was whipped into a frenzy around the time of Mac World, when a couple of case makers had iPhone Nano cases appear on their websites just before Phil Schiller took the stage to give his keynote address. Of course the iPhone Nano didn’t materialize then, and now reports are coming out that the Nano may come out as a China only (or China first) release. Read on for the full story

Nokia XpressMusic 5730 slider rears its head in Russian

Russian gadget site has a review of an unannounced S60 music phone with a side sliding qwerty keyboard. This is not a form factor Nokia has made in the past,  but it looks like they are making a big push in that direction with their N97 superphone, and also the unannounced (widely leaked) E75. It appears Nokia is abandoning the communicator in favor of these side sliders. Look for an announcement in the coming weeks, just a guess, but the announcement may come at Mobile World Congres in Barcelona (February 16-19).

Source: Mobile Review via Cellpassion

iPhone Copy and Paste app for jailbroken iPhones

Clippy is a new native app (not a web app) that allows you to copy paste between the stock iPhone applications like Mail, Safari, Notes, etc. While it doesn’t work with some AppStore apps (it does however work in twitterverse & ireal) andyou can only copy paste when you are editing text it is a good step in the right direction. Unfortunately you must have have the keyboard up to be able to copy/paste. This means if you want to copy from an email you received into a text message you first have to hit reply to the email so you get a text editor so you can copy.

Microsoft set to unveil new Windows Mobile services

According to Neowin, Microsoft is planning to unveil three new mobile services at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next month. The software giant is allegedly aiming to move your mobile data into the cloud and rival Apple’s MobileMe service. The three services will be called Skybox, Skyline and the already well rumoured Skymarket. Microsoft is also expected to unveil Windows Mobile 6.5 at the MWC. Little details are available on the 6.5 upgrade Neowin tell us that those leaked 6.5 screenshots we saw previously are genuine concept shots for the honeycomb web start menu. More after the break.

Verizon’s Wireless Extender femtocell coming next week

Like many people I would really like to drop my landline phone, but I have terrible reception in my home. If I could get a reliable signal in my living room I would  cut the cord in a hot second. Starting January 25th Verizon has a solution for people like me. Verizon’s wireless extender is set to drop January 25th. A femtocell is a tiny cell relay station that connects to your home’s internet connection, and will give you great reception over 5000 square feet ( 465 square meters).  Sprint already has a similar device called Airave, that costs an additional $15 a month, but that is about half the cost of a phone line from the cable company. So far only CDMA femtocells are available, and the devices are only 1xRTT data (CDMA’s EDGE equivalent).
No pricing information is available for Verizon’s service, but if it is inline with Sprint’s service, it should be well worth it for people who need a little help with reception in their home.

Source: Engadget

Can Nokia make it in America?

Nokia is the world’s largest mobile phone maker, the world’s largest smartphone maker, and according to one accounting, the world’s largest computer maker, but there is one locale that Nokia can’t seem to gain a foothold. World wide Nokia has nearly 40% market share, but in the good ole’ USA they barely crack 7%. What makes the American market so hostile to Nokia? I think it is a combination of factors that keep Nokia from gaining a prominent position in America. With America using a combination of GSM and CDMA technologies, only half the US market is available to Nokia since they don’t really make many CDMA devices. Nokia also fought a fierce battle with Qualcomm for most of this decade which prevented Nokia from making devices with US 3G built in. Those two factors kept the hottest Nokia S60 devices out of American hands until recently.