There is no doubt about it, the HTC Kaiser is the device that everyone is talking about at the moment. That lucky Boy Genius fella has managed to get his hand on the device and has some excellent shots of the whole unboxing ritual!
HTC Kaiser Unboxed
Detailed internal specs include quad-band EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, integrated GPS, WiFI, Bluetooth, a full QWERTY ‘board, and a unique option that lets you tilt the screen to have it sit on your desk perfectly aimed at you. The Kaiser comes in a little thinner than the HTC TyTN, and a tad bit thicker than the HTC P4350, which at the end of the day doesn’t make that much of a difference. The only possible downside at all I could find is that the HTC Kaiser could shave a few ounces off its weight. Nothing to get excited over though! Build quality is fantastic, and the GPS works extremely well. In addition, the 3 megapixel shooter takes wonderful photographs.
According to the BGR contact at HTC, the Kaiser should start shipping in July!
HTC Kaiser (P4550) specification:
- Windows Mobile 6 Professional
- 2.8″ QVGA LCD Touchscreen
- 256 MB ROM – 128MB RAM
- Qualcomm 400MHz CPU
- GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS800, UMTS850, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
- CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
- 802.11b/g WiFi
- Built-in spring-loaded QWERTY-type keyboard
- microSD memory card slot
- Bluetooth 2
- 3.0 megapixel auto-focus camera
- AGPS
- USB 2.0
- 58 x 110 x 18mm
- 160 grams
Posted by: Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, HTC Kaiser, Tracy & Matt]
Let me start by saying that I really like my Samsung SGH-i600, it’s the device that I use the most and has finally restored my love of smartphones! My vanilla i600 doesn’t suffer from the ringtone and alarm problem that seems to affect the Orange version of the device and now that I have an extended battery I get several days use out of it before having to recharge.
There is just one problem that I have with my Samsung i600, and it’s pretty significant. I’m talking about the dust under the screen! I know that I’m not the first to mention this but up until about a week ago I was unaffected by the problem, however, all of a sudden a have LOTS of dust under the screen.
As you can see from the picture above, I’m not talking about just a few specs but quite a large quantity of dust. There are times when you don’t notice it and it’s more evident when the screen is off but there are also times when daylight hits the screen just right and all you can see is dust!
I gather that Samsung is aware of the problem and will replace your i600 if you request, but the device that they will replace it with will suffer the same fate soon enough as they aren’t actually fixing the problem. It seems to be that there is no seal around the LCD and dust is able to get in through the charge/sync and microSD card sockets.
Dust under the screen is nothing new to Smartphones or mobile phones in general, I seem to recall the earlier SPV devices having exactly the same issue in the past but I thought we’d gotten past such ‘school-boy’ design faults.
If you have an i600 please let us know if your device is affected!
Posted by: Matt
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Samsung SGH-i600, Samsung, Windows Mobile blog]
O2 Germany have just released a free Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the 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
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, O2, HTC Artemis, XDA Cosmo, XDA Orbit, HTC P3300]
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
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, cellphone driving law, Windows Mobile blog]
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
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Symantec, Antivirus, Norton, Windows Mobile blog]
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!
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
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Samsung SGH-i600, Windows Mobile 6, Samsung, Windows Mobile blog]
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.
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:
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, T-Mobile Wing, HTC, HTC Atlas]
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.
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
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Astraware, Windows Mobile Blog]
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!
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
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, VITO Technology,VITO AstroNavigator, GPS, Tracy & Matt]
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
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Blackberry, Blackberry 8800]
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