In Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft have removed the Bluetooth DUN ‘service’ along with our trusty “Wireless Modem” app.
Although this raises some fairly major issues with wireless devices which don’t support the replacement Bluetooth service type (I’m looking at you TomTom!), the new features are well worth persevering with.
I’ll explain as best I can; in early WM5, on the device requiring internet access, we had to create a Dial Up Networking Bluetooth connection, and then explicitly define a connection, rather like using dial up internet in windows.
Internet sharing, and its Bluetooth network access service gets rid of most of that.
The Internet Sharing app has just 2 selection boxes. You choose the incoming port (Bluetooth or USB), and select the outgoing internet connection (your GPRS connection). Job done? Nearly…
Now we make sure Bluetooth is turned on, and go back to our internet-free device. Finding our internet-happy PDA/Smartphone is still as normal, but the list of services now lists “Network Access Point”. This is your new best friend. Once this connection is enabled and active, it doesn’t matter if your PDA loses its GPRS connection – as soon as it returns, so does your internet.
Think of it like your ADSL router at home. There’s no dial up connection to drop out, its always on, as long as there is signal. if the signal drops, wait until it returns, and continue, without having to reconnect!
And now here is Microsoft to make more sense of it:
In WM5 AKU3 we introduced a new application called “Internet Sharing”. The technology behind this is actually referred to as Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). But our usability folks decided to drop the word “Connection” since it didn’t fit nicely in the user interface.
omething we’ve shipped as a component in the Windows CE operating system for several releases. We have now brought this technology to Windows Mobile. ICS allows you to share a public network connection (cellular data) with a private network connection (Bluetooth PAN or USB). The phone is basically acting like a your home’s wireless router.
Modem Link
Before Internet Sharing, we shipped an application called Modem Link. This application enables some of the same functionality provided by ICS. Modem Link supported sharing the cellular data connection over USB, IrDA, or Bluetooth. For Bluetooth, the DUN profile was used.
Instead of sharing the Internet connection at the IP layer, as ICS does, Modem Link enables the PC to directly send commands to the cellular radio on the device.
All that remains now is for Bluetooth enabled device manufacturers to support this standard….
Posted by: Mark
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Wireless_ Internet, Internet Sharing, Tracy & Matt]
It’s been several months since we last heard anything about the HTC Cavalier and suddenly we discover that Dopod are set to launch their version of the device as the Dopod C730 sometime in May.
The HTC Cavalier is the eagerly awaited successor to the HTC Excalibur. The devices are similar in appearance but the Cavalier brings 3G/HSDPA to the table. It had previously been said that the HTC Cavalier would be ‘Delayed indefinitely’ and other articles refer to is as ‘Scrapped’ however, now that it’s coming to Dopod, hopefully the HTC Cavalier will see a worldwide launch!
Dopod C730 Specification
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC Cavalier, Dopod S730, HTC Excalibur]
Astraware is pleased to announce a new way to buy games and applications from their online store due to customers’ requests for alternative payment methods. Many customers either didn’t have the particular types of card Astraware accepts or they didn’t have a credit card at all, and so requested that Astraware accept PayPal® as an alternative to cards. After a bit of nifty integration work from David Oakley, Astraware’s CTO, PayPal® is now live on the Astraware website.
“We get almost as many requests for different ways of paying and changes to our site as we do for developing different games – the number of PayPal requests has been steadily increasing over the last year until it was our most frequent request,” said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware.
“PayPal’s Express Checkout system was easy to integrate into our store’s checkout and also easy for our customers to use,” said David Oakley, CTO of Astraware. “For people who already use PayPal it significantly reduces the amount of information they need to provide to buy our games.”
Customers who choose to pay with PayPal® instead of the usual checkout system will be redirected to the PayPal® site to put in their login details and confirm the transaction. Once completed the site will instantly redirect the customer back to the Astraware website to complete the transaction and the customer will receive their registration code on screen there and then so they can start playing the game immediately. Their code will also be emailed to them as usual so they can keep a record of their transaction. Customers who are familiar with using PayPal® should hopefully find this will be just like their experiences at other sites!
The initial roll-out of this enhancement is for purchases of Astraware developed and published products, so the option to use PayPal® won’t be available at the checkout if customers have added one of the titles (from the Astraware Lifestyle catalog, for instance) that Astraware resells for other companies. All being well, Astraware hopes to extend this service across all products on its site in the near future.
For more information on Astraware accepting PayPal®, please visit the Astraware website at http://www.astraware.com.
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Astraware, PayPal, Windows Mobile Blog]
You may recall that a while ago we told you that HTC were releasing a new device aimed at multimedia, the HTC P3350 (aka HTC Love). We managed to get our hands on one to look at and thought that we would upload some photos for you to take a look at while prepare the review.
As it’s another HTC Artemis varient, The HTC P3350 is virtually the same as the P3300, the key difference being that the P3350 does not have built in GPS.
The left hand side of the device is home to an up/down spring loaded slider used for scrolling and in-call volume control.
On the right you’ll find the power button at the top and the camera button at the bottom
The now familiar enhanced mini USB connector is located on the bottom of the unit. The P3350 also includes HTC’s RollR trackball and wheel for navigation.
The HTC P3350 is a neat looking device. Fairly thin and reasonably light. It’s a shame to see the GPS removed although I wonder if this could be re-enabled through a rom update?.
HTC P3350 Specification:
We’ll bring you more on the HTC P3350 later.
Posted by: Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, T-Mobile, Ameo, HTC Advantage, HTC Love, HTC P3350, Tracy & Matt]
I’m sure that I lot of you have already seen our ‘Samsung i600 unboxed‘ and ‘Another Look‘ videos so if you fancy buying yourself an i600 we have teamed up with Clove Technology again to offer you a £20 discount off the purchase price!!
As with other Clove voucher offers, all you have to do is enter the voucher code below and £20 will be deducted from the purchase price at the checkout stage.
Voucher code: SAM600APR07
The offer is valid until the end of the month so hop on over to the Samsung i600 page on the Clove Technology site.
At £300 (+ VAT) we are pretty sure that Clove are one of the cheapest suppliers of the Samsung i600 and our voucher will give you a further £20 off!
Posted by: Matt
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Samsung i600, Orange, Samsung, Windows Mobile blog]
Further to the Samsung i600 unboxed video I posted yesterday I have a followup video for you.
In the video above you can see me play with the device for a few minutes and have a quick dig through the menu structure and have a look at the applications installed as well as the homescreen set up.
You can also download a higher res version using this link.
Thanks to everyone that provided feedback to the first video, it’s good to know that the effort involved in converting the video wasn’t wasted! Please do get in touch via the feedback form and let us know what you think, should I continue with the video camera or simply stick to words and pictures?
The Samsung i600 is available now from Clove Technology but you can save £20 off the purchase price of the i600 using our voucher. Details can be found HERE.
Posted by: Matt
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Samsung i600, Orange, Samsung, Windows Mobile blog]
SanDisk and Sony Corporation today announced that the two companies have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding with the intention of developing the SxS™ (S-by-S) memory card specification, with high-speed transfer technology compliant to the ExpressCard industry standard.
SxS™ memory cards will leverage the technology strength of SanDisk and Sony, who have a long and successful history of co-developing and promoting flash memory products. With this high-performance and high-reliability memory card, both companies are targeting workflow improvements for professional camcorders and non-linear video editing systems.
The SxS™ memory card specification uses flash memory and complies with the ExpressCard™ industry standard, and the card connects directly to computer systems through the high-speed PCI-Express™ bus. ExpressCard™ has been rapidly adopted by PC manufacturers to replace the legacy PC Card™ form factor, giving the SxS™ memory cards broad support in post-production hardware.
Sony will adopt this high-speed SxS™ memory card specification in its “XDCAM EX™“ series professional camcorders. SxS™ memory cards from SanDisk and Sony are expected to be available later in 2007.
Benefits
* High-speed data transfer of large video files. SxS™ memory cards are the first native PCI Express™ solid-state storage media1. PCI Express™ has a maximum data transfer speed of 2.5 gigabits per second, twice as fast as PC Card™-based storage media. In addition, SanDisk and Sony have optimized the technology protocol for controlling communication between hardware and SxS™ memory cards to enable high-speed transfer of large files, such as high-definition video, to PCs for non-linear video-editing. The target transfer speed of SxS™ memory cards is 800 megabits per second2.
* Compact Size. The SxS™ memory card specification uses ExpressCard™/34 modules (width: 34mm, height: 5mm, length: 75mm), half the size of PC Cards™. This enables the design of professional camcorders that are smaller and lighter, while still offering high storage capacities.
“Sony and SanDisk share the goal of providing leadership in high-performance, high-capacity recording solutions for professional video,” said Eli Harari, Chairman and CEO of SanDisk. “I am proud of the close cooperation we have had with Sony over the years, and I look forward to the exciting new products that SxS™ memory cards will enable.”
Yutaka Nakagawa, Executive Deputy President and Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation, said: “Sony has successfully collaborated with SanDisk Corporation in promoting the Memory Stick formats. Significant milestones have been the Memory Stick PRO format in 2003, the Memory Stick Micro in 2005 and Memory Stick PRO-HG in 2006. I am delighted by today’s joint announcement of this new technology, which expands our collaboration to a new area, the professional video market, offering great benefits to users in this field. With the introduction of this SxS™ memory card, we will seek to expand its use throughout professional video applications to enable highly efficient workflow systems.”
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): Tracy & Matt, SanDisk, SxS, Memory Stick Micro, Sony]
We were lucky enough to be able to get our hands on the Samsung i600 so I thought that I would try my hand at a video presentation of the unboxing of the device.
You can see the YouTube video above or if you want to download a higher res version you can use this link.
The Samsung i600 will be coming soon to the Orange network in the UK and the device launched by Orange should be pretty much the same as the one you see here although the Orange version will most likely have the Orange customisation installed.
Please let us know what you think. More videos to follow..
EDIT: Follow-up video can now be found HERE.
The Samsung i600 is available now from Clove Technology but you can save £20 off the purchase price of the i600 using our voucher. Details can be found HERE.
Posted by: Matt
[Post tags: smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Samsung i600, Orange, Samsung, Windows Mobile blog]
The observant amoung you may have noticed that our Nokia N95 was posted by a new team member – “Nokia Nick”. Nick has been on the sidelines of the site for a while now and has been providing help with graphics from day one. More recently Nick has been our chief Podcaster!
So Tracy and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Nick. Over the coming weeks we are hoping to post more podcasts with interviews and reviews as well as some non-Windows Mobile posts.
In Nick’s own words:
I’m a “non-techie geek” who loves technology and thinks that technology shouldn’t make me do extra work just to use and enjoy it. That’s one of my gripes with technology. I am a Smartphone and a Nokia phone user. Smartphones are amazing, if you can be arsed to get into all the setting up etc. hence the reason I am generally drawn to Nokia is that although they are far from perfect, they are simple. To me Nokia’s are very much mainstream consumer devices while Windows Smartphones are for power/ biz/ techie users. I hope my experience will bring something new to Tracy & Matt’s blog! Matt will be here for the technical stuff and to help everyone with device issues and I’ll be here to give my opinion as an average Joe with a phone. 🙂
Welcome aboard Nick!
Posted by: Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, Nokia N95, Clove,Tracy & Matt]
There is no denying, within the Windows Mobile/Smartphone community, Nokia is considered to be something of a bad word. The word itself is often deliberately misspelt.
However with devices such as the Nokia N95 gradually developing more PDA-like features it’s becoming harder to ignore them.
The Nokia N95 was recently launched and offers functions similar to those that you would expect from a Smartphone but within a Nokia package running Symbian OS 9.2. The N95 is available to buy now from Clove Technology and more operators are offering the device to customers.
With all the advertising for the N95 cropping up all over the place we decided to take a look at one to see what all the fuss is about. Over the next few weeks we shall let you know what we think!
Nokia N95 Specification:
Features:
Quad Band 5 Mega pixel camera GPS receiver HSDPA/UMTS WiFi Bluetooth Universal plug and play technology What’s in the box?
Nokia N95 Nokia Video Connectivity Cable CA-75U Nokia Connectivity Cable DKE-2 Nokia Stereo Headset HS-45, AD-43 Nokia Battery BL-5F Nokia UK Charger Printed Manual Getting Started CD
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