The Samsung i600 is one of my favourite devices and I just spotted it is available on Expansys for just 5p under 100 pounds!
You can get it from HERE
I am a self-confessed Gadget-a-holic and I actually succumbed and bought a Macbook Air earlier in the year. I have since sold it and a number of folks have been asking me why? My main reason was that it was too BIG….. when I say this people always look at me strangely.
When I say BIG – it was really that whilst it’s really thin… it still has a 13" screen which means I still have to carry a fairly big laptop bag. The second issue I had was that the battery life on it was only about 2 and a bit hours.
My main machine is actually a Sony Vaio TZ which has a 11" screen and is smaller in physical size and almost as thin. The battery life on it is amazing as I get between 4-6hrs with the standard battery and about 10-15hrs with the extended battery!
I could only justify keeping one of those two laptops so when it came down to the crunch I made the decision on keeping the Vaio as I can just throw it in a small bag and use it anywhere.
Of course before anyone asks – I was using Vista on the Macbook Air.
The video below has been doing the rounds and did amuse me 
Slingmedia just released their new version of Slingplayer Mobile. Version 1.6 is now available for download in the US and UK.
The new version is available for Windows Mobile Smartphone and Windows Mobile Professional devices (both 5.0 and 6). If you are already licensed then it’s a free upgrade. If not they do have a 30 day trial too!
They also released an updated S60 client too.
At TechEd US 2008 this year I’m presenting a session which is called – ‘Windows Mobile as secure as Blackberry – are you joking’
I wanted to cover this topic as there is so much FUD out there on the Windows Mobile Security story.
Sorry – FUD – That’s Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (off topic but I recently discovered that FUD means something very different in Scotland – please Live Search this off your Corporate Network – I take no responsibility for any offence caused)
I’m starting to collate my content for this session but I thought I’d ask those of you who read my blog what issues/topics you thought I should include?
O2 UK have just launched the Palm Treo 500. Previously this device was only available on Vodafone. It is a 3G Windows Mobile device which unlike it’s predecessor (the Treo 750) doesn’t have a touchscreen.
It’s running Windows Mobile 6 and available now from the O2 Business Shop
So what are they? – Beyond the typical corporate applications I use (Exchange, Communicator Mobile, Office Mobile etc…) My current favourite applications are:
1) Guitar Hero III – a great game to play on your device – http://www.winplay.com/game/GuitarHeroMobile
2) Intelligolf – Excellent application for keeping track of your golf games – www.intelligolf.com
3) Hexic – a hugely addictive game (be warned) – http://www.astraware.com/all/hexic
4) SPB Mobile Shell – Everyone likes modifying their device – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/?en
5) Suduko – I got hooked on Sudoku a long time ago…. http://www.astraware.com/ppc/featured/sudoku/?skucode=0047-000-0379
6) Sports Do – if you are a runner, cyclist or skier (or other sports too) – this is a great application for tracking your progress. I use this when I go snowboarding – very cool to see your routes on Virtual Earth! – http://www.sportsdo.net/
7) Pocket Informant 8 – this is a great add on to Outlook Mobile for those who want more powerful calendaring and organisational capabilities – http://www.pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pi&
Sling player Mobile – A Slingplayer allows you to view your TV from your laptop or PC. Sling player mobile allows you to do the same thing from your mobile device. You can even control your home satellite or other source from your device! – http://www.slingmedia.com/go/spm-features
9) Live Search – this is a fabulous application actually written by Microsoft that allows you to connect to a wide variety of web services to get mapping information, local information such as restaurants and other services, gas prices, traffic and weather. http://wls.live.com
10) SPB Insight – I’ve tried a wide variety of RSS readers but this is the one I always end up back using – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/insight/?en
11) SPB Brain Evolution – Train your brain! – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/brainevolution/?en
12) Handstep Team Calendar – This application allows you to view multiple calendars on your mobile device and even schedule time with multiple people within your organisation! – http://www.teamcalendar.com/
Feel free to post your thoughts on your favourite applications for Windows Mobile!
I had a customer come across an intriguing problem whilst setting up their Mobile Device Manager configuration.
They had setup their servers correctly and tested disabling the camera which worked fine. The next thing they tried to do was to stop the users playing Solitaire on their device.
The intriguing part was that they had entered the file name solitaire.exe to disable the application but it didn’t stop you starting the application.
The reason for this wasthat the filename for Solitaire has actually been abbreviated (or you might say mis-spelt) to solitare.exe to fit the 8 character naming convention.
So if you want to disable Solitaire from being played just use solitare.exe (remove the second i)
Our Partner team has created a 3 day Technical Workshop focused on System Center Mobile Device Manager (SCMDM). The workshop is aimed at partners and customers and will take place in Madrid on May 27-29.
There are only 20 places and these will be allocated on a first come first serve basis and 1 person per company only.
Registration for the event will be €1,250 until May 1 and then rise to €1,500 after that and includes a Windows Mobile 6.1 device that will be given to every registrant. There will also be a cancellation fee if you cancel 14 days before the event.
To register for the event please go to the following link :
Paul over at Modaco has written this very handy little application that will remove duplicate contacts from your Windows Mobile Device!
You can also get it through apptodate as a CAB
I’ve been writing this blog article in my head for a while now so I thought I’d actually publish it!
When I ask people what their perfect device would be I always get the typical answer of something impossibly thin with near infinity battery life and every capability under the sun….
Obviously there are a lot of engineering challenges that prevent that device from being built. Instead I thought it would be fascinating to take the best bits from various devices and create your own ultimate device.
Essentially some pick ‘n’ mix engineering
So to kick things off here is my perfect device:
| Function/Spec | Device |
| Keyboard | QWERTY – The Treo 750 keyboard – still for me the benchmark on QWERTY keyboarded devices. |
| Screen | The Motorola Q9h screen – IMHO the best screen for use in daylight/sunny places |
| Memory | 128MB (or more) |
| Processor | HTC TyTN 2 |
| GPS | AGPS from the HTC Touch Cruise |
| Hardware Buttons | Mute Switch from the Treo 750 Dedicated Camera Button An OK Button A Start Key Scroll wheel from the Samsung Blackjack (or i600) |
| Speakerphone | Motorola Q9h – An often forgotten feature but one I use a lot for conference calls |
| Camera | 3 megapixel – from the HTC Touch Cruise |
| Form Factor | HTC Excalibur |
| Voice | Quad Band |
| Data capability | 3G HSDPA 7.2 – WiFi a must |
My perfect device would be a mix of the Treo 750, Motorola Q9h, TyTn 2, HTC Touch Cruise, Samsung i600 in the form factor of the HTC Excalibur.
Of course if some kind manufacturer wants to build this I’d be very happy
What is your ultimate pick ‘n’ mix device ?
