Microsoft Voice Command Coming Next Week
Several online publications have noted that Microsoft will release their Voice Command software for Pocket PCs and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices on Monday, November 3. Voice Command will let you use your voice to launch applications, check appointments or dial contacts. You can even operate Windows Media Player 9 for Pocket PC, selecting songs by speaking the name of the album, song or artist.
Where this software would really be helpful is when you’re driving your car. You could use something like the iRock to blast sound through your car stereo from your Pocket PC, and use your voice to operate the device instead of fumbling for your stylus or buttons. As you’ll probably recall from the last of my series on Tablet PCs, I don’t think that voice dictation works very well but using voice to control your devices is a very valid concept.
You’ll be able to buy Voice Command for $40 starting Monday on Handango.com or PocketPC.com.
Update: Microsoft’s Mobile Device Tour
This just in from our contacts at Microsoft:
“Brief update on the Mobile Device Tour going on in the US/Canada right now. There were many people who were trying to register but couldn’t due to each event being full. We’ve cut the number restrictions, so the registration site should now allow you to register if you were blocked from doing so before. Sorry for any frustration! “
If you haven’t already registered for a local event, you can do so here:
http://www.mobiletechtour.com/
Why I Love T-Mobile
OK, your mileage may vary. But I really, really like T-Mobile, and today I had yet another of a long string of good experiences with this mobile phone company.
As you know, I have had T-Mobile service for about a year. When I returned last year from Mobius Redmond 2002 with a Pocket PC Phone Edition, I tried to get AT&T Wireless to activate it (I had been a customer of theirs for about three years). AT&T Wireless told me to take a hike, since I hadn’t purchased the Pocket PC Phone from them and it wasn’t a standard phone (they’ve since added the Siemens SX-56 Pocket PC Phone to their lineup). I did hike, straight over to the local T-Mobile office about two blocks away. They promptly set me up with a SIM, a decently priced voice/text/data package, and sent me on my merry way.
Twice since then, T-Mobile has reduced the cost of their GPRS data package. I’m now paying only $19.95 per month for unlimited data service. Nice.
When I went to Italy last year I was pleased to find that not only did my phone work immediately after landing in Naples, but I was able to send and receive SMS messages. That was after a nice customer rep gave me hints and tips on how to use my phone on a foreign system…
With the current influx of Bluetooth-enabled devices, I decided it was finally time for me to get a Bluetooth phone. My sister has a Nokia 3650 that she’s had limited success with, but I believe it’s probably more due to the network in her location than the phone itself. So I went marching down to the T-Mobile shop again today to see if I could get a Nokia 3650 for less than the $300 advertised price.
After being greeted by a tremendously cheerful store rep, I told him what I was up to. He got on the horn to the national sales office, explained that I had an “expired” (1 year and 14 days) contract, and that I didn’t want to buy the phone for the advertised price - especially when new T-Mobile customers could get the phone for $150! Within seconds, the national sales rep offered me the phone for $99.95 if I would extend my service for a year. Sold! Unfortunately I have to wait for 3 to 5 days for it to show up, but that price was much better than I expected.
Like I said earlier, your personal experiences may be different, but I have been extremely happy as a T-Mobile customer. If you’re in the market for a mobile phone or service, give ‘em a try. And by the way, they’re not paying me to say these nice things - this one’s for free!
First Impressions Are Good Ones
There’s not a lot for me to post today; I didn’t get any new press releases and I was frankly too busy at work today to do any surfing at lunchtime to see what was up. But I thought I’d give you some short notes about my first tests with an iPaq 2215. This is a loaner that was supplied by Microsoft; I’ll have it for a few weeks and already have most of my review written. So I won’t spoil the review, I’ll just give you some first impressions about the HP iPaq 2215, the Socket CF WiFi card, and Windows Mobile Pocket PC 2003.
To start with, setup of wireless seems to be much easier than it ever used to be! I took the 2215 out of the box, checked to see how much battery life it had (about 75%, so somebody must have charged it up before shipping it), pushed the Socket CF WiFi card into the CF slot, and prepared for a long, arduous setup and configuration process. Boy, was I wrong! Instead, the Socket card flashed for a brief time, and then I was greeted with a dialog box on the 2215 asking if I wanted to connect to a VPN or the Internet through my home network. I chose “Internet”, at which time I was asked for my WEP encryption code (I have my network set up with 128-bit WEP encryption, as anyone using WiFi should!). I put that long string in, and then I was up and running. Total time? About 2 minutes.
Second impression - this sucker is small, light and fast. Very nice!
Third impression - as mentioned elsewhere I have a new Apple PowerBook G4. It has built-in Bluetooth, as does the iPaq 2215. I decided to see if the two would talk to each other. The answer is YES. Within minutes I was sending contact cards back and forth between the two devices, I was able to browse the folders on the 2215 from the Mac, and I did a few file transfers. This was all done without benefit of a synch program for the Mac. I can’t wait to try the 2215 with PocketMac or Missing Sync! I’m also getting a Nokia 3650 Bluetooth phone so I can try doing some GPRS surfing from the 2215.
Fourth impression - Nevo is a cool app. I was able to get this “universal remote” application to control my big-screen TV, DVD player, cable TV box and surround sound system. It took me all of about three minutes to set up all of those devices. This is the first universal remote I’ve ever used that actually worked!
I should have my 2215 review posted within two weeks, as soon as I’m able to try using a Bluetooth phone as a modem for it. Stay tuned!
Palm / Handspring Merger, Spinoffs Approved By Stockholders
Palm, Inc. and Handspring, Inc. have announced that the stockholders of both companies have approved their merger and a reorganization that will divide the company into two spinoffs. PalmSource will develop the Palm OS and other software products, while palmOne will become a “hardware-only” company featuring best of breed products from both Palm and Handspring.
With the transactions expected to close later this afternoon, PalmSource and palmOne will begin trading on the NASDAQ market tomorrow.
Playing Catch-Up…
It looks as if Microsoft has suddenly realized that without VGA screen capabilities on their Windows Mobile Pocket PCs, they’re behind the hardware baseline that has been set with recent Palm OS devices. At this week’s Microsoft Professional Developer Conference, attendees were told to start thinking about writing their apps to support new screen resolutions and shapes.
For Pocket PCs, the devices will support 640 x 480 (VGA), square and standard (240 x 320) resolutions in both landscape and portrait orientations.
Smartphones will get a bump to quarter VGA (320 x 240) from the standard (176 x 220) resolution.
Both of these are welcome changes and we’re already starting to hear about devices from Toshiba and others that support the new Pocket PC resolutions. Once you’ve seen a Palm OS device running at 640 x 480, your expectations on display clarity and resolution are never the same… 
PDAntic.com Review: Palm Tungsten T3
It’s been a while since I sat down and wrote a full review, but when I was given the chance to play with a new Palm Tungsten T3 for a few days I decided it was time to warm up the laptop and start writing! As you’ll see from my review, the Tungsten T3 is a worthy opponent to any top-of-the-line Windows Mobile Pocket PC.
Speaking of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs, I’ll be getting an HP iPaq 2215 to test here in the next week or so. Expect to see a review of the 2215 in the very near future! Hopefully someone will send along an iPaq 4350 for me to try out as well…
Click here or click the “Reviews” link on the top of the page to read my T3 review.
Winners Announced - Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards 2003
The winners in both the Pocket PC and Smartphone categories for Pocket PC Magazine’s Best Software Awards have been announced! I was pleased to see that more than half of the products that I gave my “thumbs-up” to actually ended up being winners.
There are some great products out there, and there are some that aren’t so wonderful. I think Pocket PC Magazine does the Pocket PC world a great service by hosting this event every year, as it allows a panel of experts to spend time putting software through the paces and decide once and for all what’s good and what isn’t.
You can see the lists of nominees, finalists and winners at the following links:
Pocket PC Best Software Awards
Smartphone Best Software Awards
I’m not sure I agree with some of the Smartphone winners, but it’s fascinating to see how the other judges voted for the products.
Press Release: SoftMaker Wants Your Vote - What Platforms For TextMaker?
Nuernberg, Germany — October 22, 2003 — German software manufacturer SoftMaker is conducting an online poll to find out which operating systems its word processor TextMaker and office suite should be ported to.
TextMaker is already available on five different platforms - Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Pocket PCs, and Handheld PCs - and the other office suite components will also be available on multiple operating systems.
Looking beyond its current offerings, SoftMaker now asks if there is interest in versions of TextMaker, PlanMaker, and SoftMaker Office for a wide variety of platforms, including Palm OS, Zaurus, Sony Ericsson P800, and several UNIX-like operating systems.
Go to http://www.softmaker.de/tmpoll_en.htm to cast your vote anonymously.
TextMaker looks and operates like Microsoft Word, does authentic conversions of Microsoft Word files back and forth, and costs just a fraction of a Microsoft Word license.
PlanMaker is a Microsoft Excel compatible spreadsheet with advanced features for financial and scientific calculations. The upcoming end-user oriented database DataMaker is modeled after Microsoft Access, but offers much better ease-of-use.
Press Release: Microsoft Windows Mobile (TM) North American 2003 User Group Tour
Overview:
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Microsoft staff and partners as they demonstrate the exciting future of mobile technology, brought to you with Windows Mobile software. The Tour will focus on:
?Innovative applications and the future of mobile technology for Smartphones and Pocket PC Phone Edition
?Applications and services to increase device efficiency and productivity
?Demonstrations of personalization and entertainment applications and content
?Amazing prizes and device giveaways!
Who should attend:
Microsoft User Group members; Pocket PC, PDA and Smartphone enthusiasts; User Groups for other devices and platforms, and the general public interested in mobile devices.
All events are free to registered attendees.
Bring your Smartphone, Pocket PC or Pocket PC Phone Edition to participate in additional giveaways and prizes.
EVENT LOCATIONS: (as of 10/15/03)
Boston, MA, October 30
Los Angeles, CA, November 3
Louisville, KY, November 12
Minneapolis, MN, December 2
New York, NY, October 29
Pittsburgh, PA, November 5
San Francisco, CA, October 27
Seattle/Redmond, WA, November 18
Toronto, Canada, November 4
Washington D.C., November 6
More stops will be announced in mid-October.
For registration and information:
www.mobiletechtour.com
For a User Group near you:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/resources/communities/pocketpc/localclubs/default.mspx
Smartphone Finally Arrives In The U.S.A.
Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphones finally made it to the U.S.A today on the announcement from AT&T Wireless that they’re now selling the Motorola MPx200. Having been one of the lucky few Americans to use a Smartphone over the last 4 months, I can say without a moment of hesitation that they’re great! Many of the other webmasters I’ve been communicating with feel that the MPx200 is just what the American market needed. It’s a tiny flip phone compared to the “candy bar” type communicators from HTC and other vendors, yet it has all of the features that have made the Smartphone popular in Europe and Asia.
You can check on the details of the MPx200 here on the AT&T Wireless website. Word has it that you can buy these with a new airtime plan for as low as $149.00…
MSN Messenger for Smartphones - Fix Is On The Way
One of the things I enjoy the most about my HTC Tanager Smartphone (AKA Orange SPV E100) is MSN Messenger. I’ve been able to waste a lot of time while waiting in airports, sitting in restaurants, or bored in meetings sending messages to my friends and co-workers. As you remember from an earlier PDAntic.com article, Microsoft has shut down older versions of MSN and Windows Messenger from working on their network due to security problems. While fixes and new versions have been released for just about every other platform, the Smartphone platform is still running the same old version. That means that effective October 16th, those of us using Smartphones and MSN Messenger are out of luck.
Orange has announced that they will be distributing a new version of MSN Messenger for the SPV and SPV E100 in November. Folks who are using the newer Smartphones (Motorola MPX200 and SPV E200) are not affected as they are running the 2003 version of the Smartphone software.
I’ll certainly be looking forward to the new version! It’s a pain not having MSN Messenger at my fingertips all the time.
LG Pocket PC Phone - Wow!
I guess whenever I want Microsoft or their manufacturing partners to do something really outstanding I should make sure that I blast them in one of my articles. In the last several weeks I was critical of Microsoft and said partners for their lack of new and exciting products. No sooner had those words escaped my keyboard than HP announced two new iPaqs and a new line of Tablet PCs.
Yesterday we received information about LG’s new Pocket PC Phone Edition device that was revealed at ITU Telecom World 2003. It has a built-in 1.1 megapixel camera, a slider design to provide a traditional numeric keypad, a 400 MHz XScale processor, 192MB (!) of storage, IrDA and USB ports, and a 2.8 inch 262,000 TFT LCD screen.
My only fault with the device on first glance would be the lack of a full QWERTY keyboard. The new Voq Smartphone seems to be pointing the direction that most manufacturers should be heading; trying new ways to make it easier to enter text into pocket devices. It’s for that very reason that I believe that Handspring’s new Treo 600 (which is now shipping, by the way!) is going to be a huge success. For those of us who use our Pocket PC Phones and Smartphones for email and instant messaging, thumb keyboards are a way to enter large quantities of text very quickly.
The LG-SC8000 should be released in the Korean market later this year. No word on pricing or availability in the rest of the world, but I think the rest of us are all drooling for this unit so hopefully it will show up soon!
Get TV On Your PDA…Not!
Well, Mazingo is no more… According to their website, “Mazingo would like to thank everyone who has been involved with developing and using the Mazingo service. Regrettably, the service can no longer be offered due to the cost of content versus the revenue derived. If you are interested in licensing the software for your own use, please email licensing@mazingo.net”
Mazingo’s concept was good but the software just never thrilled me. It had a huge 6MB installation file that would only install itself in RAM (not on memory cards), there were stupid popup dialogs that would show up on the desktop, and synchronizations took forever. I guess it was an idea that was just well ahead of its time…
HP Announces Upgraded Tablet PC
Wow again!
Just after I blasted HP a week or two ago for having done nothing to spice up the TC1000 Tablet PC, they announced the TC1100. This device picks up where the TC1000 left off and basically answers many of the complaints that users including myself had. Check out the specs here.
New features include:
- Greater performance from trusted Intel? Pentium? M and Celeron? processors (Ultra Low Voltage)
- Improved sparkle-free glass and 160 degree viewing angle on Pentium M based tablets
- Better graphics experience with 32 MB of dedicated memory
- Increased system memory up to a maximum of 2 GB
- Secure Digital slot for removable media allowing you to easily swap files between handhelds, notebooks, and cameras
- Battery-free digital pen that supports pressure sensitive applications for a better writing experience
- Integrated 802.11b wireless LAN, great for corporate, home, and hotspot environments
- Integrated Bluetooth PAN
- Fast Infra-red (VFIR)
- An additional security lock slot to secure tablet in notebook mode
The TC1100 Tablet PCs will start at $1,849 and go up from there depending on configuration and warranty. The new devices should ship in late November.
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
