HP iPAQ h4150 First Impressions
I received an HP iPAQ 4150 about a week ago and I have to admit that this is the first Pocket PC I’ve been totally impressed with in quite a while! I’ve had a lot of Pocket PCs and other devices over the years, so that’s not an idle compliment.
The first thing I like about the 4150 is the size. This thing is tiny! It’s hard to believe it has Bluetooth and WiFi built in. I don’t care if I have a CF slot or not, so the SD slot is more than adequate.
The connectivity options are amazing! I have a 802.11b WEP-encrypted network at home and setting up the WiFi connection was as simple as turning the device on, enabling WiFi, and entering in my 128 bit encryption key. Checking my email in Inbox through the WiFi connection is lightning fast. Too cool!
Bluetooth is also nice on this device. I’ve set up a PC and a Macintosh to both sync to the device, and it is quite fast. I’m using the 4150 with a Nokia 3650 Bluetooth phone as a replacement for my “old” HTC Pocket PC Phone Edition. That’s worked very well, and I’m able to email and use Pocket IE through the GPRS phone quite easily.
I don’t like the case that comes with the 4150, but that’s been a common complaint with most Pocket PCs. When you pull the 4150 out of the case, it’s very easy to depress the recording button on the left side of the device. Dumb design. It’s good that there is an aftermarket for Pocket PC cases!
The screen is wonderful. If you look at the screen from a flat angle you get a bit of a yellow cast to the screen, but I usually look at the screen straight on so that’s not an issue for me.
This Pocket PC is FAST. Not only do applications like games load quickly, but there’s no lag in any of the apps.
Battery life has been amazing. I spent quite a bit of time with my Bluetooth connection active on the device and the screen at full brightness, then synched to my Macintosh, loaded some software, and then did a lot of browsing using Pocket IE. At the end of all that work, the battery still showed about 74% available power. My guess is that with moderate usage of WiFi and Bluetooth, you could probably stretch battery life into the 6-7 hour range easily. Considering that I was able to use the device with Bluetooth and WiFi activity for over two hours and still see almost three-quarters of my battery life remaining, I think that’s not an idle boast. I also like the fact that you can purchase spare batteries and swap ‘em out!
I chose the 4150 instead of the 4350 because I wanted the extra small size. On the few occasions where I need/want a keyboard, I can snap on the $40 thumb-board. The rest of the time I’m not carrying around the extra weight and size.
Those are just a few of my first impressions of the iPAQ h4150. I am very impressed with this Pocket PC and I think it will be a big seller for HP.
Press Release: New PDA Games Coming Soon from Astraware & MumboJumbo
Astraware Teams With MumboJumbo to Offer Exciting New PDA Games in Time for Post-Holiday Shopping
The Midlands, England and Dallas, Texas USA (November 24, 2003) - - Astraware Limited, the top developer of games for PDAs, and MumboJumbo, LLC, a leading developer of downloadable entertainment, will work together to port many of MumboJumbo?s popular online games to be playable on Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld devices. The first MumboJumbo games available by Astraware should be on the market in January 2004 when many people will begin outfitting the PDAs they received as holiday gifts with hot new games that leverage the vibrant color/high-resolution screens and fast processor speeds of the latest PDA models.
Astraware will serve as MumboJumbo?s exclusive developer for PDA ports of its successful Web and PC games.? The first games that PDA owners can look forward to playing are Equilibria, Chainz and Snowball Run:
*Equilibria is a fast-paced game of balance in which players must click on groups of three or more matching marbles as they fly in from all four sides of the screen;
*In Chainz, players must rotate colorful links to create valuable chains in this challenging puzzle game while starting chain-reactions and incorporating bonus links for increased rewards;
*Snowball Run is a challenging adventure as players guide a snowball-riding penguin on a bold adventure through 75 fish-packed levels to find his frozen homeland.
All three games feature eye-catching graphics and will take advantage of Astraware?s Aurora sound system to include lively musical scores and exciting sound effects.
“We?re excited to work with MumboJumbo to offer their very high-quality and challenging games to our customers,” said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware. “We not only benefit from new games that are perfect for PDA game-play, but also from MumboJumbo?s experience in the more traditional fields of PC development and retail distribution which should open up many new possibilities for us.”
“We recognized early-on the potential marketplace for our games among PDA users, and when we began looking for a development partner with experience in this industry, we looked no further than the global leader, Astraware,” said Brian Moon, president of MumboJumbo, LLC. “MumboJumbo?s games will provide highly addictive and fresh experiences for PDA users and we couldn?t ask for a better partner to help make our vision a reality.”
PocketMatrix Review of PocketArtist 2.7
PocketMatrix.com wrote to tell us that they’ve just published a review of PocketArtist 2.7.
“Many of you have heard of Adobe’s Photoshop or Jasco’s Paintshop Pro. In fact, “photoshop” has become almost a household word for doctoring photos and artwork, just as “band-aid” has become a household word for doctoring cuts and scratches. It should come as no surprise then that this technology has crossed over into the PDA realm…”
You can read the review here: http://www.pocketmatrix.com/reviews/pocketartist/
Announcement: Spb Finance Quicken Edition Public Beta
Spb Software House is pleased to announce the public beta of Spb Finance Quicken Edition, the latest member of the Spb Finance Family. Spb Finance Quicken Edition improves upon the feature set of the stand-along Spb Finance application, and adds in powerful Quicken synchronization features.
We would appreciate you helping us to spread the word about this public beta - the more feedback we can generate, the better the product we’ll have in the end.
So what’s new in this version? Plenty!
What’s new in the installation process:
? We rewrote installation program from scratch to make it smaller, faster and more stable. It also doesn’t need any additional components even on an old version of Windows (such as Windows 95)
What’s new in the Synchronization Engine:
? Support for Quicken 2004 was added
? Your desktop computer is no longer blocked during synchronization
? Now you can not only create transactions, but also accounts, categories, classes and memorized transactions on the device and they will be transferred to your desktop Quicken
? The program is now able to download your budget information from Quicken to Pocket PC. You can also set up additional budgets on your device itself. These budgets, however, won`t be added to your desktop Quicken
What’s new in the device-side program:
? Multi-currency support. Even though currencies are not synchronized with Quicken, you can create them manually on the device and use them to calculate transfer amounts etc.
? Advanced report generation. You can now create different reports and graphs and adjust them the way you like
? Support for budgets
? Support for scheduled transactions (these are not fully operational in the current build). These are also not synchronized with Quicken
? QIF file import/export
? Strong data encryption using AES algorithm to protect your data on the device
? More options which allow you to specify the data file location (you can now place it where you want, i.e. on your storage card), change font size etc.
? Many UI improvements, speed optimizations and bug fixes
We’re eager for public feedback on this beta, so people can submit feedback directly to the developers of Spb Finance Quicken Edition by using this online form:
http://www.softspb.com/support/betafeedback.asp
Where do you get it? It’s a free download from our Web site:
http://www.softspb.com/support/beta.asp
Musings On The iPAQ 4150 and Bluetooth
Well, I got the iPAQ 4150 the other day and it’s totally amazing. It’s very small; I think it’s about the size of my old Palm Vx although it’s slightly thicker (only about .5 inch!). It’s hard to believe that this device has built-in Bluetooth AND WiFi. Yes, a review will be forthcoming. I’m just overwhelmed with new toys and software right now, so please be patient.
Upon charging up the iPAQ, I immediately tried to get it to synchronize with my PC over Bluetooth. I plugged in the D-Link “dongle” and made sure I had a “pairing” between the two devices, then tried to get ActiveSync 3.7.1 to recognize the Pocket PC. Wrong idea. After numerous attempts to get them to see each other, it finally occurred to me that I needed to try making the connection FROM the Pocket PC. That worked. After tapping the ActiveSync icon that I had created in the Bluetooth Manager application on the iPAQ, I saw a notification on the PC that indicated that the Pocket PC had connected, and a few seconds later ActiveSync reacted and started synchronization.
I’ve heard people complain that ActiveSync over Bluetooth is slow; they’re wrong. It’s lightning fast, so I wonder if these people were using Pocket PC 2002 devices instead of Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 units.
My next step was to try to get a pairing and Internet connection over GPRS on the Nokia 3650. Getting the pairing was easy, but the GPRS internet connection was frustrating for a while. I could get the two devices to recognize one another and the Nokia phone would try making a GPRS connection, but then it would hang up. Finally I went out and did some quick Googling and found that a special string was supposed to be entered after the connection was made. When I did this, it worked perfectly and I was able to surf, run MSN Messenger, and check e-mail from the iPAQ over the phone connection. That’s precisely what I wanted to be able to do!!! Too cool. At least I won’t have to check my e-mail on the 3650; I’ve decided that doing that is an exercise in frustration. It works, but it’s a pain in the ass to remove all of the spam using the interface on the phone. That’s one reason I’m not using my Microsoft Smartphone now…
I’ve received review copies of both The Missing Sync for Pocket PC and PocketMac Pro 3.0, and will be trying both of them out on my PowerBook G4 shortly. Expect to see a review of both of these packages soon!
HP Releases iPAQ h5500 Series Firmware Update
Like the title says, HP has just released another firmware update for the iPAQ h5500 series. This is a ROM upgrade so it will not take up any of your precious RAM, unlike the Microsoft MSN Messenger Update that HAS to be installed in RAM… This is a 5.4 MB download. You’ll want to make sure that you make a backup when you’re done and have performed a soft reset. Click here to download the update for your iPAQ h5500.
What does this firmware update do for you? Check out this list:
? Fingerprint Software Version 3.7: Fixes an error where it allowed users to select alphanumeric characters using the softkey with the “simple 4 digit PIN” option for Password. If also fixes an error where the 12 and 24 hours options could not be selected in the “Prompt if device unused for” field under Password.
? Bluetooth Driver Version 1.4.1.58: Fixes an error where the system would hang when disconnecting a PAN connection via the Incoming Connection icon, fixes an issue where the device needed a Normal Reset after being turned off while transferring data via SPP, fixes an issue where the proxy settings kept getting erased in the Bluetooth Settings and corrects an issue when using ‘Dial via Bluetooth’ where it would not accept spaces in the phone number.
? Corrects an issue where the iPAQ does not wake up to perform a scheduled iPAQ Backup.
? Restores the ClearType Tuner that was removed by the previous XIP update (English and German only).
? Updates Wireless LAN Driver Version 3.2.2.123 to improve connectivity and roaming ability for wireless LAN users.
Big Thing In A Small Package
I got my iPaq 4150 today - and boy, is it small! This is undoubtedly the smallest Pocket PC I’ve ever had. I’ve charged it up, I’ll get it ready to sync tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to putting this new member of the iPaq family through its paces. While I’m testing it, I’ll also be trying out Microsoft’s Voice Command software, PDAMill’s Athelion, and several products for synching Windows Mobile Pocket PCs with Macintosh OS X computers! This should be fun, and you’ll get to read all about it in the very near future!
PDA Humor!
Bill Amend, the tech-savvy cartoonist who does the daily family strip “Foxtrot“, had a good one today! Have a good laugh:
http://www.ucomics.com/foxtrot/2003/11/20/
4150 On The Way, Playing With Bluetooth
I finally decided that the iPaq 4350 series was too darned big with that integrated keyboard, so I decided to go with the 4150. At least I’ll have a Pocket PC with Bluetooth AND WiFi built into it, and it only weighs 4.6 ounces (lighter than the 2215 by .1 ounce!). A review will be on the way as soon as I get it and have a chance to play for a while.
Speaking of playing, I’ve been going nuts with Bluetooth lately. I bought a D-Link Bluetooth USB adapter last night. This thing is tiny (easy to lose?) and just plugs into the USB port of your PC or Mac. I went ahead and set up my work PC with the drivers this morning and tried to make a wireless connection using my Nokia 3650 as a GPRS “modem”. I was successful in hitting the internet but could not get my VPN software to connect. I was about to give up when it occurred to me that T-Mobile has special GPRS account settings for VPN. I gave them a call, they made the changes, and the account info on my phone SIM is supposed to be updated within 2 hours. I’m hoping to give this another try later today to see if I can work from anywhere with my work laptop and my Nokia 3650.
Live From Las Vegas….Not!
Well, this is the time of year for Comdex and unfortunately I’m not there. However, I find it interesting that there’s remarkably little PDA news coming out of Las Vegas this year. My guess is that either a) all the writers are winning at blackjack and don’t have time to write or b) there’s just not all that much new that’s coming out this week.
Microsoft made a splash last year during Bill Gates’ annual keynote address when he flashed a SPOT watch and talked about how this technology was going to be running rampant in 2003. They’ve since backed off and will actually ship product in early 2004. The Tablet PC was also a hot topic last year; after a good run of sales early on, sales have flattened at a low level and there doesn’t seem to be too much happening in that area other than the occasional announcement about a new Tablet. Microsoft is showing off “Lonestar”, also known as Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2004. It appears to provide some improvement in the user interface but no really revolutionary new functionality.
If the tech writers and bloggers can ease themselves away from the craps table later this week, we may start to see some real news coming out of Comdex!
Press Release: FrogPad Adds egrips To Its Portable Keyboards
FrogPad Adds egrips to Secure Its Portable Keyboards and Keep the Innovative Devices Safely in Users Hands
LAS VEGAS, NV ? (November 17, 2003) FrogPad Inc., an innovator in data entry methods for mobile and portable communication devices, and Flexible Innovations Limited, a leader in the development of advanced materials for mobile devices, announced today at MobileFocus/Comdex that FrogPad would be installing Flexible Innovations egrips pads on the bottom of its portable keyboards. With egrips attached, FrogPad’s one-handed portable keyboards will be able to stay safely in users hands. The patent-pending material in egrips enables devices to stay firmly in place on slick surfaces, even when tilted at a 45-degree angle.
FrogPad provides a portable one-handed keyboard with an ergonomic layout designed around the 15 letters of the English alphabet that are used most often. With its practical, compact 3×5 size, FrogPad is the only fully functional portable keyboard with low-profile, full-sized keys that allow fast, easy and accessible data entry. It works in many commercial and industrial applications where mobility and portability are critical elements. Applications include mobile phones, PDAs, tablets, wearable PCs and GPS devices for the healthcare, educational, pharmaceutical and insurance markets. A new wireless Bluetooth version of FrogPad is now joining the USB version of the keyboard, offering users greater convenience and the benefits of cable-free connectivity.
Flexible Innovations has been selling egrips pads customized for a variety of portable electronic devices, including mobile phones, PDAs, remote controls, GPS devices, and portable CD and DVD players.? The pads are easy to apply and remove, but they are durable and provide users with a strong grip on their mobile devices. They also enable the devices to stay safely attached to the edge of a dashboard even when a car is in motion.
FrogPad will become the first OEM customer for egrips and the first product to ship with egrips preinstalled, taking advantage of egrips revolutionary new eskinz material, which is only about .015 inches thick. egrips will replace the rubber feet that previously came installed on the bottom of the device, giving the FrogPad more traction on surfaces. The egrips enable FrogPad to stay securely in place as a user performs data entry, wherever the keyboard is set down or however it is held.
“It’s critical that a keyboard doesn’t move around and stays secure wherever its placed,”said Fred Antonini, developer of egrips. “What’s unique about this material is that it’s extremely grippy without being sticky. It just bites on the surfaces that it comes into contact with, yet you don’t glue it on. If you were walking around a hospital doing data entry with the FrogPad into an electronic tablet or clipboard, it will stay on your clipboard. Even if you carry the clipboard at a 45-degree angle, it stays put. But then when you want to lift it up, it will come off. It almost attaches itself to the surface without really attaching itself.”
“With egrips affixed to FrogPad, users will have a better hold of their portable keyboard and it will stay put wherever they set it down,” said Linda Marroquin, FrogPad Inc’s CEO and President. “egrips adds to the convenience of our new FrogPad by keeping it safely at hand.”
HP iPAQ 4350 Review Coming Soon?
I’m hoping to get the one of the coolest new iPAQs soon - the 4350. This is the device that I have literally waited for since my first PDA. It has a built-in keyboard, WiFi and Bluetooth for wireless web access anywhere, and decent battery life. My only complaint is that it has “only” 64MB of RAM, but I guess that will have to do! 
As soon as the device is here and I’ve had a chance to put it through its paces, I will be posting a review in our Reviews area. My goal is to use this as a wireless computer on my daily light rail commute and as a wireless email device at work (using our wireless network employing Cisco’s LEAP encryption technology).
Outage Early Today
In case you were trying to get your daily PDAntic.com fix earlier today, it appears that our web hosting provider followed through on their threat to go to new servers and software. I’m hoping that this resolves one problem that I’ve had - HUGE amounts of spam on my PDAntic.com mail accounts. They’re supposed to be putting in a new mail system with very rigorous spam protection, which will make me very happy.
Save 50% Off Select Games From PDAmill!
PDAmill is celebrating their Pocket PC Magazine Software Awards and the release of their new game Anthelion with a special offer! If you buy Anthelion on the PDAmill site now, you get 50% off of their award winning games Snails and GameBox Solitare, and also off their best-selling game collection GameBox Classics.
You can buy all four games now for a mere $34.86 instead of $49.80! To take advantage of this offer, visit their webpage at www.pdamill.com and add Anthelion to your shopping cart, then use the ‘add to cart’ buttons to buy the suggested titles at half price.
Press Release: Verizon Wireless, Samsung and Microsoft? Create a Smarter Way to Communicate
Samsung i600 Smartphone from Verizon Wireless Offers Familiar Microsoft Windows Mobile Software, Advanced Wireless Features in One Compact Package
Bedminster NJ, Dallas TX, and Redmond WA (November 10, 2003) For mobile professionals seeking a better all-in-one wireless phone with a familiar PC experience, Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation’s best, most reliable wireless network, today announced the exclusive availability of the Samsung SCH-i600 Smartphone. The i600 is the first Microsoft? Windows MobileTM-based Smartphone from Samsung.
The i600 is an integrated device with a sleek, clamshell design that combines Verizon Wireless’ NationalAccess service with Microsoft’s comprehensive Windows Mobile software which includes Pocket Outlook?, Pocket Internet Explorer, MSN? Messenger, Microsoft Windows Media Player? and ActiveSync? . It also features an SDI/O Expansion Slot for memory expansion, added hardware accessories and additional applications that can be loaded on the device.
The Samsung i600 allows Verizon Wireless customers to access the familiar and powerful Windows Mobile software user interface. Customers can synchronize information directly from their desktop PCs as well as over-the-air with Wireless Sync from Verizon Wireless. Easy to install and use, Wireless Sync and Windows Mobile will let customers send and receive e-mail and sync their tasks, calendar and contacts. The i600’s single inbox allows customers to view all incoming e-mails, voicemails, and TXT messages at a glance, while the convenient one-handed navigation and predictive text entry eliminate the need for a stylus and make entering text and information quick and easy.
In conjunction with today’s availability of the i600 Smartphone, Verizon Wireless also announced the launch of a new application download store, powered by Handango. Customers can visit http://www.handango.com/verizonwireless from their PCs or phones to purchase, download and install a wide variety of productivity, reference, and entertainment applications as well as ringtones and themes using ActiveSync via their PCs or over-the-air, directly onto the i600 Smartphone.
“The i600 is the ultimate, all-in-one tool for busy professionals,” said Bill Stone, vice president of marketing for Verizon Wireless.” The foundation of Verizon Wireless’ nationwide network in combination with business essential tools from Microsoft, Samsung’s design innovation and Handango’s downloadable content offering takes office mobility to a new level. The i600 will become the new standard for all-in-one wireless devices.”
” The i600 is a powerful communication device for anyone who needs both a wireless phone and PDA at their fingertips,” said Peter Skarzynski, senior vice president of Samsung’s wireless terminals division.” We’ve developed the essential communication tool by combining a sleek clamshell design with Microsoft’s familiar software and Verizon Wireless’ high-speed network.”
” First and foremost, the i600 is a great wireless device,” said Pieter Knook, senior vice president of mobile and embedded devices at Microsoft Corp. ” But what truly sets it apart from others is its ability to help mobile professionals integrate their PC desktop information and applications with our familiar Windows Mobile software over Verizon Wireless’ high-speed network from a stunning Samsung handset.”
” Using Verizon Wireless’ high-speed network to download games and content for the sleek, powerful i600, only enhances an already-amazing mobile user experience,” said Laura Rippy, chief executive officer at Handango. ” At http://www.handango.com/verizonwireless customers can choose from hundreds of productivity-boosting, life-enhancing and just downright fun applications and digital media.”
The i600 Smartphone features an advanced 65,000-color display that provides brilliant illustration of multimedia, games, Web sites and emails. Consumers will find the i600 easy to use and loaded with useful features such as an external screen for caller ID, a speakerphone for easy hands-free communication and Advanced Voice Recognition from Voice Signal? for voice activated phone book, digit dial and menu commands.
Through the end of this year, the i600 Smartphone will retail for $399.99 after a $100 instant rebate, with a two-year agreement on a calling plan of $39.99 or greater and the PDA/Smartphone unlimited NationalAccess plan at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store or by calling 1-800-2JOIN-IN. The PDA/Smartphone feature is available at $24.99 monthly for 5MB NationalAccess allowance or $44.99 for unlimited NationalAccess allowance when added to any calling plan of $39.99 or higher. A PDA/Smartphone plan is required to use NationalAccess and Wireless Sync services from Verizon Wireless. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services visit www.verizonwireless.com.
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
