Press Release: SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs
Dear SoftMaker customer:
Today, we have some news for you that many users have been waiting for: SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs is shipping!
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Now available: SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs
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After extensive beta testing, we are proud to announce that SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs is shipping and ready for purchase.
This new version of our mobile office suite has significant advantages:
NEW: SoftMaker Presentations, the mobile alternative to PowerPoint
NEW: PDF export in all Office applications
NEW: Printing from all applications (JETCET PRINT is bundled)
NEW: Many new features in TextMaker 2008 and PlanMaker 2008
If you wish to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on the Pocket PC without losing formatting or content, SoftMaker Office is your only choice. There is no other mobile office suite that reads and writes your Office documents as faithfully as SoftMaker Office 2008.
Find out more:
http://www.softmaker.com/
If you own an older version of TextMaker, PlanMaker, or SoftMaker Office, you are entitled to special upgrade pricing — you can find the details on our web site.
Here Come Da Judge!
For the sixth year in a row, I’ll be a judge for the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards. If you use a Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, or Smartphone, be sure to let me know what your favorite applications via the Contact Us page so that I can make sure that they’re included in the nominations. I always enjoy judging the Best Software Awards, although about the only time I use a Windows Mobile phone these days is when I’m doing the judging!
Press Release: FlipSide MP3 Player for WinMo
FlipSide MP3 Player, Featuring “Swooshing” Album Art as Part of Acclaimed Visual Interface, Now Available for Windows Mobile
WYE VALLEY, UK (April 29, 2008) - FlipSide, the MP3 player from Electric Pocket that has had BlackBerry users buzzing, is now available to users of Windows Mobile devices such as the Treo 700xw, Mogul, Ace, and Blackjack. The feature that has made FlipSide such an instant hit among BlackBerry users is its iPhone-like interface that allows users to visually “swoosh” through their music quickly and easily.
Navigating through music and selecting tunes is a simple process with FlipSide: scroll through the Album Covers, or flick through them using your finger on the screen, then click on the navigation button to open up a vertical list of the tracks. The spacebar is used to start, pause and skip songs, while the navigation button is used to scroll either left or right to either fast forward or rewind within a song.
While FlipSide comes with the features expected of any MP3 player, the feature that gets the most buzz is the attractive user interface that makes FlipSide both visually enjoyable and very easy to use. Its ability to “swoosh” through the full-color cover art of an entire music collection within seconds using the navigation control button makes FlipSide stand-out as both a simple and fun MP3 player. FlipSide downloads and displays the cover art of each album and even links to FlipSide Extras to provide biographies of the artists, recommendations for similar artists and more.
FlipSide for Windows Mobile plays music stored on memory cards in MP3 & WMA formats. FlipSide retails for $19.95 and a free trial download is available now from the FlipSide website at http://flipside.fm
Happy Mobius, Everyone!
If 2007 was like past years, I’d be at to the Mobius conference in Amsterdam this week. This is the conference that I’ve attended three times since 2000, dealing with all things mobile…as long as it had to do with Windows Mobile, since Microsoft was footing the bill. 
The folks from Microsoft who organize the conference don’t always invite the same people every year, unless you happen to run a site like Engadget, Pocket PC Thoughts, or some other highly commercial website. I’m hopeful that I’ll be invited to the next conference in early 2008 so I can see what’s new in the mobile space and hear their highly informative (and usually NDA) discussions about future directions for mobile devices.
However, if I was a believer in conspiracy theories, I’d think my non-attendance at the conference is due to my total lack of respect for any mobile device running Windows Mobile these days. After using an iPhone for four months and seeing a number of people who had never embraced smartphones suddenly “getting it” when they started using an iPhone, I am much less interested in what goes on in the WM world. For instance, I just finished reading the latest Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine annual Buyers Guide edition, and I couldn’t believe how bored I was with page after page of similar looking WM devices.
In past years, I was upset when I wasn’t invited to a Mobius conference at least once a year. I’m not sure it will upset me much anymore. As much as I love mobile technology, it’s hard to get excited about a platform that seems so limited after using an iPhone and seeing what Google is planning with Android. I’ll be happy to be with the other Apple fanatics at Macworld Expo in January, where I’m hopeful that we’ll hear about new directions for the wildly successful iPhone.
As for the people who will be in attendance, have a great time in Amsterdam! I just hope they still have the “Old Windows Mobile Device Toss” like they did last year - it was the most fun I’ve had with Windows Mobile in years!
Astraware Plantastic
Enjoy hours of petal-popping fun with Plantastic!
KEELE, Staffordshire, UK & BUDAORS, Hungary - November 14th, 2007 - Astraware(R) and PalmStormTM are excited to announce the release of Plantastic! for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) smartphones and PDAs.
Plantastic! is a fun combination of puzzle and strategy game where you create bouquets from groups of brightly coloured flowers to clear them from the play board and reach each level’s bloom target! Each game mode has a different planting pattern and blooms can only be placed near the player’s last bloom within the pattern shown. Blooms drop into the queue and you must plant them in the garden before the queue fills up.
Plantastic! begins as a simple fun game, but add the challenge of more complex flower arrangements, and a range of different bloom colours as you progress, and the challenge increases. Avoid the mushrooms that block your path, and stop Mr Mole from stealing your blooms by tapping him on the head, but make sure you don’t run out of time or flowers! Flower powerups like the super trowel and joker flowers will offer assistance to boost your points total.
Developed by PalmStorm and published by Astraware, Plantastic! includes 5 different play modes across 3 levels of difficulty and hundreds of play levels. The game is designed for Palm OS(R) 5 and Windows Mobile(R) 2003, 2003SE, 5 and 6 devices with touchscreens, and is available from the Astraware website http://www.astraware.com/plantastic, priced $19.95.
Technorati Tags: Games, palm, Windows Mobile
Press Release - Hidden Expedition: Titanic available for Palm OS / Windows Mobile
Hidden Expedition: Titanic Now Available For Palm OS
Press Release: Phatware Releases PhatNotes 5.0
Upgrade of Award-Winning Notes Organizing Software for Windows Mobile Smartphones Features Support for Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Vista
Mountain View, CA, September 5, 2007 - PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers, announces today the release of PhatNotes 5.0, the next generation of the company’s award-winning notes organizer software for Microsoft Windows based desktop computers and Windows Mobile smartphones.
PhatNotes, a winner of Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine’s Best Software Awards in the notes category for six consecutive years as well as other industry awards, is one of the most popular Pocket PC and Smartphone note-taking applications on the market. PhatNotes allows users to create notes and organize them by type, subject, creation, and modification date. The software provides powerful text search with regular expression support, document security and email capabilities. Unlike previous versions of PhatNotes, the new version will not include multiple editions of the software. Instead, there will be only one edition of PhatNotes that supports both Standard (non-touch screen) and Professional (touch screen) devices and includes the desktop software and the synchronization module for ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center for Windows Vista.
Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile
Movable Beast Review: Sprint HTC Mogul PPC-6800
The Sprint HTC Mogul is the latest in a series of similar Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phones from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. In a nutshell, the Mogul is a “slidy McQwerty” platform with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. It runs on Sprint’s 3G network, it has WiFi, and it has Windows Mobile 6 onboard. I had a chance to put one of these through its paces, and although I didn’t do a lot of calling on the phone (I prefer to look at the functionaiity of the device), I was able to give it a thorough workout. My opinion? Well, you’ll have to read the rest of the article but for the most part I felt the Mogul is a very solid, but unimaginative phone. On the other hand, my use of Sprint’s 3G EV-DO network (AKA Power Vision Network) was so positive that I’m buying one of their EV-DO cards for my MacBook.
In the photo below, you can see that the relative sizes of the iPhone, Palm Treo 680 and the HTC Mogul (Left to Right) are about the same. It’s the thickness of the devices that is amazingly different. All three of these intelligent mobile phones have bright, beautiful displays, although the iPhone display is really in a class of its own at 160 ppi.
Read more after the break.
Technorati Tags: EV-DO, WiFi, Windows Mobile
Press Release: Astraware Sudoku updated with a new look and new features.
KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - August 8th, 2007 - Astraware is excited to announce a major update to its award-winning Astraware Sudoku game for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) Smartphones and PDAs.
Astraware Sudoku,version 1.40, has been given a full makeover. Behind the scenes the game has been transferred to a brand new games framework, and graphically has an updated look and support for more new resolutions, as well as some brand new features.
Suitable for all players from beginners through to experts, Astraware Sudoku is packed with features.
There are several ways to get puzzles: from the pre-built puzzle packs available at http://www.sudokuoftheday.com; by using the integrated Puzzle Builder which creates literally billions of puzzles; or download any of the Puzzles of the Day over the air and then compare your times with other players worldwide. Players can also play puzzles from newspapers or books they’ve entered and get Astraware Sudoku’s expert help and assistance to solve them.
Astraware Sudoku offers a range of different options to help players solve puzzles including manual or automatic pencilmarks in a choice of styles; a smart hints system; and the brand new hold and highlight system which can display an overlay for a specific number or pencilmark helping players to see where to look and what to look for. In touchscreen devices there’s the added bonus of the notepad overlay, allowing players to make their own pencilmarks and notes on screen too.
Following requests from existing users, Astraware Sudoku version 1.40 now includes an extensive Puzzle Manager which allows players to select a specific puzzle to play, or delete puzzles they’ve already completed.
The game also offers a choice of control methods where players can move around and enter numbers using the 5-way, number keys, stylus and touchscreen, keyboard shortcuts, or any combination of these, so you can play it the way you want to.
Astraware Sudoku is available for Palm OS 5.0, and Windows Mobile 2003, 2003SE, 5 and 6 Classic (Pocket PC), Professional (Phone Edition) and Standard (Smartphone), priced $19.95. The game is available at a very special price to Club Astraware members during August 2007. Version 1.40 is a free update for registered owners of Astraware Sudoku and is available from http://www.astraware.com/sudoku. The existing version of Astraware Sudoku for Palm OS4 will continue to be available from the Astraware website.
Technorati Tags: Games, palm, Windows Mobile
Press Release: Astraware Fireworks (Free Application!) for Palm and Windows Mobile
Ahhh, the irony - a company based in Britain helping Americans to celebrate our independence from Britain….
Celebrate 4th July with Fireworks from Astraware!
KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - June 28th 2007 - Astraware is pleased to announce a brand new version of their fun application Fireworks which is available for a limited time.
Fireworks is a simple FREE application, showing sequences of fireworks flying and exploding into the air. As 4th July is traditionally a time for fireworks and celebrations in the USA, the features have been created to help our American friends highlight one of their major holidays - Independence Day! Fireworks features a selection of patriotic backgrounds including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Stars and Stripes, and offers a choice of stirring tunes including the Star Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes Forever!
Fireworks is available for devices running Palm OS
Press Release: Sprint Introduces the Mogul (TM) by HTC
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - June 18, 2007 - Leaving the laptop behind and staying connected and productive just got easier with the introduction of the Mogul
HTC Touch vs. iPhone
It was an absolute given that as soon as Apple announced the iPhone, someone was going to try to take a Windows Mobile device and try to turn it into an iPhone-wannabe. And that someone was Windows Mobile powerhouse HTC, with the Touch. It was good to see that Matt Miller made a great video showing how lame the Touch interface is compared to the iPhone:
Press Release: Astraware Solitaire for Palm and Windows Mobile
Pick up a great pack of card games with Astraware Solitaire!
THE MIDLANDS, UK - June 13th, 2007 - Astraware(R) is excited to announce their version of the classic card games pack - Astraware Solitaire for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) PDAs and Smartphones.
Astraware Solitaire features 12 of the most well-known and best-loved single player card games, chosen based on direct feedback and suggestions from Astraware customers. The games include Klondike, Pyramid, Spider, and Freecell, and to make the playing experience both familiar and fun, each game has custom gameplay options so everyone can enjoy the games using their favorite variation on the standard rules.
The game’s controls have been specially designed to be simple and comfortable with both stylus or 5-way play, and along with just the right balance of effects really make it easy to play and feel like you would when playing with a real pack of cards.
“We really wanted to capture the best things about Solitaire, easy to get into, enjoyable to play, and the nice feeling of playing with cards that sometimes computer games don’t capture.” Said Howard Tomlinson, Astraware CEO and Game Designer. “Playing just one game at a time is great, but we added the extra incentive of collecting trophies for various achievements within each of the games for those people who want to have a longer goal too. You can play straight off with the normal settings, or customise it in all kinds of ways - it’s your game, so we feel you should be able to play it the way you want to!”
PDAs and Smartphones are very personal and everyone loves to customise the look of their handheld. Astraware Solitaire also offers lots of choices including decorative backgrounds, changeable color themes, and a beautiful selection of cardbacks to enhance the look of your game.
Most important of all, there is a choice of card front including a familiar traditional set with beautiful face cards, and a clear card face which is better for those with visual impairments, or for playing in bright daylight.
If you like to track your progress, the game statistics will tell you how long you’ve played and how often you win, and Astraware Solitaire also includes a fun trophy system which unlocks extra card graphics and the highly sought-after golden trophy pack of cards. Once you’ve collected them all, you can even be use them to play with!
With 12 highly-absorbing, traditional card games, Astraware Solitaire is the perfect pastime for everyone’s handheld.
Astraware Solitaire is available for PDAs and Smartphones running Palm OS 5 (with hi-res screens), and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC and Smartphone 2003, 5.0 and 6.0, priced $19.95. To save $10 off the regular price, get Astraware Solitaire before 30th June 2007!
The complete list of games included is: Calculation, Canfield, Clock, Four Seasons, Freecell, Golf, Idiot’s Delight, Klondike, Pyramid, Spider, Sultan’s Harem, and Yukon. To try Astraware Solitaire for yourself, visit the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/solitaire.
Technorati Tags: Games, palm, smartphone, Software, Windows Mobile
Press Release: VITO AudioNotes 1.3 with even more functionality
Compromise for Pocket PC Phone Edition recording
30 May, 2007
Press Release: VITO AstroNavigator II updated
Touching the Sky is Easy!
May 21, 2007
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
