Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Engadget is reporting that Microsoft new app store, Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be gracing the screens of Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices. This is welcome news as it had been previously limited to the new WinMo 6.5 platform. Now users of existing devices can get apps from one place and developers just got a few million instant new potential customers. Great news!

"The recently announced Samsung Omnia II GT-I8000 is Samsung's Windows Mobile successor to the original Samsung Omnia smartphone, one of the best selling Windows Mobile touchscreen phones ever. With the Omnia II, Samsung overhauled the original Omnia by adding the latest technology. While the initial release will run on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Samsung will offer a free Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade later."

This is a very nice package - quadband GSM, triband HSPA, FM radio, 3.7" AMOLED WVGA screen, up to 16GB internal memory (depending on model), 3.5mm headphone socket, and a 5MP AF camera with LED flash. the::unwired.net thinks it will be released at the end of August or early September - anyone want one? Click through the link for the photo gallery.

"The new arrivals include the world-first launch of the LG GM730f - which is upgradeable to Windows Mobile® 6.5 later this year - as well as the LG Xenon, both exclusive to Telstra. Two further new additions include the TelstraOne Experience user interface from Sony Ericsson and the HTC Touch Pro2 smartphone for professionals."

Telstra has announced that the HTC Touch Pro2 and LG GM730f will be available from July 21 and July 28 respectively. You probably already know all there is to know about the Touch Pro2. The GM730f, on the other hand, is somewhat of an unknown. It boasts 7.2 Mbps HSDPA support (though, still well under the Next G network's current speed of 21 Mbps, and the eventual 42 Mbps slated for later in the year), a 3.0-inch touch screen, a 5.0-megapixel camera, LG's S-Class UI, and upgradeability to Windows Mobile 6.5. It'll set you back $0 on a plan over 24 months, or $979 AUD outright.

"Available later this month, the HTC Touch Pro2 smartphone will help TELUS clients stay in touch easily with a large sliding 3.6" touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad. The enhanced Windows Mobile 6.1 professional platform will enable users to sync their email, contacts and calendar with Microsoft ActiveSync, plus access applications such as YouTube on TELUS' 3G network and almost anywhere they travel around the world with TELUS international roaming."

The above quote is from a Telus press release, which seems to be impossible to find online, but here are some other quotes from it:

• Network support: 3G EVDO Rev A, HSPA, Quad-band EDGE to stay productive and entertained on-the-go while travelling abroad or across Canada
• Optional microSD memory expandable to 16 GB to store documents, music, videos and photos
• 3.6" 65k WVGA (800x 480) touchscreen
• 3.2 MP camera/video with auto focus to take and share pictures with family and friends
• Easy access to You Tube, Digital Photo Frame and weather
• TELUS Navigator, TELUS Visual Voice Mail, TELUS mobile TV and more

The interesting thing here is that this is a CDMA phone with EVDO Rev A but also quad-band GSM - so when you're in North America you can rock the better speed and range of CDMA, and when you travel you'll roam onto the GSM network. That's a big deal for anyone that has a CDMA phone and is used to leaving it behind when they travel internationally. No word on exact pricing.

"AIM for Windows Mobile brings all of the best features of AIM on your PC to your Windows Mobile smartphone! AIM for Windows Mobile lets you communicate whenever you want, wherever you are, in whatever way suits you best - IM or text. Update your AIM status and information when you're on the go. Change your conversation style, manage your Buddy List, and much more. AIM Windows Mobile Smartphone has many of the same key features and a familiar look-and-feel of the desktop AIM client."

Are you an AIM user? If so, beta version 2.0 is ready for you. As you can see by the screenshot AIM has a lot built into it. I personally don't use AIM but if you do and if you try it out on your Windows Mobile device, please let us know if it's worth it or not. Remember it's a 2.0 beta so there may be some things to work out so be aware. OK, go communicate!

"This program changes the style of notifications when you miss a phone call, or receive new text messages. It just gives better enjoyment to Windows phones, and adds a bit of "spice" to your everyday phoning and messaging. Extra Notifications alerts you about event, by using one of the selected themes, which simulates computer interfaces and activities, from known motion pictures.There are plenty computer concepts in history of cinematography, better or worse. It's enjoyable to encounter some similar feelings, even in small screen of mobile device."

Hmm, I'm not quite sure just what I think of this. If you like your missed call notifications to come in the form of a movie clip, then here you go. You can get different themes for different notifications. I suppose if you're a ring tone fanatic, you may appreciate the variety of ways to be notified by your Windows Mobile device. If you decide to use it, come back and let us know what you think.

Earlier this week, synchronization service NuevaSync announced their latest addition to the platform, push e-mail. NuevaSync already had calendar & contact sync from Google to Windows Mobile, iPhone, and pretty much any platform that supports the Microsoft Activesync protocol. Since I've been using Google for the last month or so (in lieu of my exchange server), I thought it may be interesting to give this service a shot. After all, only $25 for a year of service isn't too pricey (.002 cents per hour if you want to think of it that way...).

The first thing you notice about NuevaSync is it's no-frills website. This makes it mobile friendly, and still usable on the desktop. Their site was a bit disjointed (with a Wiki and Blog loosely linked up, with recent navigation improvements) but it gets the job done. After upgrading to Premium (for $25 a year), you can access the e-mail action. This is where you link up your IMAP e-mail account. Any IMAP server that supports the IDLE command should work just fine with their service, and they have an express setup option for GMail users. Contacts & Calendar set up easily as well, and as a premium user you can select which Google Calendars you want to sync with your device. Read more...

"You don't know where you parked your car anymore? Have you ever wondered how far your are away from home and in what direction it is? GpsSpot from Cradle Software uses the build in or attached GPS device to show in what direction and how far a previously saved spot is."

A few months back I was looking for a GPS gadget that did exactly what this software does - guide you back to a specific GPS location that you've tagged. This is exactly what I needed, and at an asking price of 2.90 Euros, it's cheap enough that even if you only use it a few times a year, it would be worth it. Unfortunately it's for Windows Mobile Professional devices only, not Windows Mobile Standard devices.

Adam Lein from pocketnow.com interviews Vinnie Brown of Naughty by Nature. That sounds like the first line from a joke, doesn't it? It's kind of surreal to see an artist from a grammy-award winning group geeking out and talking about Windows Mobile, but the video above has exactly that. Pretty cool! I love what happens when he soft resets the device - slick!

"As you've probably seen, Orange launched the Toshiba TG01 today, and SlashGear went along to the launch event 31 floors above the city of London. There's not much about this smartphone we didn't already know - after all, we were also there in February when it officially debuted - but today was an opportunity to play with the Orange branded version and the latest firmware."

With availability starting today in Europe, the TG01 is starting to garner some early reviews. SlashGear attended the London launch and got to play around with a couple of demo units. Hit the link for their impressions and a pretty extensive photo gallery.