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Category Archives: Windows Phone

HTC Touch Diamond Available in Stores

htc-touch-diamond-front According to IntoMobile.com, the HTC Touch Diamond is now available in select online stores waiting for the fans to order. I still think it’s a pretty slick phone with a lot of high end features but I am not convinced that it’s worth at least $780. I mean, it doesn’t have a large screen (2.8″) and a very small battery capacity (900 mAh) that is suppose to power up all the built in features. You’ll be lucky to get two full days out of it. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a phone worth looking into and now you can get your hands on it.

Here is what IntoMobile.com says:

If you have the $780 to $900 admission fee handy, you too can play to your heart’s content in the land of Diamond that HTC built. The HTC Touch Diamond is a bit pricey, but for a high-end smartphone packed with features like a VGA touchscreen display, HSPA (both HSDPA and HSUPA), Opera browser, 3 megapixel camera, and eye-catching UI – powered by Windows Mobile 6.1, the price-point isn’t all that unheard-of.

Grab your own HTC Touch Diamond at one of the following online retailers:

 

 
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Posted by on May 28, 2008 in HTC, Smartphones, Windows Phone

 

Get Your Windows Mobile Training Now!

Windows Mobile SpecialistEver wanted to know the ins and outs of your Windows Mobile device? Well this is your chance to dig deep into the new Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system by visiting the Windows Mobile Training site. Learn all the new improvements and features that will certainly increase your productivity and generally make your life easier.

Get your Windows Mobile Specialist Certification by successfully completing the courses on the site. I got mine, why shouldn’t you?

Honestly, I thought I knew a good share of information when it came to Windows Mobile. But when I discovered the Windows Mobile Training site and started completing the courses I discovered a wide range of helpful features that I wasn’t aware of.

Get trained, get certified, get to know Windows Mobile today.

 
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Posted by on May 25, 2008 in Microsoft, Windows Phone

 

Samsung SGH-i900 – Some Concerns

Nothing is perfect. I have yet bought or used a phone that I couldn’t live without. And therefore the upcoming Samsung SGH-i900 won’t be any different. But so far, the phone’s design and specification is appealing to me a lot more than any phone currently available in the market. So hopefully my concerns below won’t see the light of day. 

My first concern is the battery capacity. In my opinion, a phone like this with all the high end features and large 3.5″ display should come with a replaceable battery holding at anything between 1200 and 1500 mAh of power.

My second concern is the large touchscreen. Some touchscreen phones these days aren’t as responsive as they should be. On some phones, users have to press a bit harder for the touch to register since there seems to be a space between the touch surface and the actual LCD beneath it. This is somewhat annoying to me and I hope it won’t be much of a concern for this particular phone.

I don’t care much about the weight of the phone. No matter how much heavy a phone can get, I am sure it will never be substantial.

Another concern is text input. I know that Windows Mobile comes with a built in virtual keyboard but it’s tiny, looks ugly, and you need a stylus to use it. I am thinking since this phone comes with a pretty large screen, Samsung should have included a special QWERTY keyboard that is user and finger friendly. It’s already unfortunate that there isn’t a physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard built into the phone.

Finally, my last concern is the phone’s home screen. No one wants to see the default dull and boring Windows Mobile home screen. A special home screen plugin would be necessary for such a slick and shiny phone in order to seperate it from other Windows Mobile phones.

I really do have high expectations for this phone and I hope Samsung won’t put me down. Samsung is known for its high quality products therefore I hope this product isn’t an exception.

 

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2008 in Smartphones, Windows Phone

 

Samsung SGH-i900 – It’s Worth The Wait

Samsung SGH-i900 Today I came across this post on IntoMobile.com saying that Samsung is working on a new phone, Samsung SGH-i900. It could be the phone that I am destined to own. The phone has all those high-end features that I want plus a gorgeous large 3.5″ screen (an asset in my opinion).

I will certainly keep an eye on all news related to this phone. Here are the anticipated specifications so far (taken straight from this post on IntoMobile.com):

The Samsung SGH-i900 brings together the best of both worlds, and it does it in style. With a full-body, 3.5-inch (240×400) touchscreen and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the Samsung i900 gives Windows Mobile fans a chance to one-up iPhone owners. And, with a feature-set that includes HSDPA, WiFi, FM radio, 5 megapixel camera, TV-out, 16GB of onboard storage, microSDHC card slot, and Bluetooth 2.2 with A2DP – all packed into a 112×56×13mm package, the Samsung i900 easily outpaces the current iPhone’s meager offerings. And, there’s some sort of fingerprint-scanner/touch-sensitive navigation pad at the bottom of the display.

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2008 in Smartphones, Windows Phone

 

HTC Diamond TouchFLO 3D Preview

 

  This is one of the most interesting UI for Windows Mobile that I came across lately. I found this YouTube video that goes over the entire new UI for the recently announced HTC Diamond.

Personally, I love the UI and the new device as well. It looks like I will be adding a new item to my wishlist this year.

I would recommend not paying a lot of attention to the guy demonstraiting the new UI. As a matter of fact, you might as well mute your speakers for the entire video as this guy does a horrible job presenting. HTC could’ve at least hired someone who is able to get closer to the croud and build a more exciting environment around this beautiful device.

Anyways, enjoy the video.

Ciao!

 
 

Windows Mobile 6.1

You should have heard by now that Microsoft officially announced the new updated version Windows Mobile 6.1, only for smartphones. Which means that all touch screen devices will still be running Windows Mobile 6 Professional.

I think there is a reason why touch screen devices still run the older version. I think Microsoft is planning on releasing a totally revamped Windows Mobile for touch based devices. Maybe something that can actually compete with the iPhone. Everyone knows that technology is moving towards touch based applications and gradually moving away from hardwares such as the mouse and keyboard when it comes to using everyday applications specially on mobile devices. So it would make sense if Microsoft is working on something powerfull in their labs.

As for the time being, Windows Mobile 6.1 looks great and comes with many new useful features. Windows Mobile is defintely going in the right direction, as it seems, and I will be looking forward for more news from the dev team.

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Windows Mobile: Silverlight & Flash Support

Now that Microsoft seems to have got its Windows Mobile team working again, it brings me pleasure to hear such great news as the added support for Silverlight and Adobe Flash. This definitely will enable developers to get a lot more creative in developing state of the art applications for Windows Mobile using Silverlight since the technology is cross-browser and cross-platform. And with Adobe Flash supported as well, bringing a more realistic desktop-like internet experience to a Windows Mobile device doesn’t sound far-fetched anymore.
 
But I think there is more up Microsoft’s sleeves behind this news than just for the sake of software development and better internet experience. I think it has to do with Windows Mobile’s successor. That’s right. Windows Mobile 7.
 
Now that everything is moving towards a touch based experience for mobile devices, the added support for Silverlight might be a clue of what to expect from the next version of Windows Mobile. And I don’t mean Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.5, but instead an entirely overhauled operating system. After all, Silverlight is all about UI and Windows Mobile users all around the globe have been complaining and giving negative feedback on the OS’s not so user or finger friendly interface.
 
It will be interesting to see what the Windows Mobile team will be releasing in the upcoming months. You never know, maybe a new Windows Mobile version isn’t so far away as everyone seems to believe. But no matter how long it takes, I am sure it will be worth the wait.
 
 

Windows Mobile: HTC Touch

I am not trying to write a review of the phone here since it’s been done all over the net (just Google ‘HTC Touch review’ and see for yourself). Instead, I am just pointing out my likes and dislikes of the device.

First of all, I have to admit that I like the device’s form factor. Small and thin enough to fit in your pocket and at the same time the screen is big enough to view and take pictures as well as read the latest news using your preferred RSS reader (I use and recommend Viigo).

The HTC Touch rubberized body gives it a nice feel and gives it a lot more grip. I didn’t find it hard using the device for calling with one hand, although it did get a bit tricky when trying to type a message or a web address with the built in virtual keyboard using only your finger. That’s when the stylus comes handy.

It comes with a loud speaker which can be used as a speakerphone during a call as well as listening to music. The one major disadvantage is the memory. The phone seems to always complain about low program memory. I guess that’s why HTC had to make a second generation HTC Touch with improved application memory capacity.

Nevertheless, the phone is sleek and practical for daily use with a great battery life.

Besides, the phone comes with a nice good quality pouch to protect the screen and the body from any bumps and accidental drops (something the Apple people should have considered including with their precious and ever so popular iPhone).

 

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2008 in Smartphones, Windows Phone

 

iPhone vs HTC Touch: Incomparable

My boss and I decided to exchange cell phones for the long weekend. So I got the HTC Touch and he got the iPhone. I have previously owned a Windows Mobile 6 Professional device (HTC Advantage 7501) so I know my way around the operating system, the only addition is HTC’s TouchFLO. Honestly, it’s one of the many missing pieces that Windows Mobile desperately needs which is some way to make the interface intuitive and a lot more finger friendly. But once you get out of the TouchFLO experience, it’s back to good old Windows Mobile again. And even though Windows Mobile allows running multiple applications, the HTC Touch can’t seem to handle it because of its small memory.

The thing that is totally noticeable about the iPhone is the simplicity. All tasks are simple, straightforward, and without a single complexity. Even if you have never used a cell phone before there is no doubt that you will immediately get the hang of it. Honestly, a freakin’ monkey would certainly know his way around it in a jiffy. There is barely any advanced options. You can only use one application at a time. Everything is so strictly imprisoned by the Apple people and any change to the system files (which can only be accessed through SSH on a jail broken iPhone) would pretty much either crash the OS or permanently lock it for ever and ever.

In other words, it’s certainly not intended for power users such as myself.  Apple wants you to be a good boy and only use what you see on screen. Period.

But the truth has to be told. There is no phone that does those simple tasks as well as the iPhone. Windows Mobile cannot be compared (it’s way off the chart). Nokia’s Symbian OS is also generations behind. And, from the looks of it, Google’s Android still lacks the finger friendly and intuitive UI.

So if you’re someone who is only interested in a phone that sends & receives calls & messages, as well as a built in iPod, and an internet mobile device for surfing (not chatting…yet), then by all means get yourself a glossy shiny iPhone. Oh and don’t forget to get yourself a case for it since it doesn’t come with one. Oh and a small cloth to clean the screen after every use. Oh and a screen protector. Oh and a pair of gloves so you don’t get it smudged. Oh and…no I think that is pretty much it.

 

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2008 in iPhone, Smartphones, Windows Phone

 

Selling My HTC Advantage X7501

The ebay advertisement for my HTC will go online starting Sunday 27th 2008.

To be honest, I am greatly disappointed with the experience I had generally with the HTC Advantage. Previously, I thought highly of the Windows Mobile operating system and I was anxious to get my hands on any device that runs the OS. Now that I had hands on experience with the OS, I can honestly tell you that I am planning not to touch any other Windows Mobile device until Microsoft totally revamps it.

The OS is slow (despite the fact that my HTC has a 629 Mhz processor), choppy, not user friendly, dull, the menu options and locations is not consistent in all its modules, the built in on-screen keyboard is not finger friendly, and the list keeps going on and on. I mean the OS has been around for ages now yet no attention was given to the interface.

As I said before in a previous post, I have a feeling that Microsoft is working on the successor of Windows Mobile 6. But even if that was true the release date could be years from now. Not sooner than 2009.

As for the time being, I will stick to my beloved Nokia E61.

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2008 in HTC, Smartphones, Windows Phone

 
 
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