Category: Mobile Phone

What’s On Your Home Screen

Lorin Olsen

Now that I have a smartphone of my very own, it’s time to highlight what is on my home screen.  But before I do that, I need to note how I got the screen capture.

For those who have rooted their system, the process of a screen capture is quite simple.  But for those who are still clinging to a stock firmware build (like me), the process is slightly different. Nevertheless, the process is relatively straightforward.  You need to update your device driver on the computer system that will be connected to your phone.  Then you need to download and install the Android SDK.  Finally, you need to make sure you update your copy of the Java Development Kit.  [Note: The current Java build as I write this is JDK SE 1.6.21.]  The entire process is fully documented over at Simple Help.  And the results of my first screen capture are shown above.

So what do I have on my home screen?  Well the current favorite apps are as follows:

Location-based tools: Navigation (from Google), Places Directory (from Google), Yelp, and Foursquare.

  • With Navigation, my phone can literally answer the question of “Where Do I Want To Go Today?”  And it can tell me how to get there.
  • I use Places and Yelp to find cool places to visit and explore.  Places is very simplistic.  But its simple approach saves time when you’re in a hurry.  And for those times when you absolutely, positively need to know everything that is around you, Yelp is an astonishingly good tool to find all the hidden things that are close by.  Finally, I am like many techophiles.
  • I use Foursquare to tell folks where I am.  And I have fun trying to be the mayor of someplace other than my household.

Messaging Tools: Google Voice (from Google), GMail (from Google), Text Messaging (from Google), and Seesmic.

  • I use Google Voice for all my voice integration needs.  Indeed, it is my voicemail – even for the mobile phone itself.
  • As everyone know, GMail is my email client.  I love and use it for everything – including integrating other mailboxes across the net.
  • I used Text Messaging for just that: texting.  For the most part, SMS messaging is a dying art.  But my kids still use it a great deal.  I use Google Voice for most of my SMS needs.  But if someone does send an SMS message to my carrier, this app fills the bill.
  • Finally, I use Seesmic as my main tool for Twitter.  Have I used other tools?  Of course I have.  But Seesmic is always current.  It allows me to integrate multiple Twitter accounts.  And it look quite good.

Commerce-related Tools: Mobile Banking (from BoA, of course), Barcode Scanner (from Google), AppBrain, and Google Goggles (from Google).

  • I like having instant access to my bank statement.  So the banking app is self-explanatory.
  • The barcode scanner allows me to read UPC codes and determine the best prices in my local area.  It also reads QR codes.  So you can point your phone at a QR code and jump to the URL embedded within the code.
  • The AppBrain tool is an excellent market system for Android apps. It won’t replace the Android market. But AppBrain has a great review system to go along with the software inventory it houses.
  • Finally, I do use Google Googles to take pictures of things and see what the web has to say about the things that I snap pictures of.

Words and Thoughts: Dolphin Browser, Congress (from Sunlight Foundation), Kindle (from Amazon) and DailyBible (from Joansoft).

  • The Dolphin Browser runs circles around the basic Android browser.  When I needed to download an email attachment whose extension wasn’t registered, the basic browser failed while Dolphin succeeded.
  • Congress is an exceptional app that can tell you how your representatives are doing in Washington.  You can see pending and passed laws.  You can see what your Congressman or Senator has done.  And you can get their direct phone number – and call them directly.
  • The Kindle app is an excellent tool for e-reading.  For me, I have downloaded a few important books – but not my whole library.  For that, I still need my Kindle.
  • Finally, I use DailyBible to ensure that I geta great Bible verse to start each and every day.

There are a few other apps that I should note.  First, I use NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for my screen saver.  I use ConnectBot to securely log into my servers at home.  I use Astro to perform miscellaneous file management tasks.  I use the Astrid Task Manager for my day-to-day task entry. I use Google Sky Map for really cool nighttime star-gazing. I use Pandora for streaming music. Finally, I use Shazam for recognizing music and buying miscellaneous songs while I’m on the go.

All in all, my Droid 2 is getting a good workout.  I’ve even updated the SD card already.  This is so reminiscent of PC systems in the nineties.  It’s kind of like the wild west and Star Trek – all at the same time.  I guess that means that the first movie I must play on my phone will be Joss Whedon’s “Serenity.”

-Roo

What's On Your Home Screen

Lorin Olsen


Now that I have a smartphone of my very own, it’s time to highlight what is on my home screen.  But before I do that, I need to note how I got the screen capture.
For those who have rooted their system, the process of a screen capture is quite simple.  But for those who are still clinging to a stock firmware build (like me), the process is slightly different. Nevertheless, the process is relatively straightforward.  You need to update your device driver on the computer system that will be connected to your phone.  Then you need to download and install the Android SDK.  Finally, you need to make sure you update your copy of the Java Development Kit.  [Note: The current Java build as I write this is JDK SE 1.6.21.]  The entire process is fully documented over at Simple Help.  And the results of my first screen capture are shown above.
So what do I have on my home screen?  Well the current favorite apps are as follows:
Location-based tools: Navigation (from Google), Places Directory (from Google), Yelp, and Foursquare.

  • With Navigation, my phone can literally answer the question of “Where Do I Want To Go Today?”  And it can tell me how to get there.
  • I use Places and Yelp to find cool places to visit and explore.  Places is very simplistic.  But its simple approach saves time when you’re in a hurry.  And for those times when you absolutely, positively need to know everything that is around you, Yelp is an astonishingly good tool to find all the hidden things that are close by.  Finally, I am like many techophiles.
  • I use Foursquare to tell folks where I am.  And I have fun trying to be the mayor of someplace other than my household.

Messaging Tools: Google Voice (from Google), GMail (from Google), Text Messaging (from Google), and Seesmic.

  • I use Google Voice for all my voice integration needs.  Indeed, it is my voicemail – even for the mobile phone itself.
  • As everyone know, GMail is my email client.  I love and use it for everything – including integrating other mailboxes across the net.
  • I used Text Messaging for just that: texting.  For the most part, SMS messaging is a dying art.  But my kids still use it a great deal.  I use Google Voice for most of my SMS needs.  But if someone does send an SMS message to my carrier, this app fills the bill.
  • Finally, I use Seesmic as my main tool for Twitter.  Have I used other tools?  Of course I have.  But Seesmic is always current.  It allows me to integrate multiple Twitter accounts.  And it look quite good.

Commerce-related Tools: Mobile Banking (from BoA, of course), Barcode Scanner (from Google), AppBrain, and Google Goggles (from Google).

  • I like having instant access to my bank statement.  So the banking app is self-explanatory.
  • The barcode scanner allows me to read UPC codes and determine the best prices in my local area.  It also reads QR codes.  So you can point your phone at a QR code and jump to the URL embedded within the code.
  • The AppBrain tool is an excellent market system for Android apps. It won’t replace the Android market. But AppBrain has a great review system to go along with the software inventory it houses.
  • Finally, I do use Google Googles to take pictures of things and see what the web has to say about the things that I snap pictures of.

Words and Thoughts: Dolphin Browser, Congress (from Sunlight Foundation), Kindle (from Amazon) and DailyBible (from Joansoft).

  • The Dolphin Browser runs circles around the basic Android browser.  When I needed to download an email attachment whose extension wasn’t registered, the basic browser failed while Dolphin succeeded.
  • Congress is an exceptional app that can tell you how your representatives are doing in Washington.  You can see pending and passed laws.  You can see what your Congressman or Senator has done.  And you can get their direct phone number – and call them directly.
  • The Kindle app is an excellent tool for e-reading.  For me, I have downloaded a few important books – but not my whole library.  For that, I still need my Kindle.
  • Finally, I use DailyBible to ensure that I geta great Bible verse to start each and every day.

There are a few other apps that I should note.  First, I use NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for my screen saver.  I use ConnectBot to securely log into my servers at home.  I use Astro to perform miscellaneous file management tasks.  I use the Astrid Task Manager for my day-to-day task entry. I use Google Sky Map for really cool nighttime star-gazing. I use Pandora for streaming music. Finally, I use Shazam for recognizing music and buying miscellaneous songs while I’m on the go.
All in all, my Droid 2 is getting a good workout.  I’ve even updated the SD card already.  This is so reminiscent of PC systems in the nineties.  It’s kind of like the wild west and Star Trek – all at the same time.  I guess that means that the first movie I must play on my phone will be Joss Whedon’s “Serenity.”
-Roo

These May Be Your Droids

Lorin Olsen

With the new job came a need for a new phone.  The natural and obvious choice for me was the Verizon Droid 2.  Why was it obvious? That’s easy: we are now replaying the ascendancy of Microsoft over Apple that culminated in 1995.
This time, Google is playing the part of Microsoft.  Google has the more “open” platform.  No, I’m not talking about open source.  But I am talking about the fact that Android runs on far more platforms.  Because of this, it is open for others to use, customize and extend.  And this fact places Android in a position where it can claim both continuing market share growth as well as increasing developer loyalty.
Is Google still interested in a competitive advantage over Apple?  Of course it is.  And is Google gaining the attention of regulators as well as state and federal judiciaries?  It most certainly is.  If you’re not sure of this fact, just read the headlines.
But this is all political theater.  For me, I wanted the platform that would be the most “open” to new apps and new possibilities.  And I wanted a platform with more developers.  While Android isn’t there just yet, it will be there very shortly.  And for now, I can do everything I want with Android.
So here is my application manifest:

  • Advance Task Killer: A good utility to kill errant processes
  • Amazon Browser/Store: ‘Nuff said
  • Astrid Tasks: A great (and simple) task manager
  • Astro: A oool file manager for Android
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day: Great pics make great backgrounds for my smartphone’s desktop
  • Bookmarks to SD: Great bookmark manager for the Dolphin Browser
  • Chrome to Phone: Post links from my desktop instance of the Chrome browser
  • Congress: A phenomenal tool to know what your representatives are doing while in DC – and how to contact them (to provide praise or criticism)
  • DailyBible: A great little verse-of-the-day program
  • Dolphin Browser HD: A phenomenal browser
  • Google Goggles: This tool allows you to take pictures and have your phone scour the Net for info about the picture you take.
  • Google Voice: Great tool for consolidating your voice communications needs
  • Kindle for Android: I love my Kindle – and I’m glad to have some of my books on my phone (e.g., the NIV Bible).
  • Mobile Banking (for BoA): Great way to check your balances
  • Seesmic: A great cross-platform Twitter client
  • Shazam: An audio tool that can identify songs and even buy MP3 instances for your phone
  • WordPress for Android: Blogging just got a whole lot more mobile

And these apps are just the apps that I’ve added.  There are a plethora of apps that come on the Droid 2 itself.  Chief among them is the Barcode Scanner.  This app is fantastic.  You can use it to scan any UPC symbols and bring up a wealth of important data – including where it can be purchased and for what price.
I’ve also been impressed with the Navigation tool.  This tool allowed us to find a bike shop in Pittburg, Kansas.  And it also let us know that the store was closed Saturday because the store was sponsoring the Gorilla Century Ride.  Next year, I think I’ll have to do this ride with my son!
So am I psyched about my new phone? Absolutely, I am. Would I recommend it for other people? Well, I just bought another Droid 2 for my wife (who is replacing a BlackBerry Storm).  So we now have double the pleasure of Android at the Olsen residence.  So far, Cindy likes the phone almost as much as I do.
If you need a new phone, get an Android phone. If you need a phone with a real keyboard, consider the Droid 2.
-Roo

Google Voice…I Can Hear You Now!

Lorin Olsen

It’s been a few years since I wrote about Google Voice. For the uninitiated, Google Voice is the voice service previously known as Grand Central. It has been in beta (i.e., invitation only) status for almost three years. But as of yesterday, it has been opened up to any US resident. The announcement can be seen here.
What does this mean? It means that Google is finally playing for keeps.  They have not taken this step until now because they wanted to work with the various telco providers.  But Google’s success with Android has forced their hand.  Since every Android phone can benefit from the service, it was bundled with the phone itself.
But now it is unbundled.  But what is it?  Simply put, Google Voice is the one phone number that you will always have.  A Google Voice number can be associated with any number of additional phone numbers (e.g., home, office, mobile).  When someone calls this one number, the call can be forwarded to any (or all) of a list of pre-established phone numbers.  In short, it is a personal ACD/PBX.
OK, that sounds more dramatic than it actually is.  But this is the domain name for your phone.  For web services, you can have a domain name point to any specific IP address (or computer host) that you want.  So when people reference that name, it will go to the “right” physical IP address.   Basically, Google Voice can be the “DNS” for your voice call infrastructure.
And it does far more than routing.  It provides a comprehensive voice mail system.  You can store messages.  And you can hear the messages on your phones – or on your computer.  And you can forward these calls to contacts in your email and IM address book.
But wait!  There’s more.  Google Voice will also transcribe your calls into text.  For me, this is one of the most exciting things that is now available.  Speech-to-text is now mature enough that it can be used in routine communications.  This is a tremendous boon to the hearing-impaired.  And it is a boon to anyone that can skim written words faster than someone can speak them.   For example, if you get a call from me, you can see the words and skip to the end.  Yes, you’ll miss all the colorful illustrations and historical background for your simple request.  But you can get to the point faster.  I am sure that there are dozens of people (and examples) that come to your mind.  But the important point is that communications will become faster.  And it will become easier to separate the wheat from the chaff.
And as part of the roll-out, options for calling “off-network” phone numbers will emerge.  Like Skype, you can use this kind of technology to speak to your grandmother who only uses the public switched telephone network (PSTN).  So Google may even be able to turn a modest prophet for these kinds of calls.  [Note: Google has to be careful lest they be accused of trying to strangle competitors like Skype.]
So let’s try and summarize all of this.  Is Google Voice something that you want?  Absolutely.  Should you pay for it?  That would depend upon your needs.  I know that I already pay for a home phone that is now completely obsolete.  If Google supports local number portability, I will immediately abandon my local service and convert everything to Google Voice.  Indeed, the only reason I keep the old number is that some people only know that legacy number.  Once I can transport that number, I’ll cancel the local phone bundle I have with Time Warner Cable.
But would I pay for it now?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  I’ll have to live on the service for 30-60 days before I answer whether I would pay for it.  But right now, it is free of charge.  How can Google do this?  Because they plan to monetize advertising around the service.  And they may even charge if you want multiple or commercial-grade services.  But for now, it is free.  And it is worth every penny that someone else is paying.
-Roo

Whose Leash Is It? – Mobile Phone Development

Lorin Olsen


A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law asked if I would be interested in developing an iPhone application for him.  I won’t explain the app or its details as that would violate the NDA that I am under. 😉  Nevertheless, I thought that this might be fun as I haven’t played with Apple’s development platform since 1995.
Well, Apple hasn’t changed.  It appears that their goal is to lock you in a comfortable room and make sure you never leave – even if you can’t afford to stay.  In order to build an iPhone app, you need to use Apple tools.  That started off simply enough.  I tried to put together a Cygwin environment on my Windows 7 system.  After a few days, I did have a working environemnt that I could build Unix apps on.  But the iPhone SDK isn’t just any old Unix environment.  It absolutely needs Mac OS X – and OS X 10.5.3 for good measure.
I don’t have a Mac.  So I figured that I could put together a development environment using VirtualBox or VMWare.  And if you have enough patience (and can find the right image files) you can run OS X 10.5.2 (through 10.5.5) from within a VMWare host.  But to do it legally, you need to buy a license for the OS as well as purchase the iPhone SDK.  Before I plunked down any coin of the realm, I had to try it out first.  And after a couple of weeks of tinkering, I found that I could indeed build a virtual environment that would run the iPhone SDK.
But performance was labored.  And to do it properly, you really need VMWare Workstation (not VMWare Player).  So the final cost for putting all of this together would have been a couple of hundred dollars.  But you can get a Mac Mini for a few hundred bucks.  And with that, you can remote onto a head-less device that is more than adequate for compiling the code.  So I would need a few hundred dollars if I went via VM and a few hundred dollars for a fully functioning Apple hardware platform.
But that is just for starters.  Add to that the cost of the iPhone (or iPod Touch) and the cost of the service contract.   And when you are done, you have access to one platform on one carrier.  In my mind, that is both a fully closed and a highly distasteful investment.
As a former Sprint employee, I had always hoped that Sprint would be the team that would bring forth the best and brightest from a cool new platform.  I was wrong.  Verizon has brought a solid contender into view with the Moto Droid.  And they have brought the marketing pizazz that the Android platform really needed.  So I started wondering what it would take to bring together a functioning development platform.
After being disheartened by the cost of an iPhone development platform I  was thrilled at what I found when constructing the Android development platform.  First, I needed the SDK.  Low and behold, the SDK could run on any platform that would support C/C++.  And the SDK was free.
And the reference platform for the IDE is Eclipse – which is also freely available.  Being a former Java developer, I had no problems getting re-acquainted.  I downloaded Eclipse and then downloaded the Android Development Tools (ADT).  All along the way, these investments required no financial outlays.  And the Android platform even included an interpreter so that I could do rudimentary testing – even w/o the hardware.
So here is the bottom-line.  The iPhone costs some serious scratch in order to have the privilege of being locked onto a single hardware provider and a single carrier.  On the other hand, Android’s barriers to entry are negligible.  I put together a functioning testbed in a couple of hours – including the download time.  And once done, I have a platform where I can build apps for any carrier and any number of hardware providers.
Indeed, this reminds me of the Apple-Microsoft PC wars of the nineties.   Will Apple ever learn from their mistakes?  And will developers choose to be on yet another vendor-dictated leash?
-Roo

Star (and Google) Gazing

Lorin Olsen


I love the classics.  And this week has been replete with allusions to the past.  As everyone knows, I’ve fiddled with Google technology for a very long time. Indeed, I remember when the first posts about Google hit Slashdot.  That was when Yahoo! had the pre-eminent navigation technology. And web navigation was menu-based, not search based.  But I prattle on… as usual.  I also remember when I was given an opportunity to invest in the Google IPO.  [And hindsight confirms that I can be extraordinarily short-sighted.] And with all of this Google background / engagement, it’s taken me a whole lot of time to come to the conclusion that Google has a very expansive strategy – or they are exquisitely fortunate.
So what leads me to think they have a strategy?  Here’s the short list:

  • They have a fantastic base. From that base, they are the center for web navigation.  As that center, they can skim their advertising taxes.  Indeed, they are to the Internet what broadcast TV was in the latter-half of last century.  Specifically, they are the launch point for content.
  • They recognize that the browser is the current (and near-term) means to leverage their launch pad.  Consequently, they are offering a branded browser.  Do I like Chrome? Yes, I really do.  Is it still a bit buggy and problematic?  Yes, indeed it is.  For example, I still have trouble using the ‘out-of-the-box” Chrome with the WordPress hosting site.  In fact, I have to use Firefox as there are still scripting issues with the current Chrome dev branch (and WordPress). But Chrome is my default browser on most of my platforms – the only exception being my default workstation in the office.  And yes, I work for a company that requires IE.
  • Google has some hella-good “cloud” apps.  This includes GMail, Google Docs, GTalk, Google Maps, Google Latitude, Google Earth and even Picasa. Many of these apps are my primary apps in specific app categories. And the Google app strategy seems to be squarely targeted to network-based apps.  As I am always switching from machine to machine, I really need storage on the network.  Right now, this includes email, bookmarks, preferences and the like.  But in the future, it WILL include a whole lot more.  And this isn’t just for personal use.  More and more of our corporate apps are “stateless” and require network connectivity.
  • Google has also laid down a marker in the enterprise collaboration space. Google Wave extends the promise that new collaboration technologies will eventually transform current email systems.  Is Wave there yet? It sure isn’t.  But it shows obvious promise.    I think of it this way: Lotus Agenda showed glimmers of what became Lotus Notes.  In the right hands, Google Wave will evolve into something truly spectacular.  Of course, it really does need someone with vision – and technical chops.
  • Google has also taken a few bold steps into the development market.  Are they building an IDE? Not yet.  But they are aligning themselves with Eclipse.  And they are investing immense amounts of money in both Javascript and in the development of a whole new language: GO.
  • Google has leveraged their expertise in Linux in order to build embedded systems expertise.  I have used Linux for years – since the mid-nineties to be precise.  And desktop Linux has always eluded critical mass.  Is it cool?  Sure.  Is it going to replace the current desktop paradigm? Probably not.   But Google’s approach has been to change the paradigm (and move apps off the PC).  So they’ve used their platform expertise to build new platforms.  To this end, they realized the success of the iPhone and knew that it was not just a hand-held phone story but also a development platform story.  So Android was born.  Is Android a game-changer? Not yet. Will it become a game-changer? Most definitely.  And the Verizon Droid may just be the match that lights the conflagration.
  • While Google has recognized that their browser is important, they’ve realized that the browser must also run on a platform that runs other applications.  Hence, the Chrome team has focused on “native client” technology.  I’ve written about native client before.  But as I consider Android (and Chrome OS), I realize just how important native client will become.  It is important for the purpose of performance.  But it also holds immense promise for running those pesky apps that aren’t network-based.  Indeed, native client (combined with the right virtualization engine) may hold the key to unlocking the Microsoft shackles that constrain most of us.
  • And this week, Google demoed what many think will be a coup de gras: Google Chrome OS.

Is Chrome OS going to dethrone Microsoft Windows? Not any time soon.  Is Chrome OS going to take market share from Apple’s Mac OS X? Again, I wouldn’t expect that to happen any time soon.  But could it attack both by changing the battlefield?  It absolutely could.
But what will it take for Google to accelerate these changes? Wow, that is a huge question.  I think that they need the following:

  1. Google has a great strategic vision. But from the outside, it looks as if they lack someone who has the chops (and cred) to execute on the vision. This will mean some additions (or changes) to the senior leadership at Google.  Someone must be given a couple of years to build the tactical plan from the strategic plan.
  2. Google needs some platform partners.  By this, I mean that they need a Hewlett Packard (or some other company) to provide home-based “server” products that can wean households off the Microsoft desktop teat.  This won’t be desktop Linux.  It will be household servers that stores files, streams applications, automates systems, stores and streams media, etc.  Do the components exist? Yes, they do.  But they need a tactical vision to place the household server into new houses.  That way, everyone in the house can use a netbook (or other untethered device).  [Note: I think that Google is showing that they can effectively manage such partnerships.  For evidence, look at the Android strategy.  They are doing exactly what Apple is not: Google is building a cooperative eco-sphere that features their carrier partners.  Again, they are doing what Microsoft couldn’t do (or wouldn’t do) with Windows Mobile.]
  3. Google needs to double-down on their investment with developers, developers, developers.  Microsoft earned the allegiance of a generation because they blatantly pandered to developers.  And many developers have rewarded them with unflagging fealty.  Google needs to do the same thing.  But in this case, they need to invest in Eclipse.  And they need to carry through on the promise of new languages.  I would hate to still be coding C/C++ (or worse, Java or C#) in a decade.
  4. Google needs to either develop (or sponsor) a number of emerging virtualization platforms.  I would have preferred to see VirtualBox in Google’s hands.  But Google needs to sponsor free and open virtualization platforms.  Even Microsoft realizes just how much VMWare has changed the game in data centers.  And Google has so much more to offer in this space.  Indeed, I would love to see some of their data center management technologies emerge into the mainstream.  Think Loudcloud/Opsware meets Amazon AWS.
  5. Finally, Google needs the time for all of the elements to cook.  Strategic visions like this take years to gestate and mature.  And Google needs to remember that they can’t get it all at once. But unlike Microsoft, their core business is NOT dependent upon a single iteration of the technology wheel. Google is a marketing and advertising company.  As long as they keep that core engine going for a few more years, they will have a good shot at allowing new technologies to thrive as they grow within the nest.

So am I like the early astrologers? Am I trying to see patterns and visions in the visible stars?  Do I see Ursa Major and not realize how far apart these stars are from one another?  That’s certainly possible.  I may be seeing non-existent patters.  But from my perspective, I really do see an emerging Google leviathan.
Just as we moved from the IBM mainframe vision to the Microsoft PC vision, are we finally seeing the market leader emerge on the long-anticipated move from the Microsoft PC vision to the Google service vision?
-Roo

Sprint PPC-6700 Gets an Upgrade

Lorin Olsen


I am in love with my new Sprint PPC6700. I loved this device when I first saw it in the R&D labs at Srpint. And I’m enjoying it even more now that I am a user. I won’t bore you with a review. There are dozens of those around the web. And the device is a few months old. So if you want the absolute “latest” features, this may not be the device for you. But after two weeks, I can truly say that I love this phone.
And the phone just got better. A new firmware update has been released. This new update is available from Sprint here (and select Windows CE as the OS). The upgrade includes a couple of nice improvements. First, the Messaging & Security Feature Pack now supports push technology. That means that mail arrives on your phone when it is available on your corporate email server (assuming your server supports this feature). Second, this firmware provides support for A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). That means that stereo Bluetooth headsets now function appropriately. Woot! Finally, there are a bunch of performance improvements and bug fixes.
This upgrade is well worth the effort. If you want to perform the upgrade yourself, then you should backup your data or have access to your computer in order to perform a total resync – as this upgrade will wipe out your existing data. I had little problem performing the upgrade. But the whole process took about two hours (flash + reload of data and apps). It was worth my time. But if you don’t have the time or the technical confidence, just drop by a Sprint store. They will do the upgrade for you.
-CyclingRoo-

Tags:

"Always On" With Windows Mobile 5

Lorin Olsen

Phew. It’s been a hectic (but thrilling) couple of days. First, I lost my phone earlier this week. Yup. After having a mobile phone for over a decade, I’ve lost my first handset. Apart from the frustration of needing to trace my steps for a six hour period, there was one good thing that happened: I needed to buy a new phone.
So my first challenge was selecting a carrier. That was simple. I chose Sprint. First, I was an employee for 18 1/2 years. Second, my retirement will be, in part, through Sprint. So I care about their success. Third, I do like their service. I’ve never had a problem with service. But this time, I get to experience the “full-on” user experience. And it wasn’t bad at all. They deactivated my service w/o any questions. OK. That’s not a high bar to hurdle. But they were very helpful in cleaning up my old service and transferring my phone number to a separate account (so that I could separate business from family expenses). And the staff in the retail store were great. They were polite and informed. And they seemed to be working for me and my best interests – not just the maximum revenue opportunity.
Once I decided to stay with Sprint, I needed to select a new phone. I chose the Sprint PPC 6700. I love this phone. First, it runs Windows Mobile 5. Yeah, I hear the groans. But WM5 is really quite nice. It has a good phone interface. And it has exceptional integration with Outlook. For me, these two facts are reason enough to buy a WM5-enabled phone. I now have all my contacts synced with my phone. And I can single tap a call from any contact. Just wait to I voice-enable the dialing!
In the meantime, I’ll settle for having my IM presence surfaced through my phone. It’s odd to know that I am “available” as long as I have my phone turned on. I will really have to remember to set my IM status before and after every meeting – lest I get an IM message at an inopportune time.
So I decided on the service and the phone. And the purchase experience was excellent. But I really am dissatisfied witht the Sprint web management experience. The system is complete, but disjointed. You have to know where things are in order to change your plan, service and features. That is a terrible distraction for end users. The interface should be mercifully intutive. Strangely enough the Virgin Mobile folks seem to know how to do this end of the phone business. But I am digressing….
Likes/Dislikes
————–
PPC6700: I like it. I have heard horror stories about repairs. I hope I missed out on that aspect of the early-adopter experience. 7.5 points
Windows Mobile 5: I love it. It’s simple and intuitive. Since my life is on a Windows system, Windows Mobile is a natural extension of what I do every day. 8.5 points
Multimedia: Ausgezeichnet! My biggest joy is that I can take any WMA file and use it as a ringtone. This is great. I have a huge library of MP3 files. And I use the Sony Acid Music suite. So I can convert any/all of my music to useable ringtones. 9 points
Retail Store experience: Great people; extremely helpful (including finding ways to lower my monthly bill w/o losing features/functions). 8.5 points
Sprint’s Web Presence: The low point of the experience. But I knew this going in. After three years of outsourcing development, the web presence feels old and creaky. It needs a face-lift. 5 points
All in all, I’m happy with my new setup.
-CyclingRoo-

Tags: ,

“Always On” With Windows Mobile 5

Lorin Olsen

Phew. It’s been a hectic (but thrilling) couple of days. First, I lost my phone earlier this week. Yup. After having a mobile phone for over a decade, I’ve lost my first handset. Apart from the frustration of needing to trace my steps for a six hour period, there was one good thing that happened: I needed to buy a new phone.

So my first challenge was selecting a carrier. That was simple. I chose Sprint. First, I was an employee for 18 1/2 years. Second, my retirement will be, in part, through Sprint. So I care about their success. Third, I do like their service. I’ve never had a problem with service. But this time, I get to experience the “full-on” user experience. And it wasn’t bad at all. They deactivated my service w/o any questions. OK. That’s not a high bar to hurdle. But they were very helpful in cleaning up my old service and transferring my phone number to a separate account (so that I could separate business from family expenses). And the staff in the retail store were great. They were polite and informed. And they seemed to be working for me and my best interests – not just the maximum revenue opportunity.

Once I decided to stay with Sprint, I needed to select a new phone. I chose the Sprint PPC 6700. I love this phone. First, it runs Windows Mobile 5. Yeah, I hear the groans. But WM5 is really quite nice. It has a good phone interface. And it has exceptional integration with Outlook. For me, these two facts are reason enough to buy a WM5-enabled phone. I now have all my contacts synced with my phone. And I can single tap a call from any contact. Just wait to I voice-enable the dialing!

In the meantime, I’ll settle for having my IM presence surfaced through my phone. It’s odd to know that I am “available” as long as I have my phone turned on. I will really have to remember to set my IM status before and after every meeting – lest I get an IM message at an inopportune time.

So I decided on the service and the phone. And the purchase experience was excellent. But I really am dissatisfied witht the Sprint web management experience. The system is complete, but disjointed. You have to know where things are in order to change your plan, service and features. That is a terrible distraction for end users. The interface should be mercifully intutive. Strangely enough the Virgin Mobile folks seem to know how to do this end of the phone business. But I am digressing….

Likes/Dislikes
————–

PPC6700: I like it. I have heard horror stories about repairs. I hope I missed out on that aspect of the early-adopter experience. 7.5 points

Windows Mobile 5: I love it. It’s simple and intuitive. Since my life is on a Windows system, Windows Mobile is a natural extension of what I do every day. 8.5 points

Multimedia: Ausgezeichnet! My biggest joy is that I can take any WMA file and use it as a ringtone. This is great. I have a huge library of MP3 files. And I use the Sony Acid Music suite. So I can convert any/all of my music to useable ringtones. 9 points

Retail Store experience: Great people; extremely helpful (including finding ways to lower my monthly bill w/o losing features/functions). 8.5 points

Sprint’s Web Presence: The low point of the experience. But I knew this going in. After three years of outsourcing development, the web presence feels old and creaky. It needs a face-lift. 5 points

All in all, I’m happy with my new setup.

-CyclingRoo-

Tags: ,

If the NYT Prints Something, It Must be True

Lorin Olsen


“All the news that’s fit to print.” That’s the motto. And while some folks want to trash the grand maiden of journalism, I hope that she is right – at least, this time. Yesterday, the NYT published a report stating that Apple will be releasing its “iPod phone” sometime next week. The Chicago-Tribune repeated the story in today’s paper. Roger Entner, an analyst with Ovum, has indicated that the phone will be be sold through Cingular and its network.
BTW, current rumors still consider the Motorola E790 (aka, the ROKR E1 pictured above) as the most likely candidate for the handset.
-CyclingRoo-

Tags: , ,

[Note: I work for a US wireless carrier. However, any comments on this subject reflect my opinion and not the opinion of my employer.]