 Palm Treo 700w running Windows Mobile 5 is here!Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... The eagerly anticipated Palm Treo 700w Pocket PC Phone Edition is available through Verizon Wireless. Although there are other Phone Edition and Smartphone devices based on Windows Mobile 5, the great Treo form factor and unique Palm touches to the Windows Mobile interface will attract a lot of current Windows Mobile device users (and maybe even a few Palm OS users). Sony Ericsson W810 Cell Phone MobileWhack... Sony Ericsson fans will be thrilled with the release of the newest walkman phone the Sony Ericsson W810 - which brings together facets from the ever popular W800i and K750i models. Launched in time for CES 2006, the Sony Ericsson... [MobileWhack]  Wireless/Mobile Devices & Health Issues: Resolutions for 2006Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Wireless mobile devices are everywhere in the hands of everyone from young children (e.g., Nintendo DS) to senior citizens (notice all those white earbuds in the ears of Baby Boomers and older generations?). Unfortunately, all this mobile technology seems to come with at the price of health in varying degrees: Loss of hearing, thumb/hand problems, car accidents, and more. Read on for the list of mobile/wireless device health issues I've noticed recently and let's see if we can avoid them ourselves in 2006. What's Really Going to Happen in 2006! O'Reilly Network Weblogs... Kurt Cagle discovers the REAL future happenings of 2006, and loses his wallet in the process. [O'Reilly Network Weblogs]  Will Cell Phone Rates Start Rising in 2006?Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... According to one report the average revenue per user (ARPU) for cellular voice services in the US dropped for the second quarter in a row. Data service revenue is not making up for the ARPU drop on the voice side. How long will the wireless carriers let this go on before they consider raising rates? Hawking Dish: Steroids for WiFi Gizmodo... This odd-looking gadget from Hawking doesn't pick up alien signals, but it does let you boost any WiFi signal by up to a hard-to-believe 300 percent. The HWU8DD Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G Dish Adapter connects to either a computer or laptop using Wireless-B or Wireless-G network and a USB connection, and uses dish technology and Hawking's Signal Strength LED Indicator to find the strongest and best signal around. You'll also getWEP, WPA, and WPA2 security and a directional antenna that concentrates wireless signals away from computer components to avoid signal interference. And it only costs $69. [Gizmodo]  Stream Music over WiFi from your Home Server to your Sony PSPTodd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... The Sony PSP 2.6 firmware upgrade added an RSS client that lets you stream podcasts. You can also use the feature to stream music from your home server to your PSP. RIM speaking to NTP through mediator CNET News.com: Personal Technology... NTP co-founder says his holding company hasn't talked with RIM since June about a possible lawsuit settlement. [CNET News.com: Personal Technology]  AOL launches search site for mobile devicesTodd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... AOL launched a version of their AOL Search site designed for use on mobile devices. It also has links to their mobile portal, shopping, and Yellow Pages sites. MAKE's Mostly Under $100 Gift Guide 2005! MAKE Magazine Weblog... MAKE proudly presents a gift guide for the holiday season with listings you certainly won't find anywhere else. We asked a few MAKE staffers and pals to send in their favorite maker-friendly gift ideas for mostly under $100, as well as Associate Editor Phillip Torrone's personal picks...happy holidays! May all of your warranties be voided! [MAKE Magazine Weblog]  Sony Playstation Portable 2.6 firmware adds WMA and WiFi Podcast streaming supportTodd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Sony released a firmware upgrade (2.6) for the Sony Playstation Portable that adds (among other things) support for Windows Media Audio (WMA) files and RSS 2.0 for streaming podcast feeds. It isn't on their website yet, but you can update your PSP by using the Network Update feature with a WiFi connection. MioMediaBox RSS Reader for PSP MobileWhack... Mioplanet have recently unveiled the MioMediaBox, a free RSS reader for Sony's PlayStation Portable game console. The MioMediaBox allows you to subscribe to your favorite RSS feeds and access them while on the go. [MobileWhack] Microsoft OneNote Mobile 12 Beta-1 for Windows Mobile SmartphonesTodd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Mobile Smartphone users: OneNote Mobile. One of its many cool features: Take a photo with your Smartphone's camera and have text in the photo turned into searchable text on the desktop using OCR technology. Check out Chris Pratley's (a OneNote designer at Microsoft) blog for the details. US Robotics Rolls Out MaxG Tech Gizmodo... US Robotics isn't fooling around. It's Wireless Gateway USR019108 is a broadband networking solution that uses the company's exclusive combines the company's exclusive MaxG with ADSL2+ technology for a complete broadband networking solution that encompasses a router and a print server. [Gizmodo] ActiveSync 4.1 for Microsoft Windows Mobile 5 devices releasedTodd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Microsoft released ActiveSync 4.1 for Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone. If you have a WM5 device, get it now! If you have an older device, stay with ActiveSync 3.8. Here's a couple of additional tips and hints. Skype Starter Kits in RadioShacks... MAKE Magazine Weblog... "...Skype has struck a partnership with consumer electronics chain RadioShack. Skype Starter Kit More than 3,000 RadioShack locations nationwide on Monday will begin offering the Skype Starter Kit, which includes the software that enables a customer to use Skype's free computer-to-computer telephone service, a headset and 30 minutes of Skype's premium service, with which a user can call a landline or cell phone, company executives said." [via] Link. See our previous hacks and projects with Skype, like the Skype payphone here. [MAKE Magazine Weblog] What Is Bluetooth Bluetooth--its name is cool, but what can you really do with it? If you're curious, let Michael Yuan take you on a tour through the myriad use cases for Bluetooth-enabled devices, from car kits to social networking. He also provides overviews on the technology behind Bluetooth, and how to use it. If you're considering Bluetooth, either for app development or to create your own cable-free personal area network, this is a good place to start. [Mac] Cingular offers wireless ticker service for phones to drive data services Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Cingular announced the MEdia Net Live Ticker service that pushes breaking news, weather and sports information to the phone's display. [Emerging Technology] Sprint Hints At Pricing For Sanyo 7500/Samsung A900 Blade Sprint has announced pricing on some of the bigger, powerhouse phones coming out soon. The Sanyo 7500 with EV-DO is going to be $379.99 before rebates, the Samsung A900 (aka Blade) will be $349.99 before rebates, and UTStarcom PC-5740 will be $229.99 at launch. You can expect to see something around a $199 price point for the Samsung A900 I'm sure, since it is the "RAZR killer". No release dates are set though, so keep an eye out for Sprint to tell us and stop making us wait. [Gizmodo] NintendoWiFi.com goes live Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... If you have a Nintendo DS portable game console, you probably want to check out Nintendo's WiFi information site: NintendoWiFi.com. Get your wireless engines (or Mario Kart DS) running! Samsung SGH-Z540 Cell Phone MobileWhack... Samsung unveiled the SGH-Z540, another slim 3G phone weighing just 95 grams. The phone is compatible with UMTS 2.1 GHz / GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks. Like the SGH-Z510, the SGH-Z540 includes a 1.3 megapixel camera. [MobileWhack] My first take on xG Technology's xMax demonstration Matthew Gast's O'Reilly weblog... Techworld's write up of the xG Technology demonstration has a lot of people talking. 19 miles on 50 mW is pretty impressive, but I have a few concerns with the technology based on its operating frequency and the height of the demonstration antenna. Palm CEO: We're not abandoning Palm OS CNET News.com... Facing concern from developers, Colligan reiterates the company's support for its namesake operating system. [CNET News.com: Personal Technology] Please practice safe text(-messaging) Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Two teenagers were injured in a car crash caused by a person text-messaging while drive. But, it wasn't the teens who were texting! It was a 52-year old male in a "Beamer". Let's practice safe text out there folks. Motorola V3i Cell Phone Rumors Spread Across The Internet Like Wildfire MobileWhack... Mobile Gazette reports that Motorola is rumored to be bringing out an updated version of its hugely popular RAZR V3. It's called the Motorola V3i (it's not clear if the name will stick). [MobileWhack] Yahoo! Maps Beta does a reasonable job of ID-ing WiFi Hotspots Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Yahoo! has a beta version of its mapping site up. And, it does a pretty good job of identifying local WiFi hotspots. [Wireless] Study Finds Mobile Phone Users Embracing Mobile Data Services Wireless Developer Network News... Mobile phone users are increasingly comfortable with mobile data services but continue to worry about content and price, according to the latest Mobinet study of how 4,000 mobile phone users in 21 countries use their phones. [Wireless Developer Network News] Sprint charging $2.50 per song (wireless download)? Ouch... Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Sprint's Halloween announcement says For $2.50 a song, customers get two copies of the song: one high-quality version formatted to play and enjoy only on their phone and another high-quality version formatted to download on to their PC. Customers can also burn their music to a CD using Windows Media Player. Motorola i870 Packs MP3 And Walkie-Talkie Power Gizmodo... The Motorola i870 from Nextel is out and is the first of it's kind. How? It's the first MP3-player phone with walkie-talkie capability. Now you can play your freestyle beats out loud and have your friends rap over the breakbeat. Word up. The phone also has some nice features like Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera and Transflash Memory Slot for storing all those Nikon Coolpix P1 New York Times: Circuits... With the Coolpix P1 users can point and shoot and then wirelessly transfer their pictures to a computer or printer from a menu on the camera's screen. [New York Times: Circuits] Samsung MM-A940 Clamshell Phone MobileWhack... Samsung's new MM-A940 is a clamshell phone supporting EV-DO (for CDMA 850/CDMA 1900 networks) and streaming video. The phone also sports a 2 megapixel camera and, thankfully, Bluetooth support. The internal display is a 176x220 262k color screen. [MobileWhack] HP discontinues HP Mobile Printing for Pocket PC HP discontinued free HP Mobile Printing for Pocket PC and HP Mobile Printing SDK for Pocket PC, on October 1, 2005. Bummer. Ruggedized Phone for Adventurers or Slobs "Whether you are worried about getting your phone wet while you climb Mt. Kilamanjaro or dropping it into your beer cup, the Sanyo RL-4930 is a ruggedized and moisture resistent cellphone with a durable case." [Gizmodo] Move over Nokia 770: Here comes the Sharp W-ZERO3 (if you are in Japan) I understand that some developers got their Nokia 770 delivered recently. However, the rest of us are still waiting for Nokia's Internet mini-tablet to hit US shores. While you wait, take a look at the Sharp W-ZERO3 available in Japan. Unlike the slate-only 779, the W-ZERO3 has a pull-out querty keyboard and some other nice features. Make Any Cellphone Into a Touchpad "If you're a note freak like me, you'll thoroughly appreciate Nokia's Bluetooth pen, which gives you the freedom to write on any cellphone screen by making it a touchpad. Brilliant, though pretty elementary if you think about it, this pen lets you jot down small notes—like phone numbers, addresses or appointments--instead of dealing with the whole SMS thing. And you can write just like a normal pen and paper, though you'll then be able to transmit the data to any other compatible device." [Gizmodo] New PSP Giga Pack Gizmodo... Giga, meaning really big, is the prefix for the new Sony PSP goody bag in Japan. The Sony PSP Giga Pack, otherwise known as the PSP-1000G1, will include the black PSP bundled with a 1GB Pro DUO Memory Stick, a USB cable and all the rest of the stuff we got here in the US. Oh, minus the white strap, cause Sony thinks we want custom straps to go with our PSPs (the company released a set of straps in different colors and designs). And if you'd rather sport the white PSP, look for the PSP-1000G1CW. Goes on sale 17 November for $260 in Japan. [Gizmodo] Sony Playstation Portable 2.5 upgrade released Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Sony released a version 2.5 upgrade for its Sony Playstation Portable on oct. 13. Palm releases low cost Z22 and mid-priced TX Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Palm released the $99 Z22 (with 160x160 color LCD) and $299 TX (with both Bluetooth and WiFI and a 320x480 color LCD). It will be interesting to see what Palm OS fans think about these new budget priced PDA entries. When is your favorite 802.11 standard supposed to be ready? Check the 802.11 timeline for the schedule! Matthew Gast's O'Reilly weblog... With so many pending developments in the 802.11 standards world, it can be hard to keep track of them. Here's a page that lists all the milestones the drafts need to go through before they become "official." Tom's Hardware launches MobilityGuru Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Tom's Hardware (one of those destination sites on the web) launched MobilityGuru. They describe it as "our new site covering laptops, PDAs, and all manner of other portable and mobile devices. Mobility is cool. It is the new desktop, or some such idiom." Windows Mobile information resources for Palm OS developers Todd Ogasawara's O'Reilly weblog... Microsoft collected a bunch of articles to help Palm OS developers port their applications to Windows Mobile for the upcoming Windows Mobile based Treo (sometime in 2006). What Is a BlackBerry Wondered what a BlackBerry really does, and whether you should have one? Dave Mabe looks at six reasons why the BlackBerry is a true productivity tool, from its push email capabilities to its corporate customer features, and more. Dave is author of the upcoming BlackBerry Hacks. [Wireless] |
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