According to Webcredible, a usability and accessibility consultancy, the most requested mobile service people wanted on their data-enabled mobile phones was email.33% of respondents stated email was their most needed mobile utility. This may offer some explanation as to why the iPhone is the number 2 smartphone behind RIM. Business users, who still dominate the smartphone market, want access to email to get their business done.
Access to social networks came in a close second in requested features, taking 25% in survey results.This tells us that many mobile phone users like to hop on MySpace or Facebook in between sending all those emails. As adoption of social networks becomes more mainstream, we expect social networking will take over as the number one requested mobile feature.
As a last statistic, local information requests were third on the list at 20%.These requests consist of questions such as "what's around me?"With services such as Google Maps My Location, which tracks your location in a GPS-like service, local information requests a fantastic tool to have access to. With friends and you want to find the closest pizza place, with My Location you can easily look it up and get your pie eating on.
These mobile services add countless features to your daily working life, especially for nomadic mobile phone users.What is your favorite mobile service?We look forward to seeing the comments!
One of the more frustrating aspects of being a Mac owner is trying to sync with a Windows Mobile device (shockingly, not all Mac owners have - or even want - an iPhone, some of us like our Smartphones). It's definitely possible, either through virtualization or using a third-party product like Missing Sync or PocketMac, but freeware options have been nonexistent. Until now. Eltima Software has just released SyncMate 1.0 beta, a program designed to connect Tiger OR Leopard Macs with Windows Mobile 5 or 6 devices.
According to their website, SyncMate can:
Install applications to your mobile phone
Synchronize Favorites, Contacts, Calendar and Notes with their analogs Bookmarks, Address Book, iCal and Stickies accordingly
Get information about the device (OS, memory status, alarms, battery state, etc.), view memory status diagram
Manage SMS (Inbox and Outbox, drafts, sent and deleted messages)
SyncMate includes a built-in converter to compress video to MPEG 4 and the ability to resize image while copying
And it's free. We like free. The program is still in beta, but its feature set is very, very promising. SyncMate also claims Leopard compatibility - and to us, that's almost as exciting as the price. Missing Sync's Leopard compatibile version is still in beta (available through their website) and PocketMac doesn't have a Leopard solution available (they are working on it).
Maybe it's just us, but if we're going to use a beta product anyway, we'd prefer to use something that's free instead of something that is $39.95. If you already have a Missing Sync license - trying out their Leopard compatible beta certainly makes sense - but for first time buyers, we say give SyncMate a shot.
As expected, Microsoft pushed out an updated version of Windows Mobile Device Center yesterday. WMDC 6.1 offers a few new features. For the most part, nothing flashy, but there's some good news in here for Windows Mobile 6.0 users or pretty much anyone who needs to synchronize files between their computer and PDA or Smartphone.
Enhanced support for Windows Mobile 6
File synchronization option added for Smartphones (you could already synchronize files with touchscreen devices)
Configure Windows Mobile 6 devices to open documents protected with Information Rights Management
Synchronize HTML-formatted mail
Acquire certificates through the PC when your mobile device is connected
There's still no option to resolve conflicts manually as you could with ActiveSync. You can only choose to have files on your mobile device overwrite those on your PC or vice versa when there's a conflict.
Windows Mobile Device Center is available for Windows Vista users who have a mobile device running Windows Mobile 2003 or later.
Today Jajahannounced JAJAH Mobile Web, a service made especially for smartphones like the Blackberry, Treo, and Windows Mobile devices. Like Jajah's service that allows for the ability to make free local and international calls with a regular phone, Jajah's mobile service aims to do the same for mobile users. Any device that has internet access with a browser can make free or low-cost calls with a click. As long as you are a Jajah user, you can call other members for no cost, or call for a small fee to non-members. Web consumers can access the service directly from their browsers by visiting mobile.jajah.com. The Mobile Web service then ties into user's address books where calls can be placed. Simply enter the phone number of the individual or scroll down on your address book, and Jajah will make the call. Jajah has a Flickr photo tour so you can better understand the process involved. You can also check out the JAJAH Mobile Web video tour after the jump. Mobile providers watch out!
Because Smartphones lack touchscreen displays, many Pocket PC programs don't run properly on devices like the T-Mobile Dash or the Samsung Blackjack. Styletap greatly expands the number of applications you can run on a Smartphone, by letting you run thousands of Palm programs, even those that require a touchscreen. StyleTap includes a display cursor that you can control with your 5-way navigational button as if you were using a stylus. It won't be as precise as using a stylus or a mouse, but it should work in a pinch.
The preview is designed for Smartphones running Windows Mobile 5.0. There's a 14 day free trial available, and you can also buy the preview for $50 and qualify for a free upgrade when the full version is released.
In one of those baffling decisions that Microsoft sometimes makes, the company decided that Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone users didn't need those advanced features that Pocket PC users have, like say... mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sure, there's no touch-screen interface on Smartphones for using those programs that way you would on a Pocket PC, but there's no touch-screen interface on most PCs running Microsoft Office either.
Well, DataViz, makers of Documents To Go for PalmOS devices have decided that those programs run just fine on Smartphones. So they're porting their software to run on Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphones including the Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack, and T-Mobile Dash.
The suite, which is available as a public beta right now lets you view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. You can also view PDF files, and extra ZIP files, two functions that Microsoft has never included.
No word on pricing yet, but the Palm version of Documents To Go sells for $30 to $90 depending on which functions you need, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Windows Mobile version will be comparably priced.
Smartphone users jealous of the slick SMS threading that Treos have can turn that frown upside down. TxtMan is a new donationware app that brings SMS threading to Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphones. It's a pretty customizable app, offering a plethora of message layout options and your choice in ringtones and vibration alerts. It can also be set to run at your phone's startup to make sure it catches all of your SMS messages, but therein lies one catch: I may be new to the Smartphone platform, but I've seen some 3rd party apps such as Agenda One that seem to work in tandem with the phone's default PIM databases, whereas TxtMan needs to take over your SMS duties. You either send, receive and store SMSes in TxtMan, or you do it in WinMo5's default Messaging app - it's one or the other. The last catch I've found so far is that it requires Microsoft's bulky .Net Compact Framework 2.0, though that can be installed on an external storage card (it needs a surprising ~5MB of space) if you're limited on phone storage space.
Still, after tinkering for a bit, I think I'm sold, and I donated to Ben Hirashima, TxtMan's developer. I prefer the threaded SMS view, and TxtMan is pretty zippy on my Samsung BlackJack.
Now this is an idea that should have made its way into the as-yet underwhelming and upcoming update to Windows Mobile, version 6: a built-in secretary. BCross at the MSDN Windows Mobile blog has decided not to wait, releasing an app he simply calls The Mobile Secretary. It offers some clever features for auto-responding to missed calls with text messages, for example: if a contact calls from their home phone and you miss the call, The Mobile Secretary can respond to their mobile phone number with a custom text message, optionally attaching any calendar information as an excuse explanation for your absence. Contacts can also be added to custom groups, which in turn can receive their own custom text message replies.
This is a great idea, and BCross plans to post the source code soon for all to learn from, especially since it makes use of the Smartphone .Net Compact Framework v2.0 (which needs to be installed on your phone). I haven't tried this out yet as I'm still getting to know my new BlackJack, so if you give it a whirl, please share your experience with the rest of the class.
As YouTube prepares to launch its own mobile services, it seems like Google's lawyers are out to make sure YouTube has control over when and how the content is distributed.
Up until today, TinyTube offered a way to search for and stream YouTube videos as 3gp files on a mobile phone. You could also copy and paste part of the URL of a YouTube video stream directly into TinyTube to find specific videos.
As of this morning, TinyTube has been reduced to a site for watching movie trailers. All the YouTube content has been removed, after TinyTube was contacted by YouTube management about "Terms of Service violations."
Despite ads floating around inviting shoppers to the url, www.ontreo.com--Palm's site for the new Treo 680 released last week--had remained dormant until today. And it probably should have stayed that way. Engadget says the phone itself has a "whiff of 2004" about it, and that goes triple for the obnoxious flash-based bit of yesteryear that Palm has whipped up to support the phone. Aside from being blinding and difficult to navigate, it's one of those "hey, look at our cool site!" sites that tells you absolutely nothing about the product. Assuming you can find the information links (I'm not telling; you'll have to figure it out for yourselves), each of the phone's features is given exactly one paragraph of description before the detail links whisk you off, without so much as a how-do-you-do, to Palm's main site. Actually I'm okay with that. It's where they should have sent everyone in the first place.
There is one interesting tidbit buried in the site, though: apparently the the 680, like it's big brother the 700, will support TiVoToGo. That makes it almost worth the $199 pricetag right there.
You can read a paragraph about that, too, if you make it through the blinding orange and emoticon-headed masses with eyesight and sanity intact.
Microsoft is showcasing a rather goofy series of videos to show the versatility of Windows Mobile. The idea is that you can work with Outlook, Word, Excel, and other programs on the go -- even if you're in an elevator filled with snakes or duct taped to a light post.
Of course, it might make more sense to use your smartphone to call for help if you happen to be in one of these situations, but that wouldn't be as funny, would it? That said, I think these advertisements would be just as effective for selling knives as mobile computing devices.
If you've ever wondered how hard it is to remember 15 seconds of dialog while being hugged by a few hundred snakes, be sure to check out the outtakes.
There's a rumor going around that Microsoft is getting ready to release Voice Command 1.6 for Windows Mobile 5.0. Unlike prior versions, 1.6 would be compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphones, which it probably should have been all along.
This means Windows Smartphone users will be able to control basic functions such as launching programs, using Windows Media Player, and dialing phone numbers through spoken commands.
Other new features include native support for Bluetooth headsets. That means you can give commands to your PDA or Smartphone through a Bluetooth headset when you're in the car or your PDA is in your pocket. There will also be support for A2DP/HFP combo headsets.
Smartphone software company Kaywa has released a free on-line service to convert any text or URL to the popular (in Japan, anyway) QR Code 2D barcode format. The QR-Code Generator will take any URL, user-defined text of 250 characters or less, phone number, or SMS message and turn it into a graphic QR Code in a size you choose from 158px to 258px. For the rest of the world, there's a Data Matrix version, too, for you ASCII fans out there, so no matter where you are, you can guarantee something to do with the barcode scanner in smartphone.
Possible applications include storing your website or personal information for quick scanning from your business card, or potentially storing large amounts of text in a small hard copy. And, of course, QRing your Geek Code.
In the world of smart phones, it seems like good old Microsoft is seeing some fast growth rates. The current numbers, according to Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices division, were at 6 million last year, with hopes that they can double usage for this year. The biggest taker in the market is currently Nokia, who runs Symbian on their smart phones allowing for software that runs email, mobile TV, and games. The leading device in the smart phone arena is of course, the Blackberry, whose usage also hits the 6 million mark. Microsoft has a lot to contend with considering Blackberry plans to double its users every single year. I think there is certainly room for all four major players [including Palm] in the marketplace, but it really does make it that much harder to decide which devices to purchase and run software off.
What do you think, who has your vote? Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, or Symbian?
Tetris clones are a dime a dozen, but S-TRIS 2 is unique in two ways. One, it's free, and two, it's damn good. I found and tested it on my Pocket PC, but it turns out that S-TRIS 2 is available for a number of platforms, including Win32 (Windows), GP2X, Pocket PC, Smartphone, and Symbian. How cool is that?
In terms of game play value, S-TRIS 2 is right up there. The visuals are clean, quick and smooth, the sound effects are solid, and the controls feel responsive. It's a simple matter to remap the controls if you prefer a different layout - for example, I like to have the "fast drop" button be the center button on my keypad, and it took me all of about 15 seconds to make that happen. The game gracefully pauses if you have to turn the power off on your device, and starts up and shuts down relatively quickly.
According to Webcredible, a usability and accessibility consultancy, the most requested mobile service people wanted on their data-enabled mobile phones was email. 33% of respondents stated email was their most needed mobile utility. This may offer some explanation as to why the iPhone is the number 2 smartphone behind RIM. Business users, who still dominate the smartphone market, want access to email to get their business done.
ne of the more frustrating aspects of being a Mac owner is trying to sync with a Windows Mobile device (shockingly, not all Mac owners have - or even want - an iPhone, some of us like our Smartphones). It's definitely possible, either through 
