Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Designed in Broadcom's proven 65 nanometer CMOS process, the new '3G phone-on-a-chip' and RF solution enables manufacturers to build low cost, low power, next generation 3G HSUPA phones with breakthrough features, sleek form factors and very long battery lives. Utilizing an integrated ARM11® processor that is capable of running popular open operating systems (such as Windows Mobile® and AndroidTM), the Broadcom® BCM21553 HSUPA baseband processor can run innovative new applications and download media files at a much faster speed, resulting in sophisticated and affordable handsets, and a more satisfying smartphone experience."

I guess there's really nothing not to like about this. Low cost, high speed, and long battery life. I like each of those features in a smartphone. From what I read it sounds like the graphic's chip will be powerful along with support for at least an 8 megapixel camera. I'd like to see all this sooner than later. Now we just need to figure out what the statements "low cost" and "long battery lives" actually mean. I suppose time will tell but for the most part the future sounds pretty good.

"Hand-held devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm's material that exploits a quantum physics trick.The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage faster as more pressure is applied."

Samsung has just licensed a new hardware technology that allows for greater pressure sensitivity in screens and keys. So what's so special about "quantum tunneling composite"? The two biggest knocks on resistive screens are that they're not sensitive enough to use easily with your fingers, plus the screen registers touches as either on or off with no in-betweens. On the other hand, you can use practically anything to interact with it. Capacitive screens on the other hand are great at touch sensitivity, but you need a special stylus/pen to get pressure sensitivity. QTC might just be capable of combining the best of both technologies - use anything you like, plus pressure sensitivity, plus touch sensitivity - all in a package as thin as a human hair. Now won't that be worth seeing? Samsung is already using QTC in hardware keys in a limited way on some handsets. Hopefully the technology will have progressed enough to put into screens in the near future.

"It's not news to say that we attracted some criticism for this on the X1 and we're not going to go there again with the X2. So, for the record, this is what X2 customers can expect in terms of software upgrades."

In an attempt to be upfront with consumers, Sony Ericsson has announced the software update schedule for the XPERIA X2. According to the company, March should bring a major update: Windows Mobile will be upped from 6.5.1 to 6.5.2, most applications will receive tweaks, and there will be added support for video telephony, an FM radio, and faster GPS fixes. Then sometime in May, it'll get the Windows Mobile 6.5.3 treatment. Of course, the value of all this is heavily dependent on the device making it into the hands of consumers in a timely fashion, which we're sorry to say, is not happening.

I can't understand a word of the dialogue, but the video speaks for itself - the Aspen looks like one nice device if you're the kind of person who likes the front-facing QWERTY messaging devices (and until the HD2 came my way, that was my #1 preferred device style). Oh, be prepared for some psychedelic white balance issues in the video...it's trippy!

"I was just going off about this on twitter and I felt it was worth posting about too. I downloaded the beta for FourSquare on Windows Mobile. However, the application requires .Net Compact Framework 3.5 on the device. At first, I figured that a new HTC HD2 running Windows Mobile 6.5 should already have the 2 year old version of the Compact Framework installed in the ROM. Guess what I found out - No .NetCF 3.5 on the device. While that's just short sighted and stupid on Microsoft's part, the solution is pretty simple. All I need to do is download the CAB from the web and I'm good to go. Sadly, it's just not that simple. You see, the .NetCF 3.5 installer is a 33MB desktop installer that contains the CAB files inside of it. So you can't simply download it to your device and install. Now I'm really wondering what the hell Microsoft is thinking. Have they lost sight of the end user in all this?"

Thoughts Emeritus Mike Temporale has a good point about the .NET Compact Framework that you may be wanting to install (in order to run other programs). I found out the same thing Mike did last summer when I wanted to install an app and had to hook my phone up to my computer, download the framework, and install it, all while having the CAB for the actual program sitting on my phone waiting. It used to be (e.g., 2003) that only expert geeks knew about CAB installations to their phones, of course that was also when every device shipped with a cradle and it was expected that the device would be docked a considerable amount of the time. Nowadays docking is mostly an annoyance, and the lack of a CAB for the .NET CF is annoying.

Of course come to think of it, I've never had a good time installing ANYTHING .NET... so why should the CF be an exception? <sigh>

"It is always good to have a big battery in a smartphone, so that you can work for longer without having to charge the phone. Larger batteries often mean a larger overall size, which isn't for everyone. However, sometimes the need outweighs the shape, aesthetics and weight of the product. So if this is the case for you and you own a HTC HD2, this extended 2300mAh battery will be ideal. An official extended battery for the HTC HD2, this 2300mAh battery comes complete with a replacement back cover, that has a kickstand (allowing you to stand the device up - perfect if watching a film)."

It adds significant bulk to the HD2, but it nearly doubles the battery power, so if you're using your HD2 as a portable entertainment system on a long flight, this would make a great solution. Leigh Geary from CoolSmartPhone has snapped a couple of real-life photos as well. I wouldn't use this often, but it would be great to have for the times I needed extra battery run time.

"Spinballs is an exciting puzzle game with brilliant graphics, rocking music and great sound effects that introduces an unique gameplay. Seven discs with six coloured balls on each of them make up the playground. Each disc can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. Try to connect balls of the same colors by rotating those discs but never forget that time is running!"

Looking for a way to pass some time? This graphically-intense game is one way to do it. I'm always happy when I see game designers put real effort into the user interface and graphics of their game - Spinballs looks great. The game is a mere $3.99 in our MobiHand affiliate store, so if you're interested, grab it before the sale ends!

"Verizon Wireless, provider of the nation's largest and most reliable 3G network, today announced the launch of VZ Navigator® 5.0, the newest version of its award-winning map, navigation and local search service, which helps users find their way around town. Powered by TeleCommunication Systems, Verizon Wireless' VZ Navigator is a GPS-enabled service that transforms a wireless smartphone or handset into an all-in-one powerful navigation and communication device, enabling customers to find useful information and discover new places and destinations."

$9.99 a month (or $2.99 a day) will give you access to, well, something Google is giving away for free. But those who don't have an android phone to switch into for navigation may appreciate big V's offering. It runs on Win Mo (hence this post) and also on blackberry. The attractive part may be the traffic updates that are provided by the network in response to what actual users are experiencing. So heavy commuters who are perpetually late (But have enough time to power up a GPS for a route they know by heart) may be interested.

I'd have thought that WM6.5.3 would have first turned up in some nice top range models featuring capacitive screens, before going down the line to more mass market handsets. Instead we have the SE Aspen and this Garmin-Asus effort - not much of a bang, huh? The M10 features a 600MHz Qualcomm processor, 3.5" WVGA resistive screen, 4GB onboard storage and a 5MP camera that appears to be fixed-focus (in this day and age?). For pics and more details, check the Google translation of Mobile01.com's review.

"Regardless of the desktop application that you play your digital music with, or how much storage capacity you have on your phone, Didiom Pro seamlessly scans your computer for audio files in the most popular formats, and maintains an encrypted channel between your computer and phone. What's more, when you add new audio files to your computer, Didiom Pro makes them available for wireless streaming and downloading to your phone in seconds."

Being able to access all my music and podcasts on my Windows phone is somewhat appealing, but I don't get grasp their business model - the app is sold on a 99 cent per month subscription, of $9.99 per year. If the desktop component of their app is installed on my system, transcoding the audio to 128 kbps, uploading the bits to my phone...why the subscription fee? There's typically a subscription fee for applications that involve a server-side component; some sort of Web-based storage or service. I've tried a few of these audio streaming programs in the past, and while they're fun to use, ultimately the battery drain from a constant data stream takes most of the fun out of them.