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

"Finally, the teaser's over. The latest delivery to Engadget's UK penthouse is the Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset due out in the US on 8th November, and we took no time to extract the pebble from the transparent cylinder. In front of us are the two parts of the STONE: an earpiece of a breakthrough form factor that instantly makes you pity its rivals, and behind it is the accompanying portable charging base which serves as an external battery."

The STONE certainly looks impressive from an aesthetic standpoint, however I'd be more inclined to care about how it works functionally. Engadget has a full gallery of photos and their thoughts, for those of you looking to grab a new headset in the near future!

Product Category: Utility Software

Manufacturer: Morose Media

Where to Buy: Company Website

Price: $29.99

System Requirements: Windows Mobile 5 AKU 3.3 or newer or Windows Mobile 6, Both a WiFi and a cellular data connection, an installed and working version of Internet Sharing, 15 MB of free device memory

Pros:

• Easy to use;
• Exceptional setup wizard;
• Multiple connection options.

Cons:

• A bit pricey;
• Would love it to actively try to restore dropped data connection.

Summary: Tethering your handheld to your computer has come a long way from the days of strange connection strings, special cables, and slower than turtle speeds. WMWifiRouter provides a 1-click method for getting connected, but is it worth the price? Read on to find out! Read more...

Product Category: 3.5G GPS PDA Phone

Manufacturer: Pharos USA

Where to Buy: Expansys [affiliate]

Price: $479.99 USD

System Requirements: Runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Specifications: Qualcom 400Mhz processor, 256mb Flash ROM, 128mb SDRAM, 2.5 inch QVGA display, QWERTY keyboard, Triband (850/1900/2100) UTMS/HSDPA/HSUPA, Quad Band (850/90/1800/1900) GSM/GPRS/EDGE. GPS (with AGPS compatibility), 802.11b/g, BT2.0+EDR, USB 2.0, Cameras - 0.3mp (front), 2.0mp (rear)+fixed focus, battery is 1410 mAh Li-Ion with is rechargeable/replaceable. Dimensions: 116mm (4.57in) x 62mm (2.44in) x 15mm (0.60in). Weight is 145g (5.11 oz) with battery. Full specifications are available here.

Pros:

• Trackball has a good, responsive feel to it, but software is still not fully integrated into its existence;

• GPS is very responsive and works well with the Smart Navigator software;

• Standard 2.5mm headphone jack, which also doubles as TVOut;

• Good all around package for traveling business people.

Cons:

• Lock/power button doesn't always turn on the screen;

• Small stylus;
• WiFi has difficulty with secured networks;

• 2 megapixel, fixed-focus camera is not up to current expectations.

Summary:

Following along from our review of the 117 last month, we now present Pharos' latest addition to the Traveler series -- the 127. Similar to the 117, but designed for those who prefer the front-facing embedded keyboard format, the Traveler 127 is a full 3.5G capable travelling companion for the mobile business executive. It's not an easy market to make your mark in, as it's crowded and competitive. How does the 127 fare against the HPs, HTCs and Blackberries? Let's take a look...

Read more...

"Often the best ideas are the simplest. A laptop which locks itself as you walk away with your Blackberry® or iPhone™ and unlocks as you return. Cool, easy, secure! Just think of the benefits: One: More security - Freeze is designed to lock an XP or Vista based laptop when you walk away from it and unlock it when you return. All you need to activate the service is a Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone. Once you step out of the "zone of safety" your laptop is locked and your data is safe."

On the surface this looks pretty cool, I've seen versions of this idea using proprietary hardware, but letting it use a Bluetooth device you already have is a unique way to deal with it. Probably more than adequate for the home user, but without some further research, I'm not sure Bluetooth security is robust enough to make this the only form of authentication used on a corporate network. However, as part of a well-designed multi-factor authentication system, it certainly has potential. Notebooks.com has a video showing how this works.

This is an article that discusses the 5 W's of Bluetooth, the who, what, where, when and why.

"The story of Bluetooth technology is an historic one. It includes a king, an army 11,000+ strong, over two billion dedicated fans, global recognition and a decade of perseverance and hard work. The story of Bluetooth is at its heart a story of evolution - where we are today is a long way from where we were 11 years ago"

For the record, I'm still not a big Bluetooth fan. My headset forgets about once every three months it is paired with my phone and I cannot pair my Pocket PC to my Windows 7 based netbook with anything but "0000" as the passkey (hoping that is a build 7000 bug). I love it for my headset and I use BT for tethering unless there is an outlet nearby - I'll opt for the USB cable which has charging goodness, but given my druthers, I avoid BT when at all possible. But I know I am unique in all of my issues with Bluetooth. It works perfectly for everyone else, and I recognize that.

"Broadcom has released the latest of its so-called combo wireless chips, this time putting single-stream 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and FM radio reception and short-range transmission into its BCM4329. These combo chips are designed to bring high-end wireless features to handsets and portable media devices by reducing chip count and overall integration costs. Chris Bergey, Broadcom's director for embedded wireless LAN, said that WiFi has moved from a smartphone requirement "into the high-end feature phone market," which led to the necessity for combination chips like the BCM4329. Feature phone is the euphemistic industry term for cellular handsets that have basic functions, but lack the computation power and flexibility of smartphones."

There was a time when it was a struggle finding a Windows Mobile device with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These days, said devices are ubiquitous, yet almost all of them - including HTC's newest beasts, the Touch HD and MAX 4G - only go as far as 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Enter Broadcom's newest wireless chip: it packs 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and an FM radio receiver/transmitter. Let's hope a Windows Mobile OEM takes note.

"On the first of July, California residents will no longer be allowed to talk on the phone while driving, without using hands-free accessories. This is the reason, tomorrow LG Mobile will give away more than a thousand Bluetooth headsets at a special event. It will be hosted in Los Angeles, at the Petersen Automotive Museum (6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036) from 11AM to 1:30PM (or while supplies last) on the 19th of June. All are welcome."



First off, I apologize we're posting this so late. I didn't catch wind of this story until 20 minutes ago. Now on for the goodies! LG is showing a lot of love to cellular phone users in Los Angeles, CA. As the post says above you LG will be giving away 1000+ Bluetooth headsets between the hours of 11AM and 1:30PM PST on Thursday June 19th, 2008. If you live in the Los Angeles area you should take an early lunch tomorrow and treat yourself to little gift because nothing says fun like brand spanking new electronics before lunch! To get your free headset you have to go to the following address:

Petersen Automotive Museum [map]
6060 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036

"Aliph's original Jawbone received one of the most difficult B ratings we ever issued to an accessory. Much hyped and unquestionably impressive from a technology standpoint, the first Jawbone was a wireless Bluetooth headset with breakthrough noise-cancellation abilities, but suffered from two serious issues: an uncomfortable design and a high price tag. Retailer discounting eventually helped solve one of those problems, and now Aliph has taken care of the other one in a brand new version with the same name: Jawbone ($130), known alternately as Jawbone Earwear or Jawbone with Noise Assassin. Simply put, the new Jawbone is the best Bluetooth headset we've yet tested with the iPhone -- the first one ever to receive our high recommendation -- and only two things stand in the way of it being a complete replacement for every other option we've seen."



That's a comparative picture from iLounge, who managed to get its hands on the device early and publish a full review. It looks like a significant improvement over the first; anyone thinking of picking one up, or have managed to get one?

"A new reference site launched by Motorola in the UK will allow Bluetooth users to check their devices for compatibility and help with a 'plain English' guide to the pairing up of devices. The website lets you do a compatibility search from either your mobile device or with the designated accessory. According to the manufacturer, 'Motorola’s Bluetooth headsets are designed to be compatible with over 200 Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones from more than 15 manufacturers, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung, as well as Motorola devices.' 'The intention is to provide some much needed clarity to the market by creating the ultimate Bluetooth compatibility reference point,' said Steve Gaskell, General Manager, Accessories, Motorola EMEAI."



It is about time someone created a site such as this. During my time slinging handsets the most frequently asked customer question was "Can you help me pair my headset?" I guess one of the downsides of creating incredibly small and useful products is that they can be a bit hard to manage and figure out. If you have an urge to learn more about the magic known as Bluetooth, than check out Motorola's new site here.

"My brother, the cinematographer, is a MAC kinda guy. So, naturally he packs an iPhone of which he is very proud. While visiting me last week he was showing off the virtues of his iPhone with a bit of a smug air and a tinge of superiority. He quickly established that the iPhone makes phone calls, surfs the Web, does email and SMS, takes pictures (but has no flash), and it does it all on a really cool, high-resolution, finger-friendly touch screen..."



Over at Mobility Site, Tim Hillebrand has brought us one of the most amusing articles I have read this week. I was hoping to post this earlier in the week, but with our server woes I decided to push this back to Friday to give you guys and gals a good chuckle before the weekend. Tim goes through the list of all of Apple's good qualities that was packed into their little device that could and than in classic 1980's buddy comedy fashion the article takes a turn for the comical going through everything you would think this fancy high end device should/would include in its repertoire list but doesn't. It just goes to show us that Apple's handset has as many growing pains to conquer as Microsoft's cellular device offerings and also that Tim's brother is a good sport for letting him write this article about him. ;)

I am sitting at the airport and decided to plug my TyTN II in to guarantee that 100% charge before I board so I can watch movies on the flight and then I think of all of those emails in my outbox in Outlook 2007 on my laptop. I don't have a WiFi account here and can't justify $8 to send them now as opposed to 1am when i get home, but then I remember the "Internet Connection Sharing" icon in WM6 on my TyTN II. I have never played with it before and thought now would be as good of a time as any.

I started the connection on the device, it told me to go to my PC and connect to the bluetooth PAN. I opened Vista's network settings, clicked on "create a new connection" then scrolled down to the PAN setting. Clicked it and within 10 seconds I was online. I was absolutely floored it was that easy, and those that know me know that I hate bluetooth. I've never had a bluetooth connection work so flawlessly.

So, my EDGE connection was surprisingly fast, my emails are sent, and this post got posted all on that little connection. If you have it on your device, do you use it often, or ever?