Posts filed under ‘cell phone’
Verizon Accused of Remote Controlling Droid
Wired magazine has an interesting Droid article. A weird software bug has some wondering if Verizon was remotely controlling user’s phones. It turns out that the truth is stranger than fiction. Read More →
50 Apps For New Droid Owners Via phandroid.com
Motorola Droid Phone
Here are 50 of the best apps for your new Motorola Droid: http://phandroid.com/2009/11/06/50-apps-for-new-droid-owners/
Droid Tips And Tricks
Motorola Droid Phone
Here are 10 Tips For Your Motorola Droid: http://bit.ly/1qx3e8
10 Tips For Motorola Droid Power Users: http://bit.ly/4rpzfn
Motorola Droid Phone (Verizon)
The Motorola Droid smartphone, which runs the Google Android OS, will be coming to Verizon on Nov. 6.
YouTube “Flips Out”, Nokia E71x, April Fools!, To Linux or Not to Linux
Court Jester
YouTube
YouTube has played a naughty joke on us for April Fools Day; they flipped images and video upside down and most of the descriptions and comments on Youtube have been written backwards! Metro.co.uk has an article on this situation. Note: The Youtube home page appears to be normal, you won’t notice anything is different about the site until you click on a video (it can be any video).
Nokia E71x
The Nokia E71x for AT&T has recently become available. This all metal smart phone is sleek and sexy. It runs on the Symbian OS. See The Video>>
April Fools Day
Happy April Fools Day! Let’s get things started the right way with this prank you can play on friends, family and coworkers. Muahahaha!
Linux
I have long been curious about Linux. I have been hesitant to get my feet wet because I am afraid it will be too complicated and time consuming to learn and use. I am really not that satisfied with my current OS (Windows); but it runs out of the box, without a lot of input from me. I guess I want the best of both worlds: I want my OS to run well without me having to be too involved in the process (Windows), yet I want to be able to have a customized system that has the features I deem necessary, and, more importantly, said system should not have/do things I don’t want (Linux). What should I do? Why must I always be faced with these tough decisions? Maybe if I take a nap, this problem will go away – when I awake, everything will be as right as rain! While I try to figure my next move, I think I’ll take another look at this Linux promotional video that I like: Linux Promo Video
HostMonk, Skype on Mobiles, ColorSplash, HomeMade Pizza
Homemade Pizza
HostMonk Compares various web hosts according to price, platform, bandwith, memory, CPU type, and management. The original article for this information came from the good people at makeuseof.com. lifehacker has an article on this ( via makeuseof.com) Read Lifehacker Article Want more on reliable, affordable web hosts? Read More Here>>
Skype Comes to iPhone, Blackberry: phonescoop and Reuters have the news on this development. The application for putting Skype on the iPhone will be available Tuesday, March 31st, 2009. The Blackberry application will make its debut in May. Free long distance phone calls anyone?
iPhone App ColorSplash: This app allows you to dress up pictures on your iPhone with vibrant colors. ColorSpash sells for $1.99 Read About ColorSplash>>
Make Home Made Tasty Pizza: I haven’t tried this recipe yet; I’m on a special diet. When the diet is over in a day or so I may just have to fire up the old oven. Make Pizza at Home>>
T-Mobile’s New Android Phone
T-Mobile G2
T- Mobile is entering the fray this summer with the HTC Magic, which recently was approved by the FCC. Read More Here>> More articles on HTC Magic Read More Here>>
Phonescoop’s review of HTC Magic (European model – Vodaphone)
Palm Pre Battles
Palm, the maker of the soon to be released Pre, has put all its eggs in one basket. The failure of the Pre would sound a death knell for Palm. Despite a gloomy economic forecast, the Pre is poised to turn the tide for Palm, where an outdated OS and inefficient business practices led to huge losses in revenue. There seems to be a lot of support and goodwill in both the business and developer community towards Palm; many developers are excited about creating features and applications for the Pre’s new operating system, WebOS. Read More Here>>
Palm Pre vs iPhone OS 3.0
It just got more difficult to decide which phone has more to offer: the Palm Pre or the Apple iPhone OS 3.0. The iPhone OS 3.0, scheduled to appear this summer, will address several shortcomings of its predecessor: cut and paste functionality, MMS messaging (for sending audio and images with messages), improved search using spotlight (borrowed from Apple’s desktop OS X platform), and improved synchronization – iPhone 3.0 adds CALDAV and .ics to its Exchange support to give users the choice of working with Google Calendar, Yahoo! Calendar, and to allow for sharing calendars.
The Palm Pre has a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus; the iPhone 3.0 OS has a 2.0 megapixel fixed-focus camera. Palm Pre has GPS navigation, Apple says it will open iPhone 3.0′s GPS functionality to third party developers. The Pre allows multiple applications to run at the same time – iPhone OS 3.0 does not.
My thoughts: With OS 3.0, Apple will keep a lot of it’s previous supporters happy – many of them will stick with the iPhone. The Apple App Store is very popular and well stocked. The Palm Pre uses a new platform, webOS. As such, applications for the Pre are being made from scratch. Only time will tell if the Palm Pre can start to catch up in the applications area. I am curious about the Pre’s battery: with a large display and the ability to run multiple applications, will the Palm Pre’s battery last throughout the day? At least I can replace the Pre’s battery – I can not replace the iPhone OS 3.0 battery. The iPhone OS 3.0 is a free upgrade for those of you who already have the iPhone OS 2.0. For the iPod Touch owners in the crowd, the upgrade to OS 3.0 will cost $9.95
Read more Palm Pre vs iPhone OS 3.0
Free Text Messages, Palm Pre TMI, I’ve Got Your Lemonade!
Free Text Messages
Every once in a while, I’ll see a freebie that looks so good, it sends shivers down my spine. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Free Text Messages!
My sources for the Palm Pre specs are: Gizmodo and Tibfib at the Palm Pre Forum
SPECIFICATIONS
• Linux-based Palm-built WebOS operating system and UI
• 3.1-inch, 320×480 capacitive LCD multitouch screen
• Vertical slider form factor with full QWERTY keyboard
• 8GB flash storage
• Multitouch gesture area and scrollball
• 3G EV-DO rev. A and wi-fi
• Bluetooth and GPS
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 3-Megapixel camera
• LED flash
• TI OMAP CPU
• Micro USB connection with mass storage support
• Wireless induction charger
• 4.8 Ounces
- *****
HARDWARE
Innovative Design
Palm’s Pre smartphone is unusual in that it slides vertically to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. It uses the same curved sliding action found on phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. The vertical keyboard was used partially to stand out from other phones, and partially to adhere to the philosophy of easy one-handed use. The phone has a multitouch screen and, when the keyboard is hidden, just three physical controls: A top button, a side volume rocker, clickable button at the bottom. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3MP camera on the back (w/LED flash) all in a 4.8-ounce package. It’s smaller than the iPhone in surface area, but it’s noticeably thicker—even thicker than the BB Bold.
Gesture Area
The gesture area is the black space that extends below the screen of the Pre. Like the screen itself, that area is fully multitouch-capable, and allows you to perform various gesture-based actions within WebOS. Palm said they implemented the gesture area because they feel one-handed control directly on the touchscreen itself can be difficult at times. They say the gesture area will make it easier to move through WebOS without the need for a second hand.
One touted use for the gesture area is the wave dock, which appears whenever you drag your finger up from the gesture area to the screen. Up pops the dock—viewable in the homescreen but otherwise invisible when you’re doing stuff—for a quick change of activity. (This is a bit reminiscent of the Mac OSX Dock.)
TI OMAP Chip
The TI OMAP chip is the great wizard running the show in Pre’s Emerald City. Little has been revealed about the chip (or any of the other hardware components for that matter), but we do know that it’s high-powered enough to handle multiple apps running (15-20) and acceleration for the graphics overlays. Let’s just hope that performance doesn’t cost too much in battery life.
Touchstone Wireless Charger
Touchstone is a wireless charging base for the Palm Pre, one of the first magnetic induction chargers to make its way out of the bathroom. (Sonicare and Oral-B toothbrushes power up using a similar system.) It’s referred to as “The Puck,” and you just click the back of the Pre onto its flat surface and the juice starts to flow.
- *****
SOFTWARE
Major WebOS Features
Cards
Cards, whose flick-friendly interface promises to make smartphone multitasking simple, are arguably the biggest revolution in the WebOS interface. Each app is represented by a panel or “card” with all its relevant info. To the side of each card are similar cards for other running apps. You can flick your way from one to the next, and do things like pause a song, or launch a new email. If you tap the card, you can enter the full app and really get to work. WebOS is designed to handle many apps running at once, and the Palm Pre has the power to support that.
Synergy
Despite its lame 1990s corporate-culture name, Synergy is a very cool feature that integrates contact info, calendars, messaging clients and search capabilities into a seamless menu system.
Synergy takes contact info from sites like Gmail and Facebook (plus any other site that takes advantage of the SDK), and presents all that info for any contact on a single screen, then shows all the ways you can contact that person electronically. Most of this is done automatically, but if WebOS can’t detect multiple online accounts for the same contact, you can manually link contacts together.
Even better, whether you’re texting, emailing, or IMing, all those conversations are placed into one chat style screen, so you can see all the conversations you’ve had with a person over a given period of time.
Universal Search
The entire contents of your phone are searchable. Whether it’s contacts, old conversations, appointments, media file, etc., you can easily find what you need on your phone with all the results provided in a single screen. But if what you’re looking for isn’t on the phone locally, you can take that same search to the internet with a tap or two of the screen, where it will be run through sites like Google and Wikipedia.
Notifications
Palm tried to master that all-too-fickle smartphone feature: background notifications. The problem is, notifications tend to be either too distracting or not distracting enough. Palm’s notification system pops up on the bottom half of the screen, but the app UI adjusts so you can still carry out whatever you’re doing. Obviously, you’ll have to acknowledge the message (or cancel it) eventually, but this feature will definitely save you some frustration.
Multitouch Browser
WebOS’s browser is the first since Mobile Safari to support multitouch gestures. And like the iPhone’s Mobile Safari and Android’s browser on the G1, it’s built on top of WebKit, which means you can expect the same speedy, responsive performance found on those phones.
- *****
HANDS-ON IMPRESSIONS
Neither the Pre hardware or WebOS software are anywhere near final, so it’s tough to draw too many conclusions from our brief exposure, but I can say that Palm is rivaling Apple in the user experience department with this new phone.
The screen is responsive and accurately detects the position of your finger. I didn’t feel like I had to pay special attention to what I was touching or how I went about it. The multitasking cards for app management are really intuitive, letting you zoom in and out, add and remove, and cycle through cards with a mere flick of a finger. And having the WebOS desktop sit as a sort of frame around the cards prevents you from feeling too overwhelmed by the amount of data you might be flipping through (sort of like Xbox 360′s newly revised “blades”).
The gesture area below the screen interacts really well with the onscreen UI. I never had a problem launching the wave dock from that area, for instance.
The hardware feels like it’s a quality build. It’s plasticky, but it doesn’t feel too light or cheap, and the phone’s size works well for one-handed control. The hinge design is smooth, though it would have been nicer to have a spring-loaded design—it does not. The buttons are reminiscent of those found on the Treo Pro, that is, not spectacular but good enough not to be a nuisance. The phone’s design is a little too pebbly and roundish in shape for me personally, but as far as usability goes, that’s hardly a problem.
- *****
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(Many of our answers were pulled from our interview with Palm during our Pre hands-on. Information not from that interview is linked and/or attributed.)
When will the Palm Pre go on sale?
There’s been no specific date given, but Palm says the device will be out in the first half of 2009.
How much is the Pre expected to cost?
That’s still very much a mystery, but rumors have pegged it from anywhere between $149 and $399. The $250-$400 range seems realistic, but at this point it’s hard to say.
What carriers will sell the Palm Pre?
As of now, the Palm Pre will be an exclusive on the Sprint network, but Palm said they will release other WebOS phones on other carriers in the future. Best Buy is also rumored to be an exclusive Pre retailer at launch.
How much will voice and data plans cost?
That all depends on the carrier, but at Sprint, we are guessing that the Pre will come packaged with unlimited data and 450 voice minutes for perhaps $69/month; there’s also Sprint’s full unlimited Everything Plan for $99/month. There’s no word yet of a special plan for the Pre, but the current Instinct plans (referenced here) offer reasonable guesses to pricing.
Will there be more than one WebOS Phone?
Yes. Though no specific announcements have been made, Sascha Segan at PC Mag suggests that there will be an entire family of WebOS-based phones down the road. Palm is rumored to be working on a candybar-style Centro 2, which would presumably aim for the $99 price point if and when it is released.
Will there be a GSM Palm Pre?
Yes, but it will be a UTMS, Europe-only phone available later this year. No announcement for a US GSM phone has been made as of yet.
What kind of internet connectivity does the Palm Pre have?
The Pre has an EVDO rev. A mobile broadband chip (for average connectivity upwards of 1Mbps) in addition to wi-fi.
How long will the battery last between charges?
Palm hasn’t officially revealed any info on this yet, but Pre Central, based on photos of the battery, have made a highly educated guess that the battery is identical to that found in the Centro (1150mAh-1350mAh).
As John Herrman points out in his post, the Treo Pro has a 1500mAh battery that goes about two days between charges; the iPhone has a 1400mAh battery that’s okay but sometimes runs out too fast; and the G1 has an 1150mAh, considered woefully inadequate in the eyes of many.
A Palm PR rep told PalmInfoCentral to expect the battery to have a 1200mAh life, though how long that lasts in real time depends on the processor and the demands of the OS.
Is the battery removable?
Yes.
What does the top button do?
The dedicated button found on top of the phone not only slides between silent and normal modes, but you can also press it to turn airplane mode on or off.
Does the Pre’s screen auto-rotate between portrait and landscape mode?
Yes, like most other high-end smartphones, the Pre has built-in accelerometers that are quite responsive.
Does the Pre have a standard headphone jack?
Yes, the Pre uses the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, located on top of the phone, that works with all mainstream portable headphones.
Does the Palm Pre have expandable storage?
Nope. The 8GB that comes with the phone is what you’re stuck with.
Did Palm discuss the availability of a 16GB or 32GB Pre?
No.
Will apps from the older Palm OS (aka Garnet) work on WebOS?
No. This is a completely new platform designed from the ground up, so apps will not run natively. It might be possible with emulation, but there’s been no talk of that so far.
Does WebOS have an on-screen keyboard?
No. The Palm Pre does not have one.
Is HTC involved with the design or manufacturing of the Palm Pre?
No. The Palm Pre and WebOS were designed entirely in house, using only Palm employees. Some worked on the original Palm OS, while others were new to the project this time around. As for manufacturing, Palm hasn’t revealed who is assembling the phones, but it has been confirmed that it isn’t HTC.
Does the Pre record video?
Palm said the Pre will not have video recording capability when it first launches, but it is something they are looking into for future updates.
Is there Flash support on the Pre/WebOS
Yes! Flash 10!
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2340942,00.asp
Do apps really run in the background?
Yes. Any app will be allowed to function in the background. They won’t close out or go dormant when you switch to another app or return to the home screen. This is different from the iPhone, which can only run Apple-created apps in the background at this time.
How many can run at once?
No official number has been given, but Palm thinks it’s reasonable to assume the Pre will be able to run 15 to 20 apps simultaneously.
I CAN HAZ COPY AND PASTE?
Yes, the Pre has copy and paste (now enough with the LOLspeak, dammit).
How will I get apps? How much will they cost?
There will be a central apps store that will serve as the only method of distribution for the Palm Pre and future WebOS phones. As of now, pricing models have not been released, but we assume there will be free and cheap apps.
Will you be able to sync apps via computer?
No. The app store will function entirely within WebOS.
Is there an app approval process? Will it be as strict as Apple’s?
Yes, there will be an app approval process for WebOS apps. However, according to Palm, they’re less concerned with what the apps do, and more focused on making sure there aren’t any security exploits or stability glitches.
Will the SDK be open to everyone?
Yes, Palm will make the SDK available to anyone who wants to develop apps.
Will apps be as good as those on iPhone or Android?
That’s a question still up for discussion. Palm’s SDK, as we understand it so far, will allow developers to create apps that lie somewhere between web apps and native apps in complexity. While apps will be installable directly to the phone, developers will not have the same level of hardware access that iPhone and Android developers have.
What does this mean? The average Yelp/Mint/Pandora type app will probably work, look, and act the same on WebOS as it would any other mobile platform. But when it comes to those trying to code resource-heavy apps—video and gaming apps for example, that require optimization and special hardware access— they will probably run into development issues using the SDK alone. Palm says they’ll work with selected developers to give them more access to the intricacies of the phone, such as Telenav on the GPS app, for example.
Will the Pre sync to PCs via Outlook or some other desktop program?
There’s no special client application that we know of. You can connect the Pre as a mass-storage device and drag-and-drop media (music, video, photos) into preexisting folders made for those files, allowing them to appear in the media player. As for other types of syncing, such as Outlook, we’re not quite sure how that will work yet.
Does WebOS have a thin and beautiful figure?
Well Palm doesn’t like to talk about its own software, but they did manage to imply that Mobile OS X is an obese, Crisco-guzzling lard ass.
- *****
Historical Background
Palm has come a long way since their days making PDAs for the business crowd, and as the saying goes, to truly understand where Palm is going with the Pre, you’ve got to understand where they’ve been. So here’s a brief recap of software, devices and events leading up to the Pre/WebOS announcement.
Palm OS/Treo
Palm OS, the first major platform for the company was first designed for the Pilot line of PDAs back in 1996. The early Palm OS (1.x-4.x) releases had forward-thinking features such as stylus touch control, handwriting recognition, a grid-based app home screen (adopted by most handset UI designers in the following years), eventually adding mobile internet support, mobile web clippings, email and USB support.
Handspring’s first Palm-based phone—the Treo—came out in 2002. It caught on among the smartphone crowd, with mainstream features such as high-res color displays, threaded text messaging, multimedia playback, homebrew apps such as NES emulators and arguably the worst mobile browser ever, Blazer.
In 2003, Palm bought Handspring and launched the first Palm-branded Treo, the 600. Palm continued to build phones with QWERTY keyboard on the front, SD card slots, and cameras. (Fun fact: Palm CEO Ed Colligan left the company, which he helped establish, in order to create Handspring; he returned to Palm only when they bought Handspring in 2003.) The Palm Centro, launched in 2007, was the last Palm device to run the Garnet OS (v5.4.9). But by then the software—as well as the hardware—had begun to show signs of aging, prompting calls for a new OS and industrial design.
Palm OS II Announcement
In May 2007, Palm announced they were working on a completely new, Linux-based operating system for their future phones, tentatively calling it Palm OS II. No other details were given at the time.
Between Summer 2007 and Fall 2008, Palm OS II was constantly pushed backed, delayed and ignored as Palm’s stock tumbled. Many believed the company would disintegrate beyond repair before the OS would reach market.
Nova
In the fall of 2008, Palm OS II rumors resurfaced, this time mentioning the platform carried the codename “Nova.” Later news confirmed it would be revealed at CES 2008. Still, many remained skeptical as to how much of Nova Palm would show, if anything at all.
Shortly before CES, rumors started popping up about a Palm phone which would accompany the Nova OS. The phone was said to be a squarish, touchscreen device with a slide-out keyboard.
CES Unveiling
On January 8, 2009, Palm announced the Pre smartphone and WebOS platform at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas to much fanfare. Multitouch functionality and seamless web integration were the two big points of emphasis for their new product.
There’s silly and then there is this guy. After being unhappy with the service at a Burger King drive thru (he wanted lemonade, but there was none left) , he calls 911 to complain. He wastes at least 5 minutes of the emergency operator’s time going on and on. Then the cops . . . Read More Here
Can Palm Pre Save Sprint Nextel?, Good Managers, Funny Pirate Bay
Palm Pre
March 1st, 2009 Palm Pre Update: Here are a few videos I found informative: video 1 and video 2 and video 3
Here’s a new term I learned today: UX. User Experience (UX)— A term used to describe the overall experience and satisfaction a user has when using a product or system. It most commonly refers to a combination of software and business topics, such as selling over the web, but it applies to any result of interaction design. Ensuring that the user has a pleasant experience while visiting you site is crucial, as it helps secure visitor loyalty. Research indicates that people will feel more comfortable with your company and purchase products or services only after having visited the site several times previously.
If three quarters of what I hear about the Palm Pre are true, I’m going to have to do something I’ve never done before: I’ll sleep on the sidewalk outside the Sprint store overnight to get my eager hands on one of these sweet babies. My only fear is that Sprint will have Palm disable some features (Wi Fi, tethering) so they can squeeze a few more bucks offer the consumer a better user experience.
Sprint Nextel Corp., the third largest wireless mobile service provider in the U.S., posted a fourth quarter loss of $1.6 billion. During the same period, Sprint Nextel lost $1.3 million customers. There may be a silver lining to this ominous scenario: The Palm Pre. Continue Reading
Here is a review by Gizmodo of the Palm Pre. Oh boy, I’m starting to drool. I’m not an early technology adopter, but I might change my ways for this phone! Note to Apple: don’t you dare interfere with this phone. That goes for you as well, T-Mobile and Google. No threats and no lawsuits. Thanks.
Sometimes I’ll see a situation between a manager and a subordinate where the subordinate has given up on doing a good job. For whatever reason, the employee is going through the motions, doing exactly as instructed, and nothing more. When I see a situation like that, I wonder what the manager could have done differently. Continue Story
I like a good laugh as much as the next guy. It is too bad I wasn’t at the Pirate Bay Trial In Stockholm, Sweden when a music industry stooge gave what has to be the funniest, most ridiculous, testimony to date. I would have peed my pants because I laughed so hard! Puhleeeze! Laugh at This
Who’s on Crack in Tech, Celebrity Twitterers, Palm Pre Video
Rainn Wilson is on Twitter
Once more we visit those organizations that must have been hitting the pipe when they made recent decisions. Who’s on Crack
Although I haven’t yet chosen to follow any celebrity twitterers, an entertaining article I read almost made me do so. These folks are famous and they have something to say (in 140 characters or less). 10 Celebrity Twitters
First it was the iPhone. Next came the T-Mobile G1. Soon it will be the Palm Pre that has my pulse racing, while I begin to salivate. If you have lots of time on your hands, here is a Palm Pre walkthrough video (run time: 30 min.)
Facebook Sabotage? Backups Online, Software Update for G1
Students Competing For Slots At Elite Colleges Resorting To “Facebook Sabotage”
Read More
You Know About Backups. Now, Do It Online
Read More
T-Mobile announces first software update for the G1
Read More
“Surf Fast, Surf Free!”(TM)
T-Mobile G1 phone Is Here
Wednesday, October 22nd, marks the day the T-Mobile G1 phone will be available for sale at stores throughout the U.S. This phone runs on the Android operating system, developed by the people at Google. The phone is manufactured by the folks at HTC.
Reviews of the G1 have been mixed: http://is.gd/4a7g and http://is.gd/4am9
There will also be a store for Android apps: http://is.gd/4klr
AT&T Has New Phone, Flock 2.0, Do You Hulu?
AT&T brings the first 3G walkman phone to the US market; the Sony Ericsson W760a http://snurl.com/4duah
Flock 2.0 Launches: Adds MySpace, Media RSS, and More http://snurl.com/4dugc
Do you Hulu yet? Here are ten shows that make it worth it. http://snurl.com/4dujy
“Surf Fast, Surf Free!”(TM)
Blackberry’s First Flip Phone, New MacBook
T-Mobile releases BlackBerry’s first flip phone, The Pearl Flip 8220 http://is.gd/40bR
Gizmodo has live updates of Apple’s Macbook release for Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008
“Surf Fast, Surf Free!”(TM)
T-Mobile G1 Phone, All Things iPhone, Verizon Tests (Video)
The T-Mobile G1 phone is scheduled to enter the market sometime this month. Here is a slick ad for the G1 that I found intriguing: http://www.t-mobileg1.com/
T-Mobile continues G1 pre-sale, but there’s a catch: http://is.gd/3XmK
All things iPhone: http://iphone.alltop.com/
Finally, here is a video about Verizon Wireless’ new test facility in Bedminster, NJ: http://is.gd/3Xsc
“Surf Fast, Surf Free!”(TM)
www.asktonyc.com
