Labels:
Transformers Zone
A real transformer? Maybe. (thanks for the tip, 'Y')
A real transformer? Maybe. (thanks for the tip, 'Y')
Sep 30, 2009
How much money can you get for your mobile phone?
Compare mobile phone recycling sites to get the most money for your old or unwanted mobile phone!
Wanna get rid of your old crappy Touch Diamond and get yourself a manly Touch Pro 2?
Bored of your old Omnia and looking to get the new one instead?
There is a site that will tell you how much can you get for your old phone.
Just head over to Mobile Cash Comparison and select your phone. The site will find a list of the best alternatives for you. 
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
Compare mobile phone recycling sites to get the most money for your old or unwanted mobile phone!
Wanna get rid of your old crappy Touch Diamond and get yourself a manly Touch Pro 2?
Bored of your old Omnia and looking to get the new one instead?
There is a site that will tell you how much can you get for your old phone.
Just head over to Mobile Cash Comparison and select your phone. The site will find a list of the best alternatives for you.
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 Released
SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 was released last night, and has some cool new animations, 3D effects, social networks integration, new emails UI, and many other goodies.
Seems like SPB are taking a little bit from each mobile OS: a little bit of a TouchFlo animated emails reader, some of the Android menus style, a little bit of Samsung's TouchWiz widgets, some of the Palm Pre's synergy, along with SPB's own look & feel. Great stuff.
Here's a short video demonstration:
You can check out our own review of version 3.0 in here:
Review: SPB Mobile Shell 3.0
What's new in SPB Mobile Shell 3.5?
- Improved SPB Carousel design (e. g. added reflections and some additional interaction gestures)
- Gravity sensor support in the SPB Carousel
- 3D email viewer
- 3D SMS viewer (with contact pictures)
- Access to online catalog in “Change Background” dialog
- New “Add Widget” dialog
- Widget skin selection with preview
- New widget: Tasks (customizable task list on your home screen)
- New widget: Picture Frame (widget and full-screen slideshow)
- New widget: Facebook Status
- New widget: Twitter Status
- New widget: Four instant wireless switches (WiFi, Bluetooth, Flight Mode, Phone Switch)
- New widget: Internet Search (with instant suggestions)
- New widget: Birthdays reminders (never forget about your friend’s birthday again)
- Contact widget: ability to choose default action
- Wireless manager widget: icon shows current states, popup shows current states
- Weather widget: support for more advanced skins with detailed forecast and current conditions
- Streamlined background change (with cropping and easy to view local gallery)
- Current weather conditions (in addition to forecast)
- New skins for most widgets
- Professional home customization using widgets
- Option to have only one home screen (lifestyle or professional)
- Option to change number of screens in lifestyle or professional layouts
- Weather in Agenda
- Force feedback on tap and hold
- Option to choose the default tab for Contacts and Launcher
- Improved design of most dialogs (popup menus, settings etc.)
- Category filter in the contact list
- Improved widget edit mode (widget can be dragged to other pages, recycle bin for easy delete etc.)
- Color themes support on Windows Mobile 6.5
- Integration with SPB Weather and SPB Traveler via widgets
- Improved “Choose Shortcut” dialog with similar look to SPB Menu
- New widget: Operator Name
- New widget: Date
- New widget: Alarm
- Option to disable tap and hold
- Redesigned settings dialogs
Enjoy the read? Follow us on Twitter and get more!
The Spoon's opinion: Still the number #1 shell for Windows Mobile. Some cosmetic improvements we are not excited about (who cares about the carousel view anyway?), and some important ones (mails, facebook & twitter, shell infrastructure).
If you don't like (or don't have) TouchFlo 3D - SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 is a "must have" software for your Windows Mobile phone.
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 was released last night, and has some cool new animations, 3D effects, social networks integration, new emails UI, and many other goodies.
Seems like SPB are taking a little bit from each mobile OS: a little bit of a TouchFlo animated emails reader, some of the Android menus style, a little bit of Samsung's TouchWiz widgets, some of the Palm Pre's synergy, along with SPB's own look & feel. Great stuff.
Here's a short video demonstration:
You can check out our own review of version 3.0 in here:
Review: SPB Mobile Shell 3.0
What's new in SPB Mobile Shell 3.5?
- Improved SPB Carousel design (e. g. added reflections and some additional interaction gestures)
- Gravity sensor support in the SPB Carousel
- 3D email viewer
- 3D SMS viewer (with contact pictures)
- Access to online catalog in “Change Background” dialog
- New “Add Widget” dialog
- Widget skin selection with preview
- New widget: Tasks (customizable task list on your home screen)
- New widget: Picture Frame (widget and full-screen slideshow)
- New widget: Facebook Status
- New widget: Twitter Status
- New widget: Four instant wireless switches (WiFi, Bluetooth, Flight Mode, Phone Switch)
- New widget: Internet Search (with instant suggestions)
- New widget: Birthdays reminders (never forget about your friend’s birthday again)
- Contact widget: ability to choose default action
- Wireless manager widget: icon shows current states, popup shows current states
- Weather widget: support for more advanced skins with detailed forecast and current conditions
- Streamlined background change (with cropping and easy to view local gallery)
- Current weather conditions (in addition to forecast)
- New skins for most widgets
- Professional home customization using widgets
- Option to have only one home screen (lifestyle or professional)
- Option to change number of screens in lifestyle or professional layouts
- Weather in Agenda
- Force feedback on tap and hold
- Option to choose the default tab for Contacts and Launcher
- Improved design of most dialogs (popup menus, settings etc.)
- Category filter in the contact list
- Improved widget edit mode (widget can be dragged to other pages, recycle bin for easy delete etc.)
- Color themes support on Windows Mobile 6.5
- Integration with SPB Weather and SPB Traveler via widgets
- Improved “Choose Shortcut” dialog with similar look to SPB Menu
- New widget: Operator Name
- New widget: Date
- New widget: Alarm
- Option to disable tap and hold
- Redesigned settings dialogs
Enjoy the read? Follow us on Twitter and get more!
The Spoon's opinion: Still the number #1 shell for Windows Mobile. Some cosmetic improvements we are not excited about (who cares about the carousel view anyway?), and some important ones (mails, facebook & twitter, shell infrastructure).
If you don't like (or don't have) TouchFlo 3D - SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 is a "must have" software for your Windows Mobile phone.
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
Sep 28, 2009
What's new in webOS 1.2?
I received an email with the new stuff coming from Palm in webOS version 1.2, here's a summary:
- Palm Synergy now includes LinkedIn contact syncing. Info from LinkedIn profiles (like job titles) will now appear in your Palm Pre contacts.
- New filters capability to filter the emails in the current folder just by typing a search term.
- Download files from the browser
- Amazon MP3 Store can now download songs from either WiFi or WAN.
- Phone number recognition from a calendar entry or a note.
- Web pages and emails are now cut-and-paste-able.
Updates to the new version can be done over the air.
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I received an email with the new stuff coming from Palm in webOS version 1.2, here's a summary:
- Palm Synergy now includes LinkedIn contact syncing. Info from LinkedIn profiles (like job titles) will now appear in your Palm Pre contacts.
- New filters capability to filter the emails in the current folder just by typing a search term.
- Download files from the browser
- Amazon MP3 Store can now download songs from either WiFi or WAN.
- Phone number recognition from a calendar entry or a note.
- Web pages and emails are now cut-and-paste-able.
Updates to the new version can be done over the air.
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Google Sync is now available for Windows Mobile and iPhone
Labels:
Google, iPhone, Windows Mobile
Google has recently added support for Push Mail (known as Google Sync) to Windows Mobile and iPhone’s (on top of BlackBerry and Android).
If you have an active GMail account, you can now get new emails to your phone in almost realtime.
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
Google has recently added support for Push Mail (known as Google Sync) to Windows Mobile and iPhone’s (on top of BlackBerry and Android).
If you have an active GMail account, you can now get new emails to your phone in almost realtime.
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Sep 26, 2009
30 Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphones by the end of 2009
Labels:
Microsoft, News, Windows Mobile 6.5
According to DigiTimes - More than 30 smartphones running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 from a total of over 15 handset vendors are to be launched before the end of 2009. This, according to Benjamin Tan, senior director, GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China.
That means, more than 30 WinMo 6.5 phones , in 3 months... an average of 10 new devices per month! That's a hell of a number, don't you think?
Handset vendors which have expressed their support for Microsoft's new mobile OS include HTC (High Tech Computer), Acer, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics (LGE), Sony Ericsson, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard (HP), according to market sources in Taiwan.
A proof that Microsoft's mobile OS is still live and kicking?
BTW, 30 is a bigger number than 18, the number of Android based smartphones Google promised this year...
Read more about Windows Mobile 6.5.
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According to DigiTimes - More than 30 smartphones running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 from a total of over 15 handset vendors are to be launched before the end of 2009. This, according to Benjamin Tan, senior director, GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China.
That means, more than 30 WinMo 6.5 phones , in 3 months... an average of 10 new devices per month! That's a hell of a number, don't you think?
Handset vendors which have expressed their support for Microsoft's new mobile OS include HTC (High Tech Computer), Acer, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics (LGE), Sony Ericsson, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard (HP), according to market sources in Taiwan.
A proof that Microsoft's mobile OS is still live and kicking?
BTW, 30 is a bigger number than 18, the number of Android based smartphones Google promised this year...
Read more about Windows Mobile 6.5.
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iPhone Docking Station from... Paper?
If you really need a docking station for your iPhone but have no money left after buying half of the AppStore, here's a funny idea about a paper based dock station:
The paper template for this exercise can be found in here.
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If you really need a docking station for your iPhone but have no money left after buying half of the AppStore, here's a funny idea about a paper based dock station:
The paper template for this exercise can be found in here.
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Sep 24, 2009
Pictures of Microsoft's Pink phones: Pure and Turtle
Labels:
Microsoft, News, Pink, Rumors, Windows Mobile 7
Everyone talked about it, we didn't really buy it, but it seems like Gizmodo found a proof that Microsoft's Pink project really exists.
Microsoft will release 2 smart phones named Pure and Turtle.
The phones are going to be made by Sharp, that will get to share the brand with Microsoft. The hardware design has a definite younger feeling: Turtle looks like a chunky child's version of a Palm Pre, while the Pure looks more professional - like any other slider phones, but a bit more rounded and with plastic look.
The Pure and the Turtle will be positioned as young phone with advanced capabilities.
According to ZDNet, the Pink phones (Pure and Turtle) will be based on Windows Mobile 7, which does not exist yet, but who knows, maybe the infrastructure of it is already in the progress, enough to allow building a closed phone on top of it.
Other rumors claim that it will be built on top of Zune and will include Zune Services and a dedicated app store.
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Everyone talked about it, we didn't really buy it, but it seems like Gizmodo found a proof that Microsoft's Pink project really exists.
Microsoft will release 2 smart phones named Pure and Turtle.
The phones are going to be made by Sharp, that will get to share the brand with Microsoft. The hardware design has a definite younger feeling: Turtle looks like a chunky child's version of a Palm Pre, while the Pure looks more professional - like any other slider phones, but a bit more rounded and with plastic look.
The Pure and the Turtle will be positioned as young phone with advanced capabilities.
According to ZDNet, the Pink phones (Pure and Turtle) will be based on Windows Mobile 7, which does not exist yet, but who knows, maybe the infrastructure of it is already in the progress, enough to allow building a closed phone on top of it.
Other rumors claim that it will be built on top of Zune and will include Zune Services and a dedicated app store.
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Sep 23, 2009
VITO's Winterface 2.0 Released
VITO Technology released a new version of Winterface.
The new version is now "skinable" so you can customize the look of the skins (10 new skins are available), background color or picture, headings for the icons and much more.
In addition, there are some other improvements to the older version which we reviewed few months ago. (check out our own Winterface software review).
Product page can be found in here:
http://vitotechnology.com/vito-mobile-shell.html
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VITO Technology released a new version of Winterface.
The new version is now "skinable" so you can customize the look of the skins (10 new skins are available), background color or picture, headings for the icons and much more.
In addition, there are some other improvements to the older version which we reviewed few months ago. (check out our own Winterface software review).
Product page can be found in here:
http://vitotechnology.com/vito-mobile-shell.html
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
Sep 22, 2009
Facebook IM - for Windows Mobile
Labels:
Freeware, Messenger, Social Network
In case you like the buggy unstable chat facebook provides, here's a better way (and maybe more stable too?):
Facebook IM is a dedicated app just for the facebook messages system. Here are some of the features:
- Facebook Chat
- Integrated m.facebook.com Web Browser
- Pictures & Video Uploads Directly From Your Phone
- Status Updates
- Chat Notifications
- Facebook Notification Indicator
- Unread Messages Indicator
- All Display Resolutions
- Touch Friendly
- No 3rd party registration or connection
- AppToDate support.
Oh, forgot to mention it's free...
Download Facebook Instant Messenger
Source: 1800PocketPC
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In case you like the buggy unstable chat facebook provides, here's a better way (and maybe more stable too?):
Facebook IM is a dedicated app just for the facebook messages system. Here are some of the features:
- Facebook Chat
- Integrated m.facebook.com Web Browser
- Pictures & Video Uploads Directly From Your Phone
- Status Updates
- Chat Notifications
- Facebook Notification Indicator
- Unread Messages Indicator
- All Display Resolutions
- Touch Friendly
- No 3rd party registration or connection
- AppToDate support.
Oh, forgot to mention it's free...
Download Facebook Instant Messenger
Source: 1800PocketPC
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Sep 21, 2009
The last of the i-mates?
Few months ago I wrote about a new surprising i-mate handset which had some rugged capabilities.
The device was presented in the MWC event in February this year, and was considered to be an interesting device that might capture the eyes of people or companies looking for an elegant yet rugged device.
Well, according to iTP.net, this was probably the last of the i-mates because there are rumors that the company just shut down the main offices Dubai Internet City.
According to the post, there are some companies still waiting for shipments but no reply from i-mate. Staff were told to take compulsory two-month unpaid leave in an e-mail last Wednesday, according to employees, but the next day received information that the operation was closing and found the office locked.
Well, not sure how it will end, but in any case, here are some nice pictures from some i-mates models:
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Few months ago I wrote about a new surprising i-mate handset which had some rugged capabilities.
The device was presented in the MWC event in February this year, and was considered to be an interesting device that might capture the eyes of people or companies looking for an elegant yet rugged device.
Well, according to iTP.net, this was probably the last of the i-mates because there are rumors that the company just shut down the main offices Dubai Internet City.
According to the post, there are some companies still waiting for shipments but no reply from i-mate. Staff were told to take compulsory two-month unpaid leave in an e-mail last Wednesday, according to employees, but the next day received information that the operation was closing and found the office locked.
Well, not sure how it will end, but in any case, here are some nice pictures from some i-mates models:
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Sep 19, 2009
No Windows Mobile for you! Says Palm.
Labels:
Palm, Windows Mobile
Well, that's it people, Palm/Windows Mobile fans out there - there will be no more Palm devices running Windows Mobile.
For me, those are sad news. Palm Treo 750 was my favorite WinMo phone, and the one I kept for the longest period as well. In addition, I still haven't managed to put my hands on the latest Palm Treo Pro.
For Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein - all of my problems are not so relevant, in Palm's earnings call he said that Palm will not develop new devices running Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform. The company will invest all of its effort on its new WebOS platform.
Palm just announced it’s results for Q1 with $2.8m profit on $68m revenue, making their comeback look solid.
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Well, that's it people, Palm/Windows Mobile fans out there - there will be no more Palm devices running Windows Mobile.
For me, those are sad news. Palm Treo 750 was my favorite WinMo phone, and the one I kept for the longest period as well. In addition, I still haven't managed to put my hands on the latest Palm Treo Pro.
For Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein - all of my problems are not so relevant, in Palm's earnings call he said that Palm will not develop new devices running Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform. The company will invest all of its effort on its new WebOS platform.
Palm just announced it’s results for Q1 with $2.8m profit on $68m revenue, making their comeback look solid.
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HTC Sense UI Theme for iPhone
HTC Hero was released not to long ago, and very shortly, everyone wants to have it on their smartphones.
Windows Mobile version of the Sense UI was found a few weeks ago, and now it seems like iPhone jailbroken users will be able to enjoy the show as well.
Follow the link to download HTC Sense UI theme for the iPhone
Here's a video demonstration - a bit too long I'm afraid, but I must say it looks really good:
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HTC Hero was released not to long ago, and very shortly, everyone wants to have it on their smartphones.
Windows Mobile version of the Sense UI was found a few weeks ago, and now it seems like iPhone jailbroken users will be able to enjoy the show as well.
Follow the link to download HTC Sense UI theme for the iPhone
Here's a video demonstration - a bit too long I'm afraid, but I must say it looks really good:
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Android Emulator - Download Link
Labels:
Android
Today I ran across an Android emulator. I think it worth the try especially when everyone are talking about the new OS which is already one of the most popular mobile OS.
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Today I ran across an Android emulator. I think it worth the try especially when everyone are talking about the new OS which is already one of the most popular mobile OS.
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Sep 17, 2009
Some more new stuff from Windows Mobile 6.5.Something...
Labels:
Windows Mobile 6.5
More new stuff from Microsoft - a new build of the 6.5 version (or could it be 6.5.1?
This time, some new contacts screens.
Enjoy:
Source: PocketNow.com
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More new stuff from Microsoft - a new build of the 6.5 version (or could it be 6.5.1?
This time, some new contacts screens.
Enjoy:
Source: PocketNow.com
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How many people do you need to develop one operating system?
Labels:
Microsoft, Windows Mobile 7
Well, it depends.
If you are Microsoft, and you would like to get back to being dominant in the mobile industry again - you might need a lot.
Maybe even... 1,000.
According to Paul Spain, this number was announced in the latest TechEd and it seems like Microsoft is definitely taking the new mobile OS seriously.
We are happy about it!
Source: WMPowerUser
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Well, it depends.
If you are Microsoft, and you would like to get back to being dominant in the mobile industry again - you might need a lot.
Maybe even... 1,000.
According to Paul Spain, this number was announced in the latest TechEd and it seems like Microsoft is definitely taking the new mobile OS seriously.
We are happy about it!
Source: WMPowerUser
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
Sep 14, 2009
Why shouldn't you use an iPhone when Microsoft's CEO is around...
Just recently I heard about a famous company that manufactures mobile phones and did not allow any of the employees to be seen with a Nokia phone inside the office (oops, now you know it's not Nokia...), and today I found a funny story at TechFlash telling about Steve Ballmer's reaction when one of his employees wanted to take a picture of him using an... iPhone...
Well, as you can imagine, Steve prefers to be seen around Windows Mobile phones, and his reaction was to pick up the iPhone, make some funny remarks, put it on the ground and pretend to stomp on it...
I once did the same with one of my friends phones, just for the joke, but I didn't plan the stomp activity carefully enough, which cost me $300...
Oh well... What ever makes people happy...
You can read the story in details in here
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Just recently I heard about a famous company that manufactures mobile phones and did not allow any of the employees to be seen with a Nokia phone inside the office (oops, now you know it's not Nokia...), and today I found a funny story at TechFlash telling about Steve Ballmer's reaction when one of his employees wanted to take a picture of him using an... iPhone...
Well, as you can imagine, Steve prefers to be seen around Windows Mobile phones, and his reaction was to pick up the iPhone, make some funny remarks, put it on the ground and pretend to stomp on it...
I once did the same with one of my friends phones, just for the joke, but I didn't plan the stomp activity carefully enough, which cost me $300...
Oh well... What ever makes people happy...
You can read the story in details in here
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Sep 13, 2009
What happens when you throw your iPhone from the second floor?
OK, this is something you have to see to believe.
How about a rugged iPhone, or iPod Touch? Usually to get the minimum protection to your beloved gadget, you have to wrap it with a 'not-to-fancy-looking' cover. But here's something different:
A special cover, made from a substance called d3o, a lightweight material developed by the British company d3o Lab, which is not only extremely flexible, but has a special behavior of becoming very stiff when encountering an abrupt force.
Check for yourself:
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OK, this is something you have to see to believe.
How about a rugged iPhone, or iPod Touch? Usually to get the minimum protection to your beloved gadget, you have to wrap it with a 'not-to-fancy-looking' cover. But here's something different:
A special cover, made from a substance called d3o, a lightweight material developed by the British company d3o Lab, which is not only extremely flexible, but has a special behavior of becoming very stiff when encountering an abrupt force.
Check for yourself:
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Sony Ericsson XPeria 2 - Short Video
Labels:
Shell, Sony Ericsson, Video, xPeria
The following video hints about the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPeria II.
I think the device looks much nicer than the first one, which I didn't like so much. However, there is something very strange in the home screen - what is that? a maze? I don't want a maze as my home screen!
And is it just me or is this maze surface floating and moving all the time? Like: let's see you catch that shortcut icon!
Spooky. Take a look and let us know your thoughts about it...
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The following video hints about the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPeria II.
I think the device looks much nicer than the first one, which I didn't like so much. However, there is something very strange in the home screen - what is that? a maze? I don't want a maze as my home screen!
And is it just me or is this maze surface floating and moving all the time? Like: let's see you catch that shortcut icon!
Spooky. Take a look and let us know your thoughts about it...
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Sep 10, 2009
Winners of the SBSH GoNews Touch are...
Labels:
Giveaways
As promised - 2 more winners will be delighted to know that they just won a free copy of the great finger friendly News & RSS Reader form SBSH!
The first winner was ParrotLover who already got his free copy!
(Hey, drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts about it)
And the next winners are:
Tagustinus - the first one to comment on the thread - you won!
Kai Wang - our favorite site is also PocketNow.com, you won too!
Congratulations! Drop us an email so we can send you your free copy!
I would like to thank once more SBSH for giving the Mobile Spoon those free giveaways copies - Thank you!
For more information about SBSH Mobile products - visit their website at: sbsh.net
If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.
As promised - 2 more winners will be delighted to know that they just won a free copy of the great finger friendly News & RSS Reader form SBSH!
The first winner was ParrotLover who already got his free copy!
(Hey, drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts about it)
And the next winners are:
Tagustinus - the first one to comment on the thread - you won!
Kai Wang - our favorite site is also PocketNow.com, you won too!
Congratulations! Drop us an email so we can send you your free copy!
I would like to thank once more SBSH for giving the Mobile Spoon those free giveaways copies - Thank you!
For more information about SBSH Mobile products - visit their website at: sbsh.net
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Sep 8, 2009
Marvel and Vringo team up to bring super heroes video ringtones
Labels:
General, News, Ringtones, Super Mobile Heroes, Video
I just got an email with the following:
VringoTM, the next-generation ringtone pioneer, and Marvel Entertainment have announced a collaboration to create and distribute mobile videos and video ringtones based on Marvel's legendary library of Super Heroes. The project kicks off today with the U.S. launch of a storefront and Web-based editing platform (http://vringo.marvel.com) dedicated to letting fans purchase ready-made mobile clips and even create their own from the Marvel archives.
At launch, the store features editable raw footage and pre-cut video ringtones from newer Marvel properties like the animated Wolverine & The X-Men, and classics like theme songs from the fan-favorite animated 1966 Marvel Super Heroes series, with new content coming each month. All Marvel fans with video-ready phones can use the store to view and send bite-sized Marvel videos to their devices. Fans with Vringo application-compatible phones can take it to the next level, turning their clips into video ringtones and taking advantage of Vringo's VringForwardTM technology, which lets them choose which Super Hero (or villain) they want their friends to see when they call.
I've pasted the above text from the official press release which can be found in here: http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=24559
Here's an example:
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I just got an email with the following:
VringoTM, the next-generation ringtone pioneer, and Marvel Entertainment have announced a collaboration to create and distribute mobile videos and video ringtones based on Marvel's legendary library of Super Heroes. The project kicks off today with the U.S. launch of a storefront and Web-based editing platform (http://vringo.marvel.com) dedicated to letting fans purchase ready-made mobile clips and even create their own from the Marvel archives.
At launch, the store features editable raw footage and pre-cut video ringtones from newer Marvel properties like the animated Wolverine & The X-Men, and classics like theme songs from the fan-favorite animated 1966 Marvel Super Heroes series, with new content coming each month. All Marvel fans with video-ready phones can use the store to view and send bite-sized Marvel videos to their devices. Fans with Vringo application-compatible phones can take it to the next level, turning their clips into video ringtones and taking advantage of Vringo's VringForwardTM technology, which lets them choose which Super Hero (or villain) they want their friends to see when they call.
I've pasted the above text from the official press release which can be found in here: http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=24559
Here's an example:
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Sep 7, 2009
Review: HTC Touch Pro 2
Labels:
Devices, HTC, HTC Touch Pro II, Reviews, TouchFlo
Yes! He is here. The pro. The real pro. The Touch Pro 2!
The famous HTC device which many sites referred to as one of the best WinMo phones ever, has fallen into my hands recently and I had a chance to play with it for a while - here are some of my thoughts about it.
Form Factor:
On one hand - the device looks AMAZING! A real eye candy!
On the other hand - I'm not crazy a about those sliding QWERTY keyboards, I usually find that it's not that practical to open the keyboard every time you need to type, and even though it's better for lots of texting - the cost of it is usually in the thickness and the weight of the phone, and indeed, TP2 has an unusual heavy weight. It's a heavy weight device, and a thick one as well - in fact it's as twice thicker than the iPhone. For many people - that's a serious problem.
Screen:
Beautiful WVGA - who can ask for more? (don't know what WVGA means? check out our mini screen resolutions guide).
The screen is great, and unlike the previous Touch Pro that was way too stiff and had had a terrible sensitivity - the new screen has a very sensitive screen which makes it easy to use kinetic scrolling, activate items, click on the annoying OK button etc.
Great stuff by HTC. Even Optimash Prime is happy.
Hardware Buttons:
Not sure why, but HTC insists on releasing Windows Mobile devices with no D-Pad: no traditional buttons, no joystick, no trackball like in the android / BlackBerry devices, no virtual mouse like the Samsung Omnia, nothing.
I think it's a big mistake because many of the Windows Mobile applications are not yet finger friendly, and although HTC wraps a lot of the standard functionality with their own TouchFlo UI - it does not cover everything, and for me - a device without a D-Pad is simply less useful. For example: you open a combo-box, with 30 items - you want to easily scroll down the combo box - but you cannot because there is no D-Pad.
That's one hell of a bummer and for me it's a show stopper that will probably prevent me from purchasing a device like the Pro.
Besides the D-Pad - TP2 comes with 4 useful buttons (End, Send, OK/Back, and Start) which makes operating the device very simple.
Keyboard:
Oh, and there's that full QWERTY keyboard of course. Although it looks fantastic - I found that it's not that comfortable to type with it.
The reason is that many of the letters are too close to the edges of the surface, and you need to move your thumb too much to the left/right sides - I actually found that after 3-4 minutes of typing with it my thumbs began to hurt! Never happen to me before with any other phone. Am I getting too old for this? Probably, but for now, I prefer my BlackBerry Bold keyboard which is very comfortable for my finger size.
Zoom Bar:
For some reason, HTC thinks that a zoom bar which is only functional in very few applications (such as Internet and images) is with investing effort and real estate in a zoom surface.
I don't understand that approach, for me this zoom bar could be very well implemented by adding a special software that floats on top of any image or web page. I would easily replace this useless zoom surface with an optical D-Pad like in the first Samsung Omnia which can be used in all the applications (and can also act as a nice zoom surface if HTC insist of having this functionality).
TouchFlo 3D and other UI Improvements:
When HTC started with their work on the TouchFlo 3D - many people criticized them for the poor performance.
I can honestly say that in both the Touch HD and the new Touch Pro - this problem is definitely solved. The performance is great, the User Interface responds perfectly and the new version of TouchFlo has some nice additions on top of the old stuff.
The Programs tab was replaced with a substitute to the classic start menu that looks like... the Windows Mobile 6.5 one... (Who needs Microsoft when HTC are around?).
A very important addition is the calendar tab that allows drilling into a specific date to view and edit the relevant appointments.
TF3D now has a much better support for the landscape mode - the entire TouchFlo is operational on both portrait and landscape modes which is nice.
The menus and popup menus were changed from just a big sized menu to a completely customized menu. The popup menus are open in the middle of the screen which is great, long menus support kinetic scrolling which also adds a lot to the overall experience. I really liked HTC's new menus - a small enhancement but an important one.
The virtual keyboard was also improved - I remember I couldn't use it in the diamond/fuze because the screen was too small and stiff - the new one feels much better and allows decent typing for those who are too lazy to slide out the full keyboard...
Last thing I've noticed was the new improved notifications bar - it's now much easier to click on the top caption bar to open the improved notification summary window.
Touch Pro 2 vs. Touch Pro 1
Before ending this review, I went back to my first Touch Pro review to see if the major problem were solved. Here's my conclusion:
Screen sensitivity: One of my biggest pains with the first Touch Pro was definitely solved in the new version - the screen is not only bigger, it's also much more sensitive which makes using it almost as simple as using a capacitive screen.
D-Pad: Another serious pain I had with the previous Pro/Diamond/Fuze - that freaking D-Pad which was not only too hard and stiff to use, but also used to activate other buttons instead of the arrows because of the horrible structure it was made on.
I cannot say this problem was fixed, because now there is no D-Pad at all...
You know what they say: If you can't beat them - remove them...
Performance: Fixed. TouchFlo is at last responsive and working fast, life is great.
No tilting screen: For all of you Tilt fans out there - the tilt is back! the TP2 has a very stylish tilting screen.
UI: In the first version of the TouchFlo there were many incomplete areas which needed to be tuned. I think that many of the things were polished in the second version, and of course there are some important additions.
Summary
Touch Pro 2 is much much better than the first version. Many of the first release flaws were completely fixed or improved and the device looks and feels much better than the old version.
It is definitely one of the best Windows Mobile phones I've tried, but a small question I must raise involves the timing of it. With Windows Mobile 6.5 just around the corner - it may be a wise move to wait before purchasing the new Pro and see what devices are being released with the new OS.
It's true hat this device is 6.5 compatible (supports an upgrade) but you know software. It sucks. It has bugs, problems, issues, and you can never know if a 6.1 device that was upgraded to 6.5 will act as good as a native 6.5 device...
Something to think about.
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Yes! He is here. The pro. The real pro. The Touch Pro 2!
The famous HTC device which many sites referred to as one of the best WinMo phones ever, has fallen into my hands recently and I had a chance to play with it for a while - here are some of my thoughts about it.
Form Factor:
On one hand - the device looks AMAZING! A real eye candy!
On the other hand - I'm not crazy a about those sliding QWERTY keyboards, I usually find that it's not that practical to open the keyboard every time you need to type, and even though it's better for lots of texting - the cost of it is usually in the thickness and the weight of the phone, and indeed, TP2 has an unusual heavy weight. It's a heavy weight device, and a thick one as well - in fact it's as twice thicker than the iPhone. For many people - that's a serious problem.
Screen:
Beautiful WVGA - who can ask for more? (don't know what WVGA means? check out our mini screen resolutions guide).
The screen is great, and unlike the previous Touch Pro that was way too stiff and had had a terrible sensitivity - the new screen has a very sensitive screen which makes it easy to use kinetic scrolling, activate items, click on the annoying OK button etc.
Great stuff by HTC. Even Optimash Prime is happy.
Hardware Buttons:
Not sure why, but HTC insists on releasing Windows Mobile devices with no D-Pad: no traditional buttons, no joystick, no trackball like in the android / BlackBerry devices, no virtual mouse like the Samsung Omnia, nothing.
I think it's a big mistake because many of the Windows Mobile applications are not yet finger friendly, and although HTC wraps a lot of the standard functionality with their own TouchFlo UI - it does not cover everything, and for me - a device without a D-Pad is simply less useful. For example: you open a combo-box, with 30 items - you want to easily scroll down the combo box - but you cannot because there is no D-Pad.
That's one hell of a bummer and for me it's a show stopper that will probably prevent me from purchasing a device like the Pro.
Besides the D-Pad - TP2 comes with 4 useful buttons (End, Send, OK/Back, and Start) which makes operating the device very simple.
Keyboard:
Oh, and there's that full QWERTY keyboard of course. Although it looks fantastic - I found that it's not that comfortable to type with it.
The reason is that many of the letters are too close to the edges of the surface, and you need to move your thumb too much to the left/right sides - I actually found that after 3-4 minutes of typing with it my thumbs began to hurt! Never happen to me before with any other phone. Am I getting too old for this? Probably, but for now, I prefer my BlackBerry Bold keyboard which is very comfortable for my finger size.
Zoom Bar:
For some reason, HTC thinks that a zoom bar which is only functional in very few applications (such as Internet and images) is with investing effort and real estate in a zoom surface.
I don't understand that approach, for me this zoom bar could be very well implemented by adding a special software that floats on top of any image or web page. I would easily replace this useless zoom surface with an optical D-Pad like in the first Samsung Omnia which can be used in all the applications (and can also act as a nice zoom surface if HTC insist of having this functionality).
TouchFlo 3D and other UI Improvements:
When HTC started with their work on the TouchFlo 3D - many people criticized them for the poor performance.
I can honestly say that in both the Touch HD and the new Touch Pro - this problem is definitely solved. The performance is great, the User Interface responds perfectly and the new version of TouchFlo has some nice additions on top of the old stuff.
The Programs tab was replaced with a substitute to the classic start menu that looks like... the Windows Mobile 6.5 one... (Who needs Microsoft when HTC are around?).
A very important addition is the calendar tab that allows drilling into a specific date to view and edit the relevant appointments.
TF3D now has a much better support for the landscape mode - the entire TouchFlo is operational on both portrait and landscape modes which is nice.
The menus and popup menus were changed from just a big sized menu to a completely customized menu. The popup menus are open in the middle of the screen which is great, long menus support kinetic scrolling which also adds a lot to the overall experience. I really liked HTC's new menus - a small enhancement but an important one.
The virtual keyboard was also improved - I remember I couldn't use it in the diamond/fuze because the screen was too small and stiff - the new one feels much better and allows decent typing for those who are too lazy to slide out the full keyboard...
Last thing I've noticed was the new improved notifications bar - it's now much easier to click on the top caption bar to open the improved notification summary window.
Touch Pro 2 vs. Touch Pro 1
Before ending this review, I went back to my first Touch Pro review to see if the major problem were solved. Here's my conclusion:
Screen sensitivity: One of my biggest pains with the first Touch Pro was definitely solved in the new version - the screen is not only bigger, it's also much more sensitive which makes using it almost as simple as using a capacitive screen.
D-Pad: Another serious pain I had with the previous Pro/Diamond/Fuze - that freaking D-Pad which was not only too hard and stiff to use, but also used to activate other buttons instead of the arrows because of the horrible structure it was made on.
I cannot say this problem was fixed, because now there is no D-Pad at all...
You know what they say: If you can't beat them - remove them...
Performance: Fixed. TouchFlo is at last responsive and working fast, life is great.
No tilting screen: For all of you Tilt fans out there - the tilt is back! the TP2 has a very stylish tilting screen.
UI: In the first version of the TouchFlo there were many incomplete areas which needed to be tuned. I think that many of the things were polished in the second version, and of course there are some important additions.
Summary
Touch Pro 2 is much much better than the first version. Many of the first release flaws were completely fixed or improved and the device looks and feels much better than the old version.
It is definitely one of the best Windows Mobile phones I've tried, but a small question I must raise involves the timing of it. With Windows Mobile 6.5 just around the corner - it may be a wise move to wait before purchasing the new Pro and see what devices are being released with the new OS.
It's true hat this device is 6.5 compatible (supports an upgrade) but you know software. It sucks. It has bugs, problems, issues, and you can never know if a 6.1 device that was upgraded to 6.5 will act as good as a native 6.5 device...
Something to think about.
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