BostonPocketPC

I haven't had the chance to mention things here, but I recently fired up a personal blog at Sorcinelli.net. My goal is to cover - well, anything I don't think might be of direct relevance here at BostonPocketPC.com. You may find things of a more personal nature, technology items outside the realm of Windows Mobile / Microsoft mobility technologies, .NET development (including device, desktop and web) or anything else, for that matter.

As an example of what I am talking about, I did just post up an article regarding demo, screenshots and videos involving the Device Emulator for Windows Mobile. I've been asked on a number of occasions how to "spice up" the bland emulator skin. While you could go down a path in creating custom skins for the emulator, a simpler and more powerful solution can be found in using SOTI's Pocket Controller Professional. There are a few steps to follow in order to get things running, but the results are well worth it. You can check out my complete tutorial here.

P.S. - if you are interested in Sorcinelli.net for only some of the content, be sure to check out the RSS feeds by category (on the lower-left side of the home page). You can subscribe to only what you want. I expect many to filter out my "personal side"

My travels and busy schedule have delayed me in publicly congratulating our very own Johan van Mierlo, who received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional ("MVP") award for Mobile devices on April 1st. Johan has been involved in user groups and forums both here in New England and in Europe (but now he and his family are back with us in the States) for a number of years, and has recently been posting news and reviews here and responding to questions in the Microsoft Windows Mobile forums.

Congratulations, Johan!

Mtech Inc. (www.moletech.us), an innovator of automotive and transportation fuel savers, introduced its innovative Moletech Fuel Saver at the CES.  The technology was first launched in Australia and now makes its introduction here in the US.  A universal system, the Moletech Fuel Saver can deliver fuel savings and emission reduction to all fossil fueled engines.

The Moletech Fuel Saver is the end result of 10 years of research and development,  over 25 million miles and three years of exhaustive testing on 300 vehicles in the U.S., Taiwan and China.  Moletech Fuel Saver’s molecule reaction technology works together with a vehicle’s fuel, cooling and air filter systems to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions.

In July 2007, the California Environment Engineering (CEE) Center for Environmental Research tested the Moletech Fuel Saver using Federal Test Procedures (FTP). 

Results from the CEE concluded, “Analysis indicated a reduction in the tailpipe emissions and an increasing improvement in fuel economy using the Moletech Fuel Saver device.  This included a significant reduction in Total Hydrocarbons (THC) and Carbon Monoxide (CO).  The results of the limited but decisive test series is considered noteworthy and verifies with a high level of confidence the viability of the technology, while indicating that more dramatic improvement could be expected and achieved with time.  The device, as tested, provided results that are more dramatic than similar technologies previously evaluated.”

Mtech’s molecular technology incorporates Molecule Reaction Technology to reduce fuel usage and decrease harmful emissions.   Key features of the Moletech Fuel Saver include:

·         Saves up to 20% on gasoline

·         Saves up to 10% on diesel

·         Saves up to 15% on LPG

·         Improves horsepower

·         Reduces harmful exhaust pollutants

·         Lowers greenhouse gases

·         Removes the engine’s carbon build up

·         Easily fitted at Authorized Installers

·         Lasts for more than 10 years

Easily installed in any vehicle, the Moletech Fuel Saver is a simple solution for fuel saving and emission reduction.  The Fuel Savers are small enough to fit in a pocket, yet deliver certified results. 

The Moletech Fuel Saver is a universal product that can be easily installed in any fossil-fueled vehicle including automobiles, motorcycles, diesel engines, trucks, fleet vehicles, agricultural vehicles, and boats.  The Fuel Saver is available in eight different models for all vehicles from scooter to semi vehicles.  The model is determined by engine size and fuel-type including the following:

• Model #M1027 – gasoline engines under 3 liters
• Model #M1058 – gasoline engines between 3-6 liters
• Model #M1010 – gasoline engines between 100cc-1100cc
• Model #M1003 – gasoline engines up to 100cc
• Model #M1034 – diesel engines under 6 liters
• Model#M1041 – diesel engines over 6 liters
• Model #M1089 – LGP engines all models
• Model #M1096 – LGP and gas (dual fuel) engine all models

When the Moletech Fuel saver was professionally installed in the testing vehicles, the increase of the vehicle’s horsepower and reduction of carbon build-up, fuel consumption, and reduction of toxic and greenhouse exhaust emissions was notable and impressive. 

With today’s gas prices and new laws, the Moletech Fuel Saver is a cost-effective and simple solution for anyone environmentally minded or trying to save money.

Now let see if the car companies are going to snatch this up if it s working as they have tested. It would be a small price to pay for the huge environmental benefit.

Moletech Fuel Saver will be available nationwide in 2008 at select dealers and stores.  For additional information on this revolutionary product, visit www.moletech.us.

Sorry to sound like an old PC game/TV series in the post title, but it is the only thing I could come up with at the moment

The last couple of months have been an extremely hectic period for me in both my professional and personal life. While I have managed to make it to our user group meetings, even that has been quite the undertakings. Business-related travel has been very good for my frequent flyer/traveler programs, and not so good for everything else.

What this all means is that unfortunately the site has had to suffer in recent weeks. I am working to change all of that and bring things back to a more "expected" standard for news, reviews and information. I ask that you be patient as this occurs. In addition, some very exciting changes will be happening in my life that will hopefully translate to an increase in my contributions to the Windows Mobile community. I cannot go into detail quite yet, but trust me - you'll know as soon as possible

Thanks go to everyone for your continued support!

Good news for all you Cingular 8525 owners out there waiting for an update to your phone to actually use that push to talk button. More good news your Windows Mobile 6 update will be available soon... I have a review of the 8525 in Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine available here in case you missed it.

Today AT&Tannounced today the availability of a re-branded and upgraded version of its popular Cingular 8525 now called  the AT&T 8525 Pocket PC (you may have seen the new branded unit in several television comercials for other products like DHL - the one on the golf course)— boasting additional services that will appeal to business customers and consumers alike. 

Now, the AT&T 8525 also comes with AT&T Push to Talk functionality pre-installed as well as the latest multimedia music and video services from AT&T.  AT&T boasts the largest Push to Talk network in America and its PTT service includes several differentiating features, including "availability" icons, quick group-calling and the ability to easily switch a PTT session to a regular wireless voice call.

To turn downtime into playtime, the AT&T 8525 provides access to AT&T Mobile Music — an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers "your music, your way" by providing simple access to the most robust collection of music content available today, including XM Satellite Radio, which comes pre-loaded on the device. 8525 users can easily access and enjoy 25 commercial-free music channels from XM Satellite Radio through the XM Radio Mobile service.

With AT&T Mobile Music, AT&T 8525 users can connect to a one-stop shop for everything music on the handset, such as full-track songs, music videos, ringtones, music news, MusicID, music chat rooms, streaming music and more. AT&T is the first U.S. carrier to offer subscription music to the handset, including music from leading online retailers, Yahoo! and eMusic.

The 8525 will also feature AT&T’s on-demand streaming video service, Cellular Video. Customers can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including such hit HBO programs as “The Sopranos,” “Entourage,” “Sex and the City,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and exclusive mobile content from World Wrestling Entertainment.

Those customers who own an existing Cingular 8525 can download the same software upgrades found on the AT&T 8525. The software upgrade can be found at: www.america.htc.com/products/8525/default.html. The AT&T 8525 will also be upgradeable to the latest version of Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile 6, later this year. 

“Our enhanced version of the AT&T 8525 Pocket PC provides an exciting new array of features that will allow our customers to do more during both work time and downtime,” said Cathy Quaciari, director of wireless B-to-B devices for AT&T. “The lines between work and personal lives are blurring, so end users now not only need a device through which they can access their work e-mail or other corporate applications, but also they want something that has music, video and other entertainment capabilities as a way to unwind at the end of the day.”

The first UMTS/HSDPA-enabled PDA in North America, the AT&T 8525 still features Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 with Direct Push Technology — which allows users to retrieve their important information in the familiar environment found on most desktop computers. 

In addition to Microsoft Direct Push e-mail for business customers, the AT&T 8525 also supports other popular wireless e-mail solutions, including Good Mobile Messaging^TM and AT&T Xpress Mail. 

The AT&T 8525 provides users with both domestic and international 3G capabilities.  In the U.S., customers can use the AT&T 8525 on AT&T’s BroadbandConnect network in more than 165 major metropolitan areas with seamless access to AT&T’s nationwide high-speed EDGE network outside of 3G coverage areas. When abroad, customers can use the AT&T 8525 in 125 countries where UMTS/HSDPA, EDGE or GPRS networks have been deployed.

“AT&T and HTC continue to bring the best of mobile hardware and software innovation together with one of the most advanced wireless networks in the world,” said Todd Achilles, vice president of HTC America. “With the addition of Push to Talk and the latest multimedia services from AT&T on the 8525, customers are able to get the most powerful, fastest 3G-connected phone experience available anywhere in North America, Europe or Asia.”

Pricing and availability

The AT&T 8525 Pocket PC will be available exclusively from AT&T for as low as $399.99 beginning May 14, in Cingular (now AT&T) retail stores nationwide, select national retailers, http://www.cingular.com/, and through AT&T’s B-to-B direct sales team.

Now this is very sad news. I was reading Jason Tsang's blog at lunch today and read this from a post he found in a post by David Bono, a Microsoft employee in the Microsoft newsgroup microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter.portable, that the PMC (Portable Media Center) platform has met its demise and will no longer be licensed. This comes as no surprise since Microsoft is pimping its new portable media platform the Zune, which is based on the PMC version 2.0 OS.

Its a sad day, but we kinda new it when we didn't see all the new PMC units shown off at CES 2006 (LG and Tatung) except for the Toshiba Gigabeat(which the Zune is based on) come to fruition as well as Creatives early bail after the original Zen PMC (which I have two of). This also points more to the dedication to the Zune platform and hopes for a thinner, smaller unit with more storage and functions in version 2.0 of Zune.

Here is the full post from the newsgroup:

Microsoft is no longer licensing the PMC software. Here is an announcement that was sent out last year to our PMC partners:

In early 2006, Microsoft released the second version of Windows Mobile for Portable Media Centers to our partners. The second version of the Portable Media Center software enhanced the end user experience and enabled partners to build smaller, less expensive and more competitive devices.

As part of the ongoing review of our product investments, we have decided to take what we have learned from our investments in Portable Media Center and focus our product and marketing resources on building media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices.

With the re-investment of resources in media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices, Portable Media Center 2.0 is the last version of our Portable Media Center software under the Windows Mobile brand. We do not plan any future Portable Media Center software upgrades or marketing activities.

Thank you for all your support- Microsoft is proud of its work, the work of its partners and the devices and services delivered as a result of those relationships. We will continue to work with existing Portable Media Centers licensees to ensure that devices they are developing come to market.

 

Light the candles and sing the songs - BostonPocketPC.com turns 5 years old today! Our official launch was January 1, 2002. Where does the time go?

It really does not seem like it is 5 years already. In that time, we've seen so much happen in the world of mobility that I really cannot believe the timespans are so short. This really hit home for me earlier this year during a business trip. I went on a trip to Chicago for the first time in over 6 years. All of the "routines" regarding the trip (travel, hotel, office) were the same, but the use of mobile technology 0 totally different. Some examples -

• We used notebook computers, but connecting to the Internet was via dialup from a hotel or business. WiFi was still an "emerging technology".
• Hotspots? What are those?
• I had a cell phone, but it was used for - calling people. No e-mail, no Internet browsing.
• I had a PDA (a Palm V, to be more precise), but "content" was entirely via sync (unless you had high-end modems designed for the platform).

I found myself feeling strange doing "routine" things in an entirely different way. The trip did give me some perspective as to how far we've come, as well as where we continue to go.

When we started BostonPocketPC.com, there was so much of a world still in front of us. More manufacturers, more hardware types, more underlying technologies. We watched as Windows Mobile played "catch up" with Palm, then watched as Palm changed (time and Time again), and then watched as Palm and Microsoft became partners. We watched the introduction of the Smartphone platform, it's slow initial adoption, and it's rise to prominence and a mainstream staple in our lives.

"Mainstream" - maybe that is the greatest change we have watched unfold over these 5 years. I still remember the constant need to explain a Pocket PC device, and how it was *not* a Palm PDA. Now, it seems as though people tend to look at the hardware branding and are not as surprised when it is Windows Mobile "under the hood". With all this said, where do we go from here?

I see 2007 as another year of evolution for the Windows Mobile platform. For all of the complaining I hear from people at times about how the Windows Mobile platform "never changes or revolutionizes", I respond with "evolution eventually results in revolution". You have to take things into perspective and realize that change does not have to be massive and instantaneous to be effective. I think we will continue to see device manufacturers try to "think outside the box" in terms of industrial design. Some will be successful, while others will not. That is what happens when you experiment, right? I think we will continue to see improvements in performance (thanks to a new generation of Xscale processors and increases in onboard storage). In the end, all of this will lead to more consumer choice.

Consumers will also play a role in 2007, as I expect to see a continual increase in platform adoption. This will happen in two areas. As wireless carriers provide more and more choices for Windows Mobile devices, standard consumer purchases will continue to grow. Do not expect huge percentage increases, however, as price and complexity still keeps Smartphone adoption confined to a more "tech-savvy" demographic. The second area of adoption which may be more significant is in the enterprise. More and more Exchange Server-based organizations are discovering that the total cost of ownership for mobile messaging can be reduced by deploying Windows Mobile devices. Interestingly enough, the enterprise adoption curve may in the long term fuel overall adoption. Anyone remember why they started using Microsoft Office at home? For many, it was because it was their workplace standard.

In the more generalized world of mobility, 2007 will be yet another year of new products, platforms and technologies. The public launch of Microsoft Windows Vista is only days away, and Vista provides functionality oriented towards the mobile user. We will continue to see new products oriented towards mobility and travel - the Sling Media Slingbox's success in 2006 was (I believe) just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The use of the Internet as a content-distribution medium exploded this year, with major US and worldwide media organizations bringing programming to the Internet. Expect more of this in 2007, although the continual thorns-in-the-side that are DRM and IP debates will likely still affect the general public.

What about us at BostonPocketPC.com in 2007? Well, there will definitely be plenty to keep us busy in the coming year :) One of the things that has changed for us over time is that we have evolved much in the same way that the technology we cover has. Expect us to still be "up to our neck" in coverage of Windows Mobile-related topics. Also continue to expect us to cover the issues and technology around mobility that affect us all. I also hope that this year I can provide more coverage and exposure to those companies in the New England area that are using and/or producing solutions in the mobile arena. We have always tried to be close to our home community here at BostonPocketPC.com, and I am putting the call out to our local community - contact me if you have a story to tell the world.

I am still amazed at the diversity of readers to our site. We still receive visits from all around the globe, and I have received e-mails from citizens of countless countries over the years. I hope that 2007 keeps that history in place. Of course, none of this would be possible without the people that make up the BostonPocketPC.com team. It goes without saying that the dynamo that is Steve "fyiguy" Hughes has been the lifeblood here over the years. His knowledge, passion and willingness to share make him an invaluable asset to any community. There have also been so many others over the years who have helped make this a wonderful site. Here's to their continued involvement in 2007, as well as (hopefully) the addition of some new faces in the coming year.

I am looking forward to the coming year. I find myself with a renewed excitement and commitment to the Windows Mobile and mobility communities. I hope that you feel the same way, and that we will see much more of each other in the months to come. 

OK - in one of the latest rounds of "Blog Tag" (the tech equivalent of a chain letter, to be honest), my friend Jack Cook of Experience Mobility decided to tag me. The rules are simple -

• Tell 5 tidbits about me that are less than common knowledge;
• Pick 5 more people to tag.

We'll start with the 5 facts. Those of you who know me well might yell "I already knew that". That's why you know me well

1. I was a high school debator. Yes, yes. Start the wisecracks coming. Just remember - it was that experience that made me comfortable speaking on technical topics to large audiences later in life. It was also a wonderful experience in terms of travel. I had the opportunity to visit many cities around the US as a result of speech and debate tournaments. By the way - I wasn't half bad. a few boxes of trophies, highest honors in the National Forensic League (hey - I'm an NFL alumni ).
2. Computers were the furthest thing from my mind as far as formal education. I considered Pre-Law and Public Relations. Computers were a "hobby". Ironcially, my hobby kept on coming up as a job skill in my professional life, leading me to finally enter the field full time in 1989.
3. I was a "Metalhead" (and still am). My musical tastes include AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and other "Gods of Metal". Sadly, it gets tougher and tougher to watch an aging Angus Young parade in a schoolboy costume.
4. My "other careers" over the years include:
   1. Fast food worker;
   2. Movie theatre manager;
   3. Alarm system installer;
   4. Customer service representative.
5. I am a monsterous sports addict. I cannot get enough of sports. As a kid, I tried all I could. As an adult, I will watch just about anything labeled "sport". I am also a statisical nut; it goes back to when I was a kid. Some kids collected baseball cards for play. I memorized the statistics. I still believe my "dream job" would be a software developer for Stats, Inc.

The facts are the easy part. Picking 5 more people are the tough one. Let's see -

1. Steve Hughes. This one is obvious. Of course his 5 facts will dwarf mine, I'm sure.
2. Eric Hicks. Some of you may recognize him as "ThatKid" from various Windows Mobile newsgroups and occasional posts here at BostonPocketPC.com. One of my New Years Resolutions is to get him to lend his unique insights even more here. Maybe this will get things going.
3. Janek Parekh. Many people know Janak from Pocket PC Thoughts. If he plays along, I think you'll find some very interesting things out about him. And Janak - being a Yankees fan doesn't count. The entire world already knows that
4. Thom Robbins. One of my favorite Microsoft bloggers is also one of my favorite people. I hope he plays along - it will be a great read.
5. Duane Laflotte or Patrick Hynds. I list these two together because, well - they are a team in every sense of the word. Those who have had the opportunity to hear these two present on topics like security realize how fortunate they are. Those who have had the opportunity to present with them realize even moreso their fortune. Again - I hope they play along here, as I just know this would be one for the archives.