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"

Thanks to everyone who attended my two sessions this past weekend at Code Camp 9 in Waltham, MA. As always, it was great meeting new folks and connecting with friends.

I have now posted the presentations for download -

• Leveraging the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 Developer Tools
• Windows Communication Foundation ("WCF") for Windows Mobile 

I must admit that on my list of "Mobile Device Resources", the "How Do I" videos section of MSDN has always been a bit of a ways down. Imagine my surprise when recently visiting this site and discovering that the list of videos is now at 43!

With the availability of these videos across multiple formats and an RSS feed, this resource has now become a "top-of-the-list" recommendation for both new and experienced developers. I highly recommend taking the time to visit this site today!

According to an article from the Reuters press office Google has entered the race to become a service provider on the mobile market.

Communications regulators have cleared Google to bid in an upcoming auction of coveted wireless airwaves, according to auction documents released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday.

Google was among a list of potential bidders released by the FCC to require up-front payment and be cleared to take part in the high-stakes 700MHz wireless auction.

The auction is scheduled to begin on Jan. 24 and expected to raise at least $10 billion for the U.S. government from airwaves being returned by television broadcasters as they move to digital from analog signals in early 2009.

The list of qualified bidders also included U.S. wireless providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, as well as ventures involving EchoStar, Cablevision, Qualcomm and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The 700MHz signals are valuable because they can go long distances and penetrate thick walls.

The spectrum is to be auctioned off in several different blocks, ranging from smaller regional blocks to large, nationwide ones.

Up-front payments for the spectrum licenses can range from several thousand dollars to more than $100 million, depending on the size of the license a company is seeking.

The auction is seen as a last opportunity for a new player to enter the wireless market. Google and other Silicon Valley leaders see the wireless spectrum as a way to create more open competition for mobile services and devices than those available on existing networks.

BlueAnt launched during the CES a couple of new products. One very interesting one is after the succes of the Z9 the new V1. The V1 bluetooth headset is using a new technology from Sensory called the BlueCenie Voice Interface.

The BlueAnt V1 Voice Controlled Headset allows users to easily control most functions of their headset using the revolutionary ‘BlueGenie™ Voice Interface*’ from Sensory, Inc.Talk to it – and it will talk to you. Ask it for assistance –and it will assist you in getting the right command. This headset eliminates the combinations of button pushes, button holds and flashing lights synonymous with advanced Bluetooth devices. One activation button provides you with total control of the V1’s entire function menu system via an easy to use voice interface.

The V1 also incorporates dual microphones allowing for BlueAnt’s patented Voice Isolation Technology™’, a revolutionary proprietary Digital Signal Processor (DSP) software solution.Voice Isolation Technology™ uses advanced techniques to separate theuser’s voice signal from all other sounds,enhancing and isolating all frequencies that affect voices coming into and out of the headset resulting in outstanding environmental noise reduction, echo cancellation and wind noise protection.Fitting into BlueAnt’s premium headset range, the V1 is small and lightweight and clips neatly onto a tie, shirt or jacket when not in use.

If you do alot of online banking with Bank of America you may have noticed several blurbs about their upcoming service for mobile phones. I know this has been a sore point in many peoples sides for some time. Well, they now  launched their new Mobile Banking service to enable its customers to manage their personal finances on the go. Best of all it is free!

The new BOA's new service gives users an ability to check balances on their accounts, mortgages and home equity lines, pay bills, and transfer money between accounts and to other customers of the bank. One of the key issues with mobile banking is security, and Bank Of America promises highly secured environment for all mobile transactions — customers are protected with the bank's SiteKey security service, as well as its Zero Liability Online Banking Guarantee.

To access Mobile Banking, customers simply go to the web browser on your mobile phone and enter www.bofa.mobi. Once on the site, customers enter their Online Banking ID and passcode to access their accounts. For more information and the terms of service head here.

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.

Spb Software House has released  Spb Diary 2.5, an update to the award winning Pocket PC PIM Today plug-in. Spb Diary is a feature-rich Today plug-in for your Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, Notes and Messages providing users with the highest level of functionality and usability. 

The new version provides more than 40 improvements requested by users during the last months. The most noticeable changes are the ability to put any Today plug-ins in a form of Spb Diary's tabs and the new horizontal tabs, which made it possible to show all your PIM information in full screen while keeping the rest Today plug-ins one-click accessible. Other improvements cover many different usage scenarios making this upgrade of use to every user of Spb Diary.

Further information regarding Spb Diary 2.5 can be found at the Spb website.

What's new in Spb Diary 2.5 head here.

Accessing e-mail and other data wirelessly while overseas is now much more cost-effective as AT&T Inc. announced today the availability of international data plans that offer greatly reduced data roaming rates to customers using any AT&T-powered smartphone or PDA. The new global rate plans range from $44.99 to $69.99 a month, depending on device class and e-mail platform. They include 20 megabytes (MB) of international data use in nearly 30 countries with UMTS, EDGE or GPRS wireless data networks, as well as unlimited domestic access.  The plans apply to such devices as BlackJack™, the Cingular 3125 Smartphone, Cingular 8525 Pocket PC, HP iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Communicator, Palm® Treo™ 680, Palm® and Treo™ 750.

With AT&T’s new Global Smartphone and PDA plans, customers now have plan options to cover international data usage on any business-oriented wireless device sold by AT&T.  AT&T also offers international data plans for BlackBerry® and wireless laptop connectivity.          

“AT&T already has the broadest international voice and data roaming footprint of any U.S. carrier, and now it is the only wireless provider in the nation to offer global data plans to its entire portfolio of business-oriented devices,” said Jeff Bradley, vice president of wireless business data services for AT&T. “These new plans give our customers much greater control over their international wireless costs. They provide a large enough allocation of data and significantly reduced overage charges so that employees can use their smartphone or PDA to check e-mail, browse the Web or access other data applications when abroad without incurring higher pay-per-use roaming charges.”

 AT&T’s new international data plans for smartphones and PDAs can offer customers significant cost savings over traditional, per kilobyte (KB) data charges for use outside the U.S.  For example, 20MB of international data usage at a standard $.0195 per KB rate would result in a charge of $399.36, some $330 more than the highest tier combined monthly domestic/international charge under the new AT&T plans.

Smartphone Connect Global monthly plans start at $44.99 with a voice contract and PDA Connect Global plans begin at $64.99 a month with a voice plan. Customers can sign up for AT&T’s new international data plans for smartphones and PDAs at any Cingular Wireless retail store, or through AT&T’s wireless business-to-business sales organization.

For more information on the new plans, please go here.

To view countries included in the new international plans, please go here.

CBS Corp. announced today that it has signed a new deal with Sling Media to create the CBS Interactive Audience Network along with several other significant companies including AOL, Microsoft, CNET Networks, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Brightcove, Netvibes, and Veoh.   This announcement is set to position CBS as the most widely distributed professional content provider online. Can you say a move in the right direction?

Sling Media’s role will be to distribute free, ad supported, full length as well as clip-based video content from CBS via Clip+Sling and enhanced SlingPlayer software, which will be launched for both Slingbox and non-Slingbox customers this summer. In addition, Sling Media plans to integrate the same CBS content into additional platforms including its forthcoming SlingCatcher.

"We are excited to extend our business relationship with CBS by offering our current and future audiences access to great long form programming from CBS that covers the spectrum from drama and comedy to sports and news," said Jason Hirschhorn, president of the Sling Media Entertainment Group. "CBS is proving they are a leader in the digital media space by embracing new platforms for content distribution. The announcement is an example of true ubiquity as evidenced by the cast of both new and established partners. We are proud to be working with them on this endeavor."

I can see in the future other Viacom entertainment properties moving in this direction as well like MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1,etc. Content will not be no longer be available as live only, but this brings a whole another direction to place-shifting television and Video on Demand. I have been watching "On Demand" CBS content on my Comcast cable box and I am assuming the same content will also be available. Me and my wife were able to catch up on the whole series of Jericho (a season and a half)in a single weekend and we watched it in HD!  I can't wait to see more and via my Slingbox optimized for my Windows Mobile device no less!

I received several emails asking what ZenZui - (where Zui is short for Zooming User Interface) was after it was mentioned by Peter Knook at CTIA a few weeks ago. Some are asking is this Deepfish on steroids? It may be, but it looks more like some of the same technology which also heralds from Microsoft Live Labs technology with very similar code that looks to be used in both Deepfish and Windows Mobile Live Search for their maps and directions currently in beta. ZenZui is a Microsoft backed startup that looks to deliver content to subscribers with mild advertisements geared toward the consumers interests that they indicate via a web portal.

I have yet to use it in person, but the video on YouTube I have seen looks interesting as well as playing with their flash demo here. The opening screen shows a flower-like ZenZui logo, with petals corresponding to the number keys on the phone. When a user presses a number, a corresponding collection of tiles appears and each subsequent keypress zooms the user into more detailed tiles or links to a specific Web site. The cool thing is that the tiles aren't just websites, but can be linked to applications like widgets and gadgets for weather, traffic, sports,etc; games and other media rich content. There can be a maximum matrix of as many as 36 tiles that serve as portals for content partners including Avenue A | Razorfish, Kayak.com, Traffic.com, Nike and the Fox Network (like The Family Guy). The company hopes to offer as many as 1,000 content partners in the coming months, allowing users to go online to pick their favorites and personalize their handsets.

It has an open API and they are looking for developers both large and small to partner with. The way it works is that applications can be suggested as well as sent and received in a "viral" fashion from other ZenZui users, and since everyone's getting paid based on the ad revenue their tiles generate. Could this be the next revenue stream for music and digital content where everyone gets paid? Its also an untapped market for large companies that have mobile advertising dollars, but don't know where to spend it. A few hours to program a ZenZui widget could prove very profitable for them and even a nice revenue stream.

From their products page they encourage developers:

If you’re a developer, bring your coolest mobile app ideas to life using our SDK (available summer 2007), and publish your best Tiles into the ZenZui Ecosystem. If it’s hot, it’ll get sponsored, and we’ll pass along a share of the advertising revenue (we believe in sharing the love). Or, if you’re not out to make a buck but just want to flex your talents of self-expression, just select “Ad-Free” when you publish, and we’ll pair-up your Tile with a message from a non-profit. That way, you can help us create a new mobile channel for community awareness and support charitable giving. At ZenZui, we believe good karma = good business.

The differences in Deepfish and ZenZui is that ZenZui is target toward websites that have been designed to interact with it and have specialized "tiles" of information. Deepfish technology actually allows mobile users to access existing Web pages in their original layout with Zoom,Pan, and a cue map functionality as well as interactivity with links. Basically ZenZui does away with complicated url strings and focuses on content the user is interested with a simple interactive iconized UI.

ZenZui's goal is to reshape the way people interact with and use their mobile devices by marrying the power of the Internet with the personalization of the mobile phone. ZenZui tiles transform the handset and give users the power to acquire information, conduct transactions and share experiences quickly and easily. More information on ZenZui is available at www.ZenZui.com.

Renata Almeida, a spokesperson for Microsoft at Waggener Edstrom, said that the ZenZui technology will be available this fall after a limited, invitation-only beta test.

John SanGiovanni the founder of ZenZui also has a great podcast that is also worth listening to called "sangiocasts" here.

There are alot of other cool technologies percolating over at the Microsoft Live Labs, a research partnership established in January 2006 between MSN and Microsoft Research. Some that look really cool are Photosynth, (which is something I have been waiting for since I saw the demo at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston check out the cool video here or download the tech preview here) a tool for compiling large numbers of photographs into zoomable 3D images; Seadragon, a project designed to optimize the way information is displayed on screens, regardless of their size-yes desktop and mobile devices; and Entity Extraction, a technology already built into the Windows Live Toolbar to help surfers find information related to the web page they are currently viewing.

If you are still wondering what is new with Windows Mobile 6, the folks at Microsoft have provided a pretty sizable description in just under12MB in a very thorough PDF document illustrating the fine details of the new OS as part of their partner program. This product guide is geared to educate Microsoft Partners and help generate the new sales and support opportunities in order to generate revenue as well as information on developer tools as well as resources to help you get up to speed on the new platform's improved features and usability (is that enough as wells for you?). It is also a great reference for end users as well.

The Windows Mobile® 6 Product Reference Guide provides information about the exciting new features included in the release of Windows Mobile 6. This document can be used in two ways: first, to provide a full understanding of both the positioning and messaging as well as the features of the Windows Mobile 6 release, and second, as a reference guide to help understand new features.

You can download the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Reference Guide in PDF format from here.

Word comes from Neil Cowburn that the latest version of the OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework (version 2.1 to be precise) is now available for download!

As it has been since Version 2.0, there are two flavors of the Smart Device Framework. The Smart Device Framework Community Edition is still free to the public, and includes the binaries for the framework.

The Smart Device Framework Extensions for Visual Studio 2005 include the binaries and well as the source code, some great templates, and full Intellisense and designer support. This version is very reasonably priced with a number of licensing options available.

You can find out all of the details at Neil's blog, as well as the OpenNETCF web site.

Thanks to everyone who attended my two sessions at this weekend's Code Camp 7: Deer In The Headlights event. I really enjoyed the interaction, questions and comments during both sessions!

As promised, my two presentations are now available for download. The ZIP files contain both the Powerpoint slides and any sample code shown during the session.

• Windows Mobile Application Performance Best Practices (592 KB)
• Leveraging Speech in .NET Applications and Windows Vista (211 KB)

As an "added bonus", I have put up the C# project I wrote to test out Ink and Speech with Vista and the Tablet PC. It is the little spelling application I wrote for my son to do his homework, and domenstrates speech synthesis and the Tablet PC ink APIs. Even if you don't have a Tablet PC, you can fill in the fields using your keyboard. The download also includes a setup installer for the compiled version of the application, allowing you to just install it and play around with it if you'd like.

• Vista Spelling Practice Application (3.75 MB)

Enjoy!

At our last meeting we talked about the decision making process of choosing the correct Windows Mobile device and new naming conventions for Windows Mobile 6 and the differences between Classic, Standard and Professional. If you get confused one of our members came up with a simple mnemonic for remembering the differences P->Professional=Pocket PC Phone, S->Standard=Smartphone, C->Classic=Is just simply that, a Classic Pocket PC. I know its helped me remember which was which. There is a great breakdown of the differences of WM5 and WM6 that we disscussed at the meeting with images here and the PDF is posted up by Jason Langridge here

Now to get you hands on using and testing an Windows Mobile 6 device is a bit hard now a days since there are no devices shipping with it yet. To see the new features of Windows Mobile 6 you can use the Windows Mobile 6 Flash demo to get a handle of the new features, UI and how it works. If you want to test your applications you will have download the Windows Mobile 6 Software Development Kits and if you are developing for both the Smartphone, I mean Standard and Professional (includes Classic) there are two separate SDKs to download. Here is the breakdown of the emulators included in the SDKS:

• Windows Mobile 6 Standard SDK
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard (176x220 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard Landscape QVGA (240x320 pixels - 131 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Standard QVGA (320x240 pixels - 131 dpi)

• Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK
  • Windows Mobile 6 Classic (240x320 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional (240x320 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square (240x240 pixels - 96 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square QVGA (320x320 pixels - 128 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional Square VGA (480x480 pixels - 192 dpi)
  • Windows Mobile 6 Professional VGA (480x640 pixels - 192 dpi)

In order to install the Emulators unlike in the past, this is not a stand alone install and requires Visual Studio 2005 even though some blogs said it was, you will also need to install the following:

1. Device Emulator 2.0 Beta
2. Compact Framework 2.0 SP1
3. Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK (Standard, Professional or both)

So make sure you have Visual Studio 2005 with SP1, the programs will even prompt you if don't have it and will help you along. Note this will not work with Visual Studio Express. Hopefully a newer emulator will exist that is standalone, but I wouldn't count on it coming soon. I am hoping something will be available after MEDC. Also if you are installing it to a Vista machine you may encounter the following: 'Getting Installation Issue --> Could Not Access Network Location Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates.' Frank Zandona has a solution by re-registering the VBScript.dll:

regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\system32\vbscript.dll

With the SDK there are some very cool tools included here are some of them: CabSignTool signs a .cab file and all its executable content; Cellular Emulator v1- emulates voice and data connections; Device Emulator v2 - new and improved SDK emulator, FakeGPS & GPS Settings-allows you emulate a GPS from a text file of NEMA data, Hopper- for stress testing; Local Server Framework- allows development of test application servers that run locally over localhost on the device;

Also for more information on developing applications for Windows Mobile 6 be sure to read this fabulous whitepaper: What's New for Developers in Windows Mobile 6  and check out the Windows Mobile Developers Wiki.

As developers, we can <insert sarcasm>NEVER</insert sarcasm> be satisfied with what we have today. We are always looking to the future to see what is in store in the ways of tools and technologies.

If you are not already aware, the next release of Visual Studio (codenamed "Orcas") will include the .NET Compact Framework 3.5. This new version has a lot of new features, including the addition of Windows Communication Foundation ("WCF") for .NET CF. This particular feature is something I am particularly excited about, a I personally feel some of the most applicable use cases for WCF pertain to mobile devices.

Some of the bits for the .NET CF 3.5 are already available as part of the Orcas CTP (more information online at MSDN). If you are interested in .NET CF details, be sure to check out the .NET CF Team Blog, as well as Mark Prentice's Blog. Mark specifically has some nice "how it works" posts -

• Whats new with .NET Compact Framework 3.5
• Introduction to Windows Communication Foundation for the .NET Compact Framework Messaging Stack

For all you New England-area .NET developers - Code Camp 7: Deer In The Headlights is coming to the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA on Saturday, March 31st and Sunday, April 1st. As always, this community-oriented event (organized, run and presented by community members) is a fantastic, fun and FREE way to learn about a variety of .NET development topics.

If you take a moment to view the current presentation list,  you will see that I am slated for two sessions:

"Leveraging Speech in .NET Applications and Windows Vista"
One of the more overlooked features provided in the .NET Framework 3.0 is the new Speech namespace. When combined with Windows Vista, this new functionality opens the door to a number of developer possbilities around speech-enabling desktop applications.
In this presentation, you will learn about the new Speech API, and see how you can implement both text-to-speech and voice recognition for applications.

"Windows Mobile Application Performance Best Practices"
While the Windows Mobile platform has evolved greatly since its inception, developers are still challenged by the limitations in mobile devices. Limited in screen size, reduced memory and and power-efficient CPUs make Windows Mobile development performance-oriented development even more essential when compared to traditional computing platforms.
In this presentation, you will learn a variety of programming techniques to make your Windows Mobile applications perform common development tasks in efficient and user-friendly ways.

There are still spaces available for this event, so don't hesitate to register today!

Motion Computing is gearing up for some business at the next HiMSS conference(booth 5137) in New Orleans that is coming up next week with a release of a Tablet PC designed to turn some heads in the clinical field, by announcing the new C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) at UCSF Medical Center during a joint conference with Intel. The MCA is a new computing category, created by Intel with support from Motion to enable nurses, physicians and other clinicians to do their jobs on the move.

The Motion C5, the first product in the MCA category, which was designed from the ground up to be durable and to simplify workflows, ease clinician workloads and improve overall quality of care. The design is based on input from thousands of clinicians worldwide, the C5 brings reliable, automated patient data management directly to the point of care. Intel and Motion conducted extensive user level, ethnographic, human factors, time/motion and clinical workflow research. This research resulted in clear requirements for a purpose-built mobile device.

This collaborative effort resulted in development of the Motion C5 – designed with and for clinicians – that is now being implemented in clinician usability studies worldwide. The C5 is the first highly sealed, fully disinfectable computer to integrate into one durable device the relevant technologies important to clinician workflow and productivity. The C5 combines multiple devices into one -- including a built-in barcode and RFID reader for patient identification and supply, specimen and medication administration verification; a built-in camera; and a fingerprint reader to improve security and simplify clinician authentication.

Key Features:

Genuine Windows® Vista™ Business or
Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology
- Intel® Core Solo Processor U1400 (1.20GHz)
- Integrated Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 ABG network connection 512MB RAM (Upgradeable to 1.5GB max) 30GB HDD (60GB option) 
 
Key Features and Options
- Highly durable design with magnesium-alloy internal frame
   and elastomer overmolding
- Highly sealed, disinfectable chassis
- Optional integrated 1D/2D barcode scanner
- Integrated 13.56MHz RFID reader
- Integrated 13.56MHz HF passive RFID tag
- Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- One-year standard warranty
   (upgradeable to two or three years) 

 For more information head to Motion's website here

If you are wondering what is new in Windows Mobile 6, Jason Langridge has a great writeup on some of the new features with screenshots called Windows Mobile 6 - What's Cool and What's New. Jaap van Ekris also covered a few things Jason left out in his article, What will Windows Mobile 6 bring for the highly mobile people? over at Modern Nomads. Chris Leckness has put together a pretty good video that is definitely worth checking out at MobiltySite on Windows Mobile 6.

Geek.com and Pocket PC Thoughts have some great gallery of shots and screen captures of the OS in action. Also Darius Wey has found some great news pertaining to the new imate ultimate devices and Windows Vista Sideshow, in that they can be used to display video as Windows Media Center Extenders with special docking stations.They will also be utilizing the AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) band, which T-Mobile took the lionshare of in last year's spectrum auctions.

There are a smorgasbord of new devices coming out on the Windows Mobile 6 platform. Some were covered very well by Engadget, MobilitySite, the::unwired ,  Jason Langridge, GearDiary and others from HTC, imate, and others. There is also a great video with Derek Snyder from Microsoft at on10 covering all the new mobile devices in all their glory. It is great to see so much choice of Windows Mobile Devices. A few years ago you couldn't even purchase one in the United States now I am wondering if too much choice may confuse many and cloud the market for some consumers.

Either way there is much more to come...

Opera Software announced plans to upgrade mobile Web browsing by developing Opera 9 for mobile phones in all major platforms. Opera 9 has enriched Web use on the PC with new technologies, and now the leading browser innovator will deliver the same groundbreaking functionality to mobile phones. The upcoming Opera Mobile edition includes the latest in PC browsing features such as Widgets and Intelligent Zoom.

Opera 9 on mobile phones will add completely new dimensions to naviga