As many of you might have already heard, Microsoft has plans for the current version of Windows Mobile (6.5) beyond the launch of Windows Phone 7. Microsoft is bringing Windows Mobile operating system under the control of the Windows Embedded Business (“WEB”) group. This group has previously been responsible for the Windows CE business and works closely with OEMs focused on specialized hardware for business.

Microsoft is fully committed to the Windows Mobile operating system as well as the associated application development tools for the long term, which is great news for enterprises that are heavily invested in Windows Mobile hardware; “Great news” at least on the surface. There is, however, a looming concern for certain types of enterprises as the launch of Windows Phone 7 draws closer. A little elaboration is in order here.

As is the case with most of Microsoft’s operating system businesses (exceptions include Zune and Xbox), Microsoft relies heavily on hardware manufacturers (the OEMs) to choose and license the operating system. Traditionally, the WEB group has partnered with OEMs either focused on specific vertical markets (healthcare devices, for example) or use case scenarios (field service technicians, military) for using the Windows Embedded platform to create highly specialized solutions. Now, Windows Mobile does fit nicely into one aspect of the current business. For enterprises requiring a more “generalized” operating system (versus highly-customized), an enterprise application development platform (think .NET and .NET Compact Framework) and device durability, Microsoft’s partners like Motorola/Symbol, Intermec and Honeywell fit quite well. They will continue to be key partners in supporting Windows Mobile as it moves forward. There is, however, another key enterprise customer here that these devices do not address. Take, for example, the following hypothetical enterprise customer (when I say “hypothetical” here, many of these types of customers do exist; I am just generalizing the type rather than stating by name):

My company currently has hundreds/thousands of Windows Mobile devices deployed throughout our organization. We chose Windows Mobile for several reasons, including:

• Custom Line of Business applications.
  Our organization has developed (at great expense) applications that integrate with our enterprise infrastructure. They have been built using the .NET Compact Framework and are capable of occasionally-connected scenarios thanks to Microsoft SQL Server CE. These applications used by personnel throughout our company (including key decision-makers) are now considered “mission-critical” to our business.
  Windows Mobile also provides us with a variety of application deployment options, including OTA download and install via device management solutions.
• Device configuration and customization.
  The Windows Mobile operating system provides us with the capability to tailor configurations and settings to meet both corporate and user requirements.
• Security.
  Windows Mobile provides us with the security features to meet our business and regulatory compliance needs.

The most important factor with this type of customer as it relates to hardware is that they typically do not need or wish to pay for a ruggedized solution. These users are “information workers” that are highly mobile and best benefit from the smaller form factors a consumer-oriented device provides. So, what can this type of enterprise user of Windows Mobile expect in the near future?

While the Windows Mobile operating system will be alive and well for these customers, the big looming question is – Will there be an OEM continuing to build “consumer-like” Windows Mobile devices once Windows Phone 7 ships? If one looks to the WEB group, there is cause for concern here. This group has traditionally (and rightly so) focused on specific verticals and “blue collar” scenarios for partners. My hypothetical company example just isn’t their business. Now while I acknowledge that it is not Microsoft’s roll as the operating system vendor to force OEMs to develop for a platform or market, they should at least promote that market. My concern – I don’t see that happening. Instead, I fear these enterprises will be branded as “consumers” and considered simply a Windows Phone 7 target. REALITY CHECK – they simply are not for the following reasons:

• Windows Phone 7 in it’s initial incarnation is not targeted to meet many Line of Business application needs.
  The sandboxed application model, no database engine for storage of large and complex data structures and new programming tools platform (Silverlight) make this a “no-option” for many enterprises. One could come up with workarounds to overcome the obstacles, but even those would require extensive application rewrites.  
• Lack of device control by the enterprise.
  Whether talking about application deployment, device configuration or device customization, Windows Phone 7 just is not an option. This is a very controlled platform, once again leaving enterprises needing that functionality out in the cold.

So, what is our hypothetical company to do? Well, we’ll stay on Windows 6.5 of course. But what happens after Windows Phone 7 launch when new employees are hired, or phones break, are lost or stolen. Simple we go by new ones from… uh-oh. You see, this isn’t about the operating system or the development platform. It’s all about the hardware.

All of this leads me to the two following pleas:

1. Microsoft – Please consider promoting the case for Windows Mobile consumer hardware to OEMs. There is an identifiable and quantifiable market here – you don’t have to make numbers up. Simply do the math on break/replace rates and look at enterprise adoption numbers.
2. OEMs – Please consider making these types of devices. Think about it this way… If you are the one company that steps up to the plate and makes this commitment, imagine the large and quite captive audience you will cater to.

Outside of this happening, the only advice I can give to enterprises like the one described in this post is – start hording devices now to build up inventory in advance of the coming hardware “famine”.

Well it is better late than never. The Windows Mobile group has been working hard on releasing the latest version of Windows Mobile 6.5 aka Windows phone 6.5 since it was announced at Mobile World Congress back in Feb. 2009, to keep parity with the crowded Smartphone marketplace. Microsoft also announced that on October 6th, 2009 (which we assume to be at CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment)to accompany several new phones and the latest version of the mobile operating system it will be opening up its long awaited App Store called Windows Marketplace for Mobile and popular free My Phone service.

In just five weeks, you’ll have a bunch of new Windows phones to choose from. But before we show you some of the cool, new phones that will be coming out, I want to explain how we’re trying to make phones even better with Windows.

When we started work on Windows phones, we met with people all over the world who were likely to buy a Smartphone and talked with them about what’s important to them in their phone. Looking at the U.S. market, for example, we found that about 15 million people in the next year will buy a new smartphone.

Of the people we talked to, 74% listed productivity as the top feature they value in their Smartphone. We took this feedback to heart, making the user interface more touch friendly and improving notifications and updates from e-mail, text and calendar items. We also included the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser and added free services like My Phone to help protect data in the event of a lost phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a wide variety of applications for direct download…

On Oct. 6^th, you’ll see new Windows phones designed for a variety of tastes, needs and price points - with or without keyboards, with or without touch screens, as well as your choice of GPS, accelerometer and high resolution camera. There are a lot of great options and we can’t wait to show them to you. Until then, keep an eye on our partners as they announce details on new Windows phones and where you can find them this fall.

· In North America: Mobile operators AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.

· In Europe: Mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

· In Latin America: Mobile operator TIM Brazil, and phone manufacturers HTC, LG Electronics and Samsung

· In Asia Pacific: Mobile operators NTT DOCOMO Inc., SOFTBANK Mobile Corp., SK Telecom, Telstra and WILLCOM Inc., and phone manufacturers Acer Inc., HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

(more on the press release here.)

We can only surmise what devices will be receiving the Windows Mobile (Phone) 6.5 update, but with Sprint announcing that their version of the the HTC Touch Pro 2,which looks very similar to the CDMA version of the Touch Pro 2 by T-Mobile will be getting the Windows phone 6.5 OS since it will be available 2 days after the October 6th announcement by Microsoft. Other versions of the Touch Pro 2 are also expected on other carriers in the same time frame as well from AT&T and Verizon. Many are hoping that existing devices will be getting the Windows Mobile 6.5 update. According to the deal posted on wmdeals it states that both the Dash 3G and Touch Pro 2 from T-Mobile will be getting the Windows phone 6.5 update.

Hopefully to appease current customers as well as attract new customers to T-Mobile's lower 3G data rates it will be made available for download on or about the 6th. No official word yet so lets keep our fingers crossed on that one. Other rumors are that some other devices will be getting the Windows phone 6.5 update. We already know that the Samsung Jack will be getting the Windows phone 6.5 as announced in May on AT&T, hopefully there will be more announcements in October.

Many are already guessing what phones will be coming to which carrier many are hoping for a new version of the popular OLED equipped Samsung Omnia HD,SnapDragon equipped Toshiba’s TG01,  or LG’s new phones which have committed to make 50 different Windows Phone devices by 2012. The first handset probably to take advantage of the deal will be the LG GM730 touch-screen Smartphone. LG will be layering its S-Class user interface on top of the operating system, which is a cube-based layout that provides customizable one-touch access to music, Internet services, videos, and other features. I am really curious what HP will bring to the table, will it be the same devices that had limited exposure in Europe with the Ipaq Data Messenger and Ipaq Voice Messenger or an entirely new phone. I can’t wait to see!

Today launches the last contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at GearLive from now until May 15th. 

Here’s how to enter to win:

1. If you don’t have one already, sign up for a Gear Live account
2. If you don’t have one already, sign up for a Twitter account
3. Add the Gear Live Twitter account to your follow list
4. On Twitter, post a tweet about our contest and link to this page. In the tweet, include the phrase “@gearlive” so we can easily find it.
5. Once that is done, leave a comment here in this post with a direct link back to your Tweet. Be sure you are signed in to your Gear Live account before you leave the comment.

Here’s an example of an appropriate Twitter entry:
“@gearlive I just entered to win the Pantech Matrix Pro and $100 AT&T gift card! http://bit.ly/O04Rl/” (Click here to tweet this now)

BONUS ENTRIES: Want more chances to win? Share the link to our contests on the following sites, and leave us a comment linking to those as well:

• Facebook: Shared Link
• Del.icio.us bookmark
• FriendFeed: Use Post a Link
• Your blog: Have a site? Link to our contest on it!

For more details on their contest head to win a Pantech Matrix Pro at GearLive.

Be sure to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances Also don’t forget to enter the Pantech Matrix Pro Tweetstakes as well, which started May 4th with there with a chance to win one of many Pantech Matrix Pro smartphones to be given away as well as a chance to win the grand prize of $25,000!!!

Today launches the twenty-fourth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Experience Mobility from now until May 12th. 

Here are the details of Jack’s contest:

How do you win?

1. You need to register here on Experience Mobility.
2. Read the Experience Mobility Review on the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro (found here:  REVIEW: AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro )
3. In the review’s comments area, quote a sentence of the review and tell me what intrigued you about it.
4. Join Twitter, sign in and Tweet the text inside these brackets:
   [ I just read the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro Review at ExperienceMobility! http://bit.ly/pwOs9 ]
5. Come back and in the comment section of this post, give a direct link to your tweet.

For more details on Jack’s contest over at Experience Mobility head here.

Be sure to check back tomorrow on the details on the last contest of 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the twenty-second contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at MobileJaw from now until May 11th. 

Here are the details of Mike’s contest in which you have two ways to enter:

• Share you picture here on MobileJaw
  1. Login at MobileJaw (If you don’t have an account, you can register here for free).
  2. Reply to this post with a link to a picture of you and your mother hosted on Flickr, ImageShack, or some other free image hosting service.

OR

• Tweet your picture on Twitter
  1. Login into Twitter (If you don’t have an account, you can register for a free account at Twitter.com).
  2. Follow @MobileJaw
  3. Tweet the following message along with a TwitPic of your Mom - “Happy Mother’s Day Mom and thanks for the chance to win a Matrix Pro @MobileJaw”

More details on their contest can be found at Mobile Jaw.

Be sure to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro. Also don’t forget to enter the Pantech Matrix Pro Tweetstakes as well, which started May 4th with there with a chance to win one of many Pantech Matrix Pro smartphones to be given away as well as a chance to win the grand prize of $25,000!!!

Today launches the twenty-second contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Absolute Windows from now until May 10th. 

Here are the details of John’s contest:

• What do you have to do to win this?
• Just send an email at matrixpro@absolutevista.com.
• In your email, I want you to thank Pantech & AT&T for the giveaway
• All entrants will be entered into a text file, and randomized by random.org to select the winner on May 10.
• Each entry gets one entry. However, the more elaborate and flowery your praise/thanks to AT&T & Pantech, the more entries you get, up to a maximum of five.

More details on their contest can be found at AbsoluteWindows.

Be sure to enter our contest here which ends tonight, May 6th and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the twenty-first contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at MobilitySite from now until May 9th. 

Here are the details of their contest:

• Between now (May 5, 2009) and May 9, 2009 11:59 EST, sign up with twitter and follow @Mobilitysite
• Then send the following tweet:
  RT Win an AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro and a $100 gift card @Mobilitysite Full details at (http://bit.ly/VHJrJ)
• Come back here and leave a comment in this post with your twitter name.
• On May 10, 2009, we will pick a random winner using random.org. The winner will be contacted by email.
• The winner will be announced on Mobilitysite and Twitter (@Mobilitysite)

More details on their contest can be found at MobilitySite.

Be sure to enter our contest here which ends on May 6th and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the twentieth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Gear Diary from now until May 8th. 

Here are the details of their contest:

To enter, you need to do the following BEFORE MIDNIGHT CST on May 08…

*Join Twitter

*Sign in

*Follow user GearDiarySite

*Tweet the text inside these brackets:
[I'm entered to win a Pantech Matrix Pro from @GearDiarySite! http://tinyurl.com/d6hq6p]

*Leave a comment to this post with a direct link to your tweet.

This giveaway is only available to entrants in the United States; writers for Gear Diary are ineligible for Gear Diary’s portion of the contest.

More details on their contest can be found at Gear Diary.

Be sure to enter our contest here which ends on May 6th and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the nineteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway and it’s here at Boston Pocket PC from now until May 6th.

Here are the rules for our contest:

The contest begins on May 3^rd, 2009.  To enter you will need to send in a picture of your current phone and give us a short description how the Pantech Matrix Pro will enable you with "The Power to be You". It can be as simple as your phone doesn't have 2 keyboards or maybe it doesn't have any keyboards and you need one to dial numbers, send a text, email or Tweet about your current location with its built in GPS and take a picture to show what you had for breakfast. Whatever it is please tell us in 25-150 words and enclose a picture of your current phone and email your entry to pantechpro@bostonpocketpc.com by 11:59PM EST on May 6th.

You must reside in the United States in order to win and receive the Pantech Matrix Pro phone plus a $100 gift card for accessories or service with AT&T Wireless.

You must meet all the requirements mentioned above in order to be eligible for the random drawing.

The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email, so please use a valid email address when entering. The winner will have 24 hours to respond and will then be announced here on Boston Pocket PC on May 7th, 2009.

Good Luck!!!

Today launches the eighteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at techie diva from now until May 5th. 

Here are the details of their contest:

1. Join our Facebook Group.

2. Update your Facebook status with: Win a Pantech Matrix Pro at www.techiediva.com (or something like that)

3. Send an email to matrixpro@techiediva.com with your name, and a link to your facebook profile. This will count as your entry, so make sure you do that.

That’s it! We are making this very easy for everyone to enter and have an opportunity to win this awesome phone!

More details on their contest can be found at techie diva

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins tomorrowon May 3rd at 12AM EST and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the seventeenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Geekzone from now until May 4th. 

Here are the details of Maurico’s contest:

It is very easy to be in to win one AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro and US$100 gift voucher - almost like 1, 2, 3: first you need to understand this competition is open to U.S. residents only (for obvious reasons). Second you need to register here on Geekzone. And third you have to answer the following question: "What are the talk and stand by times you can get out of this smartphone?"
Enter the answer in our entry form and submit your entry.
You can find the answer in the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro website.
These are the rules you must know:

Entry is open to all registered Geekzone users residents in the U.S.

We have one AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro smartphone to giveaway. The winner will also receive a US$100 AT&T gift voucher.

Users must fill the entry form to enter the answer to the skill question and any comments, and submit the information. Geekzone will receive your answer via e-mail.

Incomplete answers will not be included in the draw.

Only one entry per user is allowed. All multiple entries will be removed from the pool. We record the IP address of all submissions.

No purchase is necessary.

Entries close 4th May 2009 23:59 (ET).

A random draw will be conducted 5th May 2009 (ET) and one entry will be selected.

The Winner will be notified via e-mail. An e-mail to confirm the contact details will be requested.

The contact e-mail must be sent back in 48 hours otherwise another entry will be selected.

If the e-mail address is invalid (e-mail bounces) then another draw will be conducted.

For more details on their head contest be sure to head to Geekzone.

As always be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the sixteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at The Gadgeteer! from now until May 4th. 

Here are the details of Julie’s contest:

How to enter

1. Between now and Monday 05/04/2009 11:59 EST Sign up with twitter and follow @thegadgeteer

2. Then send the following tweet:

RT Win an AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro Smartphone and a $100 gift card @thegadgeteer Full details at http://tinyurl.com/cguzfc

3. Come back here and leave a comment with your twitter name.

4. At some point on 05/04/2009, I’ll pick a random winner using random.org. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 24 hrs to accept the prize. If I do not receive an answer, I’ll do another random.org drawing.

More details on their contest can be found at The Gadgeteer! 

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the fifteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at MobilityMinded  from now until May 3rd when ours begins!

The rules are very easy:

1. Sign up with twitter and follow @mobilityminded
2. tweet the following line: RT Win an AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro @mobilityminded  just follow the easy rules. http://twurl.nl/i7430y
3. Come back to this post and leave a comment. In the comment you leave your Twitter name.

More details on their contest can be found at MobilityMinded .

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today launches the fourteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Smartphone Thoughts  from now until May 2nd. 

Remember that Pantech Matrix Pro mega-giveaway that Rocco announced a bit over a week ago? We're it's now our turn: Smartphone Thoughts is giving away a brand new Pantech Matrix Pro, and a $100 AT&T Wireless gift card, to one lucky winner. Because this device is carrier-locked to AT&T, the $100 gift card is for AT&T, this contest will be limited residents of the USA.

Our contests starts today and runs until May the 2nd, midnight (GMT -7). All you have to do to enter is post a response to this post, telling me which mobile phone you're using now, and how the Pantech Matrix Pro would improve your daily smartphone experience. Does it have a feature that your current mobile phone lacks? If so, what is it? That's it! I'll selecft a winner the morning of May 4th, with entries counting as long as they were posted before midnight on the 2nd.

More details on their contest can be found at Smartphone Thoughts.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Jake was a bit late in announcing his contest as the thirteenth contest in the Pantech Matrix Pro Giveaway over at Jake Ludington’s Digital Lifestyle and will extend it another day to May 2nd at 7PM PST. to be fair like the other contests here are the details of his contest:

Somewhere in the midst of all the excitement around having a new baby arrive, I missed the memo that I was supposed to be announcing another giveaway yesterday. This time around the giveaway is a brand new Pantech Matrix Pro cell phone (pictured below) paired with a $100 gift card to ATT Wireless, which happens to be the carrier associated with the phone. If you live outside the U.S., you’ll likely want to skip this one, since the phone is locked and the gift card won’t be particularly useful to you either…

How to enter the giveaway? I’ll keep this one simple - all you have to do is be a fan of my Facebook page (which is different than being a friend on Facebook). I’m doing a talk on Facebook for businesses on May 15 and this will help me with some additional research. The recipient of the phone will be selected at random from all fans (which are listed in the sidebar on the Facebook page) who live in the United States. Be a fan to qualify.

I was originally supposed to announce the conclusion of the giveaway on 1 May 2009, but I’m extending it by 24 hours since I got a late start.

More details on Jake’s contest can be found at Jake Ludington’s Digital Lifestyle.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Geek.com has just announced their contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro from now until April 30th at 5pm EST. 

CONTEST DETAILS: In order to qualify you must live in the United States and comment below with which mobile phone model you’re currently using. After 5pm EST on April 30th we’ll draw a random winner (using random.org). We’ll then contact the winner via e-mail so please use your real e-mail address when commenting. The winner will have 24 hours to respond. If we don’t hear from the winner after 24 hours, we’ll draw another winner.

More details on their contest can be found at Geek.com.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Just Another Mobile Monday has just launched their contest for Day 11 of the – (why is that every time I read that name it said to the tune of Just Another Manic Monday by the Bengals?).

Here are the details of their contest:

This contest is open from April 25 until April 29 at 5pm pst. On April 29 at 5 PM MST, I will close the contest. All those that complete the survey will be entered to Random.org to find a winner (ONE person will be chosen randomly). The Winner will be contacted on April 29 after 9 PM MST and be given 24 hours to accept the prize. We will make a congratulations post once we have a confirmed winner. ENTER THIS CONTEST BY Clicking Here to take the survey..

More details on their contest can be found here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Today over at ClintonFitch.Com, Clinton launched the 10th contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro.

Here are the details of Clinton’s contest:

The contest here at Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com begins promptly at 12:01AM on Friday, April 24th.  To enter:
1.  Go to Twitter and create an account if you do not already have one
2.  Follow @clintonfitch on Twitter
3.  Send a Tweet to @clintonfitch that says "I want to win a Pantech Matrix Pro from Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com!"
You have to enter the Tweet exactly how it is above (minus the quotes of course)!  If you don't Tweet exactly that message you won't be entered to win!
The contest ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, April 28th.
I will randomly select a winner and will notify you and the world via Twitter on Wednesday, April 29th at 8AM CST.

For more details of his contest head here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, at GeeksRoom, OSNN and Techmamas

Today is the ninth contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at Techmamas until April 27th.

Here are the details of their contest:

CONTEST DETAILS: This contest is open from April 23 until April 28 at 5pm pst. On April 28 at 5pm, I will close the contest. All those that commented to this post will be entered to Random.org to find a winner (ONE person will be chosen randomly). The Winner will be announced on April 28 after 9pm pst. ENTER THIS CONTEST BY COMMENTING on the post below.

AN EXTRA ENTRY IN RANDOM.ORG WILL BE ENTERED FOR THOSE THAT TWITTER @matrixpro AND @Techmama in one tweet sharing why you want this phone. Please add your Twitter ID to your comment so I know that you also tweeted for the second entry into Random.org. Only ONE EXTRA entry for twitter will be counted so that each person can have a two entry limit into Random.org.

For more information on this contest head here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, at GeeksRoom and OSNN.

Today is the eighth contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at OSNN, until April 26th. Here are the details of their contest:

Registered members from the USA with at least 10 posts can send a private message to osnncompetition here: http://forum.osnn.net/private.php?do=newpm&u=121313
In this private message all you have to do is suggest the coolest feature that you would either like to see on a mobile phone be it hardware, software or a feature of the operating system (ie Windows Mobile).

Don't rush your idea as you only enter once and the winner will be selected by the OSNN team!
A winner will be selected on the 26th April so good luck and get thinking of some cool ideas!
Good luck and my thoughts on this mobile device will be posted before the end of the competition! Any issues, please post them in this thread (if you can't send a private message etc.)

For more details on their contest head here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, at Gadgetell, and GeeksRoom

Today is the seventh contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at Geeksroom until April 24th.

Here are the details of their contest:

To participate in the contest to win a new Pantech Matrix Pro smartphone, along with a $100 credit for AT&T Wireless store, you have to be a legal U.S. residents, and do one of the following (only one!)

a) Write a comment in this post, telling me what feature of the Pantech Matrix Pro you like more.   You can see information about this smartphone at the Pantech official website.  Remember to enter a working email address, in case that you win the contest and we need to contact you (it will not be publish)

Or b) Using Twitter, you can ReTweet the following message:

#geeksroom-pmp-contest   GeeksRoom Contest, you can win a Pantech Matrix Pro http://tinyurl.com/cv4yqj

The contest start at the moment that this post is publish, and it will run until Saturday, April 25,  at 6:00 p.m Central Time (Dallas Time).

For more details on their contest head here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, at slashgear, MoDaCo, and Gadgetell.

Today is the sixth contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at Gadgetell until April 23rd.

Here are the details of their contest:

Landing this phone from Gadgetell is really really easy.* 

Step 1: Register an account with Gadgetell and set up a profile. 
Step 2: Leave a comment to this post saying why you would like this phone. 
Step 3: Wait until we announce a winner.

*You must be eligible to win this contest.  To be eligible you must not have won this contest on any other site and you must be a U.S. resident.

For more details of their contest head here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, with ChipChick contest ending today and GeeksRoom starting tomorrow. Remember you still have time to enter the contest over at VivirLatino, and slashgear.

OtterBox introduces two new cases to protect your phone from your active lifestyle and not so active lifestyle (I know a few people that have broke their phones sitting and standing still - you know who you are) One is a sleek, curve-hugging case for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 series smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) part of the new Impact Series™ skin-style case offers recognized OtterBox protection in a slim, portable design.

Recently enhanced to provide even more protection, the Impact Series for the BlackBerry Curve case line now includes a self-adhering, clear film to safeguard the screen of your Curve from scratches, dirt and dust. Durable silicone provides trustworthy protection and inner coring along the spine and in the corners of the case offers extra shock absorption to dissipate impact away from your device.

The “otter” one (sorry I couldn’t resist) is also a new Impact Series™ case for the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger. This new case provides added protection against bump and shock and incorporates a new element with screen protection and is available exclusively in HP’s signature midnight blue.  All OtterBox Impact Series for the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger cases provide added protection against bump and shock, but this case incorporates a new element with screen protection to safeguard from scratches. Both cases retail for $19.95.

Today is the fifth contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at MoDaCo for its US readers , until April 22nd. Here are the details of their contest:

To enter, you need to do the following BEFORE MIDNIGHT PST on 22nd April 2009…

• Sign up to Twitter (if you are not already a member)
• Sign in to Twitter
• Follow user MoDaCoNews
• ReTweet this tweet (’I want to win a AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro with @modaconews! http://tinyurl.com/winwithmodaco’)

WinMo @ MoDaCo will then choose and contact a winner at random, announcing the winner on the 23rd April 2009.

Check out It’s giveaway time! at WinMo @ MoDaCo here!

So make sure you enter the contest … you could be the winner!

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd  and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, with Tools for Thought contest ending today and Gadgetell starting tomorrow. Remember you still have time to enter the contest over at ChipChick, VivirLatino, and slashgear.

Today is the fourth contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at slashgear , until April 22nd. Here are the details of their contest:

Sign up for SlashGear account, head to the SlashGear Forums and post your argument regarding physical QWERTY keyboard versus virtual QWERTY keyboard on Smartphone in this thread. Explain why you think one is better than the other. We will pick the winner based on the merit of the argument on the 22nd of April.

This giveaway is limited to U.S resident only.

For more details on their contest head here. 

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd  and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, with tomorrow’s contest beginning at modaco. Remember you still have time to enter the contest over at Tools for Thought, ChipChick, and VivirLatino

Today the third contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at VivirLatino, until April 21st. Here are the details of their contest:

Email us at info@vivirlatino.com, telling us how smartphone technology can help Latinos access and share information to further their political power (and you know I’m not just talking about electoral power). The most interesting (in my humble opinion) answer wins! Not only do you win the phone pero also a $100 credit for AT&T’s web site.

As much as I’m about promoting the Americas, the contest is only open to residents of the U.S.A. Sorry.

For more details on their contest head here. Maegan la Mamita Mala also has a great post on how the Pantech Matrix Pro has changed her mobile life here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd  and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, with tomorrow’s contest beginning at slashgear. Remember you still have time to enter the contest over at Tools for Thought and ChipChick

Today another contest to win a Pantech Matrix Pro goes live over at ChipChick, where there contest is a perfect gift for Mother’s Day:

We’re giving one away for Mother’s Day, along with a $100 credit for AT&T’s web site. E-mail us how your mom would you use the Pantech Matrix Pro in a special or a quirky way. The winner wins a brand spankin’ new Pantech Matrix Pro along with a $100 credit for AT&T Wireless store online.

For more details on their contest head here. Helena Stone aka Chip Chick also has an in-depth review posted here.

Be sure to head back here for details on our contest which begins on May 3rd  and to check back daily on the details of the 25 other chances to win a Pantech Matrix Pro, with tomorrow’s contest beginning at VivirLatino . Remember you still have time to enter the contest over at Tools for Thought.

Hey everyone likes contests right? How would you like to win a new phone? I am sure you would. Well you are just in luck starting today you will have 26 chances to win a brand new Pantech Matrix Pro and a $100 gift card that can be used for buying accessories or used toward your service plan and AT&T Wireless.

Your first chance to win starts today over at Tools for Thought:

Here’s what I want. I want you or anyone to post in the comments or email me the coolest cloud-based work setup they use on a daily basis, with a least one example of how it allowed you to do something you couldn’t do previously. “Coolest” here can mean a few things:

• The most efficient: e.g. how you run your life through a personal wiki or WebDAV
• The most dramatic: how you use Backpack and Twitter to dispatch work to a team virtual assistants in St. Croix (real-world examples please, not creative writing)
• The most elegant: how you eliminated your additional computers and run them as virtual images on Amazon EC2 from your netbook
• The most democratic: how you’ve replaced all of the files and applications on your hard drive with free and open source web apps

You have 48 hours from “now,” 12:00 a.m. Thursday, April 16, 2009, until midnight Saturday, April 18.

For more details on their contest head here.

Participating Websites:

Tools for Thought
Launch Date  15-Apr
Award Announcement  19-Apr

ChipChick
Launch Date  16-Apr
Award Announcement  20-Apr

VivirLatino
Launch Date  17-Apr
Award Announcement  21-Apr

slashgear.com
Launch Date  18-Apr
Award Announcement  22-Apr

modaco.com
Launch Date  19-Apr
Award Announcement  23-Apr

Gadgetell
Launch Date  20-Apr
Award Announcement  24-Apr

GeeksRoom
Launch Date  21-Apr
Award Announcement  25-Apr

OSNN
Launch Date  22-Apr
Award Announcement  26-Apr

Techmamas
Launch Date  23-Apr
Award Announcement  27-Apr

Clintonfitch
Launch Date  24-Apr
Award Announcement  28-Apr

Justanothermobilemonday
Launch Date  25-Apr
Award Announcement  29-Apr

Geek.com
Launch Date  26-Apr
Award Announcement  30-Apr

MediaBlab
Launch Date  27-Apr
01-May

Smartphonethoughts
Launch Date  28-Apr
Award Announcement  02-May

Mobilityminded
Launch Date  29-Apr
Award Announcement  03-May

The Gadgeteer
Launch Date  30-Apr
Award Announcement  04-May

Geekzone
Launch Date  01-May
Award Announcement  05-May

Techie Diva
Launch Date  02-May
Award Announcement  06-May

Bostonpocketpc
Launch Date  03-May
Award Announcement  07-May

GearDiary
Launch Date  04-May
Award Announcement  08-May

MobilitySite
Launch Date  05-May
Award Announcement  09-May

AbsoluteWindows
Launch Date  06-May
Award Announcement  10-May

Mobilejaw
Launch Date  07-May
Award Announcement  11-May

Experiencemobility
Launch Date  08-May
Award Announcement  12-May

HackCollege
Launch Date  09-May
Award Announcement  13-May

Gear Live
Launch Date  10-May
Award Announcement  14-May

As with any contest there are rules for each different contest but these rules apply to all of the participating 26 sites:

• Winners are limited by geography to US residents only. This is due to the fact that the phone is locked to ATT’s network and service credit/gift card is redeemable only within the US
• Individuals who have won at another site are ineligible to win at another

Good Luck!!!

Pantech will be starting up a new contest for all you Tweople & Twitiizens out there with a chance to win one of many Pantech Matrix Pro smartphones to be given away as well as a chance to win the grand prize of $25,000! This contest is covering the launch of the Pantech Matrix Pro web site and their twitter page for their Tweetstakes promotional contest:

"The Matrix Pro by Pantech has a new home online: pantechmatrixpro.com, the first place to go for all you need to know about this exciting new smartphone. See the Matrix Pro's unique dual-keyboard design in action; get the lowdown on all of the Matrix Pro's great features; read blog entries highlighting the latest Matrix Pro news and reviews; get information about the upcoming Tweetstakes featuring a grand prize of $25,000; and follow handy links to purchase your very own Matrix Pro online. Visit pantechmatrixpro.com to experience the site for yourself."

The Matrix Pro Tweetstakes is coming! Every day during the Tweetstakes, we'll be asking a question about assorted topics related to the mobile lifestyle. (For example, "Breaking up via text: done it to anyone? Had it happen to you? Fair game or bad form?")

The sweepstakes is designed to celebrate the Matrix Pro, so Pantech and AT&T are giving away prizes to Twitter users who follow and reply to @matrixpro.  The format is:

1. Each day, Pantech/AT&T will tweet a question from @matrixpro
2. Followers tweet their responses to @matrixpro
3. Each day, Pantech/AT&T pick a user from the replies to win a free Matrix Pro
4. At the end of the sweepstakes, one very lucky player will win $25,000
5. Players can also enter by email, but entering via Twitter is easier

So sign up for the Tweetstakes and watch your Twitter feed - some of my favorite ways to do be part of the “tweetosphere” from a windows mobile device is via Pocketwit and Twikini.

Good Luck and may the Tweet be with you!!!

Radio Shack with the help of  AT&T are offering people a pretty good deal in the form of the Acer Aspire One, an ultra-small laptop with built-in 3G connectivity for $99 with qualifying new 2-year AT&T AirCard agreement on rate plans $60/mo. or more or for $499.99 unactivated.

The 2.44-pound  Acer Aspire One features an 8.9" display, Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, webcam, WiFi (b and g) and a 160GB hard drive in an ultra-compact size measuring 9.8" x 6.7" x 1.1" (W x D x H). The Acer Aspire One runs Windows XP and also features a built-in webcam for video conferencing.The Acer Aspire One includes a built-in cellular modem with quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) support in addition to tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100MHz) support, with HSPA for high-speed data.

The deal is available in Radio Shack stores, as well as through the Radio Shack website, through December 24th, 2008.

Not a bad deal, which is about the same price as a wireless card was last year.

The folks at Celio Corp (the maker of the REDFLY Smartphone Terminal, unveiled two new models: the REDFLY C7 and REDFLY C8N after hearing tons of feedback from early reviews and customers of the original REDFLY, the folks at Celio Corp took that feedback and produced these new models. The REDFLY C7 is a new, more affordable model with a power-saving seven-inch display, light-weight five-hour battery, and feather-light design under 1.5 lbs. The REDFLY C8N is the next evolution of the original REDFLY design, enhanced to allow the use of the eight-inch screen by an iPod™, iPhone ™, Zune™, or digital camera. These new Celio products continue to support the smartphone, the most successful mobile computing platform available today, and enable the smartphone’s Internet-based and cloud-computing applications.

As you can see in the pictures above it looks like they have the same size and footprint, but the C7 on the left sports a smaller 7 inch display.

On the back you can see that the C8N (N for NTSC) – the one on the right has an additional port for video (located between the 2 USB ports and the VGA out) in via an accessory cable shown below.

The cable looks to support composite video (RCA) only and looks to have an additional USB port receptacle for charging a portable device such as an iPod or Zune.

Available the week of December 1, 2008, REDFLY C7 and C8N can be pre-ordered today from select Celio resellers listed at www.getredfly.com for a suggested retail price of $229 and $299 respectively. 

“REDFLY has taken off in the smartphone market and these new models are designed to extend this success,” said Kirt Bailey, CEO of Celio Corp. “The REDFLY’s larger keyboard and screen brings the right functionality to the smartphone, making it the netbook of choice without the additional TCO (total cost of ownership) and data loss risk of a UMPC or laptop. Combined with the REDFLY device, the smartphone has become the center of mobile virtualization and mobile cloud-based computing.”

The REDFLY C8N evolved from the original REDFLY design to meet overwhelming customer demand to use the larger screen as an external display for media players such as an iPod, iPhone , Zune, or digital camera. A new REDFLY Media Port and REDFLY Media Cable provide a simultaneous connection as a third USB port and composite video input (NTSC/PAL compatible). Now the REDFLY’s 800x480-pixel screen can be used to view photos, show demos and even watch movies. The REDFLY Media Cable is available for a suggested retail price of $19.95.

Available the week of December 1, 2008, the REDFLY C7 and C8N Smartphone Terminals can be pre-ordered today from select Celio resellers listed at www.getredfly.com including: Amazon.com; Enterprise Mobile; Expansys; MyTreo.net; Treonauts.com and WMexperts.com. For more information about REDFLY, visit www.celiocorp.com.

For many months now we have had problems with the SMTP functionality of the POP and IMAP accounts on the Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. Due to changing towers and service, from provider to provider it would mess up the SMTP functionality within Windows Mobile 6.1. There were some small fixes around which would help(or not) temporary. Thanks to the MVP community Microsoft was brought to the attention of this problem and came out with this fix:


http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9d71b2e-d2dd-44f2-86e5-1e53aad7fb7a&displaylang=en&tm

Hopefully this will solve all these problems. Time will tell.

For those who could not attend our last Windows Mobile User and Developer Group meeting last Wednesday, our featured presentation and discussion was entitled “Making the Most of Mobility When Traveling”. We covered a lot of ground on this topic, which was very all-inclusive and discussed items like the packing tips, hardware, software and accessory considerations and ways of staying connected. I have put the presentation up in PDF for download if you are interested in looking at it. Please keep in mind that the PDF was not intended to be the “Bible of Mobility Travel”, but instead facilitate discussion and interaction.

This leads me to the following thought – What do you think (and do) when it comes to leveraging mobile technologies for travel? Are there any favorite tools you use? Hardware? Power options? Software? Web sites? I would love to get a broader discussion going on the topic, and our Comments section (at the bottom of this post) is the perfect way to continue the discussion online.

Let’s hear it, folks! I am certain there are some great tips out there waiting to be popularized

I saw this over at jkOnTheRun and couldn’t believe my eyes Celio Corporation, makers of the REDFLY have incorporated a special “seeding program” where you can get the REDFLY at 50% off the MRSP of $399 for a limited time. We saw a recent price cut back in August and were told, when I got my unit for review that it would be possible to offer the REDFLY for even less, but I didn’t believe it would be this soon.

Celio Corp. found that a REDFLY Mobile Companion device in the hands of media, developers or mobile enthusiasts has a tremendous viral marketing benefit. So they decided to offer a a limited amount of REDFLY devices for placement into the market atn this special marketing seed program at $199 until October 31, 2008 so you can help spread the word by using the REDFLY at a very low price directly from Celio as well as other retailers like Amazon.

Don told me that you can get it even cheaper, $195 directly from Enterprise Mobile and you get free tech support too! Also check out their unlocked Windows Mobile devices they have for sale here  like the - HTC Touch Diamond, HP iPAQ 910c Business Messenger, Palm Treo™ Pro smartphone, and MOTO Q™ 9h business edition and some mobile PCs like the HTC Shift X9000 and HTC Shift X9501 also with free support. :)

Edit: It is now $199 at Enterprise Mobile.

Well rumors have flown across the Internet for some time now on the the release of the new Zune units the new blue 8GB Zune, 16GB Zune,  and the big daddy of Zunes the 120GB Zune! Microsoft has released an official release here.

Some notables to take away from this that the Zune 3.0 firmware will be available for all Zunes on September 16th and the price points of the various sizes; the first 30GB, 4($129)/8($149)/16($199) GB Flash units, and newer 80($229)/120($249)GB hard drive units. Notice there is very little price margin between models phasing out the older models as they are slowly removed from retail, which I see coming in at even lower prices this Holiday season or maybe on Woot!

- It gets a Clock in the upper right hand corner- yeah great for runners and those who don't wear time pieces.

- Some free games “Hexic” and “Texas Hold ’Em”

- Option to purchase or download from FM radio via RDS+ data depending if you have Zune Pass or not

- Link to the Social via hotspots that don’t  require internet browsers to agree to TOS.

- Support for audiobooks including content from audible.com and overdrive.com

There is a great summary of what was added over at the insidecircle.net by Neville Williams.

A few other Zune MVPs have even posted videos worth checking out.

Zune Gaming and Wireless Song Purchasing Experience over at ZuneThoughts

Texas Hold ‘em and Hexic from ZuneLuv

Zune Software Features- Zune Fall 2008 from Microsoft at the Zune Insider

Zune Fall 2008 Wireless Features

Zune Fall Update: Channels

Zune Fall update: buy from FM

Over at Kombo rumor has it that MS has purchased some air time on the g4TV network on September 25th and should be announcing the following:

- Free DLC (Down Loadable Content) for Halo 3, and paid DLC for Mass Effect and GTA IV

- Six free Xbox Originals for download - we all love some of those Xbox original games

- A partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio (please be free for existing customers)

- 12 new exclusive titles, including 2 Halo games (as well as the supposed Peter Jackson Halo project, and the game Bungie was supposed to premiere at E3)

- A new music download service or some gaming music

Hopefully there will be some truth to these rumors, we will have to just wait and see.

According to Engadget it looks like Xbox Live Music Marketplace and Video will be shared with Zune according to Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore and legal measures had to take place in the background before we see a merge of the two services in the future.

According to this job post it looks like Windows Mobile will also be in the Marketplace mix as people have begged and hoped for.

“The Zune team is embarking on the mission to create a “Connected Entertainment” experience, realized through the Zune service, that spans multiple devices such as Zune, Xbox, PC and Mobile phones...Do you dream about having a mobile phone based entertainment experience powered by a unified entertainment service across devices such as Zune, Xbox and PC?”

So if you are looking to compete the tri-fecta of Microsoft technology: Windows Mobile, Zune, and Xbox it looks like the new $199 price for the Xbox Arcade looks pretty good for the bedroom or spareroom.

Also If you would like to win one of the Blue ones Chris Leckness   is giving one away over at GotZune. :)

Note: You also get 20% off any Zune Accessory and $20 off this Speaker Dock at Amazon with this Code: ALTECSAV

Well the buzz has hit the interweb whether it be good or bad about the series of Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld commercials with the first one airing last night. People are talking about it and as those in advertising say if people are talking about it they did their job. The first one seemed to be along the lines of the other humorous segment videos/vignets that were shown at several Microsoft conferences in the past.

Microsoft has a few more than just that video on their newly launched Windows site. Microsoft actually has several other videos that tell more of a story, that I think work much better and really get the word out about their products. Hopefully we will see them not only online but also on your HD television during the new fall prime time lineup. :)

They have a series of videos linking their technologies of Windows, Windows Mobile (which had a slight revamp) and Windows Live performing several tasks. These are really well done and are much better than the 15 second commercials that air on the Windows Vista Media Center when watching streaming video from the Internet Video section. They are very similar to the Digital Lifestyle video that was on the Internet, but never reached television that show the integration and usage scenarios of several Microsoft products and services.

I really like this one called Sharing your Photos, but it clocks in at 1:22. There are several more here.

Work from Anywhere is good too, more of those here. I think some of us have actually experienced this. :)

Entertainment to go isn’t bad either with a few more here.

And lets not forget Gaming for Everyone with more here.

Microsoft looks to have a pretty good ad campaign brewing. It is much better than what has been done in the past especially what wasn’t done after the Vista launch, but they may want to lead viewers to at least check out the rest of these videos beyond the online experience and if they wanted to spread the word they should at least allow people to share links to the videos. ;) Or maybe this is what Microsoft is hoping for increased site traffic with people checking out the rest of these videos online. I guess we will have to wait and see…

Last Month I received an extended battery from Mugen Power . This extended battery is 3000mAh compared to the standard 1350mAH that comes with the HTC Kaiser.

Top view comaprison battery and cover

What attracted me to this battery was not only to have more juice available to me, but also the nice looking battery cover that comes with it. The battery cover is not like any others where you have a bulging top or bottom on the device. No, this cover was straight from top to bottom. The cover has many features as the original cover has as well. The opening for the camera is in a chrome finish with an opening for the lens and a speaker like shield for the speaker.  The only thing I am missing is a clear lens cap that covers the hole for the camera. Now dust can get on my original lens easily and also into my device. The cover has a nice shiny black finish to it and also a WiFi and Bluetooth logo printed on it. If you use an external GPS antenna, you still can with removing the rubber cap also in this cover. Since that the cover is straight al over the device you will have some empty space under the cover where the battery is not located.

Original battery and cover compared with Mugen Power solution

Now the performance! They clearly make a statement that you have to use it to drain the battery as much as possible before recharging. You have to do this a couple of time to reach the maximum capacity.

In the first couple of days of using this battery it indeed didn’t give me the 3x more power as I had hoped for. However this started to increase dramatically after a couple of days. I have Emoze (Push E-mail) constantly running on my device and I use my phone heavenly many other ways in receiving data. Now instead of really only 8 hours of use, I can go to a trade show early in the morning and continue on to late in the evening without any worries.

Extended battery placed in device

This extended battery makes your device a little heavier and clunky, but for those long days I really need it. The unit still fits in the original holster but unfortunate it does not fit in my custom car holder due to the extra thickness all over the length of the device.

Device with the cover of the extended battery

Original height of the device

Recently I have upgraded my device with a new radio and the drain of my battery has dramatically been reduced. I am now able to go 2 full days with my original battery and almost a week with this extended battery from Mugen Power Batteries.

Mugen Power Batteries is your source for the extended battery of your device. Please check out their website and see their whole line up of extended batteries for most mobile devices.

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"

What do you get when you cross a Windows Mobile proffesional Phone (Touch Screen) and  a Blackberry.

"A VelocityMobile 111 phone with all those benefits"

Some previous i-mate employee started up their own company and at CTIA they where giving private showing of their new phones. The Microsoft booth had also one on display.

A touch screen, qwerty keyboard, trackball with mouse pointer on screen and internal GPS on board. This is going to be very interesting.

Just take a look at the specifications

This phone is being set for launch in Q3 but their 103 phone should be coming already in Q2....which can be any day now.

Let's see who has this one first for review.

I just opened my e-mail box this morning and a unlocked phone from Sharper Image is looking at me. Of course I noticed the Windows Mobile 6 screen on it, so I looked a bit more at this one.

Accordding to the site this phoen has indeed Windows Mobile 6 on it, but also integrated GPS. The phone sells for $499.95 and is available at Sharper Image.

This PocketPC Executive Pack includes a Bluetooth® mini headset and features:

• 240 x 320 TFT 2.8-inch touch-screen LCD with 65K colors
• 2MP camera with Flash
• MP3
• Windows Media Player with MPEG 4 video
• Wireless Bluetooth® compatibility
• Tri Band
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Microsoft® Office Mobile, Direct Push and Windows Mobile 6 Pro
• Voice memo
• Speakerphone
• Built-in GPS receiver
• Text messaging (SMS/MMS)
• Games
• Calculator
• Alarm clock
• USB 1.1
• PDF viewer
• Smart dialing
• GPRS
• WAP
• JAVA
• Enjoy up to 7 hours talk, 20 hours of music/video, 240 hours standby on a single USB charge
• On-board 128MB memory with Micro SD slot, expandable to 2G
• Speed codec HR/FR/EFR/AMR

Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.6"; weighs 4.3 oz. One-year warranty. A Sharper Image exclusive.

*For subscribers to T-Mobile, AT&T/Cingular and other service providers that use a removable SIM card with all your phone data. Your SIM card will work perfectly in any Sharper Image® "Unlocked" Phone.

Windows Mobile has always had a tough time playing in the "regular size" handset market.  Small phones are all the rage but what about when you want to do more than just have a voice conversation or send a quick SMS?  Sure you could buy sleek RAZR for voice and use a blackberry for your other electronic communications but after a while that utility belt becomes heavy and unsightly.  The other problem with smaller devices is while they're small enough to fit in your shirt pocket it's hard to type out a nice and detailed e-mail using just then numberpad.  So then you get a device with a QWERTY keyboard but trying to dial a number becomes a challenge without voice dialing aids.    

Pantech Duo is aimed at addressing many of these shortcomings.  Weighing in at 3.88 ounces the device measures 4.02 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches.  To put this size into perspective the Motorola RAZR V3 measures in at 3.86 x 2.08 x 0.54 inches.  Other notable specs are 10 Day standby time, 3 hour talk time, Bluetooth with A2DP, Quad Band world phone, Dual-band domestic UMTS/HDSPA, 128 MB of flash ROM with 64 MB SDRam and a fast 416 MHZ Marvel Bulverde processor.  The thing I don't understand is the inclusion of only a 1.3 megapixel camera.  Many devices are already at 2 megapixel with higher resolutions coming soon.  The device also has a 2.2" QVGA screen with LED backlight.  The LED backlight is impressive as it draws very little power and will last longer than the flash ROM in the device. 

Running Windows Mobile 6 Standard the Duo is not just an ordinary "slider cellphone".  Coupled with Exchange Active Sync this device can replace that blackberry and cellphone very easily while providing more functionality than having two individual devices.  Features such as SMS, MMS, Push E-mail, PDF viewer and the ability to edit Office documents help to distinguish the Duo from other "slider cellphones".

The face of the device has a clean layout and access to frequently used buttons have really  been thought out.  On the main face of the device you have power, home, back, talk, end and two softkeys along with a 4-way navigation pad with selection button in the middle.

On the left side of the device you have access to volume buttons and on the right side you have access to the camera and recorder buttons.  The buttons are small and make it difficult for those with larger hands to access them.

A big rub for me with the Duo is it's power connector.  A majority of  my devices utilize a mini-usb connector which is great as it allows the use of existing chargers and accessories.  Plus it decreases the number of cables that you need to carry because many devices (mp3 players, digital camera's, etc) use the same mini-usb connector.  To use a wired headset you need to also use an adapter that plugs into the bottom connector.  Honestly that's just too many things to carry and I wouldn't dream of using a wired headset with this device for this very reason. 

The one feature that sets this device apart from others is the dual sliding keyboards.  The Dual Sliding mechanism allows for a small device footprint when closed and still allows great functionality with either keyboard.  Slide the device up and you are greeted by a nice functional numeric keypad.  The numerical keypad provides great tactile feedback and navigation.  The button sizes are just right even for a person with wide thumbs such as myself.  Another nice numerical keypad feature is a spring assisted slider.  As you open or close the numerical keypad a spring assists in opening and closing the keyboard.  This makes one handed access and operation of the numerical keypad a snap.

The QWERTY keyboard unfortunately doesn't receive the same accolades.  Sliding the screen to the left (or up if you change the orientation) and you now have access to the QWERTY keyboard.  To keep the device size small a condensed QWERTY keyboard is used.  It comprises of all the letters of the alphabet with punctuation and number keys being accessed via a secondary function key.  Punctuation placement is straightforward and easy to navigate once you familiarize yourself with the associated function keys.  Coming from the larger QWERTY keyboard on my Sprint PPC 6800 the transition to was slightly difficult until I became acclimated to the device.  One thing that I miss on the condensed keyboard was directional keys.  It's amazing how many time you use directional keys move information around, especially on a smartphone device since there's no screen to quickly tap on.  Unlike the numeric keypad the QWERTY keyboard doesn't have a spring to assist in the opening and closing of the slider but the sliding travel when on the QWERTY keyboard is very short so it's easy to open without much fuss.  Still it would've been nice to have the same "slider" feel throughout the device.  When I moved from the Sprint PPC 6700 which didn't have a spring assisted slider to the Sprint PPC 6800 which did, I could tell the difference immediately.  The biggest problem I had with the QWERTY keyboard was lack of tactile feel.  The keyboard is completely flush with the bezel and boxes that make up the whole keyboard face.  If you're a person with small fingers or fingernails then you're able to access the keyboard without much issue but if you are a person with large fingers and no fingernails then typing out messages will be somewhat disappointing and slow.

Out of the box the device is preloaded with trial software like MobiTV and My Space Mobile.  You also have an AT&T branded IM program, AT&T Mail, AT&T Music and Cingular Video.  I tried out a few of my usual programs like Sling Player Mobile, Windows Live Search, and One Note Mobile which all worked great and felt snappy thanks to the fast processor in the Duo.  Sling player worked well over the fast 3G services and the best part about 3G on the AT&T network is that you can use both data and voice communications simultaneously.  This is extremely helpful when you need an e-mail and you need to be on the phone at the same time.  There were a few times that I forgot about this only to be startled when the device alerted me to new mail messages while I was on the phone. 

Bluetooth worked very well on the duo and because the device is A2DP compatible I was able to use my blue spider stereo bluetooth headphones with the duo.  Listening to music and watching shows via sling media was very enjoyable and allowed for a nice complete "wireless" experience. 

The Duo's Battery life is very impressive.  In my line of work I am sometimes in high density cellular areas and other times trying to cling on to that last bar but that didn't seem to affect battery life one bit.  There were times when I would forget to charge the device only to find the battery level still high the next morning.  Most of my use on this device was data but I use data like others use voice plus add the fact that continuous device data access keeps the backlight on much longer than a phone call would.  This shows the tremendous gains the LED backlight gives this unit.  One thing that I did notice and this is true with many smaller cellular devices is that prolonged voice communications will leave the back of the device fairly warm.  I haven't used a device this size in some time so I had forgotten about this until I started using the device for a few lengthily voice conversations.  A bluetooth headset will decrease the noticeable heat as the device will be tucked away in a pocket or case.

The Pantech Duo is a really nice device aimed at those who require more functionality while maintaining a sleek appearance.  The device packs many nice features like great battery life, 3G data, dual keyboards and Windows Mobile 6.  The suggested price point will give it's competitors a run for their money.  One of the biggest problems with Windows Mobile Devices was getting the price point to be acceptable to the customer.  AT&T is selling the Pantech Duo for $449.99 but if you go for a 2 year contract the price is $299.00, adding a $100.00 mail-in rebate and the final price is $199.99.  Not bad for a device that packs so much functionality into a small package.  So if you're looking for a device that'll give you great performance while keeping you in the "in crowd" you will want to check out the Pantech Duo.

Stylish,functional and great sound, those are words which don't go together especially when  describing stereo headsets. Most cellphone headsets are included as an afterthought and many are cheap sounding pieces of plastic that are not even suited for listening to phone conversation let alone music. Add to that their usually bulky, cheap construction and poor sound and it's no wonder they only make their appearance when you really need them (like in your car).

Vmoda wishes to change this. They have created a line of "designer" headsets that appeal to your fashion and sound senses. Just a look at the packaging suggests that this headset was made for you to wear and enjoy everywhere.  Plus the array of available colors makes color coordination with you outfit a breeze.

Inside the box you will find the headset and leather carrying pouch. Inside the pouch you'll find different size earmolds for the earbuds in both clear and black rubber. For me the pre-installed black molds were a perfect fit. The earbuds are light weight and feature some pseudo "Bling"  to draw attention to you're new found status of sound and fashion. The headset buds are made to snuggly fit inside the outer ear canal giving you a nice sound space and reducing background noise.

 Along the wire for the left earbud you'll find a sleek microphone with a button. This button allows you to answer calls without touching the phone. Something that's definitely needed as your phone will likely be in your pocket. There's also a shirt clip and a nice Vmoda branded metal cylinder which is used to split the left  and right wires for each earbud.

So with all that out of the way the big question is how do they sound? Well I hooked the Vmoda's up to my Toshiba Gigabeat and pulled up a playlist that I use to evaluate and set sound systems. My first impression was WOW, is this a headset or a nice pair of headphones. The sound was very full, rich and also had one thing that many headsets (and headphones for that matter) lacked and that was low end response. The specified frequency response is 12 Hz to 22 kHz and while I don't really think they are capable of reaching 12 Hz,the bass was full, deep and uncluttered.  You won't need to crank the volume of your MP3 player to max just to have good volume. When paired with the Gigabeat I was able to keep the volume at a reasonably low level while maintaining a good listening level even on a busy subway. Part of this I attributed to the earbuds sensitivity and the other is the earmolds. External noise is kept to a very minimum level even while riding an underground subway during rush hour.

The Vmoda package says it's designed for iPhones and MP3 players but be aware that not all MP3 players are made the same. The Vmoda headset has a four conductor connector and depending on you MP3 player you may need to insert the plus only partially into the headphone  jack. My Gigabeat utilizes a four conductor headphone jack for the output of both audio and video, when I plugged the Vmoda's all the way into the headphone jack I got sound that was indicative of surround sound but not much else. This was due to the missing ground connection from the  MP3 player to the headset. It may be a good idea for Vmoda to include a four conductor to three conductor adapter with these headsets so the user doesn't need to pull the headset jack partially out of the device.

Vmoda has what I feel is a good product but I don't know if many people are ready to shell out $101 for a stereo headset.  Then again there are those who these will definately appeal to and because this headset looks good and sounds good it will have no problems bringing hours of listening pleasure, comfort and style to the end user.  You can purchase the VibeDuo right from  Vmoda's website.

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.

 

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!

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.

While I have had the opportunity to have a lot of short "hands-on" time with a number of devices over the past year, I just this week made the first investment in a new device in almost a year (my last investment was an i-mate SP5m at MEDC 2006 last May). My new T-Mobile Dash is an attempt to find the right blend of Smartphone and Pocket PC Phone Edition, hopefully making this my true primary device. Those who know me well enough know that I move quite frequently between devices, with my SP5m used as a "weekend\leisure device", and my i-mate K-JAM as the "work week device".

A few days of non-stop use of the Dash is leading me to believe my wishes will be fulfilled I have been very impressed with the size, performance and battery life.

I plan on providing a detailed write-up of my experiences with the T-Mobile Dash this coming week. A few more days of usage and getting some commitments out of the way (including my presentations today at Code Camp 7: Deer In The Headlights) will give me the time and experience to pass along more detailed information. Stay tuned...