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HTC announced today at CTIA that the popular HTC Touch Dual™ will debut in the United States this quarter. The HTC Touch Dual™ combines an intuitive touch screen with integrated TouchFLO™ technology and slide-out keypad and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional software, making it easier for customers to communicate on the go.

“HTC has witnessed incredible support and demand for the Touch product portfolio, and we are pleased to provide our customers with the opportunity to experience additional iterations of the Touch product family,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “The Touch Dual will be among the first devices in the United States to run Windows Mobile 6.1 and will be followed by a range of 6.1 updates for several other HTC products.”

Software Upgrades Available on HTC Devices
In partnership with Microsoft and key mobile operator partners, HTC will continue to extend the functionality of many current HTC devices both in the United States and abroad by providing Windows Mobile 6.1 updates. Windows Mobile 6.1, an update to Windows Mobile 6, provides new timesaving features, easier phone navigation and management, stronger security safeguards, and support for Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. Some of HTC’s most popular smartphones including the Touch by HTC and Mogul by HTC from Sprint, AT&T Tilt, Alltel Wireless’ HTC Touch and PPC6800, and the HTC TyTN II, will be among the first of many devices available for a Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade.

  Supporting existing customers and enhancing their experiences continues to be a focus for HTC; Sprint and HTC recently provided an update for the popular Mogul by HTC, making it the industry’s first EV-DO Rev. A-capable handset while also enabling additional GPS functionality.

“Windows Mobile enhances people’s lives by providing them with an experience that keeps them close to what’s important to them — anywhere, anytime,” said John O’Rourke, general manager of the Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft. “HTC has a history of providing a great selection of popular Windows Mobile phones, and we are pleased to bring the latest in software to a range of its products around the world.”

HTC Touch Dual Availability and Features
  Best Buy will be the first to offer the HTC Touch Dual, which will be available through select Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile retail outlets, online at BestBuy.com and htc.com.

“At Best Buy we are committed to providing customers with a wide selection of high quality handsets,” said David Ryan, director of merchandising, Best Buy Mobile. “We look forward to adding the innovative HTC Touch Dual to our current lineup of unlocked phones.”

  Taking user control to a whole new level, the HTC Touch Dual combines an intuitive touch screen and keypad within a stunning design. The versatile device offers an interactive cube interface for quick and easy navigation to e-mails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts. Features include the following:

• TouchFLO™, a touch-screen technology that allows finger-touch scrolling, panning and photo zooming
• Slide-out 20-key keyboard for quick dialing, text messages and e-mail
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Microsoft Office Mobile for working on documents and getting your Outlook e-mail
• Live HTC Home™ featuring time and weather display, quick launcher, and one-touch ring-tone settings
• 2 megapixel camera for shooting photos/videos and a second camera for video calls
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) and HSDPA (850/1900Mhz) connectivity

More information is available here:

Download product sheet

Download product flyer one

Download product flyer two

At CTIA Wireless 2008, Microsoft announced the the immediate availability of System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 and plans for a Microsoft Mobile Services Plan (MMSP) to be available from mobile operators worldwide. Together with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, the software and services provide the best solution for midsize and large businesses to manage and help protect Windows Mobile phones.

“With Microsoft’s mobile solutions, businesses now have the power, control and flexibility over how they deliver information to their employees on the go,” said John O’Rourke, general manager, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft. “Together with our partners, we’re helping enterprises extend their reach like never before.”

Microsoft saw positive response to early trial programs for Mobile Device Manager. Companies across the financial, manufacturing and professional services industries also requested that mobile operators deliver a core set of software and services to help businesses meet their management needs.

A study conducted by Microsoft with large and midsize organizations showed businesses would like to move beyond their current mobile solutions to offer more sophisticated services. Mobile Device Manager meets their needs by offering the following benefits:

•Features to manage phones with the same ease and flexibility as Windows-based PCs, addressing IT priorities for saving resources and protecting information

•Capability to help protect sensitive business files and e-mails, contacts and other information through file and storage card encryption on the phone should it be lost or stolen

•Ability to access more of the information mobile workers need for staying on top of their jobs via a mobile virtual private network, which provides security-enhanced access to company data and application updates over the air

Mobile Services Plan Enriches End-to-End Experience

Today leading operators AT&T, O2, Orange, TaTa Teleservices Ltd. and Verizon Wireless announced they are in discussions with Microsoft to deliver the Microsoft Mobile Services Plan. MMSP is a set of core software and services that provides a uniform experience across Windows Mobile 6.1 phones, whether working with one or more operators, saving time and resources so companies can focus on other areas of mobility. Beginning later in 2008, operators plan to offer a subscription plan that will bring businesses the following:

•A corporate-grade network and data plan to support enterprise applications and services to help people get work done with the responsiveness they expect from the network and the efficient use of battery power they want on their phones

•A package from mobile operators, including access rights to Mobile Device Manager as well as the advanced mobile management features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), Microsoft Services Premier Support and Software Assurance for Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Office Mobile running on Windows Mobile 6.1-based phones.

Fast-Growing Network of Partners Open for Business

Responding to the opportunity created by Mobile Device Manager and complementing the MMSP, a large network of global partners are ready to integrate and deploy into existing systems as well as create custom solutions for businesses. Among the first companies that worked with Microsoft to support early trial programs are AT&T Inc., EDS, Enterprise Mobile, HP, O2, Orange, SAT Corp. and Verizon Wireless.

“Given AT&T’s leadership in the Windows Mobile space, AT&T is excited that Mobile Device Manager is now a reality for our enterprise customers,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Marketing and Operations for AT&T’s wireless unit. “Every day, mobile devices become more ubiquitous throughout the enterprise, and the need to securely manage those devices, data and applications is critical for IT organizations. Through our early adopter trials, our customers are responding positively to AT&T’s deployment and optimization plans for Mobile Device Manager and are eager to adopt the first end-to-end wireless-focused enterprise solution that can maximize their investments in Microsoft technology.”

A wave of Windows Mobile 6.1 phones and operator networks supporting Mobile Device Manager is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2008 from Alltel Wireless, ASUS, AT&T, HP, HTC Corp., i-mate, Intermec Inc., Motorola, O2, Orange, Palm Inc., Pantech, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Sprint, TaTa Teleservices Ltd., TELUS, Toshiba and Verizon Wireless.

Management Solutions for Every Business Need

Mobile Device Manager builds on the core set of security and management features provided by Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and complements the comprehensive deployment, updating and asset management capabilities of Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007. Mobile Device Manager is available through Microsoft Volume Licensing. Client access licenses will be available through existing volume licensing channels in areas where mobile operators do not yet offer the plan. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/mobile/default.mspx.

Well if you haven't heard already Windows 6.1 is now here.

Now it’s even easier to stay connected and manage your busy life—from just about anywhere. Windows Mobile 6.1 is full of enhancements, made with your needs in mind:

• Instant messaging-like texting
• Improved Internet browsing
• Simpler e-mail and Bluetooth setup
• New Home screen interface
• New Getting Started Center
• Security enhancements
• Easier Wi-Fi connection
• More personal choice

Check out the cool video here.

Here is the official press release at CTIA Wireless 2008 as well a listing of what devices will be getting the update:

Windows Mobile is improving smartphones to better meet people’s rapidly expanding work and personal needs, Microsoft Corp. today announced. At CTIA Wireless 2008, the company unveiled the newest version of Internet Explorer Mobile, which adds desktop-grade Web browsing to Windows Mobile phones. In addition, Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.1, an update for its Windows Mobile software that includes new time-saving features, easier phone navigation and management, and increased security safeguards.

“People want a single phone that’s flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it’s connecting to work or your everyday life,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “The innovations we’ve added to our Windows Mobile software ultimately make it easier to manage your world.”

“Microsoft is taking the necessary steps to broaden its consumer appeal while also addressing the complex mobile needs of the enterprise,” said Ben Bajarin, analyst with Creative Strategies. “Internet Explorer Mobile and Windows Mobile 6.1 demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to harness its technologies to bring tangible innovations and benefits to customers and partners.”

Updated Internet Explorer Mobile Brings the Quality of Desktop Web Browsing to Phones

The new version of Internet Explorer Mobile adds the ability to easily view full-screen Web pages and multimedia on the Web with a smartphone. By taking advantage of Internet Explorer 6 technologies and supporting established and upcoming industry standards such as H.264, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, the updated Internet Explorer Mobile gives people a rich mobile Internet experience. The update will be available to mobile phone partners in the third quarter of 2008, with the first Windows Mobile phones using the new version expected to be available by the end of 2008.

Windows Mobile Update Drives Simpler Experience

Windows Mobile 6.1 features several key updates based on customer feedback, including the capability to make the most critical information readily available at a glance, quicker phone setup, and enhanced features adapted for the small screen. In addition, if coupled with System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 or Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Windows Mobile 6.1 provides the best experience for IT professionals to manage mobile phones for businesses.

Windows Mobile 6.1 will help people get more from their phones by bringing updates to what they care about most. With Windows Mobile 6.1 users will be able to accomplish the following:

•Stay up to date and share from a single location. Glance at and respond to notifications such as missed calls, upcoming appointments and new messages from the home screen as well as play music and share photos.

•Get up and running in minutes. From setting up e-mail, a Bluetooth headset or Wi-Fi, the new Getting Started Center makes the phone experience intuitive and simple.

•Save time with features adapted for the small screen. Easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of conversations through threaded text messaging. Zoom in on text or pictures, or view an entire Web page at once.

•Help keep business information protected. Support for System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 helps administrators manage phones similarly to a Windows-based PC or access company data that may be behind a firewall; and support for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 advanced mobile policies helps businesses manage and administer security for phones while enabling people to find, share, and use information no matter where they are.

More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-01EnterpriseMobilePR.mspx.

Industry Embraces Windows Mobile 6.1

Partners from around the globe are committed to updating or expanding their portfolios to Windows Mobile 6.1 beginning in the second quarter of 2008, demonstrating the strong industry demand for software that delivers one phone for all aspects of a person’s life.

“AT&T customers select Windows Mobile phones because they’re a fit for their lives — whether that’s traveling the globe, managing the family’s schedule or staying in touch with colleagues,” said Mike Woodward, vice president, Business Data Service for AT&T Mobility. “We intend to update our most popular Windows Mobile phones to offer these new capabilities that help our customers get the most from their mobile experience where they live and work.”

Other partners include Alltel Wireless, AT&T, ASUS, HP, HTC Corp., i-mate, Intermec Inc., Motorola, O2, Orange, Palm Inc., Pantech, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile USA Inc., T-Mobile International Inc., T-Mobile Germany, TELUS, Toshiba, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. The following new phones and updates were announced today:

Mobile operators:

•Alltel Wireless: HTC PPC6800, HTC Touch

•AT&T: Samsung BlackJack II, MOTO Q 9h global, Pantech duo, AT&T Tilt by HTC

•Sprint: A new Palm Treo and updates for the Mogul by HTC, Touch by HTC, MOTO Q 9c, Samsung ACE

•T-Mobile International: T-Mobile MDA Ameo 16 GB, T-Mobile MDA compact IV

Device-makers:

•ASUS: New phones including the P320, ZX1, P560, M536 and updates for the P527, P750, M930

•HTC: A new Touch Dual for the U.S. and updates for the AT&T Tilt, Touch by HTC, Mogul by HTC from Sprint, TyTN II

•i-mate: 8502, 9502, 8150, 6150

•Intermec: CN3

•Motorola: MOTO Q 9c, MOTO Q 9h global, MC70, MC9000

•Pantech: Pantech duo

•Samsung: BlackJack II

•Toshiba: Portégé G810,Portégé G910

More information about Windows Mobile 6.1 is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx;

Information on System Center Mobile Device Manager, available today, can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/mobile/default.mspx.

We met with the folks of Celio while they were in town last month and they finally made it official that they have formed a partnership with Enterprise Mobile, (yes Don works there) where Enterprise Mobile will provide sales, marketing, deployment and customer support for enterprise customers using the REDFLY. (We will have a detailed review of it up at the end of the month.)

The REDFLY Mobile Companion is a ground-breaking new device that extends the smartphone platform to an 8” high resolution display, full function keyboard, and touchpad mouse. Measuring just 1x6x9 inches and weighing only two pounds, the REDFLY offers over eight hours of battery life with instant-on access and the ability to charge smartphones via USB.

The REDFLY and a smartphone create a single mobile platform for easy access to email, attachments, web and business applications.  For the enterprise market, REDFLY ushers in a new market of Mobile Companion products that offer valuable new user functionality, without adding additional management, backup, and security to the existing smartphone solution.

Effective immediately, Enterprise Mobile will provide support for Celio’s aggressive launch of REDFLY into the enterprise marketplace. Under the agreement, Enterprise Mobile will provide sales, marketing, deployment, and customer support for enterprise customers of REDFLY.

The REDFLY Mobile Companion is compatible with selected Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC and Smartphone editions and Windows Mobile 6 Professional and Standard Editions.  A list of tested smartphones is available at www.celiocorp.com/smartphone.  The REDFLY Software will be available for other operating systems in the future.  The REDFLY Mobile Companion from Celio Corp. will be available in late April 2008 for $499 MSRP.

“Enterprise Mobile’s expertise with the Windows Mobile platform and their vast integration experience is a great value to Celio, particularly into the enterprise market,” said Kirt Bailey, president and CEO of Celio Corp. “We feel we are perfectly aligned with Enterprise Mobile as the company supports our creation of an entirely new level of mobile computing solution. Enterprise Mobile is an ideal partner for us.”

“REDFLY provides enterprises with an innovative mobile computing solution that goes beyond traditional smartphone capabilities,” said Mort Rosenthal, Enterprise Mobile chairman and CEO. “A primary driver for the adoption of mobility in the enterprise is access to line of business applications that enable employees to perform business functions on mobile devices just as they would in an office environment. Enterprise Mobile looks forward to providing support for REDFLY as Celio launches this important new Windows Mobile-based product for the enterprise mobility market.”

I received a few emails on the application we demoed at the last meeting allowing you to access YouTube and other online videos and wanted to share it with those that weren't able to attend. The application is from Andover, MA based VeVeo called vTap. It is currently in beta, but for a beta it works pretty well. It recently received Microsoft's Designed for
Windows Mobile”Certification and is now available on Microsoft's Mobile2Market Catalog.

To install all you have to do is go to www.vtap.com and it automatically find your phone and tell you what version to download.

 

You just type in what you are looking for it brings up a list. As you move down the list it will display a brief description. Clicking on the info button will bring even more details about the video.Then you select to download. When it is ready to play(the entire file isn't needed) the play button will turn yellow and you can start viewing it.

 

  

The video format will play in full screen. If you click on you directional button, you can pause the video and gain more information on it.

 

     

You can even learn something and use it to search Wikipedia.

It does a pretty good job of searching its archive of videos, which is basically a direct interface to their website.

For more information on the mobile version head here and they do support other phones.

They even have a UMPC version (as seen above) here.

Their blurb:

There are hundreds of millions of videos available on the Web today, and millions more are added every week. But try searching, browsing or viewing them on your TV, your mobile, or even your brand new iPhone™. It’s frustrating, if not impossible, simply because most Web video services are desktop based and not designed for the mobile or TV user. And those that do focus on the mobile or TV limit the Web video universe to only a small sliver of what exists.
That’s why we at Veveo™ created vTap—the quick and easy Web video solution that lets you search, browse and pinpoint the exact Web video you’re looking for—from sources all over the Internet—and play it on any supported device! With vTap's unique character-based incremental search—where results are returned with every character entered—you can perform searches using just a few characters instead of whole keywords. It’s so easy, you’ll think it’s reading your mind.

Check it is pretty cool, who knows how long it will last and how long it will be free, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Well, the new Ipaq 200 series is not new news really, but it is to me, and I could not hold off on my excitement about it anymore!  I have been using my trusty windows mobile 2003 Dell Axim X5 since 2004. Sure I have been tempted by several devices since then, but this new 200 series from Ipaq really did something to me. By now you have already seen the specs on it. If you have not, you can check out the Ipaq series 200.

I was originally looking at an Ipaq 2495 with windows mobile 2005. My upgrade interests included built in wifi/BT, office mobile, and persistent storage. I also wanted the compact flash expandability. The problem that I was facing was that the 2495 series was almost the same price as the series 200, which at the time of this post is listed as $399.99 from HP.com. I was doing all kinds of research from Aximsite.com and YouTube.com. I saw on Aximsite that a user bought the new Ipaq from a site called techonweb.com. They were the cheapest, and offered free shipping. For less than $10.00 more than the Ipaq 2495, I ordered the Ipaq 210 Wednesday afternoon and received it before 11 am the next day. Now that's service.

Now I am in the process of setting up my new gear. Because of the expandability, I can use most of my accessories (CF GPSr, existing memory cards, USB/Mini USB power adaptors). I am in the process of looking for a nice case now and most of my software that I used on the dell installed with no issues to the Ipaq.  I just need to upgrade to the newer version of Sprite backup.

Here is a size comparison of the Ipaq and Axim. It is longer than the axim, but a bit lighter and thinner. The VGA screen is incredible.

The price of the Ipaq is listed as $449.99 on HP.com. No doubt this is a lot of money. I had a hard time justifying the cost because my X5 ran well. I decided to take advantage of the price I got it at, at the time because the pro's as compared to my device were pretty high. This was my basic comparison I did:

Ipaq-Built in wifi and Bluetooth, 624 MHz, WM2006 (expandable) HP product life cycle of at least 3 years, SD/CF slots, 128/256 internal memory, SD slots supports high capacity SD cards and is SDIO, removable battery, office mobile (includes powerpoint) and HP included Adobe reader, 4 "VGA, persistent memory, USB connector

X5-wifi/BT ad on via CF adaptors needed, 400 MHz, wm2003 (no upgrades past this), CF/SD slots, 48/64 mb internal memory, SD slot supported up to 1 GB (although some people got more from various posts), not SDIO, removable battery, Adobe and powerpoint 3rd part software needed, QVGA, no persistent memory

I am looking forward to putting this baby to work and see what new things I can do. Installing Skype is also on my shortlist. I am sad to see my X5 be taken out of service. It has served me well and is still a powerhouse in general. As I said in the beginning, I could not hold off my excitement and had to shout it out to the world.  There's a new sheriff in town.

Hexic is a very popular game in our household next to Zuma. My entire family play it on the Xbox 360, their computer via MSN games and now it is available on both the Smarthone platform aka Windows Mobile Standard and Pocket PC aka Windows Mobile Professional and Classic from Astraware for Microsoft. The game plays like other versions using the directional pad to move around the screen and rotate your gems in search of the elusive Black Pearl which is done by creating a flower to earn a starflower piece, then you use starflower pieces to make another flower and earn the elusive black pearl when you make a cluster or flower out of black pearls you win the game.

 

(pictures above are from the PPC version)

(pictures above are from the Smartphone version)

If you are not familiar with Hexic, it is a fantastic twist on the match-three genre by famed Tetris designer, Alexey Pajitnov. Hexic is deceptively simple to begin with - just rotate any trio of hexes in order to form a cluster of three or more same-color pieces - but a real brain-boggling challenge to master. Featuring Marathon, Timed, and Survival game modes, players are sure to enjoy many hours turning hexes into stars, stars into pearls, and pearls into victory!

(Pictures above are from PPC version)

(Pictures above are from SP version)

Astraware also has released Mozaki, a classic brain-teasing strategy puzzler, also by Alexey Pajitnov. Players grab a piece from the stack and place it on the board, connect pieces of the same color to make an unbroken line from the colored edge to the centre of the screen, and connect the required number of lines and win the level. Marathon Mode is deceptively simple, but more colours and mismatched blocks increase the difficulty. Players who prefer to play against the clock can check out Timed Mode for an extra challenge.

Both games have been developed by Astraware for Microsoft's Carbonated Games studio and can be purchased at Astraware for $9.99 each. To try and learn more about Hexic head here. To try and learn more about Mozaki head here.

If you don't have a Windows Mobile phone (you know you should!) you can check here to see if both games will play on your phone direct via your carrier all you need to do is enter your phone number and you will be charged $6.99 for the game and it will be sent to you. Head here for HexicMobile and here for Mozaki Mobile.

The folks at SlingMedia have done it again and have brought the SlingMobile client to another platform and I am sure this won't be the last one! :) In addition to the currently supported Nokia S60 handsets and SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian, UIQ will be launching this summer (models listed below):

•    Sony Ericsson P1i
•    Sony Ericsson P990i
•    Sony Ericsson W960i
•    Sony Ericsson W950i
•    Sony Ericsson M600i
•    Motorola MOTORIZR Z8

The Nokia N95 8GB is also planned with an updated SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian S60. There will also be some Windows Mobile client updates coming soon (The beta client works well and Windows Mobile Standard users will be happy!) and the SlingMedia folks are also hard at work at bringing you BlackBerry support later this year (the same one demoed at CES this year)

Sling Media, Inc., a digital lifestyle products company, today announced SlingPlayer™ Mobile for UIQ on Symbian OS™, bringing the best mobile TV experience to this popular smartphone platform. The company will showcase its new software at the Symbian booth (# 4855, Hall N4) at the CTIA Wireless Show in Las Vegas, NV April 1 – 3 2008. Separately, Sling Media is announcing that its existing SlingPlayer Mobile for S60 on Symbian OS will soon support Nokia’s popular N95 8GB, which will also be demonstrated at CTIA.

With today’s announcements, Sling Media adds to the already robust smartphone support it offers its customers and gives Slingbox owners the ability to watch and control their home TV using even more of the most popular smartphones available in the U.S. and in Europe. Sling Media expects to release SlingPlayer Mobile for UIQ worldwide this summer and expects the new version of SlingPlayer Mobile for S60 to be available this spring.
"We are excited to expand our support for Symbian smartphones, providing customers with the best possible mobile TV experience. With over two-and-a-half billion global 3G and WiFi connections the market potential for mobile TV is huge," said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media. “In order to meet this growing desire for mobile TV, we will continue to expand the availability of SlingPlayer Mobile to as many platforms and devices as possible. Adding SlingPlayer Mobile to such a cutting edge platform as UIQ on Symbian OS is a great step forward in expanding user accessibility to their home TV set-up.”
The personalized mobile TV experience for smartphones is enabled by the award-winning Slingbox, which allows customers to watch and control their home TV on an Internet-connected Mac or PC as well as a range of mobile phone platforms including Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, Palm OS and coming soon, BlackBerry.
Sling Media expects to support the following UIQ handsets at launch and will continue to expand handset support thereafter.

A full list of compatible smartphones for all SlingPlayer Mobile-supported platforms can also be found at http://www.slingmedia.com/go/spm-requirements.
“SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian smartphones extends the reach of home TV viewing to a user’s phone with the same diverse line-up of viewable content. We’re excited to have the SlingPlayer experience delivered to UIQ -- it’s fast, it’s fun, and it offers an enjoyable user experience,” said Jerry Panagrossi, Vice President and General Manager of North American Operations, Symbian.

SlingPlayer Mobile gives Slingbox customers their entire home TV experience, including local channels, local sports teams, video on demand, pay per view, etc. Any program that you can watch on your sofa back home, you can now watch via a PC or Mac, as well as UIQ, Symbian S60, Palm OS, and Windows Mobile-based smartphones anywhere you can get an Internet connection (3G Cellular or WiFi). In addition, SlingPlayer Mobile users can also control their home digital video recorder (DVR) to watch recorded shows, pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV and even program and watch new recordings while away from home.

SlingPlayer Mobile does not require a monthly fee or other recurring charges. Slingbox customers simply need to purchase SlingPlayer Mobile for a one-time charge of $29.99 US, $34.99 Canadian dollars or £19.99 Inc VAT British pounds. All versions of SlingPlayer Mobile include a 30-day free trial and can be purchased at www.slingmedia.com.

Where does the time go? It seems like we our last meeting just occurred, and yet the time has come once again to get together, so...

The next meeting of the Windows Mobile User/Developer Group will happen this Wednesday (March 19th, 2008) starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our 2 featured topics for this meeting are:

• Windows Mobile "State of the Media" Update: The variety of ways of bringing media to your Windows Mobile device seems to constantly be on the rise. It's time once again to visit the options available to you for music, video, podcasts, audio books and more.
• Pimp My Homescreen!: Whether for function or form, for style or substance, taking advantage of the extensibility of the Windows Mobile Homescreen or Today Screen can be both useful and fun. We will look at "out-of-the-box" capabilities and third-party tools that can can transform your homescreen into a work of art.

As always, we will have lots of really great giveaways for attendees.

See you there!

Today Sprint released the much awaited ROM update for the Mogul (PPC6800).  This update enables users to access Sprint's EvDO Rev A data network.  EvDO Rev A is a technology that allows for lower data latency, faster upload and download speeds.  Included in this update is access to the GPS One chipset.  This allows you to use the new Sprint navigation software (included in the ROM update), Windows Live Search Mobile, Google maps, etc..it will turn your device into an all-in-one navigation system.  Here is the full list of what this update encompasses. 

1. Adds EV-DO Rev.A functionality for faster download and upload speeds when transmitting data wherever EV-DO Rev. A coverage is available.

2. Adds advanced GPS functionality including the software for Sprint Navigation.

3. Adds a Task Manager to the Today screen for easier access and management of Running Programs.

4. Improves Bluetooth performance including usage with Phone As Modem and wireless stereo headsets.

5. Corrects an issue where Windows Live Messenger content may be erased when the device power cycles

 

The Update can be found Here

 Also don't forget to sync and backup your device prior to doing the update.