Where Are All the Windows Mobile 6.1 Devices?

Back on April 1st 2008, Microsoft stood on the stage at CTIA Wireless 2008 and announced the availability of Windows Mobile 6.1. This updated mobile OS is suppose to help broaden the consumer appeal and at the same time address the increasingly complex mobile needs of the enterprise customer. The new setup wizard would help get up and running in minutes - from configuring email to Bluetooth adapters, the setup wizard makes it simple to get connected. Microsoft also added their System Center Mobile Device Manager goodness to the device, so enterprise should be able to manage these devices easier than in the past.There’s lots of good things in Windows Mobile 6.1, but the real question is; Where is it? At CTIA Microsoft said that devices will become available in the second quarter of 2008. Well, I hate to break the bad news, but that’s come and gone. We have a small sprinkling of devices available today - HTC Diamond, HP 910, and the new Sprint Treo. However, all of these just recently hit the streets. We’re not in the second quarter any more. In fact, we’re almost half way through the third quarter, and these are the only devices available.

At the time of the press release, Microsoft listed 25 devices that would get Windows Mobile 6.1. The new HP device wasn’t even on the list. The Sprint Treo was on the list and if you consider HTC’s Diamond to be “a new Touch Dual for the US” then we can scratch two devices off the list. Oh, and HTC did release an OS update for the TyTN II - although I’ve heard it doesn’t run very well. What happened to everyone else? What’s the hold up? Windows Mobile 6.1 has been code complete for a while, the announcement was made long after the final version of the OS was handed out to manufacturers and partners. By the time these devices really start to hit the market, people will have lost the lust and desire and will have moved on to a new device. Getting the product to market in a timely matter after the announcement is a key factor in success. Microsoft needs to have a closer relationship with the manufacturers and partners so they can better time the announcements and release of products.

Experience Mobility Gets A Facelift and New URL

Fellow Mobile Device MVP and friend, Jack Cook, has run into some bad luck with his site - Experience Mobility. The good news is that the problems are all in the past. The bad part is that he’s lost a lot of posts and is still working on saving the reviews. Jack has updated the site with a brand new look and feel and in the process he’s switched to a .net domain from the original .com. If you’re a regular on Jack’s site, please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds to reflect the new URL. If you’re not familiar with Jack or Experience Mobility, I would suggest you head over and check things out.

Is The HP iPAQ 510 Really A Top Rated Smartphone?

According to Expansys, the HP iPAQ 510 is among the 3 top rated Windows Mobile Smartphones on their site. The other 2, in case you’re wondering, are the Samsung BlackJack II and the Palm Treo 500v. I have no problems with the other two devices, they are both very nice handsets - yes, even the 500v. But the HP device is nowhere near top rated. When the device was released it was slammed by just about every major gadget site. The best thing it has going for it is the voice software that HP pre-loaded on it. From everything I read, it’s pretty amazing. Unfortunately, the device sucks at everything else. It’s running a lower resolution that we haven’t seen on Windows Mobile Smartphone (Standard) devices for years - 176×220. The device is also limited to the much slower EDGE network. That means there’s no enjoyment for fast 3G network when browsing the web or downloading emails. Surely there has to be another device that ranks better than this? Where’s HTC on this list too?

Backing Up Your PIM Data on the Device

There are a number of different applications out there that will backup your Windows Mobile device. Some do it over ActiveSync from your desktop while others actually run on the device and save the backup to a storage card. Most of these apps are pretty good and provide a great way to create a 100% image of your device. However, for me, I just want to backup my contacts and appointments - my PIM data. If I’m out roaming the world and my device has some major crash, having a copy of my contacts and appointments that I can restore to the device after a hard reset is imperative. I already keep a folder on my MicroSD card with all the CAB files for the applications I use. So I can reinstall them without much concern. The other advantage of backing up just the contacts and appointments is that they can easily be restored to a different device in the case where my device meets an early demise.

To do a complete backup of your all your PIM data on a device, I’ve been using a free application from “Dot Fred”. You can download a copy from his website - www.dotfred.net. It’s not that pretty an application, but when it comes to functionality, it’s top notch. If you’re looking at running this on a Smartphone, be prepared for a little more work as the interface is clearly designed for tapping on. It can still be used, but there’s a lot of scrolling and tabbing around at times.

PIM Backup doesn’t just backup your contacts and appointments, it also backs up the speed dial settings you’ve created along, call logs, messages, and there is even a custom option that allows you to select individual files or folders that you want to include in the backup. Once you’ve selected everything, you can select the destination for the backup along with creating a schedule for when you want it to run.

The only drawback that I have found in my use of this app, besides the poor interface for non-touch screen devices, is that it on restore it doesn’t create the mailboxes for the messages to go in. If you create the account first and then run restore, it will put them back into that inbox, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t create that account. I’m hoping that this is something that can be added in the future. For me, it’s the only thing missing on an otherwise great backup application. Regardless of that, you can’t go wrong for the price! Dot Fred has done a great job on this utility.

It’s Time To Call The Cops

I spend a fair amount of time on the road each day; I know it’s not as much as what some of you spend, but it’s still enough. A couple years back I narrowly escaped getting hit by some fool going way to fast in a heavy rain storm. He ended up taking out 3 other cars and finally came to a rest beside a telephone pole. I wasn’t involved in anyway, but I pulled over to help those that were. Thankfully nobody was injured in the accident. But now came the problem of what to do. We all knew we needed some police officer to come out and do their thing, but it’s wasn’t an emergency. In the end, I called my wife and asked her if she could do a Google search for the contact details of the local police department.

After that, I added the number for the police department to my contacts so it can be sync’ed with my device. In fact, I added the number for the police departments in all of the places where I normally drive. I realize it may not be someone that you’re going to call very often, but it sure is handy when you need it. Today for example, I stumbled upon what appeared to be a stolen car that was stripped down and left on the side of the road (this is a back street with nothing but farmers fields and dirt). It was really simple easy for me to call that in as I continued on my way to work. Just a suggestion, but I recommend you take a couple minutes and enter the non-emergency numbers for you local police department into your phone today. You never know.

The Carrier Tides May be Changing in Canada

It seems almost too good to be true and it may be a while before we know anything for certain. However, yesterday the Canadian government auctioned off some new cellular spectrum. The end result was a $4.2 billion dollar windfall from 15 different companies. The government took a bold step (for Canadian government anyway) and restricted the existing 3 cellular carriers from buying up everything. It should prove very interesting over the coming weeks and months as these new companies work to bring their plans to the table for Canadians to pick from. Until a couple weeks ago, there was no such thing as a reasonable data plan in Canada. Rogers launched a $30/6GB data plan and the public has been eating it up - even with a 3 year contract.I, for one, am looking forward to improved service and better pricing. I can’t wait to hear what these new comers are planning. :)  You can read more details about the auction and the results on CBCs website, here.

Neo FreeRunner - Open Source GSM Phone is Now Available

One of the guys at work passed this information along to me, and I felt I should share it with all of you. The Neo FreeRunner, also known as OpenMoko FreeRunner, is an open source GSM cell phone that runs a Linux based OS. The device sells for around $399 MSRP, but your local distributor might sell for a different amount based on import taxes and what have you. You can check out the full unboxing action over at Holden Karau’s blog.

The device features a 2.8″ VGA touch screen, a ARM9 processor running at 400 MHz, Graphics Acceleration, 128MD SDRAM, 256MD NAND Flash, MicroSD Slot, an external GPS connector, AGPS, GPRS (2.5G), Bluetooth 2.0, a 3axis Motion Sensors. All of that is packed into 6.5 ounces (185 grams) measuring 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.73 inches.

So what good is this device? Well, it’s an unlocked device that you can use with any GSM SIM. It’s also Open Source and you get buy a debug board allowing you to tweak and modify the ROM as you see fit. I’m not sure exactly how much access is given in terms of modification, like do they let you modify the radio code? That could be pretty destructive if you don’t know what your are doing.

I’m on the fence about getting one of these. It’s not something that the general public can use, you need to be a little technical by the looks of things. However, I’m interested in tinkering around with a device like this. And then you have to wonder if Google’s much hyped and delayed Android, would run on it. Hrm… Decisions, decisions…

Looking for Spare Parts for your Device?

Over the years I’ve had to purchase many different parts for my devices. Sometimes it’s been the battery cover, or a cracked case, or even a new screen. The place I keep returning to is Cellular Nationwide Network - CNN for short. These guys have parts for almost any phone and I’m not just talking Windows Mobile devices. They also have parts for Blackberry’s, iPhones, and even those basic cell phones that the carrier gives away for free. If that wasn’t enough, you can even get parts for your Zune, iPod and gaming consoles like xbox 360, Playstation, and Wii!

If you’re gadget is in need of a little repair and it’s out of warranty, I suggest taking a look at these guys and see if they have the parts you need before you pay the high price of sending it back to the manufacturer for repair. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve used them a number of times and it’s always been exactly what I needed at a price that couldn’t be beat.

Happy Repairs!

Ilium Updates eWallet to Version 6.1

While I was away on vacation, one of my all time favorite and must have applications was updated - eWallet. The latest version is now 6.1 and is a free update for people with version 6.0. If you’re running the older version 5, then there is a small upgrade fee. I’ve been running a private beta version for a good couple weeks and it’s been solid and bug free for me.

So what’s new? Well, there’s a number of enhancements in this point release. A more exhaustive list can be found over here - although, I’m pretty sure that’s not the complete list. Anyway, the cool new features that I care about are the improved performance on a Smartphone device. It’s now worlds easier to navigate and edit fields from your non-touch screen Windows Mobile device. Ilium has also added the ability to customize the fields in your card - so you can have multiple hidden values now.

And if none of the improvements here seem like enough reason for you to upgrade, that’s cool. Ilium is working on 6.2 and maybe that one will have the features you’ve been looking for. Speaking of features, I would love to see a seamless over-the-air file sync for my eWallet file. I realize this doesn’t have to be done by Ilium, but it’s a killer feature that I would love to see. Besides that, I think it would be awesome to have a Windows Sidebar gadget that lets me quickly open a wallet. What kind of features would you guys like to see added to your eWallet?

Unlimited Data Plans for Pre-Paid Customers

Thanks to the crazy roaming cost of data, when I travel to the US, I use my AT&T SIM card. I simply forward all calls from my Canadian number to my AT&T SIM and I’m off and running - sort of. There’s two small problems. The first is text messages; These just don’t forward and I don’t think there’s much I can do about that. I just have to hope the people sending them to me know that I’m traveling and will use my US cell number. The other problem is mobile data. Until recently, there wasn’t much you could do about this with a pay-as-you-go (or Pre-Paid as it’s now referred to as) account. I don’t travel to the US enough times in a year to go that route. Perhaps the time will come when that is the case, but for now I’m staying on the pre-paid service.

AT&T has a pretty good plan where you can pre-pay $100 and it will last for 1 full year. So I don’t have to keep worrying about refilling the account every 2-3 months. Unfortunately, the cost per KB of data was still pretty high so I didn’t tend to do much with data when I was down there. However, my fellow MVP and friend Arne Hess of The::Unwired posted some news about a new pre-paid unlimited data plan. So on my recent visit to the US, I thought I would give this a try. Once I checked into the hotel I dialed 611 on my AT&T phone and worked my way through the prompts and sure enough I was able to add an unlimited data package to my phone for the next 30 days. The cost? Just $19.99! AT&T took the money out of my pre-paid yearly balance, so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay them for this and that’s just fine with me.

In the end, I only needed the data for 5 or 6 days, but the unlimited option means I don’t have to worry about the high cost of per KB data. I was free to stream TV from my SlingBox, track my movements and find things close to my location using Live Search, and of course, the old stand-by of email and web. If you’re going to be traveling to the US, I strongly suggest you think about using a setup like this. It’s so much cheaper than the $150 I paid for 3MB of roaming data on a previous trip!

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