AT&T Makes the Samsung Propel Pro Official

AT&T has announced the new Samsung Propel Pro smartphone will be available on their network in April. This new device is based on the popular Propel model but features Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard as it’s operating system. The silver and chrome slider smartphone sports a full QWERTY keyboard. Unlike the typical side – sliders we’ve seen in North America, the Propel Pro, like the Propel and Samsung i620 from Europe, slides down to reveal the keyboard. While we don’t have an official spec sheet at this time, so we can’t confirm if there is a GPS or not. It does appear that the Propel Pro has a 3.0 mega pixel camera and supports WiFi, both of which are noticeable in the pictures.

Looking closely at the pictures, it also appears that the Propel Pro could be the first Windows Mobile Standard device to break out of the 320×240 screen size. It’s clear that the screen is not the typical portrait layout (240×320) as it’s much to wide a handset with the keyboard. However, the screen appears to be longer than that of the BlackJack II. It’s also pretty clear that it’s not square as the height of the screen is noticeably more than the width. Perhaps we’re looking at a 320×400 screen?

I can’t wait to learn more about this new device. The bigger screen resolution and small footprint could make for interesting competition to HTCs Maple smartphone. The days are numbered for my BlackJack II.

(Source = the::unwired)

Pocketwit is Still the Best Twitter Client for Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile has had a hard time when it comes to good Twitter clients. There’s a short list of clients, and a even shorter list of clients worth installing. Pocketwit has been atop of that list for a while and the latest version has helped cement it’s position even more. With version 0.68 Pocketwit has added some really cool new features. The one that really caught my eye, is the fetching of images from TwitPic or other Twitter image hosting solutions. The image isn’t displayed inline, but when you tap on a tweet and select to follow the TwitPic link, instead of having IE Mobile pop up and waiting for the site to load, you instantly see the TwitPic image. Then you can choose to continue onto the TwitPic site if you really want.

Another really awesome addition, is the ability to email a Tweet. When you select “Email Status” you can pick which email account you want to send this message from and then you’re presented with a standard compose screen for email. I’ve just installed the latest version of Pocketwit and I’ve already used this feature a couple times.

As you use Pocketwit, it tracks the people you receive tweets from and then displays them in an auto-complete fashion when you’re typing a message. This is simply great when you’re on a mobile device and you’re trying to recall the exact spelling of someone’s account name. Not everyone’s address is as easy as MobileJaw. [ ..Read More.. ]

Samsung c6620 for MTV Mobile in Italy

Recently I posted about the Samsung c6620’s availability. When I posted that, it was posted on Samsung’s Netherlands website along with some local Netherlands resellers. Now it’s turned up in Italy (thanks Deigo for the tip!) and this version appears to be the same phone, just with added mobile operator branding – and a funky new design on the back. The phone is being marketed by MTV Mobile, a MVNO in Italy running on the TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) network. The new back design is pretty neat, but the phone is still limited specifications for use outside of Europe. Otherwise, I think I would have ordered one already. I’m a big fan on non-touch screen devices, especially when they have a QWERTY keyboard on it as well. In case you couldn’t already tell.

You can see all the specs for this phone along with some more pictures at the WindowsMobileItaly.com website (Here’s a Google Translation to English).

Share Your Thoughts on Microsoft’s Recent Windows Mobile Announcements and Win!

Microsoft has been making headlines as of late with the news of Windows Mobile 6.5 at Mobile World Congress, and more recently with details about Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Some think Microsoft’s efforts are too little / too late and that 6.5 doesn’t offer any significant advantage over Windows Mobile 6.1. Others are talking about the new developer initiatives around Windows Marketplace for Mobile saying that it doesn’t do anything for the hobbyist developer. Is Windows Mobile 6.5 nothing more than a way to bridge the distance between now and the release of Windows Mobile 7? And will the new Windows Phone name bring any real value? I’ve got plenty of thoughts and opinions about all of these topics, but I would really like to hear what you think about Microsoft’s plans – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I’ve put together the Windows Mobile Swag Pack prize package. I’ll draw a name from all the replies and one lucky person will take home the Windows Mobile Swag Pack which includes a Windows Mobile hat, Windows Mobile pen and notebook, Windows Mobile gel pad for your cars dashboard, and a Windows Mobile stainless steel coffee cup. If you’ve been looking for some nice Windows Mobile Swag, then this is your chance to grab some. Just share your thoughts with us and we’ll draw one lucky winner from the replies.

Disclaimer – This giveaway is not sponsored by or endorsed by Microsoft in any way. The prize swag pack is a collection of items provided to me at various events in the past little while.

Taking a Look at BlueAnt’s Z9i Bluetooth Headset

From wired to wireless, I’ve used a number of different headsets over the years. The wired headsets are loaded with nothing but problems, the cord gets tangled up, or there is a break in the cable causing the sound to short out. So it’s no surprise to see Bluetooth headsets become so successful, as they don’t have that nasty cable problem. They also have more power and smarts than your typical headset. In recent years we’ve seen noise reduction become a big factor on Bluetooth headsets. And noise reduction is one place this BlueAnt has focused on with regards to their Z9i headset.

I was very impressed with the packaging when I unboxed my BlueAnt. It’s clean and clearly shows you the complete product without having to open the box. You can clearly see that this headset is an in-ear with a hoop to that goes over your ear to hold it in place. Some pictures that I’ve seen online had removed the hoop, so it wasn’t clear how the headset would work.

Opening the package proved a little more difficult than I had expected. You actually open the product from the bottom, but the metal cap was taped and glued in place. If it wasn’t for the sticker telling you to open it from the bottom, I would have thought that I was going to break it. [ ..Read More.. ]

The Eye-Fi Share has Arrived!

Just after CES I posted an article about Eye-Fi’s visit to CntrStg and my experiences using an Eye-Fi card for taking pictures at CntrStg. After a little shopping around and a minor shipping issue with my order from Amazon, I finally have it in my hands. I had a small problem getting the card setup, when I inserted it into my laptop, I was prompted with the regular windows prompt asking what I wanted to do with this card. I selected to run the Eye-Fi installer, but was quickly greeted with a message that the AutoRun application has stopped working. At first, I thought it was a simple one time thing, but after a couple more attempts and even after trying on a XP based computer, it was obvious that the installer was having problems. Thankfully, Eye-Fi has the setup application available as a download from their website. It didn’t take long to download and configure the card. The setup was very easy to do and within a couple minutes I was taking pictures and having them automatically transferred to my computer. With the great weather we had here yesterday, I was outside snapping pictures of the kids riding their bikes and by the time I got inside they were already on my hard drive and uploaded to my picture gallery. How awesome is that!

(The above picture was taken without using the Eye-Fi card in the camera for obvious reasons.)

I decided not to get the Geotag / WiFi hotspots option because most of the pictures I’ll be taking are going to be around the house. There’s a really good chance that I’ll add those features before the next family vacation. Until then, I’m more than happy with uploading to my computer and SmugMug account.

Chrome Xbox 360 Case Mod

We all like to customize our gadgets to make them more unique and personal. With mobile phones, it’s usually ringtones, wallpapers, cases, and for some, lanyards. But what about gaming consoles? Why should your Xbox 360 be any different? I’m not talking about faceplate replacement or some silly sticker. For this mod, we’re talking about a full case replacement. NCS is offering 3 different cases for you to pick from – Gloss Black, Clear, and Chrome (shown above). All of which can be had for the low price of $49 USD. If you’re brave enough and can follow some simple steps then you can do the ultimate mod for your 360.

Colorware does some pretty cool work when it comes to custom paint jobs on Smartphones, PCs, and even gaming consoles. However, they’re not selling a case replacement. You have to send in your unit, or you buy a new one from them that they paint to your specs. It will truly be unique, but it will also cost you a lot more scratch than getting just the case from NCS.

All this mod talk has me thinking about getting some spare faceplates for my BlackJack II and doing some custom design. Too bad I don’t have the eye for the design or the tools to do the painting.

(Thanks to Peter for the tip!)

Samsung’s New c6620 is Already Available

The c6620 is one of the new phones that Samsung showed off last month at Mobile World Congress. That didn’t take very long at all. This new model resembles the ever-popular BlackJack line of smartphones running Windows Mobile Standard 6.1. The keyboard has a slightly different design and the keys look to be a little shorter in height. The screen is larger at 2.6” compared to that of the BlackJack II with 2.4”. The biggest difference is in the radio. The c6620 only sports a Tri-Band GSM (900, 1800, 1900) and a single band 3G / UMTS (2100), making this device all but useless here in North America. I hope Samsung has more up it’s sleeve, because this seems to fall short.

If you’re looking for more information, you can check out Samsung’s Netherlands website. (Thanks to Remo for the tip!)

Daylight Savings Time – How Did Your Devices Do?

Today we entered into Daylight Savings Time by moving our clocks forward by 1 hour. As a result, today is only 23 hours long and it’s a little brighter out for a littler longer. If you haven’t switching your clocks at this point, I strongly recommend you do it now before you’re late for work tomorrow – unless, of course, you live in some area that doesn’t observe daylight savings.

So the real question is; How did your devices handle the change? All of my devices switched without any problems. The only clocks I had to manually adjust are the dumb ones like the wall clock, stove, and microwave. What about your devices, did any of them fail to change, or perhaps they jumped more than 1 hour? Let us know!

HTC Returns to the Messenger Market with the Maple Smartphone

It’s been a long time since HTC had a device in the messenger space. The Excalibur, HTC’s first messenger style device, was a smash hit with T-Mobile users under the name of Dash. This device was also sold across many other carriers and under many other names, including HTC’s brand as the s620. Following the Excalibur, HTC released the Cavalier. This device added 3G, but never managed to get any traction and didn’t last very long. At this point, HTC turned their focus to other devices and left the messenger market to it’s own devices and companies like Samsung and Moto came in and took over with their BlackJack and Q series of devices.

If the pictures posted by Cnet Germany (via WM Experts) are any indication, all that is about to change. The new HTC Maple is the first messenger device from HTC in a while and it sure looks nice. There is no official comment from my sources at HTC and as such, there is no official specs to be had. But if we look at what HTC has been doing and what this image shows us, we can guess at what features this might have. HTC’s most recent WinMo Standard device, the Rose, has a 528Mhz processor with 256MB for RAM and ROM and 3G in a very small package. I would be surprised if these specs don’t make it to the Maple. WiFi is also a staple on most, if not all HTC devices, so expect to see WiFi. Further, you can clearly see the trackball on the front of the Maple. This is a welcome change from the horrible JOGGR touch panel that the original Excalibur and Cavalier sported. The screen appears to be 320×240 and shows the sliding panel home screen from WinMo 6.1. Don’t take this as an indication that there won’t be WinMo 6.5 on the device. We haven’t seen any screen shots of 6.5 on a standard (non-touch) device. So it’s unclear what the user can expect to see with 6.5. WinMo 6.5 will mainly focus on finger usability, so it’s possible that there is no new user experience changes to standard devices.

GPS should also be expected. Although, to be honest, you can never tell these days. Some devices where you expect to see it, it’s doesn’t get added. It sure would be nice to see this with GPS, as I use it so much these days. With any luck, we’ll see a spring launch and hopefully it will be here in North America.

I’ve got my fingers crossed – can’t wait to try the new HTC Maple.

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