Amazon Accidentally Leaks Tungsten T5 Picture
Though we’ve had several hoax photoshops of the upcoming PalmOne Tungsten T5, this one feels like the real deal:
Amazon briefly posted a listing for a hard case for the T5 that conveniently has the T5 nestled inside. Specs for the upcoming unit don’t seem to include WiFi (though you can probably buy palmOne’s overpriced SDIO WiFi card that’s only compatible with a couple of devices), but do include an impressive 256 MB RAM, and a USB port so PCs can mount the T5 as a removeable drive.
No slider design for the T5, either, a la the Tungsten T3. In fact, the overall impression I get from the T5 is that it’s pretty boring, though the screen is pretty impressive.
PalmOne has a history of announcing new products around the first of October, so I’m sure that official word on this new device is just around the corner.
Engadget - Jason Gordon, Product Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Devices Division
Interesting interview over at Engadget with the guy who probably has a better idea than anyone about what the future of Windows Mobile devices holds.
Go check it out.
The C500, aka the Audiovox SMT5600, is coming to America - Engadget - www.engadget.com
Not only are we getting closer to the much anticipated release of the Motorola MPX220 Smartphone, but before that, AT&T plans to release the latest iteration of the popular SPV C500 Smartphone, known as the Audiovox SMT5600 within a month or so.
Not one but two great Smartphones coming soon? Add the T-Mobile SDA, which will likey show up here before the end of the year (total guess on my part), and it’s a good time to be a Smartphone user, or a good time to make the switch to the Smartphone platform. Just pick a device you like, and make the plunge!
Pocket PC Thoughts - MPx On Sale… Sort Of
Remember those crazy guys in Miami that were selling the Motorola MPX220 Smartphone weeks before it would otherwise be available, for the low low price of $1400? Yeah? Well, the same guys, Celluloco, are now offering the Motorola MPx Pocket PC Phone Edition for the bargain basement blowout price of just $4,448…
Hey, if you’ve got the bling, and you’ve gotta have the newest gadget before absolutely everyone else, these guys appear to be a legitimate business that can hook you up. Who can say whether I’d go for it if I had the cash laying around…
PDA Buyer’s Guide Reviews: HP iPAQ rx3715 Pocket PC
Not much new here, except that it’s another review of the device I’m most looking forward to in the near future.
People have been telling me that the rx3715 is available at some stores (CompUSA, BestBuy, etc.), but I haven’t seen it show up in their online inventory databases yet. I just may have to make a shopping trip in the near future, and see what I can find.
First Thoughts - RIM BlackBerry 7100t
The folks over at BargainPDA got their hands on the new RIM BlackBerry 7100t device -the one with the funky new 20 key keyboard, and have posted their impressions:
Of course the big deal is the text entry system. I have to be honest…the learning curve is going to be pretty steep. The entry works much like a cell phone, where you hit a button multiple times to get the letter you want. In this case there are two letters per button. As you enter in letters, the software tries to guess at the word you want to spell. It’s supposed to grow with the user, so it becomes more accurate, resulting in faster input. My initial take is the input is clunky and hard to learn. But to be fair, I didn’t use the device for an extended period of time. At the moment it’s one of those things that sounds interesting, but I’m skeptical about its day-to-day usage. All of this said, people used to text messaging on their phones will probably pick up this entry system rather quickly.
Do you think enough people will be tempted by the CrackBerry promise of super-connectivity with your email, coupled with the comfortable $200 price, to overcome learning what amounts to almost a completely new input method? Hard to tell at this point, but it’s definitely got potential.
ThunderHawk Smartphone Edition For End Users
ThunderHawk has provided an alternate web browser for the Pocket PC platform for quite a while now, and they’ve finally released their browser for Windows Mobile Smartphones:
ThunderHawk streamlines the browsing process by doing the “heavy lifting” (downloading, rendering, etc.) on their server backend, and then sending the compressed web page over the air to the Smartphone. This compression proxy technology is similar to what T-Mobile does with the Sidekick, and what
Skweezer does as well.
The down side to this is that to use ThunderHawk, you have to pay a yearly subscription fee of $49.95/year, or $5.95/month. So you’re not only paying for the browser software, but for use of the compression proxy, as well.
For me, the version of Internet Explorer that comes with Windows Mobile for Smartphone is more than adequate for my mobile browsing (of which I do quite a bit). I am especially pleased with the “One Column” format option found in the WM2003 version of IE. It forces the page to one column (rather than just trying to do so, like the “Default” layout option), and completely eliminates horizontal scrolling on most every website, making them all quite readable. In addition, I do 98% of my Smartphone web surfing using the mobile version of Bloglines.com. My web consumption is mainly based on RSS feeds (see my blogroll to the right to get an idea - I subscribe to over 250 feeds), and the mobile version of Bloglines does a great job of presenting the feed content in a simple text format, which fits perfectly on the Smartphone’s small screen. Combined with the fact that my “read” items stay synchronized with the full desktop browser version of Bloglines, which I use as my main RSS reader, and I’m tickled pink with this solution for reading any of my 250+ feeds just fine in WM2003’s Internet Explorer.
So that’s why I won’t likely be plunking down any cash to use ThunderHawk. But if easier access to non-mobile friendly websites sounds like something that would be useful to you, go check it out. There is a free 30 day trial.
pocketnow.com - Reviews - Dell Axim X30 Pocket PC - v3.0
Pocketnow.com is famous for their very thorough, in depth reviews, and now they’ve got one available for the Dell Axim X30 Pocket PC:
Check out that shiny cradle!
This is the Pocket PC I have been recommending to people when they as me which one they should buy (and a lot of people ask me that). Why? You get the best of the current generation of Pocket PCs - small size, 624MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition - for a rock bottom price. I routinely see deals for the top-end X30 for less than $300 (sometimes as low as $260 or so). To me, that’s the best value in a Pocket PC, period.
Russell Beattie Notebook - Smart Phones Are One Handed Devices
Russell Beattie seems a little ticked by the media refering to any PDA-like device as a “smart phone”
Let’s go over this again: If it doesn’t have a keypad? It’s not a smart phone. If you have to use a pen? It’s not a smart phone. If the main function of the device is not making calls? It’s not a smart phone. If it has a little keyboard? It’s not a smart phone. If it comes with a belt clip? It’s not a smart phone. If it doesn’t have left and right soft buttons? It’s not a smart phone. If the screen size isn’t 176×208/220 or QVGA? It’s not a smart phone.
I agree with some of his points - there is a difference between a PDA phone and a smartphone. However, I mostly draw the distinction at whether or not there is a touch screen (and consequently, how many hands are required to operate it). I think some of the nits that Russell picks (soft buttons, screen size, belt clip, etc.) are far less important. It almost sounds like he has his one “smart phone” that he’s passionate about, and is getting snippy that anyone else dare call their device by the same moniker.
Of course, don’t get me started on the difference between a “smartphone” (lowercase s) and a “Smartphone” (with a capital “S”). Hint - if it runs Windows Mobile for Smartphones, it’s a Smartphone.
SPRINT PCS -
Verizon has had this Windows Mobile Smartphone for over a year now, but it’s finally available on Sprint PCS:
While not nearly as popular as the Motorola MPX200, the i600 provides a very simlary feature set - clamshell design, Windows Mobile for Smartphones 2003, etc. No camera or Bluetooth, but you do get an SDIO-capable SD slot. It’s listed as being compatible with Sprint’s relatively speedy Vision wireless data service (messaging, web, and “Sprint PCS Business Connection”, whatever that is), so at least you can surf, email, and IM on it.
The Sprint web site (above) lists the price as a staggering $649 (though you can knock $180 off of that with web deals and rebates listed on the order page). Considering that the MPX200 can be had for free after rebates on Amazon, and only lists for $375 without a contract or activation, I’m certainly surprised that Sprint feels they can charge such an exorbitant price. But hey, I guess if you’re on Sprint, and you’ve got to have a Windows Mobile Smartphone, you might be willing to bend over and pay the price.
TinyScreenfuls Feed (this blog)
