I’m a storyteller. I find cool new things, use them to make my life better, and teach others to do the same.
Sorry there haven’t been many TinyPodCasts recently. I haven’t forgotten about them. Quite the contrary - I’ve been quite busy working on several projects related to podcasting, including working out some things to get ready for the relaunch of TinyPodCast.
Look for a new, improved TinyPodCast in the near future, as well as the launch of a super exciting project that (I hope) will make a difference in the world of podcasting.
Stay tuned!
Om Malik on Broadband: Persistent Palm Rumors
This one has been kicked around quite a bit in the last few weeks. PalmOne is going to make a Treo running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS. Then they’re not. Then they might. Now Dell enters the picture, wanting a Windows Mobile Treo to sell their enterprise customers.
Interesting ideas. I, for one, would jump on a Windows Mobile Treo in a heartbeat. This article over at Om Malik’s Broadband covers some interesting angles, including how RIM’s BlackBerry fits into the picture. Go have a read. Then tell me when (if ever) you expect to see a product with both Palm (palmOne) and Windows Mobile in the name…
PDA street forums - 7100t Shortcuts and Tricks Thread
I ran across this in my subscription to the del.icio.us “blackberry” tag RSS feed.
It turns out that while the functionality to use the new BlackBerry 7100t as a Bluetooth GPRS modem has been disabled, you can still use it as a GPRS modem connected via USB cable. This has the added benefit of trickle charging the BlackBerry while it’s plugged into the USB cable, so as long as your laptop has power, you can be connected to the internet as long as you have a cell signal.
To be honest, since I knew that the Bluetooth functionality was disabled, I assumed that all GPRS modem functionality was missing, and never though to try this out. Turns out it’s deceptively simple, and easy to set up. I’ve tried it out, and it works great.
Read on for the details on how to set everything up.
Here are the instructions from the post linked above (written by PDAStreet user bollar:
It turns out that the 7100 can be used on T-Mobile as a GPRS modem for a computer by using the USB cable. Here’s how to configure it:
1. The 7100 must be connected to the computer by USB cable and the BB desktop manager must be turned on.
2. Verify the modem settings. In the Control Panel open the Phone & Modem Options. On the modems tab, you should see a new Standard Modem on a new port (mine is COM11). Click Properties: Diagnostics: Query Modem. You should see the following:
ATQ0V1E0 - OK
AT+GMM - BlackBerry IPmodem
AT+FCLASS=? - OK
AT#CLS=? - OK
AT+GCI? - OK
AT+GCI=? - OK
ATI1 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI2 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI3 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI4 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI5 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI6 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI7 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
3. Click Properties: Advanced and add the following Extra initialization commands:
AT+cgdcont=1,”IP”,”wap.voicestream.com”,”",0,0
4. Close the Phone and Modem Options and the Control Panel. Create a new connection with Start: Connect To: Show all connections: Create a new connection.
1. Connect to the Internet
2. Set up my connection manually
3. Connect using a dial-up modem
4. Check only the Standard Modem
5. Give the connection a name such as “T-Mobile GPRS via BB7100 USB”
6. The phone number is *99#
7. Connection for Anyone’s use, or not.
8. Leave the username and passwords blank. Uncheck make this the default Internet connection.
9. Click Finish
5. Give it a try. It should dial and connect in just a couple of seconds.
If these instructions don’t work for you, or could be improved, let me know.
If you have a BlackBerry 7100t, try this out, and let me know how it works!
TreoCentral.com - Dial Up Networking For Sprint - HACKED!
Sprint caught a lot of flak for disabling the Bluetooth Dial Up Modem functionality of the fancy new Treo 650, preventing people from using it as a Bluetooth modem to connect a PDA or laptop to the internet wirelessly. Even though they later recanted, and said they would provide said functionality at some point in the future, the intrepid users over at TreoCentral.com have beat them to the punch.
Find out how after the jump.
Originally posted by shadowmite:
Here it is, after hours of tracing code, it was a trival two byte patch… Here is the file, overwrite the existing one…
(BTManager.patched.prc)
All you have to do is replace the BTManager app with this patched one, and it should “unhide” the Dial Up Networking functionality.
It hasn’t even been a week since the Treo 650 became available. It will be interesting to see what Sprint’s reaction to this is. Since they have stated that they’ll renable this functionality, they can’t exactly get mad at the community (although I don’t doubt that they’ll get mad anyway).
Kudos to shadowmite for a great hack!
Dale Coffing’s PocketPCPassion.com was one of the premier Pocket PC and gadget new sites until it fell upon some hardware problems quite some time ago. The active forums and great device reviews from Dale were sorely missed (how did he manage to get his hands on all the great toys before everyone else?).
Now, Dale is back. He’s relaunched a new site he’s calling MobilePassion, expanding its scope beyond just Pocket PCs. He’s just getting started, but it’s really nice to see an old familiar face back in action.
For now, you can get to the site with the old www.pocketpcpassion.com URL, until DNS gets sorted out. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed here.
I’ve been sick for the last week or so, which explains the dearth of posting here. It also explains the large backlog of podcasts that I’ve accumulated, waiting for me to listen to them. I’m back to work today, and that meant firing up the iPod to listen to some podcasts during my commute on the train.
I was listening to Sean Murphy’s MobileGadgetNews Podcast #2 from Nov. 5, and I almost peed my pants when I heard him mention TinyPodCast and TinyScreenfuls.com! He even played a clip from the first TinyPodCast. I was shocked and slightly embarassed at hearing my own voice on someone else’s podcast, but it definitely made my day!
Sean, I’m flattered and honored that you mentioned me. I’ve got big plans in store for TinyPodCast, and some other ancillary projects that I think the podcasting community is going to love.
Stay tuned…
Gizmodo : Gmail Enables POP (For Some)
Google has turned on POP access to Gmail accounts:
Go here for all the details, including “What about IMAP?” (short answer: coming soon) and details for configuring just about any mail client out there (Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird, etc.).
What does this have to do with mobile devices? It means that you can now send and receive Gmail on your Smartphone, Treo, or Pocket PC Phone Edition. Just configure your mail client to access pop.gmail.com/smtp.gmail.com with the proper encryption settings and port numbers, and you’re set.
I’ll try this out on a few devices, and let you know how it goes.
HTC Voyager (C500, AudioVOX SMT5600) unlock in under 5 min
Florin, the head honcho over at www.c500-unlock.com has finally found a fix for the problem he ran into when SIM unlocking Audiovox SMT5600 Smartphones. Whereas before, the unlock would turn your phone into a paperweight, the unlock process now fully supports the SMT5600.
If you want to use an SMT5600 on a carrier other than AT&T Wireless (and who wouldn’t?), you can purchase an unlock from Florin, and then use the phone on any GSM network in the world (since it’s quad band).
Being able to unlock the SMT5600 for use on T-Mobile was one of my critical criteria, and I’m happy to see that this barrier has been lifted. Thanks, Florin!
I recently realized that I have a device that lets me communicate in so many ways - voice, SMS, email, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, and ICQ, that I want more people to communicate with. So, add me to your contact lists!
So drop me a line sometime, to chat about gadgets, blogging, or other geeky stuff.
I know that it’s probably unusual to post my cell phone number here, but if Scoble can do it, I figure, so can I. Blogging is a way of sharing my life, in its various aspects, with the internet at large. This is just an extension of that.
So say Hi some time!
Smartphone Thoughts - The i640: Samsung’s Follow-Up to The i600
If you’re on Verizon Wireless, you’ve heretofore only had once choice if you wanted a Windows Mobile Smartphone - the Samsung i600. It offered all the basics of a Smartphone, and a nice clamshell design, but wasn’t really anything to write home about.
The guys over at SmartphoneThoughts have uncovered Samsung’s follow up to i600 - the Samsung i640 and i645:
Besides the attractive design, the new phone sports Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphones Second Edition, a color external LCD, camera (i645 only), and a more rounded, organic design than the angular i600. According to the manual, it also has an SDIO-capable SD slot (a first in a Smartphone).
No word on pricing or availability, except that it will obviously be made available on Verizon. This is preliminary information thanks to the bane of all product secrets, the FCC, so things are subject to change, but so far, it looks like a nice follow up to the i600. Good for Samsung for making two models (one with camera, one without), and for implementing SDIO. WiFi VoIP on a Smartphone, anyone?
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