TamsPPC - the PocketPC Blog

Here is the latest scoop on Windows Mobile:

Market share grows
Reuters reports that Microsoft sold 20 million WM powered devices in this fiscal year(ending in June) - 2x as much as sold last year. Additionaly, Reuters claims analysts stating that Microsoft earns 8-15$ per sold device(which I consider too low - my sources speak of values around 50$).

New screenshots
The Boy Genius Report managed to get their claws on yet another Motorola Q9 running WM 6.1. Here is a quick list of new features:

• Support for AT&T’s Video Share
• New thumbnail browsing
• New Albums feature
• Send to your space (upload to your Windows Live account)
• Updated camera UI
• Updated home screen (more music and multimedia features)
• TV out

WM 6.1 comes on April the 1st
The folks at Pocket-lint claim that version 6.1 of Windows Mobile will ship on the 1st of April. Even though I am not sure if this is true(could be linkbait/an early April’s fools joke); WM6.1 has been running for quite some time….

The folks at BrightHand’s have managed to get their hands on a RedFly somehow - and now bring along their(thorough) review of the device.

Ed Hardy generally was happy with the device, but disliked the bad video performance. He was not able to get TCPMP or Windows Media Player to play back movies on the RedFly’s screen - even though the developer promises improvements, I doubt the viability of these plans…

He concludes as following:

If you’re a Windows Mobile smartphone user looking for a small laptop to help you with tasks like email and web browsing when you’re on the road, and you want to save yourself the hassle of dealing with Windows, then the Celio Redfly is right up your alley.

But the device has a few limitations that keep it from being a good choice for many hard core smartphone users. In short, the Redfly is a useful device for getting work done, but it’s a little weak when it comes to fun.

Get the full scoop here:
http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13909

Now that you have an impression of the size of the hp ipaq 614 business navigator, it’s time to look at what HP has integrated into the device from a physical standpoint. After the excellent rx4240 and 110 classic, HP must beat itself - can the boys do it?

When looking at the 614, one immediately notes the slightly weird keyboard - no application buttons, no 5way. Instead, HP now graces users with a combined “nav 5way keyboard”. For example, instead of having dedicated 5way keys, you briefly touch the circle in order to toggle a 5way press(center is missing). The two small buttons under the screen can be used as application launch keys or as direct access toggles for the two WM6 softkeys. As for the other keys…the icons are mostly self-explanatory…

Sounds weird - but after a bit of playing around, you’ll eventually become accustomed to the new from of input(and start to like it). Controlling applications works very well indeed - however, gamers will still prefer a dedicated 5way navigator.

The left side of the unit contains a jog dial and two further soft buttons - one doubles the ok key found in the front, whereas the other one is for the voice recorder. The jog dial itself is very well done and handles well - no issues here:

The top of the device features a “silence” button - while this is not quote as comfortable as a Treo’s slider(no visual indication of status - come on, give us a LED), it’s nevertheless great to see HP integrate this into their devices.

On the right side, there is only the camera key. Two pressure points(focus and shoot) - while the first point is very easy to reach, fully pressing the key takes a bit too much pressure for my taste:

The stylus of the box is telescopic and thick enough for my taste(Centro, rx4240, 614 and Treo stylus; from left to right):

Last but not least, the bottom of the 614 contains HP’s classic MiniUSB port, a reset button and the stylus silo(!!!). Unfortunately, HP seems to have omitted all kinds of headphone port from this device(probably because of breakage issues - just ask Palm or Gamepark Holdings) - it seems to be bluetooth only here nowadays:

In the end, HP really seems to be at war with the concept of a 5way. First, the 4700 got that dreaded touchpad. Then, the rx4240 got a scroll wheel(which was insanely cool - but sucked for gamers); now the 614 gets a “touchscreenish” navigator instead of hardware buttons. Nevertheless, the 614 is an excellent machine from a physical perspective - everything is in the right place. If you can live without the 3.5″ headphone jack, all is fine for you - it’s a HP box…

Tune in soon to find out more about the 614’s screen!

The Windows Mobile market seems to be full of hot air ATM - first, that iPhone guy, and now the folks at Engadget’s treating the LG KS20 like the story of the day.

Hell, the box was on display at the CeBit. Prove image below. OK?

The folks at ZdNet’s managed to get their hands on a Celio RedFly - and posted a gallery of images and a video showing the device in use:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=951

Most of the applications included in the Windows Mobile distribution worked flawlessly - the only application that had problems adapting to the higher resolution was a game called Bubble Breaker.

Will you get a RedFly?

A colleague of mine over at PocketPCThoughs.com has freaked out about Microsoft’s recent announcement stating that it may create iPhone applications in the future. Wooh; the Windows Mobile is in Danger. Wooh, my turf is in danger. Wooh Wooh!

Unless Darius Rey, I do think that Windows Mobile and the iPhone devices can and will coexist - after all, Windows and Mac OS have coexistied peacefully for some time. The reason (or rather, the reasons) for this is(are) simple:

The platforms target different audiences
Darius probably never really used an iPhone. Trust me, I did(and I own an iPod touch) - and I can tell you that a stylus interface is SUPERIOR to a finger-based system whenever small controls come to play. Excel sheets. Word-by-word editing. Transport Tycoon(yes - there is a port): these apps are impossible to do pointfully on a device without a stylus.

The iPhone is a very mediacentric device. It is not a workhorse…

Apple
Being completely honest: I do not feel that the folks at Apple’s have the potential to be market leaders. As bold as it may sound, but their revenue model and company culture is based upon NOT being the market leader. OK; they lead the MP3 player market to some extent - but in the end, their products are way to expensive to really hit the masses.

Also, Apple is one company. Windows Mobile is endorsed by hundreds. There is superiority in numbers…

I personally predict that Microsoft will make some money selling iPhone apps - and that the two platforms will coexist peacefully. I know, that doesn’t sound dramatic(and doesnt make good headlines) - but it’s what I think that we’ll see!

Recently, many PocketPC developers started to make their apps look iPhoneish(please - this is NOT a discussion about the questionable merits of the iPhone interface); and Resco’s Sudoku is the next candidate for an UI overhaul.

All features that a state-of-the-art Sudoku application needs are included into the product; it can accept custom Sudokus, solve them, find errors and give hints. Static screenshots do not do this app justice. Look at this Google Video to see what it really is like:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3050957024104020064&hl=en

As of now, I am not sure when the product will hit the market - please stay tuned and wait for a discount code at launch!

Cutting a long story short: this program simply looks amazing. Sudoku fans - this is a must have; you’ll love it….

The folks at Resco’s have recently begun to offer add-ins and controls for Visual Studio. Their recently-announced Resco Audio makes most of the features found in Resco’s award-winning Audio Recorder available for your .NET CF application.

Currently, Resco Audio can do the following:

• Audio playback — play files or streams containing audio data.
• Audio recording — record your voice into audio data.
• Supported file types — supports the well-known audio formats: .wav, .ogg, .spx, .raf.
• Support for mp3 format will be added to the full version.
• Quality — Customize the quality of recorded voice by choosing the amount of channels, sample rate, bits per sample and the compression algorithm.

An evaluation version of the library can currently be downloaded from the product’s home page:
http://www.resco.net/developer/mobileformstoolkit/audio.aspx

P.S. All people who currently have a subscription to Resco’s MobileForms will get a free full version when the product finally ships in June 2008!

Now that the hp ipaq 614 has been unboxed, it’s time to see how big HP’s latest baby is compared to some other units laying around closeby.

The first contender is Palm’s ever-famous Treo 680/750. Our ipaq is a bit thinner(due to the slimmer screen) and a bit higher:

A vintage Palm TX is much bigger, but slimmer:

Our rx4240 is a bit smaller, but wider(more on that box later in this review):

Both the QTEK 8500 and Nokia’s N71 are smaller from the front - however, the N71 is significantly thicker:

Last but not least, here is the device next to an iPod touch(as wide as an iPhone, but approximately 100% slimmer):

In the end, the HP ipaq 614 business navigator is a pleasant device. It definitely isn’t among the smallest machines on the market - but small doesn’t necessarily mean good(especially when smartphones are concerned). HP has struck a very good balance here, the device can be held comfortably for longer timespans. Now if it only had VGA and a proper keyboard…

Tune in soon for a look at what HP chose to do with the space!

In case anyone of you still recalls Celio’s RedFly, a prototype of the device has now made it into the hands of analysts at MobilityToday:

The folks rate the device well overall - give them a click in case you wish to read more!

The (usually reliable) folks at DigiTimes report that Dell may be ganging up with FoxConn in order to produce new Windows Mobile powered handsets. DigiTimes claims that the recent aquisition of E-Ten by Acer has played a big role in accelerating the process; as has the recent hire of Ron Garriques from Motorola’s cellphone division.

As already said - all information is very shady at the moment…but I feel that Dell finally saw that the Axim line was too good to abandon for good…

P.S. The gang-up with FoxConn could very well prove my pet theory that Dell never really wanted to abandon the market, but was forced to do so by its OEMs.

One of the great things about the Asus stand is that (almost) all devices there can actually be used and tested – which is radically different to the philosophy of Asus’s German PR agency(promise but don’t ship samples aka. real men don’t do reviews). Anyways, here goes:

M536

The M536 is Asus’s Treo killer. It uses a 320×320 screen, which is higher than the Treo 750v’s(ironically, Palm/Sony debuted the 320×320 screen resolution). The device’s hardware is rather standard otherwise, except for a funny assembly containing a fingerprint reader and some sort of 5way:

Asus managed to slim down the M536 significantly – my test Treo is significantly fatter:

This Google video shows the 5way in action!

P320

Mobile devices get smaller and smaller. The P320 is Asus’s attempt at a tiny weeny box – and it indeed is extremely small(especially if you keep the specs in mind):

Here are a few images of the device’s sides and back:

P527

A rather unimpressive device. Well built, but little else to say:

P550

The P550 is Asus’s interpretation of a fullsize PocketPC phone. No VGA screen, no WiFi, but decent otherwise:

P560

The P560 is a rather big, fully-featured smartphone. Its 5way navigator is extremely annoying though, as there is no definite pressure point – not very ergonomical:

P750

The P750 is another well-built but unimpressive device:

R300

Asus couldn’t resist the urge to create a dumb GPS. Whenever I see a box like the one below, I wonder why hp’s rx5xxx devices scored rave reviews…definitely not because they were dumb…

Lamborghini ZX1

The Lamborghini ZX1 seems to be a R560 with less plastic and a WiFi radio – the images below show a R560 next to a ZX1:

Because images of the ZX1 seem to be very popular, here is a 360° tour:

The 5way assembly bears a Lamborghini badge – but is just as badly done as the R560’s. In fact, the pressure point is so weak that I personally think that this unit is somewhat damaged:

This Google Video shows the ZX1 in action.

In the end, Asus has proven once again that they can build reliable and well-done devices. Each one of the devices(except maybe for the dedicated GPS) could sell well and score good reviews – it personally makes me sad to see Asus’s great devices hindered by an uncooperative press department…

Before we even start this review, let’s all thank Stefan Weder big-time for managing to get this device into my claws. Don’t ask me how he did it, but he made it. Perfect work - folks from other companies(Asus, I am looking at you) really can learn a lot from him!

HP’s 614. Delayed multiple times, withdrawn from the USA under dubious circumstances…the 614 has had a pretty active “history” before even shipping. Anyways, now it’s here - can it fill up the void ripped open by hp’s foolish discontinuation of the GPS-enabled rx5xxx devices?

The company has standardized its box design quite some time ago - this box doesn’t really look all that different. However, the designer chose to emphasize the “clickwheel” concept that replaces the traditional 5way on this machine:

As always, opening the box immediately reveals a device overview and basic instructions on getting started:

Once the lids are flipped away, one can immediately reach all accessories found in the box - HP included its standard MiniUSB charge/sync set and a headset:

A short “manual” and some software is hidden below the accessory tray:

As always, HP didn’t make the screen cover transparent to allow usage as a screen protector. Instead, the company used it as a “billboard” for a few extra warnings to novice users:

The camera lens also gets some protection by the way:

So far, so good - the 614 has not disappointed me so far! Will the good impression last? Tune in soon for Part 2 of our review!

P.S. The unit won’t be around much longer. If you wish me to test anything specific, please let me know NOW.

P.S.2 Want to see our HP ipaq 614 unboxing video? Find it over at Google Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7970787505444739814

Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile device got a disproportional amount of front line attention on TamsPPC so far – mostly because of rumors about schedule slips. The Sony Ericsson booth had a few non-working dummies(heavily guarded – no chance to reanimate it with a Mobile Device Charger).

Anyways, here are a few size comparison images:

One really great thing is that Sony Ericsson finally saw the light of day and included a MiniUSB port:

A booth attendant told me that the device will be priced “high but still affordable”, and that we should probably not expect it before November 2008. Hey, all they said was Q2 2008 – and November definitely is in Q2 2008:

In the end, the XPERIA X1 looks like a very nice device. If the price isn’t too outrageous and the custom UI isn’t too fucked up(anyone wondering about why the Treo 500v is 50€ cheaper than the Treo 500 in OTC sales??), I can see myself using this box as my main device when it drops….

A few days ago, a Motorola/Symbol executive told us about how falling prices for VGA screens motivate Symbol’s design department to eventually consider replacing its QVGA screens - not for the benefits of a higher resolution, but rather because of lower cost.

The folks at EngadgetMobile now report that users from a russian forum have found out that Asus did something similar with their P750 smartphone - while the device displays data in QVGA, it actually uses a VGA screen and uses pixel, doubling in order to achieve the desired, aka low, resolution.

Not much further information is available as of now - I have sent an inquiry to Asus’s Lars Schweden - let’s stay tuned!