MobileViews Blog

Author: todd

  • Work at home & on the move? Twitter is my Virtual Water Cooler

    I’ve been a full-time blogger for 3 months now (check out my day job blog MobileAppsToday.com). I’m pretty happy to be working alone and uninterrupted most of the time. But, it is nice to interact with real people now and then too. Although I used Twitter before making this job-lifestyle change, it has become invaluable as my virtual water cooler weather working at home or on the road (with netbook and smartphone(s) in tow).

    I maintain a locked personal Twitter account to talk/tweet with people I actually know for this purpose. It was one of the smartest things I’ve done, I think. I also have a public Twitter account to mostly talk about my work and tweet with people I don’t know personally. You can find this public account at:

    twitter.com/toddogasawara

  • T-Mobile G1 == Zune == Rodney Dangerfield?

    Ha! I noticed Michael Gartenberg, who is my blog-neighbor MobileDevicesToday (I edit MobileAppsToday), asked…

    Is the Zune the Rodney Dangerfield of technology?

    Then, Roy Furchgott on The New York Times said…

    Google Phone Is the New Zune

    So, I guess…

    T-Mobile G1 == Zune == Rodney Dangerfield

  • Celio Redfly Makes More Sense Now: But Still Not Worth It

    I was just reading a good review of the new Celio Redfly C8N terminal companion for Windows Mobile smartphones over on Brighthand…

    Celio Redfly C8N Review

    It looks like Celio listened to potential customers who told them their $500 price for the original model was way too high for a dumb terminal. The new C8N comes in at a more reasonable $299 (but still too high, IMHO). There’s also a smaller model for $229 (also too high). For $299 you get a dumb terminal that provides an 800×400 view into your Windows Mobile smartphone, a decent keyboard, and the ability (with an additional $20 cable) to watch videos from an iPod or Zune (or other media player).

    If you spend another $40, you can get an Asus Eee PC 904 with a 1024×600 display, 1GB RAM, 160GB HD, and a 6-cell battery. It does not have Bluetooth. But, you can add one via a USB dongle very inexpensively or step up to another model like the Eee PC 1000H (what I use) for $479 and get a 10-inch display as well as Bluetooth. And, oh yes, it also has an SDHC card reader built in so I can read photos off my camera. And, wait, it has a 160GB hard drive so I can backup my photos while on the road. And, what’s this? 802.11n WiFi too? And since you can run Windows XP or Linux (or Mac OS X for that matter), I can use a real browser like Firefox instead of IE4 Mobile Minus for web browsing. And, yes, I can tether my Windows Mobile T-Mobile Dash smartphone to it either using Bluetooth or a USB cable.

    It would make a lot more sense for Celio to become a software vendor that enables low-end netbooks like the Acer Aspire One ($329 for the flash storage-only, 3-cell battery model) to become Windows Mobile terminals. It would remove the all the issues surrounding hardware manufacturing and distribution and become a nimble firm with a use software product.

  • HTC, Motorola, Palm Below Average in J.D. Powers Smartphone Satisfaction Survey

    Apple, RIM (Blackberry), and Samsung are above the J.D. Powers industry average score for smartphone satisfaction…

    J.D. Power: Apple’s iPhone top dog in customer satisfaction

    …but Windows Mobile device manufacturers HTC, Motorola, and Palm are all below the average. Samsung also makes WiMo devices.

    There are a couple of interesting findings reported in the J.D. Powers press release…

    J.D. Power and Associates Reports: iPhone Manufacturer Apple Ranks Highest in Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction

    – Top reason for choosing a smartphone brand: Internet capability (45%)
    – 34% of smartphone users downloaded 3rd party software

  • Recommendations Request for MobileAppsToday Mobile App of the Week

    I launched a new weekly feature over on my day-job-blog: MobileAppsToday.com called App of the Week. The recognition cuts across all the major mobile smartphone platforms. You can find the announcement and the first App of the Week, Ilium Software’s eWallet, at…

    MobileAppsToday App of the Week Category

    I think I can do a pretty good job IDing apps for Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Google Android. But, since I’m not a Blackberry or Symbian Series 60 (Nokia, etc.) user, I could use some help ID-ing apps that people should know about in those areas. If you have a recommendation or a write-up on your own site, please let me know. If you look at my site, you know I provide full attribution when I find something interesting on other sites/blogs. So, I’d be happy to link to your review or commentary on app.

    Of course, I would be grateful to pointers to good apps for Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Google Android too. The somewhat lesser known apps would be good. I’d like to try to give awareness of interesting products to end-users and a way for developers to make a living. Freeware or for-fee products are all fine for recommendations.

    Thanks!…todd

  • T-Mobile Dash Batteries Seem to Have Short Lifespans

    My first T-Mobile Dash battery went bad after about a year of use. This was around last March or April (2007). I bought a new replacement battery through T-Mobile around that time. Today, I noticed that my battery was at 2% charge after turning it on. I had fully charged the battery the night before and turned off the phone after the battery was charged. I fully charged the battery after noticing this and then used it like I normally do. The battery was down to about 50% at the end of the day (night). Normally, the battery is between 70 and 80% capacity after a 14 hour or so period.

    This sudden drop in charge capacity is very similar to what I saw in the original battery when it started to go bad. However, this time the second battery went bad in less than 7 months of use. That seems awfully short to me. I’m not going to buy a third battery, however. My T-Mobile G1 (Google Android) phone should arrive sometime next week. So, I’ll either switch to a different phone or muddle along with awful battery life for another 10 days or so.