MobileViews Blog

Category: Windows Mobile

Microsoft Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone

  • iPhone Searches on Google 50x More Than Other Phones

    Saw a reference to this on the AppleInsider site and followed the link to…

    Google homes in on revenue to phones

    …The key quote from the article that AppleInsider pointed out is: Google on Wednesday said it had seen 50 times more searches on Apple‘s iPhone than any other mobile handset, adding weight to the group’s confidence at being able to generate significant revenues from the mobile internet. I guess this means we’ll see even more cool web services and sites designed specifically for the iPhone (and as a side effect the iPod touch) while Windows Mobile and other smartphone platforms will have to be happy with WAP text sites and CSS-ed reformatted pages.

    You know, I think it was around 11 years ago that Charles Fitzgerald told Bill Gates that Microsoft needed to focus on the web (I was a contractor for MSN at the time, btw). I hope there is someone like that over at Microsoft now pointing out that they need to focus on the mobile web now.

  • PIM Backup: Free Windows Mobile Pocket PC Backup App

    Just read about this free Windows Mobile backup software…

    PIM Backup 2.8

    …on the Inside Microsoft blog. Note that this software only works with the Pocket PC or Pocket PC Phone Edition (Classic or Professional). Standard Edition users need to look elsewhere for a free backup solution (let me know if you find one) or use a pay version (which are reasonably priced IMHO).

  • Is T-Mobile USA Going to Survive? Should Microsoft Help Them Stay Relevant?

    I mentioned earlier this week that T-Mobile USA customers will still have WiFi access in Starbucks coffee shops due to a WiFi roaming agreement between T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless. Then, I learned that this agreement ends after 5 years (early 2013). It is possible they could renew their agreement at that point in time. But, it is also possible that AT&T could wave goodbye to T-Mobile at that point. So, T-Mobile’s hotspot service will be limited to Kinko’s/FedEx locations, some hotels, and and airports. Not real useful even at only $20/month.

    Then, I read over on Brighthand that T-Mobile USA is finally getting around to rolling out a 3G network later this year (or so they claim). But, there’s a wrinkle to this promise too… T-Mobile’s 3G is neither animal (UTMS) nor vegetable (HSDPA). This means that we can’t just take an unlocked 3G phone and use it with T-Mobile.

    This bad news is not limited to T-Mobile IMHO. This is also bad news for Microsoft. Why? I If T-Mobile becomes seen as an backwater mobile phone service, it will make it easier for its customer base to abandon it for AT&T Wireless to get widely available WiFi hotspot and 3G service. It also makes it really easy for people to decide to dump Windows Mobile and get an iPhone (or Google Android for that matter).

    Microsoft should think about investing in a nationwide hotspot provider and having it shore up T-Mobile’s WiFi coverage to help T-Mobile keep their WiMo customers happy.

  • Microsoft Posts: Troubleshooting BCM for Pocket PC/Smartphone

    Just noticed this blog post over on the Microsoft Business Contact Manager (BCM) Team Blog…

    Troubleshooting BCM for Pocket PC/Smartphone

    If you are using BCM, you probably want to bookmark this blog entry.

    And, I continue to be amused when even Microsoft forgets the whole awful Classic Edition (Pocket PC), Professional Edition (Pocket PC Phone Edition), and Amateur Edition, um, Standard Edition (Smartphone) branding. Tsk tsk.  🙂

  • Social Micro Presence Sites for Windows Mobile

    I’ve become a fan of social micro presence sites over the past year or so. I think Twitter and Tumblr were the two that showed me the way and their value.

    Although all the good mobile web designs are being developed for the iPhone Safari browser, there are a lot of social micro presence sites that look and work fine on Windows Mobile smartphones. Here’s a list of the mobile versions of some popular micro-presence sites I’ve tried (plus one I haven’t – MySpace Mobile). Check ’em out…

    If you have a social micro presence site that works with Internet Explorer on Windows Mobile smartphones, please let me know. You just add it as a comment to this blog entry if you would like to share the information with anyone else who might wander by here.

  • MSN Direct for Windows Mobile Standard Edition

    MSN Direct for Windows Mobile
    I read about the MSN Direct beta release for Windows Mobile before heading to work this morning. So, as soon I got in, I point my T-Mobile Dash at http://phone.msndirect.com/ and downloaded the installation CAB file. To make a long story short, MSN Direct was removed from my phone within 20 minutes. Here’s what happened…

    The installation itself went smoothly. A segment of my home screen displayed MSN Direct with the current Dow Jones Industrial Average chart and left/right arrows. I tapped my navigation rose to get to the next item and saw weather for Seattle. I clicked on the select button to change that. But, nothing happened. I tried a few other things, but still nothing. During this time I noticed my phone getting warmer and warmer and also slower and slower. Finally, it got to the point where my Dash froze completely. I had to pull the battery to shut it down. After rebooting the Dash, I uninstalled MSN Direct. Check my battery revealed that it had dropped from a 90+% charge to about 63%. This was not good to see at 8:15am.

    During lunch I decided to try to load it on my HTC Advantage (the other WiMo device I’m carrying). Unfortunately, an error message popped up saying that it was not supported. So, I took a look at the MSN Direct Phone Finder page and learned that it only works with Windows Mobile Standard Edition (non-touchscreen devices formerly referred to as the Smartphone). So, if you have a Windows Mobile Professional Edition, sorry, but you cannot use MSN Direct for Windows Mobile Technology Preview. It is, apparently, strictly for amateurs 🙂

    After getting home, I installed MSN Direct on an HTC Vox smartphone. Instead of using a slow EDGE connection, I used a 802.11g WiFi connection. This combination of hardware and network access worked much better than the Dash/EDGE combination. Still, MSN Direct seemed sluggish and balky at some points. The content views have too much white space IMHO. This means I have to scroll down more that I really should have to. The Vox’s battery held up very well through the evening with WiFi left on. My guess is that the sustained EDGE radio usage on the Dash drained its battery. This reminds me of the problem I had last year with Google’s Gmail IMAP4 email. It is so slow that the Dash battery again drains when retrieving Gmail mail from the IMAP4 server.

    I should probably move my SIM from the Dash to the Vox sometime to see if the battery drain issue is caused by the EDGE radio or the battery differences between the two phones.

    You can watch a 2 minute video demo I recorded and posted to YouTube.

    MSN Direct for Windows Mobile YouTube demo