Experts Online

Saving money on hotels with Windows Mobile

David Shier — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:15:25 -0500

This month, we were asked to talk about what is the most creative thing we've done with our Windows Mobile device. At first, I was thinking about a few custom applications I have written for my "day job". But then, I thought it would be more interesting to discuss something that anyone can do using nothing but the built-in applications.

So here's a little story about how I saved money on a hotel room with the help of my Windows Mobile phone - and not with William Shatner.

My Everyday Application

David Shier — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:29:06 -0500

When asked what is the one third-party Windows Mobile application I use everyday, I really had to think about the choice. I have a number of "must have" applications I use all the time and don't think I could live without.

Certainly DeveloperOne's Agenda Fusion is high on my list, but I suppose I could get along with the built-in Contacts and Calendar if I had to.

Also, I have gotten hooked on Spb Brain Evolution and run through it's "training" program each day I have the opportunity. On the other hand, while stimulating, it's certainly not my "must have" application.

But the one program that I use everyday that I couldn't live without is: Ilium Software's eWallet.

It’s all about “Main Memory”

David Shier — Tue, 01 May 2007 10:08:22 -0500

For me, saving space on my Windows Mobile device means pushing as much as I can to the memory card. Cards are extremely cheap these days and there’s no reason not to have one in your Pocket PC or Smartphone.

Main memory, on the other hand, is limited, and when it’s full, the performance of the device degrades.

The first tip I can offer is to choose to install all applications to the storage card with the exception of any programs that launch via hardware keys.

The Truth About Major WM OS Upgrades

David Shier — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:10:28 -0600

Windows Mobile 6.0 has been announced, and now the fun discussions begin. You can read about the new OS in various places - including an article I wrote that will appear in the next issue of Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, but that's not what I'm blogging about today.

There are new features we all would like to see: HTML email is the one I'd like most. And if you have a current model Smartphone, you might be anxious to be able to read Word, Excel and PowerPoint file attachments on your device as this screen shot shows:

But before you get too excited, you might want to read on for a bit of a reality check...

Will the Music Industry Change Its DRM Tune?

David Shier — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:13:38 -0600

Yesterday, Steve Jobs joined most of the public in calling for an end to DRM (Digital Rights Management) for music files. Aside from a fair bit of self serving statements in his "Thoughts on Music" (see below), I think it's great that Jobs has brought the subject to the mass media's attention. Will Microsoft weigh in on this debate?

If you live in a cave, don't use your Windows Mobile device as a music player, or are one of the three people under 30 that doesn't own an iPod, then you might not be aware of this issue. In a nutshell, in order to "prevent" piracy, the music industry requires downloadable music files to be encoded with a key that limits how and where you can copy the file. In practice, this DRM encoding doesn't prevent any piracy and only makes it harder for honest people to use the media content that they paid for.

DRM doesn't just apply to music either. It's used for video and even electronic copies of books (known as eBooks.) The problems faced with DRM encoded music apply to other types of media as well.

Before I get into the solutions Jobs is suggesting, let's look at some of the problems.

Is MicroSD Too Large For You?

David Shier — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:04:53 -0600

While MicroSD cards, like the one above are now appearing with 2GB or more, that's nothing compared to what we may see in the future:

Researchers at Caltech and UCLA have managed to create a 16K byte memory circuit that is the size of a white blood cell!

At that density, it works out to over 100 gigabits per square centimeter - almost 10 times as dense as currently available memory devices (such as the Kingston MicroSD card above.)

One of the students on the project was quoted as saying that they have shown they can increase the density to about 10 times what they achieved,

Windows Mobile Blogging (Part 2)

David Shier — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:55:41 -0600

Over a year ago, I reported here about an experiment in which I wrote a blog entry on a Windows Mobile device.

The Apple iPhone: The Hits, Misses and Omissions

David Shier — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:21:31 -0600

First, to be clear, I’m blogging on a Windows Mobile site, and I’m a Windows Mobile MVP, so you can certainly assume I have a bias. However, this bias perhaps only adds balance to the general hype surrounding the iPhone announcement. Certainly there’s no greater hype than Steve Jobs’ keynote speech itself where he said: “Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything”. That’s quite a claim, and in case you don’t want to read this whole posting, I will tell you now that, unlike the iPod before it, I seriously doubt that this cool looking phone will ever live up to such a statement.

In any case, please read on and judge for yourself.

A Video Projector for your Smartphone?

David Shier — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:18:41 -0600

Tonight was a "Press only" preview event before the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. There were a number of products that I think will be of interest to Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine readers, and I will write more about them here. But one stands out as being being the most innovative. It's a tiny color video projector that can fit in a Pocket PC or Smartphone. While it's not available yet, the company did demo it for us and it was nothing short of amazing.

The device uses three lazers - one for each of the primary colors - to project the image.

Looking for a nice gift for your "high tech" honey?

David Shier — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:20:12 -0500

Are you looking for a gift for that really special "someone"?

How about a limited edition Windows Mobile Smartphone?

The specs are nice: quad band GSM, GPRS/EDGE data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mini-SD slot (with a 2GB card included), 4M pixel camera.

The styling is great! The case is titanium! Oh yeah, there's a couple of diamonds too!

The best part: Your "significant other" will have the pleasure of knowing that anyone they meet will have never seen another phone like it.