Archive for: mobile
AT&T service has gotten a bad reputation. So much so, that for major events like SXSW in Austin, TX, which I just recently attended, before the $%it hit the fan, they were already mobilizing trucks
3G MicroCell from AT&T
into the area as a preemptive to what was sure to be a strain on their network. In 2009 AT&T suffered scathing remarks from thousands upon thousands of technophiles for their inability to provide coverage, leaving phones and laptops dependent on their 3G service dead in the water. This year they planned on making a difference, and in the end, the service was amazing.
But not everyday is SXSW, and not every city is the site of a conference like SXSW, so what do you do when your 3G service is constantly dropping? Perhaps you could leave and go to another carrier, but bye-bye iPhone, because it’s not easy to take that thing where you want. Another alternative is to put up a mini-tower for AT&T cell service in your home with the 3G MicroCell.
The 3G MicroCell offers a strong, uninterrupted signal in your home that ensures that your calls and internet surfing remains fast and reliable. The mini-tower allows up to four devices to connect to it, providing a range of users inside the home the ability to interact as much as they want on a localized signal.
Coming in at approximately $150, the mini-tower offers the following:
- Enhanced coverage indoors – supports both voice and data up to 5000 square feet
- Available unlimited minute plans – individual or FamilyTalk plans.
- 3G handset compatible – works with any AT&T 3G phone.
- Supports up to four voice or data users at once.
- Device is secure – cannot be accessed by unauthorized users, easy and secure online management of device settings
- Seamless call hand-over – start calls on your 3G MicroCell and continue without interruption, even if you leave the building.
(courtesy of AT&T website)
Now you will also need an existing AT&T broad band internet service (DSL or Cable) to connect this device to, but if you’re tired of those dropped calls even inside your home, this might be what you’re looking for if you’re willing to invest in another piece of technology in your home.
As for the signal when you step out of the house and travel to your favorite spots around town, they can’t help you with that. You’re at the mercy of the overworked, already strained systems for your service, and that’s not even including the use of the 3G capable iPads yet. Joy!
More and more people are accessing the web via their phone. Statistics show that the iPhone and other smart phones are leading the field in the US and Europe where as cheaper Java cell phones are number one in Africa and South America. By making a mobile version of your website you are putting yourself ahead of the competition by giving your users an extra feature. One which could earn you extra ad revenue.
Mobify is a free service which allows you to do this in less than five minutes. Basically, it takes your website or blog and compact it into a basic format so it ill load easily on mobile devices. You’re also given a custom URL so your users can access the site. You can see a sample website above on the left and it’s mobile version created using Mobify to the right.
There is a premium version which offers more customisation and you can keep your won URL so users can access the mobile version through m.yourblog.com. This is a great service and it’s well worth a look if you want to offer your visitors an extra level of compatibility.
The Mobile World Congress will be held in Barcelona this year and just in a few days more: February the 15th. And it is almost confirmed that Windows Mobile 7 will be presented to the community, taking a good overview of the incoming features.
For the rumors that leaked already, seems that it will have important enhancements (regarding with interoperability mostly) and some other similarities with other mobile OS. Let’s take a quick look:
- The UI will be quite similar that we’ve seen in Zune HD, with a few changes to be confirmed.
- Full Zune and XBOX integration.
- Full support with Facebook and other social networking mobile apps.
- Windows Mobile Device Center: No more. All of the sync options will be replaced by Zune software.
- No multi-task support. Here comes the first similarity with iPhone OS; the applications will be paused while working in background.
- No Flash support. Hmmm… seems that I’ve seen this before.
- Applications will not be available to install by a separate storage. The only possibility to install applications will be using the “MarketPlace”. No, no “AppStore”, the name is “MarketPlace”.
- MarketPlace will have a very cool option: “Try before you buy”.
- There will be no support for OEM Interfaces. That means Sense UI, SPB Mobile Shell, Point UI, Infinity, and many others will not be allowed.
- Release date: September 2010.
The world of smart phones is flourishing. With that prosperity comes the smart phone wars with each rival manufacturer trying to get their share of the market. The main players are companies like Apple, Nokia and of course, Microsoft.
The Windows mobile range has been around for many years – originally as black and white PAs then eventually catching up with Blackberry. But their technology has become dated and has only ever been modified and given updates – now Microsoft say they’re recoding their entire thing and hope to get WinMo 7 out in the world by September.
They say that they’re working towards finalizing the coding for Win 7.0.0 by the summer months. LG have recently leaked that they will be launching a Windows 7 mobile phone in September, so this is starting to look very promising indeed.
In reality though, it’s about time Microsoft caught up. This overhaul is long over due and I’m sure it will be massively anticipated as September approaches.
When you lock your phone you assume that your Emails, browsing history, text messages and personal data are secure. You could leave your phone in a crowded room knowing nobody could access it without you inputting the pattern on the touch-screen which is how Droids’ security work. However, a bug which was only recently discovered and made public on the Internet has compromised all phones with 2.0.1 versions which apparently is the bulk of the Droid market.
When the phone is receiving an incoming call, all you have to do is press the ‘back’ button and you’ll be brought to the home screen. So theoretically, if you wanted to access somebody’s Droid phone all you have to do is call it and then press the back button on the device. Voila! Instant access to all their personal data.
“We are aware of the issue and we’re working to deliver a fix to Motorola Droids shortly.” said a spokesperson.
My memory is cast back to August of 2008 when a very similar bug for the iPhone’s screenlock as discovered. When will companies learn that security is now a paramount concern for all tech users?
It has been suggested by a group of researchers that exposure on a long-term basis to cell phone radiation may be able to fend off some of the affects of Alzheimer’s disease which causes loss of memory, specifically in those over the age of 55.
The study is currently being carried out on mice who are being exposed to radiation identical to that from cell phones which millions of us use each day. The University of South Florida is base camp for the tests.
Obviously, this was the exact opposite of what the researchers expected to find. They are now working towards safely speeding up the process in the hope of preventing the effects in actual people and maybe even reversing the effects in those who have already been diagnosed with the disease. So it appears that cell phone radiation can be good for you as well!
[Source: Yahoo! News]
Over a year after a third-party app was released for Yammer users with an Android, Yammer have decided it’s time to release their own official app to compliment their service which enables people working within a company or group to send updates as to what they’re doing which is fed into a constant stream, like Twitter.
The app can be ran in the background while you use the phone on a day to day basis. It will vibrate or make a noise when the stream is updated by a colleague answering the boilerplate Yammer question, ‘What are you doing?’
The pre-release version is still reported to contain many bugs and I doubt it will be ready until late Spring of next year.
I think that this app will make switching from the iPhone to cheaper android devices much easier. Many people depend on Apple’s device purely because of the apps – now with many alternatives in the hands of the competitors, the iPhone could be in trouble. Expect a price drop in early 2010.
Guitar Hero, done it. Rock Band, yep, did that too! I’ve not been a big fan of the mobile versions for some of these, even on the Nintendo DS the Guitar Hero just didn’t port well without cramping up and wishing your had double joints on your double joints. Still there’s no denying that these games are a lot of fun, whether you’re playing on your own or playing with a group. Mastering the moves, hearing the songs, and remembering the days when you wanted to be a real rockstar, are all part of the experience.
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For those of us that have a knack for words, Scrabble has long been a favorite. Many of us enjoy the challenge of sparring one another with our wits and knowledge. In today’s mobile world there was little chance of us playing Scrabble until now.
Recently I’ve found the pleasure of a mobile Scrabble app called Words with Friends. This app replicates everything I remembered from playing Scrabble with my family that I instantly became hooked. Words with Friends has an amazing number of additions that truly define this powerhouse of entertainment.
For starters you are able to connect two of the most popular social profiles, Facebook and Twitter. This will not only announce your scores but also invite your friends to join you in a game. Furthermore the app has the built in ability to run more than one game at a time. When I started playing, it was not unusual for me to be playing four to five games at once. Definitely something you could not do with a Scrabble board.
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Mobile phones are hot devices that are increasingly becoming the standard bywhich businesses are succeeding or failing. Companies not accessible via mobile devices are losing ground, while the device itself is starting to replace laptops and desktops for reading, searching, and geo-locating on the go.
Recently the LG Expo ($200) was announced and this mobile phone offers an interesting addition to the mobile lineup. Imagine carrying a smarphone with a small DLP Pico Projector attached to it, allowing you to display video with clarity and precision unheard of in a device so tiny and versatile. That’s what just happened, so stop imagining and see the reality.
The projector is optional, but the smartphone is no slouch either. This powerful mobile comes with a 1GHz processor, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera with flash, a slide-out keyboard, 7.2 Mbps HSPA wireless, microSD storage, and Windows Mobile 6.5. Not enough? Then go buy the projector because that’s about as good as it gets for a device in functionality.
The technological wonder comes with another release first as well, the distinct honor of being the first 1Ghz phone in the U.S. The phone will work on the AT&T network and be ready for purchase on December 7th.
Still not good enough for you? Then maybe you didn’t read the post. For the rest of us, it’s going to be interesting to see if the projector piggybacking on mobile device concept takes off.
