Author: pdasnews

“Outside of the recent news that the device will ship within 90 days, it seems like some time since we’ve had an update on the DualCor cPC, the first device of any size to offer both Windows XP Tablet Edition and Windows Mobile 5.0. DualCor has updated their web site with some interesting information and a new look at the handheld device, which will sport the Microsoft Touch Pack that ships with Origami devices. In the Download Center on the DualCor web site there is a cPC data sheet (PDF) that offers some new information about the connectivity options of the device.According to the PDF all connectivity options are only available through USB or the CF slot which means no integrated WiFi, Bluetooth nor 3G. I find this decision disappointing, especially the WiFi and Bluetooth, as it has become fairly standard for devices to include at least WiFi if not both. There will certainly be a lot of CF card swapping to say the least. The PDF also indicates under the phone jack heading that it “enables VoIP and cellular through CF or USB”. It is clear that all connectivity options for the cPC will require an external adapter of some sort, which is disappointing. I am not aware of any CF EVDO cards from either Verizon nor Sprint so this would rule out the possibility of using EVDO on the cPC until the USB dongle starts shipping from Sprint, and even then it would be clunky.” via jkontherun.blogs.com

“The Swedish manufacturer of carrying cases for portable electronics, Krusell, has released their “Top 10”-list for April 2006. The list is based upon the number of pieces of model specific PDA- and smart phone cases that have been ordered from Krusell during April 2006. Krusell’s list is unique due to the fact that their sales of cases reflect the sales of PDAs and smart phones on six continents and in more than 50 countries around the globe.1. (2) Qtek 9100/ I-mate K-Jam2. (1) Palm Treo 600/650/7003. (5) Qtek S200/I-mate Jamin4. (2) Qtek 9000/SPV M5000/MDA PRO/I-mate Jasjar5. (4) Qtek S100/I-mate JAM6. (9) HP iPAQ HW 65xx/67007. (6) HP hx2100/24×0/27×08. (8) Yakumo Delta X/Mitac mio 1809. (-) Fujitsu Siemens LOOX 710/72010. (-) Blackberry 8700 r / c / f / g / v( ) = last month’s position.Qtek 9100/ I-mate K-Jam and Palm Treo 600/650/700 have been taking terms on top of this list for the last five months. Both smart phones are not only Windows Mobile 5.0 powered but also excel with features such as 1.3 Megapixel camera and Bluetooth. – During the coming month we do not expect major changes on top of our list, says Ulf Sandberg, Managing Director at Krusell International AB. – In June, however, watch out for the new touch screen smart phone Sony Ericsson M600. Motorola RaZr V3/ V3i /V3c still number one! 1. (1) Motorola RaZr V3/ V3i /V3c2. (2) Sony Ericsson K750i/D750i/W800i3. (3) Motorola SLVR L74. (7) Qtek 9100/ I-mate K-Jam5. (6) Nokia N706. (4) PalmOne Treo 600/650/7007. (5) Nokia 6230/6230i8. (-) Nokia 6280/62829. (-) Nokia 6680/6681/668210. (10) Sony Ericsson W810i( ) = last month’s position.Motorola RaZr V3/V3i/V3c is still clinging on to the top spot of this month’s list, followed by Sony Ericsson K750i/D750i/W800i and Motorola SLVR L7. – We are awaiting with anticipation the release of the Cyber-shot phone Sony Ericsson K800i, says Ulf Sandberg, Managing Director at Krusell International AB. – With its 3.2 Megapixel camera this device is expected to outperform Sony Ericsson’s latest big seller, the W800i.”

“Putting an end to drought of Palm-based GPS handheldsThe Garmin iQue3000 is as useful for keeping a calendar and an address book as it is for finding your way in the world. CNET’s Bonnie Cha takes a first look at the new PDA/GPS handheld.”Check out this small video of the upcoming Garmin iQue 3000 at cnetnews.com

“Pioneer has been offering wired VoIP compatible phones for 2 or 3 years now, and with the rise of Skype nowadays, Pioneer had to react and that’s what they do now with this TF-FS55M-S. This phone can be used as a regular landline phone, but once it gets connected to a PC, it’s 100% compatible with Skype’s functions.” via akihabaranews.com

“SanDisk today introduces a 4-gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo Game card that can store up to 64 hours of MP3 music tracks, 20 or more hours of movies/videos/film trailers, 12 hours of game saves, or 4,000 digital still images.The 4GB card, which is expected to ship this month, carries a suggested retail price (SRP) of $219.99. Other capacities in the Memory Stick PRO Duo Gaming Card line include 256 megabytes (MB)* at $34.99, 512MB at $44.99, 1GB at $59.99 and 2GB at $109.99 (SRPs).”The PSP has clearly become more than just a gaming device,” said Wes Brewer, SanDisk’s vice president of consumer products marketing. “Since there is no internal memory for the PSP, a Memory Stick PRO Duo flash card is the only way to store large amounts of entertainment and other files. Now that the PSP has been in the marketplace for over a year, many new services have sprung up to offer downloadable content such as movies, so the users are rapidly demanding higher capacity cards.”The PSP uses a proprietary storage medium called Universal Media Disc (UMD) for movies and games, but UMD discs are neither recordable nor writable. SanDisk co-developed the Memory Stick PRO format with Sony. Last year, SanDisk introduced the new gaming line of Memory Stick PRO Duo cards in semi-transparent neon colors. The new 4GB card is red.” via slashphone.com

“So why go through all these hoops in terms of the user interface when a much better use of the screen could make it easier for the end user? The answer, of course, is S60 and economies of scale and code. Previously, S60 devices have been on portrait sized screens, with roughly the same width/height ratio, so everything worked as originally intended. But with the E61 switching to a landscape screen, Nokia have had no choice but to keep the same UI elements so that applications written for S60 3rd edition will still be able to run. A little bit more testing and tweaking needs to be done – I’d love to see a consistent font size throughout the interface as soon as possible.The other major point in the E61 is the inclusion of a qwerty based keyboard for easier text entry – which is a great choice given the target market of the device. But again the fact that the E61 is a first generation qwerty S60 device (alongside the E70) shows. There are too many little quirks and problems that mean you can’t fully trust the keyboard. The main feeling is a lack of consistency – in number pad mode for making calls, you get the + sign by tapping the blue ‘embedded’ key with the plus sign. Move to the calculator application, and while you can still type in numbers directly, you can’t type the plus key, you have to resort to moving the cursor around and selecting it on screen.” Read this review here:

“The Palm OS is about to get into the fast lane.A little more than four months after Palm released the Windows Mobile-based Treo 700w on Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) network, it is set to announce a Palm OS version that can connect to EV-DO networks, CNET News.com has learned. The company on Monday will unveil the new model, which is expected to be called the 700p, according to sources familiar with its plans.A Palm representative declined to comment for this story.Palm enthusiast sites have been buzzing about the 700p ever since Palm broke with tradition and chose Windows Mobile for the 700w smart phone, which was released in January. At the time, Palm CEO Ed Colligan made it clear that the company planned to continue releasing versions of the Treo based on Palm OS. The 700p will be the first Palm OS-based update to the Treo lineup since the release of the Treo 650 in October 2004.EV-DO networks are available from both Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. They allow mobile phone users to download data at speeds between 400Kbps (kilobits per second) and 700Kbps, significantly faster than older wireless networks.It’s not clear whether Verizon or Sprint will be the initial carrier of the 700p, but Verizon was the launch partner for the 700w. It’s also not clear when the devices will become available, although various postings on Palm enthusiast sites point toward a late-May introduction.The 700p is not expected to look all that different from the 700w, except for the operating system. Some mobile-application developers have bemoaned the lack of a Palm OS-based Treo on a fast wireless network such as EV-DO and have embraced the Windows operating system for some new multimedia applications.”

” I wished Microsoft would have first solved email spamming, but kittenish as they are they first provide a global platform where PC and Xbox gamers can play together and be able to manage one single gamertag across those platforms. Gamers will have the ability to access Xbox Live world from their Windows-based PCs early next year to play games with friends. The Xbox Live experience on Windows will give gamers a consistent online game experience in which they have one identity, one friends list, one set of achievements and voice communications across all games on the network.Of course this will only be available with the launch of Windows Vista. Microsoft will also provide mobile access via Windows smart phones next year to the Live Anywhere platform. This gaming infrastructure is hard to beat. Sony’s online network will have a hard time to compete with this.Currently more than 3 million console gamers are connected to the Xbox Live community via their Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles and Microsoft expects that number to double to 6 million by this time next year. In addition, more than 25 million casual gamers are currently playing games on MSN Messenger and MSN Games. More details on the xbox.com site. ” via i4u.com

“Turns out that people like origami. The Origami, that is. The Samsung Q1, a UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) codenamed Origami before its’ unveiling, was made available in the U.S. exclusively on BestBuy.com (it wasn’t available in Best Buy stores). It took only one day for the entire inventory to sell out. Though that makes great headlines for Samsung, it’s hard to tell just how much of a success it was. There is no word of how many units were sold, so it’s hard to tell whether the sellout came about as a result of a small initial inventory, or if overwhelming demand for the computers, which Microsoft says will change our lives, meant that they couldn’t be kept on the virtual shelves.A quick look at BestBuy.com fails to turn up any reference to the Q1, so it’s hard to tell how long it will take to get them back in stock. If you want an Origami you’ll just have to wait. Maybe do some real origami to pass the time.” via mobilemag.com

“My test device is a Tungsten E. FontSmoother requires Palm OS 5 and higher and a minimum screen resolution of 320×320. Sorry, the Palm Zire 21, Zire 31, and Z22 are not supported because their screen resolution is only 160×160.FontSmoother is not your standard stand-alone application. It is a system hack and requires a hackmaster in order to be configured and run. Per the included instructions, you need to use YAHM (Yet Another HackMaster), and not TealMaster to make FontSmoother work. You may use YAHM in conjunction with TealMaster, but YAHM must be the controlling hackmaster for FontSmoother.Within the setup for FontSmoother, you can assign global defaults for all applications, including Default Font, Font Darkness, eBook Mode, Smart Highlight, Smart Lists, and Force 16-bit display mode.”Read this review at brighthand.com