Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Now that Uncle Walt has gone and opened the floodgates, details are starting to pour in on Sprint’s imminent release of the Touch Diamond, a device that should actually manage to get the carrier damn close to the top of the Windows Mobile pile (for a short while, anyway). PC Magazine is now reporting that it’ll be available on September 14 for $249.99 on a two-year contract after $100 rebate, a sum that would put it squarely in the “average” category for on-contract smartphone pricing in these parts. Of course, with the Touch Pro allegedly just around the corner, it remains to be seen just how much love this thing is going to get; nothing like a good, old-fashioned QWERTY-versus-touchscreen fight, is there?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones

It was only a matter of time before the WSJ (Katherine Boehret, in this case) got their hands around Sprint’s still-not-official Touch Diamond, and we can’t say that the conclusion she drew is at all shocking. As Mossberg and his partners so often do, Katherine mentions Apple’s darling just as much as the topic of the review itself, and while she seemed impressed with the hardware, it was the software that suffered the brunt of her attacks. She proclaimed that “despite its handsome TouchFLO 3D software and animated icons, the device failed to disguise the frustrating interface of Windows Mobile often enough for [her] taste.” Beyond that, she also found room to gripe about the “cramped” keyboard, which she felt was “next to impossible” to use with just her fingertips. On the plus side, she did give the browser a decent amount of praise, but if you were looking for support from this critic before picking up the forthcoming handset, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

[Via phonescoop]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

It’s a little difficult to delay a device that hasn’t gotten a more specific release window than “the second half of 2008″ (from official sources, at least), but Sony Ericsson is doing its darnedest. The scuttlebutt at IFA is that the XPERIA X1 has been delayed to the end of the year, and a Sony rep confirmed to us that it’s looking like December 2008 or January 2009. To blame is the software, specifically Windows Mobile 6.1 (or perhaps SE’s implementation of it), which appeared to be actively destroying the display units Sony has on display at IFA — of the three devices, one had some green status lights, one didn’t work at all, and one turned on briefly, only to crash hard and never return again… a pretty poor showing for day one of the show. Some hands-on shots are below, glaringly void of actual device usage.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Looking for the Touch Pro in a slightly less conspicuous package? HTC (who else?) thinks it has the answer in the S740, a pretty thorough revamp of the S710 of old. The basic concept is the same — wrap Windows Mobile Standard into a candybar package with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard — but the S740 takes design cues from the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro for a thoroughly 2008-ish look. The feature list has naturally been refreshed, too, with 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands (read: screw you, North Americans), quadband EDGE, a 3.2-megapixel fixed focus cam, WiFi, GPS, and a 2.4-inch QVGA display. And, you know, if all that isn’t enough to impress your snobby friends, just slide open that keyboard, say “boom,” and watch the jaws drop. Look for it to filter across Europe starting next month.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

I’ve been playing around with fring for awhile now. I like fring which I like to call “the Swiss army knife of mobile VoIP and IM”, since it works with Skype, SIP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, and AIM. Because it supports SIP, I’m able to configure fring to work on Asterisk-based systems to be able to make and receive phone calls.

Receiving calls to my ‘149′ SIP extension (see screenshot) works great on my Windows Mobile 6.1 Verizon XV6700 (Apache) phone. in fact, VoIP using fring even works over a cellular data connection, unlike the Apple iPhone which blocks VoIP over cellular and I’m sure you heard about Nokia announcing they will no longer support VoIP. Om Malik wrote about this last week. As a gadget freak, people have been telling me I should dump my Windows Mobile for an iPhone. So let’s see here, no VoIP on popular Nokia phones, no VoIP on the popular Apple iPhone (except over Wi-Fi). Further, you can’t even run Skype on the iPhone. Tell me again why I should dump my Windows Mobile phone for an iPhone? Ok, I know, I know, it has a cool multi-touch interface and some other great apps. I’m getting an iPhone to test/play around with, but I already know I won’t like it’s VoIP capabilities.

Getting back to fring, my one complaint about it is that it doesn’t support DMTF (touchtones) for traversing voicemail, ACDs/IVRs, etc. So it’s useless if you want to call your credit card company, bank, etc. I’m shocked they don’t support it yet. There are other VoIP apps for Windows Mobile that support DTMF, such as Talkonaut, so I’m not sure why this is such a technical hurdle for fring. It’s the one thing that stops me from using fring more regularly. One other minor complaint is that it doesn’t have a quick redial button. Other than that, fring works fantastic. I can make Skype VoIP calls, SIP-based calls, and of course the built-in IM support for the top IM providers. Take that iPhone!

Tags: Apache, DTMF, fring, iphone, mobile phone, nokia, Om Malik, sip, skype, touch tones, Verizon, VoIP, Windows Mobile 6.1, XV6700

Related Entries
• Skype and other VoIP Apps on Mobile Phones -
  Apr 01, 2008
• fring Enhances Mobile IM Client with fringAdd-ons -
  Jul 01, 2008
• fring coming to Windows Mobile phones -
  Jun 19, 2007
• How much data does fring consume? -
  Aug 05, 2008
• Packet8 MobileTalk on iPhone Adds VoIP Calling -
  Jul 11, 2008
• Nokia N78 Comes to U.S. -
  Jun 24, 2008
• sipgate adds SIP-based VoIP support to iPhone -
  Jun 04, 2008
• O-FONE Supports SIP on Symbian S60 mobile phone -
  May 07, 2008
• Talkonaut 4.0 native Symbian S60 edition released -
  Feb 28, 2008
• Jajah native SIP client for EM-ONE phone -
  Oct 25, 2007

TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: fring touchtone DTMF support - uh hello?

Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones

A few new details have leaked in from corroborating tipsters about Sprint’s Verizon-slaying version of the HTC Touch Diamond, and we’re pretty sure you’ll be interested in hearing ‘em. The biggest news is the release date — instead of having to wait until after Labor Day, Sprint users interested in nabbing the handset will reportedly be able to do so this Thursday. Also of note, it sounds as if Sprint will indeed be referring to the Diamond as, well, the Diamond (and not the Victor). Oh, and the extra bulk over the GSM counterpart will net it a more capacious 1,350mAh battery. For those that skipped straight to the closer (it’s cool, really): August 28th, $299 on a 2-year contract, or $549 straight out.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

It won’t be the first launch in North America — those honors go to Telus at this point — but Sprint won’t be far behind. A pretty believable new slide deck suggests that big ol’ Number Three will take delivery of its Touch Diamonds in September and start hawking them for the princely sum of $299.99 on contract after rebates, netting customers a 3.2 megapixel cam, 4GB of internal storage, and EV-DO Rev. A, among all the other spoils that only Windows Mobile 6.1 can offer. Is the back end of it red? Can’t really tell from this angle, but if the goal is to offer up a high-end business tool, we’ve gotta believe black will be available either way.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

In case there was any lingering doubt that the Treo Pro (alias Treo 850) was real — and there probably shouldn’t be, considering it got snapped all the way back in May — this round of non-blurry (dare we say artistic?) shots should pretty much seal the deal. The glossy shell, promise of a 320 x 320 display, and a general acknowledgment of circa-2008 industrial design definitely have us feeling just a little less pessimistic about Palm’s prospects right now; if anything, it makes us wish they had some Android kit up their sleeves rather than slaving away on the thus-far vaporware Palm OS 2. As WinMo goodies go, though, this thing looks like it’s ready to hang with the best of the best — so bring it on, Palm. A legion of fans with well-worn 750s awaits you. In the meanwhile, check another shot after the break.

[Via WMExperts]

Continue reading Palm’s Treo Pro in the wild, probably not fake

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones

With all the Touch Diamond / Touch Pro news surfacing for these US CDMA carriers, quite a few AT&T subscribers are beginning to get restless. Calm down, folks — it seems the AT&T Touch Pro is a reality waiting to happen after all. Based on some admittedly dodgy claims and even dodgier photographs, one particular soul has apparently paid $900 for a pre-release Touch Pro with North American 3G. Only time will tell if he got duped, but we’re going to believe that AT&T wouldn’t let this gem pass it by for too much longer until proven wrong.

[Via wmpoweruser]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Surely that “last stand” Motorola handset is still burned into your memory, right? No? Anywho, said mobile was just given a face courtesy of Boy Genius, and it’s an, um, interesting face at that. We’ll let you be the judge on its unsightliness (or beauty, depending on inebriation level), but aside from design, we’re expecting this one to include Windows Mobile 6.1, NVIDIA graphics, a 5- to 8-megapixel camera, A-GPS and a Q4 release date. As always, we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Want downloads on your Touch Diamond to exceed the pace of a molasses-covered snail when on North American soil? Well, if you already have a Touch Diamond, you’re outta luck — but future buyers have another version to look forward to that packs HSDPA on the all-important 850 and 1900MHz bands. We don’t have any word on when this is coming, where it’s going, or how much it’ll run, but hey, it exists. That’s a solid start.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Blogged about the intriguing Netflix/Roku deal back on May 20, but now an interesting piece on VentureBeat makes it even more (and more!) interesting.

The new Roku box (doesn’t look like much, does it?) lets you stream any of Netflix’s 10,000+ “Watch Now” movies (movies that can be watched immediately over the internet for free with your subscription) to your TV set instantly. However, a new wrinkle may make the device even more attractive — with a simple software download, other services beyond Netflix will soon be able to use it, according to Forbes.

This changes the device from a nice little purchase (it’s only $99), into a potential Trojan horse for digital content in your living room. Of course, it entirely depends on what other services reach agreements to use the device. Roku would only say that other “big name” providers could bring their services to the device with a simple update.

At the same time, Netflix plans to release another box featuring its “Watch Now” service in conjunction with LG later this year. There’s also an intriguing rumor that the service could come to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. 

Tags: Forbes, LG, Microsoft, Netflix, Roku, VentureBeat, Xbox 360

Related Entries
• When One Less Gadget Is Better — Set-Top Boxes Going Bye-Bye? -
  May 27, 2008
• CinemaNow Brings Movie Downloads to Windows Media Center -
  May 23, 2008
• Downloaded Movies Were Meant To Be Free -
  May 20, 2008
• Bye Bye Unlimited Flat-Rate Internet -
  Jan 18, 2008
• Microsoft XBox 360 - No Linux for You! -
  Sep 04, 2007
• Windows Live Messenger Now works with Xbox LIVE -
  May 09, 2007
• 100 million iPods sold -
  Apr 09, 2007
• Microsoft Carbon IPTV for the XBox 360 is real! -
  Jan 08, 2007
• First Frameless Plasma Is Coming! -
  Jul 02, 2008
• Microsoft Equipt includes Office, OneCare for $69.99/Year -
  Jul 02, 2008

TrackBack (0)
| Comments (0) | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Is There More to Netflix/Roku Than Meets the Eye?

Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Palm keeps on churning out products –ahh, bet they still wish it was the heady days of the Palm Pilot …

Anyway, now surrounded by relentless competition, the yet-to-be released Treo 850 apparently features a 400 MHz processor and 100 MB of RAM. Check out photos at The Boy Genius Report here.

Tags: Palm, Palm Pilot, The Boy Genius Report, Treo 850

Related Entries
• Touch-Screen BlackBerry Coming!? -
  May 16, 2008
• Is Flip the Future of Video? -
  May 05, 2008
• Congrats to Netgear - wins Top 10 Gadgets 2007 Award -
  Dec 12, 2007
• Palm Foleo launches -
  May 30, 2007
• Palm Celebrates 10th Anniversary As Gadget Innovator -
  Mar 27, 2006
• Palm’s Z22 Gets Back to Organizer Basics -
  Dec 30, 2005

Original post by nafiz

Rich Tehrani has a good post today that includes a couple pictures and even a couple of testimonial videos from this last Internet Telephony Conference & Expo. If you missed the resoundingly successful ITEXPO conference, be sure to check out Rich’s blog post. MobileMax (which I glowed over at my ITEXPO meeting) gives a great testimony about how service providers specifically came to meet them at ITEXPO and said, "we closed a great deal here so we’re looking forward to announcing that in the near future." MobileMax also said, "We’re coming out of this show with more prospects than we really expected so we’re really happy."

Packet8 commented, "This is a great show for us. We’ve been showing our MobileTalk application. We have a number of our partners here and we also meet up with a number of our resellers and we do see quite a few end-users at the show, especially small, medium-sized businesses.

Touchstone Technologies said, "Fantastic! The traffic to our booth has been excellent… In general we find that the traffic at the ITEXPO shows to be very highly qualified."

Robert Messer from ABP International stated, "This is one of the best shows for IP communications and VoIP combining everybody from the U.S. and a bunch of customers from Latin America. Great crowd. Very busy. One of the best shows for us every year. We got a lot of leads here both from Florida and pretty much the country.

Another exhibitor Audiocodes commented, "The traffic has been very heavy at the booth. We’ve had people in front of the booth for the whole show. This has turned out to be one of our best shows in the last few years."

Lots of other testimonials espousing the leads generated from ITEXPO and the high-quality traffic to the booths.

But don’t take my word for it. Go check out the video below (click pic), which also shows the high-attendance/excellent traffic on the show floor. Oh and if you’re wondering when the next ITEXPO is, it’s September 16-18th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Click here for more info.

Tags: ABP International, Audiocodes, conference, ITEXPO, MobileMax, Packet8, Robert Messer, TMC, Touchstone Technologies, VoIP

Original post by Ryan

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Rumors have been swirling that Apple will be offering movie rentals over iTunes for weeks now. Now it would appear that Warner Bros have joined Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Lions Gate and Paramount in the initial launch. This, according to sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg. The announcement is expected to be made on January 15th according to the report, presumably during Jobs’ MacWorld keynote. Both new releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. Bloomberg’s sources also indicate that Fox may join as a supplier of movie downloads. While the details may change, an iTunes rental service announcement on Tuesday seems a near certainty given the recent multi-source, confluence of data.

[Via Appleinsider]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Thomas Ricker