• motorola,  verizon

    The Consumerist Calls Verizon Droid Packaging “Cheap”

    The Consumerist, the online extension of the Consumer Reports magazine, has an article up on their website titled, “Cheap Package Design Tricks People Into Dropping Motorola Droid On Floor”. I didn’t get to unbox the Verizon Droid that I’m currently testing. (The box, with the phone inside it, was handed to me horizontally.)
    One customer is writes about their experience to The Consumerist:
    “I got my new Verizon Motorola Droid last week. But when I opened the box, the Droid fell to the floor. Apparently I had the box turned the wrong way. There is now a dent in my phone. It’s not a major dent. The phone still works. But it’s still not cool that because of a design flaw, I have to live with a damaged phone right from the get-go.”
    Read the full post on The Consumerist website
  • att,  microsoft,  windows mobile

    AT&T Introduces the HP iPAQ Glisten World Phone

    Last week I had posted that HP was still selling handheld PDAs running the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic operating system. Looks like this would be why – HP is working with AT&T to bring a new Windows Mobile powered smartphone to market.

    AT&T and HP today [November 24, 2009] announced the upcoming availability of the new HP iPAQ Glisten, a feature-rich 3G world phone that meets the increasing demands of modern mobile professionals. AT&T’s first smartphone with an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen, the HP iPAQ Glisten is loaded with features tailored with the business power user in mind.

    Featuring the Microsoft Windows® Mobile 6.5 operating system, the iPAQ Glisten offers a touch-friendly user interface and improved browser with Flash support. Connections to your favorite people, content and applications are a fingertip away on the redesigned Start Menu, and Internet Explorer Mobile supports the rich experiences that many Web pages offer for desktop computers.

    “iPAQ Glisten adds to our innovative Windows Phone portfolio,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “It meets the demands of our business customers while boasting a beautiful AMOLED touch screen and a full package of multimedia features.”

    “The iPAQ Glisten packs a powerful punch with its multiple input methods, variety of connectivity options, and a familiar, consistent email experience that allows mobile professionals to connect with the people and information that matter most to them,” said Susan Macke, vice president, Marketing, Handheld Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Our strategy for success in growing the iPAQ business and customer base is working with industry leaders, like AT&T and Microsoft, and leveraging our collective strengths in the business and prosumer markets.”

    Pricing and availability

    The HP iPAQ Glisten will be available in the coming weeks for $229.99 (receive a $50 AT&T Promotion Card with two-year agreement, smartphone data plan). The smartphone will be available through AT&T business services, HP corporate sales, small and medium business and consumer Websites at AT&T.com and HP.com as well as through third-party e-commerce sites.

    More information on HP iPAQ Glisten is available at www.att.com/hpipaqglisten and www.hp.com/go/glisten.

  • android,  dataviz

    Features of Documents To Go 2.0 for Android

    Earlier this week as part of my Motorola Droid review, I purchased a copy of DataViz Documents To Go 2.0 Full Version. The Viewer Edition of Documents To Go only allows you to view Word and Excel documents.

    The Full Version gives you the ability to view PowerPoint and Acrobat documents. Additionally, you gain the ability to edit and create Office documents, access password protected documents, update charts, and attach documents directly to an email message.

    The full list of features included in Documents To Go 2.0 Full Version can be found on the DataViz website.

    The purchase price for Documents To Go is $29.99. As far as I can tell, there is no direct upgrade path from previous editions of Documents to Go from other platforms. The good news is that shortly after registering the Viewer Edition, I received an email from DataViz stating that I could upgrade to the Full Version for the discounted price of $9.99. The email stated that the sale price was good until December 5, 2009. I don’t know if this is a special offer for all customers or if it is part of a targeted email promotion for people who chose to register the Viewer Edition. Your mileage may vary.

  • apple,  microsoft,  sprint,  verizon

    Black Friday Technology Deals

    Black Friday has become a crazy, insane, shopping frenzy that jump starts the holiday gift buying season and puts many retailer’s balance sheets “in the black.” Here are some deals that have caught me eye and might be of interest to you today as you build your plan of attack for tomorrow morning.

    Amazon

    Apple

    Best Buy

    • Sprint Palm Pre (requires 2-year service agreement), $79.99

    Staples

    • Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 3000 Keyboard & Mouse, $24.99 (online, phone only)
    • SanDisk 8GB Cruzer Micro Skin USB Flash Drive, $14.99 (online, phone only)
    • Jabra BT4010 Bluetooth Headset, $14.99 (online, phone only)

    Target

    • Western Digital Elements 500GB Portable Hard Drive, $59.98 (in store only)
    • Western Digital Elements 1TB Desktop Hard Drive, $58.98 (in store only)

    Verizon Wireless

    • BlackBerry Curve 8530, Buy One Get One (2-yr service contract, online, in store)
  • android,  dataviz

    Third-Party Apps for Android

    During my testing of the Motorola Droid smartphone, I’ve started looking through the Android Market, Google’s answer to the Apple’s iTunes App Store. Here is a list of free, or nearly free, applications that I have loaded on the Droid.

  • android,  google,  motorola

    Verizon Motorola Droid in the House

    If you where following my Twitter feed (@spf360) earlier today you already know that I’m now walking around with a Google Android 2.0 powered Motorola Droid. (To be fair, I also go to play with a Palm Pixi today too!)

    How did I come to have a Droid you ask? Simple; I’m taking it out for a test drive as a possible replacement for the fleet of aging Palm Treo 700p and 755p smartphones. I really love my job!

    So I have this phone for about a week. During that time I’ll be playing with it see how it will stand up to everyday use by corporate office workers. Keep in mind that I’m going to be focusing on what an office worker will be doing with the Droid. So high on the list of things to test out is the browser, camera, native Gmail and attachment support, some of the location based services like GPS driving directions and traffic updates, geotagged photos, voice dialing, and maybe some thing non-work related like news apps, Facebook, and a few games.

    The good news is that I’ve taken Thanksgiving week off which will give me plenty of time to play with this new “business tool.”

    If you have something that you want me to try out while I have the phone, leave me a note in the comments section and I will do my best to try things out and report back.

  • windows mobile

    HP iPAQ Handhelds Still Available


    I didn’t realize this, but HP is still selling handheld PDAs. Why? If you are one of the classic PDA fanatics (hey, we’re all fanatical around here anyway) HP has you covered with two devices to choose from.

    First up is the HP iPAQ 110 Classic. This $300 PDA sports Windows Mobile 6.0 “Classic” and comes packed with a 624MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, 256MB of Flash, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a touch screen, and a SDIO card slot.

    Want a little more horse power?

    HP is also still selling he iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld for a mer $400. The 21o comes with 126MB of RAM, 256MB of Flash, 1 CFHC and 1 SDHC card slots, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi with WPA2 security.

    Go ahead, get your PDA geek on over at the HP online store.