• android,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  google,  microsoft,  web os,  windows,  windows mobile

    Retail Editions of Windows 7 Go On Sale Today

    While the final version of Windows 7 has been available to select Microsoft customers and TechNet subscribers for some time now, October 22, 2009 will be remembered as the day that Windows Vista was finally replaced.

    Starting today, Microsoft has started selling four of the six editions of Windows 7 online and at retail locations. (Windows 7 Starter edition and Windows 7 Enterprise edition are required to be purchased under special conditions that we wouldn’t normally have access to. Think netbooks and large corporate account holders.)

    So what does that mean for smartphone users? Probably not much. Microsoft has worked hard to ensure that any software package that works on Windows Vista will also work on Windows 7. I’ve been using Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions for the last few months now and I haven’t run into any serious show stoppers.

    Palm Pre, Pixi – Palm webOS devices

    Palm Pre customers (and Palm Pixi customers shortly) won’t have any sync problems out of the box because Palm webOS, unlike Palm OS, does not sync directly with a desktop computer. People using webOS phones and third-party sync solutions like Chapura PocketMirror for webOS and Chapura Echo will want to check for any updates that may be made available. At the time of this posting, I did not see any updates mentioned on Chapura’s website.

    Treo 755p, Centro, Palm OS Handhelds – Palm OS 5 Devices

    Customers using Palm’s older generation smartphones and PDA handhelds, including the Palm Treo 755p, Centro, and Palm TX handheld PDA, things can get a little bit sketchy. Most of the issues with Palm Desktop versions 4.x and 6.x will likely continue. You will still need to be a member of the Windows Administrators group to install the software and all manors of HotSync voodoo will likely be needed to perform successful HotSync operations. In my limited Palm Desktop 6.22 testing on my Windows 7 Ultimate machine, which was upgraded from Windows Vista Ultimate, I have been able to HotSync my Treo 755p. However, I will caution you that 3-5 HotSync operations is hardly conclusive.

    Windows 7 also won’t correct the USB driver issue. Neither Palm nor ACCESS (the company that owns the Palm OS 5 and Windows Palm Desktop source code) has released a 64-bit USB driver. In short, that means if you have a 64-bit edition of Windows XP/Vista/7, you can’t sync your Palm OS 5 device with USB cable. You will need to turn to a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth solution to sync. I don’t expect either company to release a 64-bit compatible Palm OS 5 driver at this late stage in the Palm OS life cycle since Palm OS 5 is no longer being used in new devices from Palm.

    RIM BlackBerry Smartphones

    I recently installed BlackBerry Device Manager 5.0 on my Windows 7 machine and was able to sync it with my BlackBerry Curve 8330. After installing Device Manager, I learned that there was an OS update for my Berry and I was able to apply the update without issue. The BlackBerry USB mass storage mode also worked without a hitch.

    Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.5

    There really isn’t much to report here. Microsoft’s latest desktop software is expected to sync with their mobile operating systems. While I haven’t tried to sync my Treo 750 (Windows Mobile Professional 6.0) with my Windows 7 machine yet, it did sync (mostly) error free with Windows Vista.

    What about everything else?

    While I don’t have an Apple iPhone or Google Android phone, I am not anticipating any serious problems. The iPhones and the iPod touch sync with Apple’s iTunes software, which is still listed as being compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista should work fine under Windows 7. If an issue does come up, I’d expect Apple to have a fix out shortly since there are so many people walking around with both devices at this point.

    You can learn more about the various Windows 7 editions on the Microsoft website.

  • microsoft,  t-mobile

    Microsoft/Danger Data Loss: The Plot Thickens

    Following up on the weekend’s revelation that Microsoft/Danger had lost T-Mobile SideKick user’s data, new sources have surfaced ready to talk and the good folks at AppleInsider where all to willing to listen.

    “Additional insiders have stepped forward to shed more light into Microsoft’s troubled acquisition of Danger, its beleaguered Pink Project, and what has become one of the most high profile Information Technology disasters in recent memory.

    The sources point to longstanding management issues, a culture of “dogfooding” (to eradicate any vestiges of competitor’s technologies after an acquisition), and evidence that could suggest the failure was the result of a deliberate act of sabotage.”

    What is the real reason for the server outage and data loss? We may never really know. Regardless of how you slice it, this situation is a PR nightmare for both T-Mobile and Microsoft. If you enjoy reading a good drug store paperback murder/mystery novel, you will want to read the this article. Who knows, maybe this will be turned into a movie some day.

    Read the full AppleInsider article

  • microsoft,  t-mobile

    T-Mobile, Microsoft, Lose Customer Data

    T-Mobile and Microsoft are in some hot water with their customers. It seems that during a “service disruption” last week, Microsoft’s Danger unit, in partnership with US cellular partner, T-Mobile, have lost customer’s data. I’m willing to bet that someone inside Microsoft is in a lot of trouble.

    “Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

    T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.

    We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.

    Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger’s latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device – such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos – that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.”

    “With yesterday’s news of T-Mobile letting Sidekick customers know that all of their data has been lost due to a server failure on Microsoft’s/Danger’s servers (Microsoft bought Danger, makers of the Sidekick back in February of 2008 for $500 million ). T-Mobile has suspended sales of all Sidekicks listing every model as “temporarily out of stock”.”

    [Via GadgetsOnTheGo.net…]

  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    Microsoft My Phone Beta

    A few weeks ago I submitted my name to participate in the Microsoft My Phone public beta. My Phone is a service from Microsoft that will allow you to:

    • Back up and restore your phone’s information to a password-protected web site
    • Access and update your contacts and appointments through your web account
    • Share photos on your phone with family and friends

    Last Friday I received my invitation into the program. Check back later in the week for my opinions on the service and how well it works with my Palm Treo 750 smartphone.

    To jump in and join all the Microsoft Windows Mobile phone fun, head over to the MyPhone Beta website.

  • microsoft,  rumors,  windows mobile

    Rumor: Pocket IE 6 Update

    WMExperts has an interesting little article posted today about the next version of Pocket IE 6 for devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Professional.

    “An anonymous tipster has sent in some screen shots and impressions of the upcoming Internet Explorer 6 browser that’s coming to Windows Mobile in the very near future, the vaunted ‘6 on 6.’ The bad news — it’s not at all clear that Microsoft will make this an independently-available download. We do know for sure that it will be baked-into the ROMs of many future smartphones. That leads us to the good news — the screenshots we have here are from an upcoming WinMo device. Square Screen, 320×320 resolution, and the black theme are your clues as to what we’re looking at.”

    While I’d like to see Microsoft release the next version of Pocket IE 6 as a stand-alone update to existing Windows Mobile 6.0 devices, I’m not at all sure they will. Palm has had a “no-upgrades” policy for a long time. On the desktop side, Microsoft would release a new version of the browser outside of a major OS release, so I’m still hopeful that Microsoft will release the upgrade as a free download from their Windows Mobile software site.

    [Via WMExperts…]

  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    Microsoft Confirms Windows Mobile 6.5

    WMExperts via TechRadar.com is reporting that Microsoft’s skipper, Steve Ballmer, has confirmed that the company will be releasing Windows Mobile 6.5 to fill the void between here and Windows Mobile 7.0.

    “Ballmer said “With releases we’ll make this year – releases we’ll make with 6.5 next year, Windows Mobile 7, I think we have a pretty interesting roadmap.”

    [Via TechRadar.com…]

    Related Articles:

    Rumor: Microsoft Working on Windows Mobile 6.5
    Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7

  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    UPDATE: Microsoft Fixes Live Mesh Mobile Client

    From the Live Mesh blog…

    “Thank you for using the Live Mesh for Mobile client! For users who saw a failure to add their mobile phone to their mesh, we have deployed an updated build of Live Mesh for Mobile. You will need to download the Mobile Installer from http://m.mesh.com/install/wm6/LiveMesh.cab again. Once you have the new installer on your phone, run it and the installed client will be upgraded to the new version. The new Mobile Live Mesh Client is version number 0.9.3424.6 (check this through Menu -> About). Now you can start Live Mesh, sign in, and you should be good to go.”

    Get you client installer OTA:
    http://m.mesh.com/install/wm6/LiveMesh.cab

  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    Live Mesh: Here, there, Nowhere…

    Earlier today WMExperts.com was reporting that Microsoft had released Live Mesh for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1-powered devices along with a Mac OS X client (whoa!!).

    However, I received a much different picture when I went to the Microsoft Live Mesh blog. It seems that after the rollout, Microsoft discovered a bug with the installation process, prompting the company to post a warning about attempting to install the software.

    “Since rolling out the latest Live Mesh release this afternoon, a number of customers have reported trouble installing the Live Mesh for Mobile software. We have identified the problem and are currently working on a new build. We don’t yet have an estimated time of availability, but we will post updates here, on the blog, as we know more.

    In the meantime, please do not try to install the Live Mesh for Mobile software on your mobile phone because installation will fail in most cases.

    Thank you for your patience as we work to get this issue resolved quickly.”

    Visit the Live Mesh blog for updates

  • microsoft,  rumors,  windows mobile

    Rumor: Microsoft Working on Windows Mobile 6.5

    Brighthand’s Adama Brown has an interesting article posted on the mobile computing website. Mr. Brown’s article reads, in part:

    “The interview focused on the news that Motorola would be dropping both Symbian and its in-house Linux/Java platform in order to focus on devices running Android and Windows Mobile (read more). While commenting on the user experience aspect of smartphones, Jha noted that:

    “Windows Mobile 6 has not delivered the experience that I think Apple has been able to deliver, but as you look at the plan that is Windows Mobile 7 and even 6.5, I think there are significant new added features which will help the platform.”

    This reference to an upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 is the first such information about its existence made available to the public. Previously the next known upgrade to Microsoft’s mobile platform was Windows Mobile 7, a major overhaul which was has been repeatedly delayed, most recently until the second half of 2009.”

    Read the full article on Brighthand.com

    Potential Upgrades

    Unlike desktop operating system upgrades from Microsoft, or even Apple, smartphone operating systems need to be tweaked for the hardware it will run on. Because of that fact, we won’t be able to obtain any upgrade directly from Microsoft. Rather, mobile device manufacturers like Motorola and Palm will need to obtain the software, modify the code, and then have the new software stack certified by each wireless carrier who will carry the upgraded phone.

    Long story short, don’t expect every Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.1 device to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5.

  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    SpriteBackup 6.5 Released

    Sprite Software has released SpriteBackup 6.5 for Windows Mobile smartphones, which includes Palm’s Windows Mobile Professional smartphone line up.

    New in Backup 6.5:

    • Brand New User Interface – Brings you closer to key functions and improves workflows
    • Improved Sprite Explorer – Browse your Backup file and extract data – export Contacts as vCards
    • Powerful Backup PC Manager – Control your backup operations/options from your PC
    • Redeveloped Upgrade Mode – Move key data to a new Windows Mobile device
    • New 1-step Backup – Trigger a manual backup instantly with this feature!
    • Performance Improvements – General speed, stability and performance fixes and revisions.

    Upgrade Options:

    Sprite Backup 5 Customers can upgrade for $10. If Sprite Backup 6.xx came bundled with your device (OEM Customers), you can also upgrade for $10 also. Sprite Backup 6.xx Retail Customers can upgrade for free. If you purchased any retail Sprite Backup 6.xx series version simply enter your email address on this page to recieve your free download link and code: Code Retrieval Page.

    I use SpriteBackup to backup my Palm Treo 750 daily. This is one of those applications that is a must have if you own a Windows Mobile Professional device.