My Digital Life

Windows Mobile 6.1 - My impression part 1

I did have a scare on  Wednesday. I could not access the Internet using Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE), however I was able to get mail. I am not sure whether the problem was with T-Mobile or Windows Mobile 6.1. I was a little concerned about the United Airlines PocketFly timetable application I had just installed that morning, because it updates PIE. I ended up rebuilding without the United software and on Thursday PIE was working again.

All seems to be working well now including the GPS. I have not seen any major performance improvements yet . However at this time I do not see the need to use a custom ROM build. The HTC build has all the basics and with Kaisertweak, adjusting the environment works very well.

My current application list.

My Windows Mobile application list as of May 28th

Yesterday, I reported that I made the move on my AT&T Tilt to the official release of Windows Mobile 6.1 by HTC Europe for the TyTn II.  I initially tried  Dutty's 6.1 test ROM from xda-developers which had many issues, today I noticed he had appended his post title with "[AMBANDONNED DUE TO BUGS]".  The HTC ROM I downloaded from via this post on MoDaCo, seems to be running very well. It does not have the bells and whistle that Dutty's ROM had but I was able to make the tweaks I needed with Kaisertweak. I also ran the Tilt Keyboard fix to make the Tilt's keyboard work correctly.

I also updated quite a few applications.

My one disappointment so far was the fact my backup with Sunnysoft's Backup Manager did not restore correctly and I had install all my applications manually, but it does give me a clean environment. 

Update 5/30/2008: On 5/29/2008 I had problems accessing the Internet with PIE,  rebuilt my Tilt and removed the United Airline PocketFly application for fear of incompatibility with Pocket Internet Explorer in 6.1. I will have to test further.

Device Information:

• PPC Model: Kaiser (AT&T Tilt version)
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• OS ROM version: CE OS 5.2.19212 (Build 19212.1.0.3) (downloaded from MoDaCo post)
• Radio ROM version: 1.65.16.25 (included in ROM download)
• Carrier: T-Mobile USA

Additions:

• My Faves  from xda-developers no version info
• Kaisertweak version .41
• Microsoft Voice Command version 1.60.4622.0
• SBSH Pocket Weather version 2.0.7 (great integration with Pocket Breeze) (review)

Upgrades:

• Spb Mobile Shell version 2.1
• PhatWare Calligrapher version 8.6
• WebIS Pocket Informant 8 version 8.02
• SBSH.net PocketBreeze version 5.4.1
• Windows Live Search version 3.0.3047.24749
• SlingPlayer Mobile version 1.6
• Omega One 1-Calc version 3.2.3
• Ilium Software Newsbreak version 2.1

Replacements/Removal:

• AdvancedConfig version 1.1 replaced by Kaisertweak

Is not stable with Windows Mobile 6:

Need to Try/Test:

• United Airlines Pocketfly timetable
• Sunnysoft's Backup Manager 4002 (review here) (restore did not work from WM6.0 to WM6.1)
• Gougelet PE XnView Pocket version 1.35 (I am not sure I need this anymore)
• Stowaway Keyboard and Mouse drivers version 4.51
• Fizz Software Ltd Fizz Weather version 2.4

In Storage Memory:

• Spb Mobile Shell version 2.1
• PhatWare Calligrapher version 8.6
• JetWare Bluetooth HFP Extensions version 1.31
• WebIS Pocket Informant 8 version 8.02
• SBSH.net PocketBreeze version 5.4.1
• Windows Live Search version 3.0.3047.24749
• WebIS VoiceMinder version 1.6
• Omega One 1-Calc version 3.2.3
• PhatWare Phatpad version 4.4
• Ilium Software eWallet version 6
• Ilium Software Newsbreak version 2.1
• Zagat To Go Version 6
• Developer One ScreenSnap version 6.1
• SlingPlayer Mobile version 1.6
• Tilt Keyboard fix
• Developer One ScreenSnap version 6.1
• T-Mobile HotSpot login utility version 2.0
• Six Apart Typepad application version 1.01
• GeeksToolbox.com SiriusWM5 (free)
• C. Ghisler & Co. Total Commander version 2.0
• BatteryStatus version 1.04.203 Beta4 Build 0253 (no overclocking with the Kaiser)
• T-Mobile My Faves from xda-developers no version info
• Kaisertweak version .41
• Microsoft Voice Command version 1.60.4622.0
• SBSH Pocket Weather version 2.0.7 (great integration with Pocket Breeze) (review)

In ROM Memory

The good thing about the HTC ROM is that it is not bloated. The only two extra applications I have noticed other than the standard HTC applications are:

• Adobe Reader LE 2.0
• World Card Mobile (a business card scanner, I need to try it out)

On 8GB Mini SD card:

Only data, for the moment I have no need to install application on the SD card...

Review of SBSH Mobile Software Pocket Weather v2.0

Having weather information at your fingertips allows you to make or alter decisions such as whether you should bring an umbrella, what to wear, and what to plan...in real time. In addition to mobile weather web sites, basic weather forecast information has found its way into many Windows Mobile applications like Windows Live Search. There are several weather-centric applications which provide more in-depth weather data for the meteorologist in all of us. SBSH Mobile Software has recently released version 2 of Pocket Weather for Windows Mobile Professional and Standard. Let's see how well the weather information helps us not get caught in the rain! Read my review here.

Overall Rating:


The Good

Integration with Pocket Breeze and Facade

Versions for Windows Mobile Pro and Standard

METAR data

The Bad

No radar display

No Home screen plug-ins for Windows Mobile Standard

Large program size

Ramblings for the week of May 26th in My Digital Life

Last week I signed up for the T-Mobile Family 4-Pack promotion and so far I think it will work out very nicely. Here is a summary of my observations:

• The selected 5 My Faves numbers are tied to the phone and not the account. The bottom line is that you can't share My Faves number across your Family plan (too bad).
• Once the My Faves numbers have been validated by the phone's My Faves application, you can swap your SIM card into a phone which does not have the My Faves application (like the iPhone). Your calls  to your My Faves numbers still count in you My Faves unlimited bucket.
• You can only modify My Faves numbers once a month. The message I received was that I could change them on June 1.

All in all this looks to be an excellent promotion...

With the official release of Windows Mobile 6.1 from HTC Europe for the TyTn II, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my AT&T Tilt this last weekend. After backing up my unit with Sunnysoft's Backup Manager, I decided to try Dutty's 6.1 test ROM from xda-developers. I was unable to restore my backup and the ROM had several issues, the most troublesome was that I could not get the GPS to work. I decided to try the official release of the HTC ROM, I had to download it via MoDaCo, since HTC won't allow the download to a non HTC branded device. At this point I decided not bother restoring and I installed all my applications from scratch. I will have to update my Windows Mobile application list with my current configuration. All seems to be working well, GPS included...

I received my Fujitsu U810 and so far I am very impressed with its build quality. It is not the fastest machine (it gets a 2.1 Vista processor score), but I think it works quite well for web, email and text processing. The tablet functionality works very well (this one area where Vista shines). The size and weight  are just about perfect for my shoulder bag. I will be traveling soon and will report back on how useful this little machine will be.

This week:

• Working on a review of CellPoint's Flamingo Music earphones.
• Update my Windows Mobile application list

Happy Memorial Day USA...The summer season has started

Memorial Day is a United States public holiday that takes place on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Today, many Americans use Memorial Day weekend to also honor family members who have passed away. ... 

From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

It is also known as the official beginning of the summer season and commemorated with backyard barbecues and trips to the beach...

Memorial Day is a United States public holiday that takes place on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Today, many Americans use Memorial Day weekend to also honor family members who have passed away. ... 

From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

It is also known as the official beginning of the summer season and commemorated with backyard barbecues and trips to the beach...

Review of SBSH Mobile Software Facade 1.4.1 for Windows Mobile Standard

The definition of Facade in the Merriam-Webster dictionary states; 1: the front of a building; also : any face of a building given special architectural treatment <a museum's east facade> or 2: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect. The first definition clearly describes the intent of SBSH Mobile Software in creating Facade as a replacement for the default Windows Mobile Standard Home screen. SBSH Mobile Software has recently released version 1.4.1 of Facade. Will this give your Home screen the face lift it needs? Read my review on pocket now here.

PROS

• Maximize Home screen real estate
• Highly configurable
• Easily create your own design

CONS

• Tasks cannot be included in schedule tab
• Program tab does not maximize screen real estate
• No integration with third party PIM applications

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

NetFlix Streaming box released

Ever since Directv changed their Pay Per View policy to a 24 hour viewing windows (see my post) I have been searching for an alternative solution. The closest one I have come up with is the NetFlix service. I went back and calculated what we spent on PPV over the last 12 months and was surprised to find that the $8.99/month NetFlix subscription was slightly less. The only disadvantages are planning our selections ahead of time and the wait time on some new releases. My mother has NetFlix and sometimes she has waited more than 30 days to receive a popular new release. With Directv we used to record PPVs without purchasing them, then we could watch the PPV we were in the mood for. With the NetFlix $8.99 plan, you receive one DVD at time which means only one selection to watch.

With the release of the NetFlix Streaming box for $99, NetFlix now has a real alternative to delivering content. Right now the 10,000+ titles available for streaming are older titles and only in standard definition. The box will be upgraded to HD when NetFlix releases streaming HD content. The one interesting caveat on the content side, is that they have all the most popular TV series which have been released on DVD.

The combination of the new release DVDs by mail and older streaming content maybe the right combination for our viewing habit. With the prevalence of real time data around us, it is funny how technology has changed TV viewing habits from live towards recorded content which allows us to better manager our time...

Here is a good Gizmodo review of the NetFlix Streaming box.

T-Mobile sharing My Faves on a Family plan?

Before I signed up for the Family 4-Pack, I had heard rumors the My Faves numbers could be shared across all lines on a Family plan. After talking to two customer service representatives, I got two different answers. The first individual told me I could share My Faves across my 5 lines which would provide me with 25 My Faves numbers, the second told me that calls made on a line are only associated with the 5 numbers registered on that line.

From my limited testing and monitoring of my account on the my.t-mobile.com web set, it looks like the second representative was correct and that the Family 4-Pack does not change how the original My Faves option works. Too bad...

I will have to wait for the end of my billing cycle to completely validate how My Faves works, since the billing system validates all calls when the statements gets generated, but in the past the my.t-mobile.com web site has been pretty accurate.

T-Mobile My Faves and the iPhone

Yesterday, I discussed my theory of operation for My Faves and the excellent Family 4-Pack promotion.  I believe the My Faves numbers are categorized as free calls by the T-Mobile billing system, not the phone. The reason you need a phone with the My Faves application, is that when you add or modify a My Faves number, it has to be activated by the application. The My Faves applications does this with no charge SMS messages.  If you use the web site to manage your My Faves numbers and you don't have an active phone with the My Faves application, the phone number stays in a pending state. Once the application on the phone validates the number, it becomes an active My Faves number and you can switch phones.

I tried this last night. I updated and activated a phone number with the My Faves application on my AT&T Tilt. I then switched my SIM card over to my iPhone and placed a called. This morning I checked my account and the call shows up a My Faves call (V).

Now my only question is whether the My Faves numbers need to refreshed periodically. I will have to test over my next billing cycle.  And obviously at this point I can't manage My Faves numbers using the iPhone.

Disclaimer: Since I have no internal understanding of how My Faves work and this is just a theory, if you choose to try this you need to validate that it works by monitoring your account on the T-Mobile web site. I am not responsible for any charges on your T-Mobile account.

Ramblings for the week of May 19th in My Digital Life

Back in February I ranted about T-Mobile's lack of news and direction (link), however as comments pointed out they are tough to beat from a value perspective. This month they have again upped the ante on value with a special promotion through June 24 called the Family 4-Pack (link from tmonews.com). The Family 4-Pack adds:

• Unlimited HotSpot@Home
• Unlimited calling to each family members 5 favorite poeple
• Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile
• Unlimited Nights and Weekend

All of this for $9.99 per month in addition to your base Family plan charge and since it is an option, it has no contractual commitment. I was paying $19.99 for the HotSpot@Home option, replacing it with the Family 4-Pack saves me $10 per month. Since I have 5 phones on our Family plan we can call up to 25 My Faves numbers for free (5 per phone which can be shared). In order to get this promotion T-Mobile checks to make sure that all of your phones are compatible with My Faves, they do not care so much if they are HotSpot@Home compatible. It was interesting to find out that they knew I had connected with my iPhone, Wing, and currently HTC Kaiser (aka AT&T Tilt). They were concerned that the HTC Kaiser did not have the My Faves application. I tried to explain that I could install the My Faves application on the Kaiser but they did not think it would work so I told them I would use the Wing. I downloaded the My Faves application from xda-developers (link), installed it and it works just fine. I have been wondering how My Faves works, at first I thought the software on the phone added a code to the number called, but I am thinking that it is the billing system that handles the matching of numbers so you do not get charged. The only function the software on the phone seems to do is activate the number in your account profile by sending SMS messages. Without the software on the phone the number does not get validated and it is not active as a My Faves number. I am assuming it only does this once when you initially enter or modify the number. I will have to test my theory with my iPhone. If I make a call to one of the activated My Faves number on the iPhone, it should show up as a V call (My Faves) in my account on the T-Mobile web site. Obviously I can't add or modify My Faves numbers with the iPhone since it has no application to validate the number. Maybe someone will write one...Bottom line, I think this is a great promotion and it will keep me as a T-Mobile customer. I am now just waiting for 3G. Also it seems you can only modify a My Faves number once a month which makes sense, since if you could change the numbers at will, the plan could be viewed as totally unlimited...

I have decided to try a UMPC this month, the Fujitsu U810 to see how it might fit in with my travel gadgets. It is a Tablet PC with Vista that has a 5.6" screen and weighs 1.56lbs. This would definitely solve my photo sharing dilemma since I could easily transfer files from my camera and upload them to the Kodak Gallery for sharing. Costco is currently selling the 40GB model with Vista Home for $849 and adds 1 year to the base 1 year warranty for free. It will be interesting to see how useful this UMPC is.

This week:

• My review of SBSH Mobile Software Facade application for pocketnow.com. should be published this week. This is a smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard) today screen replacement.
• Finishing on a review of SBSH Mobile Software Pocket Weather.
• Working on a review of CellPoint's Flamingo Music earphones.
• Update my Windows Mobile application list