My Digital Life

Review: The Verizon Hub

The tag line for the Verizon Wireless Hub is "Welcome to the Home Phone Reinvented." This struck as funny coming from a wireless carrier and, at the same time, quite an interesting statement coming from one of the largest landline carriers in the country. Yes, Verizon Wireless is a separate company partially owned by Vodafone, but Verizon Communication is the majority owner. What is the Verizon Hub? Read my review on pocketnow.com.

 

PROS

• An innovative home phone system
• Seven inch touch screen
• VZ Navigator integration
• Visual Voicemail

 

CONS

• Can only message to Verizon Wireless customers
• No browser
• Limited number of applications

 

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

 

Review: MWg Zinc II

Mobile & Wireless Group (MWg) is a Singapore based start-up company established to develop and market premium, converged mobile devices. It was Founded by the team responsible for O2’s ground-breaking range of PDA-phones. The MWg Zinc II is the successor to the O2 Xda Zinc launched by MWg. Let's take it for a spin and see how well it performs! Read and view my review on pocketnow.com!

Overall Rating:


The Good

• Excellent touch responsiveness
• Fast GPS location acquisition
• Unlocked
• Quad band GSM/Triband UMTS

The Bad

• Lack of included software like Adobe Reader
• No dedicated headphone jack
• Screen only QVGA
• No cover on Micro SD slot

The Zinc II with the keyboard pulled out.

Note: The review on pocketnow.com describes an FM radio erroneously. This will be corrected today.

Review: Celio Corporation REDFLY Mobile Companion

The advent of integrated thumb keyboards on Windows Mobile devices has meant the demise of compatible portable Bluetooth keyboards. The current class of devices are almost full-fledged computing platforms, however the size of the screen and keyboards limits their full potential. The Celio Corporation identified this need and created the REDFLY Mobile Companion - a combination full QWERTY keyboard and 8" LCD screen. This accessory looks more like an Ultra Mobile Personal Companion (UMPC) than an accessory for a Windows Mobile device. Let's see how well it performs its job as a Mobile Companion to our beloved Windows Mobile devices. Read and view my review on pocketnow.com!

Overall Rating:


The Good

Great rendering with most applications

Small and lightweight

Excellent battery life

The Bad

Videos come out blotchy and unwatchable

No speaker or microphone

Expensive

Review of SharpCast's SugarSync for Windows Mobile

Business professionals and now consumers are embracing the concept of handheld computing, however a major obstacle still exists: easily and seamlessly synchronizing content between all of our computing platforms. SharpCast aims to change this with their SugarSync service. The SugarSync service provides online file backup and synchronization between compatible devices, including those powered with Windows Mobile. Read my review on pocketnow.com.

PROS

• Seamlessly syncs files between devices
• Multiple OS support
• Built in photo album sharing

CONS

• Only syncs photos from mobile device (no files)
• Photo Album Titles are not stored in EXIF
• Pricey

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

Review of CellPoint Flamingo Music earphones

There are many models of miniature speakers you place close to your ears. They are called headphones, earphones, or earbuds. You have a choice of models which fit over the ear, in the outer ear or inside the ear canal. CellPoint, a Swedish company which specializes in outer ear earphones, has recently released their Flamingo Music wired stereo earphones. The Flamingo Music was a winner of the 2008 CES Award for innovative design and engineering. They use CellPoint's second generation EarClick technology for a personalized fit in your outer ear. Read my review on pocketnow.com!

PROS

• Loud, crisp and accurate sound
• Lightweight
• Comfortable to wear

CONS

• Volume control not included
• Sound can be heard by others
• Bass response lacking

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

 

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

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

WebIS Pocket Informant v8 and Birdsoft eXtreme Agenda v3.1, a comparison

The battle between Personal Information Managers (PIM) in the Windows Mobile Professional (touch screen) environment is quite competitive. Earlier this year we reviewed WebIS' latest version of Pocket Informant and Birdsoft's new Windows Mobile Pro version of eXtreme Agenda. Now it is time to compare these two PIMs, not necessarily to pick a winner but to provide as unbiased a view as possible of the major features. The definition of Personal Information Managers on Wikipedia describes a PIM as "a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. As an information management tool, a PIM's purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of 'personal information'". This comparison is based on my view of "personal information" which I categorized as:

• Home screen
• Calendar events
• Address book/Contacts
• Personal notes/journal
• Task lists
• Project management
• Templates/Macros

Read my comparison on pocketnow.com here.

Review of trapster.com

I have been using trapster.com on and off for over a month now. The review which was published on pocketnow.com provides an overview of the service which I describe as the social of radar detector. Read my review on pocketnow.

 

the trapster.com web site.

Review: Verizon SMT5800 with Windows Mobile 6 Standard

The SMT5800 is Verizon Wireless' first Windows Mobile 6 Standard smartphone with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. It is manufactured by HTC and is the CDMA cousin of the S730. The SMT5800 fits very nicely in the palm of you hand, yet at 4.2 ounces delivers a lot of performance with a QUALCOMM MSM7500 400MHz processor and access to Verizon Wireless' EVDO broadband network. It is however one of the few new smartphones without WiFi Let's see how well it performs on Verizon's network. View and read my video review at pocketnow.com.

Overall Rating:


The Good

Great one-handed operation

Excellent memory management

EVDO with PC tethering option

The Bad

EVDO PC tethering requires USB cable

No GPS or WiFi

Weak battery life