Morning Paper

HP pulls the plug on iPAQ 610: Boooo!

Mobility Site is quoting an e-mail received by one of their staff members saying that HP has decided not to sell the HP iPAQ 610 series in the U.S.

"Well, bad news for everyone looking to get their hands on the HP iPAQ 610 series smartphone. You know, the one with the cool navigation method.

In an email received today by one of our staff members, HP tells us that the 610 is not going to be offered any longer…

You recently registered via HP’s website to be notified when the HP iPAQ 610 Business Navigator is available to purchase.

We appreciate your interest in this product.  However, due to recent legal issues between suppliers of mobile phone technologies, HP has decided not to offer the iPAQ 610 Business Navigator to U.S. customers as previously planned.

Please consider other HP products that may meet your needs and at significant discounts!"

That really is unfortunate. I was never in favor of a non-qwerty phone but this one at least had a touch screen running Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Now, doesn't look like anyone on this side of the world will get the chance to play around with that cool navigation concept they came up with.

But it also continues to leave a hole in HP's phone category.

Visiting their website, they only have the lowly HP iPAQ 510 Messenger available, with a price of $249.99 after rebates. And even though the the iPAQ 6945 series is still up on the initial splash page, it isn't listed either.

Granted, I've long wondered why HP didn't simply give the 69XX series a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade and offer it cheaper than almost $600, especially when they were ramping up to initially release three new phones in the 510, 610 and 910 but now HP has very slim pickings.

As regular readers may also recall, I did happen to spot an HP rep using the 910/912 while at CES so at least that one does exist. But for a line of phones that was supposed to be out starting October of 2007, dropping one device while still being mum on (if/when) the other is coming out is not boding well for the HP phone division.

Drum beat starting: Where in the world is Windows Mobile 6.1?

Inquiring minds want to know. And the questions are only going to get louder. Where in the world is Windows Mobile 6.1?

Here we are on day two of the WDC in Barcelona and not one peep, iota, sliver of news from Microsoft on the (needlessly) ultra-secret, NDA bound, rumored and leaked upgrade to Windows Mobile.

Yesterday, we got announcements about new partnerships and corporate acquisitions. All well fine and good. Early returns are the Experia X1 is looking really good. And while I'm still not understanding the whole purchase of Danger (for $500 million no less), it makes a little more sense than trying to buy Yahoo.

But what I am not understanding is why hasn't there been a single word about the next Windows Mobile when you have everybody who is anybody in the Mobile phone market in the same place?

Microsoft flew big shots out to a private unveiling back in November (yes, NOVEMBER!) of Windows Mobile 6.1 and then slapped everyone with a Non Disclosure Agreement. No biggie (or so we all thought), any day now Microsoft would pull back the veil (something called the iPhone, I think) and viola!

That didn't happen.

Surely, then, at CES at the beginning of January with it being Bill Gates last scheduled appearance.

Uhm, nope. (Although I did enjoy that video of Bill Gates last days at Microsoft).

Absolutely then at WDC, Microsoft can't be that stupid. Don't they realize they are sliding further down a slippery slope? Okay, Palm is pretty much a non-issue at this point (are they even there?), but Apple, RIM, and King of the World Nokia are about to relegate them to the ultimate niche market: the business sector (the same misguided idea Palm clung until it's now too late) .

Even Papa Ed at Brighthand is starting to question what's going on with Windows Mobile.

What needed to have happened at WDC was an announcement: Windows Mobile 6.1. Available now. To everyone. Free. Drop the mic and walk off the stage.

Joe Wilcox raises an interesting point at Microsoft Watch , the big software growth is going to be in the mobile phone sector. The projections are through the roof. A cell phone for every person on the planet. More people own (and will own) cell phones than will ever own PCs. That should be Microsoft's new growth market, and they've already got a foot in the door with Windows Mobile.

Sustainable corporate growth is not going to come from advertising (and what brand of corporate Kool-Aid decided a company that makes software should even be in the ad business?). What should you care, Microsoft, what people use to search as long as they are doing it on a Windows powered PC or mobile device?  Google's search dominance (or ad revenue) is not your enemy.

Apple understands that. That's why they stick to iPods, iPhones and Macs. They have a browser that can search but they are far more concerned that you do whatever you do on an Apple product than anything else. And they work really hard to make their platform the platform of choice to do all of that.

It's a new day and if you don't realize it Microsoft, you and Palm will be sitting together wondering what happened as you're closing down shop.

I don't expect Windows Mobile 6.1 to silence the critics. Heck, our esteemed editor here at Morning Paper will be chomping at the bit to chime in on this. But from what I've seen, WinMo 6.1 is (at least) a few steps in the right direction.

And we need(ed)  to see it yesterday.

Microsoft snaps back at Apple; 14.3 million WinMo phones and counting

Ah, you know the Windows Mobile fanboy in me is smiling right now. That big ol' Kool-Aid smile from yesteryear.

You all remember the much quoted news that the iPhone outsold all Windows Mobile phones ever made, ever? (Okay, slight exaggeration but you know how Steve Jobs can be. Boom.) Well, Microsoft released some numbers of their own today with totals of 14.3 million sold in the last 6 months worldwide. Six months - 14 million phones running Windows Mobile. Boom.

From Pocket-Lint:

The number, as the spokesperson for Microsoft acknowledged was "ahead of RIM and of course Apple's iPhone".

Top leaders? The HTC Touch and the Samsung BlackJack (what? no Motorola Q9's???) I can vouch for the BlackJack's, they are pretty popular even with folks who don't know Windows Mobile from Campbell's Soup but no Q's??? No T-Mobile Shadows? No AT&T Tilt's?

Go figure.

Another peak behind the curtain revealed Microsoft has a "Platinum Club", any device that reaches at least a million units sold gets to hob nob with, er, somebody at Microsoft. Maybe the Touch and the BlackJack are sipping latte's together right now in the private club area?

via Engadget Mobile

Microsoft snaps up Danger

I'm not real sure how to read into Microsoft snapping up Danger, makers of the OS that powers the very popular T-Mobile Sidekick/Slide line, it could go either way.

Regular readers remember I made mention of the new i-Mate 9502 a little while back. I thought the phone was positively scrumptious and I dubbed it the T-Mo Sidekick for grown-ups. It is certainly business looking but keeping that cool "flip" screen thingy that has made the Sidekick such a hit with the "hip" crowd.

Today, Microsoft announced they had acquired Danger for an undisclosed sum and are looking to use the something to spring board further into the consumer market with both feet.

From Crave:

"The addition of Danger serves as a perfect complement to our existing software and services, and also strengthens our dedication to improving mobile experiences centered around individuals and what they like," Microsoft entertainment unit president Robbie Bach said in a statement.

So, Robbie is actually working while in Barcelona not just taking a holiday, good for him.

But, as details start to emerge, this is looking kind of strange (but no where near as strange as Microsoft's bone-headed decision to try and buy Yahoo).

Danger doesn't make their own hardware, they make the OS and services that run on that hardware. What Microsoft may be trying to acquire is the know how to get those services out there? It's not even like Danger is a household world like the T-Mobile Sidekick which would make sense if you are trying to purchase instant market share/awareness.

So what could Microsoft be up to here?

One thing is acquire the company and you acquire who makes the hardware. The Sidekick has been field tested with even the most recent bugs worked out. Could be like buying the contract to fast track a Zune Phone? (Yes, I said it.)

But, Microsoft could have went after i-Mate who are already in the phone business with a much more, at least in my opinion, classier looking device that rivals the the Sidekick in the i-Mate 9502 (short user review here). Zuneified it (yes, I made that word up) or not and hit the ground running. Plus i-Mate isn't exactly in the best of financial shape last I heard and their devices already run Windows Mobile.

For me, Microsoft is not making a lot of sense in the most public of acquisitions lately, Yahoo had to be the dumbest idea I've ever seen any company try to pull of and now acquiring folks who simply make software that is incompatible with Windows Mobile is on the borderline for me.

As I said, maybe there's something else behind the scenes and Microsoft wanted to snatch it up before the company went public. Maybe Microsoft just wanted someone familiar with the form factor and already had a hardware vendor on contract.

I don't know. But if we have a Zune phone by Christmas that looks like a T-Mobile Sidekick/Slide, then I guess we'll have the answer now won't we?

Windows Mobile and Sony Ericsson, together at last

Well, it seems Microsoft is (finally) getting serious about taking Windows Mobile out of the boardroom and into the hands of consumers.

Sony Ericsson announced a new Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset today and Microsoft is tickled pink (I'm sure they're hoping for green).

Crave had the press release:

Handset maker Sony Ericsson is announcing plans for its first Windows Mobile device, a move aimed at boosting the company's presence in the North American smartphone market.

The first product is a business-oriented phone with a QWERTY keyboard, but a family of devices is expected. Over time, Microsoft hopes Sony Ericsson will leverage its camera and music expertise to help build more consumer-oriented devices.

"They've really got some great consumer brands that we'd love to partner with and bring to Windows Mobile," Microsoft Vice President Pieter Knook said in an interview.

As the Mobile World Conference gets underway in Barcelona, it looks like it's going to be a pretty busy day for Windows Mobile. There may be more partners to announce and we may finally get official word on Windows Mobile 6.1, what it does, what it doesn't do and how it looks beyond the leaked photos earlier in the week.

Me, I'm happy that Sony Ericsson is on board, it helps get Windows Mobile in front of more people and that will help change the perception of the average user on Windows Mobile may actually be the OS for them on a device they like.

I'm still not sold on QWERTY sliders but a lot of people swear by them. The new interface looks really nice, iPhone-esque but not really. It looks like Sony Ericsson took the "concept" of the iPhone interface but then took in a different direction. Now, the interface looks to be more like a distant relative more than a clone. At least in my opinion.

I see traction with this concept going forward. Yes, the Windows Mobile haters will be all over this saying it's still Windows Mobile under the snazzy interface. But if you already like Windows Mobile (like yours truly), there's nothing wrong with prettying it up.

The site for the XPERIA X1 is up and running with a snazzy commercial. Don't expect to see much in the way of how the phone actually operates as they've gone for about 50 seconds of paper airplanes flying around as opposed to showing the actual device, but you can glean enough from the video to see they may really be on to something here.

via Engadget Mobile and Crave

Obama a BlackBerry Man, Hillary rumored to love the "Crack" as well

You all know of my continued fascination with BlackBerry, our editor here at Morning Paper has one and I continually burn with envy then come back to my senses when I pick up my beloved Motorola Q9h and bask in the greatness of Windows Mobile.

Well, Celebrity BlackBerry Sightings has a big ol' picture of the current darling of the Democratic party busting out his biggest Kool-Aid grin while using a BlackBerry 8700C. In the same article, they say Hillary is loving her BlackBerry  but I haven't been able to find which one. (Anybody?)

Nice to know the potential leaders of the free world are lovin' the CrackBerry but why aren't either of them sportin' the latest?

Hillary strikes me as a BlackBerry Curve owner, something about it's power while trying to appear non-threatening. But I would have thought Obama would have been all over the new BlackBery 8820.

I guess to each his own.

via PalmAddicts

Microsoft and Nokia getting chummier?

I don't know about this one. It makes sense and could be completely plausible but then it could be just idle speculation as things heat up heading towards Mobile World Congress in Barcelona starting on Monday.

Nokia may be considering putting Windows Mobile on some of their phones.

Okay, you can pick yourself off the floor now.

My first sighting of this still unconfirmed rumor came from Engadget Mobile (and where I got the picture).

"According to Microsoft's mobile communications business international marketing director (phew) John Starkweather, Redmond is in talks with the folks from Finland about getting Windows Mobile onto Nokia handsets."

Okay, as the commentators said, Microsoft is free to talk to anyone they want about anything, doesn't mean it's going to happen. Not that it would be a bad thing, but my thinking is Nokia is loving being top-dog world wide with their own OS and that suits them just fine. Sure, they would like to crack the US market but they seem to at least have some devices that could do it for them if US carriers would carry them.

Would they rebuff Microsoft and Windows Mobile? You can talk without having to make any sort of commitment and, according to the rest of the Engadget Mobile post, it looks like it is what it is, just talk at this stage.

Then, however, I hit up msmobiles.com, and they are significantly stirring the pot that maybe something really is afoot because of all the Microsoft top brass that will be at Mobile World:

"Even when Microsoft was unveiling new major versions of Windows Mobile, like Windows Mobile 6, only Pieter Knook was present at main press conference of Microsoft at that event each year, but next week, when only minor version upgrade (Windows Mobile 6.1) is being announced, a higher manager (Robbie Bach) is present. Why? Because Microsoft will announce cooperation with Nokia and Windows Mobile phones made by Nokia are coming:"

All the usual Windows Mobile haters are chiming in saying this will be the death of Nokia which yours truly doesn't believe (obviously). If they are in talks and if Nokia is listening, it would probably end up being like the deal Microsoft struck with Palm: two versions of the same phone, one with Windows Mobile, one running Symbian S60. Then, it's up to the consumers as to which OS they like better. And Nokia can potentially start moving more high-end carrier subsidized handsets and start to open their market share.

But, why many of the Microsoft top brass are going to be on hand is anyone's guess. Msmobiles makes a credible argument for some sort of MAJOR announcement if so many of the top brass are going to be present. All the rest of us are simply expecting to finally hear the official word on Windows Mobile 6.1.

Or, Robbie Bach (head of Entertainment and Device division) wants to see Spain and this is a good way to write off the trip as a business expense.

Opera 9.5 this way cometh (at some point (soon))

Another week, another "Holy Grail" of mobile web browsers for Windows Mobile.

Remember last week? It was Skyfire, from a company nobody heard of and most tech sites were tripping over themselves hailing it as the greatest thing since sliced bread? Ugh, enough already. Actually ship the product instead of talking about it and then I'll be a little more impressed.

This week, it's Opera Mobile 9.5. At least Opera is a company that many of us already know. It's even the default browser for my Motorola Q9h.

From the official Opera site:

Built on Opera's unique core architecture, the Opera Mobile 9.5 desktop-like browsing experience has been enhanced with innovations such as zooming and panning that make it easier to navigate, load pages quicker and get users closer to the Web content and entertainment they want. With Opera Mobile 9.5, users can experience the real Web and interact with content exactly as they do on their PC.

The Opera Mobile 9.5 experience includes many of the innovations found in Opera's trend-setting desktop browser including:

• Intuitive user interface
• Tabbed browsing
• Improved text wrap
• Page overview, zooming and panning
• Landscape mode
• Save Web page for future offline access
• Call phone number from Web page
• Send link as SMS/MMS
• Send image as SMS/MMS
• Small Screen Rendering™
• Password manager
• Web address input auto-completion
• History and bookmarks
• Copy text
• Opera Widgets

I've never been one for mobile web browsing, but I'd be more inclined to go with Opera Mobile than anyone else at the moment. Not because I think Opera Mini on my Q9 is better than IE Mobile, I don't.

As slow and clunky as IE Mobile is, the few (count on one hand) times I've ever absolutely, positively HAD to access the web from my phone, I found Opera Mini to be just as clunky as IE Mobile. But, with the integration of Windows Mobile with my Windows PC and IE7, I'd already saved my most critical sites as Mobile Favorites so I could get on and off as quickly as possible.

But, to be fair to the good work that the folks at Opera have done, once you get passed the gratuitous IE Mobile bashing at the beginning of the Opera Mobile video demo, it does look like it might even get me to think twice about reaching for my phone to browse the web instead of waiting to get to a real computer.

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional: No, the other one

If you are having a hard time trying to keep up with the happenings with Windows Mobile imagine how I feel.

We all got an update for Windows Mobile 6 Standard that was called 6.1 to be compatible with Office 2007 documents.

But then word leaked out that there is going to be a Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade with tweaks and improvements to Windows Mobile 6 in general that was kept under wraps with a ton of NDAs for the invited guests at a super secret, back door meeting. Yes, I'm still miffed that my invitation must have been lost in the mail.

Okay, but things continue to get stranger as msmobiles.com has a link to some screen shots of Windows Mobile 6.1 (the upgrade, not the one that will let you see Office 2007 files) from a site written in Portuguese that looks very little like the leaked screen shots from the secret meeting.

The is the new Getting Started set of applications to make the New User experience easier to understand.

Here are the rest of the improvements:

Office Mobile now includes also One Note Mobile application - apart from Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile, one new application is available - it can record voice notes and drawings and textual notes

Internet Explorer now has function "Zoom Out" what enables page-overview mode and better overall navigation through web pages

Windows Mobile 6.1 still is based on Windows CE 5.2 so no upgrade to Windows CE 6.0

SMS chat view mode is available so SMS messages can appear in threaded-way - more comfortable to follow SMS conversations

instead of "Settings / Memory / Running Programs" now a Task Manager is available with possibility to set settings of executed threads/processes like CPU (indication of dual-core Windows Mobile devices?) and memory

new menu item "Managed Programs"

Here's the screen shot for Internet Explorer:

But, the rest of the screen shots look very much like upgrades for Windows Mobile 6 Professional which could mean the screen shots for Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard are still on track.

I'm still confused though. It's great that new Windows Mobile users are getting some new features to make their experience easier. But Microsoft hasn't said very much about any of this and I'm concerned how this is going to be deployed to existing users, if it will be available at all.

Unlike Apple, Microsoft has been very reticent about offering upgrades to existing users that circumvent the carriers. Look how long it took BlackJack I users to get the upgrade from Windows Mobile 5 to 6? Microsoft could have easily made the OS available to everyone when Windows Mobile 6 was released.

And there has been steady talk for owners of Windows Mobile 6 devices as to what exactly does Windows Mobile Update do on our phones since there hasn't been a single instance of Microsoft delivering an update like they do on the desktop PC side.

In a couple of weeks, Dieter at WMExperts has heard serious rumors that the NDAs will finally be lifted and Microsoft will allow all those lucky stiffs who saw it to begin talking about Windows Mobile 6.1.

I guess I'll have to be confused a little longer then.

Hit the READ link if you read Portuguese or what to oggle some more photos (they are in English)

On-line cell number directory draws Verizon's ire

Found this little diddy over at MSNBC.com

An online directory that claims to provide 90 million mobile telephone numbers is raising concerns among cell phone users and privacy advocates about unwanted callers who rack up the minutes on their calling plans and the difficulty of opting out of the list.

Intelius charges $14.95 a pop for the numbers, which it says it collects from public sources, such as property records and other businesses. The owner of a number has no say in the matter.

This little bit of information is pretty scary in and of itself. For $14.95 each search, anyone can find your private cell phone number if it's been posted or used in public records. Most of us don't like to give out our cell phone numbers because we all get charged for these calls that are unwanted. It's one thing to even humor a telemarketer on your land line (assuming you still have one) but not funny when they are eating into your monthly minute allotment.

For the record, when I entered my cell phone number, and without paying the $14.95, Intelius claims they have my name and address - for a fee. The city was wrong so I'm not sure about the veracity of the rest of the information.

UPDATE: Intelius says you can remove your number from its cell phone directory by faxing a removal request, along with proof of ID (like a driver’s license), to 425-974-6194. (I sure hope you first don't have to pay the $14.95 to see if your number is there, then another $14.95 to make sure they removed it.)

But, dear Reader, it gets better (or worse, depending).

Guess who's first out of the block of the carriers to stand up for their customer's privacy? Verizon. Yes, you read right, Verizon. The same folks who, along with AT&T and BellSouth, had no problem surrendering your privacy to the NSA and now want immunity from class action lawsuits stemming from customer privacy violation.

Verizon Wireless, which helped shoot down plans for a wireless directory as a “dumb idea,” said in a statement that it would take whatever step was necessary, including litigation, to “protect its customers’ numbers and privacy.”

“Trolling the Internet, using data mining techniques and simply buying lists to create a directory are actions that clearly violate a consumer’s right to privacy,” the carrier said. “Verizon Wireless has long refused to release our customers’ numbers and we call on legislators and policy makers to ensure that what a consumer wants to be private stays that way.” (my emphasis added)

Can anybody say "hypocrisy?" Where was all of this ethical angst and moral outrage when the NSA was asking for all of that and more with little or no reason?

I'm just sayin'

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