Morning Paper

Murray Reviews The Nokia E90

Here's the mark of a true Mac fan. Anyone who has visit Murray over at Palm-Mac knows that he goes thru more phones than a toddler goes thru shoes. But all of that has changed since he bit the Apple and got himself a iPhone. it's hard to beat that thing once you start playing with it. That is of course unless you're a hater, but even then you're only kidding yourself.

Anyway, try as he might, and I don't blame him, Murray took a shot at the Nokia E90. His review makes for a good read. "Some of you guessed it correctly, the new device is or was rather, the Nokia E90, which was very much a spur of the moment acquisition which more than a tad reeks of slight desperation. I just fancied one...not sure why though, I think to get a really powerful all in pda style thing with a good keyboard. I also like the idea of Symbian, mainly because it's not Windows Mobile I suppose....."

Palm-Mac

CES: My thoughts

Wow, how do you sum up CES while it is still going on? Especially if it is the first time making the pilgrimage to the "holy" land of all things technological?

The good news was the concept of blogging from my Windows Mobile 6 device was good.

Even the pictures posted were taken with my Motorola Q9h, imported into TypePad Mobile, written and "published" with nothing more than a phone while I was standing in the middle of throngs of people. Try doing that with that ridiculous idea of the REDFLY.

'Course, many of you saw how the actual execution of that idea turned out as somewhere between concept and final product, something went incredibly awry.

But I do have an issue about CES.

Despite the vast number of companies at the show hawking all kinds of doo-dads and what-nots, there still is the sense of something missing.

Honestly, without the "Wow" of new products or announcements, CES is like being at a ginormous BestBuy or other big box electronic retailer. Sure, you get to fondle stuff you may have only read about on the net which is any techies dream, but like others are saying, there wasn't any standout products of software that created any kind of "buzz".

CES needs to have a "buzz". Just about everything from BlackBerry to Samsung was stuff you'd already seen and were probably well versed in the specs if you have been paying half attention.

All the good stuff? You know, the stuff that gets leaked all the time in the blogsphere? The PR and Show staff either faked ignorance or honestly didn't know. You couldn't even get good speculation.

I think CES should be the place to sell everything that is available but also talk up more about what is coming.

• Panasonic did a good job with their new HDTVs.
• TabletKiosk released a new UMPC as well as Asus and folks got to see the NoahPad and the HTC Shift even as the whole UMPC concept gets more confused with each new release.
• There were several private demos of Microsoft's Surface that seemed to have won over more converts.

But herein lies my point. Many of these we have already known were coming or were incremental upgrades to existing products, not anything worth getting worked up about.

CES should be worth getting worked up about. Manufacturers should have the press and bloggers streaming out of their respective press conferences and presentation writing enthusiastically about what is and what is coming. That's not happening.

• The new BlackBerry was nowhere to be seen.
• Bill Gates should have pulled back the veil on Windows Mobile 6.1 and Internet Explorer 8 since both of those seem on the cusp of being released during his final CES appearance. He didn't.
• With all of the companies represented from all over the world, it boggles the mind no one had anything that has gotten anyone excited about much of anything. We're doing our jobs of bringing you the news from the show, but there is no one fawning over anything.

As much as I would have loved to have been able to stay longer than one day, I would have been in my own private fantasy world (getting my inner geek on) as there was precious little to inform you, the Morning Paper readers, that would have been worth getting excited about.

Bummer.

Maybe next year.

Review: mTools by MotionsApps

First, in case you don't already know, mTools is a utility suite for the PalmOS. Included in the suite is:

I'm always a bit skeptical of suite applications because one of the apps will usually get more attention than the others. So while one of the six apps works like a dream, four of them are just okay and the other two are basically useless. But this is far from the case with mTools, and even though I can find a few "cons" with some of the applications, the individual app is still far better than a lot of apps designed to only perform that one individual task.

Card Manager: Extremely well done feature of the suite. This allows you the ability to quickly mount your card to the desktop, rename your card, format your card and test the cards speed transfer rate. It also gives you full details on the used and free space on your card.
Pros: All of the above.
Cons: Can't find any.

Volume Boost: There are a couple of very good and very expensive apps out there to increase the volume on your Treo. I personally don't have this problem, but I know (since I owned them), the 600 and 650 can most definitely use a boost. But after using it to boost the Mic and Speakerphone, the difference in volume on both improved dramatically.
No noticeable cons

Battery Saver: The battery saver gives you some nice features. I've used it to keep the keypad light off until 7:00pm when I will need to see it. This has noticeably increased my battery life while watching TV through SlingBox.
No noticeable cons

Backup and Restore: The Backup app is fantastic. I've been using Nomad for years and it has always been reliable, but I have had no problem making the move over to the mTool backup utility.
Pro: It's fast and easy to setup.
Con: Doesn't allow you to restore individual files.

Remote Lock: Great feature, works very well. the best thing I can say about this one is if you decide to use it instead of "Butlers" remote lock, you won't be sorry, it's just as capable.
No noticeable cons

File Browser: The file browser does an excellent job of giving you access to all of your files on both the external card and the internal memory. There are also some nice features that allow you to send a file over Bluetooth or email, as well as copy, paste, get info etc.
Pro: Very easy to navigate, nice option list.
Con: I feel like an option is missing. I would like the ability to move a file from the card to the internal or vice versa. UPDATE I have been informed by the MotionsApps team that I missed this usage. You can indeed move files by selecting "copy" and pasting it into your desired memory. So there you go, no more con. I tried it, it works.

Start Menu Launcher: This is my favorite feature of the mTools suite. Like ZZtechs "LaunchAnywhere" this menu feature gives you a quick launch to apps, contacts (you setup) favorites, bookmarks and recent apps you've opened. You have access to this from inside any app you are currently in. It's intuitive as well. When I create a new bookmark while surfing Blazer, the bookmark is added to my bookmark list in the start menu.
Pro: Again, all of the above. It's nice to see a app as competent and useful as this included in a bundle suite.
Con: This isn't really a con, but it's not skinable. I would like to skin it.

Web Search: I like this one because it has proven to be a great addition to the web feature I already use in "UltimatePhone". Instead of just "Google", you have selectable search engine choices like Yahoo, Amazon, Lycos etc. Very Nice Feature.
No noticeable cons

Conclusion:

Even though I can find a few cons in a few of the included apps, there's no doubt in my mind that this is possibly the best utility suite you can get for the PalmOS. MotionsApps has been making phenomenal applications for the Treo and PalmOS for years. They really know and understand the OS, and have a keen eye for design (can you say mOcean?). Knowing this I was confident that I would be very satisfied with mTools before I even loaded it up. But I'm very pleasantly surprised to see a suite with useful apps that rival some of the titles built for one specific task.

I highly recommend mTools for your Palm. $19.99

My Early Impression Of Line-Up From PDAPerformance

First let me say this, I can't wait for the next batch of widgets for LineUp, the new widget based app from PDAPerformance. The widget set that is currently available is very nice, but basic. Last week they introduced the "Weather" widget, and that's when I really saw where this pre-cursor to Saguaro could go. In fact, I think I may prefer this weather app to the one I currently use (which shall remain nameless).

LineUp is a very powerful application. The UI goes brilliantly with UltimatePhone, which makes switching from my main screen to LineUp a visual pleasure. I've only loaded a few of the widgets, CNN, the 8 Ball, LA Times and Weather. All loaded easy and perform just like the widgets in Dashboard. Going back and forth with the widgets is also pretty cool, PDAPerformance did an excellent job with the graphics, the switching effect is really cool to see on your Treo. With UltimatePhone and LineUp I quickly forget that I'm using the aging PalmOS.

What will really make this app move will be inventive interesting widgets, and that's what I look forward to. One thing I did notice, the diference between the trial version and the registered version is almost night and day, so you really don't get a true feel for how LineUp operates if you're simply trying it out.

But don't let that discourage you from giving it a go, i recommend it. I've been using it for over a week now, so I will report back with more info as it progresses.

Windows Mobile 6 Standard users need SmartphoneNotes

Last week, I shared some of the applications I use regularly that have found a permanent home on my Motorola Q9h and my thoughts about them.

SmartphoneNotes was one of my personal early discoveries that doesn't get a lot of attention but should be a staple of every Windows Mobile 6 Standard device.

The issue with Windows Mobile 6 Standard edition is the lack of complete integration with Outlook, meaning the Standard (Smartphone) edition does not sync your Outlook Notes.

I'm guessing Microsoft thought only Windows Mobile 6 Professional users needed complete Outlook sync and not everyone using Windows Mobile.

Whatever.

Syncdata comes to the rescue with SmartphoneNotes 2.1.

SmartphoneNotes primarily allows for the syncing of any notes you have created in Outlook to be transferred to your Smartphone. Now it is not just your Calendar, Tasks and Contacts but your full Outlook suite on your device. Anyone who rely's on Outlook knows how important having access to your notes can be.

After installing SmartphoneNotes 2.1, you can then create Notes on your Smartphone that will sync back to Outlook the next time you sync your device.

There are other solutions for note taking on Smartphones, but SmartphoneNotes is the only one that I found that offered rock solid integration back to Outlook.

You have a choice of colors and can use or create categories for all of your notes that are then synced back to Outlook.

Creating a new note is as easy as opening up the application and hitting "New".  You can start typing away safe in the knowledge that your nugget of inspiration will be captured and available when you get back to Outlook.

You then choose Properties to store it to a category (or not) and hit save.

And that's it. Simple.

SmartphoneNotes is one of those little ideas that executes flawlessly with it's simplicity. Even if you aren't an Outlook user (and why not?), SmartphoneNotes will help you organize and track any myriad of information that will always be at your finger tips.

The standard Sort / Filter options are on board if you only want to see Notes under a specific category. And you have the option of creating an Appointment or Task right from your created or stored Note. You can also dial a number right from a Note stored on your phone.

My only quibble with the application is it is clearly written with a Outlook 2003 design scheme.

Remember in Outlook '03 you only had a few basic color choices for your category, no matter how many categories you had?

Yeah, that's true in SmartphoneNotes as well. Which means you end up having to double and triple up on the colors for different categories so you can't actually view your Notes by category.

Slight bummer.

Outlook 2007 users know we have a larger variety of colors available but SmartphoneNotes only gives 5. And they are all of the pastel (girly-girl) variety. Sorry, I just can't do Pink notes for any reason.

But, that is my only quibble and certainly nothing that would make me give the application any less credence in my mobile arsenal. And I would think (read: really hope) the color palette will be increased to better reflect Outlook 2007 and just plain ol' visual organization at the next release.

SmartphoneNotes 2.1 is one application I don't think any Windows Mobile 6 Standard device should be with out. It's now a "Must-have" app on my phone.

Review : Lightwav 2, Ring Tone And Caller ID Manager For The Treo

Folks, I think I've found my brand new favorite Palm app. Toysoft has made some great apps in the past, like QuickTake, but they have most deffinately out done themselves with LightWav. Lightwav is a everything for your Treo calls app, meaning anything to do with your incoming/outgoing calls Lightwav can and does handle. The last app to impress me this much was UltimatePhone by Gx5. Sometimes finding an app to actually do what it says it can do without hassle or fail, is a hassle and most often the app is a failure. So when you find a Butler or UltimatePhone, it quickly brings the joy of your Treo right back into play.

Unlike other apps that I have tried that purport to block calls, lightwav's block caller function works like a charm each and every time. This is because Toysoft has simplified the process. Like most ID managers, Lightwav let's you set VIP statues to your Favorite callers. But it then goes a step further by letting you set up group callers. This can be done with the setup you've already created in the Treos contact app, or you can set it up in Lightwav's Filter/Group preferences. You can then tell Lightwav to allow a group, or block all calls with no caller ID (most of which you probably don't want to answer).

E.G: Create a group : "Top Friends" Check "allow" all calls in that group will ring through. Or "unwanted" check "block calls", you can then have Lightwav either block the call and send it to your voicemail, or pick it up and hang up on the caller. There are endless features you can attach to each variable, so much that I have not made way trough all of them. But, every call that I want blocked gets blocked, every time.

Another nice touch is the "Journal". If selected, a popup will appear on the screen when you are done with the call. You can then input any notes you need to be reminded of from the conversation.

RINGTONES

Of course, Lightwav is a Ringtone manager and it doesn't disappoint here either. You can play the tones through Lighwav if you're not using PTunes, and you can of course use any MP3 stored on you SDcard. You can assign any contact any ringtone on your card or assign one to an entire group. You can also do this with your alerts and SMS.

Volume Boost

Another nice Feature of Lightwav is the volume boost. You wouldn't think that a complicated feature like boosting the volume of your in an app this size wouldn't work so well, but guess what, it almost works too well. I almost blew my speaker out when I boosted it to far to test how far it could be pushed. Callers on the other end have said they can hear me much better now that I have boosted the mic volume.

There are so many features in this app that it would take three or four post to do a full review on each feature. I will probably do a follow up on one or two of the other features, but I have to say, my favorite feature about this app is a great touch put in by Toysoft. Announce Call, a plugin that let's you choose a voice to announce the calls that you want to ring through. I absolutely love this feature. But I really love the fact that Toysoft thought to put this feature into the app. This shows creativity and a desire to leap ahead of the pack. I'm using "Audrey_UK, which is basically one of the voices in your Macs voice database, but I really enjoy having the British woman announce my VIP phone calls.

Here is a full feature list of Lightwav:

Includes MP3/WAV/OGG player. No need for 3rd party audio player
Repeat individual ringtone specifying duration in seconds to repeat
Set song position to start playing as the ringtone
Full screen JPG caller ID. Only possible with Lightwav
GIF and GIF Animation as caller ID
Live! video caller ID. Required Live www.toysoft.ca/live650.html to record high resolution videos
Classic and Picture Dial views
Set custom MP3 ringtones for sms and voicemail notifications
Assign custom wav/mp3/ogg ringtone to Contact and Categories
CallerID and SMS blocking. Block unwanted callers and SMS
North America area code. See where the caller is calling from
Convert sound files from card to RAM.
Do not disturb feature. Send friendly SMS message when you are busying or away from the phone or forward the call when DND is active.
Block any caller or callers not in your Contact database
VIP feature. Allow VIPs to call you regardless if Do Not Disturb is enabled
Call notes. Add a journal for the caller into the Calendar application
*Ringtone volume boosting. Ringtone not loud enough. No problem with Lightwav
*Option to always Send SMS to mobile number if exists. No matter it the caller called from Landline
*Announce incoming call. Many different languages
*Send friendly SMS message for missed calls
*Pager. Use Lightwav as a traditional pager for incoming SMS and Missed Calls
*Simple yet powerful Profile Manager. Take control of your Treo.
*Calendar/Agendus/Datebk6 profile integration
*MP3 ringtone safe mode in case the external card becomes ejected
*2Day integration. See all blocked and missed calls on 2Day screen
*Escalating Ringtone
*Large fonts for caller ID number display
*Detailed incoming call log

Requirements

Treo® 600/650/680/700P/755/Centro
250K of free memory
External card such as SD/MMC is optional

Compatibility

Treo® 600/650/680/700P/755/Centro
PocketTunes and AeroPlayer

I really can't recommend this app enough. There is a 15 day trial, and Danny from Toysoft is extremely good at addressing any questions you may have. Lightwav is $24.99, a very good buy when you consider how much this one app does, and does them well.

Lightwav

Alarm Master for Windows Mobile review

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What's on my Q9h?

Here at Morning Paper, I do a lot of reviews for Windows Mobile software so that you don't have to be bothered with the junk but can find the good in the sea of choices.

But that never answers the question: What's on my Q9h?

Some people might be surprised at how lean I tend to keep my phone, I only leave on it what I use and consider essential.

I excluded the things that came with the phone like Documents to Go, Opera as well as what ships with the OS from Microsoft (games, etc.) to show you what I've added.

Here's what I have that I think every WinMo Standard user should have:

Facade

Agenda One

Alarm Master (review coming soon, I promise)

Those three address every shortcoming that many say is the problem with Windows Mobile. For some people, the stock works fine. But for those of us who love Windows Mobile (like me) but want to improve upon it, those three should be your place to start.

Next up are the applications that are on my phone that, while not being essential, are very useful. Kinda like a highly (highly) recommended addition to the top three.

SmartToolKit

SmartPhone Notes (gee, maybe I should do a review of this one?)

Google Maps

Although SmartToolKit is still in beta, I've found it to be the most handy launcher I've used thus far for the Standard version of Windows Mobile 6. SmartPhone Notes is super handy because only the Professional version of WinMo allows Notes to be synced with Outlook. Smartphone Notes gives you the same functions and syncs all notes with Outlook. I'm either in desktop Outlook or Mobile Outlook so that is practically essential to have the ability to create, edit, sync and save notes. I think Google Maps is self-explanatory.

Lean and mean, six applications that I wouldn't want to do without.

I've also got some a few other things on there that I'm still on the fence about.

OneNote Mobile but SmartPhone Notes really competes with the use of ONM. OneNote on my Tablet PC is great, but OneNote Mobile? The jury is still out on that one.

I'm experimenting with the trial version of ListPro but haven't used it very much.

I've learned ways to use my Calendar and Task list to do essentially the same thing so why do I need a checklist program?

The beta to Pocket Music for Smartphones is there as well but after playing around with it, I'll keep using Windows Media Player Mobile until Pocket Music gets to an official release.

As I said, nice and lean. Hope this helps to know how a dedicated Windows Mobile user uses third-party applications on my phone.

Let me know if I missed some apps you think everyone should have in the comments section.

Choice is good :D

Merry Christmas: Tweaks2K2 half-off

  As news continues to spread about the dire consequences of the U.S. economy, I ran across this and wanted to share it with our readers.

via Mobility Site

A week ago I cut down the price of Tweaks2K2 to 5 dollars in a event that I called "Tweaks2K2 Black Day Event". The event was a success. But it left me with a bitter taste. I received many emails of people asking me after the event was over for a chance to buy the program at that price. And that made me think about how tuff has been life lately. The gas price going up and up, the real estate market going down and down. People loosing their houses… Sad, really sad.

So I decided to help a little bit by cutting down the price on Tweaks2k2, the biggest collection of hack for Pocket PCs that ever existed,the Pocket PC and Smart Phone Magazine Best Software Award winner in 2005, 2006 and 2007, from 15.50 dollars to 7.75 dollars.That’s 50%.

I've used Tweaks2K2 during my Pocket PC days and can attest to the numerous hacks you can get all from one application. It allows you to safely make changes to your device to more of your liking in a (generally) safe environment for newbies or those a little reticent about mucking around in any system registry.

You can hit the read link for the full story and the discount code ( D172A5BB) on how to order. Tweaks 2K2 works with both Windows Mobile 6 Professional and Standard.

Clinton Fitch did a very comprehensive review here if you want to read more.

You can visit the official site for Tweaks2K2 here.

Google's at it again! Updates Google maps with "My Location"

Google's up to more good things now by updating their Google Maps application for mobile devices that now includes "My Location"

New! Google Maps with My Location (Beta)

See your location on the map, with or without GPS. Save time and tedious keystrokes finding where you are, what's around you, and how to get there.

I hear you, what is "My Location?" Well, as you all know cell phones have to communicate with cell towers for you to make and receive phone calls. Google has enough map data know that they can triangulate your cell phone position based on the map position of those cell towers.

If you have a GPS enabled phone, this is child's play. But suppose you don't have GPS on your phone? Well, thanks to Google, you can now get an "approximation" of your exact location based on the signal sent to a particular cell tower.

Early reports are it is fairly accurate and will help out a great deal in getting you from point A to point B if you are sans GPS.

Check it out straight from Google here.

I've tried to get it working on my Motorola Q9h and seem to be having some problems enabling the "My Location" feature. It ain't working. Google Maps on my phone is working, but not the new feature. I'll keep fiddling with it and report back what happens.

via MSMobiles.com and Crackberry.com

Photo courtesy of MSMobiles.com And don't forget you really need to have the unlimited data plan since downloaded map files can get pretty large over the course of a month.