4 posts tagged “samsung”

This post can be seen on my new blog, Socializemobilize.com

I'm moderating two panels and chairing the morning sessions of the Mobile Application Developer Garage on Monday February 16, 2009 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (Hall 5, Auditorium 3).  This is a first of its kind event at Mobile World Congress, and it should be a great day. 

To get a 15% discount to the Mobile World Congress, including the Mobile Application Developer Garage, please use this code: APPAB when you register.

If you're going to the show, please stop by after the morning session and introduce yourself (or email me).  If you're not going to the show, but you'd like to ask a question to Panel 1 or 2, please add a comment below or email me.  Here are the event details:

9:30am: Update 2/11/09: There was a change in Keynote speakers.  Dr. Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice President, Services, at Nokia will now be delivering the Keynote, replacing Jim Balsillie, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Research in Motion (RIM).  This announcement is particularly exciting because the Keynote happens just before a scheduled Nokia press conference at 10am. I'm crossing fingers that he'll be announcing some news for developers during this keynote.

10:00am - 11:15am: Panel 1: Cross Platform Development

• Mobile app developers have a number of different platforms to choose from, with various pros and cons associated with each. This discussion will examine what the pitfalls are and how they can be avoided, the best strategies to exploit synergies between the different platforms and how those who do develop for a range of platforms maximize their efficiency
• Panelists:
• Nick Allott, CTO, OMTP
• Sanj Matharu, Global Relations Manager, Samsung
• Alex Linde, Global Programme Manager, Blueprint, Yahoo!
• Christopher David, Head of Developer and Partner Engagement, Sony Ericsson
• Moderator: Lisa Whelan (me)
  

10:45 - 11:15am: Live Coding Tutorial: - Code Less. Create More. Deploy Everywhere

• Tutorial with:
  
• Henrik Hartz, Qt Product Manager, Nokia
  
• Alessandro Portale, Qt Product Manager, Nokia

11:15 - 11:45am: Refreshments and demo pod visit

11:45am - 12:30pm: Panel 2: “The future of the application environment”

• As a mobile app developer, where should you be looking in the future to ensure you stay at the cutting edge? What direction are app dev environments taking? What new skill sets will be essential going forward?
• Panelists:
• Mark Doherty, Platform Evangelist - Mobile and Devices, Adobe
• Erik Jacobson, Symbian Senior Product Manager, Nokia
• UPDATE! Param Singh, Senior Director for Java Marketing at Sun will now be on the panel, replacing Nachi Periakaruppan, Senior Group Product Marketing Manager, JavaFX.
• James Pimentel-Pinto, CEO and Co-founder, Agency Mobile
  
• Bill Huang, General Manager, China Mobile Research Institute
  
• Moderator: Lisa Whelan (me)

12:30 - 1pm: Live Coding Tutorial 2:  Joint Innovation Lab mobile widgets platform

• Tutorial with:
• Paul Kenny, Head, Joint Innovation Lab

1 - 2:15pm: Lunch and demo pod visit
 

• AOL:

• AOL announced its earnings this week.  The most interesting part of the report: “Revenues decreased 17% ($207 million) to $1.0 billion, due to a 26% decline ($165 million) in Subscription revenues and a 6% decrease ($33 million) in Advertising revenues. The decline in Subscription revenues reflects mainly a decrease in domestic AOL brand subscribers, related primarily to AOL’s strategy to offer its e-mail and other products free of charge to Internet consumers. Driving the decrease in Advertising revenues were declines in display advertising on AOL Network sites and sales of advertising on third-party Internet sites, offset partially by an increase in paid-search advertising.” 
  

• Apple:
• According to a recent report by SquareTrade, The iPhone is more reliable than Blackberry and Treo after one year of ownership.  This doesn’t surprise me since there are less externally moving parts on the iPhone than a Blackberry or Treo.  The study is summarized by MobileCrunch here.
• Facebook:
• Rumor has it… Will Facebook buy Twitter? 
• Google:
• Google ends it’s Advertising Agreement with Yahoo because “government regulators and some advertisers continue to have concerns about the agreement” 
• According to CrunchGear, Steve Ballmer says Google is behind the competition and is questioning Android’s financial strategy.
• Google patched the
  
• LinkedIn:
• According to an Anderson Analytics’ study, LinkedIn users are high income.  You can see a good summary of the review here.  Among the findings: LinkedIn users that make between $200,000 and $350,000 were around seven times to have more than 150 LinkedIn connections than those who made less money. 66% of LinkedIn users are identified as “decision makers”.
• TechCrunch reports that LinkedIn cut 10% of its staff, some of which will be re-assigned to other roles:
• MySpace:
• MySpace launched with Auditude, an online video tracking platform.  Auditude fingerprints user posted videos to determine who the “content owner” is. It then inserts advertising into the video and tells the user whose content they’re watching.
• TechCrunch reports that  less than 1 month after it’s launch, MySpace MyAds is making a load of money: “Demand for the product was immediate and significant, we’ve heard from multiple sources close to the company. Average daily revenue, say our sources, is $140,000 - $180,000, which means MyAds is at least a $50 million/year business for MySpace already.” 
• Nokia: 
• Nokia laid off around 600 workers in “follow-up” to its earlier 2008 layoffs.  Nokia Research Center is also going to “sharpen its focus on fewer but stronger research areas.” You can read the announcement here.
• Nokia launched the beta of “FriendView”, “a location and micro-blogging service that helps you stay in touch with your close friends. It let’s you share where you are and how you feel from home, work, or on the go. With Friend View it is easy to meet up at only a moment’s notice. “   
• RIM:
• CrunchGear reviewed the Blackberry Bold saying, “The Bold is unequivocally the best piece of hardware that RIM has ever put out.”
• Samsung:
• Samsung reportedly surpassed Motorola in US Mobile market.
• Twitter:
• Twitter is contemplating corporate accounts as a way to make money.
• Twitter is now hiring a Director of Strategic Partnerships. This is the company's first business development hire... At last, the answer to "How do those guys plan to make money?!" question will likely soon be answered.
• TechCrunch reports that “Digital Garage, Twitter’s partner with Twitter Japan, launched Twicco, a site that lets Twitter users create groups and then subscribe to them.” 
• <Repeated from above> Rumors are swirling… Will Facebook buy Twitter? 
• Yahoo:
  
• Flickr: The 3 Billionth photo was uploaded to Flickr this week.  
• Misc:
• Rumor has it…
• <repeat from above> Rumors are swirling... Will Facebook buy Twitter? 
• Recent Layoffs:
• <repeat from above> LinkedIn 10% layoff
• M&A:
• Wink & Reunion.com are merging and will launch a new site next year: “Through this merger, we're redefining the people search space by bridging existing social networks and providing consumers with the tools they need to find, be found, and stay connected," said Michael Tanne, chief executive officer of Wink. "We're aiming to create an entirely new online experience that simplifies people's lives by making it easy to find and keep up with everyone they know. There will be exciting developments in the coming months as we integrate our strengths and push our business forward." 
• Technology announcements:
• PerfSpot: Perfspot will be rolling out “Friendvouch” to its 25M members in 3 million member segments over the coming months.  Friendvouch enables users to sign up for advertising offers, which they can send to heir friends.  When those friends indicate interest, Perfspot then sells those details back to advertisers and rewards the referring user.   Here’s how the Friendvouch website describes it: “Make great recommendations and earn cash with friendvouch. friendvouch is a community of people created to connect you directly to your favorite brands. Become a brand ambassador while earning money in the process.”  
• Barak Obama & Joe Biden: The office of the President Elect launched a transition website, where people can learn about what they’re planning. There’s a blog, newsroom, job application submission, agenda information, and more. Citizens are encouraged to submit their ideas to the future administration on all agenda items including technology. 
• MobileCrunch did a nice summary of the “Mobile Market View” study by The Kelsey Group.  The most interesting point from my perspective: “18.9% of mobile consumers in the United States are now toting smartphones, with 49.2% planning to pick one up within the next two years.”  
• Though not released this week, I learned about the Pico Pocket Projector by Optoma, which is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while.  For all of you mobile geeks, this pocket-sized projector seems to solve the problem of needing an Elmo to showcase the latest and greatest app on your phone AND makes it easy to project the videos you store on your ipod or mobile phone on a wall... Very cool.
  

I know, I know, this blog is meant to be about social media and social networking, but I couldn't resist writing about another piece of new technology that I know well - the Treo 750, one of the newest GSM Windows Mobile phones on the market.  On January 5th, Palm, Inc. announced the launch of the Treo 750 on Cingular.  This is the second major release from Palm in the last couple of months.

I've been using the Treo 750 as my primary phone for the past seven months (I was a business development, developer relations, and marketing consultant at Palm, Inc., so I got early access to the device**).  The Treo 750v has the same hardware as the Treo 750 but the two devices are branded differently because they're on different carriers (Treo 750v on Vodafone, Treo 750 on Cingular).  Despite having spent significant time working at Palm, I believe that the following review unbiased and fair.  In my opinion, as a power-user of mobile phones, the Treo 750v is the best smartphone on the market, but as with every product, there is always room for improvement.

Before I review the Treo 750, I feel compelled to point out something that many consumers don't realize - There are two current versions of the Windows Mobile 5 Operating System (OS).  There are important differences between these two versions, and most consumers don't know the differences. Here's an overview, which I hope will help:

• "Windows Mobile 5 - Pocket PC Phone Edition"
• Used by all Windows Mobile-based Treos (Treo 750, Treo 750v, Treo 700w, Treo 700wx) and phones from other OEMs.
• Comes with mobile versions of all Microsoft Office applications (Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile)
  
• Touch Screen Enabled.  Users can use a stylus, touching the phone's screen to navigate through the user interface and make menu selections.  With some phones, including the Treo 750, it is also possible to navigate through most of the user interface using 5-way button navigation and soft-keys
• Phones using this operating system are often more sophisticated than the phones that use "Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition". They typically have larger screens/form factor and increased computing capacity.
  
• "Windows Mobile 5 - Smartphone Edition"
• Used by Motorola Q, Samsung Blackjack, T-Mobile Dash/ HTC Excalibur and other slim-style phones.
• The name of this OS is a bit of a misnomer because plenty of phones that use other OSes - including Pocket PC Phone Edition are marketed by OEMs and mobile operators as "Smartphones".  The Treo 750 is considered a Smartphone by Palm, as is the Treo 680, which runs on the PalmOS.
  
• Not as feature-rich as "Pocket PC Phone Edition":
• No Microsoft Office Mobile, so no viewing/editing of documents.
  
• No Touch Screen capability.  Users must use 5-way navigation and soft keys to navigate through the user interface.

I think that Pocket PC Phone Edition is the easier of the two Windows Mobile 5 OSes to use - especially because of the touch screen capability. This puts the Treo 750 at a distinct advantage over competitors like the Moto Q that use "Smartphone Edition".

And now, the Treo 750 review...

The Treo 750 on Cingular costs $399 with a 2 year contract.  If the thought of paying that much for a mobile phone makes your heart race, it may help to know that the Treo 750 is not your average mobile phone. Think of it as a hand held computer and phone - all in one.  Having used the phone extensively, I feel it is well worth the price - especially if you're a power-user of mobile phones.  If you're not interested in getting 3G data speeds or having the Treo ease of use with the benefits of Windows Mobile, you may want to check out the Treo 680 (a lower-end GSM Treo,  that uses the Palm OS - recently released on Cingular and also available "unlocked").

Out of the box, the Treo 750v works very well with PCs.  Using MissingSync by Mark/Space (sold separately), the Treo 750 also works great with Macs as well.  The Treo 750 is easy to navigate if you're familiar with using a PC, but don't worry if you use a Mac.  You'll figure it out quickly.  I use a Mac and found Windows Mobile easy to use with a little practice.

Overall, the Treo 750 rocks.  My favorite parts include:

• It integrates easily and almost seamlesly with Microsoft-based PCs and back-end systems.
• It is fast - very fast.  It downloads data quickly on 3G networks, making email and web browsing a breeze. 
  
• It includes MSFP, so it is push-email enabled.  It is easy to check e-mail - both corporate/ work email (Push or Pull) and consumer email like Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo (POP3 or IMAP).  Blackberry Connect (sold separately) is also supported on Vodafone, though I noticed it has not been released on Cingular.  I use gmail's mobile web-based email and find it exceptionally easy to use on the Treo750.
  
• Mobile web browsing is easy and quick.  You can do a Google search from the "Today" screen (that's what the main screen is called on Windows Mobile phones).  Most websites render very well... including popular social networking and web 2.0 sites like: Yelp. The only improvement I'd like to see on web browsing is the incorporation of Adobe FlashLite (as seen in the Nokia E60 and E62), as flash-based websites like YouTube don't render on the device.
• There is no external antenna like the earlier Treo 700w, Treo 700wx, Treo 700p, Treo 650, and Treo 600, and it is slimmer and lighter than these other models.
  
• Lots of memory - more than any other Treo.
• It is stable
  
• It is durable - I've dropped it... a lot. It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. By far the most durable Treo design thus far.
  
• Mini-SD expansion slot supports up to 2GB cards.
  
• Streaming music and videos on-line using Windows Media Player
  
• Dial by name, number or picture. You can set up speed dials on your Today screen.  I've got pictures of five friends on my Today screen, and when I tap a particular picture, it automatically dials the preferred number I've set up for that friend.
• The ability to use the Treo 750 as a modem with a PC.
  
• There is a TON of third-party software available (make sure to ensure that the software you buy supports Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC edition and screen independence/ is compatable with a 240x240 screen). 
  
• The following sites are great sources for software Astraware (especially for games), Palm's Software Connection (Palm's store), Handango, Motricity, Mark/Space (sells Mac synchronization software and other popular titles), and Handmark. 
  
• I enjoy the following software on my Treo 750** (It is important to note that data rates may apply.  Make sure you chose a data plan with your carrier if you plan to purchase any software that accesses content wirelessly. I pay "all you can eat" data plan from Cingular that allows me to download as much data as I want on a monthly location for a fixed price.):
  
• Astraware -  mobile games
  
• ScanR Whiteboards - Take pictures of a white board using your Treo in lieu of taking notes at your next meeting. Use the ScanR Whiteboards application for Treo 750 to send any whiteboard picture to ScanR's image servers, which will cleanse that image, remove vectoring, glare, etc. and send it out in .pdf format to whomever you designate.
  
• Windows Live for Mobile (Live.com, Live Search, and Live Messenger) - So many great tools to try. Get traffic, directions, restaurant recommendations, IM with friends, create a custom mobile web page with gadgets, and more.
  
• Tube 2 maps and Rough Guides (travel guides) from VisualIT - Make sure you know where you're going with the latest transport and city maps and guide books on your mobile phone
  
• Vox for Windows Mobile - Blog on the go
  
• MobiTV - Watch streaming TV from your treo. Available through Cingular.
  
• TeleNav- GPS mapping from the Treo 750... no need to mess around swapping and loading miniSD cards or suffer through outdated maps. Telenav gives you a GPS puck which communicates with your Treo via Bluetooth and downloads maps over the wireless networks as you drive. So, your maps are always up-to-date.
  

There are a few downsides with the Treo 750, but given the upsides (and when compared to the competition), they're fairly minor:

• Certain parts of Windows Mobile 5 are frustrating - namely small, fidgety things, which are easier on PalmOS devices (like cutting/pasting items between calendar, contacts, the internet, tasks and email). 
• I don't like the way that call waiting and voice mail notification work.  When you're on a call and call waiting informs you of another call, the phone vibrates/buzzes very loudly while the ringer switch is on "silent."   If the ringer switch is on, the phone dings very loudly. Either way, the caller on the other end can hear what's the noise, which is irritating.  If you chose to ignore the call waiting by pressing the "ignore call" button and the ignored caller leaves a voice mail message, a similar loud ding or buzz can be heard when the message arrives - even if you're still on the original call.  It is frustrating to ignore a call when you're busy only to be interrupted for a second time when a voice mail is left.
• No FlashLite: Flash websites don't render on the Treo 750.  I'd like to see FlashLite included in Rom like it is on the Nokia E62.
• No Wi-Fi.
• No built-in GPS.
  
• A 1.3 Megapicsel camera. If the Treo 750v had a 2.0 Megapicsel camera or higher, it could be used as a document scanner, business card scanner, and Fax machine using ScanR.
  

For those of you who are considering getting a GSM Treo but aren't sure which one to buy - the Treo 750 or the Treo 680 (recently released as well),  the following may help you compare features**:

• Price
• Treo 750 - Starts at $399 in the US with a 2 year subscription to Cingular. (on Vodafone in the UK from free to £212.77. Pricing on Vodafone outside the UK varies by country/ Vodafone operating company.)
  

• Treo 680 - Starting at $199 (with a 2 year subscription to Cingular).

• Size
• Treo 750 - 4.44" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D. Weight = 5.4 ounces
  

• Treo 680 - 4.4" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D.  Weight = 5.5 ounces

• Speed
• Treo 750 - 3G Phone: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS.  It is able to take advantage of 3rd generation mobile network speeds where available, resulting in faster downloads of data

• Treo 680 - 2.5 Generation phone. It is not capable of achieving 3G UMTS speeds from 3G networks. It downloads data at slower speeds than a 3G phone like the Treo 750.
  

• Processor
• Treo 750 - 300MHz Samsung processor
• Treo 680 - Intel® PXA270 312 MHz processor
• Operating System
• Treo 750 - Uses Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition 5.2.  This is a multi-threaded operating system. (Note: Palm Inc's Treo comparison website says that it uses Windows Mobile 5.0, but the Treo 750 actually uses 5.2, which allows for push email).
  

• Treo 680 uses the Palm OS (5.4.9) and is a single-thredded operating system, which means with few exceptions, users cannot multitask with applications.  Users must close down one application before starting another.

• Memory
• Treo 750 - 128MB / 60MB persistent user storage
  
• Treo 680 - 64MB non-volatile flash memory available for user storage
• Expansion Slot
• Treo 750 -  miniSD card slot
• Treo 680 - MultiMediaCard, SD, and SD I/O cards 

• Camera

• Treo 750 - 1.3 megapixel with 2x digital zoom. Automatic light balance. Integrated self-portrait mirror. Video capture support.
• Treo 680 - Has a less-sophisticated camera than the Treo 750  - a VGA camera with 2x digital zoom.
• Email: Push vs. Pull ("Push email" means that when an email arrives at the server it is automatically pushed down to the phone.  With "Pull email," a users must 'ask' the server whether email has arrived. Email doesn't automatically "push" to the phone when it reaches the server. Users can do this manually or set up alerts for the phone to check with the server after the desired number of minutes or hours have passed.)
  
• Treo 750 - Windows Mobile 5.2 (with MSFP) included: push-email comes standard for those accessing email systems that use Microsoft Exchange Servers on the back end.  This means that unlike RIM, which charges users a monthly service fee to get "push" email and requires their eterprise customers to purchase a separate Blackberry server to get 'push' email on their Blackberry mobiel phones, Treo 750 users who work at companies that have a Microsoft Exchange Server can get 'push' email for free with no additional hardware costs.  Those users who do not have a Microsoft Exchange Server on their back-end can still 'pull' down email or check it over the web using Internet Explorer Mobile.
  
• Treo 680 - Without purchasing additional 3rd party software (like Good, Visto, etc.), users must "pull" down email from their network or check email using the Blazer browser. 
  
• Network Availability
  
• Treo 750 on Cingular
  
• Treo 680 - Available locked or unlocked to the Cingular Network.  When you buy the unlocked version, you pay more because the cost of the phone is unsubsidized.  When you buy the version that is locked to Cingular's network, Cingular subsidizes the cost of the phone because you must also sign up for a service contract.
• Battery & Talk Time
  

• Treo 750 - Removable 1200 mAH Lithium-ion battery. Talk time: up to 4 hours. Standby time: Up to 250 hours. Data preserved by persistent file system.
• Treo 680 - Removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Talk time: up to 4 hours. Standby time: up to 300 hours.

• Screen Resolution

• Treo 750 - 240 x 240 color TFT touchscreen
  
• Treo 680 - 320 x 320 pixel TFT touchscreen

• Accessories
  

• Treo 750 - Includes stereo headset
  
• Treo 680 - No headset
  

• Colors
• Treo 750 - only available in 1 color (depending on carrier)
• Treo 680 - available in 4 colors
  
• Comparison of primary in-box software: *may vary depending on carrier. List shown includes some trial versions.
• Similar software: Treo 750 (WM) vs. Treo 680 (POS):
  
• Similar but different Clocks and Alarm Clocks
• Similar but different integration between Outlook Calendar and Contacts on a PC and the calendar and contacts software on Treos. (In my opinion, Windows Mobile offers better calendar integration than PalmOS, but the features are very similar).
• Similar but different Calculators
• Similar but different search capability
• Similar but different Solitaire game
• Similar but different voice command capabilities
• Similar but different Word document, Native PDF, Excel spreadsheet and PowerPoint presentation capabilities:
•  Microsoft Office Mobile Suite and also Picsel PDF viewer (WM) vs. Documents To Go® 8.0 (POS)
• Syncing with PC:
• ActiveSync® (WM) vs. HotSync® Manager (POS)
• Internet Browser:
• Internet Explorer Mobile (WM) vs. Blazer® Web Browser (POS)
• Electronic Book Reading Capability
• eReader vs. eBook Reader
• Remote File Access
• Handmark Express
• The ability to listen to cached or streaming digital music: Windows Mobile Media Player vs. PocketTunes™
• SMS / MMS Messaging with chat view
• Audible®
• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
• Xpress Mail

• Software features available on Treo 750 not available on Treo 680:

• Games:
• Bubble Breaker
• Dynomite!™ by Astraware
• Similarity to Windows PC Operating Systems and seamless integration with many Microsoft back-end systems.
  

• Microsoft® Office Outlook® Mobile (The Treo 680 offers similar features, but in my opinion, the integration isn't as seamless to Outlook on the PC as with the Treo 750)
  

•  Email
  
• Calendar
  
• Contacts
  
• Tasks
  
• Notes
• Good Mobile Messaging stub application
• Pocket MSN
• Windows Media Player Mobile (allows users to play audio and video)
  
• Outlook 2002 for desktop
• Spritesoft backup and restore
  

• Software features available on Treo 680 not available on Treo 750
• Game: Bejeweled 1.0 by Astraware
  
• Pictures and Videos
• Tasks (similar to 750 but syncs to different program on Palm Desktop on PC)
  
• VersaMail®*
• Voice Memo
• Traffic for Treo™ smartphones (Microsoft offers a similar program via Microsoft Life Search Beta)

Do you own a Treo 750 or have thoughts/feedback on this review? If so, post a comment. If you are a non VOXer, feel free to email your comments to me, and I'll post them manually: socialmediablog@gmail.com.

**Note: I am not, nor have I ever been a Palm employee (I was an independent contractor). The facts contained in this blog are in the public domain.  The views expressed in this blog are my own opinions and are not endorsed by Palm, Inc., Microsoft, Cingular, or Vodafone.  While I attempted to verify the accuracy of product specifications prior to writing this blog, I cannot guarantee ongoing accuracy of this information.  Before purchasing a mobile phone, software, or wireless plan, confirm all specifications and product compatibility with the provider/ seller.  Please consult your mobile operator and  your mobile contract/user agreement before downloading 3rd party software to your phone to confirm that the software you use is permissible on your network and to confirm the cost of data charges.  Data charges may apply when using certain in-box and 3rd party software. Data speeds and related charges will vary, depending on your carrier and service plan. Consult your wireless carrier to pick the wireless data and voice plan that is right for you.