News from Smartphone Thoughts

"Conduits Technologies, Inc., announced today the release of Pocket Player 4.0, an alternative media player for Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC and Smartphone. Pocket Player aims to satisfy consumers who demand more from a dynamic media player on a mobile device, and recently won Best Audio at the 2008 Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards for its Pocket PC and Smartphone editions. Pocket Player 4.0 introduces AAC and M4A playback and podcast subscriptions, as well as enhanced MP3 support and other improvements. Pocket Player 4.0 is fully compatible with all Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6, and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices."

A free trial version of Pocket Player 4.0 is available. If, after trying it, you like what you see and want the full version, you can grab it from our affiliate software store (Windows Mobile Classic/Professional, Windows Mobile Standard) for $19.95. However, if you purchased Pocket Player 3.x on or after December 1, 2008, you're eligible for a free upgrade; if you purchased any version of Pocket Player before that date, then it's just $9.95 for an upgrade.

Rentoble will allow you to rent the latest phone from the four major US carriers, or rent an unlocked GSM phone to use wherever you want. When you are done, just send the phone back and pick out a new device. They don't have every phone the carriers handle. For example, for T-Mobile they only have the G1 and Sidekick LX, and for AT&T a couple of Blackberry's and the Samsung Epix. The only Windows Mobile devices I saw were on the Sprint and Verizon networks.

If you are the kind of person that is constantly buying a phone, then selling it after several months when something new catches your eye, this might be a cheaper alternative.

The Motley Fool posted an article a few days ago on how Palm could lose everything (haven't they just about done that already?) and what they must do to survive. The main reason I am posting this is the Fool has some research showing that closed systems are crushing open systems in the marketplace. Closed systems are represented by Nokia, Apple and RIM, where the own the operating system and do much if not all of the hardware design. Open systems would include Palm, HTC and Motorola where the software is purchased from a third party, like Microsoft or Google.

This is the exact opposite of the PC world where only Apple owns their own OS. All other PC vendors buy from Microsoft or use a flavor of Linux, and despite all of the media attention on Apple, it is still below 10% of US share, though it is growing, especially in the consumer space.

Years ago when MS got into the phone OS business, they hoped to repeat their desktop success in the mobile device world and to date, aren't even close, while newcomers like Apple and very focused developers like RIM own the top positions. Do you see this trend continuing? What can the open system vendors (MS, HTC, Palm, etc.) do to turn this around? Should MS release their own phone? I know one of the things that really frustrates users is when there is a problem with their Windows Mobile device, Microsoft won't even talk to them. It is the carrier's responsibility to service the consumer, and speaking from experience, in all but the easiest of solutions, the carrier immediately responds with "wipe the devices memory and let's see what that does." That response simply says "I have no clue about this OS we've put on your phone, so just reset it." If MS sold a phone, I suspect they'd be far more inclined to help the user than their OEM partners are.

To kick off the new year, we're announcing the winners of last month's Ringtone Shuffler contest. If your username is listed below, congratulations! Please check your private messages within the next 24 hours for registration details.

• edhead
• janoulle
• maskology
• paulsg63
• ucfgrad93

Thanks to Gx5 for their generosity. Stay tuned as we bring you more contests in the coming weeks!

"Meteor: You have to destroy bricks, saving your meteor from enemy missiles and getting as much power-ups as possible. 90 various levels with attractive space environment make much fun for players of all ages. Jackpot Casino: Virtual casino with blackjack, roulette, video poker, caribbean poker, craps and slots"

I just ran across a couple of fairly priced games in our affiliate store to help ring in the New Year. For those of you that like casino games we have Jackpot Casino as well as the 90 level meteor defending Meteor - both from Mobile Steam. Until January 4th both games are on sale for a mere $3.95, saving you a whopping $12+ off of each of their respective price tags.

Depending on where you are in the world, it's already 2009, but I've still got a few hours left in 2008 so here I am writing up a quick post. I wanted to wish everyone in the Thoughts Media community a very happy New Year! 2008 ended a bit rocky for most of us, but I hope 2009 will be a great year of prosperity and hapiness for everyone. I want to thank each and every one of you who regularly visit our sites and have made them your technological home on the Web. Your support is deeply appreciated. I also want to thank the great teams of volunteers that make each of these sites tick: your dedication and desire to strive for excellence helps make these sites great. Here's to a great 2009!

We'll all be taking January 1st off to relax and come January 2nd we'll be back to the news as normal.

With the release of the iPhone in 2007, upgraded to 3G in 2008, the release of Google's G1 on the T-Mobile network and Windows Mobile seemingly treading water for a few years, user enthusiasm for the platform seems to have waned recently. RIM isn't sitting still either as both the Blackberry Storm and Bold have given users more than just push email.

We've all seen rumored screen shots and articles on Windows Mobile 6.5 and 7.0, as well as purported integration of Zune bits to replace Windows Media Player on the devices, though no real timelines or confirmations of anything have surfaced. Do you think Microsoft can turn the tide with new releases and regain some of the enthusiasm surrounding their platform they enjoyed in previous years?

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Click here to vote. It is a free poll at my site - a simple yes/no vote. I look forward to additional comments in the forum.

"SmartphoneNotes is a powerful text notes organizer for Windows Mobile-based Smartphone. With SmartphoneNotes, you can easily create and manage text notes directly on your Smartphone and synchronize them with Microsoft Outlook® on your desktop computer"

This app appears to make Notes on your device behave a bit more like they do in Outlook, allowing you to color code and categorize them. All of the settings are synchronized back to Outlook. Be sure to look at the requirements. For the Smartphone (aka WM Standard) it supports all the way back to 2003, but for the Pocket PC, you need Windows Mobile 5 or later. Vista and XP are supported, and it is compatible with Outlook 2000 or later, assuming the OS supports it. I am not sure if Vista and Windows Mobile Device Center support Office 2000 or not. We could have a discussion as to whether it supports 2002, 2003, or 2007 as well, but that is really for another thread.

There is a trial version for both platforms. The Smartphone version is $17.95 and the Pocket PC version is 19.95.

"The Software Store has gone mobile. Browse and download over 5,000 apps & games right from your Palm device. Plus, there are over 1,000 free apps to choose from. The mobile software store supports over 25 Palm devices1, from the Centro to the Treo Pro."

If you have a Palm device, be it PalmOS or Windows Mobile, Palm has created an application store you can browse, purchase and download directly from your device. There is a link for PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices to download the store application. I've not tried it to see if it verifies your Windows Mobile device is really from Palm.

"Let's be frank, the impressive number of folks jumping ship to new OSs and other companies claiming increased smartphone market share are clear indicators that plenty of customers want something other that Windows Mobile, and the latest words out of Microsoft's largest mobile partner certainly reconfirm our suspicions. A unnamed HTC executive speaking to Smarthouse admitted that the sales of its flagship Android device are, in fact, hurting sales for HTC's Windows Mobile offerings. Now, we'll probably have to wait a bit longer for more comprehensive numbers -- if they're ever actually released -- but we have a feeling that people want something different, and Google's first dip into the mobile OS space is certainly a viable alternative."

This is unsurprising news. In 2008 we saw a drastic increase in touch based Windows Mobile devices, such as the HTC Touch Pro and HTC Touch HD but at the same time we also saw almost all Windows Mobile device makers move away from Windows Mobile Standard platform, which in my opinion is the bread and butter of the Windows Mobile ecosystem since it competes directly with RIM's Blackberry dominance in the business world. Unfortunately as good as Windows Mobile Standard is the same cannot be said for Windows Mobile Professional. The Pocket PC platform was designed for a different time and for new users of the operating system can be incredibly difficult and frustrating to grasp. Heck, even after I spent some time with the HTC Touch Diamond I had to trade it in for an easier to use device. Sure T-Mobile's G1 isn't the most attractive device on the block - in fact it's a hideously ugly device - the beauty of the first Google Android device lies in the software. Google's Android platform is fun and easy to use and most importantly it is incredibly exciting.

Microsoft had a dream with Windows Mobile. Create a mobile operating system and license the technology to OEMs so they can create awesome exciting new devices. Unfortunately Windows Mobile hasn't changed at all since I started using it on my Motorola MPx220 way back in the day. Sure, we might have received a fancy new homescreen with Windows Mobile 6.1, but that is just Window dressing on a house that is already falling apart. The fundamental flaws of what holds Windows Mobile back are still present well over a half a decade since I started using it. Google on the other hand paid very close attention to Microsoft's dream and tweaked and applied that dream to the current generation of mobile devices and users.

Can Microsoft come back and create the software and excitement needed to save it from obscurity? Only time will tell. In the meantime however, I would expect to see Google Android continue to nibble away on Microsoft's market share well into 2009; especially as more and more companies release more Android based devices.

"You don't usually equate CES with big time Energizer introductions, but this year is going to be different. While our fingers are still crossed that a 50-foot drum-toting bunny is seen storming around in the Vegas heat, we do know that said outfit will be bringing along its minty fresh Zinc Air Prismatic batteries, not to mention the newly unveiled Rechargeable Solar Charger. The above pictured device will boast a USB port to power an assortment of devices, and it can also be charged from an AC outlet if you just can't seem to locate the sun. Better still, its weatherproof nature should make it suitable for argonauts, and it'll only run $49.99 with a pair of rechargeable cells when it lands next summer."

I've tried some solar chargers over the years and never been totally impressed. They've either been poorly designed or performed poorly. With built in USB charging as well as the ability to charge batteries (assuming AA's and hopefully AAA's) it should cover a pretty wide variety of devices. From a design perspective, this seems to be pretty well thought out, so I'll probably be grabbing one when they come out to see how it performs.

"Feed your need for Xbox 360 info & stories all day long while on the go (or stuck in meetings). You're just a few clicks away from enjoying Xbox 360 news, video & audio clips, community updates, gamer tag status, and more on your iPhone, iPod Touch, Windows Mobile phone or BlackBerry device."

Zumobi and Microsoft have teamed up to deliver what is apparently the only Microsoft-endorsed mobile application for Xbox. The NXE-themed Inside Xbox 360 offers the latest news, trailers, and updates from Xbox.com, the Xbox Live Marketplace, Gamerscore Blog, and Major Nelson, and also a way to tap into your and your friends' gamertags. It's riddled with ads, but if you can look past that, it's a decent application.

If Xbox isn't your thing, but skiing is, check out the new REI Ski and Snow Report.

I hope everyone that celebrates it had a Merry Christmas yesterday. For the first time, the annual "What did you get" post is across all of the Thoughts Media sites, so we should see an interesting mix of items.

If you celebrate Christmas, I want to wish you a very merry Christmas on behalf of all the staff here at Thoughts Media. If you celebrate Hanukka, Kwanzaa, or any other special event related to this time of year, may it be a special time for you and your family. I wish you all a time of peace and happiness over the next couple of days (and beyond that too of course!). We won't be posting news on the 25th, but will resume things on the 26th. Merry Christmas!

In November I received an invitation to the second Mobius event of the year, held in Seattle just like last time. Mobius is a time where the invite-only attendees typically get to see Microsoft's road-map for future, hear from vendors and OEMs, pass along feedback to Microsoft, and network with each other. Microsoft covers the airfare and hotel stay for people who attend, unless they choose to pay their own way. Rarely one to turn down a free ride, I took them up on their offer.

The first part of every Mobius event is the meet and greet, held the night before the conference officially starts. It's always enjoyable to see my peers, and there are usually a few new faces every event. Meeting new people is a key part of what makes Mobius a fun event. The folks from Celio were present, showing off the new REDFLY products, and upon leaving we were given a nice laptop bag. I have a bit of a laptop bag fetish, so I always appreciate new bags to carry my gear in.

The morning kicked off with an introduction from John Starkweather, and then the demos began. It's a Mobius tradition for everyone to stand up, introduce themselves, and show something off. Being the gadget geeks that we all are, there were demos of the Sony-Ericsson XPERIA, the Samsung OMNIA, and other phones and mobile devices.

Figure 1: Laptops galore, and in fact, Macbooks galore, at Mobius.

Liska Rutherford kicked off a session talking about the Windows Mobile brand. Some of the challenges they face with the Windows Mobile brand include power user awareness, the significant marketing investments made by their competition, the compelling competitive brands, and the fact that software isn't top of mind for all consumers. The strengths they can bring to bear include the fact that there are 1 billion Windows users world-wide, and a large percentage of those users like the idea of having Windows on their phone. We had a discussion about the perception vs. reality of having Windows on a phone. I believe many consumers who answer yes to whether or not they want Windows on their phone are thinking of it in terms of a desktop/laptop experience, when the reality is that a phone is going to offer up a very different Windows experience than a desktop or laptop. Still, there's clearly an opportunity here for Microsoft - as long as they can address the consumer market properly, something they've historically struggled to do.

There's a significant opportunity with mobile power users - they're the number one growth segment, and what Windows Mobile brings to the table (the software) is becoming increasingly important to consumers with the added awareness that platforms like the iPhone brings. When you see those iPhone commercials showing the device in action, consumers are being shown the power of software. And because the iPhone makes it look so easy to do, it drives consumer demand for easy, but powerful, software. In thinking about power users and how Rutherford said it was the biggest opportunity for growth, I couldn't help but think about how often Microsoft has taken feedback from the Windows Mobile MVPs, put it in the "power user" bucket, and generally ignored it. I've been told for years that what power users want isn't what normal users want, but perhaps the market has evolved to the point where normal users are inching into the power user zone and suddenly our feedback is considered valid. We'll see.

So what does Microsoft want to see happen in this market? They want Windows Mobile to be the most-demanded mobile platform - they want consumers to walk into a carrier store and ask for a Windows Mobile phone. This is the same thing they've wanted for years though, and it's a tough goal to reach because Microsoft does so little direct the marketing of Windows Mobile. When Samsung or Motorola advertise their phones, the fact that it has Windows Mobile is typically downplayed. The hardware makers focus on selling their hardware, and the software is an afterthought. What Microsoft needs to do is make their software so great, so wow-inducing, that the hardware makers want to promote it because they see it as an asset.

Mark Croft and Brian Yee from the Windows Product Management team presented Windows 7 to us. I've had some experience with an early technology preview (as in, pre-beta) of Windows 7, and I really liked what I saw. They had a slide called "Windows Has Changed" that had an interesting point - it said that they were focusing on quality over timeline, and timeline over features. Deconstructing that, you get a focus on quality first and foremost, followed by timely releases (no more five year waits), and features last. Features last? That's an interesting departure, because Microsoft has traditionally been fairly feature-focused, to the point where trying to implement features drive back product release dates. Microsoft has three main goals with Windows 7: making it work the way you want, making everyday tasks faster and easier, and making new things possible. All laudable goals, but so much depends on the hardware partners and the "d" word": drivers.

Figure 2: Mark Croft and Brian Yee walk us through some of what's coming in Windows 7.

In the category of it working the way you want, they're focusing on making Windows 7 faster and more responsive - no doubt in direct response to complaints about Vista's sometimes sluggish behaviour. Specifically, better performance, faster startup and shutdown, quicker task management, improved battery life, and working closer with PC manufacturers. The last goal is a key ingredient when it comes to having the best user experience possible.

Take a very standard laptop task of putting a laptop into suspend (sleep) mode, and having wake up again. I have a Dell XPS M1330 laptop, a piece of hardware purchased some 18 months after Vista first launched. So, in theory, it should be a laptop completely optimized for Vista. Yet when it comes to sleeping and waking, I'd describe its functionality as suspect at best. It often takes 10 to 20 seconds from when I shut the lid until the power light starts pulsing to indicate that it's in sleep mode. I prefer not to pack the laptop up until I know the hard drive has stopped spinning, so that 20 seconds can feel like an eternity. And lately, putting it to sleep triggers the cha-chunk sound of the slot-loading optical drive, which is a bizarre development. Resuming the XPS M1330 is an uneven process at best - the laptop will power up, the lights will blink, and I'll be staring at a black screen for around 12 seconds until I'm presented with the login screen. Compare that to most Macbooks and you'll see why the marriage between hardware and software matters so much. Microsoft and their partners need to do better.

Figure 3: Windows 7 uses the same amount of system memory for drawing windows regardless of whether one or 50 windows are open.

Figure 4: When you click on an item in the taskbar, and it's already an open program, if there are multiple windows you'll get a preview of each one.

When it comes to compatibility, if it works with Windows Vista, it should work with Windows 7. There are no major API changes, which is a critical point: that means that if there's a Vista driver for your hardware, that should work under Windows 7 without issue. That's great news, because driver issues were one of the top frustrations for people moving to Windows Vista with XP-era hardware. Windows 7 will be more reliable as well - there are some improvements in reliability and self-diagnosis. There will be fewer prompts for user account control for instance, and in fact the default will be at a lower threshold than it was for Vista. There will be more controls for the user regarding account approvals, and it will be more discoverable than it was in the past.

Figure 5: Each item in the taskbar will have enhanced functionality. Clicking on the item gives you this pop-up menu that has frequently used tasks related to that item.