Category: technology

Microsoft bringing Smart to the pocket

What is the difference between the Smartphone and a PocketPC? Then you could ask whats the difference between a PocketPC and a TabletPC?

But seriously back to the first question, whats the difference between a smartphone and pocketpc? I only ask because Microsoft have just released there second edition of Windows Mobile 2003, Released Pocket streets for the Smartphone platform and have disclosed details about a new software development platform which allows you to write for the Xbox, PocketPC, Smartphone and Windows. The lines are getting very blury… This maybe not the best time to own all 3 of them.

The major feature in Mobile 2003 is the VGA screen resolution for PocketPCs and QVGA for Smartphones. So this means the next lot of phones will have the same resolution as my current PocketPC. The WPA support, if i'm thinking correctly will be good if it finally supports 802.1x TTLS natively, rather than through another crappy client. But I'm not sure I'm thinking along the same lines. Would like to see the same Internet Explorer for Smartphones used in PocketPCs. If your site uses frames, then it wont show – excellent, that will teach those old style web designers. Which reminds me I still havent done my CSS media = phone/palmtop test yet. Still a real pain that explorer shows all css, which isnt made for small screens.
Voice dialing including voice tags would be great for the Smartphone AS IS PROMISED in the Orange Manual. Still cant work out if its a fcuk-up or just feature which was promised and not delivered on.

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Orange finally get around to it

Orange logo

About 2 months after the Dutch and 2 weeks after the French. UK finally get an update for the SPV E200. Finally I will beable to use my SPV as a bluetooth modem. Whoo, a reason to use bluetooth again. Downloading update as posting.

You can improve the performance of your SPV E200 by downloading a new ROM Code Upgrade. This will give you the following benefits:

* Longer battery life which significantly improves standby time so that you can use your E200 much longer.

* Improved sound quality from the loudspeaker, earphones, and microphone so that you can hear and be heard more clearly.

* Improved Bluetooth support so that many more Bluetooth devices now work.


Upgraded, took me ages and thought my SPV was dead a couple of time… More about it after I get to sleep.

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Munich struggling with open source

Birch dropped me this small article from a local newspaper near him in Minneapolis. Its basicly about Munich's problems with opensourve software and how Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is enjoying the fact there having problems. He makes the point that governments who change for political reasons are free to do so. While those who choose the software for business reasons stick with Microsoft. I'm not quite buying it, but we shall see as more and more governments make these critial decisions.

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return of thebroken.org

Props to hersheycub for the broken.org picture

The guys at the broken have a new release of there popular hacking cross jackass online show.

We kick it off with Windows password hash extraction and cracking. Also learn the basics of modding the Xbox, PS2 and GameCube. Plus, Ramzi’s back with a mission: impossible self-destructing laptop. And we sit down with Kevin Mitnick to find out what life is like for a hacker in prison.

Nice, cant beat that for 30mins.

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VideoForum 2004

Went today to the videoforum 2004. Wasnt as varied as last years, but there were some highlights.

Oplayo.com, the first company to do streaming video over 2.5g. The interesting thing is that it will work with almost any colour Java or Symbian phone. Which there are about 10 million in the UK now, I believe? Note funding for Oplayo is from Siemans and Nokia. Hummm… Anyway it works and works quite well with about 12secs to download a 1-2min clip they claim? Flix is a company which make a living off the Oplayo technology, they usually charge around 2 pounds per stream. Which works out to be 50 percent to Flix, 20 – 6 percent for the content creator or owner and then 17.5 percent for the operater. They also say the user GRPS charge should only cost 5 – 10 pence and the 2 pounds will be charged to the users phone bill. Oh they use MVQ video codec for there streams. And there is a kind of directory wml page interface available for use too.

The AMD 64 laptop from Packard Bell
The whole complete range of AMD 64's

In the sound section I found a nice GNU/Linux audio project called Augnula. Its made for Redhat and Debian but will work on most Linux boxes. It just a matter of getting the hardware to support the software.
Talking about Linux, I passed by the AMD stand and got a spookly but nice light up green AMD pen. But finally got my hands on a AMD 64 Laptop and saw a 4 CPU Operton server running. Wow it was pumping out hot air, plus it needed 3 PSU's to keep it stable! Not for desktop use I'm sure. Interesting thing is that all the laptops out there at the moment are standard desktop AMD 64 chips not the AMD 64 Mobile chip, so they dont last as long on battery, even though the chips have a neat power saving feature. Also the AMD 64 regular chips will change to 939 pin and the Operton to 940 pin in the near future. At the moment the regular chips are using 736 pin or something like that. So who knows what will happen to the FX range?

Someone on the Kaoss pad messing with the pad
Someone on the Kaoss pad messing with selectors

On the hardware front I finally got to play with a Korg Kaoss Pad. If you've never had a play its well worth having a go. Too expensive for me, but one funky tool. Specially now it does audio and video effects… Thing also worth mentioing is the Alesis Fx's. The Air Fx and Air synths allow you to control them without touching them, you basicly wave your hand over the top of it to control it. And it works really well. Almost as good as the Kaoss pad. While the ModFX's are very cheap FX tools which can be chained together to make a complete setup. Considered buying one if I was that much into making music just to play with while out and about. There very cute too… Didnt see the Pioneer DVJ-x1 though…

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Sony Ericsson still doing the do

SonyEricssons new phones

Even though I now own a SPV2, I still have alot of respect for SonyEricsson. They are doing some pretty clever things with there phones now. Nokia on the other hand have gone nuts! But yeah the Sony style has really helped Ericsson. Hey and lets not forget the SonyEricsson Z1010 is still the most wanted 3g phone to date. But anyway I saw this link to the new SonyEricsson phones on mobile tracker. Anyway these new phones fit perfectly as SonyEricsson being the camera company…

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Is your mobile data open?

Why Run Free Software on a PDA? is causing ripples on Slashdot at the moment.

Its one of those things I've always thought about even in the days of my first palmtop the HP200LX. It ran DOS, so it was easy to get data on and off it. Most of the Applications were standard based, so the text editor supported rtf and txt formats. Even the accounting package was in quicken format. Things havent changed much since using Windows CE2 right up to PocketPC 2003. Plus all the palmtops I've owned contained standard storage solutions, so its always been a matter of taking out a FAT formatted PCMCIA, Compact Flash or SD card. However I know people using Palms have not had such a easy time. I havent had such a good time with my phones up untill right now. The SPV2 Smartphone actually allows me do what the heck I like to it. Even store things it doesnt understand. However I do take the point of the post because honestly I would use Opie or some other GNU OS if it took advantage of the hardware built into the device. When I last used Opie it never had bluetooth and wireless was hit and miss. I would miss somethings like activesync but honestly my calendar and stuff are going Open or GNU too. And that goes double for my smartphone, Smartphone 2003 is ok, but it needs bits done here and there.

Cant wait to see TabletPC drivers for Linux some time soon…Specially if they support InkML.
I have to give some kudos to some of the replys on slashdot.
Grrr!! (Score:5, Insightful) by TheKidWho

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