TamsWMS – the Windows Mobile Smartphone Blog

In case anyone of you uses AIM – you can now use your Windows Mobile 5/6 device as chat terminal while on the go. AOL has just released a new beta of its AIM client for WM (the last version came out eight years ago):

The program is available for touchscreened and touchscreenless devices running Windows Mobile 5 or 6 – AOL currently lists the following known issues:

* Help and About not available.
* Ad space is currently filled with placeholder.
* Devices with a 320×320 display my encounter issues with resolution and softkey menus.
* Report spam when receiving a message from an unknown user is not yet implemented.
* Unknown publisher warning present during installation of application.
* Message and alert notifications outside AIM application not yet implemented.
* Keyboard entry not working on the T-Mobile Dash device.

http://beta.aol.com/projects.php?project=aimwinmobile

In case anyone of you currently uses an older version of Opera for Windows Mobile – an official beta version of Opera 9.5 will become available on July the 15th according to the Opera Mobile team.

The benefits of the latest version can be summed up by stating that:

Palm OS users have had real-life user groups for some time – so far, PocketPC and Windows Mobile Smartphone folk haven’t ganged up in significant numbers.

Microsoft now wants to gather its mobile users in a special portal called Windows Mobile TotalAccess, which replaces the former Windows Mobile Owner Circle:

The page contains a bunch of hints for novices and quite a few goodies(free themes, ringtones, etc) – should you have a few spare minutes, give them a click at the URL below:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/totalaccess/default.mspx

The Windows Mobile Smartphone world is pretty boring at the moment – nevertheless, the boys at CoolSmartPhone.com have found out about a ROM update that went mostly unnoticed.

In case you own a Orange SPV E650, please head over to Orange Business for a unspecified software update via the link below:
Orange Business

Even though the device has popped up on ebay a few weeks ago, the rumor mill keeps spinning when it comes to the successor of T-Mobile’s current Shadow WMS – the Shadow II(picture below):

DigiTimes reports that HTC will produce the Shadow II(shouldn’t they say is producing?). The more interesting fact, however, is that they claim that the device will be the first Windows Mobile box that supports UMA.

Cutting a long story short: UMA is a technology that allows a phone to use both GPRS and a local WiFi hot spot for communication. T-Mobile uses this for its hotspot@home service, which allows for cheaper calls when in range of your WiFi router.

Further information on hotspot@home can be found at this flash-laden web site:
http://www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com/

Users at EverythingQ have reported that the Sprint web site no longer lists the Motorola Q9 and Q9c devices. Calls to the service center have led to multiple confirmations that the device is indeed discontinued for good.

A particularily nifty user contacted Motorola Tech Support and got the following response:

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support, we appreciate your interest in our products.

Regarding your concern, the Q9c phone is still manufactured and can be purchased from our website: www.store.motorola.com
….

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support.

As of now, no further information is available on why the Q9/Q9c had to bite the dust. Maybe the devices were too expensive(AMP’d killed itself by giving away these), or a successor is upcoming(images of a WiFi-enabled Qxx have floated around the net for quite some time).

Either way, stay tuned to TamsWMS for news as we get them!

Even though we currently ruin a giveaway of our own(HandyWeather from Paragon), this opportunity is too good to let it slip:

Our distribution partner MobiHand has teamed up with Microsoft and can now provide free licences of Microsoft Live Search for a limited period of time. In case anyone of you has a Windows Mobile 6-powered device(WM5 boxen are left out, unfortunately) – use the links below for grater justice! Live Search for WM Standard devices Live Search for WM Professional devices

Jason Langridge is responsible for the Windows Mobile track at this year’s European Tech-Ed – and is out of ideas about what topics he can cover.

In case anyone of you has any ideas, please head over to Jason’s blog and send him an email. Jason is also looking for speakers – in case anyone of you feels like taking a stab, good luck!

P.S. Do you think that attending this trade show pays out?

After not having anything to give away last Sunday(sorry), I am proud to present you this week’s giveaway!

Paragon Group has provided us with free licenses for HandyWeather, an excellent weather program for mobile devices(TamsS60 review here)! We can give away licenses for Palm OS, Windows Mobile and S60 devices, and hope to do so next Saturday.

In case you feel like claiming one of the licenses for yourself, please visit the forum thread linked below and tell us which device you have!
http://forum.tamoggemon.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25

BrightHand claims that the next version of AT&T’s BlackJack devices will be a variation of the Samsung i780 phone – which, incidentally, has a touchscreen.

Even though Ed Hardy is a very respected analyst, I feel that this will not become the next BlackJack device. I do not dispute that it may hit AT&T: but it probably won’t bear the BlackJack name as it isn’t a Windows Mobile Smartphone (a touchscreen-less device).

Even though the operating systems are named similarly, share their kernels and come from Redmond, they are fundamentally different from a user’s perspective. A person who can use a WMS will have huge problems handling a PocketPC and vice versa.

I saw this recently when a PocketPC user was ordered to attack a WMS device that I left behind unattended (long story why). The guy had huge issues launching applications and finding files – even though he used a PocketPC phone for years.

Customers usually expect phones from a series to handle similarly – the i788 could come to ART&T, but it won’t be the BlackJack III.

What do you think?

Dear Readers,
all of tamoggemon.com is currently undergoing a DDOS attack by a very intelligent person who hereby tries to express his disagreement with a review.

Please accept our apologies for the outages in the last few hours!

Tam Hanna and the Tamoggemon and brainsware teams

After having released Windows Mobile 6.1 for Sprint’s Q9c, good ole M now intents to give AT&T’s Motorola Q9h the same treatment.

WMExperts reports that a placeholder file called Q9h_Standalone_Update has appeared on Motorola’s web site – it looks like it’s only a matter of time until the actual software update drops.

P.S. In case anyone of you wishes to know more about Windows Mobile 6.1 – the TamsWMS post below has links to emulator images and screenshot galleries:
http://tamswms.tamoggemon.com/2008/04/03/windows-mobile-61-drops/

In case anyone of you looks for a Windows Mobile Smartphone with a dedicated keyboard and doesn’t feel like paying out of the nose for Palm’s Treo 500: Expansys currently sells off the Samsung SGH-i320:

The device runs Windows Mobile 5(AFAIK, no WM6 update is available), has a QVGA screen, Bluetooth/IrDA(no wifi) and a MicroSD slot.

In case anyone feels like taking the plunge:
Expansys Germany – 125 EUR
Expansys UK – 100 GBP
Expansys USA – 176 USD

A prototype unit of the recently-identified T-Mobile Shadow II has hit ebay – the auction has unfortunately ended via Buy Now(for 500$).

The seller posted a few pictures of the device – here are the two most interesting ones:

Specs-wise, the seller claims that the model has the following features:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• 260MHz Processor
• 128MB RAM
• 256MB Flash Memory
• 240×320 resolution LCD
• WIFI
• 2.0 Megapixel Camera/Camcorder
• Memory Card Slot
• BlueTooth

Seeing that the company that peddles the box is a Power Seller, it is very likely that we are looking at a real device here and that the box will actually ship to its new owner. However, seeing that no one knows when it will actually hit the road: take the specs with a grain of salt!!!