TamsWMS - the Windows Mobile Smartphone Blog

Motorola’s Q9x phones have always sold pretty well, becoming the “Treo” of the Palm OS. The Boy Genius’s team now managed to get their hands onto yet another Q9 variant - the so-called Napoleon is a EVDO RevA handset with the following distinctive features:

• World-Wide GSM roaming capabilities (no word about EGDE/UMTS; though)
• Finger-Print scanner on the back
• Stereo speakers
• WiFi

In general, the device is rated pretty well. However, the keyboard and 5way nav were described as “stiff and difficult to use”.

A full gallery with loads of shots is available from The Boy genius - head over and (at least) look at the totally weird box the device ships in:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/07/03/motorola-napoleon-q9-verizons-world-phone/

The folks at SmartphoneThoughts have managed to get their hands onto a Sprint rep, and asked him about his sentiments about the recent Q9x discontinuation rumors.

Their rep claimed that:

…(the Q9c is) just “out of stock for direct ship” — that’s the stuff you see on Sprint’s site — but that it should still be readily available in retail stores.”

I myself am not sure what to do with this bit of info - after all, quite a few Sprint store managers were quotes stating that the device were discontinued for good.

Anyways, dear readers - please think about us when finding such a box in a Sprint store!

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:

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!

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!!!

The so-called SideShow technology found in most versions of Windows Vista is one of the few real and visible improvements in the new OS.

Cutting a long story short, SideShow is a protocol that allows PC data to be pushed to small SideShow devices, where it can then be displayed even when the host is powered off(due to caching).

Drivers that allow Windows Mobile devices to function as SideShow terminals aren’t new - but Microsoft now released a developer preview of an official driver that transforms Bluetooth-capable WM5/WM6 devices into SideShow stations.

As of now, the program still is in early beta - daredevils with Vista(/me is excluded) can give it a pop at the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=79f19684-f862-4e02-a2b0-0003b4565f34&DisplayLang=en

Today is a lucky day for people using Motorola’s Q9c on Sprint, as the official Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade for the device has just hit the road.

People who wish to give their Q9c a bit of Windows Mobile 6.1 attention can do so by visiting Motorola’s Update site(via their PC or on the handheld). As with all firmware updates, I recommend a full battery and - if possible - performing the upgrade on a laptop with an external battery in to prevent death due to power outages.

Also, be sure to perform a complete backup of your device’s RAM(and memory card, just to be safe) - one never knows how a firmware update can go wrong…

In case you feel like taking the plunge: let us know how it went!

The Bluetooth SIG recently leaked information on a weird HTC device called CONV100 - and the FCC now dropped yet another blurry picture of the device:

In case anyone of you now thinks of another pic leaked out some time below - yes, the rumored T-Mobile Shadow II is said to look like this:

Unfortunately, the TamsWMS team currently doesn’t know anything else about the box except that it is a Windows Mobile Smartphone - stay tuned for further info as we get it!

A rather weird Windows Mpobile 5 smartphone called SMT5700 has been floating around on the internet(and on AT&T’s rebate sheets) for almost a year:

The device will have a 2MP camera without autofocus(probably similar to the one found on the Nokia N81), a QWERTY keyboard and EDGE-only data connectivity.

Boy Genius Report claims that the device is said to hit the road in the near future - in case anyone of you is on AT&T and wants a QWERTY WMS, this box could be a cheaper alternative to Palm’s rather pricey Treo 500…