smart phone posts

Dvorak Typists Complain About the State of Smartphone Keyboards

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Sep 29th 2009 at 7:05AM

Dvorak Users Complain About the State of Smart Phones

Geeks will endlessly argue about a number of things (e.g., Captain Kirk vs. Captain Picard, 'Lord of the Rings' vs. 'Harry Potter,' 'Star Wars' vs. 'Star Trek,' and QWERTY vs. Dvorak). Dvorak is an alternative keyboard layout (as opposed to QWERTY) that was designed in the '30s by August Dvorak (no relation to Ol' Cranky Pants) in order to allow faster typing.

While Dvorak is not as widely known or used as QWERTY, its passionate devotees fought for decades to get the standard accepted by the American National Standards Institute. It wasn't until the '90s that Windows and Mac PCs supported the format without requiring additional software.

Tags: dvorak, keyboard, qwerty, smart phone, SmartPhone, top

Cell Phones, Computers, BlackBerry, iPhone

Simple Text Messages Can Be Used to Steal Data

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Apr 20th 2009 at 4:03PM

Some phones today can have pretty dramatic security functions; case in point, the iPhone will erase itself if you screw up entering your password 10 times in a row. Unfortunately, all a hacker really needs to bypass your password and take over your phone is a simple text message.

In a series of proof-of-concept videos posted on YouTube, Dan Dearing (Vice President of marketing at Trust Digital) demonstrates how, using a text message, he can hijack a phone and steal data off of it. Using an SMS text message, Dearing can force a smart phone to launch Mobile Internet Explorer, download and install a malicious software package, and send data back to his own phone. This attack is referred to as a "midnight raid attack," since it would ideally be done while the victim is sleeping so they don't notice the cellular activity.

Tags: hack, hacker, hacking, security, smart phone, SmartPhone, sms, text messaging, texting, TextMessaging, top

Cell Phones, BlackBerry, Google, iPhone, Mobile Phones

Want a New Smartphone? Wait Two Months.

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Apr 14th 2009 at 9:07AM

The Silicon Alley Insider is doling out a bit of advice that we heartily endorse: "Don't buy a smartphone until June."

It's not like there aren't any quality offerings on the market right now. In fact, if you really want a Windows Mobile phone (though we're not sure why you would), there's no need to wait. Go get one now. But be warned that, come June, there will be a whole host of new handsets on the market.

You can expect that the Apple iPhone will see a hardware refresh, along with a 3.0 software update, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Rumored additions to the device have included everything from a physical keyboard to an iMovie iPhone app for editing videos on the handset.

Tags: android, apple, htc magic, HtcMagic, iphone 3.0, iphone os 3.0, Iphone3.0, IphoneOs3.0, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, retail, shopping, smart phone, SmartPhone, smartphones, storm

Cell Phones

First Look: Nokia's Touchscreen-Enabled N97

by Jason Rowan (RSS feed) — Dec 2nd 2008 at 3:30AM

We are so tired of touchscreens, especially since most of 'em don't really work that well, but we were certainly curious to see the touchscreen on the Nokia N97, which was shown off last night at a small gathering in New York. The N97's 3.5-inch, 16:9 touchscreen (think iPhone) slides up at an angle to reveal a handy QWERTY keyboard that essentially gives you the best of both worlds (sort of like the T-Mobile G1 already does). As with other N series phones, the N97 has many high-end features, including a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass (both of which allow you to share your exact location with friends on your favorite social networks), and an extremely generous 32-gigabytes (GB) of onboard memory (with the ability to expand up to 48-gigabytes).

Besides the location-based-social-networking features, the N97 has a built in camcorder, built-in widgets for easy updating of, say, your Facebook status, and -- unlike the iPhone and its ilk -- the ability to stream Flash videos.

Unfortunately, it's not coming out until the first half of 2009, and only in Europe, and for a whopping 550 Euros (about $700). But if you've got the funds, you can probably just buy an unlocked version of the phone from an import phone site and use it with your T-Mobile or AT&T service, since it works on those carriers' high speed HSDPA networks.

We were able to get an early look last night and took some shots of the N97, which you can check out in the gallery below, or check out this video on Engadget. [From: Nokia]

Gallery: First Look: Nokia N97

Tags: breaking news, BreakingNews, first look, FirstLook, n97, new products, NewProducts, nokia, nokia n97, NokiaN97, smart phone, SmartPhone, smartphones, top, upcoming

Cell Phones, Computers, BlackBerry, Google, iPhone

Could Your iPhone or BlackBerry Ever Replace Your Laptop?

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Oct 28th 2008 at 11:28AM

Computers are progressively getting smaller -- at this point it's a good chance that your cell phone is more powerful than the machines used to send the Apollo missions to the moon. The move from desktops to laptops occurred first in the workplace, and the shift towards smaller and lighter laptops has been primarily driven by business users.

The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that some business users (though a relatively small portion) are even starting to phase out the laptop entirely. As smart phones have gotten more powerful and loaded with more features (full QWERTY keyboards and large touch screens), mobile professionals are beginning to leave the laptop at the office (or hotel) and rely on these souped-up handsets while on the move.

While the iPhone, BlackBerrys, Android, and Windows Mobile handsets have given cell phones surprising amounts of power and versatility, they're still fairly limited when compared to a full sized laptops. Professional tools like Salesforce and Office have made their way to handsets, but with limited feature sets. The tiny keyboards (or touch screen keyboard, in the case of the iPhone) are fine for text messages and quick e-mails, but really aren't ideal for lengthy editing of text or spreadsheets.

Could smart phones one day replace laptops? Perhaps, but the limitations of the form factor pose a major roadblock. Viewing large spreadsheets on even the relatively large screen of the iPhone requires far too much scrolling to be practical and writing even brief blog posts on a BlackBerry is just asking for thumb cramps. [From: Wall Street Journal]

Tags: android, laptop, laptops, mid, smart phone, SmartPhone, trends, umpc, windows mobile, WindowsMobile

Cell Phones, BlackBerry

35% of Business Travelers Would Choose BlackBerry Over Spouse

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Sep 17th 2008 at 2:26PM

We're a little frightened to find out how many of you out there would choose your BlackBerry over your spouse. A new survey from StudyLogic finds that over 35-percent of business travelers would choose the ol' CrackBerry over their significant other.

Additionally, 87-percent of those surveyed said they brought their smart phones and BlackBerrys into the bedroom with them. It appears business travelers are obsessive about their e-mail: An astounding 84-percent said they checked their BlackBerries before going to sleep, and 80-percent checked their handhelds first thing in the morning. Even creepier: 62-percent said they 'loved' their smart phones. Not a word we'd use very often to describe our relationship with our gadgets.

We already know that some of you are having less sex in order to spend time online, but we're wondering how much time you could possibly you could possibly spend actively on a BlackBerry.

So what do you say, would you choose your BlackBerry over your wife? [From: TG Daily]

Tags: blackberry, smart phone, SmartPhone, studies, surveys

Cell Phones, Computers, BlackBerry

Smart Phones a Bigger Security Risk Than Laptops, Survey Says

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jun 3rd 2008 at 12:32PM

Laptops have long been a top concern for Information Technology (IT) security experts, but recent surveys have shown that the newest top priority is securing smart phones, such as BlackBerrys and even iPhones.

According to the survey conducted by data protection supplier Credant Technologies, a whopping 94-percent of senior IT staff fear that smart phones and PDAs present a security risk. That is more than the 88 percent that considers portable storage devices like flash drives a threat, and the almost 80 percent who think laptops pose a security problem. IT executives are bothered by the fact that most handsets are not password protected, yet still given full access to company networks.

Experts say it is essential for companies to get the phones and PDAs under control, before they lead to massive compromises of sensitive data. How about you, smart phone owners -- do you password protect your BlackBerry or handheld device?[Source: Computer World]

Tags: breaking news, BreakingNews, data theft, DataTheft, pda, security, smart phone, SmartPhone, surveys

Cell Phones, Computers, Google, iPhone

Google Announces gPhone? Not Quite.

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Nov 5th 2007 at 1:28PM

Well after months, -- nay, years of rumors the Google Phone (or gPhone) is upon us... almost. On a conference call this afternoon, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google; Andy Rubin founder of Danger, the company behind the Sidekick and founder of Android, a mobile software company gobbled up by Google; and representatives of Motorola, HTC, T-Mobile, and many others revealed an open-source mobile platform that may actually, finally, live up to the title "iPhone Killer."

Today's announcement was not the unveiling of an actual gPhone, but the announcement of a mobile platform, called Android, to be used by the 33 companies that make up what is called the Open Handset Alliance.

The Android mobile OS is built on Linux and comes packaged with a user friendly interface and applications. In addition, the open nature of Android means plenty of powerful third-party applications will follow.

The software will be made freely available within a week and we can expect to see phones sporting the OS in the second half of 2008. Part of the draw of Android is a "very robust HTML web browser," according to Eric Schmidt, likely based on Firefox.

Schmidt also left the door open on the question of whether Google is still planning on developing its own branded cell phone. "We're not announcing anything, but this is THE (perfect) platform for building a gPhone."

Oh Google, will you ever stop playing coy?

Contrary to speculation, the platform will not be completely ad-driven (note the "completely"). Instead we expect Google is hoping that by giving away a full-featured OS with a "very robust" browser they can draw more users to their web services where they will be served advertisements.

Using Android will save handset makers money that would normally be used on purchasing licenses for Symbian or Windows Mobile, or for developing their own platform. We can only hope that this will allow them to spend more on phone hardware or cut the price of the handsets.

Android sounds promising, but only time will tell if Google has another Gmail on its hands, or a failure like its lagging social network Orkut.

From Engadget

Related links:

Tags: android, breaking+news, cell phone, CellPhone, google, htc, mobile, motorola, smart phone, SmartPhone, top

Cell Phones, Computers, BlackBerry, Green Tech

Daylight Savings Wreaks Havoc On Gadgets, or Does It?

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Oct 30th 2007 at 2:29PM

Prep Your Gadgets for Daylight Savings End

Don't forget that this coming Sunday, Daylight Savings Time ends. Hopefully, you got your software fixes back in February or March before the clocks changed last Spring.

Some predicted the Daylight Savings changes signed into law in 2005 by President Bush would result in a mini-Y2K. And they were right, just as when the the year changed from 1999 to 2000, nothing of much note occurred. There was some anecdotal evidence of issues with BlackBerrys, and one kid went to jail for 12 days due to a computer glitch, but otherwise the clock change went without notice among the gadget owning public.

That said, some owners of older gadgets and cell phones, as well as people who just forgot to manually install updates (and some parking meters in Baltimore), have already experienced an early time change that messed with their schedules.

In case you were caught last time with your electronic pants down, here's a quick run down of how to make sure you're prepared this time around. Sadly, there's no simple fix for your confused biological clock.

Windows Mobile 5 Smart Phones: Microsoft released the update for Windows Mobile 5 in February that fixes the Daylight Savings issue. If your handset runs WinMo 6 then you're already set.
BlackBerrys: RIM also released the necessary update for the Blackberry software in February. Simply download and install and you're good to go.
Palm OS Treos: Palm was a little behind others but still had its fix out in time for March's clock change.

Microsoft Windows, TiVo, and Mac OS X all had their patches pushed to them automatically in February,
so you should be set.

If you've got a cell phone that's older than four years, you might consider calling the manufacturer to make sure you're set for the time change.

From USA Today

Related Links:

Tags: blackberry, daylight savings, DaylightSavings, fix, microsoft, palm, patch, rim, smart phone, SmartPhone, update, windows mobile, WindowsMobile

Cell Phones, eBay, Google, E-Mail Addiction

Handy List of Cell Phone-Friendly Web Sites

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Sep 11th 2007 at 1:33PM

Finding Web sites that look good on the substandard Web browsers and screens of most PDAs and PDA phones (read: Treos, Windows Mobile devices, and BlackBerrys) is a challenge. Thankfully, mobile-obsessed blogger Brian Cantoni has produced a quick and easy list of Web sites specially designed for the small screen. He even breaks them down into simple categories. And, of course, the list itself is smart phone friendly as well.

The list has become quite a hit for Cantoni, even garnering a mention in the New York Times as a good starting point for exploring the mobile Web. Just add www.cantoni.org/palm to your bookmarks on your cell phone. These pages will be nice and quick to load over that slow EDGE connection.

And don't forget to check up on us while you're out and about as well m.switched.com -- Switched.com's cell-phone-optimized address is, sadly, left off the list.

From Shiny Shiny

Related Links:

Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, pda, smart phone, SmartPhone

Cell Phones, Computers

Sprint Getting Updated Palm 800w Handset

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jun 11th 2007 at 5:05PM

Sprint Getting Updated Palm Handset - 800w

Gizmodo is reporting that Sprint will be getting an updated Windows Mobile based handset, the Palm 800w. There is no indication whether the new phone will be an improvement, form-factor-wise, on the clunky 700wx (pictured, right), form factor will be receiving any improvements, but the 800w's leaked specs appear to be impressive.

As is to be expected, the handset will feature Windows Mobile 6, plus a doubling of memory, a resolution increase to 320x320, Wi-Fi, GPS, and EVDO Rev. A, a 3.5G cellular technology that boosts download speeds to 3.1 Megabits per-second, and upload speeds to 1.8 Megabits per-second (similar to basic wired broadband).

Sprint will supposedly be releasing the phone in the fourth quarter of 2007.

From Gizmodo

Related Links:

Tags: mobile, palm, smart phone, SmartPhone, sprint

Cell Phones, Computers, Celebrities

Mo Rocca Unveils iFido

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — May 31st 2007 at 1:13PM

TV personality Mo Rocca has announced the release of a new tech product, iFido. It wirelessly sends and receives messages, provides audible meeting reminders and loves its owner unconditionally. Watch the video to see why your PDA/smart phone might soon be history.

From News Bloggers

Related Links:

Tags: e-mail, iFido, palm, smart phone, SmartPhone

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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