Google’s Android experience varies by handset and not just because of different hardware. Four Android versions are available, but one report says Google is planning to get all devices on version 2.1 soon. There’s pros and cons to the solution — is it too late? Read more »
A Palm webOS update expected before end of February could arrive today over Sprint’s network. Along with enhancements to the native main applications preparations for Adobe Flash support are arriving as is video recording right from the handset. But there’s still more to fix. Read more »
Skype yesterday pulled support for Windows Mobile 6.5, and today it’s Adobe’s turn. The promise of Flash 10.1 on Microsoft’s current handsets is a broken one, but the reason provided simply doesn’t make sense. Is this the sign of a bad trend for Microsoft’s phones? Read more »
Need to boost your cell phone’s signal strength? A universal booster like the Sleek works with just about any phone on any carrier. Watch the video to see how well this $129 accessory solves the problem of weak signal coverage. Read more »
It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another Palm Press, our weekly look at the world of Palm. Palm warned that sales are not as good as expected, and quarterly revenue will not meet forecasts. The annual forecast will be “well below” forecast revenue figures. Read more »
Are you one of those iPhone owners that just uses the swipe and unlock feature on your handset? With this free utility for Windows or Mac, you can add a secure, alphanumeric passcode to your handset and keep data from prying eyes. Read more »
Shares of Palm tanked after the company said carrier orders for its webOS gadgets have been weaker than expected. Customers don’t want its phones, and no one seems interested in buying its business. So what can be left for Palm? Read more »
If you’re looking to install Skype on your Windows Mobile handset, you can stop looking. Skype pulled the software and there’s actually a very good reason. It’s been the same issue that’s hampered the Skype experience for years on Windows Mobile devices. Read more »
The Motorola Devour is like the Droid’s little brother, and it has some nice design features. It will be coming soon to Verizon, but videos of the phone in action are already appearing on the web. It looks like a solid effort by Motorola. Read more »
Wi-Fi has long been a staple of laptop users, but with the widespread inclusion of the technology in smartphones, statistics are showing a lot wireless hotspot activity comes from those using phones. Do you Wi-Fi on your phone or other handheld device? Read more »
When you see someone with an iPhone, do you automatically assume they can hear? I do — or at least I did until I heard about this free app that brings iPhone calling to the deaf and hard of hearing. Read more »
How many Windows Phone 7 Series chassis designs are there? “Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceedest on to three.” Read more »
It’s Tuesday and that can only mean it’s time for our weekly feature, the BlackBerry Buzz. RIM is firing up a new developer initiative to create “super apps”, and Verizon is rumored to be dropping the Storm and the Storm2 from its smartphone lineup. Read more »
Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): Feature Phones: The Next Market for Mobile Apps Infographic by Column Five Media Read more »
Gartner offers up the worldwide smartphone market share numbers and 2009 shows some continuing trends as the new guard marches forward. But as a consumer, why do you even care about these measures? There’s at least one good reason I can think of. Read more »
Want to hear your handheld music subscription when you don’t have connectivity? If you have the new Slacker software for BlackBerry or Android, you can. The mobile app just added wireless music caching for offline playback when there’s no signal to be found. Read more »
Google Earth has landed on Android 2.1 and it’s a stunner to view. Plus there are new features that make it even better. But it’s hard to track this and all of the other Android apps, so I found a potential solution for that problem. Read more »
Google’s Android platform continues to show up on more unexpected places. With the right tools and instructions, you can now run Android 2.1 on some Windows Mobile handsets that are two years old. This is a great way to re-use an older device. Read more »
Gotta have Farmville, that Adobe Flash game, on your phone? The Nexus One can now handle it with the latest alpha ROM from Modaco. Here’s a weekend double-feature showing video of both the Flash game and the HTC applications on a Google Nexus One. Read more »
Many can’t seem to break the habit of driving while texting or sending email. ZoomSafer has a software solution that leverages the GPS in your handset to disable the display and keyboard. The app can even respond to email automatically for you while driving. Read more »
Vevo is working on an application that will bring its music videos into people’s living rooms through Boxee’s media center software and its soon-to-be-released Boxee Box set-top device, according to Vevo CEO Rio Caraeff. By doing so, the joint venture seeks to create even greater reach […] Read more »
Sprint will reportedly bring a WiMAX handset to market in the first half of this year, several months earlier than had been expected. But given its small WiMAX footprint and the technical issues that must be overcome, what’s the rush? Read more »
The end of the week means it’s time to share the week at Mobile Tech Manor with you. I discovered I am truly platform agnostic, in both the computing and smartphone areas. My tools are equal on every platform I use, and that is very liberating. Read more »
After eight months of using webOS, I’ve put my Palm Pre out to pasture. Issues that should have been fixed by now are still lingering, software choices are still lacking and Synergy just isn’t as unique as it once was. Read more »
It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another Palm Press, our weekly look at the world of Palm. The Missing Sync offers 2-way syncing for Windows users. Palm may be on track to ship one million webOS phones this quarter, a marked improvement over last quarter. Read more »
Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone Classic, and now Windows Phone 6 Starter Edition? The Microsoft smartphone lineup is getting more confusing each day, as distributor Bsquare announced a Starter Edition for new and emerging markets. It’s not clear what that means, perhaps time will tell. Read more »
AT&T joins the Android party on March 7, with the introduction of the Motorola Backflip. The device offers a unique navigational trackpad on the back and just might be a good introduction to Android for first-time smartphone buyers. Read more »
Amazon has followed through on its promise to bring the Kindle reader app to the BlackBerry. The app works much like the iPhone version, with support for online e-book purchasing. Whispersync technology keeps the BlackBerry content in sync across multiple Kindle devices. Read more »
Dell’s Mini 5 MID/phone is making the rounds at Mobile World Congress and is captured on video. But there are more devices in this family to come. What will they be like? Is this device more appealing than the upcoming HP slate with Windows? Read more »
Are those puny hardware buttons or the quirky on-screen QWERTY not quite cutting it for you in Android? As it turns out, Google’s mobile platform supports USB keyboards natively. Armed with the right cables, you can add a full-sized USB keyboard to your Android phone. Read more »
Google Buzz hit the iPhone and Android handsets last week, but Palm’s webOS devices were left out in the cold, even with their WebKit browser. But if you know the right URL, you can enjoy most of Google Buzz on your Palm Pre or Pixi! Read more »
When Research In Motion bought Torch Mobile last year, we knew that a WebKit browser for BlackBerry had to be coming soon. It’s still “coming soon” — sometime this year — and RIM needs to hurry. Email and a good keyboard alone aren’t enough any longer. Read more »
Spb Mobile Shell has long been one of the best things you can add to a Windows Mobile phone. Spb has announced that the new version 5 of the Spb Mobile Shell interface will work on Windows Mobile, and is also available for Android and Symbian. Read more »
The week marches on and today being Saturday means it is time to recap the recent happenings in the world of Windows Mobile. Next week the Mobile World Congress kicks off and Microsoft will be unveiling, at long last, an official look at Windows Mobile 7. Read more »
Seven months isn’t a long time for most companies, but it’s practically an era in itself on the hyperkinetic mobile web. One thing that hasn’t changed in the last seven month is PayPal’s visibility on smartphones — it’s there, but it’s hard to find. Read more »
California company HipLogic has produced an interface for Android that makes it easy for OEMs and carriers to produce custom interfaces for the platform. This sounds good on the surface, but runs the risk of fragmenting the Android user experience for consumers. Read more »
Sprint has been dropping subscribers at an alarming clip, so have instituted a new loyalty program to stem the tide. It takes as little as three months loyalty to qualify, which is sad. Members in the Sprint Premier program can get a new phone each year. Read more »
A rumor has cropped up that Palm is halting the production of the Pre and Pre Plus product line. It is hard to explain why they would do that, so it may be one of those rumors that appear on the web from time to time. Read more »
In this audio episode, we share our hangover from Google Buzz and offer some first impressions of Swype after some hands-on time. And it sounds like the Skyfire browser is on its way to Android. Quickoffice for iPhone gains some cloud integration too! Read more »
Evidence supports Palm’s webOS handsets could be joining AT&T’s network in May. Surely that’s good for Palm, but how good will it be? Will iPhone users abandon Apple’s iTunes ecosystem to make the switch? And what about those expected Android phones coming to AT&T? Read more »
