SmartPhones

While the mainstream press is focused on the new Microsoft-Yahoo deal, we'd like to talk about the Microsoft-Nokia deal: in particular, what will it do for smartphones?

For one, it will bring a Microsoft Office enterprise version to Symbian smartphones. Plus new Nokia devices will ship with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile built in. Also, the new team-up plans to use Exchange ActiveSync to optimize corporate customers' data access.

But in the live teleconference call yesterday in which the partnership was announced, a Microsoft exec professed that this was by no means all there was to the arrangement.

In a much larger context, Microsoft hopes to dislodge RIM and its Blackberry from its domination of the mobile enterprise market. Plus, Microsoft is eager to benefit from Nokia's 200 million subscriber base while Nokia is eager to benefit from Microsoft's U.S. presence.

Strange, though, is that Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS and Nokia's Symbian mobile OS will still compete with one another in the platform wars.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: ActiveSync, Blackberry, enterprise, Exchange, Microsoft, Nokia, Office, RIM, Symbian, Windows Mobile

This is a public service alert for all Symbian smartphone users. Beware of the Sexy-View Worm.

We're not kidding. That's what it's called - Sexy-View - and it's a "worm" (a type of computer virus) invading smartphones running on the Symbian OS, spread via text messages.

What does it do? It finds your subscriber information, including name, number, and network as well as address book/contact information. It then transmits that information to a site that proceeds to spam the victim's contacts with SMS text messages. As this worm tries to update itself almost immediately upon installation, it seems it might actually be a more insidious threat than "just" a virus. For starters, it might be capable (now or in the future) of accessing Twitter and Facebook contacts from people's smartphones as well.

How do you protect yourself? If you get a text message marked Sexy-View or Sexy-Space - DON'T OPEN IT.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: malware, Sexy Space, Sexy View, Sexy View/Sexy Space, Symbian, virus, worm

As Apple seems to have all but forgotten that it was digital music that originally drew so many people over to its camp--with the iPhone supposed to have been the logical cellular successor to the iPhone--one of its top competitors in the smartphone game, Nokia, is taking up the torch.

Today, Nokia introduced the new Nokia 5630 XpressMusic, a smartphone specifically targetted towards music lovers. Powered by the Symbian S60 OS, this flashy candybar 3G smartphone supports Nokia's Come With Music service that grants users access to millions of major label songs. It has an FM Tuner with internet radio. And it sports a snazzy "Say and Play" feature that lets you speak the new of an artist or track to hear it played.

To top it off, unlike most non-N Series handsets, the XpressMusic also comes with N-Gage, a Nokia service that grants users access to all the mobile video games available for Nokia devices.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Come With Music, FM Tuner, internet radio, N-Gage, Nokia, Nokia 5630, Say and Play, Symbian, Symbian S60, Xpress Music

The CEO of Symbian, the company, producer of Symbian, the operating system, OS for such popular smartphones as the LG Joy, Motorola MOTORIZR Z8, Samsung SGH series, several Sony Ericsson smartphones, and dozens of Nokia smartphones, has suggested that collaboration with search giant Google, and makers of the long-awaited (by users) and feared (by competitors) Android mobile OS, would be more than welcome by him.

Avoiding specifics as to whether the releationship would remain in the realm of applications or venture into OS territory, chief Symbian-ite Nigel Clifford points out that Google and Symian have already been working closely together for a while now, mainly on search and mapping applications for Nokia smartphones.

It would be quite difficult for the two to merge their operating systems, so the likes of RIM and Apple don’t have too much to be nervous about, but the mutual back-scratching of the two giants in their respective industries leaves a lot for fellow partners Motorola, LG, Samsung, and others a lot to be excited about. Only time will tell however, what such a collaborative venture will produce.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, apple, Google, LG, Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Symbian

Nokia lovers rejoice! Last week smartphone stalwart Nokia released its newest candy-bar style smartphone, the Nokia 6220 Classic, a quad-band GSM smartphone with 3G, HSDPA, and EDGE data connectivity.

Microsoft Office users will appreciate that the Nokia 6220 lets them view and edit Office documents, but they may find it a bit frustating to perform those tasks without a QWERTY keyboard on the phone.

One of the most striking features of this new, Bluetooth compatible, Symbian powered smartphone is its 5 mega-pixel camera using Carl Zeiss optics and featuring a Xenon flash, auto-focus ability, video recording capabilities as high as 30 frames/second. It even comes with a second camera to be used for video calling.

And that’s just the tip of the multimedia iceberg for the new Nokia, as it also includes an integrated FM radio, a music player compatible with many different codecs, MPEG4 video-playing ability, and even the possibility of watching regular television on the 2.2” screen.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: 3G, auto focus, Bluetooth, EDGE, GSM, hsdpa, Microsoft Office, MPEG4, Nokia, Nokia 6220, quad band, QWERTY, Symbian, video recording, Xenon, Zeiss

It was last November that Google announced their entry into the smartphone OS battle (alongside Symbian, RIM BlackBerry OS, Microsoft Windows Mobile, and of course the inimitable iPhone) but we have yet to see the first Google Android smartphone on the market. Well that is soon about to change.

A British chip maker named ARM has released a prototype of its unbranded handset running the Google Android operating system, equipped with:

• email (provided by Gmail)
• text messaging
• multimedia apps
• internet browser (with Google as the default home page)
• Google Calendar functionality
• GoogleMaps software

Meanwhile, Google's own engineering director has unveiled an Android smartphone prototype as well, this the Google branded GPhone. While Google won't be manufacturing the GPhones itself, it aims to design the basic handset in such a way that manufacturers of all capacities can still deliver a quality, Google-worthy product. The first of these looks to pack the equivalent power of the iPhone into a smaller, tighter package (and that includes the screen size).

The first Google Android smartphones are expected to hit markets later in the year.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, ARM, BB OS, Blackberry, British, Gmail, Google, GoogleCalendar, GoogleMaps, iphone, Microsoft, RIM, Symbian, text messaging, Windows Mobile

The days of searching for the nearest Wi-Fi HotSpot are at an end. Now, thanks to a North Carolina company TapRoot Systems, you can turn your WiFi-enabled smartphone into a WiFi HotSpot capable of granting broadband internet access to any nearby WiFi-capable PC and laptop, as well as the iPod touch and other MP3 players.

The application, called WalkingHotSpot, currently supports 3G smartphones running the Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile operating systems, but that’s just the beginning. TapRoot promises support for other OS’s are on the way.

Currently, WalkingHotSpot is being marketted strictly to wireless carriers, but plans are in effect to market the software to consumers any day now.

The technology, promoted as being energy-efficient, user-friendly, and – above all – secure, is also poised to allow smartphone users to have WiFi service activated and make and receive voice phone calls simultaneously, though at the moment only devices on the AT&T HSDPA/UMTS service can do so.

At the WalkingHotSpot website, smartphone owners interested in the service can sign up to be notified as soon as a demo download is available for their system.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: 3G, AT&T, HotSpot, HSDPA/UMTS, iPod, iPod Touch, MP3 player, North Carolina, OS, router, Symbian, Symbian S60, TapRoot Systems, WalkingHotSpot, Wi-Fi, Wifi

Recently this blog reported on results of a study that showed the RIM Blackberry OS to be the "best" smartphone OS among industry analysts. However, according to an informal survey conducted by internet technology review stalwart CNet, the preferred smartphone operating system among consumers (or at least, CNet readers) is Windows Mobile.

Smartphones running Windows Mobile include the Samsung Blackjack, the Motorola Q (the top two tier-1 smartphones), as well as many manufactured by HTC, including the widely-popular HTC Tilt.

Based on pure market share alone, the study of 130 users showed Windows Mobile at 42.3%, RIM Blackberry at 19.2%, Apple OS X at 17.7%, and Symbian and Palm OS at 10%. Those are the stats for operating systems. As for smartphone manufacturers, RIM and HTC both took the lead, tying with a 19.2% market share each, Apple following close behind with 17.7%, Motorola at third with 11.5%, Palm at 10%, and all the rest (Nokia, Samsung, etc.) taking the remaining 22.3%.

Interestingly enough, the praise for Windows Mobile was balanced out (read: marred or tainted), however, by half of the respondents reporting complaints of the very same OS. Finally, a whopping 66% of CNet readers responding the survey said they would be likely to consider purchasing an Apple iPhone as their next smartphone, three times more than those who said they'd opt for the second place contender, the Blackberry.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, CNET, HTC, HTC Tilt, iphone, Microsoft, Motorola, Motorola Q, Nokia, Palm, RIM, Samsung, Symbian, Windows Mobile

For sheer quality and durability it may be argued that Nokia makes the best smartphones around. And for software functionality and versatility none is more revered than Microsoft. So it's no wonder that the two industry leaders would eventually bring together their winning expertise into a single offering. In fact, one only wonders what took them so long.

HTC and Motorola customers already enjoy the PC performance that the Windows Mobile OS gives their smartphones, not least of which is access to mobile versions of the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Now Microsoft is aiming to put their coveted OS into a Nokia N-Series smartphone. About time!

Following on the heels of the most recent convert to the WinMo family, Samsung, with its T-Mobile Shadow. And if Samsung can diverge from its Symbian loyalty, so can fellow Symbianite Nokia, right?

It likely won't happen until after Windows Mobile 7 or Windows Mobile 8 hits the market, but one thing seems certain - it will happen.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: HTC, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Motorola, Nokia, Nokia N-Series, PC, Samsung, Symbian, T-Mobile, T-Mobile Shadow, Windows Mobile

Which smartphone should you buy for 2008? Well, before you decide, take a look over on PCMag.com and read their latest roundup where the pros and cons of the following four leading smartphone operating systems out today are compared and contrasted:

• BlackBerry OS 4.3
• Palm OS 5.4
• Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition
• Windows Mobile 6.0

According to this handy cheat sheet to the best of the best of smart phones operating systems on the market, the cream of the current crop of smartphones running each of the four OSs examined is also listed and described, such as:

• the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8320 - with unlimited WiFi
• the Palm Centro - a Palm Treo stuffed into a smaller and cheaper package
• the Nokia E61i - PC Mag's Editor's Choice for the top unlocked keyboard smartphone
• the AT&T Tilt/HTC 8925 - a combination of the some of the best mobile office and consumer entertainment features in one package

What was the winner? The BlackBerry OS. Find out why, and the good word on all the best of today's breed of smartphones and smartphone operating systems at PCMag.com

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AT&T, AT&T Tilt, Blackberry Curve, BlackBerry Curve 8320, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry OS 4.3, consumer entertainment, HTC, HTC 8925, mobile office, Nokia, Nokia E61i, operating system, OS, Palm, Palm Centro, Palm OS, Palm OS 5.4, Palm Treo, PC Mag, PC Magazine, PCMag, RIM, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, Symbian Series 60, Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition, unlocked keyboard, Wi-Fi, Wifi, Window Mobiel 6.0, Windows, Windows Mobile