Cellphone9 » Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile Marketplace easily hackable

Jayvee Fernandez — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:29:31 +0000

With everyone plus your Uncle Tom building a centralized application store on your mobile phone it seems that Microsoft’s Windows Mobile hefty and uber meticulous (and explorable) file keeping system is working against them.

Apparently, unlike the iPhone’s simplicity it is so much easier to crack the DRM for paid application downloads. All you need to do is locate the CAB file within your app directory and then freely distribute it to your friends and family, and Uncle Tom. So that’s it — just purchase it once and split the cost among your many friends.

[via engadgetmobile]

Post from: Cellphone9

Up close and personal with the Samsung Jet

Jayvee Fernandez — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:08:53 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, Nokia sent me to cover Nokia Connection ‘09 in Singapore. Had I found the time, I would have trotted over to CommunicAsia to check out what the other phone manufacturers were pulling out of their hats. Well, the only free time I had was spent shopping and the billboards around Orchard Road “magically transformed” to show off the new Samsung Jet.

From afar, I had thought the Jet to be a S60 based phone because of the way the user interface looks, hailing from the previous OMNIA HD prototype I previewed many weeks ago.

Damn, I think I’m losing my touch — I don’t check the specs sheet in the same way that I don’t read the instructions. Could have fooled me, and Samsung did. The Samsung Jet runs on Windows Mobile heavily skinned, like their predecessors to resemble something more friendly (yeah, Windows Mobile does look too geeky, even in version 6.5).

In terms of real estate appeal the Jet eyes a beautiful little menu button that’s carved into an elegant three sided pyramid. The Jet also features standard connections — USB charging and 3.5mm jack for audio (whopee!).

Summarizing the experience, I’d say that the Samsung Jet is a Windows Mobile device that feels like a Nokia S60 based unit. It does have that reminiscent lag from WinMo but at the same time, the simplicity (or familiarity?) of the S60 platform is ever present, alongside Samsung’s widget interface.

The 8GB version retails for about PHP 29,000 which is roughly equivalent to 600USD (still expensive because of the Windows Mobile platform!). There is also a 16GB version that goes for about PHP 34,000.

[photos c/o author and Raine Javalera from Samsung Mobile PH]

Post from: Cellphone9

Samsung OMNIA Pro on WinMo

Jayvee Fernandez — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:33:44 +0000

The Samsung OMNIA Pro is a side slider QWERTY device that runs on Windows Mobile 6.1. It is basically an enterprise-targeted device that goes head to head with the HTC Touch Pro 2 because of its really big AMOLED screen.

truth be told, I’m not too keen anymore with enterprise phones using Windows Mobile. If not for the corporate lock outs (I guess buying in bulk through cheap biddings really pay off), I’d prefer having my entire team running on Blackberries because at the very least, sending SMS would be a breeze.

That, or we wait till Windows Mobile 7.0.

[image c/o Samsung PR]

Post from: Cellphone9

Samsung Jet: One Finger Zoom

Jayvee Fernandez — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:44:10 +0000

While I was at Singapore for Nokia Connection, another bunch of friends from the press attended Samsung’s Communicasia ‘09 “presentation.” For them, this was the launch of the Samsung Jet, a touch screen phone similar to the OMNIA HD, except that it still uses Windows Mobile 6.1.

Their take away for the jet is that you don’t need to pinch to zoom in (obviously comparing to the iPhone). The “one finger zoom” feature is the highlight of the device, where pushing and holding to a part of the screen will allow you to zoom in and out when you move your finger up or down.

Supporting the latest smartphone features including user-friendly menu navigations, multi-task manager and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Samsung Jet boasts world firsts in both display technology and speed of performance. Its 16M WVGA AMOLED display (3.1”) offers the most vivid and colourful full touch mobile experience available. The WVGA AMOLED screen provides a resolution four times higher than a WQVGA screen. Its 800MHz application processor makes Jet the fastest full touch handset on the market today. [Press Release]

[photo credit via Samsung PR // Flickr]

Post from: Cellphone9

ACER Shell GUI, an upgrade to SPB Shell

Jayvee Fernandez — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:43:49 +0000

ACER unveiled their new line of smartphone handhelds today. One of their proprietary features is the addition of the new ACER Shell GUI that goes above Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.5 (after Q2 device releases). The technology emulates the touch scroll functions HTC and the iPhone have come out with. The head of ACER’s list of devices is actually the tail end for Glofiish with their SPB Shell UI. ACER merely upgraded the response time and virtual desktop features as seen in the photos above.

[photos c/o author]

Post from: Cellphone9

Hands On: HTC Diamond 2

Jayvee Fernandez — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:04:22 +0000

Had the chance to play around with the HTC Diamond 2. Despite the high price point, I’d like to mention two really interesting things about the device. First off, kudos to the Diamond 2 for being the fastest Windows Mobile phone to date in terms of user interface. It barely has any lag and it compares to the iPhone’s haptic scrolling and sliding using the zoom bar / sliding menu at the bottom of the screen. I am very impressed. Looks like the iPhone’s UI will soon just be a commodity. No joke.

On a second note, the Diamond 2 implements “its own version” of Windows 6.5 which is essentially a user interface upgrade as well. Pressing the Start button doesn’t lead to a drop down menu. Instead, it leads to a grid view of applications, which is similar to how Windows Mobile 6.5 implements the new touch screen features.

[Photo c/o author]

Post from: Cellphone9