Cellphone9 » Treo

iSkoot: Skype on your mobile phone

Jayvee Fernandez — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:04:15 +0000

Here is a way to turn your mobile phone into a Skype phone. By using the very cheap GPRS rates from your regular cellphone, you can call any computer – or anyone on Skype anywhere around the world. And did I say it was cheap?

Here is the description from the company’s website:

With iSkoot, a mobile phone user gets the power of PC Calling as part of their normal communications capabilities. iSkoot eliminates the need for special hardware, headsets, microphones, broadband connections, USB phones and even PCs, and consumers don’t have to go looking for a WiFi hot spot.
Our iSkoot phone application, a free small and simple piece of software, and our network gateway connect your voice network with a PC-PC network so that you can use your Internet phone service from a regular cell phone. Everything you can do with online phone services, you can now do on your cell phone powered by iSkoot.

Will this application endanger the Skype Phone? Well not really, since Skype phones allow free calls as long as you’re in a WiFi hotspot. But the app is good to have around your phone regardless. It’s all a matter of having many many options.

Post from: Cellphone9

Palm Treo 680 too expensive in the Philippines

Jayvee Fernandez — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:57:16 +0000

Just a quickie here. I know that most of my readers come from the USA but it is just so frustrating to note that the Treo 680 had been launched as the “Treo for the masses” with a lower price point and all. However, because of shipping costs and channel markups, the Treo is retailing in the Philippines for about $600.00 which is way too expensive for what it offers. Other smartphones in the $600.00 range offer WiFi and HSDPA / 3G access already.

I had written a rant on my personal blog if you care to read about it.

Post from: Cellphone9

Palm Treo 680 First Impressions

Jayvee Fernandez — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:16:58 +0000

Rico from The Smart PDA has his hands on a Treo 680. We’ve been on a huge debate as to what our next smartphone would be. I have my bets on the O2 Stealth which I will show off tomorrow while Rico still has his heart for the Treo 680.

The newest Treo is lighter, thinner than the 650, is definitely more compact thanks to a disappearing antenna. Changing SIMs requires removing the battery and saying goodbye to existing data (unless you’ve backed it all up of course). Documents To Go thankfully uses actual desktop files; no troublesome conversion.

[source]

My gosh, there’s nothing much to write about the 680. Well, that’s because there really is nothing revolutionary after just sooo many iterations way back in early 2003.

GPRS is getting old. It’s time for 3G, HSPDA and at the very least … WiFi. Which is why I have my bets on the Stealth!

EDIT: After playing with the Stealth, I might just get a Treo. Find out why tomorrow.

Post from: Cellphone9

Treo 650 Zero Out Wipeout

Jayvee Fernandez — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:48:16 +0000

You know how those experts in data recovery can recover destroyed files on your computer after a deletion or being formatted? Well the same works for phones. The main difference though is a security issue when it comes to practices with phones versus desktop PCs – you don’t sell desktop hard drives but you sell phones.

Read this article. It will make you think twice about selling your phone to just anybody. Apparently, it becomes rather easy to recover data on almost all types of smartphones except the Treo, by using the “zero out” method.

Trust Digital resurrected erased e-mails and other information from a used Treo phone provided by The Associated Press for a demonstration after it was reset and appeared empty. Once the phone was reset using Palm’s awkward “zero-out” technique, no information could be recovered. The AP already used that technique to protect data on its reporters’ phones.

Post from: Cellphone9

The smartphone is dead?

Jayvee Fernandez — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:48:56 +0000

There’s an article over at The Register enumerating the top reasons why the smartphone seems to be lagging behind. Bulky features, big size. slow OS and other reasons contribute to the smartphone wanting to be a “little less” than a full sized PC.

At one time, the future of mobiles looked simple. The smartphone was a new kind of gadget that was subsuming the pager, the camera, the PDA, the Walkman, and almost every other iece of technology you could carry – and offering it in volume at an irresistible price. Often free. Over time, every phone would become a smartphone.

Expectations were sky high.

The last good smartphone I’ve seen was the Treo 650. Why? Because it was simple and intuitive. It was actually more “phone” than “smart” with the latter word connoting feature-rich attributes.

Post from: Cellphone9

Treo 650 antenna modification

Jayvee Fernandez — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 06:15:47 +0000

Here’s a short documentation of how to sandpaper your Treo 650’s antenna to make it a couple of centimeters shorter. You will need some patience, a new antenna and a prayer.

Post from: Cellphone9

Black Tie Treo 650

Jayvee Fernandez — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 08:34:16 +0000

Argh! I can finally let it all out. I’ve been in an “informal NDA” to promise not to post anything about the black Treo 650 for several days now. So finally, we welcome the new anniversary special Black Tie Edition of the world’s best smartphone.

It is quite expected for Palm to come up with an anniversary edition that offers really — nothing new! The new 650 builds upon the popularity of the “smartphone of choice” by tweaking its look. It comes clothed with a black hardcase and a dual purpose stylus pen.

So ladies and gents, there are two ways of looking at it – Palm hasn’t come up with anything revolutionary for its anniversary. Or the Palm Treo 650 is just too good to be improved upon, you’d have to actually install Windows on it to make it a little humble.

I keed! I keed! Read more about it here.

Post from: Cellphone9