Smartphones

Intuit rolls out web-based QuickBooks interface for the BlackBerry

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:21:26 -0400

Intuit rolled-out QuickBooks Online for the BlackBerry just a couple of weeks ago. This comes on the heels of an iPhone version released this past March. Both options are available via its Intuit Labs website for a small monthly fee. The interface gives the ability to view read-only data--balance sheets and bank account reports among others--from its QuickBooks Online service. This is supported via the respective browsers on the supported smartphones. Indeed, as smartphones proliferate in numbers, companies are increasingly finding ways to tap into the pervasive connectivity afforded by these powerful devices. This will only increase as the cost of data services plunge, and users grow more comfortable using smartphones.

For more about this service:
- check out the product page from Intuit Labs

A look at Nokia Email

Paul Mah — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:10:42 -0400

A contributor over at Brighthand tested a new product called Nokia Email, which is the latest offering from Nokia's BetaLabs program. Nokia Email is essentially a downloaded application that connects to a service back end. In its current iteration, it has support for email accounts from Google, Yahoo (some countries only), and a few other webmail services, excluding Microsoft's Hotmail/Live service. Described as a product that functions well, it works by querying Nokia's service, which in turn connects to the desired email accounts.

To put it more concisely, it works just like the RIM-pioneered BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). You might recall that Nokia recently stopped distributing the BlackBerry Connect application on its mmartphones; now you know why. Nokia Email is free, and you can download it here. It remains in beta, though the word "beta" is, more often than not, just a marketing tag.

Check out the full Nokia Email Review here:
- check out this article from Brighthand

Mobile mail goes mainstream

Paul Mah — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:05:20 -0400

Just like nobody could have imagined the ubiquity that the humble email would eventually grow to enjoy when it was first invented, it's hard to believe how mobile devices can now be used to send and receive emails, among other capabilities. Indeed, standard consumer-grade mobile phones from manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola and LG are now capable of connecting with Exchange servers as well as other email providers while on the go. Jason Guesmann, of mobile messaging software provider Seven, summed it up best when he noted, "The technology is here, the phones are there, and the customer demand is there." What other technologies do you reckon will make their way into our smartphones and other handheld gadgets?

For more on mobile mail:
- check out this InformationWeek article

BlackBerry Thunder to utilize haptic technology

Paul Mah — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:03:33 -0400

Rumor has it that RIM's upcoming BlackBerry Thunder smartphone will feature "localized haptic" technology. What that means is that touching a letter on the screen, for example, will result in the feeling that the screen has "pushed in" just a little. In short, you get at least some tactile feedback, complete with an audible key click sound when you press your finger onto the display. From what we hear, the BlackBerry Thunder will support both QWERTY-landscape, and SureType-portrait, virtual keyboards. The interesting thing is that RIM has always criticized Apple for putting out a virtual keyboard that was "unusable." If the rumors are right, then RIM has just pulled off an unprecedented coup against interface champ Apple. Little else is known about the BlackBerry Thunder, except that the display is 360 by 480, and that the first Thunder production runs are starting up this week.

For more on the new BlackBerry Thunder:
- check out this CrackBerry.com article

Could the iPhone better the Kindle?

Paul Mah — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:34:21 -0400

Greg Sandoval of CNET News.com posed this very interesting question. An avid reader of digital books, he had his eye on getting the Kindle, the cool ebook reader from Amazon that features E Ink technology that provides for a paper-like reading experience. However, temptation comes with the recently announced 3G iPhone, with its gorgeous 3.5-inch and 480 by 320 resolution display. Though the Kindle will probably still come ahead in terms of readability, it will be more than evenly matched against the plethora of software that will be written for Apple's Smartphone. So what do you reckon it will be: Amazon Kindle or Apple iPhone?

For more on the iPhone as a digital book reader:
- check out this CNET News.com article

Related Article:
Amazon's Kindle gets reviewed

Nokia to buy all of Symbian

Paul Mah — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:33:24 -0400

Nokia has announced that it will offer to acquire the remaining 52 percent of Symbian Limited. Control of Symbian Limited, a software company formed to develop and license the Symbian OS, effectively gives Nokia sole control of the market-leading operating system for mobile devices.

Already, irrevocable undertakings have been secured from most of the other key owners--representing 91 percent of non-Nokia shares. Post-acquisition, Nokia intends to establish the Symbian Foundation, which will be instrumental to move the Symbian platform to open source over the next two years. You can read the press release announcing the Symbian Foundation here (pdf).

For more on Nokia's Symbian acquisition:
- check out this MobileMonday blog

HTC will unveil Android device in Q4

Paul Mah — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:20:02 -0400

HTC confirmed that a phone that runs Google's Android operating system will be unveiled by Q4 this year. This transpired in a conversation that general manager of HTC for MEA and CIS Kevin Chen had with blogger Meraj Chhaya at the launch of the South African HTC Touch Diamond. When quizzed whether it will be possible for the one company to make smartphones that can run on competing operating system, the response was that "they (HTC) are not going to dump anyone." So there you go. HTC will continue making Windows Mobile-based devices, and you will, in all likelihood, be able to buy the first Android-based smartphone before the year is out.

For more on Google Android on a HTC device:
- check out this PhoneReport v2.0 blog

Touch screen BlackBerry spotted

Paul Mah — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:40:15 -0400

Photographs of the new BlackBerry Thunder Smartphone have been posted by the folks over at The Boy Genius. Rumors of this new touch screen device have been floating around for quite a while now, though this is the first time that actual photos of this elusive device have surfaced.

Though the signature convenience keys are there, the BlackBerry Thunder is a clear departure from the conventional BlackBerry, which has always featured some kind of hardware keyboard. There is also no sign of any trackball or scroll wheel, though two touch-capacitance buttons have been added to the top edge for locking the Smartphone and to interact with the built-in music player respectively.

For more on the BlackBerry Thunder:
- check out the InformationWeek article

Nokia: New E-series phones due in Q3

Paul Mah — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:39:37 -0400

There is no let-up at the world's largest cell phone maker, Nokia. The company is scheduled to start selling a new range of its popular, business-centric E-series smartphones in Q3. Though Nokia declined comment, industry speculation says the models are the new E66 and E71. Both phones are expected to come with features such as a built-in GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and 128-megabytes of memory.

Nokia also will start selling its top-of-the-line N96 multimedia phone, first unveiled back in February. It will replace the best-selling N95, of which 6 million units were sold. In other news, American Technology Research downgraded Nokia's rating from "buy" to "hold" in lieu of "a competitive response from Nokia" to Apple's 3G iPhone announcement.

For more about Nokia:
- check out the mocoNews.net article

Microsoft predicts 'huge growth' ahead for Windows Mobile

Paul Mah — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:21:33 -0400

Microsoft is predicting that global sales of devices running on its Windows Mobile platform will grow more than 50 percent by the end of the fiscal year in 2009. The company expects to sell 20 million Windows Mobile units by the 2008 fiscal year, which ends next month. Not everyone is optimistic however. Citigroup analyst Kevin Chang noted that Microsoft's Windows Mobile faces an uphill battle, and that even a 50 percent annual growth might not be sufficient to break the stranglehold of Nokia's Symbian. To further complicate matters, both Apple and RIM are expected to release new versions 3G-enabled versions of their smartphones within the next few months.

For more on Microsoft's Windows Mobile:
- check out the CNET News.com article