Guy Adams on Technology

Just as you think your entering a whole new world of mobile phone technology, HTC do it again and release three new devices. The new Touch Viva, Touch 3G and the update to my recently purchased Touch Diamond, the Touch HD.

The Viva has TI’s OMAP™ 850, 201 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM, WiFi, 2MP Camera and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and the Touch 3G comes packed with Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz processor, 192 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM, WiFi, 3.2MP Camera and GPS.

What stands out is the new Touch HD (above) with its 3.8-inch wide, WVGA (480 X 800 pixel) screen. The  480 x 640 pixel screen on the Touch Diamond is impressive and even now I get comments from friends when scrolling through pictures so imagine what the HD’s going to look like. Couple this with the new 5MP camera and 3.5MM audio jack and all the existing Touch Diamonds features this phone certainly packs a punch.

Check out the HTC site for more information.

Tags: HTC, Touch, Windows Mobile 6.1

Recent changes to my employment have left me with two company provided laptops. Whilst most people would be excited by the prospect of having more than one new device to play with I’m rather more cautious with my approach.

My problem is none of these devices I can call my own and the harsh corporate measures and monitoring mean I cannot install any of the applications I require for other duties outside of that particular employers scope. Windows Live Writer for blogging, IRC for keeping in touch with communities I am part of and many other applications make up my day to day life in front of a computer.

I have tried to live in the cloud as far as possible as Kevin C. Tofel of jkontherun has, which to a degree has helped, I have even tried living from a USB flash drive with the excellent portable applications available on the internet.

Based upon the above I think its time I got myself a netbook, a companion mobility based device which I can use on a day to day basis whilst in between employers and appointments, something ultra-portable, that I can throw in a bag and carry with me.

So far my options are, the MSI Wind, HP 2133 Mini note or the ASUS 1000H. They are all pretty much similar as far as specifications, the HP being a little different in the that its powered by a VIA C7 1.2 Ghz processor where as the Asus and MSI are powered by Intel’s 1.6 Ghz Atom.

What has caught my eye are the recent battery tests done by Kevin C. Tofel on his recently purchased MSI Wind, he reckons with an ‘average’ days use you could be looking at 5 - 5.5 hours usage. From a £350.00 netbook that is a pretty impressive figure. He has been comparing his results with Brad Linder of liliputing who has recently purchased the Asus 1000H, he has seen similar results which is equally as impressive. What makes this more interesting is in the United States, Asus have just dropped the price of this model to $445, a saving of $105. I wonder if this generous discount will be shared over here with us folk in the UK?

Tags: Asus, HP, MSI, Netbook's

Well actually I’ve given into the T-Mobile MDA Compact IV, which is T-Mobiles version of HTC Touch Diamond.

My aging Vodafone v1415 and Vodafone contract are now costing me more than I think I should be paying. With phone bills of around £60.00 per month it was cheaper to buy out my remaining months with Vodafone and move to T-Mobile.

I obtained the MDA Compact IV on Combi 30 with Web ‘n’ Walk. This gives me 700 anytime, anywhere minutes, unlimited text messages and access to the excellent coverage of the T-Mobile 3G / HSDPA network. This was a deal breaker for me as I know Vodafones high speed data network in the area where I live is virtually none existent.

Its a shame to be honest as Vodafone have been the best network operator I have been with in the customer service and 2G signal stakes and even since the jump to T-Mobile I believe that to be the case.

The first three weeks with the device have been a learning curve for me, the on-screen keyboard takes some getting used to especially when moving from my Vodafone v1415 (shown to the right) with both a keypad and QWERTY keyboard. Also the initial experience with the T-Mobile ROM that came with the device were a little disappointing, more on this later.

One major plus point with the MDA Compact IV is Opera 9.5 and the browsing experience this device provides, it is worlds away from browsing on the S710 and for the first time on a Windows Mobile device a pleasure to use. I am regularly finding myself picking up the MDA Compact IV to browse the internet rather than my current laptop which in itself tells a story. The double tap to zoom, high resolution VGA (480×640) screen, automatic orientation and desktop like browsing make this a compelling device to anyone who regularly surfs on the move.

It is definitely comparable to the browsing experience of the 3G iPhone and in many ways better, specifically when connected via the T-Mobile HSDPA network.

So far the experience is positive and I’m happy with the move.

My wife also jumped into the same contract but with the Samsung Tocco. A pure touch screen device which I also am very impressed with. Its user interface is fantastic and very easy to just pick up and use.

Anita likes to be able to get on with a device straight away and has took to the Samsung like a duck to water.

Its menu layout is very similar to her previous Sony Ericsson W880i which makes life easier, it also has a very small vibrate when you press one of the menu icons to let you know that you have successfully pressed, a very welcome feature to a touch screen device.

One other notable feature is the widgets, this gives the user the ability to drag and organise widgets onto the ‘desktop’ of the phone. You simply press the widget sidebar which gives you access to your email, web browser, radio, media player and many more, all of which can be dragged and placed on the phones desktop. Most importantly, Anita thinks its the best mobile she has owned, so I guess that’s the thumbs up!

Tags: HTC, S710, Samsung, T-Mobile, Touch Diamond, Vodafone, Windows Mobile

A while a go now I was one of the lucky people to get an Evernote beta invite from GottaBeMobile.com

For those who don’t know what Evernote is, its an note taking application much like Microsoft OneNote in its intentions but worlds apart in the way it works. Evernote stores your notes in the cloud which allows you to access them from anywhere via just about any method you can think of. You can use your favourite web browser, they have a Windows and Mac client, a Windows Mobile version and the new iPhone client. There is even a web clipper button which allows you to grab whole or part web pages straight to your notes.

I have used note taking applications in both my professional and personal life for over three years, mainly using OneNote as my core application. However, recently OneNote isn’t getting a look in as I’m finding that Evernote is more and more becoming my note taking application of choice.

There are a few keys reasons for this;

1) In the three years of using Microsoft OneNote I still feel I don’t know how to use the application. There is such an expanse of options and features I still feel dwarfed by it, but in Evernote life couldn’t be simpler. It has a number of key features which are essential to useful note taking. There are no complicated menus and hundreds of commands to search through before finding the feature you require.

2) Evernote just works.

It really does just work, no crashes or connectivity issues. Its interface is quick and precise and intuitive. Its everything a service or application should be but so often aren’t in today’s computing.

If you haven’t already, I heartily suggest you do check it out at www.evernote.com. Once you have signed up, if you can’t think of anything to store in your notes, check out The Cranking Widgets for some great ideas on usage.

Finally, I’m becoming a real expert of feeding my daughter whilst using a keyboard!