John at myITforum.com

Word Mobile issues on HP iPaqs

HP released an advisory on July 27. 

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HP iPAQ hx4700 Pocket PC Series ROM Update

HP has released a ROM upgrade for the hx4700.  It apparently fixes an issue with CF memory cards and I/O cards that do not respond.  It also “improves performance”, but no specifics are offered.

Use an extended battery?  Take Note:

PLEASE NOTE:

• After this ROM update has been installed, it is also necessary to install the HP iPAQ hx4700 Pocket PC Series Firmware Update for ROM Version 1.10 to restore the extended battery capacity value to its original, setting. If the Firmware Update is not currently available for your language, please do not install this ROM update if you are using the extended battery.
  

Treo 700P and Sidekick 3 rated tops?

Taking a look at the top5 Cell Phone-PDA chart over at PC World.  The Treo 700p and the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 were both rated an 80.  Rounding out the top 5?  The T-Mobile MDA (79), the Palm Treo 700w, and the Motorola Q (both at 78).  Three out of the top 5 are Windows Mobile devices.   

First BP, now Exxon

I blogged a few days ago about the profits from BP.  Now Exxon has posted their results and guess what?  Quarterly profit surged 35% to more than US $10 BILLION.

It was the second largest quarterly operating profit ever posted by a US company, just shy of the Texas behemoth's own record fourth-quarter profit reported in January.  The results sailed past Wall Street forecasts and sent its shares to an all-time high, but triggered a fresh bout of outrage from US lawmakers and consumer groups angry at Big Oil's handsome profits in the midst of high petroleum prices. 

Fresh bout of outrage?  At multiple BILLIONS in profits?  Now why would that cause outrage?

HTC follows suit with their own wiki

Following the likes of the Motorola Q, HTC, the makers of such phones as the 8125, MDA, 6700, etc., have opened up their own wiki for end users to share information.  Check it out.

http://htcwiki.wetpaint.com/

Verizon and T-Mobile tied for top spot

Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. tied for the top spot in the most recent J.D. Power & Associates survey of wireless carrier customer care performance.

Both carriers scored 104 points on the company’s scale, while the industry average was 99. Alltel Corp. came in second with 99 points, and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Sprint Nextel Corp. tied for fourth with a score of 95.

Overall, looks like T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless are also fighting for the top spot in call quality.  What about all those Cingular commercials for fewest dropped calls?  Maybe they have the fewest dropped calls but the worst reception?

Check out all the results here.

Did PalmSource miss deadlines?

Brighthand is reporting that Palm source missed deadlines.  According to the article, in Palm’s annual report there is a note that PalmSource and its new owner Access have failed to meet the established milestones for royalty payments. This has the effect of voiding the licensing agreement between Palm Inc. and PalmSource after December 2, 2006.

The annual report goes on to mention that Palm is negotiating with PalmSource to "expand our development and distribution rights to the current version of the Palm OS. If we are unable to successfully conclude these negotiations, it may adversely affect our ability to develop and distribute new products based on a next-generation version of the Palm OS."

Nokia tests Cellular Wi-Fi phones

Nokia, the world largest handset maker, has begun testing technology in a Finnish city that lets users to make calls on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks and switch between networks without interruption.

Nokia's new 6136 phone automatically transfers voice or data connections from GSM networks to Wi-Fi when the device recognizes a compatible wireless network, Doug Dawson, a spokesman with Nokia, says. And, vice versa, when users make a call or data transfer via Wi-Fi and step out of the Wi-Fi network's coverage area, the connection is transferred to a GSM link without interruption.

Microsoft is going to charge for the Office 2007 beta?

Download while you can…

Microsoft plans next week to charge a nominal fee for Office 2007 Beta 2 downloads, in a move that runs counter to the practice held by most software companies.

Consumers who download the 2007 Microsoft Office System Beta 2 will be charged $1.50 per download, beginning next Wednesday at 6 p.m. PDT, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.

"Since the end of May, Beta 2 has been downloaded more than 3 million times...That's 500 percent more than what was expected," the spokeswoman said. "The fee helps offset the cost of downloading from the servers."

Does your BlackBerry or PDA sleep next to you?

You know who you are.  Checking email, blogging, reading news, all from your PDA, then letting the device sleep with you. 

Apparently you aren’t alone.

Will Wi-Fi have an impact on your cell phone?

The New York Times is reporting that wi-fi in cell phones could be a big problem for cell phone companies?  Why?  More and more are beginning to use wi-fi for their connectivity and VOIP solutions, driving down the number of cell phone minutes needed.

The phones, while a potential money-saver for consumers, could cause big problems for cellphone companies. They have invested billions in their nationwide networks of cell towers, and they could find that customers are bypassing them in favor of Wi-Fi connections. The struggling Bell operating companies could also suffer if the new phones accelerate the trend toward cheap Internet-based calling, reducing the need for a standard phone line in homes with wireless networks.

SanDisk deploys Treo's with GoodLink

Scott Dillon, manager of global IT infrastructure support at SanDisk Corp., said this week that he has grappled with the problems of worker mobility and has hit on a solution that works well and is popular with users.

SanDisk has deployed about 170 Palm Inc. smart phones that provide cellular voice connectivity, e-mail and contact data using GoodLink software from Good Technology Inc. The rollout has so far cost about US$150,000 and is improving personal productivity, Dillon said. "The masses here have adopted it, and people say they can’t go a day or even a couple of hours without the smart phones," he said.

SanDisk uses T-Mobile USA as its cellular network provider.

HTC Star Trek Coming to Cingular as the 3125?

The Unwired is reporting the Star Trek is coming to Cingular.

the::unwired - NEWS: HTC Star Trek Coming to Cingular as the 3125.

2 hackers raise grades, order pizzas

Two California State University, Northridge, students have been accused of hacking into a professor's computer, giving grades to nearly 300 students and sending pizza, magazine subscriptions and compact discs to the professor's home.

Lena Chen, 20, of Torrance, and Jennifer Ngan, 19, of Alhambra, are to be arraigned Aug. 21 on misdemeanor charges of accessing computers illegally and other counts.

Sprint Offers NFL Mobile Free of Charge to Vision or Power Vision Subscribers

NFL fans and fantasy football players can now take the NFL with them wherever they go. Available only to Sprint customers, NFL Mobile is the perfect companion for the NFL fan offering the widest array of football information including real-time statistics, scores, injury reports and other updates. And it's all available to Sprint PCS Vision® and Sprint Power Vision(SM) subscribers free of charge.