November 2007 - Posts
Well, I tried to change settings to my GMail account over the Thanksgiving break from POP3 to IMAP. Good grief. I can't tell you how many times over the course of the last 3 or 4 days Outlook appeared to stop responding and was just SLLOOOWWWWW. I'm not sure at all what the big deal is with IMAP. Even the Google instructions say they recommend IMAP over POP3. Well, I've tried changing several settings to speed up the process, but it's still just way too slow in Outlook.
I've switched back to POP3. It's a welcome change.
Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., a top-10 national wholesale mortgage lender, announced the hiring of Stuart L. Scott as its chief operating officer. Mr. Scott’s vast technology experience with Microsoft Corporation and General Electric made him an obvious choice.
“We share the same focus; to offer the best technology and provide our customers with the best experience,” said Lee Farkas, TB&W Chairman. “Stuart’s credentials are impressive. Having someone of his caliber join us further solidifies our ability to deliver innovative technology solutions. We are very excited to have him on board.”
Over the course of his 20 year career, Mr. Scott was the chief information officer for Microsoft and held several executive roles with General Electric Co. Honors include being named Top 30 CIO’s by Information Week in 2007 and Top 100 CIO’s by CIO magazine in 2003.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from University of Louisville and his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Scott starts on Monday, November 26, 2007 and will continue residing in Bellevue, Washington with his wife and seven children.
From the Palm blog:
This month we started taking orders via our inside sales teams for multi-unit business orders: link http://www.palm.com/us/business/solutions/try750.html for the AT&T Treo 750 smartphone with Windows Mobile 6 pre-installed. Our commercial launch of the WinMo 6 update for those already using the AT&T Treo 750 is just around the corner.
Windows Mobile 6, especially when combined with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, offers many enhancements from both a business and individual point of view. Below are some of the key improvements in Windows Mobile 6.
Stand Alone Benefits
· Improved Calendar with Day-at-a-Glance bar
· Smart On-Device search in Messaging
· Outlook Flags
Treo plus Exchange Server 2007 Benefits
· HTML e-mail formatting
· Exchange search of messages still on the server
· Meeting attendees and status
· Meeting request & scheduling conflict improvements
· Set Out of Office message
· Receive and follow SharePoint Links
IT Management and Security Improvements via Exchange 2007
· Password and PIN improvements
· Storage card encryption
As we do with many of our business customers looking to make multi-unit purchases, we have a Trial program in place today that allows them to try a Treo connected directly to the Exchange Server for 30 days. For details, visit: http://respond.palm.com/content/treo750tryme?affID=110807TTM_3.
Business or personal, Windows Mobile 6 has tremendous benefits. Stay tuned and shortly we’ll have instructions for those of you who already have Treo 750’s with Windows Mobile 5.0 and want to install the update.
Coming Soon!
Fast, powerful, and intuitive, the Treo 755p delivers everything you need in one stylish device including wireless email, a built-in web browser and rich media capabilities. The slimmed-down form factor of this smartphone comes with full QWERTY keyboard and color touch-screen to make composing email and surfing the web easy.
http://b2b.vzw.com/productsservices/devices/755p.html
Wonder why it's taken so long since Sprint PCS released it?
Several months ago I blogged that my wife switched to the Apple iPhone. She loves the phone, and I've been hard pressed to get her to quit using it. Well, she's been using the email portion of late, and accidentally deleted an email on the device. I told her to go in to the trash folder and drag it back to the inbox (or move it like I do on my WM device). Well, she tried, and mysteriously it is now neither in her trash folder or in her inbox. So the question is, where did the message go? Anyone else using the iPhone got any clues?
The Samsung Blackjack II went on sale yesterday at AT&T. My next phone?
Introducing the triple threat - the Blackjack(TM) II by Samsung. It's sleeker, smarter, and easier to use than ever. With Windows Mobile® 6, faster 3G downloads, a larger 2.4" display, and a stylish look, it's the device all other smart devices want to be. It supports multiple email programs and has AT&T Music and Cellular Video capabilities. Navigate easily with the front jog wheel. Roam internationally with quad-band GSM, or get ultra-fast downloads with tri-band HSDPA. Take pictures and video with the 2 MP camera, listen to music, and stay in touch with instant messaging. With a full QWERTY keyboard and GPS support, the Blackjack(TM) II truly has it all!
- Weight: 3.52 ounces
- Dimension: 4.4 x 2.3 x. 0.4 inches
- Talk Time: Up to 7 hours
- Standby Time: Up to 14 days
- Tri-band domestic UMTS/HSDPA - 850/1900/2100 MHz
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- Microsoft Windows® Mobile(TM) 6
- 256 MB ROM / 128 MB RAM
- Large 2.4" 320x240 65k color LCD screen
- microSD(TM) expansion slot supports up to 4 GB
- Bluetooth® v2.0 for up to six simultaneous connections
- Warranty: 1 year on the phone and accessories
- All talk, data and standby times depend on network configuration
- GPS support for TeleNav Navigator
Let's hope it's not truly "GPS support for TeleNav Navigator" and is A-GPS for use with other programs like Windows Live Search and Google Maps, or this definitely won't make the cut for me. Looks like it doesn't have Wi-Fi either.
On the heels of Vodafone questioning the legality? Reuters is reporting:
Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile will allow customers in Germany to buy Apple's coveted iPhone without having to sign a T-Mobile contract after rival Vodafone obtained a court injunction against it.
T-Mobile said on Wednesday it will offer the iPhone without a T-Mobile contract for 999 euros at its shops.
T-Mobile has an exclusive deal with Apple to sell the iPhone in Germany, where Apple has no stores. Until now, customers had to sign up to a 24-month T-Mobile contract costing a minimum of 1,176 euros ($1,740) in order to buy the 399-euro phone.
A German court granted Vodafone a preliminary injunction this week preventing T-Mobile from locking the iPhone's SIM card to T-Mobile when making a sale.
Vodafone had hoped to win exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in Europe but lost out to T-Mobile in Germany, Telefonica's O2 in Britain and France Telecom's Orange in France.
Chris Meinck over everythingiCafe is reporting Vodafone is questioning whether the Apple iPhone deal is legal.
Vodafone has received a court injunction in Germany against Deutche Telekom's T-Mobile in Germany questioning the legality of their sales practices as releated to the iPhone.
Vodafone's objection is not directly related to T-Mobile's exclusivity to sell the iPhone, but rather the requirement that German consumers must purchase a 24-month contract with T-Mobile with their iPhone purchase. Sales of the iPhone in Germany continue while the courts will examine the complaint. Vodafone claimed the injunction was specific to Germany and they would not seek an injunction in other markets. "It is not right that our clients can only get an iPhone by signing a long-term contract with Telekom," said Friedrich Joussen who heads up Vodafone in Germany. "We want a rapid judicial clarification to know if the iPhone should be available to all or only to some."
From a post on the support forum website:
Sprint and HTC regret any inconvenience customers have recently experienced with the Mogul. HTC is working on a new version of the software ROM for the Mogul which incorporates enhancements for Bluetooth performance and corrects issues that were unintentionally created by ROM version 2.16.651.0 (posted on HTC’s website on October 24). Both Sprint and HTC have begun testing the new software and are targeting to make it available for download by the end of November. Once fully tested the download will be made available at: http://www.america.htc.com/support/mogul/software-downloads.html
As a short-term solution, customers who downloaded the ROM version 2.16 should download the previous ROM version 2.09.651.3 available at the link above. This will restore previous functionality to the device until a new version is complete.
Additionally, HTC is currently developing a separate ROM update which enables the EV-DO Rev. A and GPS capabilities that are already built into the Mogul hardware. Sprint and HTC plan to make this software ROM available in early 1Q 2008. We would also like to extend our thanks to those customers that have taken the time to identify and report these issues to us.
Called Search Server 2008 Express, the software hands companies and users with a server and multiple client computers at home a free search engine. Compared to the search feature of SharePoint Server 2007 and Search Server 2008, which will be offered at a later time for a fee, the Express version offers the complete toolset with the exception of load-balancing support.
According to Microsoft, the search engine can be installed and configured within 30 minutes. The software may just enough for most user and company needs, as it does not come with preset document limits and supports relevance tuning, query and results reporting, security trimmed results, administration dashboard and federated search connectors.
Microsoft said that connectors that will be able to index content from EMC’s Documentum and IBM’s FileNet are expected to be available in early 2008, while federated search capabilities based on the OpenSearch standard are added as well. According to the company, Open Text, Business Objects, Cognos and EMC are among the companies that have agreed to develop OpenSearch connectors.
Download Here
Zune.net is up and running with the new software downloads.
http://www.zune.net/en-US/
Well, the rumors were true....
Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) and Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) have mutually agreed to terminate the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed in July 2007. The two companies could not resolve complexities associated with the LOI and failed to reach final agreement on the terms of the transaction.
Sprint remains fully committed to developing WiMAX services and deploying a WiMAX network that will allow customers to realize the benefits of a mobile broadband Internet experience. Sprint expects to continue to work together with Clearwire on future opportunities to enhance the deployment of robust WiMAX capabilities through ongoing discussions that include the possibility of roaming, frequency interference coordination, spectrum exchanges, technology evolution and development and network standards.
"We are on track for soft launch late this year in the Chicago and Baltimore/Washington markets and commercial launch in 2008," said Keith Cowan, Sprint's president of Strategic Planning and Corporate Initiatives. "In line with Sprint's mandate of improving the customers experience and simplifying our operations, we look forward to working with Clearwire on opportunities such as roaming and standards."
In light of this announcement, Sprint is reviewing its WiMAX business plans and outlook and the company expects to comment further on these topics early next year.
Sprint intends to provide services under the Xohm(R) brand, supported by an ecosystem of device, chip and other partners, including Intel, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung. The company also has selected Google to bring search, interactive communications and social networking tools through a new mobile portal to future WiMAX mobile Internet customers.
Press Release
Nick White has alerted us to three updates for Windows Vista. KB's are already available, updates should be available tomorrow.
The non-security updates planned for release through Windows Update this week include:
- An update on system compatibility, reliability and stability: extends the battery life for mobile devices, improves stability of wireless network services, and shortens recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity, among other fixes.
- An update to USB core components: mainly affects systems returning from sleep or hibernation, fixing problems causing 1-2% of all crashes reported.
- An update to Windows Media Center: among other things, affects interaction issues occurring between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.
The links in the above list will lead you to the KB article related to each update in case you want more information on them. And, when they’re made available via Windows Update (expected to occur Tuesday 13th), you can also right-click each entry in Windows Update to get its 400-word summary description.
I blogged over the weekend of Sprint's Q2 add over at:
http://www.sprintspecialoffers.com/holiday/#phone_15
Anyone take a gander at the ad? Anyone notice anything strange? My question is, is it Sprint PCS or is it Motorola? Have you noticed it yet? Not yet? I've included a snapshot below.
Do you see it now? Remember, it's a Motorola Q2 (Q9) running WINDOWS MOBILE 6. Now do you see it? Why the heck is there a Palm app launcher screen on a Motorola Q2 running WINDOWS MOBILE? Let's see how long it takes for them to correct it.
This from ABC News...
The AT&T Tilt ($499 for a two-year plan) is an innovative pocket PC and phone that is truly something else.
Unlike other pocket PCs, the Tilt has a sliding front screen that slides up into a tilting position, acting like a miniature laptop. For those who love text messaging and writing e-mails, a full keyboard lies underneath the front screen, making typing much easier. A virtual keyboard is also available and can be used with the provided stylus.
Call quality of the phone is clear. The Tilt also has a speakerphone.
For all the photo and video lovers out there, the Tilt can take 3 megapixel videos and photos, good for well-lighted environments, especially outside on a sunny day. However, the camera does not have a flash.
With Windows Mobile 6, Tilt users may find that there isn't much of a difference between the phone and their computers. Thanks to such a speedy Internet connection, users can watch Cingular Video, which broadcasts movie trailers, TV clips (including HBO), music videos and much more. Videos and audio are mostly clear (with some blurriness in the video). The Tilt also includes Windows Media Player, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, preloaded games and, for $8.99 a month, a subscription to XM Radio Mobile. Users can also purchase a microSD (TransFlash) card, which can be used to store pictures and video.
Users need to charge the Tilt every night. Using the device throughout the day to browse the Internet and load large files can take up a lot of battery life, so keep a close watch on the battery indicator at the bottom of the screen.
It's about time someone else gets it.
Link
HTC has launched the HTC Touch Cruise, the third member of the HTC Touch product family and the first to feature in-built GPS for personal navigation.
Building on the HTC Touch and Touch Dual models, the Cruise will offer HTC’s TouchFLO technology, which provides finger touch scrolling and browsing of web pages, documents, messages and contact lists, controlled by "sweeping a finger" across the screen.
The new Touch Cruise boasts super fast HSDPA "3.5G" connectivity plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 2.8-inch touchscreen and, like the other models in the range, runs Windows Mobile 6.
Link
Didn't RIM try this against Samsung for the Blackjack?
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is suing LG over product names. RIM states that the names of some of LG's recent models including Black Label, Strawberry and Black Cherry are too BlackBerryesque.
In a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, RIM thinks any wireless devices with "Black, Berry or Pearl" in the name are a little too close for comfort. As well as the existing products, LG has filed additional applications for the Chocolate Black Label Series, Black Jewel, Black Jewelry, Blackruby, Blackpearl, and Pearlring names too.
"RIM's BlackBerry wireless handheld devices and the goodwill associated with its BlackBerry marks are invaluable to RIM's continued success," RIM's filing said. "The aforesaid actions of LG have caused, and, unless enjoined, will continue to cause monetary damage and irreparable injury to RIM and the BlackBerry marks for which there is no adequate remedy at law."
So, how many of us would confuse the LG Black Label, or the LG Strawberry as a RIM Blackberry device?
Link
Walt Disney Co. and Softbank Corp. said Monday they would jointly offer mobile phone service in Japan from next spring as "Disney Mobile."
Softbank, Japan's No. 3 carrier, and Walt Disney's Japan unit said in a joint press release they would cooperate in areas such as new handsets, mobile content, marketing and services.
"Disney brings its strong brand and legacy of developing great entertainment with broad appeal to our mutual venture," said Masayoshi Son, Softbank chairman and CEO.
The announcement said details would be released later.
Disney is planning to lease Softbank's mobile network and use Softbank's stores to market phones and services, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Link
Tens of thousands of Web pages are now devoted to terrorist propaganda designed to attract followers. On the surface, the messages and videos reveal little about their creators. But programmers and writers leave digital clues: the greetings and other words they choose, their punctuation and syntax, and the way they code multimedia attachments and Web links.
Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a tool that uses these clues to automate the analysis of online jihadism. The Dark Web project aims to scour Web sites, forums and chat rooms to find the Internet's most prolific and influential jihadists and learn how they reel in adherents.
Lab director Hsinchun Chen hopes Dark Web will crimp what he calls "Al Qaeda University on the Web," the mass of Web sites where potential terrorists learn their trade, from making explosives to planning attacks. Experts said they are not aware of any comparable effort, though some said the project may have only limited applications.
The project in the university's Artificial Intelligence Lab will not identify people outside cyberspace "because that involves civil liberties," Chen said, preferring to let law enforcement and intelligence analysts take over from there. Instead, it will help identify messages with the same author and reveal links that aren't obvious.
"Our tool will help them ID the high-risk, radical opinion leaders in cyberspace," Chen said.
Link
PC Advisor write about the biggest flaws on the iPhone.
Apple's iPhone has many great features, but its shortcomings are just too big to ignore. Here then, is a list of the iPhone's 50 biggest failings, found while I was testing the device to exhaustion.
Actually, there are 52, but I whittled it down as far as I could.
Here's the first 20, but check the link for the full list of 52 flaws:
- Touchscreen imprecise; can't adjust for parallax (finger/screen offset)
- Web apps cannot download, upload or store data
- Web pages cannot be saved for offline viewing
- Cannot browse iPhone's folders by any means
- No Flash, Java or native application support
- Mail viewer HTML image display, JavaScript can't be disabled
- Yahoo push email did not deliver immediately in tests
- Proximity sensor did not answer calls in tests
- Extremely strong radio frequency interference
- Enclosed speaker is too weak for speakerphone and voicemail playback
- Operation of interactive websites awkward
- Two-year commitment required for US activation - no word on the UK
- No voice dialling; full hands-free operation impossible
- No VoIP support for Wi-Fi
- No A2DP (Bluetooth stereo) support
- Battery not user-replaceable
- Memory not swappable or expandable
- Quality of camera is comparatively poor; focus distance limited; no digital zoom; cannot capture video
- No voice-record capability; iPod add-on did not function
- No TV out
Link
As companies move to restrict Web surfing at work, more of them are blocking access to MySpace than to Facebook, according to a survey released Wednesday by Web security company Barracuda Networks Inc.
While 44% of companies using Barracuda's Web filtering technology block access to MySpace, only 26% are doing the same to Facebook, according to an analysis of data contributed by several thousand customers, Barracuda said. While 19% of companies blocked both the sites, half said they block one or the other or both, the analysis showed.
Barracuda also conducted a separate survey of 228 IT security workers. It showed that 53% of businesses restrict Web surfing with automated Web filtering systems and almost two-thirds (65%) expect to enforce Web surfing restrictions in 2008. That would represent a 23% increase in the number of companies doing so. The top two reasons companies cited for enforcing Web surfing restrictions were virus or spyware protection (70%) and employee productivity drain (52%).
So why is that do you think? Isn't Facebook a time waster? Why block MySpace and not Facebook?
Link
Check this out for all you Amazon shoppers...
Please vote Thursday.
Yes, just in time for the holidays, we're bringing back Amazon Customers Vote. And voting starts on Thursday, Nov. 15.
Here's how it's going to work. First you vote for the product you want in each round. Then you come back on each round's buying day to see if you were randomly selected to be offered a deal on that product. The product that gets the most votes in each of six rounds will be offered at a ridiculous winning price, and the two runners-up will also be offered at a discount. (The runner-up prices won't be quite as good as the winning prices, but they'll still be sweet deals!)
We're not quite ready to announce the product selection (but trust us, it's GREAT) or the prices (also GREAT), but we can tell you that you'll probably want to vote in all six rounds this year. And we’re making it really easy this time -- you can vote for all the rounds on the very first day if you like. But choose carefully -- you're only eligible for the product that you voted for, you only get one vote per round, and you can't change your vote.
So on Thursday, Nov. 15, we’ll announce all 18 products (three products will compete in each of the six rounds), and you can start voting in any or all rounds. The products from each round will go on sale for one day each starting on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) and continuing through Wednesday, Nov. 28.
Stay tuned for more information. And in the meantime, feel free to post comments to the Customer Discussions.
Google's plans to enter the mobile industry with a cell phone platform might have impressed many in the industry but not Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft and one of Google's biggest competitors.
Ballmer, predictably sidestepped a request to make any specific comments on the Android software platform during a Tokyo news conference.
"Well of course their efforts are just some words on paper right now, it's hard to do a very clear comparison [with Windows Mobile]," he said.
Ballmer went on to note the successes that his company has had with its Windows Mobile platform, which commands a sizeable share of the smartphone market, especially in North America. He said Windows Mobile is on 150 different handsets and is available from over 100 different mobile operators. He added that Microsoft will likely license 20 million Windows Mobile handsets this year.
Story
Just in time for Christmas, right? It's the Motorola Q9, but Sprint PCS dubs it the Q2.
http://www.sprintspecialoffers.com/holiday/#phone_15
Just $149.99
T-Mobile USA has reported that at the end of the 3rd quarter, the company had almost 28 million customers, adding 857,000 net new customers during the quarter. T-Mobile USA also reported ARPU of $53 in the quarter, up from $52 in the third quarter of 2006, OIBDA of $1.41 billion, up 15.1% compared to the third quarter of 2006, and a reduction in contract customer churn to 2.0% from 2.3% in the third quarter of 2006.
Contract customer net additions in the third quarter of 2007 made up 65% of customer growth, down from 80% in the second quarter of 2007 and 96% in the third quarter of 2006.
Looks like Apple is planning a release of 1.1.2 tomorrow to coincide with the release of the iPhone in the UK and Germany. Stay tuned for more iPhone war stories.
Hate to be him right now...
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) said on Tuesday it dismissed Chief Information Officer Stuart Scott, who ran the company's own information technology department, for violating unspecified company policies.
Scott, who reported to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner and oversaw IT for Microsoft's 80,000 employees, joined the company more than two years ago from General Electric Co. (GE.N)
"We can confirm that Stuart Scott was terminated after an investigation for violation of company policies," said a Microsoft spokesman in a written statement. Microsoft did not specify Scott's actions.
General Manager Shahla Aly and Corporate Vice President Alain Crozier will assume Scott's responsibilities until a permanent replacement can be found, Microsoft said.
More Posts
Next page »