by Convergent on 01-03-2008

Our first two giveaways (Agendus and PocketInformant) were runaway successes, so we’re doing it again! This will be our first giveaway of a Palm application. CallRec is the premier voice recording application for Palm based PDAPhones. It has consistently received rave reviews and is among the top-selling Palm applications every month. It normally sells for $19.99 but for one day only, Today, Friday, February 22 we’re giving away a FREE copy with any purchase over $5.00 in our PDAPhoneHome store.

You can find it here at the PDAPhoneHome Store

When you place your order, you need to add CallRec to your shopping cart, along with other products totaling $5.00 or more, and... [Read More]

by Convergent on 01-03-2008

Here's a great way to start off the New Year with a bang... well at least a "giveaway"! Based on the huge success of our big giveaway in December, we are kicking off 2008 with another great software application. All day Friday - January 4 and Saturday - January 5, we are giving away Pocket Informant 2007 for Windows Mobile, PPC from WebIS. This application consistently gets rave reviews and has been one of my favorites for years. Normally it sells for $34.95, but for two days only you can get it for $0.00.

Just use the direct link at the PDAPhoneHome Store and use coupon code PIFREE when you checkout. While you are in the store, be sure to check out our other... [Read More]

by Convergent on 12-12-2007

Tomorrow, December 13, 2007, we are having an almost giveaway. For one penny, PDAPhoneHome is delighted to offer our users the innovative service, Voice on the Go, providing hands-free voice access to email, and more. With Voice on the Go, you can use your voice to listen to, compose, reply, forward and delete your email; access your calendar and search and dial contacts by name or company from any mobile phone. Hands-free and eyes-free voice access to your email, calendar, contacts, and other content, allows you to safely and conveniently stay connected -- while driving or any other time. And it's easy to use, simply:

* Call your Voice on the Go... [Read More]

by Convergent on 12-10-2007

Its the holiday season so we thought it was a great time for some gift giving. All day tomorrow, Tuesday, December 11, 2007, we are giving away Agendus for Windows Mobile Standard in the PDAPhoneHome Store. You can receive the version for Windows Mobile Professional (Pocket PC), or Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone OS). Just follow the link to our PDAPhoneHome Store and use the promotion code AGENDUSWMFREE to get your license. This is a great opportunity to own a great product for free.

While you are in the store, you might want to check out our great selection of other software that is available. From now until the end of the year, you can get a 20% discount on any software in our store... a promotion that we are running to kick-off our new store design. If... [Read More]

by Convergent on 12-07-2007

If you haven't been to our store lately, its time to give it a look. We've just completed some remodeling and given it a new face lift. We had a holiday sale going already, but our partner decided that they wanted to help too and bump our sale up to 20% off on all software. So come and celebrate our new look.

Just visit our store at PDAPhoneHome Store and use discount code "NEWSTORE" to receive the discount. This should be just in time to help you with those last minute gifts, or just to treat yourself with a new game.

If you don't find an application... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 12-05-2007

AT&T Wireless and Palm announced last spring that there was an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 coming, and its finally here. You can download it for free at the referenced link. This upgrade will allow owners to take advantage of AT&T's 3G network where available. Here is a list of some of the updates included:

• Faster downloads with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) – Get faster access to large attachments, streaming video, and more
• Update for Loss of System Sounds - Included in the update.
• Improved Calendar functionality - See the big picture at a glance. New topline bar in the agenda view shows when you're free or busy, and when you have scheduling... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 12-04-2007

Verizon Wireless has changed course and now decided to embrace the Android platform that gained so much media attention a few weeks back. This comes on the heals of their announcement to "open up" their network to devices that they didn't sell the customer. According to a BusinessWeek report, these moves are motivated by the need to win more and more customers. The wireless industry is going through a major shift right now, as there business model has always been based on everything feeding new subscribers. This model is eventually going to falter when the market becomes fully saturated.

Verizon's store employees used to spend most of their time servicing new customers each day. Now they are spending only 10% of their time on new customers, and that's a lot of... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 12-03-2007

The guys over at BoyGeniusReport received an AT&T Motorola Q9 and found that it was loaded with not only WiFi, but also Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard. They've posted up a bunch of screen shots of it and identified some new features that this version has. Hopefully this will be something that can be pushed down to current device owners, but that kind of thing seems to move at a snails pace (a dead snail, that is).

• Ability to Cut/Copy and Paste
  
• Ability to connect to company resources by enrolling in a domain
• Redesigned Home screen allows you to pan left and right to see missed calls and more
  
• Recent Programs listed on Start menu
  
• [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-29-2007

Microsoft Office 2007 introduced new Open XML-based file formats for Office applications. These new file formats reduce file size, improve security and reliability, and enhance integration with external sources. To allow Windows Mobile users to work with Office documents created in the Open XML formats, Microsoft has developed an upgrade for Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile applications. This upgrade to the Office Mobile applications allows viewing and editing of Word documents and Excel workbooks and viewing of PowerPoint slideshows created by using Microsoft Office 2007.

Other improvements include:
• Enhanced viewing experience for charts in Excel Mobile.
• Ability to view SmartArt in PowerPoint Mobile.
• Ability to view... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-28-2007

If Google ever adds navigation support to Google Maps, it will likely be the beginning of the end for commercial mapping and navigation software vendors. Its hard to imaging where Google will stop with developing free software, but they just keep going and going. Their model is to generate income from advertising primarily, so its got to be making those in its path a bit nervous. Now Google Maps has taken a leap over those vendors in a new and welcome way.... allowing you to find your location on the map WITHOUT a GPS.

At the reference page you can view a YouTube video that will explain how the new My Location feature of Google Maps 2.0 works. If your device has a GPS, it works like normal and gives you a blue dot on the map where you are. If you don't have a GPS, it... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-28-2007

Leading movie rental chain, Blockbuster, confirmed yesterday that it was in talks with mobile phone makers about partnerships aimed to make it easy for consumers to watch movies on the go. Chief Executive James Keyes said, "The challenge is how do I make this convenient for everybody...". Keyes told the Reuters Media Summit he started watching movies on his BlackBerry after some help from a technical expert at Blockbuster and from Jim Balsillie, the co-chief executive of Blackberry maker Research in Motion Ltd.
"We're talking with virtually all of the major manufacturers about the opportunity to provide greater mobility and convenience," Keyes said. He indicated that they were also in talks with software vendors.

If they could do this for a... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-28-2007

Verizon Wireless has announced that it will provide customers the option to use wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the Verizon, on their network. While this is good news I suppose, it isn't quite what I expected them to do. Verizon and Sprint have stuck to their "only our stuff" way of doing business for years, and Sprint recently announced that they would let other devices be used on their network, and that they'd unlock their devices if leaving customers wanted to use them elsewhere (i.e., Verizon Wireless). With the increasing penetration of GSM carriers in the US, and the wide array of GSM devices available, you'd think that Verizon would step out a little more.

So why my luke warm reception to this announcement? The first thing... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-28-2007

Verizon Wireless announced the XV6800 is available now online and through Verizon Wireless business sales. The XV6800 will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Dec. 5. This has been a very long time coming. To put things in perspective, I migrated to the Sprint version of this about 6 months ago, and have since moved onto to another device already. I don't know what the hold up was, but I'm sure from comments in our forums here that Verizon did lose customers over this delay. Well now its finally here, so hopefully there are still a lot of Verizon's loyal customers that are still waiting.

Features of the XV6800 include:

• 4.3” l x 2.3” w x 0.7” d
• 5.8 oz.
• 2.8” 240 x 320... [Read More]

by Convergent on 11-21-2007

I received notification from Sprint Public Relations yesterday that they had an important announcement to make regarding issues with the Spring Mogul PPC-6800, and they asked if it would be possible for me to post it here. There announcment is essentially an apology for the Mogul problems, and a plan to fix them plus add additional capabilities... something that very few carriers have ever done with a PDAPhone.

They indicate that Sprint and HTC are aware of problems created by ROM version 2.16.651.0, and that Sprint and HTC are currently testing a new ROM to fix the problems. They plan for this ROM to be available by the end of November for download at [Read More]

by Convergent on 11-16-2007

Pocket Informant has been one of my favorite applications on the Windows Mobile platform over the years, but the competition continues to stay fierce in that space, so WebIS is looking to expand their footprint into RIM's Blackberry world. If they are successful, it could really help WebIS leverage this large market of untapped customers. WebIS has been showing screen shots of an Alpha version of Pocket Informant for the Blackberry, and are saying that it will be available this winter. They are also reaching out to Blackberry communities to gather input for the product.

The Alpha shots look very similar to the Windows Mobile version of Pocket Informant. For WebIS to be successful, the will need to really understand the Blackberry usability differences to Windows... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-16-2007

HTC is learning from some of its competitors... when you have a horse that is winning, you paint it a different color and keep riding it! They've now released 3 different models in the HTC Touch lineup (the latest of which bearing little resemblance to the first two), and now the original Touch gets a little remix. The HTC has sold over 1 million Touch devices in less than 5 months, which definitely puts it at the top of the heap for Windows Mobile Professional device sales.

In addition to the originally announced black and green, the updated Touch will now be available in Burgundy and White. These colors are only going to be available in Asia for now. C/Net Asia is also reporting that the device will be updated to 128M of RAM also, yet maintain the same price.
... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-16-2007

E-TEN continues to expand their Glofiish lineup with the M800. This is kind of a marriage of the keyboard from the M600 with the specs of the X800. I wish that some of the US carriers would get involved with E-TEN as I believe it would be good for the competition level in the US market. It seems that HTC has the US market pretty well sewn up at this point.

The M800 will line up most easily with the HTC TyTN-II (or its close cousin the AT&T Tilt), although the keyboard of the M800 doesn't tilt. The M800 has a full VGA resolution display (640x480) compared to the lower resolution QVGA that almost all Windows Mobile Professional devices normally have used in the past (320x240). This is a 4x improvement in resolution, and for some applications may be an important decision... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-13-2007

PDAPhones will grow at more than a 30% compound annual growth rate for the next five years globally, taking an increasing share of the overall phone market that is otherwise growing in single digits, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). The unit volume of PDAPhones globally also exceeds the unit sales for laptops.

Users are experiencing significant value from their PDAPhones, the high-tech market research firm says. As a result they are downloading more applications and generating higher usage as measured by average revenue per user (ARPU) for wireless carriers. “Because of the value users are finding, organizations are slowly taking ownership of PDAPhones and data applications used for business purposes,” says... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-13-2007

The FCC site has information about a new HTC device code named Iris. The size and layout of its buttons bears some resemblance to the Palm Centro, although it is powered by Windows Mobile 6 Standard and features WiFi. So it lacks touchscreen, but gains WiFi.

Here are some of the Iris's features as described in the FCC documentation:

• CPU: Qualcomm MSM 7500, 400 MHz
• RAM: 96MB
• ROM: 256MB
• Radio: CDMA EVDO
• Digicam: 2 Megapixel (No Autofocus)
• WiFi 802.11b/g

With no official announcement from HTC, its impossible to know where this device will be targeted in the market, but a little... [Read More]

by NewsGuy on 11-13-2007

The device that had gone by the code name HTC Polaris has been relased by HTC as the Touch Crusie, making it the third member of the very popular Touch product line. Common among the Touch devices is HTC's TouchFLO interface which has often been compared to Apple's iPhone. This will be the first member of the Touch lineup to include an integrated GPS, although HTC does have other devices on the market that have this capibility, such as the AT&T Tilt and their HTC branded TyTN-II. Having used an integrated GPS device for a couple of months now, I don't think I would want to go back to a device without it.

The Touch Cruise is a highly connected device with the blazing fast HSDPA/3.5G connectivity, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional and... [Read More]