We just announced the Open Screen Project which will be working to enable a consistent runtime environment, starting with the Flash Player, and in the future AIR, to remove barriers for developers and designers as they publish content and applications across desktops and consumer devices, including phones, mobile internet devices, and set top boxes, and more. The Open Screen Project is also supported by ARM, Chunghwa Telecom, Cisco, Intel, LG Electronics Inc., Marvell, Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Verizon Wireless, and leading content providers, including BBC, MTV Networks, and NBC Universal.

I've been wearing Bluetooth headsets for about as long as they have been around, and have owned lots and tried even more. And I have a new favorite, the BlueAnt Z9. Here's the scoop:

Pros:

• The Z9 is small, one of the smallest and lightest headsets I have tried.
• It is also extremely comfortable to wear, even for very long periods. It is so comfortable that I often forget I am wearing it.
• Sound quality is superb, at least based on what the people on the other end of the connection are telling me.
• Many very lightweight headsets have optional ear loops, but they often feel like afterthoughts, not fitting the devices well or coming apart (Plantronics devices seem very prone to this). The Z9 ear loops (there are 3 of them, all identical, or so it seems) fit well and stay in place properly.
• Battery life is really good.
• It comes with both an AC charger and a USB cable. The latter is an absolute must for anyone who travels, and I automatically rule out any Bluetooth headset that does not include this necessity.
• The Z9 comes with a built in clip, making it easier to carry the headset in your pocket or attached to your shirt and so on.
• The headset is firmware upgradeable. The actual upgrade process is convoluted and horribly unfriendly (yes, I tried it). Still, it's nice to know that firmware updates are an option if they are needed.

Cons:

• I have only found one downside with the headset, and that is that I find the volume too low. Others hear me fine, the problem is me hearing them. It's fine in most environments when cranked up to the highest volume, but in noisy environments the volume is definitely too low. I contacted BlueAnt and they suggested that I update the firmware which I did, and unfortunately it did not make a difference. This is a shame, and hopefully they can release another firmware update that really does fix the problem.

The verdict? The BlueAnt Z9 is definitely the very best Bluetooth headset I have owned, and is highly recommended (but keep that one negative in mind). It is available from Amazon.com.

I mentioned the Samsung BlackJack II a week or so ago, and I stand my most of my original comments. With one big exception:

My biggest complaint with the original BlackJack was a lousy Bluetooth restriction whereby only one paired device could be active at a time. You could pair as many devices as you want, but to switch from one to the other (as in from car to headset) you need to go through menus and activate the other! This is a major flaw, and Samsung told me (both online and in a call to their customer support line) that the BlackJack II had the same restriction.

But, in fact, this is not the case! The screens are the same, and there is still the SET option to select which one is active, but I discovered (by mistake) that when my car was set as active the headset still worked!

Whether this was an intentional improvement or not, this seals it for me. I'm keeping the BlackJack II (until I find a better phone).

I couldn't help myself. I kept calling the local AT&T stores until I found the Samsung BlackJack II that I mentioned the other day, and then I asked them to hold it for me, and dashed over to buy it. And the verdict? Well, first some pros and cons:

Pros:

• Samsung has been touting the new bigger screen. And the screen is indeed larger than the BlackJack screen, but only marginally so. And at first glance the glass is indeed bigger, but then you turn the device on to discover that the actual display area is only few millimeters bigger in each direction. So, yes, bigger screen is a pro, but barely.
• Having said that, the screen is much brighter and clearer.
• The device edges are a little rounder than before, making the device more comfortable to hold for extended periods.
• The keyboard is definitely improved. The shape and size of the keys is better, as is their angle and placement.
• The phone buttons (including the soft keys) are better shaped, easier to press, and harder to press accidentally.
• Battery life is good, although not great. Basically, Samsung replaced the battery with a slightly bigger one (it was an optional add-on purchase before), and so the battery lasts longer.
• The device is fast, much faster than the original BlackJack. Not that the speed of that other device ever bothered me, but this one is noticeably quicker.
• The new device has added an external LED that flashes to notify you of events, a welcome addition.
• Audio quality is great.
• The new Office client apps are a welcome addition.
• The GPS is pretty slick. AT&T opted to tie the service to a specific paid provider, but a 3rd party has disclosed how to unlock the GPS so that it works with other clients, like Google Maps. And it works really well.
• The device runs a newer version of Windows mobile, and the apps are cleaner and crisper. While not truly a BlackJack II pro, it is an improvement nonetheless.
• I did not get to try the phone in Japan today (that's a tad out of the way), but the fact that the phone will work there is a big plus.

Cons:

• Ok, first the biggie. Don't trust the hype! Sure, this device runs Windows Mobile instead of Windows Smartphone, but it's actually Windows Mobile Standard which IS Windows Smartphone (they changed the name going from version 5 to version 6). I'd not have considered this a con if this were blatantly clear, but it's not, and so con it is.
• And even worse, the device has the same lousy Bluetooth restriction of one active paired device at a time. You can still pair as many devices as you want, but to switch from one to the other (as in from car to headset) you need to go through menus and activate the other! Considering how many users complained about this, it is unbelievable that Samsung did not fix this major flaw.
• Bluetooth works, and works well. But the device still does not publish signal strength and battery life (something my Sony Ericsson device did 5 years ago). Basically, it's the same okay-but-not-great Bluetooth functionality as in the original BlackJack.
• The device has a slick glossy surface. It looks cool, but after holding the phone for a few minutes it is completely smudged and looks filthy. I found myself wiping it clean constantly - very annoying.
• In addition, the new surface is actually far less comfortable than the old rubberized feel back.
• The new jog wheel is ok, but not great. It replaces the side scroll wheel, and while cool, it is not as convenient for one handed use as the scroll wheel.
• While Windows Mobile 6 looks better, and the apps are cleaner, they are still the same apps. The scheduling app is a bit better, but the SMS client is just as pathetic.
• Windows Mobile devices are unlocked using an unlock button and then the * key. So the * key needs to be prominently placed, and indeed it is on BlackJack. But BlackJack II uses the 5 key as the *, making it just that more fidgety to unlock the phone.
• Ah here's a doozey for you. Samsung uses a proprietary adapter to charge and synch the BlackJack. And the BlackJack II also uses a proprietary adapter, but not the same one! It looks similar, but the size is slightly different. Which means that if you bought any adapters or chargers for the BlackJack you'll need to throw them out and buy new ones for the BlackJack II. Outrageous!

The BlackJack II is an incremental improvement over the original BlackJack. This new device has retained some of what made the BlackJack so popular, but it has also retained some of the biggest flaws and limitations of that device. The biggest new benefits are the better international support and the integrated GPS, but do those justify the upgrade? I don't think so. I can see BlackJack II appealing to users who don't already own a similar device, but if you are a current BlackJack user then the BlackJack II is really not that compelling an upgrade.

So, the verdict? I do like the BlackJack, but it does have known flaws and limitations, none of which BlackJack II address. I am disappointed with this new device, and will be returning it tomorrow.

I've been carrying a Samsung BlackJack around with me for a year now, and posted extensive comments on the device back then (actually, it was a year ago to the day!). All in all, I have been very pleased with the phone, and have even been willing to overlook its shortcomings.

But, I am always on the lookout for something better. And so the announcement this weekend of the Samsung BlackJack II caught my attention. Based on the published specs, this one looks very interesting:

• The biggest change is that the BlackJack II runs Windows Mobile instead of Windows SmartPhone, that will resolve some important limitations. It'll also mean that far more add-on software is available (including a Windows Remote Desktop client).
• The biggest difference between Windows Mobile and Windows SmartPhone is that the former is designed for point-and-click or point-and-touch, whereas the latter is not. Of course, this means that the BlackJack II (which, like its predecessor, has no touch screen) needs a way to point-and-click. To address this, the BlackJack II replaces the old circular direction button with a jog wheel (kind of like an iPod control). And in doing so, it looks like they removed the side scroll wheel (which I use constantly). I'll have to try this for myself.
• Battery life has supposedly been improved, that's a biggie.
• In addition to quad-band GSM (an absolute minimum requirement), the BlackJack II supports HSPDA, which means it'll work in Japan and elsewhere. That's a big plus.
• GPS is included, and it appears that it'll work with Google Maps. Nice!
• Bluetooth 2 is supported, but no word yet if they removed the ridiculous one active paired device at a time restriction. Some have noted that this may be a Windows SmartPhone issue, in which case in may indeed not be a problem with the BlackJack II. We can hope.
• It's slimmer and lighter, although the width and weight have never been an issue for me.
• The device is supposedly faster, has more memory, and a higher resolution camera, but those have never been issues for me, either.

Of course, I dropped by the AT&T store today to look at it, but was unable to do so. Although they received a shipment over the weekend, none had been unpacked yet. And while they were willing to sell me one, they did not have a unit on display for me to play with. I'm going to have to drop by later in the week, and will post more comments then. My gut feel is that I am going to have to upgrade, but ...

In the meantime, if you've had a chance to tinker with the BlackJack II, please share your thoughts.

Mark Lynch e-mailed me to let me know that he has blogged about a project his company has been working on. The application delivers mobile phone and IM based learning solutions, uses VoiceXML and Jabber/XMPP, and is powered by ColdFusion. Cool stuff!

Lots of folks will be trying to lay their hands on an iPhone tomorrow. And as impressive as the phone looks (and there really seems to be lots to like about it), I am not getting one. What killed it for me was the decision to tie it to the older slower speed data networks instead of Cingular's 3G network. I use my phone extensively for web browsing and other forms of data transfer, and now that Cingular has rolled out their 3G network to the point that I am really appreciating the benefits of it, I am not going back to a slow speed data network, no way. I assume that Apple/Cingular made the decision because of battery life concerns, 3G network access really drains battery power. But still, A) make that a user choice then (allow users to turn 3G on and off as needed), B) allow users to carry spare batteries. So, nope, no 3G means no iPhone for me.

The Java version of Google Maps does not run properly on the Samsung BlackJack (as well as other Windows devices). Fortunately, Google has now released a native Windows Mobile version of Google Maps, and it works perfectly on the BlackJack. To download it, go to http://www.google.com/gmm on your Windows Mobile web browser, and just download the CAB file.

UPDATE: After making this post I discovered a really nice Google Maps feature. Once Google Maps is installed a new menu option is added to the Contacts application. Select any contact, and you'll be able to select "Locate In Google Maps" to do just that. Very cool!

Last night my Samsung BlackJack stopped making and receiving calls. That's generally not a good thing for phones to do (or not do). The display showed that I was connected to Cingular and that I had strong signal strength, but any calls placed would hang up immediately, and if anyone tried to call me the calls went straight to voicemail.

I removed my SIM card and tried it in two other devices (Cingular 8125 and Treo 650), and both were able to make and receive calls. I then put the SIM card back into the BlackJack, but no luck.

My initial assumption was that the device had died. But while driving around this morning I found that while the phone did not work at home, it did work a couple of miles away. And of course, those other devices worked properly at home. So it was not the phone.

The problem? Apparently Cingular was having issues with their 3G network in some locations. A Cingular rep told me that there have indeed been sporadic issues with 3G, but that these were being resolved. Those other devices are not 3G, they use the older GSM network, and so they worked. But the BlackJack connects to 3G networks if they are available, and falls back to GSM only if 3G cannot be found, and so it would not work because 3G was available (even though it was not working properly).

Which means that I really needed to find a way to tell the phone to not use 3G even if it is available, just in case. And of course, there is no menu option for this. But after some research I found a control code sequence which displays an Admin Settings screen which can be used to do exactly what I needed.

Here's what you need to do:

• Enter phone number *#1546792*#
• Select menu option "3 Network & Call Settings"
• Select menu option "5 Network Mode"
• To force GSM select the "GSM" option, to reenable 3G support select the "Auto" option

And that'll do it.

Oh, and apparently, 3G use consumes far more power. So, if you are low on power, and are not actively using high-speed data connections, temporarily switching to GSM using the technique just described could help.

Many have commented on the fact that the Samsung BlackJack is the most BlackBerry like alternative to BlackBerry itself. From the scroll wheel to the form factor to the color and more. But apparently, when it comes to appearances, we actually are able to distinguish the BlackJack from the BlackBerry, and we don't confuse the two. What's really confusing us is the name. After all, BlackJack, BlackBerry - they sound so similar that I almost bought the wrong one and I keep mixing the names up. NOT!

But Research in Motion (the makers of BlackBerry) apparently thinks the names are so similar that it will indeed be confusing for users. And as such, RIM is suing Samsung over the name BlackJack. They want damages, and also want Samsung to deliver all BlackJack devices in the U.S. to it for destruction, including all of those that have already been sold.

No word yet on whether or not they'll be suing blackberry farmers the world over, casinos offering Blackjack tables, and jewelers (where shoppers may confuse merchandise with the new BlackBerry Pearl).

You know, this story just warms my heart. It makes me feel better knowing that our Canadian neighbors are just as capable of filing stupidly frivolous lawsuits as we are here in the U.S.

And sorry RIM, you can't have my BlackJack! Phhhbbttthhhh!

It looks like I am going to keep the Samsung BlackJack. It's not perfect, but it is the best option I have found to date.

So, now I need a case for it, and a second charger (I always keep a second one in my laptop bag). All of my local Cingular stores have sold out of the BlackJack case, and very few have the travel charger. And worse, they are charging $27 for the former and $30 for the latter. You are better off buying these from the Samsung Accessories site's BlackJack page directly, you'll spend $15 for a leather case or a plastic holster, and $20 for that second charger. And shipping is free.

Oh, and if you get a Samsung Bluetooth WEP200 headset, it comes with a charger, too. And both the phone and the headset share the same charger, so that can be your second charger if needed.

Now that it looks like I'll be keeping my Samsung BlackJack (until I find something better, that is) I needed to install a Flash Player on this device. A preview release of Flash Lite 2.1 for Windows Mobile 5 (both Pocket PC and Smartphone) is up on Labs.

Installation is simple enough. Once installed there is a registration step that you need to go through, look for a file named License.txt (installed on the device), it'll contain a registration URL and a license key which you'll need to provide.

I did not realize this until I needed it today, but ... ActiveSync syncs Outlook features, right? Calendar? Yes. Contacts? Yes. Tasks? Yes. E-Mail? Yes. Notes? Nope! Outlook notes are synchronized if you have a Windows Mobile device, but not if you have a Windows Smartphone device! I can't think of any rational reason for this limitation, and I was about to pack up my Samsung BlackJack to return it. Fortunately, I found SmartphoneNotes which does the trick.

In addition to the comments I posted yesterday regarding my new Samsung BlackJack:

Pros:

• Batteries can be charged via the included charger, or by connecting the phone to your computer, it uses the same USB connection to sync the device and to charge the battery, which is very nice. No need to carry a charger and a sync cable.
• I've been using the phone actively today, and call quality is superb!

Cons:

• Battery life is appalling! I do have Bluetooth activated all of the time, and that does drain power. But still, this device has the worst battery life of any device I have used. Not good at all.
• As already noted, I like that the device charges via the sync cable. But, there is no easy way to determine when charging is complete! No light, no indicator, the battery strength indicator is not granular enough to distinguish between partially full and completely full.
• And the biggie! As noted yesterday, the Bluetooth support works well. But, there is one MAJOR implementation flaw. You can pair as many devices as you like, including multiple headsets. But only one can ever be active at any time. What does this mean? I use two headsets continuously, one is a little ear headset and the other is my car. Both are paired with the phone, and so whichever is available should be used. This is how every other Bluetooth device I have used works, including multiple Sony Ericsson phones, the Nokia E62, the Treo 650, Windows devices like the Cingular 8125 and the Treo 700w (meaning that this is not a Windows Mobile limitation), and more. But not the BlackJack. To switch from one headset to the other I have to go to Settings, Communications, Bluetooth, Headset Settings and use the menu to manually select which one to use for connections (SET will appear next to the selected one and an X next to the other). This is a ridiculous and arbitrary limitation, and could be the deal breaker for me. :-(

More to follow, I am sure.

I bought the Samsung BlackJack that I mentioned the other day. I've been using it on and off throughout the weekend, and so here are my initial thoughts:

Pros:

• The form factor is incredible. The device is about the same height and width as the Treo, but it is considerably thinner and much lighter. Actually, the form factor is probably closer to that of the Motorola Q (which is not available for Cingular customers), but unlike that device, the BlackJack feels solid and rugged. It's also remarkably comfortable to hold next to your ear.
• The back (which includes half of the depth) of the device is rubber coated. This makes it very comfortable to hold, it just grips and feels right in your hand.
• The scroll wheel (for which the BlackBerry is famed) is well placed, intuitive to use, and just plain works. This is a big plus, and scroll wheels should be the standard on all devices like this.
• The screen is very sharp and clear. It's small, smaller than the Treo and much smaller than the absolutely perfect Nokia E62 screen, but it is still easy to read and very bright.
• The device is very responsive, easily as fast as the Treo (650), faster than the other Windows devices I've used (including the Cingular 8125 and the Treo 700), and orders of magnitude faster than the Symbian devices I have tried of late (including that horribly sluggish E62).
• Audio quality is great, both on my end and on the other end of the connection.
• Cell coverage is really good, this phone works in places where my Treo (and former Sony Ericsson devices) could get no coverage at all. (Incidentally, the Nokia was just as good in this respect).
• Bluetooth support is decent, although not great. I'm listing Bluetooth as a pro because at the end of the day it does work with every device (including my car). But at the same time, it does not publish extended data (cell and battery strength), it does not always easily switch from headset (the one in my ear) to headset (my car). Although, to be fair, the week I spent with the Nokia E62 significantly raised the bar for what Bluetooth support should be, and frankly, I have yet to see any other vendor implement Bluetooth as perfectly as Nokia did in that device, and I doubt I'll be satisfied with any other Bluetooth implementations now.
• The phone comes with 2 batteries, that's the good news. The bad news is that the second battery is needed, see below.
• The 3G support is really good, and very fast. When it works, that is. More on that below, too.
• The basic apps are great, although that is more a Windows Mobile function than the device itself.

Cons:

• The screen is small. I know I listed this already under pros, because it is, it helps with the device form factor that I love. But at the same time, it is a bit too small for web browsing or for reading large documents or e-mails.
• The keyboard is a bit cramped. And yes, I know I said that I like the small form factor. But the keys are a bit narrow, they are longer than the keys on the Treo, but the narrow shape makes it harder for big fingers to press just the one you want. The multi-directional toggle button is also really badly designed - it is flush with the other keys, including the red end-call key. I may get used to it, but for now I hit that end-call key way too often.
• The text messaging app is not very good, nowhere near as good as the Treo's one. No as-you-type lookup, and no chat mode, are the biggest flaws. But at least it isn't the horrid integrated inbox text messaging app that other Windows devices have (like the 8125).
• I already said that the 3G support is good, and it is, it is really fast. When it works. Every once in a while the device can't connect to anything! I don't know if it is the device, local coverage, or what - I'll test it some more while on the road this week, but requests that neither respond nor time out are downright annoying!
• Battery life is poor, definitely worse than any device I have used previously. Good thing there are two batteries!
• The back cover is absolute pain to get on and off, and, taking into account the previous item ,this is a real problem.
• No voice dial.
• Speed dial keys are basically useless. One of the things I really like about the Treo is that you can instantly access what you need, there are the dedicated calendar and messaging keys, you can assign speed dials easily to any letter, and there are also one touch soft buttons on the home screen. The BlackJack has two context sensitive softkeys, and a dedicated messaging key, but only one real programmable key (on the right, and only the long press is programmable). And it appears that you can only assign speed dials to number keys, and not letters. This coupled with no voice dial (as previously mentioned) means that you'll be digging through lists and menus far too often.
• There seems to be a problem using ActiveSync when I am on a VPN connection. I know that this is not a Samsung issue, it's a Microsoft ActiveSync one, but still, having to disconnect from VPN to synch the device is frustrating.

My initial reaction to the Samsung BlackJack is a very positive one, primarily because of the form factor, the feel, and the performance. So far the pros outweigh the cons (I think). More to follow.

I know, I've found my "next phone" many times over the past few years, only to be disappointed each time. But I am not giving up, and now the device that has caught my attention is the new Samsung BlackJack.

This device has a pretty sleek form factor, it's narrower than the Treo, the Nokia E61/62, and most BlackBerry devices (several reviewers find the form factor similar to that of the Motorola Q). It also features a scroll wheel, the one feature that BlackBerry got right and that Treo and the others failed to implement.

The BlackJack runs Windows Mobile 5, it's a quad-band GSM device with 3G support (it supports UMTS/HSDPA/EDGE/GPRS data connectivity), and initial data performance numbers are very impressive. Reviewers like the audio quality and phone volume (always a problem with Treo). The device supports Bluetooth 2, but no WiFi. It also features a 1.3-megapixal camera, which I'd rather not have.

So, nice form factor, decent screen (although it can't compare to the E62), Windows Mobile (in my experience faster than Symbian but slower than Palm), decent keyboard, quad-band GSM and great data connectivity but no WiFi ... humm, not perfect, but it definitely sounds like I need to take a look at it.

If you have any experience with this device, please share!

I've been using the Nokia E62 for over a week, and have really tried to like it. Actually, I do like it, but I've decided to return it.

As mentioned previously, the screen is like nothing I have seen on a phone before, the phone audio quality is superb (and loud, I was able to use it on the loud MAX floor), Bluetooth support sets the bar higher than any device I have used previously, and the web browser is phenomenal.

So why am I giving up on it?

Firstly, I just can't get used to how sluggish this phone is. I don't know if it is Symbian or needing a faster processor, but pressing the Address Book button and having to wait 1-4 seconds for it to display is frustrating. When the text message alert pops up and Show is clicked in can take several seconds of staring at a blank screen until anything happens. And even moving from message to message is painfully slow. The device response time is just unacceptable.

Secondly, the applications are simply sub par. The Calendar app is so simplistic that it is basically useless. The SMS app must have been written by people who don't use SMS very much. The Address Book is barely configurable. And the list goes on. It is a shame to see a device with this much potential hampered by such poor applications. About the only really impressive apps are the e-mail clients, which brings me to my final verdict.

Verdict: The Nokia E62 is a very impressive device, and a really good phone. If your primary needs are phone and e-mail then this is hard to beat (which I guess puts the E62 squarely in the Blackberry category). But if you need real PDA functionality, then this won't cut it. For me, e-mail is less important, whereas calendar and SMS and other apps are just as important as the phone itself. That, coupled with a response time that makes the Treo (and even Windows Mobile devices) look snappy, making the E62 unusable for me.

BTW, if you find yourself in the same boat, and want to return the device, use the following code to reset the device back to factory defaults (removing all of your data and configuration): *#7370# (default lock code is 12345).

And so the search for the perfect phone goes on.

I'm on way to Las Vegas! MAX 2006, here I come! To those of you already partying, I mean working, see you this evening!

(This message is being sent from my new Nokia E62, about which I have very mixed feelings).

Yes, I did it. I promised myself I wouldn't, I don't need the distraction now with MAX days away. But I could not help myself. I'm a gadget junkie, and I needed that Nokia E62 I mentioned yesterday.

I've been using it for almost 24 hours, so time to share my initial thoughts, both the positive and the negative.

First the positive:

• The first thing you'll notice is the screen, it is beautiful! I think the color and image is brighter and sharper than any phone, MP3 player, and even portable game console that I have ever seen. It's an absolute pleasure to look at.
• The device feels very light. I think that's a pro, although I keep checking to see that I have not lost it. I guess I'll get used to that.
• The phone audio quality is superb. Maybe I am so used to lousy Treo call quality that I have forgotten what phones should sound like, but this one is a treat. And folks on the other end of the connection commented that they could hear me better than usual. Huh, a phone that is a good quality phone. What will they think of next?
• Bluetooth synched up with everything I threw at it, including my car. Pairing was flawless, every device was found and just worked. And one bonus, if you are wearing a connected Bluetooth headset you'll hear alarms, reminder beeps, and other alerts via the headset - no other device has ever done that for me before. I did find one problem, as noted below.
• The best surprise thus far has been the built in web browser. It is fast, clear, and displayed any sites I tried perfectly. This puts Blazer and even Opera Mobile to shame. Navigation is a little weird without a stylus, but you get used to it quickly.
• I installed Google Maps Mobile to it. Google will tell you that the device may not be supported, but it does indeed work and work very well. I have yet to find a way to turn off the constant checking that the app has permission to go online, if anyone has figured that out please share.
• Battery life is great, and charge time is very good.
• The keyboard is much more comfortable than the Treo's. It is wider, so that is part of it. But just as important is that they've made important keys readily available, like / and \ and @ (good luck finding the \ on the Treo).
• The synchronization software is very good, it just works. It does not seem to be as configurable as Palm's HotSynch Manager or Microsoft ActiveSynch, but thus far I have not needed anything but the defaults. And synch time (even the first synch, over 500 contacts and thousands of calendar entries) was very fast.

And now the negative:

• The device is horribly uncomfortable to hold next to your ear. It comes with an ear bud, use it. Or use a Bluetooth headset. You don't want to be holding this to your head for any extended periods.
• The device sometimes feels sluggish, even without lots of apps loaded.
• Major oversight alert! No auto keypad lock? What were they thinking? Any phone that is not a flip phone MUST have an auto keypad lock feature. This is just asinine! Fortunately others must feel the same, there are several freely available auto-lock utilities out there. I downloaded AutoLock which is perfect and does the trick. Make this the first app you install, and make sure you get the version for S60 3rd Edition.
• The voice record button is terribly placed. I have several oops recordings saved now, and more to follow I am sure.
• The built in apps are ok, same are even good. But the Calendar app is appalling. It won't let you access notes attached to meetings! Huh? Apparently this is a longstanding known issue. Unacceptable. I installed Papyrus, a replacement calendar app which boasts that it'll let you see all data "including an item's note/description fields". This app shares the data store with the integrated calendar app, so this may be the solution.
• The SMS client is lousy. No chat mode for starters. Address book lookup is not automatic as you type. And when you delete an open message, the next message is not automatically opened, you need to go back and open it manually. It just feels not very thought through. I need to find a replacement, something more like the Treo client (which is really good).
• As already noted, Bluetooth works very well. But it does not seem to be publishing extended data to Acura HFL. The phone works with the car, but signal strength and battery life are not displayed in the car (the Treo displays signal strength but not battery life, the Sony Ericsson devices I have tested all displayed both). Bummer, hopefully they'll have a software update to fix that at some point.
• The device does not come with a case, and there don't seem to be any right size cases in the stores yet. Fortunately, the Treo case fit (more or less).
• I have not used the MiniSD card socket yet, mainly because I have lots of SD cards but no mini ones. And with the card socket under the back cover (yes, you need to remove the battery cover to get to the socket!) I highly doubt I ever well.

Bottom line, the E62 is a lot of phone crammed into a small case (thinner than Treo, but wider). The device is light and feels less solid and rugged than Treo or the Windows device I have tried, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet. Not having a stylus and touch screen feels odd, but I need to give it some time I guess. Will I keep this one? I am not sure yet - I have 30 days to decide. Make that 29.

I've finally found a phone to replace the Treo 650 I love/hate so much. Perhaps.

Nokia's new E62 is a thing of beauty. It's a smart phone with a similar form factor the Treo and Blackberry. It comes loaded with all the right applications (including e-mail, Good client, IM clients, Office compatible apps, a superb SMS client, and more). It also multi-tasks properly, if you are in the middle of a text message when the phone rings, when you switch back to the SMS client you'll be exactly where you left off (something the Treo has yet to get right). The screen is bright and easier to read than any Palm or Windows Mobile device I have seen yet. The keyboard feels better than the Treo's, and it supports Blackberry style one-hand navigation (something the Treo and Windows devices don't do very well). There's a dedicated voice dial key, spoken caller-id, and much more. There is no camera (that's a good thing for me, I don't want a camera on my phone, I visit too many locations that won't allow camera phones on their premises). The device runs Symbian, and there is a Flash player available for it (there's an Adobe PDF reader, too). It uses mini-SD cards which I don't care for, but I can live with that. And of course, it supports Bluetooth (10 profiles), and is quad-band GSM (absolute base requirements for me).

The phone is almost perfect. Why almost? The E62 is the Cingular GSM version of what is also called the E60 and E61. The Cingular E62 version is the E61 with two significant changes: 1) WiFi has been disabled 2) 3G has been disabled. The official reason for making these changes is that this allows Cingular to keep the device cost down. But, cynic that I am, I suspect that it has a lot more to do with not wanting users to be able to run VoIP software on the device.

Still, I have to give this one a try.

I've long suspected the Blazer web browser as a primary culprit in crashing my Treo. And so I was really pleased to have found an alternative, a newly released free version of Opera called Opera Mini that works on the Treo (you can download it via your PC, or on the Treo itself by going to that same URL).

Opera Mini is a Java app, so you'll need a JVM (I am using WebSphere Everyplace Micro Environment). And as a Java app (as opposed to a native Palm app) the menus and controls are quite different to those of typical Palm applications (the menu button, as an example, does nothing).

But, it is fast, it works, and it has yet to crash my Treo! So, despite a rather clunky interface (what is with that obnoxious flashing status bar at the bottom of the screen?), I have made Opera Mini the default browser on my Treo.

Lego Mindstorms is one of the best toys-for-overgrown-kids out there, and now Lego has one-upped themselves with the announcement of the Mindstorms NXT, the next generation Mindstorms featuring a new 32bit brick, new sensors (including sound and touch), and Bluetooth support. The product is due out in the fall of 2006, so you have a few more months to get work done before your productivity takes a scheduled nosedive. Oh, and here's the best part, Lego is looking for 100 users to join the Mindstorms Users Panel, lucky individuals who will get their hands on the NXT four months ahead of the rest of civilization.

My computer started acting up today. The first indication that something was wrong was when POP mail requests started throwing strange error codes (SMTP and Exchange mail worked, just POP was failing). And then FTP transfers started retry lots of random packets. The only change I made to my computer was installing Communication Manager, the software for my new 3G card, but that could not be the problem, the card was not in the machine and Communication Manager was not running. Right? Well, after lots of tinkering I uninstalled Communication Manager, and suddenly everything started working again. Which is bizarre, because Communication Manager does not startup by default, it is run only when needed. Just to prove the point, I reinstalled and uninstalled Communication Manager several times, and sure enough, when installed (even if not running and without the PC card in the machine) lots of stuff broke (including POP e-mail), and when uninstalled the problems went away.

After lots of Google searches and a long chat with a techie at Cingular, the culprit was identified. Communication Manager installs another application, a data acceleration client. The software improves connection performance by doing things like degrading image quality, and I assume that there is software on the Cingular network end that actually does the compression as requested by the client. Lots of Communication Manager users have reported issues with data acceleration with all sorts of applications (including Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Internet Security).

But still, how could software that is not running cause problems? As per the documentation:

Data compression is only in effect when Cingular Communication Manager is connected to a Cingular GSM network and has successfully negotiated a session with the data acceleration server in the Cingular network.

In other words, if Communication Manager is not running then neither is data acceleration. And even if Communication Manager is running, data acceleration only impacts connections via the GPRS/3G card, not any other connections. That's what the documentation implies.

And, apparently that is not true. The Setting dialog in Communication Manager allows data acceleration to be started stopped and configured at will, and also allows it to be installed and uninstalled. Well, I uninstalled it. And suddenly everything works again.

Honestly, I am appalled. For starters, why the heck would data acceleration be tinkering with POP packets? And why was it messing with data sent over regular LAN and WiFi connections? But the bigger issue is simply this, how dare Cingular install software telling me that it will only run when executed, when it was clearly running at other times, too?

Not cool at all. No, I won't dump my 3G card yet, I still need to give it a real world road test. But if any of you install Communication Manager, do yourself a favor and uninstall data acceleration!

I am posting this with my LAN connection unplugged and WiFi disabled. And no, I am not using a dial-up connection. This is 3G at work.

Cingular has just rolled out 3G coverage in parts of the country, and so of course I replaced by GPRS card with a new HSDPA/UMTS EDGE/GPRS card (a Sierra Wireless AirCard 860). In other words, I can be online via GPRS just about anywhere on the planet, and via 3G connection in the U.S. where available. The card also supports WiFi, but I disabled that.

Initial speed tests show 600K download speed and 60K upload, quite a bit faster than GPRS. I'll be on the road quite a bit now and plan to give this baby quite the workout.

Oh, and Cingular is offering a $60/month unlimited data plan now.

I received a package from Palm this morning. It contained a little plastic SIM card tray to replace the one in the top of my Treo 650. As per the accompanying note:

Palm has learned that some SIM cards may not fit tightly enough in the SIM tray provided with the Treo 650 product. As a result, the SIM card contacts may lose their connection resulting in possible dropped calls or occasional shutdown of the phone function.

My gut feel is that this cannot be the cause of the reliability problems that I (and many others) have experienced with the Treo 650. But, I've switched SIM trays, you never know.