Experience Mobility

Click this link to check out the magic of Windows Phone 7 Series 

We had an early rise this morning to watch the announcement of the new Windows Phone 7 series that Microsoft unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. 

SlashGear has a nice “hands on” video you might enjoy.

After the announcement we decided to head out to breakfast and found that even though it was sunny, there was a heavy fog base just hanging in there.

I expect it will be a great week here in Bellevue and at the Microsoft Campus attending the annual Microsoft MVP Summit.

SPB Software has announced the release of SPB Mobile Shell 5.0. Unlike all the previous versions of SPB Mobile Shell available exclusively for Windows Mobile smartphones with touchscreens, version 5.0 is to be released for Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian.

Major updates to the new version include a new 3D engine and an improved social networking integration. The former means support for new types of eye candy effects such as 3D Media Player, 3D Photo Viewer, 3D Weather, dynamic 3D widgets and more, while the latter involves message, contacts, photo and status sync with popular services, namely Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

One important innovation in SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 is the Natural Interaction Engine which includes support for G-sensor and multitouch, a dedicated Feedback Engine providing realistic visual and haptic responses, and a Physics Engine responsible for the real-world behavior of all objects.

What’s new in SPB Mobile Shell 5.0:

• New 3D engine
• Natural Interaction Engine
• 3D widgets
• Tight integration with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks
• SPB UI Builder 2.0
• Multi-platform support: Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian

Check it out here at Spb

SBSH just released a new update for Calendar for S60 smart-phones to version 1.5! Wouldn’t you know that the day after my review of the Nokia E72 that it was released.  I would have loved trying the updated version on the E72 before I had to send it back.

The update features an overhauled design, filters, empowered engine, view picker, advanced recurrence support and much more!

SBSH Calendar 1.5 Highlights

• Empowered Engine – The database engine has been rewritten from the ground up, providing a dramatic speed improvement!
• Landscape Monthly View – Monthly Calendar layout will automatically change for optimized display in both landscape and portrait screens
• Overhauled Design – Redesigned for better look and optimized usability for smart-phones: OS scrollbars, new category icons and more!
• Advanced Recurrence – Now offering powerful recurring item configuration, supporting all types of recurring item creation
• Filters – Powerful filters system! Filter the display by multiple categories at the same time, assign names to each of your filters
• View Selector – Easily jump between views using the new optional View Selector or navigate between views using the view toggling tray button
• Customization – Myriad of new settings added. Ensuring Calendar perfectly fits the needs of all users, from the home user to the busy professional!

The new SBSH Calendar for S60 is available as free update for all registered users. You can get more information in their Press Release here.

If you have not tried SBSH Calendar for s60 then check out the website here

And BTW, if you are a Windows Mobile user, check out Calendar Touch here

I have to admit from the beginning that I am an avid Windows Mobile fan and over the years have always found it difficult to look at and use other devices. I am sure that the biggest reason for that has been because I have been so used to the Windows platform and when looking at a non-windows device, I compare every aspect of it to Windows Mobile.  Over time I have mellowed somewhat and have acquired an absolute liking to a variety of non-windows devices.

Several years ago I was included in a special bloggers program where I had the opportunity to check out a variety of Nokia N-series devices and quite frankly, I was very impressed with most of them. In fact, I still use a couple of Nokia devices when I want that special experience while I am on the road. If one were to ask what impressed me the most as I used those devices, I would have to reply that it was the unparalled quality of the Nokia Experience.

Read more…

Mike Temporale went to CES this year and posted an item that caught my eye:  Using your device to control your car stereo is cool (as long as you are not driving).  

The connection can be made over WiFi, Bluetooth, or over USB connection. They are still working on the USB connection, but expect to have that completed soon.

They are open to supporting more than just LG devices. Since this is a Windows Mobile client, it will work on any Windows Mobile device.

Check out the small piece here at Mobile Jaw

Everyone has their own way to Experience Mobility.  My niece just got back from a “Winter Camping Trip” with stops at Arches National Park , Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.  She sent us a slew of great pictures to share her experience with us so I thought I would share with you a few of her photo’s.

I’ll have to get her a Windows Phone so she can post her pictures as she takes them!

When you click on the “View Full Album” link below, clicking on the “thumbnail” will give you a medium sized image.  Clicking on that image will give you the “Full Size image” 

View Full Album

I have to admit I am prejudiced toward Windows Mobile but there are a few non Windows devices that have been favorites as well. I change devices almost daily and often carry two as a rule but today I was undecided what I was going to work with so I took 3 devices with me.

I spent most of my day with the AT&T LG expo surfing the net, checking my email and watching a movie using the Pico projector while waiting for a friend.

I am impressed with the LG expo. It is fast, comfortable to use and has a few neat features that make it quite unique. I expect that shortly I will start posting my thoughts and experiences with this very cool device.

Nokia has always impressed me with their devices. My experiences have been very positive with a few devices coming very close to being my favorite. Such is the case with Nokia e72. This is a very slim device that has amazing possibilities as I explored it today for a couple of hours. I’ll spend a few more days with it and next week will post a few thoughts before I have to return it.

And lastly, I am spending my evening watching some TV and testing a few applications on my Touch Pro2 (which is tied in first place with my Verizon Imagio). When I know I have a lot text entry, this device is my first choice.

So I am testing some blogging software on my device and am finding that adding pictures is an issue but I expect we will overcome that … at least I hope so.

I’ll be missing CES this week because of some prior commitments bit I expect we will be getting some great items from some fellow MVPs that did get to go.

I wanted to check out a beta application for posting to Experience Mobility so this was a good time to try it.

I love this!  This is the funniest, and most thought out iPhone commercial spoof ever, brought to you by the folks at www.scottevest.com.

If you like “There’s an App for that Apple iPhone commercials”, you will LOVE SeV’s version: “There’s a Pocket for That“.

YouTube