Archive for Mobile Devices
My Top 5 Blackberry Bold Apps
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The battle for top Smartphone has been underway for some time now, with iPhone’s latest 3G S and of course the Blackberry Bold 9000. I’ve test driven both phones and find them to be, in my opinion, the top two on the market today (sorry Palm Pre fans). These all-in-one devices are basically PDA-phone hybrids that are customizable to numerous configurations, depending upon what you need them to do.
I’ve been on Blackberry phones for years now and have established a comfort level with their usage that makes it a difficult decision to go with Apple’s 3G S, although they are no doubt, really fantastic phones.
So, having given the iPhone it’s props, I will move on to a few of my favorite apps on the Blackberry Bold 9000.
This music streaming radio resource is a fantastic addition to your Smartphone toolkit, as it allows you to create your own stations. Simply enter the name of your favorite artist and Pandora will not only start off with that selection, but will play only music that is similar in style and composition to your entry.
Create several stations and you have a treasure trove of music. I’ve created only four stations (out of the allowed 100) and seldom use more than one, as it plays music as if it were reading my mind and mood. Unreal!
This is also a great way to build a library of music, as you identify what you may not have in your collection. Just make a note of various selections and artists.
I must warn you however, this can be additive and if you don’t have an unlimited data plan, you may be in for a higher monthly bill than you had anticipated.
Create an account and enjoy this free service, which launched in 2005. There is also a paid version which provides additional features, but I would have to wonder why the free version was not enough for anyone. You will get 1 or 2 ten-second ads per hour, which only serves to remind you that your iPod is not what’s been playing.
This is a free Twitter client for the Bold 9000 which allows you to update your feed without any text messaging charges. You’ll also have access to your public and friends timeline right from the Blackberry Bold desktop. A really great app.
What can I say? No Smartphone is complete without a couple of social media apps, and Facebook is a must for social hounds like me. With this baby you can post on walls, accept friends and even upload photos. Keep in touch and up to date while away from your office or home base.
Yep, another freebie with a ton of features and functions. This app is specifically designed for Blackberry users. It even shows you where you are according to GPS or cell towers, depending on what’s available at your current position. See your position on a map, even if you don’t have the GPS service active. You’ll get basic map functionality, including a zoom feature. Cool stuff.
Visit the site and enter your mobile phone number, the download link will be sent to you for easy installation.
Opera Mini is a slick mobile browser that allows you to view web video and has blazing speed, loading pages really quickly. What makes this browser so fast is it’s ability to compress web pages by up to 90% of their original size.
It then renders a nice page overview and even suggests where to begin reading. Another nice feature, of the many available, is the “Power scrolling shortcuts” where you use your phone’s number keys. Pressing 2, 4, 6, and 8 to scroll up, down, left and right respectively. Pressing the 5 key toggles a zoom in / zoom out feature. This is a cool browser and makes a great alternative to the stock Blackberry model.
All of the above apps are freebies, but again I will caution you about your data plan. An unlimited one is best to avoid overages on your monthly. Pandora internet radio, while a fantastic mobile application, is an absolute data consumption hog.
These are a few of my favorite apps but there are many, many more which I will likely do another post on.
If you are a Blackberry users and do not have some of these apps, you should try them out as they will enhance your online experience, even when you’re on the go.
Now when you’re stuck in the airport you can at least have some means of temporary escape while awaiting the passage of time.
What are some of your favorite apps for the Blackberry?
I’ll include some of them in the next post on this topic and give you a shout-out for your input.
**This article was reposted due to some technical difficulty.
**Thanks to Michael Hollis for your feedback!
Zune HD – The Next Generation
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Microsoft is set to launch the new Zune HD this Fall, which features a web browser, HD video out, HD radio and of course, the touch screen. After watching the soaring popularity of the iPod something just had to be done. Will this latest Zune offering be a device that finally cuts into iPod’s market share or will it be just another also-ran? Let’s take a closer look at a few of the features that will be packed into this next generation Zune.
The first thing I looked for and noticed was that it had Wi-Fi. Having wireless connectivity is a must for me. You never know when you may find yourself in a “Hotspot”. With the “full-featured web browser” and touchscreen, surfing the net for your favorite sites should be fun, providing that the Zune HD has some muscle to load your choices quickly. The browser even has a QWERTY keyboard and something called “Tap-to-zoom technology”. Microsoft hopes these features will bring you to their marketplace where you can purchase videos, music and other content.
Another feature I found to my liking is the HD Video Out. Download HD content from the web and plug the unit into your HDTV and you’ve got 720P videos, TV shows and movies. While travelling you can watch HD content on the 3″ by 3″Â 16:9 OLED screen (480×272 resolution). Plug in a nice set of headphones or buds, and this can be quite an escape from the world and a nice experience.
HD Radio is also onboard where you can tune into your stations with “crystal-clear reception” at no additional cost. No additional cost means there is an initial cost somewhere, but you have to pay something for good quality content and to support the industry. If the HD content is reasonably priced robust sales will be a natural.
The new Zune HD will expand into a new platform featuring a catalog of TV and film in the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. The unit comes in 16 and 32 GB models that can be synced to your computer via wireless support.
Microsoft has been around since 1975 and I often wonder why they have not pushed the product development envelope more aggressively, particularly in the last decade. But maybe this time they are about to roll-out a really snazzy gadget.
What I haven’t heard about with this device is an application store of some sort. Does this mean there won’t be apps for it or is this something they’ll roll-out later? The absence of any specs thus far raises my curiosity. In any case, I would love to test drive one right now but Mr. Gates hasn’t called me back.
This may not supplant the iPod (and who really knows) but it is a product worth keeping an eye on. I haven’t seen anything on pricing just yet, but you can look to spend a few hundred or so.
The Zune HD portable media player is looking to make a statement when it arrives. From the advance advertising, it seems to have something interesting to say.
Stay tuned!
