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Talkin' Treo -- v060206
Week ending 2 June 2006
Spy (P) vs. Spy (W) vs. Spy (Q)
 This full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday got my attention.
First, it made me think of Spy vs. Spy, Mad Magazine's comic strip that features two spies, Black and White, who constantly war against each other.
 I'm wondering how Verizon sales reps are explaining the differences between the all the smartphones they're carrying.
One thing's for sure, it looks like this will be the Summer of Smartphones.
So let's talk Treo!
Palm News
BlackBerry Connect for Palm Treo 650 Smartphone Now Available on StarHub's Network in Singapore
Announcing the arrival of Blackberry Connect in some part of the world seems to be a weekly activity over at Palm. This week, Palm and Research In Motion (RIM) announced the availability of BlackBerry Connect for the Palm Treo 650 smartphone on the StarHub network in Singapore. BlackBerry Connect enables new and existing Treo 650 users to benefit from many popular features of the "push"-based BlackBerry architecture via BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
 With BlackBerry Connect, StarHub customers have a greater choice of mobile devices that are supported by the robust and secure capabilities of BlackBerry services and a wider choice of wireless email solutions on the feature-rich Palm Treo 650 smartphone.
Talkin Treo 700p
More pundits are Talkin' Treo 700p:And more companies are announcing products supporting the Treo 700p:- MotionApps announced that its applications (mVoice, mOcean, mRing, mVoicemail and mRSS) are available for the Treo 700p. The company worked closely with Palm and other partners to make sure that some of the unique new features of latest Treo 700p are incorporated.
- MyTreo.net reports that "Star Developer" Marc Blank has released a new version of ChatterEmail. Called ChatterEmail 2.0, it's been tested successfully with the new Treo 700p. Together with new and enhanced features this makes Chatter (as it is still called by many of its long-time supporters) the number one choice for the Treo user that isn't satisfied with the built-in mail application.
- Ryan at PalmInfocenter reports that Ludus Tech has released the first utility specifically designed for the Palm Treo 700p. LudasP is an app that allows you to fully customize the behavior of the application and phone buttons on the 700p. It enables you to set the home button to your own preferred launcher, adds an all in one phone button and customize which key is used for the menu and also allows you to set default actions for the app buttons.
LudasP is available now with a seven-day free trial. After that, is costs $5 USD if you want to keep it.
That "Other" Smartphone
 Here are a few reviews that hit this week for the Motorola Q:
San Francisco Chronicle
Smartphone Blast!
The Associated Press
Elsewhere in the World of Treo
Electric Avvenu
There were two announcements this week from Avvenu, the company that provides secure remote access to (and sharing files from) home and work computers from around the corner or around the globe.
Avvenu announced Guaranteed Access [pdf], the first feature in the company's new Avvenu Plus premium service level. Guaranteed Access lets subscribers access and share documents, folders and photos using any web-enabled mobile device or computer, even if the user's computer is not connected to the Internet or is turned off. And to ensure users have access to the latest versions of their files and folders, Guaranteed Access includes Auto Sync, which automatically keeps the selected content current.
Avvenu also announced My Media Play [pdf], a new feature that gives users access to the entire music collection stored on their computer anytime, anywhere. Whether at work or on the go, My Media Play lets users play any of the MP3 and WMA music files stored on their home computer from any computer or Windows Mobile 5-equipped phone. The Avvenu service with My Media Play is free and available now at the company's website. A broadband connection on both sides of the Avvenu connection is pretty much a must.
Review of Avvenu at ZDNET
 Matthew Miller, "The Mobile Gadgeteer" just wrote a review on Avvenu:
"Today, Avvenu announced the immediate availability of a couple new features, Guaranteed Access and My Media Play. Guaranteed Access solves one of my main issues with my work computer that I log off of every day since you can now access all your files even when you are logged off or power off your computer. This is a new paid subscription option that provides you with 5GB (US$3.99/month or US$29.99/year) or 10GB (US$6.99/month or US$54.98/year) of storage space to sync your files to their servers for access at all times.
The other new feature, My Media Play, is part of their free Basic service option and allows you to access your music collection of MP3 and WMA files and play them on your Windows Mobile 5.0 or Series 60 device. Palm devices are not yet supported, except the Treo 700w, due to their media player limitations."
Smartphone Blast (pdaBlast!) posted two interesting stories this week. One was about the EzRemote Windows Remote Desktop Client for Palm OS. With EzRemote, you can remotely access any Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)-compatible Windows personal computer anywhere by using a variety of connections such as GPRS, WiFi, or Bluetooth. This sounded interesting.
The other story was about CompanionLink for Google Calendar. This software allows users to synchronize their data from Google Calendar with the Palm Desktop, Microsoft Outlook and their PDAs.
The Opera browser now available for Pocket PC
This week, Opera Software announced the release of Opera Mobile 8.6 for Windows Mobile, finally offering Pocket PC owners a fast and user-friendly Web surfing experience on their devices. Opera Mobile 8.6 for Pocket PC takes full advantage of the larger screen and higher resolution of PPC devices by offering tabbed browsing and surfing in horizontal landscape mode. The browser, based on Opera's newest core code, runs on Windows Mobile 5 and 2003 SE. Opera Mobile(TM) for Pocket PC is available from www.opera.com/mobile and comes with a free 30-day trial.
In a related story, I came upon this: Why There's no Opera Mini for the Palm.
Tam Hanna writes, "Opera Mini is a very popular web browser for the Palm OS. However, it runs only in Java VMs, and not natively as a Palm OS application. Now, OperaWatch's Daniel Goldman talked to an Opera spokesperson about why there is no Opera for Palm OS yet.
To cut the long story shortit's because no hardware manufacturer is interested."
Chapura Increases Outlook Synchronization Capability of Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones
 This week, Chapura, Inc., an innovator of synchronization technology for mobile personal information managers (PIMs), announced that its popular Outlook synchronization software, PocketMirror Professional for Microsoft Windows Mobile, now support the Smartphone edition of Windows Mobile 5. As consumers and enterprise customers continue to migrate between platforms, the swift and accurate transfer of personal information between devices is vital. Using PocketMirror Professional for Window Mobile in concert with PocketCopy software from Chapura, customers can easily transfer their data from the Palm Desktop to the new device via Microsoft Outlook. At the touch of a button, PocketCopy copies Palm Desktop Address Book, Date Book, To Do List and Memo Pad or Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Memos information into Microsoft Outlook Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes. From there, customers may use the Active Sync software on their Windows Mobile device and PocketMirror Professional for Windows Mobile to synchronize the data between Outlook and the mobile device. Read the press release.
Recent TreoCentral Guides & Reviews
 Cellpod, a cute little tripod for your Treo - By Jay Gross
"For taking pictures where camera steadiness is an issue - aren't they all? - and especially when you want to join your subjects in the shot, Joy Innovations' Cellpod offers a joyously simple, clever solution. It also holds the phone at a convenient angle for conferencing, for laid-back calling, and for those times when you're moving files around or watching the phone waiting for it to ring."
 SP Experts ClearCase - By James Hromadka
" The ClearCase is great for those who want a stylish, smooth, slim case for their Treo but don't like the rubber issues that rubber skin cases bring, or the cold feel of a metal case. This case is not only high-tech but also easy on the wallet. The only real problem is its tight SD card holder."
Reviews & Guides from Elsewhere in the Treo Community
Jabra BT500 Bluetooth Headset Review
Treobits posted a review of the Jabra BT500 Bluetooth Headset.
"The Jabra BT500 Bluetooth headset is a reliable tool in a compact package...once you get past the instruction manual, that is
"
"The sound quality of the Jabra is good. My friend told me that I was much clearer on the BT500 than I had ever been on my wired headset."
How About a Fabric Case?
Andrew over at Treonauts has written an interesting piece about a favorite Treo case the foofpod.
"Aside from being 'unusual' what makes the foofpod special in my eyes is that it provides the perfect basic protection against scratches and even drops (thanks to internal padding) that I need for my 'naked' Treo in a suit pocket, sports jacket, coat or briefcase. However, what really sets it apart for me is simply that it looks gorgeous and I like the soft touch of the fabric. Additionally there is a certain 'exclusive' element to the foofpod as they are individually handmade 'by a nice Irish girl in Australia who goes by the name of foof' in very limited quantities for each fabric."
Endnotes & Ponderables
I want my MTV
MTV has just announced plans to launch an original video-based series, Sway's Hip-Hop Owner's Manual, that's being developed specifically for various wireless devices. Ten short-form episodes are in the works for the new show, which will feature MTV News' correspondent and radio personality Sway Calloway commenting on various hip-hop videos while helping unfamiliar fans break down the latest slang terms through interviews with various hip-hop experts. The show will be available through all wireless carriers that offer MTV Mobile Video as part of their content subscription packages.
By the way, it looks like Verizon is offering MTV as part of their VCast service.
That's a wrap!
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