SmartphoneSmarts http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/ en Copyright 2007 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:50:39 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Flight Mode really Flight mode? So I've been a good citizen and have switched my Q to flight mode when on an airplane. However, about a month ago when i did this, I still received a text message while in flight mode. I thought this was weird and thought it might be a glitch and something do do with the broadcast nature of text messages.

However, this morning, after I landed in Chicago from Washington DC, first I received voicemail notification and then I had an incoming call. I was completely perplexed as I saw my signal strength indicator had an X through it. I thought maybe even if I answered the call, it would not go through, but the phone call went on as normal.

The way I believe cell towers works is that in order to have received that phone call today, my phone had to have registered on the cell tower first with an outgoing ping in order to receive the phone call. In this case, the "flight mode" on the phone might not be cutting off the radio but maybe just reducing the transmitting power? Either that or flight mode is a complete farce to keep stewardesses happy.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/10/flight_mode_really_flight_mode.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/10/flight_mode_really_flight_mode.html Q Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:50:39 -0500 Wayfinder Review A couple of years back when I first moved to the DC area I decided to invest in GPS for my car. Before, I used to think of GPS as a toy or as some un-necessary luxury, but now after my stereo and maybe my speedometer, it's probably the most used device in my car.

However, there are a few drawbacks to my in-vehicle unit. The first and major issue is that the device is permanently installed in my car. Therefore, when I am on vacation or in someone elses car or even walking I am without navigation. Next, the system is CD based, this means that data is spread out across several discs split by region and the data gets old.

Now that I have a smartphone with a fairly strong processor, a good amount of storage and bluetooth, I've decided to try and find a replacement.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/wayfinder_review.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/wayfinder_review.html Accessories Tue, 25 Jul 2006 23:42:37 -0500 How much does the Q cost Motorola? Earlier this year when Motorola and verizon released the Q I was quite startled as to how low the price of the device was. Verizon was offering the Q for $199 with a two year contract.

dollars.jpgIn comparison, the Palm Treo 700w was at first $499 and then reduced to $399. However, I was quite startled to read that the cost estimate of the components for the Q is at about $158.

This makes me wonder how much is Verizon actually "subsidizing" with your two year contract and how much is Microsoft taking in for licensing?

Another question is that the memory only cost $25, does this mean that by adding 25 dollars to the price of the phone, they cuold have effectively doubled the memory in the Q?

Component/Subsystem
TFT-LCD display module $25
Memory (Intel and M Systems MCPs) $22
Applications processor (Intel Xscale) $19
Digital Baseband (Qualcomm MSM6500) $14
Camera module $7
Subtotal of main cost drivers $87
Total Materials Costs $150
Total Materials with Manufacturing $158

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/how_much_does_the_q_cost_motor.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/how_much_does_the_q_cost_motor.html Q Fri, 21 Jul 2006 09:49:59 -0500 Verizon Minutes Used Firefox Extension I'm assuming if you're smart enough to be using a smartphone, you probably are smart enough to be using firefox as your browser of choice. If not:


Now that you have firefox, you can install this handy little extension here that will let you keep track of your usage.

I find it useful because it lets me keep a track of my minutes as well as my text messages used. I've asked the author if he could add data usage in the next release. We'll see if that happens.]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/verizon_minutes_used_firefox_e.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/verizon_minutes_used_firefox_e.html Verizon Wed, 19 Jul 2006 00:20:52 -0500 Running Skype on your Motorola Q Smartphone So since I got the Q, one of the applications that I was dying to try was VOIP. Any voip would do, unfortunately, finding a voip client written for Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition was impossible. It seemed because most smartphones were weak and did not have any kind of high speed connection, it was not a popular market.

However after snooping around the web for a while, I was able to find a way to get a version of Skype, originally made for PocketPC able to run on the Q. As usual, do the following at your own risk.



Original Link : Skype on Motorola Q Uploaded by: bryantchoung

First you will need to get the CAB Version of the Skype Software:

The executable version of the installer will not let you install Skype to your smartphone. We will get around this by extracting the files you need from the CAB file and manually installing them on your phone.

Once you download the cab file, use a program like winrar or winzip to open up the cab file. Copy the following files to a temporary folder: 000Boing.002 000Skype.001 SKYPED~1.003.

Then rename the files:
• 000Boing.002 -> Boing.wav
• 000Skype.001 -> Skype.exe
• SKYPED~1.003 -> SkypeDialer.dll
Then copy these file to your smartphone. I decided to copy the files to my storage card in a folder called skype.

Then, using file manager on your phone, you can locate and start Skype manually.

Before you try and run skype on your phone, you’re going to need some help from your PC. Part of the login process in Skype requires you to click on a login button. While this is no problem for pocketpc users, Q users have no touchscreen. Therefore use a mouse emulation program like Pocket Controller. The Free trial version will do everything you need.

After the program starts, enter in your login information and remember to leave the box checked for Skype to remember you and to automatically log you on.

Next, I have not figured out how to dial phone numbers in Skype on the Q. I’m pretty sure I’m missing some buttons. Additionally, the “softkeys” at the bottom of the screen are useless in this program.

The only way I have found to dial calls is to log into Skype using your PC and then adding contacts. Once you have added contacts, you can then select them on the Pocket version of Skype and dial.

You can view the video to see the entire process of signing on and making a call. You can also get an idea of the phone quality. So far, I’m just impressed that I have skype running on my Q. The call quality seems to be a bit spotty, but when the audio does go through, the sound seems clear. There also seems to be a bit of an annoying lag. Hopefully either Skype or some other adventurous user will be able to make some progress in making this better. Other factors might include programs installed on my Q, network use, and my EVDO reception.

Link to Video

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/running_skype_on_your_motorola.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/07/running_skype_on_your_motorola.html Tutorial Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:00:34 -0500 ShieldZone Video Review Found this "Full Body" shield for the Q. While I like that it does protect about 70% of the Q and how it is almost invisible, i don't like how it doesn't protect the corners of the device at all. Another issue is that if my Q ever has issues again and I have to return it, it doesn't look like this protection will be transferrable. Regardless, I'll probably get one and try and post my own review afterwards.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/shieldzone_video_review.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/shieldzone_video_review.html Q Sat, 24 Jun 2006 23:57:38 -0500 Running PocketNesterPlus on your Q So part of the benefit of a smartphone over a regular phone is the ability to store lots of files as well as the relative ease for developers to develop apps for the platform and device.

One great app that was originally designed for Pocket PC was PocketNester. This has been skillfully ported to Windows Mobile for Smartphone, and you should be able to get it to run on your Q.

An emulator is a piece of software which lets your Q emulate another device. PocketNesterPlus is an NES emulator for your Smartphone. By downloading "Rom Files", which are essentially the files right off of NES cartridges, you will be able to play almost any game made for NES on your Q.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/running_pocketnesterplus_on_yo.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/running_pocketnesterplus_on_yo.html Tutorial Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:41:05 -0500 Phone Mnemonic Translater So the one big gripe about the Q is that there is no easy way to call phone numbers repersented as letters. An Example of this is like 1-800-WWW-DELL. This left you empty handed if you were trying to dial a number from an ad unless you could translate that on the fly in your head.

So I'm please to announce my first PHP WML page:
smartphonesmarts.com/dial.wml

Let me know what you think!

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/phone_mnemonic_translater.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/phone_mnemonic_translater.html Tools Wed, 14 Jun 2006 19:20:24 -0500 Q with a headphone adapter I finally received the adapter that the Q should have come with, a standard stereo headset adapter with microphone. The headset jack on the Q is a 2.5 stereo headset jack. This means that it can support a microphone and stereo headphones in a jack thats slightly smaller than your standard headphone jack. Seeing that a lot of the marketing for the Q is as it being a great multimedia device, it kind of is a shame that the Q out of the box has no way of hooking into your quality headphones or home audio system. Maybe they couldn't find a way to get them into the box and keep the Q under the 199 price point.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/q_with_a_headphone_adapter.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/q_with_a_headphone_adapter.html Q Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:27:00 -0500 Virtual Earth Mobile So my friend Hux pointed me in the direction of Virtual Earth Mobile. I decided to install it today on my Q and write a review.

Virtual Earth Mobile is a program for Windows Mobile that grabs Maps, Directions, and Satellite imagery from Microsoft's Virtual Earth Website. This will let you Zoom to any part of America, update using a GPS receiver, Find businesses and addresses, and get driving directions.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/virtual_earth_mobile.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/virtual_earth_mobile.html Software Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:33:09 -0500 Guide to Cell Phone Standards Every time I go home, my dad usually ends up asking me tech questions. Most of the time they’re the same. This time as we were switching his phone he asked me about GSM. So I’ll be making this post in Question Answer interview format that is a rough transcript of what happened this weekend:

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/guide_to_cell_phone_standards.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/guide_to_cell_phone_standards.html Tech Explanation Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:57:55 -0500 Guide to Email on a Smartphone email.jpgSetting up Email on your Windows Mobile Smartphone as demonstrated on a Q

So you’ve got the latest and coolest smartphone, you’ve paid for your data plan but now you’re stumped as to how to get your email automatically sent to the stupid thing. Hopefully this guide will set you on your way.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/guide_to_email_on_a_smartphone.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/guide_to_email_on_a_smartphone.html Tutorial Tue, 06 Jun 2006 00:43:01 -0500 Motorola Q Faq Started up a FAQ for the Q over the weekend.

So far I've covered as much as I can think of that I've learned or still had questions about.

Let me know if you have any answers or any new questions for it.

Link to the Q FAQ

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/motorola_q_faq.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/motorola_q_faq.html Q Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:00:54 -0500 Review: Motorola Q After many months of eagerly waiting, I have received my Motorola Q in the mail today. I will try and cover all questions that I have had about the device and all of the answers I have discoverd thus far.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/review_motorola_q.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/06/review_motorola_q.html Q Fri, 02 Jun 2006 01:07:30 -0500 Motorola Q on Order I ordered my Motorola Q today. Hopefully it will come in tomorrow.

For those of you who are interested, you can order the Motorola Q through Verizon Wireless online right now. They should start popping up in stores between now and June 5th. By June 5th, all stores should have the phones available for a nationwide launch.

moto_q.jpgThe phone is running a 312 MHz processor with 128 MB of ram and an MiniSD slot that is expandable up to 2gig.

The phone will be running EVDO and CDMA on Verizon Wireless exclusively for at least 6 months. Then it could possibly show up on Sprint.

The phone does not feature a touchscreen, but does offer a landscape screen with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The phone also offers a QWERTY thumboard for text input.

The phone also offers bluetooth and Infra-red for connection options. In theory you could add a WiFi card into the mini-sd slot as well.

The phone will also come equipped with a 1.3 megapixel camera and light as well as stereo speakers.

After writing this I'm realizing I should start writing articles explaining what these specs mean in english terms. Look for those soon.

]]> http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/05/motorola_q_on_order.html http://www.smartphonesmarts.com/2006/05/motorola_q_on_order.html Q Wed, 31 May 2006 23:42:57 -0500