03:11 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Is Microsoft trying to redefine the meaning of push e-mail? A few days ago the company's chief Steve Ballmer announced an Exchange Server feature pack to include "Direct Push Technology" - the delivery of e-mail to mobile devices without any action on the part of the user. At least one analyst, Yankee Group's John Jackson, has reason to doubt that Microsoft's new push email technology is really push at all.

In the case of Windows Mobile, the user's device checks back with the server at specified intervals to receive any pending e-mail deliveries. I digged a bit further and found this technical explanation from the Microsoft Exchange team:

The [mobile] device issues an HTTP request to Exchange, which asks Exchange to report any changes that occur in the mailbox of the requesting user within a specified time limit. The URL of this HTTP request is the same as that of other AirSync commands ("/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync") with some differing query string parameters. The body of the HTTP request allows the client to specify those folders that Exchange should monitor for changes. Typically, these will be the Inbox, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks folders. Upon receiving this request, Exchange will monitor the specified folders until either the time limit expires or a change (such as the arrival of a piece of email) occurs in one of those folders, whichever comes first. Exchange will then issue a response to this request that notes in which folders the changes occurred. Of course, this will be empty if the time limit elapsed before any changes occurred. Upon receiving an empty response, the device simply re-issues the request. This loop of issuing a request for change notifications, receiving an empty response, and re-issuing the request for change notifications is called "the heartbeat." Upon receiving a non-empty response, the device issues a synchronization request against each folder in the response. When those complete, it re-issues the request for change notifications.

In the case of RIM (Blackberry), on the other hand, the network server is continually checking with the device -- which remains essentially inactive -- to see where it is. Obviously RIM's approach is less battery-intensive and faster to respond to new incoming e-mail since it is only reacting when the server initiates a connection.

[via News Factor and BBHub]

03:20 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Ever wonder why Palm (PalmSource) thinks PalmOS is the right operating system for you? Check out this article from a year or two ago... http://www.palmsource.com/palmos/whyPalmOS.html

Sure, it's a bit dated now, especially with all that's going on in the market and with new OS releases. But still interesting. Hopefully there's another newer version of this document in the works.

02:44 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Windows users among us know Safe Mode, a powerful component for fixing problems in Microsoft's occasionally buggy operation system. The basic idea is to allow the user access to the windows interface without loading any unnecessary drivers or software. Today I found a tiny 8KB service application called SafeMode for Pocket PC that promises to bring similar functionality to Windows Mobile users. If your PDA freezes or enters a soft-reset loop, you can still use SafeMode to remove the buggy software (such as startup applications, system services, and Today plugins) from your device.

The tool is free for non-commercial purposes. I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. But if it works as it claims, this would be a new entry in my list of must-have tools!

08:56 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Just when we thought everything has been already said (see here and here), Tom's network released a third part of his WEP cracking step-by-step guide; however this time he focuses on security and explains in detail what you can do to prevent evildoers from causing havoc on your network.

08:46 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Infosync posted one of the first reviews of the HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger, which will hit the market next month. The reviewer's feelings are mixed:

A Ferrari powered by a Wolksvagen motor - that's the HP iPAQ hw6515 in a nutshell. An otherwise excellent set of hardware and software harboured in a surprisingly small form factor is hampered by poor thumbboard responsiveness, a modest processor, limited memory and poor battery life. If your needs for frequent text input and heavy multitasking aren't pressing, and chargers are readily at hand at the end of each business day, the hw6515 presents a tantalizing offer - just beware of its shortcomings.

Btw, it's Volkswagen.

[via MSMobiles]

08:37 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I remember myself anxiously waiting to buy a Cobalt-based device sometime around one year ago. Obviously, if I hadn't decided to make an at least temporary switch to Pocket PC, I would have still been waiting today. Sammy from PalmAddicts discovered today that the company of AeroPlayer, the well-known audio player for Palm OS, is already working on version 6 of its software to support Palm OS 6.1.

What does that mean? It is most likely that a lot of software developers are currently working - using some kind of Cobalt simulator - on updated versions of their software to be ready once the first Cobalt device hits the market. I think I am not alone to believe that once this is going to happen, the name of Palm will resound throughout the land (in a positive way, I hope!).

03:51 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

Rebecca Blood compiled an extensive list of summer reading resources. Highly recommended if you haven't found the perfect read for your next stay on the beach yet.

03:22 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Lucky are those who live in Seattle or San Francisco. Reuters is quoting a study by Intel according to which those two cities had more places for its residents to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi hot spots than any other U.S. city.

Other top ten unwired U.S. cities include: Austin, Portland, Toledo, Atlanta, Denver, Raleigh-Durham, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Orange County. Somehow surprising that none of the "big" towns like NYC or Chicago were mentioned on the list.