PDA - David Corking on Diigo

02 Dec 09

Nokia abandoning S60 for Maemo on future N-Series devices? -- Engadget Mobile -- November 2009

This is only rumours. Symbian (S60) is Nokia's only smartphone platform, and Maemo would have a big fight to displace it.

mobile.engadget.com/...on-all-future-n-series-devices - Preview

s60 Linux PDA Cellular phones

21 Nov 09

litl breaks cover – what to think? « Alex's Blog

www.alexhudson.com/...itl-breaks-cover-what-to-think - Preview

PDA

- £250 gets a 10″ Atom-based netbook with storage built in (yes, it’s a PC)
- £450 gets me the same netbook but with added mobile broadband, so not only can I take it everywhere around the house, I can take it around the country and still access my stuff
- £150 buys me a Joggler, which for my money does a lot of what litl does but has a touch screen and is even more portable. It’s not as flexible or powerful I guess, but I could buy three of these for one litl and I can text mobiles directly from it.
- £140 buys me a Chumby – less portable, less flexible, more interactive.
- £340 wins me a Fizzbook Spin. It’s ruggedized, the screen’s more adjustable as is the webcam, it has a handle and the orientation adjustment. It also has the important touchscreen.
- £300 also buys me various TV media centres which play photos, video, browse the web etc. Sure, it’s stuck under the TV.
- So many options for internet devices in the home. - on 2009-11-21
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30 Oct 09

Multitasking On The Nokia N900 Is Awesome | Maemo-Guru.com | Oct 2009

"Multitasking On The Nokia N900 Is Awesome"

www.maemo-guru.com/...g-on-the-nokia-n900-is-awesome - Preview

Cellular phones maemo PDA Open source Linux

Nokia N900 Preview First Impressions | Maemo-Guru.com | Oct 2009

short review

www.maemo-guru.com/...n900-preview-first-impressions - Preview

Cellular phones maemo PDA

For starters, the Nokia N900 blends IM and SMS together, so that most users will have no idea which is which. I am logged into Gtalk, Ovi Chat, and Skype on my N900, and there is no immediate notification on incoming messages whether it’s IM or SMS.
- Sounds like a _dis_advantage to me - I could see me running up a large SMS bill - but perhaps I misunderstood this feature. - on 2009-10-30
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Is Google Faking the Open-Source Funk? | eweek | October 2009

Boss of the Symbian Foundation talking down his competitors.

www.eweek.com/index2.php - Preview

Open source Cellular phones google-android symbian PDA

In an interview with GigaOM, Williams called Google "evil" and called for the search giant to be more transparent about Android. And it's not just Williams, but some of his crew that also are banging on Google to open up.
- Are CEOs of big open source foundations and businesses becoming more aggressive? - on 2009-10-30
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28 Oct 09

19 Weird And Wonderful Ways To Hold Your iPhone In Place - iSmashPhone iPhone Blog

Didn't have this diversity in the Palm Pilot days :(

www.ismashphone.com/...in-place-iphone-dyi-docks.html - Preview

PDA Cellular phones

iPhone dock made out of Lego blocks.

11 Aug 09

Augmented Reality apps coming to iPhone with OS 3.1 release |July 2009

Am I the only one who finds this creepy?

www.examiner.com/g-to-iPhone-with-OS-31-release - Preview

iPhone Cellular phones PDA mobile

Apple’s iPhone App Refund Policies Could Bankrupt Developers

Aaarghh

www.techcrunch.com/...cies-could-bankrupt-developers - Preview

iPhone Cellular phones mobile PDA

Apple will refund the full amount to the user and says that it has the right to keep its commission. So the developer not only has to return the money for the sale, but also has to reimburse Apple for its commission. Apple charges a 30% commission on all paid apps sold through the App Store.

26 Jun 09

Squeak demo on iTouch 2008

25 second silent video of Squeak on the iPod Touch - including pinch zoom and rotate

video.google.fr/videoplay - Preview

PDA Cellular phones Macintosh

25 Jun 09

Industry Misinterpretations 129: Smalltalk in Small Places podcast - James Robertson and John McIntosh - 2009

The preview of McIntosh's iPhone/Touch App Store apps based on Squeak and Seaside: he describes cutting down the image, connecting with UIkit (and webkit?), the objective-c bridge, and porting the VM itself.

In the comments, John McIntosh complains about the lack of an Android Squeak VM.

www.cincomsmalltalk.com/...blogView - Preview

Squeak iphone Cellular phones PDA objective-c

11 May 09

Moving to Symbian S60: One Year Later | March 2009

A techie user's experience

www.brighthand.com/default.asp - Preview

Cellular phones symbian PDA palmos

Nokia's Ovi Store will eventually help that, but everything from Nokia MOSH (now folded into the upcoming Ovi Store) to Nokia Download! (on devices but rarely with anything new; will also be folded into the Ovi Store) to retail software stores --- there just isn't a quick and easy way to find new software and get it.
signing and certificates for software. It's smart in idea, but horrible in implementation.
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- too many ways to develop for Symbian devices: native code, WRT (web run-time) widgets, Java, browser-apps, etc.
- 5-9 clicks just to add a calendar item.
- disjointed software updating -- which requires a Windows PC in older Nokia devices -- that leaves many North American users without fixes to serious issues for all but the most popular of handsets.
- there really isn't something as stable and capable as the Symbian OS (yet).
- Check with your home or renter's insurance whether they will or not before purchasing high-end models.
- Nokia's Symbian devices do not always use the same software as Samsung and LG's Symbian devices.
- Battery life is better with Nokia E-series devices; much better.
- This platform is fun, but is in major transition; something like what Palm is going through with Palm OS 5 and webOS.
- phone as a laptop/MP3 player/GPS/web server replacement
- definitely had its points where I wanted to turn back to the Palm Treos

Dr. Dobb's | Q&A: When Mobility and Open Source Collide | March 28, 2009

Really interesting interview with Symbian boss

www.ddj.com/216300285 - Preview

symbian Cellular phones PDA

The web browser is a good example, on a pc it may make sense to ask a user to find, click, type, and browse the web or look for a service. In a mobile, converged product, you need to help the user be present with the service even or especially when they are driving or have the product in a pocket or handbag, and requiring them to constantly select 'yes' or to type in forms etc. are real headaches for a consumer.
We will not provide a store front, but will help the community create multiple online stores from which they can generate revenue for themselves and the developer.
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- At the other end of the spectrum, you see hoards of teenagers in the U.S., Europe and Asia happily texting one handed, using predictive text.
  - No: they do NOT use predictive text - we 40 somethings might - but the kids uset text speak. How does a kid text rom an iPhone in his pocket? - on 2009-05-11
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- Focus on the whole experience, meaning you need to be inclusive of display sizes, input methods, and form factors when you design and develop your applications and services.
  - How much time does a Symbian app developer have to put in to considering all the different Symbian phones on the market? - on 2009-05-11
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- .Net CF
  - Little known Microsoft Windows Mobile compatibility - on 2009-05-11
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- expanding this functionality with QT libraries, Adobe AIR technology
- StyleTap has a Palm emulator that allows you to run thousands of Palm applications on Symbian products
  - This sounds like bad news for Palm Inc, and Access Co. - good news for users - on 2009-05-11
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- Red Five Labs has a runtime for Symbian OS which ensures Microsoft .net applications can be fully supported.
- many people around the world are not buying and cannot afford a PC.
- The Symbian Foundation is helping to do this by ensuring we lower the barrier for entry for software developers.

Dr. Dobb's Update : Editor's Note What's One More Operating System, More or Less?

This Symbian system (aka Psion , EPOC and Nokia S60) was well loved for its well though out personal organizer or PIM applications. Now, smartphone users seems more interested in e-mail, music and games. <s>I am interested to see if Symbian OS still has a profitable niche.</s> Symbian is a market leader in the new market.

links.techwebnewsletters.com/...MailView - Preview

symbian Open source Cellular phones PDA S60

In this regard, SymbianOS may have a leg up on Apple's App Store and even Nokia's Ovi Store, in that the "Symbian Application Inventory" will be free for developers. That's what you call "incentive," but is it enough?
- Before it attracts app developers, it has to attract hardware integrators. There is plenty of hardware out there, ~~but isn't this selling in far lower volumes than Linux or the proprietary smartphone OSes.~~
  As far as I can tell, it has attention from the biggest smartphone integrator of them all: Nokia, who, as far as I can tell, uses it in the best selling N95 family. This ratchets up the competion with Apple and RIM another notch. - on 2009-05-11
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Dr. Dobb's | OS: Does That Mean Operating Systems, Open Source, or Both? | December 3, 2008

Brief analysis of making a proprietary OS open source.

www.ddj.com/...212201757 - Preview

Open source symbian nokia solaris PDA Cellular phones

Williams insists that the Foundation will be independent, yet respectful, of Nokia's role. Moreover, as head of engineering and product development at Be (creator of the BeOS operating system), leader of the engineering development group at PalmSource, general manager of the Mobility Software for Symbol Technologies, and head of Nokia's Devices business
David Rivas recently said: "The fundamental economics of software development leads you to open-source software."

Dr. Dobb's | Smartphone Operating Systems: A Developer's Perspective | March 30, 2009

Lengthy but to-the-point developer's overview of Symbian, Mac OS X iPhone, Blackberry, Android. This talks about the leading app platforms except Java ME and Windows Mobile, though it does explain how Blackberry and Symbian support Java ME.

www.ddj.com/...printableArticle.jhtml - Preview

Cellular phones PDA symbian iphone cocoa Java

The industry stewards have countered Apple's move with their own application stores, so there's a huge opportunity to write the "killer app" for one of several smartphone platforms.
A client-server mechanism provides access to low-level system resources, and in fact the kernel itself is a server that parcels out resources to those applications that need them. This transaction scheme allows applications to exchange data without requiring direct access to the OS space.
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- C/C++ for porting existing UNIX applications, and Java to port Java ME MIDlets. As mentioned previously, the software stack offers several run-times that offer application development using WRT widgets, Flash, and Python.
  
  The primary programming language for the platform is Symbian C++,
- Handango has managed the wide-scale distribution of Nokia applications. In February, Nokia announced plans to launch its Ovi Store, which sells applications, videos, games, pod-casts and other content, similar to Apple's App Store. The store will be accessible by Nokia S60 smartphones in May.
- Non-standard Symbian C++ has steep learning curve, with special idioms to master.
  Large number of Symbian APIs to learn, since it contains hundreds of classes and thousands of member functions.
- BlackBerry Device Software executes multiple applications simultaneously
- Manages multiple e-mail Exchange e-mail accounts, along with support for POP3 and SMTP, and e-mails can have file attachments
  - LDAP directory? shared calendars ?? - on 2009-05-11
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- FIPS 140-2 compliant, and supports AES or Triple DES encryption sessions via BlackBerry Enterprise Servers
- BlackBerry Device Software has enhanced the capabilities of the platform with its own Java virtual machine (JVM), along with new Java classes that offer multitasking capabilities and UI enhancements to go beyond the capabilities of Java ME.
- You can also take existing Java ME code and add specific BlackBerry classes to make a hybrid Java ME application
- don't intermix MIDP 2.0 and BlackBerry API calls that perform either screen drawing or application management.
- The catch to writing an application that uses BlackBerry API extensions is that it ties the application this smartphone. However, this is no worse than using the unique Java classes found in Google's Android.
- Apple promotes the design goal that applications should accomplish one purpose.
- no Flash support, and you can't download files.
  - well-known iPhone weaknesses - and opportunities for other embedded scripting platforms like Squeak Plugin - on 2009-05-11
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- The iPhone 3G can work in tandem with Microsoft Exhange Server 2003 and 2007 to support enterprise operations.
  - Mail, calendar, directory?? - on 2009-05-11
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- For non-Exchange users, Apple's MobileMe online service, after some fits and starts in 2008, now supports the push of e-mails and changes to the calendar and contacts.
- Cocoa Touch is a subset of Apple's Cocoa,
- Cocoa Touch components manage most of the writing to the screen and playing media, yet there are APIs exposed that let you access the accelerometer and camera.
- Quartz engine is identical to the one found in Mac OS X
- Only a select few higher-level frameworks have access to the kernel and drivers. If necessary, an application can indirectly access some of these services through C-based interfaces provided in a LibSystem library.
- 40 MB to less than 4 MB of free RAM
  - iPhone ouch! Like a mid-1990s PC. - on 2009-05-11
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- one-app-at-a-time requirement complicates any implementation of a copy-and-paste mechanism.
- As a security sandbox, the iPhone OS permits only one third-party application to run at a time, and not in the background.
- the SDK provides Dashcode, which is a framework based on a Web page composed of HTML and Javascript. You can use DashCode's simulator to write and test your web application. You can also use several other third-party frameworks to write web applications, and debug these with Aptanna Studio's tools.
- adding some useful Bluetooth profiles that supported stereo headsets, data synchronization, or the ability to implement multiplayer games would be usefu
  - more iPhone ouches - I guess that is why wired headphones are still so popular. - on 2009-05-11
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- iPhone OS 3, that provides some of the missing features mentioned here, such as the A2DP profile for Bluetooth, voice recording, and copy-and-paste.
  - healing the ouches some day soon - on 2009-05-11
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- Have to learn Objective-C; is only smartphone platform that uses it.
- Competitors will soon catch up on the UI.
  - Seems to be struggling to fill out a list of cons :) - on 2009-05-11
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- embed navigation and GPS plotting into applications.
  - iPhone OS 3.0 - on 2009-05-11
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- provide their own map content
  - openstreetmap! - on 2009-05-11
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- The OS now supports the use of accessories connected to the iPhone either through its 30-pin docking connector or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Now that the device has been "opened", you can expect an entire ecosystem to build up around the device, much like the iPod has.
- peer-to-peer connectivity using Bonjour
- developers can now allow users, from within the application, to purchase and obtain new content
- No voice dial.
  - Not much thought for hands free users then! - on 2009-05-11
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- Made by HTC, the G1 is the first smartphone using the Android platform.
- e-mail program (which makes use of Google's Gmail), a mapping program (using the company's Google Maps), and a browser that uses WebKit, not Google's Chrome web browser
- Android is not Java ME, nor does it support such applications
- ability to both browse and manage multiple IM conversations. On the other hand, such heavy use of the smartphone's CPU shortens battery life significantly. Maybe Apple is on to something in limiting the number of applications that the platform can run.
- On the positive side, the Android APIs support a touch interface (and the G1 has a capacitive touch screen), but not any multi-touch gestures.
- copying text from the web pages is the browser isn't allowed
- The advantage to Android's use of a different bytecode interpreter is that the DVM was designed so that multiple instances of it can run, each in their own protected memory space, and each executing an application. While this approach offers stability and a robust environment for running multiple applications, it does so at the expense of compatibility with Java ME applications.
  - Why? Can it be fixed? Does it need to be fixed? - on 2009-05-11
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- Seasoned Java programmers will find the Android SDK an amalgam of Java SE and Java ME methods and classes, along with unique new ones
- compile the Java code to generate Dalvik bytecode files, with an extension of .dex. These files, along with the manifest, graphics files, and XML files, are packaged into an .apk file that is similar to a Java JAR file.
- The certificate that you use to generate the private key does not require a signing authority, and you can use self-signed certificates for this purpose.
- The Developer Phone provides access to a shipping Android device without the cash outlay or contract contortions required when developing for the other platforms.
- in February the site began supporting priced applications. Google allows developers to take seventy percent of the proceeds.
- it's possible that you might pick up a malicious application before it is detected by the user community.
- Open source, open platform: if you hate the mail program, some third-party is writing a better one.

iSqueak Wikki: Home of the iPhone/Touch port of Squeak

This is a living breathing ARM port contributed by John McIntosh in 2008 and forward. I wonder if there are any Squeak apps in the iTunes App Store yet.

isqueak.org/HomePage - Preview

Squeak Cellular phones PDA

iSqueak: Squeak for (i)Touch Devices (Squeak)

wins 3rd Place in the ESUG Innovation Awards

Here's a video of iSqueak in action∞

Here's a audio track discussing the iSqueak development∞

07 May 09

The iPhone Will Never Reach its Full Potential | Ghodmode.com | Feb 2009

Is there a genuine trade-off between customization and lockout?

www.ghodmode.com/9 - Preview

Cellular phones PDA

Some important features (e.g.: cut-and-paste, Flash player) that are often taken for granted on other mobile devices are not available (or allowed) on the iPhone.
collaboration on software development is difficult and Open Source Software development is impossible.
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- Apple has loosened the restrictions over time and will continue to respond to consumer and market pressure. But they might not do it in time for the device to reach its full potential before a competitor steals their momentum.
- Nokia has open-sourced Symbian and Google has created Android, both of which address the closed nature of iPhone's OS.
  - I didn't know Nokia had done this. - on 2009-05-07
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- It's easier to develop and publish software for Symbian, Android, Java (which theoretically works on every device except for the iPhone), and even Windows Mobile than it is for the iPhone.
- The iPhone was first into the market and Apple has an early lead, but there are too many forces working against them maintaining their lead.
  - Early market lead for a product with competitive flaws worked for VHS, MS-DOS and iPod. However it ultimately failed for General Motors and Chrysler.
    
    Anyway, in the worldwide marketplace, Nokia, while losing share, is still beating iPhone into a cocked hat*, so I think Ghodmode's prophecy is on the money.
    
    * http://www.screendigest.com/online_services/intelligence/mobile/updates/mi-22-04-2009-RR-1/view.html - on 2009-05-07
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09 Mar 09

An Openmoko bike ride - Chris Ball's blog - August 2008

This is a really cool use of a Neo (though a printed map in a plastic map pocket would do pretty much as well, though too heavy for a long trip.)

However it would be a great way to _contribute_ data to OpenStreetMap while keeping fit and reaching route

blog.printf.net/...an-openmoko-bike-ride - Preview

PDA Cycling Cellular phones Open source GPS

I'm particularly pleased with tangoGPS, which uses data from OpenStreetMap

13 Feb 09

Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone: How they stack up - Network World

Nice slideshow. No mention of the Nokia N95 family.

www.networkworld.com/...909-palm-pre-apple-iphone.html - Preview

PDA Cellular phones

These are too often just after-thoughts. The Pre supports the basic element: using Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, to connect with data and services on corporate Exchange servers, and push e-mail to the handset. Also supports Wi-Fi Protected Access, and WPA 2, along with 802.1x authentication. iPhone with the 2.0 softare update, also licensed ActiveSync and added support for Cisco IPsec VPN. Both still lag far behind RIM's BlackBerry in this category.

The edge: iPhone

24 Jan 09

Stylus - Ultimate 5-in-1 Geek Pen

Another stylus that looks pretty good. It can't be very often you need a UV light, unless you buy stuff at car boot sales or yard sales, and want to check it for security marks.

lists.openmoko.org/...004569.html - Preview

PDA Cellular phones

*

To find something as close as possible to the original OM stylus:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/b23c/

David Corking's Library tagged PDA → View Popular

Nokia abandoning S60 for Maemo on future N-Series devices? -- Engadget Mobile -- November 2009

litl breaks cover – what to think? « Alex's Blog

Multitasking On The Nokia N900 Is Awesome | Maemo-Guru.com | Oct 2009

Nokia N900 Preview First Impressions | Maemo-Guru.com | Oct 2009

Is Google Faking the Open-Source Funk? | eweek | October 2009

19 Weird And Wonderful Ways To Hold Your iPhone In Place - iSmashPhone iPhone Blog

Augmented Reality apps coming to iPhone with OS 3.1 release |July 2009

Apple’s iPhone App Refund Policies Could Bankrupt Developers

Squeak demo on iTouch 2008

Industry Misinterpretations 129: Smalltalk in Small Places podcast - James Robertson and John McIntosh - 2009

Moving to Symbian S60: One Year Later | March 2009

Dr. Dobb's | Q&A: When Mobility and Open Source Collide | March 28, 2009

Dr. Dobb's Update : Editor's Note What's One More Operating System, More or Less?

Dr. Dobb's | OS: Does That Mean Operating Systems, Open Source, or Both? | December 3, 2008

Dr. Dobb's | Smartphone Operating Systems: A Developer's Perspective | March 30, 2009

iSqueak Wikki: Home of the iPhone/Touch port of Squeak

The iPhone Will Never Reach its Full Potential | Ghodmode.com | Feb 2009

An Openmoko bike ride - Chris Ball's blog - August 2008

Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone: How they stack up - Network World

Stylus - Ultimate 5-in-1 Geek Pen

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