HAI (Home Automation, Inc.), has announced it is now shipping a new software product called WL3 for Windows Home Server (HAI Part Number 1112). WL3 is an Add-in for a Windows Home Server that allows you to monitor and control your HAI Home Control System from any device with a web browser, such as a computer, PDA, Smartphone, BlackBerry, iPhone 2.0, iPod Touch, etc.

WL3 allows you to change your home’s temperatures, adjust the lights or security settings, or view any supported camera securely and easily. It also allows you to view cameras in your home of from public IP cameras around town, such as traffic and weather cameras.

WL3 can also record video based on an event and/or send e-mails or text messages. Recorded videos and snapshots are categorized and can be viewed anytime you log in, locally or over the Internet. WL3 continually monitors your home and can inform you of events such as the alarm system being disarmed, or a car entering the garage. Furthermore, WL3 is customizable and allows you to change the user interface by applying different graphic and color schemes, add RSS feeds, weather, sports, news, personal blogs and more. WL3 will retail for $329 and requires an Ethernet enabled HAI home control system and a Windows Home Server.

http://www.homeauto.com

Palm today introduced Treo Pro, with its streamlined design and Palm shortcuts layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is brings email, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities for all. Treo Pro, which will be available from Vodafone and O2 in Europe and from Telstra in Australia, also will be available in an unlocked version in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

The Treo Pro smartphone, based on the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform with:

* One-touch Wi-Fi button—Easy, fast Wi-Fi connection experience (802.11b/g).(1)
* Today screen enhancements—Web search directly from the Today screen.
* Ringer switch—Silences the device immediately.
* Screen saver—Lets users know at a glance - without turning on the device - what time it is and whether you’ve missed a call or have a new SMS/MMS message.
* New voicemail indicator—The center button flashes to let users know that a voicemail is waiting.
* Dedicated email and calendar buttons—Fast one-button access.
* World phone—With high-speed UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities.
* Integrated GPS—Users can access maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches.

It will be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store) as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, simply insert your existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract.

Matthew Miller over at ZDN posts his thoughts on the whole 3rd party app failure to launch debacle.

Quote:

"I actually still see the issue on my original iPhone, upgraded to the version 2.0.1 firmware and the reinstall method seems to work for me most of the time. I returned my iPhone 3G last week because I found it to be less stable than my other S60 and Windows Mobile devices who can handle 3rd party applications much better since they are now mature platforms. It seems that the iPhone update and 3G device were a bit rushed to market or else the testing with 3rd party applications was limited. I do look forward to a stable iPhone experience, but it seems we will have to wait until at least September to see such a device."

On a related issue Mike Temporale of mobilejaw.com has this to say on WinMo 3rd party apps and stability.

Quote:

"In my recent post about stability, I talked about Windows Mobile and how it is a stable platform. The source of all that instability is poorly written 3rd party applications. To help prove my point, I’m taking on the “No Reboot Challenge”. The idea is simple, no more reboots of my phone for any reason and let’s see how long I can go before it starts acting funny or crashing. Furthermore, I won’t be killing or stopping any process’s. I’ll leave that up to Windows Mobile and Microsoft to see if they truly know best when it comes to managing memory on the device. The only applications that I will close are ones that have an Exit option in the menu."

Techware Labs has posted up their side by side comparison of the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Quote:

"So your probably sitting back in your chair wondering “Why would you buy the new iPhone if you already have the old one?” Don’t worry, I’ve asked myself the same question. The lower price of $199 makes the iPhone extremely appealing to impulse buyers, however the additional $10 a month for the 3G iPhone plan cancels out the reduced price. Additionally the price of $199 is only available to those that are eligible for an upgrade, already own the original iPhone, or to those that want to sign up for a new contract. If you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, much like I was, on whether or not to upgrade from the older first generation iPhone to the new one, here’s my advice - don’t do it. The only new features are GPS (not even a real turn-by-turn GPS), and the 3G speeds, which eats up your battery. If I hadn’t signed the 2-year contract already with AT&T, I would go back to the old iPhone and save the $10 a month.”

They seem to do a nice job of making the rundown of the two units, give it a read: iPhone vs iPhone 3G @ Techware Labs

The lads over at TheTechLounge have put up their thought on the HTC P3450 Touch Smartphone. The HTC Touch seemed to bring in a possitive feel for its excellent call quality, attractive looks, accessories galore in the box, and that TouchFLO is just darned fun to use. Not all was perfect however the unit was hampered by its small screen, lack of keyboard, wird SD card positioning, and hefty price tag.

Quote: Timing is everything. The HTC Touch was introduced on June 5th of last year, 24 days before the first iPhone launched in the US. The device bears great similarity to its cousin from Cupertino, from the simple, largely button-free hardware to an overall focus on operation with the fingers. Although the two devices look like they share some blood, I think that the Touch is special in its own right.

HTC has put a great deal of thought into the design of the Touch, inside and out. They’ve written an entire UI modification suite that actually works the way it should, which is more than can be said for most manufacturers’ efforts in this area. At the end of the day, however, you may just have to look at what you need from a “smartphone,” because the Touch is definitely a different kind of Windows Mobile phone than what you’ve come to expect. That may be a good thing, though.

Read the full review of the HTC Touch Smartphone @ thetechlounge

In less than a decade, mobile devices have undergone a radical transformation. Originally designed just as telephones, mobile devices are now morphing into highly personalized, multi-purpose computers that may soon be more central to our lives than the desktop PC. What is driving this rapid evolution?

Clearly, recent advances in mobile technology are part of the answer. Today’s mobile devices have more computing power, more bandwidth, more storage capacity and many more services available than cell phones did just a few years ago. As a result, users can now download video content, watch streaming television broadcasts, and store thousands of songs and hundreds of movies on their mobile devices.

Read More: Mobile Voice Search: Maximizing the Potential of Mobile Devices

slashdot has posted a burb about the possbile cause of 3G issues on the new iPhone.

Quote:

"Richard Windsor of Nomura published a research note… Tuesday singling out the iPhone 3G’s chipset, made by Infineon, as the probable culprit for the reception problems we reported on Monday. The dropped calls, service interruptions, and abrupt network switches experienced by iPhone 3G users reminded Windsor of similar complaints five years ago, when 3G phones were first launched in Europe. ‘We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we are almost certain that Infineon is the 3G supplier,’ Windsor wrote. ‘This is not surprising as the Infineon 3G chipset solution has never really been tested in the hands of users. Some people will not experience these problems as it is only in areas where the radio signal weakens that the immaturity of the stack really shows.’"

Read: Infineon chipset possible cause of iPhone 3G issues

It looks like pocketables.com has just outed their review of the smallest-screened Centrino Atom device running Windows Vista in the world. Yep, the Willcom D4 (Sharp WS016SH). The 40GB slide-and-tilt UMPC may need a good importer as it is Asia bound but is the 1-pound UMPC worth the premium import price (about $1500 new, $1200 used)?

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520
Chipset: Intel US15W, GMA500
RAM: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (soldered onto motherboard)
Storage: 40GB HDD (1.8” Toshiba MK4009GAL, 4200 rpm)
Expansion: MicroSD card slot
Display: 5” touchscreen (1024 x 600, 262K colors, LED-backlit)
Wireless: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (1Seg TV tuner & phone functions work in Japan only)
Camera: 2 megapixels
Size: 7.4” x 3.3” x 1.0”
Weight: 1 lb. (with standard battery)

Check out pocketables Review: Willcom D4 (Sharp WS016SH)

No much in the way of details but according the info you add a dash of salt in the water is all that’s needed for the clock to harvest energy and operate.

From the website:

This new clock has a set of metal electrodes inside that extracts energy from the compound particles that reside in water. It uses water (and a dash of salt) and turns it into energy to power the clock.

Sooo it’s like a chubby AA battery then. Not bad for $16 I guess.

http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com/clocks-waterpowered-clock-c-89_199.html

OK...wow. Slashdot always has something I like, once I sift through the venomous MS hating Tux worshiping articles...lol (just kiddin slashdot kids...sorta.)

From the project page:

To understand the Warcart requires one understand a bit of history first. Wardriving, that is, driving with a laptop computer and tracking WiFi access points, first became popular around 2001. Within a short time span, people invented warwalking, and millions flocked to walk the streets with a laptop and WiFi card in hand. Then the craze really took off when someone flew a Cessna airplane with a laptop and became the first warflyer. Within no time at all, the press and every tech blog on the internet was covering the latest war-something. There was warrocketing, warballooning, warbiking, and warboating. There were talks and seminars. News stories and blog posts. Television reports and radio shows. All about the latest in WiFi tracking. It soon became apparent to the larger community that most of these methods are highly elitist. Here are car-driving, personal-plane-owning, leisure-hot-air-ballooning, yachting aficionados armed with laptop computers. What the world needed was a low-cost, yet powerful alternative.

And thus, (mostly as a joke and for reasons that will be disclosed in this talk at Defcon 16), the Warcart was born.

Video after the break...

LiMo Foundation unveiled another wave of handsets using the LiMo Platform. The seven new devices from Motorola, NEC and Panasonic Mobile Communications were launched. The commercially shipping LiMo handsets being announced today are:

* MOTOZINE ZN5 from Motorola;
* FOMA N906i, FOMA N906i, FOMA N906iL and FOMA N706i from NEC and
* FOMA P906i and FOMA P706i from Panasonic Mobile Communications.

Several of the latest LiMo handsets include advanced enabling features that herald the forthcoming Mobile 2.0 experience for global consumers. These include international 3G/High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) roaming capabilities, Global Positioning System (GPS), mobile TV and advanced video streaming, secure payment and advanced mail functionalities - all presented through higher-resolution displays and intuitive user interfaces.

More details on the new LiMo devices can be found through the Handsets section of http://www.limofoundation.org

Vuzix Corporation just released the VR920 Version 2.2 Software, expanding the number of VR920 virtual reality supported titles to 62. The v2.2 software provides 3D compatibility for 11 new titles include:

* Halo: Combat Evolved
* Lord of the Rings Online
* Far Cry
* Falcon 4.0
* Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
* EverQuest II
* Final Fantasy XI
* PlanetSide
* Spore: Creature Creator
* Quake Wards
* X-Plane 9.0

Additionally, v2.2 software upgrade includes Vuzix 3D Stereoscopy and/or head-tracking expanded support for 20 previously supported games.

http://www.vuzix.com/support/downloads_drivers.html

EngadgetMobile informs us that Skype has laid down the bits for 2.2.0.45 or in other words support for Windows Mobile 6.1 Premium (Pocket PC) and Standard (Smartphone).

You need a minimum 12MB of free storage memory on your device to install Skype or 6MB free if you are installing from a memory card. In order to use Skype for Windows Mobile, your device must have a high speed wireless Internet connection over WiFi or 3G. Take carefull note that data usage costs apply for using Skype over 3G mobile networks (EDGE, EV-DO and UMTS), so better that unlimited data plan.

Download page:

Pocket PC: download the .cab file
Smartphone:  download the .cab file

Get those bits while they are hot.

Skype for Windows Mobile

Our friend Matt Miller over at ZDNet postulates some sort of a Nokia and Zune mashup. Here is a quote:

There have been rumors floating around of a Zune phone and I personally am not that excited about such a device and wonder if many people really are. The latest rumors about the Zune and phones though does seem to make a bit of sense. Zunescene reported that Nokia iw working with the Zune team on integration of Zune Marketplace content. Nokia has a music store, but it is not available in the United States yet and I think if Nokia could get their devices to support the Zune Marketplace they would have a fairly well established library of music content that actually may help sell more Nokia devices in the U.S.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=1330

Zunescene has a piece that seems to place this development into further relief with a comment from a well placed source.

Nokia is currently working with the Zune team on integration of Zune Marketplace content according to a well placed source within Microsoft. The joint development is directed at content delivery rather than a hardware device according to the source. It has long been assumed by many tech followers that Zune content and software would find it’s way onto Windows Mobile devices, thereby offering competition to the unfortunately popular iPhone. The interesting thing about the Nokia Zune partnership is that Nokia does not support Windows Mobile. It appears Microsoft may be developing a two front war against the iPhone, namely Windows based smart phones and more abundant “non-smart” phones.

http://www.zunescene.com/nokia-zune-phone/

ASUS announced the availability of two new finishes - lustrous pink and pearlescent white - for its popular Mini Stylish PDA phone, the ASUS P320. ...for India.

Despite the ‘softer’ colors, the pink and white iterations of the ASUS P320 still feature an impressive array of powerful features. Operating on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, GPS navigation, EDGE/GPRS and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Specifications

Networks : EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Class B, Multi-slot Class 10
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Color: Black / Pink / White in Asia Pacific Regions
Dimensions: 99 x 54.5 x 13.35 mm
Weight: 105g (with battery)
Standby Time: 200 hrs (varies with different networking environment and scenario)
Talk Time: 4 hrs (vary with different networking environment and scenario)
Display: 2.6” TFT, Touch Screen 65K color, 240 x 320 pixels
Processor: TI OMAP 850 200 MHz
Memory: 128 MB Flash ROM + 64 MB DDR RAM
Expansion: Slot MicroSD
Connectivity: WLAN 802.11b+g, USB v1.1, Bluetooth V2.0+EDR

http://in.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=12259