gHacks technology news » mobile phone

Opera Mini 5 beta

Martin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:03:45 +0000

Opera has just released a beta version of their acclaimed mobile web browser Opera Mini 5. The beta version, which is available publicly can be downloaded to a mobile phone directly or to the computer system first. Versions for Blackberrys and Java compatible cell phones are provided on the download page. Opera 5 Mini comes with several new features that make the mobile browsing experience more pleasant. Some of them are:

Sleek design — Opera Mini 5 features a new, intuitive and advanced look and feel.
Tabbed browsing — This desktop favorite is now available for Opera Mini. Tabs allow users to browser several sites simultaneously. This helps users easily jump from one page to another with the click of a tab.
Touchscreen or keypad browsing — Opera Mini caters to the needs of your phone, offering optimal browsing for both touchscreen and keypad-based phones.
Password manager — Opera Mini is a virtual memory bank, securely saving all passwords for e-mail, social-networking sites, online banking and more.
Speed Dial — This is our take on a table of contents for your Web adventure. Opera’s Speed Dial will greet you with your pre-selected Internet favorites upon loading the browser.

The Opera developers have released a video that demonstrates the functionality of Opera Mini 5.

Mobile users who are interested in testing the new Opera 5 Mini web browser can point their mobile devices to m.opera.com/next to download it directly from the device or to the download page at the Opera website to download it to their PC.

Tags: blackberry, cell-phone, java, mobile browser, mobile phone, opera, opera mini, opera mini 5, web browser

Apple iPhone 3GS

Orrett Morgan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:05:13 +0000

The iPhone 3GS! By now you’re probably familiar with the device and the name, (S stands for SPEED!). But in case you had a few questions regarding OS 3.0 or the new device I’ve got it covered.

The biggest question on most peoples mind is what the major differences are. First of all it should be pointed out that the latest update to the hardware is under the hood. The only difference in terms of visual design between the iPhone 3G and the 3GS is the name on the back of the device. But under the hood is where the real work has been done. Instead of reinventing the most popular smartphone on the market, Apple has decided to do the subtle thing and improve it. These improvements come in the form of a better processor (up from 412MHz to a rumored 600MHz). The camera has been bumped up a megapixel to 3.0 and comes with video recording and auto focus, although there still is no flash option. A hardware compass has also been included.

On the software front, OS 3.0 now comes with push notification, better MMS, tethering, the long awaited cut and paste as well as a proper GPS navigation solution. Spotlight has finally made its way to the iPhone which promises to allow users to do system wide searches. Rounding up the major features for OS 3.0 is Voice Control and stereo Bluetooth options.

So now that you get an idea of the major updates to not only the software but the phone its time to answer a few FAQ’s.

Q: Is there a big performance difference between the 3G and 3GS?

A: While the performance is noticeable, it is not one that is huge. Unless you’re running games such as Resident Evil etc. you will notice load times of one to two seconds faster but that is about it. On the other hand if gaming is a requirement for your iPhone then you definitely want to look into the 3GS as the gaming performance (including frame rate) are mark improvements over the 3G.
In terms of internet speed etc. this remains the same as the 3GS has the same wireless chip as its predecessor and AT&T is not rolling out 4G until another year or two.

Q: How useful is cut and paste?

A: There is no doubt that cut and paste is a standard feature of any smartphone, but one question everyone has on their lips is if cut and paste on the iPhone is comparable to that on other devices such as the Blackberry and Palm Pre.

First of all, Apple has decided to go with a predictive selection technology that tries and figures out how much of the text you want selected to cut, copy or paste. It’s pretty accurate and if it fails to give you what you want, you can always use the little nubs at the begging and end of the selection to increase or decrease your selection, something that is lacking in all other smartphones I’ve tested. Was it worth the wait, probably not, but at least it brings something new to the game.

Q: Is the Compass and Voice Control useful?

A: A compass in a cell phone wasn’t something most industry analysts were expecting. But Apple decided to shock us with a full working hardware compass in the 3GS iPhone. As to whether it is useful or not is yet to be determined. I will say that if you are planning to upgrade to the new 3GS, the compass should not be on your list of reasons. While it works perfectly, it’s yet to be proven how it is more useful then the built in GPS with Google maps. Had the phone been lacking GPS options then maybe, but honestly I am yet to see a real use for the compass except for hikers lost in Wyoming. It still is nice to play around with though.

Voice control is another new feature that I’m not quite getting. Yes it’s awesome to be able to tell your phone what to do instead of making it do it. But I just wish the voice control features were a little easier to operate. For one it requires you to hold down the home button for every use, and since multi tasking still hasn’t made it to the iPhone, once the Voice Control app is exited, you have to do the process all over again. However it is nice if you want to keep your eyes on the road instead of on your phone.

Q: What’s up with Tethering and MMS?

A: If you live in the U.S, I’m sad to say that AT&T sees no reason in bringing tethering (or MMS) to the iPhone3GS at launch (June 19th). While they have said that MMS will be available later on this summer, there is no word on when the tethering option will be available.

That said for those in other countries that will offer the tethering option, you should find it to work just fine. Unfortunately since I’m based in the U.S the option to try out both the MMS and tethering features were unavailable. Hacking could have gotten the job done though, but that would be too much trouble and more importantly would not make sense for this review.

Q: Should I upgrade/switch carries for the 3GS?

A: This is the biggest question on everyone’s lips. The question has so many factors so unfortunately the answer will depend on a few things. If you still have the original iPhone (not the 3G), the answer is obvious. You were due for an upgrade like yesterday, and I’m almost sure that most people who have the original iPhone have finished their contracts or about to finish them. So the answer is a no brainer, upgrade!

On the other hand, ff you are a 3G owner you should consider your options before upgrading. If you are still stuck in a contract it might be in your best bet to just get the software upgrade and live happily ever after. The only major difference in the 3G and the 3GS is the speed and unless you are a heavy iPhone gamer, you probably won’t notice the one to two second difference in app load time. However I understand that AT&T is allowing existing customers to get a 3GS at the subsidized price, based on credit, contract length and a few other factors. This is individually based so your best bet would be to contact AT&T. As for other countries such as England (Vodofone), I have no idea.

If you are with another carrier this is even a tougher decision. If you happen to have Sprint and due for an upgrade in the near future, I would advise that you check out the Pre before jumping ship. It rivals the iPhone in many areas and beats it in some (namely multitasking). On the other hand if you are tied to T-Mobile, Verizon etc, and your contract is either expired or about to expire, you cannot go wrong with the new 3GS.

It should be noted that the 3G will still be available for purchase ($99 on contract). I would not advise trying to save an extra Benjamin in this area though as the performance boost and other hardware upgrades are well worth the extra $100.

Conclusion:

So there you have it. The major questions about the iPhone answered. For those with the iPhone 3G you can download OS 3.0 right now. If you’re holding off for the 3GS however, that one is set to release this Friday (June 19, 2009).

Tags: apple, apple iphone, apple iphone 3gs, cell-phone, iPhone, iphone 3gs, mobile phone

iPhones: they aren’t as bad as you think

Joe — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:46:54 +0000

A couple of months ago, I did something I thought I never would do: I bought an iPhone. Technology enthusiasts generally seem pretty torn about these devices: some see them as fantastic whilst others see them as an expensive device which isn’t very functional.

I, too, was torn. I vowed never to buy an iPhone, on account of their price and lack of certain features (saying that, I too vowed never to run Windows XP but I ended up using XP about 3 years after its release, in 2004). I was strongly considering a Symbian-based smartphone, generally seen as a phone of someone a little more tech-savvy than an iPhone user. When I got my iPhone, I was shocked. iPhones are actually very good.

Whilst they do have many little annoying flaws, such as the fact you can’t use a landscape keyboard to compose an email or SMS (not until the next version of iPhone OS, anyway), they are remarkably user-friendly and after a little jailbreaking pretty flexible. I have yet to find something I would like to do, but I can’t do.

LCARS theme on iPhone

I found the selection of applications, in the App Store and other unofficial places, absolutely amazing. I have many games – ranging from a mobile version of Sim City to an NES emulator – and I also have many tools and utilities, like a Google Docs editor, SSH terminal and SSH server. My only complaint with applications is how quickly you end up spending a small fortune in App Store: I still find it amazing I have to pay £5 for the official UK train network’s program.

Another popular complaint people have with the iPhone is the lack of hardware keys. However, I soon became accustomed to the touch screen, because it has somewhat of a LCARS feeling – especially after you install a LCARS theme! There are some hardware keys though: volume control, a switch to turn it on or off silent mode, the ‘home button’ and a lock button.

Still, the most popular complaint is the price. I find myself paying 35GBP a month and about a 100GBP lump sum. For that, 600 minutes and 500 texts. Pretty expensive, but I am quite satisfied with the data plan that is also included in that price.

So, do you have an iPhone? If not, why not?

Tags: apple, cell phones, cell-phone, iPhone, mobile phone, mobile phones, Nokia, smartphones

Nokia N97

Martin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:18:39 +0000

My current cell phone contract runs out in six months and I’m currently looking for options. One of the options is the new Nokia N97 cell phone which was announced at Nokia World in Barcelona. The cell phone will be the successor of the Nokia N96 which is currently Nokia’s flagship product for business users.

Nokia managers call it the Facebook phone. The reason is obvious. Nokia is gearing for the social networking and multimedia crowd as much as it tried to improve the business aspects of the phone.

The main features that make it interesting in my case are the full QWERTY keyboard, the WiFi support and the 640×360 screen. It does come with additional features like GPS, flash lite 3.0, tri-band HSDPA 3G, a 5 Megapixel camera or 32 Gigabytes of memory which will appeal to many users.

No word yet on the important battery component but Nokia is claiming that the cell phone is capable of 36 hours of continuous music playback. A video of the new Nokia N97 was published on Youtube that is showcasing some of its features.

A few factors will help me make the decision. The first and most important factor in my opinion is the responsiveness of the cell phone. The Nokia N73 for example is sluggish and slow. The keyboard should be good enough for the occasional article in an Internet Cafe or at a Wifi hotspot. Lastly the battery should last long enough to survive a workday without recharging. The current suggested price tag without contract is around 550€ ($695).

Tags: business phone, cell-phone, mobile phone, nokia cell phone, nokia n73, nokia n97, nokia phone

BlackBerry Wallpapers

Martin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:47:21 +0000

If you want new wallpapers for your Blackberry cell phone you could try and find sites that are offering them, you could try and create them yourself locally with an image editor or you could use the online service BBsnap which turns Flickr images into BlackBerry wallpapers.

BBsnap can be used without registration which is the most user friendly approach. A new wallpaper can be created in just a few steps. It begins by entering a tag or keyword in the Flickr search box. The service will then automatically pull images from Flickr. A click on an image will load start the wallpaper creation.

The user has to pick his BlackBerry cell phone from a list of available phones first. The selected image will then be loaded. A rectangle with the same dimensions as the screen of the BlackBerry cell phone will be displayed. It can be moved around in the image to pick the best part of it for the wallpaper.

A click on Done will start the wallpaper creation. The wallpaper can then be downloaded to the computer to transfer it from there to the BlackBerry cell phone. The other possibility is to point the browser of the cell phone to that page and download it from there.

Tags: bbsnap, blackberry, blackberry images, blackberry wallpaper, blackberry wallpapers, cell-phone, mobile phone, wallpapers

Baresite Makes Mobile Browsing Affordable

Martin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:49:07 +0000

Only a minority of cell phone owners have access to a data flatrate. Most have to cope with utterly insane pricing schemes and pay per Megabyte transferred. If you are old enough to remember; That’s how the first Internet Service Providers handled business when the Internet became popular in the Nineties.

Some cell phone owners have a free data contingent per month before they have to pay for additional data transfers. The fees are usually ridiculously high for a Megabyte of data and cell phone owners who do not have another choice have to make sure that they optimize the data transfer.

A good way to optimize the traffic is to use services like Baresite. Baresite basically removes the unnecessary parts of a website before sending it to the client. It acts like a proxy server that alters every page to reduce the amount of data that gets transferred from and to the clients device.

The device is usually a cell phone but it could very well be used with desktop PCs since many users have to cope with slow connections or data tariffs there as well.

Baresite uses a basic optimized website for mobile devices. It provides access to two forms which can be used to load websites / feeds or search on the Internet. One interesting feature of Baresite is the automatic feed discovery. RSS feeds will be displayed instead of the original website if a site offers that functionality. RSS feeds have the advantage that they are faster to load because they usually come without any graphics or multimedia.

The Preference contain some important parameters that some users might want to change. Images can be turned off in here. It is also possible to change the default search engine from Google to Yahoo, Live or ASK.

The very same menu contains options to switch between full and partial feeds, select the number of history items that are displayed on each page or if the forms should be displayed on every page.

Everything will be saved without registration. It is possible to set favorites for easier access on the next visit. There is even an option to access the full browsing history. The service that is offered by Baresite is ideal for users on slow connections or users who have to pay per Megabyte. It can be used to access information rapidly.

Tags: baresite, cell phone browsing, cell phone service, cell-phone, data rate, internet, mobile phone, strip websites, websites

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Martin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:43:08 +0000

I’m sometimes amazed what companies do to promote their products in other parts of the world. The local advertisement agencies really seem to lack the esprit to produce advertisements that are fun to watch and deliver a message. They always seem to go straight to the message and forget that viewers are usually bored by those ads.

I have spotted a Pepsi advertisement on Youtube that is airing in South-America only which has all the traits of an interesting fun to watch ad. Honestly, what can go wrong if you combine Kung Fu Fighting, Mini Me and Godzilla in an ad?

Interestingly enough that’s not all there is to be seen and done for the viewer. They did release a free browser widget for Nokia Mobile phones built by interactive design & marketing group AgencyNet that can be downloaded free of charge from a newly created website. Supported languages are Spanish, Portuguese and English. The Pepsimundo website itself is only in Spanish but easy enough to navigate.

How does this ad compare to the ads you usually see when turning on the television?

Tags: advertisment, fun, mobile phone, Nokia, pepsi, pepsimundo, video, youtube

Autostart Mobile Phone Applications

Martin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:22:43 +0000

If you are (manually) starting the same application on your mobile phone over and over again after powering it on you might be inclined to autostart the application instead to speed up that process and reduce the time it takes to fiddle around with the phone’s controls. Some applications where this might be useful are voice recorders, music players or wifi detectors.

Powerboot might be just the application you have been looking for. It is compatible to a variety of mobile phones. Lots of Nokie phones like the popular N73, N95 or N96 are on the list of supported phones but you also find many Samsung and a few other mobile phone brands on the list.

The application works in principle like the Windows startup folder. The mobile phone owner selects applications that he wants to autostart and enables Powerboot afterwards. The selected applications will then be automatically started when the phone is turned on.

Powerboot offers several options on how to add applications to the startup. It is possible to pick an application from all installed applications, a running application or a Java application. There are also two modes to consider: Safe Mode and Quick Mode. Safe Mode displays a query before autostarting applications while quick mode will start them without interaction.

Tags: mobile phone, Nokia, nokia autostart, nokia n96, nokia phone, nokia software, nokia startup, powerboot

Turn Your Mobile Phone Into A PC Remote Control

Martin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:18:11 +0000

MobileWitch Remote Control turns your mobile phone into a remote control that can control various applications on your PC. The software does have a few limitations and requirements though. Both the PC and mobile phone have to support Bluetooth which is being used to send and receive the data. The user installs a server on the PC and a client on the mobile phone. Both applications have been programmed in Java. The author is explicitly mentioning Nokie mobile phones but chance is good that it works on other mobile phone brands as well as long as they meet the requirements.

The PC server application has to be started first. A small notification area displays status information and error messages. Everything else is handled by the mobile phone application. It provides four different modes: Mouse mode, Keyboard mode, Application mode and Utilities.

Mouse and keyboard mode give the user control over the computer’s mouse or keyboard which can be controlled with a joystick or the numeric keys. Application mode handles six applications that can be controlled using that mode if installed and on top of any other windows on the computer desktop.

The applications are Firefox, Winamp, Windows Media Player, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer and Explorer. The last mode Utilities provides access to running commands or sending messages.

The application does not require any configuration of Bluetooth or Java on both the client or server which will appeal to many users who usually shy away from such applications. It could be handy in several situations like business presentations, lying on the coach at home and listening to Winamp or Windows Media Player or starting a command without having to go near the computer.

Tags: bluetooth, java, mobile phone, mobilewith, pc remote, remote control

Android Phone Emulator

Martin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:53:01 +0000

T-mobile setup a flash based emulator of their upcoming Android phone T-Mobile G1 which visualizes some of the functionality of the of the first Android phone. The emulator has its shortcomings like displaying the Android phone in the wrong size and some functionality is severely limited.

Taking those limitations aside the Android phone emulator does provide a good overview of some of the functions that the Android phone will offer. It is possible to get a first impression of the Google browser, Google maps and other functions like receiving calls, sms or mms. There is no real interaction with the emulator though. It is for instance not possible to use it to open any websites or actually call someone.

The flash based website about the Android phone contains two additional sections that are important if you want to get an impression of the phone’s dimensions because they seem to display the phone in the correct size.

The above screenshot has been taken from the Android phone emulator while the screenshot below was taken from the 360 view option. The screenshot from the Android phone emulator had to be reduced in size to fit on the screen while the screenshot below depicts the actual size of the original screenshot.

It would have been better if T-Mobile would have used the correct Android phone dimensions for the emulator as well so that potential buyers and interested users would get a real feeling for the phone’s dimensions which is especially important for tasks like web surfing, emails and the phone’s qwerty keyboard.

Tags: android phone, android phone emulator, google android, google phone, gphone, mobile phone, t-mobile android, t-mobile g1

T-Mobile G1: A Closer Look

Martin — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:16:10 +0000

Google is pushing their Android operating system on the market and the first mobile phone that has been build on it is the T-Mobile G1 phone. It comes out in a few weeks in the United States and will be exclusively sold by T-Mobile in a deal that looks similar to the one Apple made with AT&T in the United States to sell their iPhone exclusively.

There is however one fundamental difference between Apple’s marketing strategy and Google’s. Android is an operating system and several companies are developing mobile phones based on the operating system which means more choice for consumers eventually.

The G1 is just the first phone based on Android and receives coverage because of that. Not everything is perfect yet though and the article tries to look at some of the functions and features that are missing or inferior to today’s standards.

It basically comes down to the user and the things that he might want to do with the phone.

A few problematic elements can be identified by simply looking at the announcements that have been made:

No support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync.
Uses proprietary headphone connection.
Access To Amazon MP3 store only over WLAN.
Media player seems to be incapable of playing videos, only Youtube supported
No Multi-touch.
Only 1 Gigabyte of Flash Memory, maximum of 8 Gigabyte supported
No video recording.
No virtual keyboard

Every user has to make the decision on his own if any of the missing features is a criterion to pass and wait for the next Android phone.

Tags: android phone, g1, g1 phone, google android, google phone, gphone, mobile phone, t mobile

5 Must Have Google Android Applications

Martin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:17:38 +0000

The first mobile phone that uses the Google Android operating system is just a few weeks away. One of the major selling points of Android is that it is Open Source and that users will most likely have access to a huge database of software programs from the Open Source community at their disposal. Developers have published and announced applications that will be available when the first Android phone will be released and this article takes a look at 5 must haves.

Users should be aware that the Android Marketplace will host free and commercial applications just like the Apple iPhone App Store. Most of the applications listed below have been taken part in the first ever Android Developer Challenge.

This Challenge pushed the development of many Android applications and was an important step for the plattform.

Compare Everywhere: Compare Everywhere, formerly known as Android Scan, could be the killer application for Android. It uses the digital camera of the mobile phone to scan the barcodes of products to identify them. It offers then options to compare prices online, read product reviews and even sample music or video content. An alternative seems to be GoCart which basically does the same.

Cooking Capsules: The idea behind Cooking Capsules is simply. Let the user watch a short cooking video, show him the locations of the next grocery stores to shop for the items and give him a step by step instruction on how to cook the meal once he’s back home.

My Closet: The dream application for women. Take pictures of your clothing and the application keeps track and suggests outfits based on weather information and items chosen in the past.

Share Your Board: Jigsaw is an Android application to share, process and capture data on a whiteboard.

Wertago: An interesting application for nightlifer enthusiasts that makes use of Google Maps to show the hottest locations in town and provides means to coordinate with friends.

Got any other applications not in the list? Let me know about them. I did not include applications that would track friends and family members. This had various reasons, one being that every family member would need an Android phone for this feature to work.

Tags: android, android apps, android os, Google, google android, mobile phone, t-mobile g1

Free Mobile Email Service Momail

Martin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Receiving and sending emails is becoming increasingly popular on mobile phones. Mobile phones provide an easily accessible way of checking for, reading and sending emails while on the road while other devices that could do the same, laptops for instance, are far more difficulty to use unless you happen to sit in a coffee shop with Internet access. Even netbooks do not provide the same comfort that mobile phones can offer. They do however make up for it by offering a full keyboard which is convenient when writing emails.

Many mobile phones provide access to only one email account. That’s problematic if a user possesses more than one account. It is possible to configure the email accounts to forward all mail to one account which would be the main account on the mobile phone.

An alternative to that is the free mobile email service Momail which provides access to an account that has been specifically designed to work with mobile phones. It basically works by forwarding the mail to the Momail account which would be the primary account on the mobile phone. One advantage of this method is that Momail reduces the size of emails that are send to the mobile phone. A large image attachment would be automatically resized to lower the bandwidth needed to transfer the email.

Another interesting feature is called Push Mails. Mobile Phones that support this feature will automatically notify the user of new incoming mails. Users without such phones have to initiate the check for new mails manually.

Setup is more or less automatic. The user enters his mobile phone number during registration among other things like the mobile phone manufacturer and model. Momail will send a verification email and later on data that will automatically configure the mobile phone for the mobile email service. It usually does not take more than a few minutes to setup the service completely. Some mobile phones require additional configuration which will be mentioned after registration.

Tags: Email, email service, free mobile email, mobile email, mobile email service, mobile phone, momail, test linux

Microsoft Phone Data Manager

Martin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:18:41 +0000

Microsoft published a beta of their newest product Microsoft Phone Data Manager which is tool to synchronize and backup data from a supported mobile phone. The contacts data can be synchronized with Windows Live Contacts while the media, the music, videos and pictures, can be saved in a local folder.

Microsoft Phone Data Manager is not a full blown backup solution like the software that comes from the mobile phone company directly which can backup data like sms, games or protocols. It is a beta product on the other hand that could see those features implemented in later versions.

The major advantage of using the Phone Data Manager is that it works with phones from different mobile phone manufacturers. That is handy for a family that possesses different phones but only one computer and basically everyone else who is using phones from different cell phone manufacturers.

The list of working mobiles include phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. About 30 mobiles in total are listed on that page that have been tested and are working with the Microsoft Phone Data Manager but there are also a few that are not working. Most cell phone owners will probably have to try and find it out for themselves if their mobile phone is not listed on that page.

Microsoft has posted a user guide on their website that walks the user through the process of installing and working with the Phone Data Manager.

It supports and can identify bluetooth and usb cable connections. While it lacks on features it could be a viable alternative for users with multiple phones from different manufacturers.

Tags: microsoft phone, microsoft software, mobile phone, Mobiles, motorola, Nokia, phone data manager, samsung, sony ericsson

Nokia PC Suite 7

Martin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:03:07 +0000

Nokia released a new version of their PC Suite about a month ago which is the central PC software to manage your Nokia mobile phone. The software application seems to grow in size with every release, the current version is Nokia PC Suite 7.0.7.0 with a size of 34 Megabytes.

Basic functions that Nokia PC Suite 7 provides are backing up important data of the mobile phone, synchronizing all kinds of data like contacts, emails and calendars and providing Internet access for the computer the mobile phone is connected to.

That is obviously not all. The PC Suite can check the availability of new firmwares for selected mobile phones and instantly download them to the computer. Besides that you get a file manager and administration of messages, contacts and multimedia files on the mobile phone.

It’s furthermore possible to install applications on the mobile phone. My personal opinion is that it looks like the new version of the Nokia PC Suite comes with improved performance, everything feels a tad faster and more responsive.

Tags: mobile phone, Mobiles, Nokia, nokia mobile phone, nokia pc suite, pc suite

Create Mobile Phone Wallpapers

Martin — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:33:34 +0000

I really cannot understand people who buy mobile phone ringtones, wallpapers and other stuff for their mobile phones. It’s very expensive in my opinion and the only advantage that users get over creating their own is that it is more comfortable.

It is however rather easy to create your own and it does not really take that long. Today I’m going to show you how you can easily create mobile phone wallpapers in no time at all.

The application that I’m going to use is called Weys. It provides a few default sizes for several mobile phones including a few Sony Ericcson, Nokia and Motorola phones but also an option to select a custom sized wallpaper.

If you select one of the mobile phones from the list the program window will change to that mobile phone and the display area is the area that will be captured as the wallpaper. The window can be moved around freely.

The custom window can be changed dynamically in size to fit the screen dimensions of mobile phones that are not available as templates.

The wallpapers can be saved in four different image formats including png, jpg, bmp and gif. Weys is offering a great way of creating a mobile phone wallpaper. It is missing an option to capture a larger screen area and reduce the size of it in proportion so that the screen would fit on the mobile phone.

Tags: mobile phone, mobile phone wallpapers, mobile wallpapers, Mobiles, wallpapers

Optimize Firefox For Low Traffic Volumes

Martin — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:24:40 +0000

I sometimes connect my Nokia N73 mobile phone to my Toshiba notebook to connect to the Internet and do some urgent stuff like checking and replying to mails, writing articles on my websites or doing research. I do not have a flatrate for the mobile phone which means that I had to chose between a time or volume based account. I decided to go for the volume based account which basically means that I’m charged for every Megabyte of data that I transfer in either direction.

Bandwidth is normally not a huge deal on my local computer and I do not pay that much attention to the amount of data that gets transferred which was a huge problem at first when I started using the mobile phone and notebook combination. It’s an unusual situation but I managed to adapt quickly.

I went on a quest to optimize firefox for low traffic volumes meaning that everything that was not necessary to grab the information of a website had to go. Here is what I changed:

Turn off Advertisement:

That’s a no brainer and I’m also doing that in my regular profile. I use Adblock Plus to disable advertisement on all websites in my mobile profile. That gets rid of banner ads which usually cost about 10 Kilobyte per ad displayed on a website.

Turn off Flash Content:

Blocking Flash content is another must. Sometimes interactive content is added to websites, a video that gets posted, some animation on the entrance page or something like that. Flash Block blocks all of those flash content.

No Script:

We also have Java, Javascript and other scripting languages that can add to the traffic volume of our connection. I disable them with No Script.

The great thing about all those add-ons described above is that you can add exceptions that do load the content. It is for instance important to add exceptions to websites that require scripts to run properly. It takes a while to fine tune everything but it is definitely worth it.

Disable Images:

That’s a setting in Firefox and once again exceptions can be added. You find the check box in the Tools > Options menu under the Content tab. If you uncheck Load Images Automatically images will only be loaded on request. A huge bandwidth saver.

Disable Link Prefetching:

Link prefetching is a browser mechanism, which utilizes browser idle time to download or prefetch documents that the user might visit in the near future. Set the parameter network.prefetch-next to false in about:config to disable link prefetching.

Disable Auto Update:

Make sure that Firefox is not trying to automatically update the browser. This has the effect that Firefox is not connecting to Mozilla to find out if a new Firefox version is available and that it won’t download that version automatically. Change the parameter App.update.enabled in about:config to false.

Disable Search Updates:

Firefox checks regularly for Search Plugin updates which can be disabled by setting the parameter browser. search. update in about:config to false.

Do you have any additional tips on how to reduce the traffic caused by Firefox ? Let me know about them, looking forward to reduce the traffic even further. I would also be interested in finding out if there are significant differences between the traffic volumes of Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer.

Tags: firefox, firefox tips, firefox traffic, mobile phone, notebook

Ask The Readers: Mobile Device Recommendation

Martin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:59:20 +0000

I want to buy a new mobile device and think that the best way to find one that suits my needs is to ask the readers here at Ghacks. If a device like this exists you will surely know about it recommend the best fit for my needs. I will start this article by describing what I want to do with the mobile device and what it has to support. Those are the two most important aspects. At the end I will list those things that I do not need necessarily and that I do not need at all.

Since it is a mobile device I would like to be able to check my emails, manage my web server using SSH, connect to the Internet and write articles for my websites. The device has to support WLAN and make use of a QWERTY keyboard. I could live with an add-on keyboard that has to be purchased separately.

The device should be lightweight. I’m not sure if all those sub-notebooks like the Asus EeePC or MSI Wind fit the bill, prefer something for the pocket instead. It does not have to be state of the art as long as it does the job. The performance has to be sufficient for the tasks and there should not be huge delays because of a lack of CPU power or system memory.

I do no need Bluetooth, Infrared, games, multimedia features, GPS, a Touchscreen, Radio, TV, a Digital Camera.

I have one alternative. I could replace my Nokie N73 phone with a new one that is providing the features that I need plus offering phone capabilities. The advantage for me would be that I would only need one device that I could carry around and not two.

My guess is that it will be a device with the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating systems but I’m open for other suggestions. What would you recommend me to get ?

Tags: asus eeepc, mobile device, mobile phone, msi wind, notebook, pda, smartphone

Control Servers from Mobile Phones via SSH

Martin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:12:18 +0000

If you are running dedicated servers, virtual private servers or even hosting accounts, you need some backup plans to cover eventualities. I was away for the last five days and had to make sure that I could react immediately when I would receive notice of an emergency. You need to know that I run a few scripts every minute that check if certain core modules are still running on my servers and that I receive an SMS instantly if they are not.

This helps if I’m near a PC but not if I’m playing with my five year old nephew at the North Sea. One of my backup plans included the installation of a Symbian version of Putty on my Nokie N73 mobile phone. Putty is a Telnet and SSH client that can be used to quickly connect to servers and start commands and scripts there. It would take only a minute or so to connect to the server and restart a module, like ftp, MySQL or Apache, if one of them crashes.

It can also be used to analyze what went wrong providing the server did not crash completely and does not restart. All that is needed is the free software PuTTY for Symbian OS which can be installed on a Symbian OS compatible mobile phones also known as S60 third edition smartphones.

Ports for UIQ 1, UIQ 2 and UIQ 3 are available as well. It’s actually pretty cumbersome to work with Putty on a mobile phone that does not have a full QWERTY keyboard with additional keys like ESC which is why the mobile version of Putty offers a special send menu that provides access to those special characters.

Tags: dedicated server, mobile phone, network, putty, server, ssh, symbian, symbian s60, telnet

Anti-Theft Software for Mobile Phones

Martin — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:16:49 +0000

After writing the article about Locate PC, a utility that sends information like the IP address on a daily basis I was wondering what the state of the art of the anti-theft software for mobile phones would look like. I’m just guessing but it’s probably true that mobile phones get stolen more often than notebooks, probably due to sheer numbers but also because they are smaller and easier to steal.

I was surprised that a very effective way of dealing with mobile phone theft was already available. All of the applications that I took a look at support sending a SMS whenever the SIM card of the mobile gets changed. The SMS will contain information about the new phone number and, depending on the software and phone, other relevant information like GPS coordinates.

This makes it very easy to track down your mobile phone with the help of law enforcement agencies who simply contact the phone company asking them to reveal name and address of the person behind the new phone number.

Most anti-theft software is not free unfortunately and I was only able to find two free ones that unfortunately work only on selected mobile phones:

mGuard

mGuard is a anti-theft software for Sony Ericsson phones and provides a way to send an SMS to another mobile phone whenever the SIM card gets changed. It operates silently in the background and it should be very hard to spot. Even if the thief spots the application the SMS has already been send out.

Guardian

Guardian is a advanced anti-theft software for Symbian S60 devices. It starts automatically when the mobile phone is turned on and checks the SIM card in the process. A SMS will be send containing information about the new phone number, GSM cell ID, country ID and current network). The current user will not be notified about the SMS and it will not appear in the logs or send SMS folders.

Guardian will automatically switch to invisible mode when a SIM card is entered that is not authorized which makes it impossible to access the application. It also comes with a hard reset protection that protects the application when the user performs a hard reset which basically means a return to the default phone settings. (works 90% of the time according to the developers)

Users who donate money to the project, from €3 to €500 get a few extra features. The remote control plugins sound very interesting. Once an unauthorized SIM card has been placed in the phone it is possible to send remote commands to the phone to

Recover your sms and your Phonebook’s contacts from your stolen mobile
Gain informations about the thief, monitoring his activities like sent and received sms, incoming and outgoing calls, phonebooks contacts added
Track the movements of your mobile, using the gsm cell-id localization
Protect your Privacy deleting contents from your stolen mobile (sms, contacts, images, videos, audios)
Lock your Phone or your SIM to avoid anyone using it

This version can also store up to ten different SIM cards that are authorized which is great if you happen to change SIM cards every now and then.

Guardian is a pretty sophisticated tool and I would definitely recommend to donate to get the additional features.

Now of any other free tools for mobile phones that add anti-theft protections to them ? Let me know about them please.

Tags: anti-theft, guardian, mguard, mobile phone, Nokia, sony ericsson, symbian 60

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