Verizon’s Razzle gives them the old razzle-dazzle

Verizon’s on a bizarre form factor kick lately, having just released the Nokia Twist — and now we’ve got this strange little sucker, supposedly coming to market as the ‘Razzle.’ Astute observers will note that the Razzle is basically Verizon’s branded version of the PCD TXT8030 first seen back at CTIA in April of this year, offering a 1.3 megapixel camera, VZ Navigator compatibility, and — here’s the big one — a lower half that swivels 180 degrees to choose between a full QWERTY keyboard and stereo speakers. Interestingly, an older leaked roadmap misidentified this as an HTC product — but the ‘Blitz 2′ branding definitely makes sense considering both the Razzle and the Blitz are clearly geared toward a younger, funkier audience. PhoneArena says we can expect this one next month for ‘under $60,’ so this is one CDMA oddity that hopefully won’t break the bank.

(Via Engadget Mobile.)

We all know how crazy malware can be. Bad software such as viruses, trojans, and retro viruses (anti-anti-virus) all fall under this umbrella category. Protection from it was sadly not included into Windows….until now. Microsoft is pleased to announce the release of Microsoft Security Essentials. Handling virus, spyware, and malware threats, this program is free for Windows users who are using genuine Microsoft software. Kudos, Microsoft. Looks like you’ve done ok yourself by catching all test bugs with no positives! Well, that’s a start. How will it fare in competition to the other anti-virus software available out there? Will it beat out Avast, AVG Personal, AntiVir Personal, and those other free antiviruses? What about ESET’s NOD32 and other commercial antivirus software? Time will tell…but while we wait for the days to go by, go check out this article for what some of the industry professionals are saying about Microsoft’s small footprint antivirus on NetworkWorld.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials

Technorati Tags: Free For All, Microsoft, Security Essentials, Anti-Virus, Malware, Tjchan, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Clinton Fitch Reviews Airscanner Mobile Antivirus 3.0.
2. ActiveSync 4.5 Released by Microsoft
3. Windows Mobile Security and Patch Management

You want to save electricity but the question remains, do I save more electricity keeping my computer on or turning it off at night? Well, it depends. On a recent article and study by Microsoft’s Monty Enbysk, the answer lies in counting watts. Putting the computer into sleep mode reduces your wattage use to a mere 7.3 watts which means lots of energy savings. By using sleep or hibernate, it can also equate to time savings of just waiting for about 20-30 seconds to wake the computer up to where it is ready to serve you again. Compare that to the 2-5 minute reboot time of a fully off computer. The one thing we must still remember is that even if the computer’s fully off, the power supply of the computer still draws energy for LAN functions which is about 2.3 watts…this same amount of wattage is true for hibernate as well. If you decided to yank the plug, then yes, the computer is truly off…no more power drain.

So, briefly a quick recap:

Sleep (with Monitor on) = 7.3 watts
Sleep (with Monitor off) = 3.1 watts
Hibernate = 2.3 watts
Off (plugged in) = 2.3 watts
Off (unplugged) = 0 watts

For a more detailed read as well as more interesting facts on computer energy savings, visit Microsoft’s website.

Technorati Tags: Tips and Tricks, Energy Savings, Tjchan, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Weekend Diversion Part 2: Why Did The Boy Throw His Computer Out The Window
2. Dell Studio Hybrid – Saving or Stealing from the Pandas
3. Another Actor Gets a Free Computer

Simply put, cool just got more cool.  With today’s announcement of SPB Software upgrading SPB Mobile Shell for Windows Mobile Professional to version 3.5, they’ve crammed enough new features and enhancements to make the update almost worthy of a full new version number.  To be honest, there HAVE been programs see a jump in version number for less of an update that SPB Software has put together for us.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been running the Windows Mobile UI replacement for the last couple of days on one of my phones, and while the new version has seen a bump up to 11 MB in size, SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 handles resources beautifully.  In never slows down nor consumes an inordinate amount of RAM.

Version 3.5 builds on and refines all of the major UI enhancements that version 3 brought to a handheld.  The update includes additional widgets ranging from enhanced clock and weather widgets, to Facebook and Twitter widgets, to the much longed for Tasks widget.  The previously existing widgets have all seen refinements in functionality and aesthetics, as has the whole system for managing them.

SPB Mobile Shell also adds refinements in the areas of the information screens it provides.  Additional weather information is available for the selected city.  An integrated image viewer has been included for the picture frame widget.  A 3-D message viewer has also been incorporated, allowing users to read and reply to email and SMS directly from the application.  Contacts now include optional support for direct dialing or sending of an SMS.

In addition, version 3.5 enhances the functionality found in the Professional and Lifestyle layouts.  Users can now disable one or the other, as well as control the number of virtual panes available to scroll between.  You can set either one, three or five panes to be used.  What’s really cool is to have five panes in the Professional layout and five panes in the Lifestyle layout, allowing the user to quickly navigate between different a total of ten different virtual screens, all not counting the other screens provided in the carousel!

In summary, SPB Software has put together a fantastic update with SPB Mobile Shell’s 3.5 revision.  All of the features they added are well thought out and integrated intuitively.  My only hopes for a future version is that they open the SDK for developing widgets.  I’d really like to have access to a couple that aren’t provided, including a button to turn off the device, a meter to monitor the free memory in storage and in a memory card as well as a few others that I’m sure will come to mind after finishing here.

DETAILS:

• You can download a free trial of SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 here.
• The full version is available for $29.95.
• Registered users of version 3.x can upgrade to version 3.5 free of charge.
• Additional information can be found here.

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. SPB Software Releases SPB Brain Evolution 2 for Windows Mobile Professional
2. Spb Software House Releases Spb Mobile Shell 1.5
3. SPB Software Releases SPB Quads, a New Arcade Game for Windows Mobile Professional

When I heard about the dual-processor Swordfish Net 102 Dual Netbook Computer, I really wondered what the creators were trying to accomplish. I would love to have more power on smaller notebooks – but the whole machine has to become more powerful for me to take advantage of that change – not just the processor. I’m no huge computer tech spec expert (just an ex-netbook user), but I feel like doubling the processing power of a netbook is like turning the upper half of your body into the Terminator while leaving everything below the torso as the same old scrawny human parts. You get a lot more power, but it seems like you’re really limiting your general mobility and power balance.

That’s because the Swordfish comes with a mere 3-cell battery that already doesn’t last very long with a single Atom processor, and it doesn’t seem to have any more graphical power than any other netbook on the market. I don’t blame them for this, since the netbook casing is already so small…but that begs the question (again): why the extra processor, guys?

If you know a use for the extra power, hit us up in the comments. I’m sure there’s got to be someone who could take advantage of it, but it’s useless to me for games or quick video editing without a better integrated or dedicated graphics solution. If you are interested in the 450 USD Swordfish, check out the full tech specs and deatils on the Swordfish website.

[news via Wired]

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Please Don’t Call It A Netbook, Psion!
2. Dell’s Mini 12, what defines a Netbook?
3. Surprise! Things you can do with a netbook!

If you are speeding downhill on your faithful inline skates you will like this. Only thing you need is a GPS capable Windows Mobile and hdSpeedo.

Image courtesy of 1800PocketPC

This new freeware measures your speed using your Windows Mobile phone internal GPS and can be downloaded from FreewarePocketPC.net. You will only need the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 installed on your Windows Mobile.

For now the supported features are basic:

• configurable background colours;
• day and night colour schemes;
• works in portrait or landscape mode;

…more than enough to have fun tracking your speed with your phone.

However, please drive safe and… wear your helmet!

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Spotlight – GPS For Your Pup
2. Entry Level GPS Phone, Hop On?
3. Windows Mobile Total Access Offering “Speed City” for Free