The CTIA Wireless took place this week in Orlando (near "the Happiest Place on Earth"), spurring all kinds of stories. It seems to me that the number of press releases issued had to have been a record! New products. New alliances. Coming attractions. For 3 days my email was slammed. It’s a good thing TreoCentral had some "feet on the street," to help sift through things and bring some perspective to the "goings on." I did my share of sifting too – uncovering some interesting tidbits.

So without further ado, Let’s Talk Treo!

Palm News

Palm’s news, dateline ORLANDO, had to do with "fashionable lifestyle" accessories and the upcoming availability of Windows Mobile 6 for the Treo 750.

Palm Furthers Initiative for a Hands-free, Fashionable Lifestyle with New Accessories

Couched in terms of helping with handsfree compliance, Palm announced three car kits and a new combination GPS/hands-free speakerphone solution that "further Palm's initiative to provide customers with tools to make their mobile experience simple and safer, especially while driving."

Along with the piece written by Jennifer at TreoCentral, another story delving into this in more detail can be found at Treonauts.

Update to Windows Mobile 6 Coming for Treo 750

In a highly anticipated announcement, Palm made it officially known that an update to the Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system will be available for Treo 750 smartphone customers around the world. Per a post from TreoCentral’s CTIA street team:

Palm expects that the update will be free. Their rep told us: "However if carriers have requested other items to be included in the same update, there might be a small fee. Timing will be dependent on carrier certification schedules and I can't say for certainty when the update for the unlocked version will come out and if it will be first."

Palm issued two global expansion press releases this week.

Treo 750 in the Netherlands Palm and KPN announced the availability of the Treo 750 in the Dutch market. KPN, the leading multimedia company in the Netherlands, has 6.3 million wireline voice subscribers, 8.6 million mobile customers, 2.1 million Internet customers and 0.3 million TV customers in the Netherlands as well as 15.0 million mobile customers in Germany and Belgium.

Treo 750 in Austria Palm announced availability of the Treo 750 smartphone on the 3 network in Austria. Note: The press release neglected to provide any details about 3 network.

Recent TreoCentral Guides, Reviews & More

Review: SlingPlayer Mobile Beta for PalmOS is finally here! - By Harv Laser

Harv has done his usual thorough job with this review of the long awaited, SlingPlayer Mobile for Palm OS.

He remarks:

"If you have a Slingbox (any model) or have been considering getting one, and you have a 700p on a high-speed network, preferably an unlimited data plan, this is the program you've been waiting for…"

"…You can carry around ALL your home channels in your hand, watch them anywhere you can get an adequate data speed, and I think you'll be blown away by the quality. I was."

Alli Flowers at MyTreo.net also reviewed the new SlingPlayer this week.

So did PJ Arts at Palm Addicts.

Here’s a look at several case options for your Treo.

Review: Palm Leather Holster - By Jay Gross

Jay took a look at the Palm Leather Holster, a very classy looking and practical solution for carrying your Treo (750, 700p, 700w|wx, 680, 650, 600):

"Palm sure has that immediate access thing covered. If you prefer your Treo handy to the max, the luxurious, well-crafted Leather Holster will do the trick in style. Its permanent, rotating clip attaches a pliable pouch of soft Nappa leather to your belt. It works fine on waistband or bookbag strap, too.

If you like to keep your Treo instantly accessible, Palm’s Leather Holster takes care of that job nicely. It’s strong, well made of soft, quality leather, and it holds the phone in style."

Review: Smartphone Experts UltraSlim SkinCase for Treo 750/680 - By Douglas Morse

Douglas provides the “skinny” on the Smartphone Experts UltraSlim SkinCase:

"I’m impressed by the accuracy of each cut out. I’ve used many leather cases where the cross pieces don’t line up quite right or cases that make unnecessary bulges. I also think this case has the correct amount of cut outs. Some of the older skin cases covered up the keyboard and this made it difficult to use. The coverage of the main buttons is fine because in every day use, I never even noticed the case was there."

Review: Monaco Aluminum Case for Treo 750 - By Tim Hillebrand

Tim wrote about the Monaco Aluminum Case for Treo 750, which is made from anodized aircraft grade aluminum:

"Overall, this case shows your Treo 750 off to good advantage, affords accessibility to all the buttons and ports while offering the protection of a strong but light aluminum suit of armor for your faithful knight. It weighs less than a bird’s beak and is the perfect choice if you like to operate your Treo without the touch screen.

…Compared to other cases, I think the price ($29.95) is fair considering its quality, strength, and functionality."

Elsewhere in the World of Treo

Review: My BodyGuardz – Protective Covering For Your Treo

Andrew from Treonauts writes:

"The BodyGuardz can be considered to be the thinnest ‘skin’ case available for your smartphone – albeit one that comes without any of the hassles typically associated with other Treo skin cases."

"Overall, considering that the BodyGuardz kit includes not only a set of two full body films but also three separate screen protectors I personally found it to offer excellent value ($24.95) and a terrific solution."

Review: Cardo Systems scala-700 Bluetooth Headset

This review contains a lot of details. Along with pictures, Julie has created several WAV files so you can get a sense about how this headset stands up under different conditions. She was clearly impressed with the Cardo Systems scala-700. She wrote:

"My number 1 reason for liking this headset is comfort. My number 2 reason, sound quality. The scala-700 is now my favorite headset."

Review: Palm Treo Bluetooth Wireless Headset

Jeff over at EverythingTreo, checked out a classic – Palm’s award-winning wireless headset. He writes:

"The Palm Wireless Headset offers good sound quality and fits comfortably. The ability to use a Treo charger is a nice plus. The headset is moderately priced, and the color scheme complements that of the Treo."

Review: SimulScribe

Alli Flowers at MyTreo.net had a chance to play around with SimulScribe, a voicemail service that uses voice transcription software to convert your messages into text. The transcribed voicemail, along with the original audio, can be sent to your mobile phone, PDA, and/or email account. Alli remarks, "If you are a busy professional, this service could be just what you've always wanted."

CTIA News: SpinVox Announces Spin-my-Blog Voice-to-Screen Service

At CTIA, SpinVox, announced its newest Voice-to-Screen service, Spin-my-Blog. This mobile blogging service allows users to instantly post spoken blog entries from anywhere. By simply using any phone to call a designated Spin-my-Blog phone number, bloggers are automatically connected to their blogs and their spoken entries are converted to text and automatically posted on their blog sites live. Per the company’s press release:

"Spin-my-Blog is a groundbreaking development for Web 2.0 - largely characterized by the power it gives users to generate and share their own content throughout the Web. With Spin-my-Blog, voice enters the blogosphere for the first time and removes the tether of Internet or PC access in order to interact with online communities and news groups."

CTIA News: Thin Multimedia Announces Moah: Mobile User-Generated Content (UGC) Platform

Thin Multimedia, Inc. (TMI), a leading developer and provider of multimedia software solutions, announced Moah, a user-generated content (UGC) solution for mobile devices. Moah is an end-to-end software solution that allows wireless carriers and content providers to provide user-generated video content to their existing customers. This “white label solution” (their words) can be deployed across any network or platform. Moah includes a full suite of tools for users, carriers, and content providers. TMI showcased Moah in their booth at CTIA.

News: Plantronics Expands Stereo Bluetooth Headset Portfolio

At CTIA, Plantronics announced the U.S. introduction of the Pulsar 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headset, a unique Bluetooth pendant-style headset designed to support high quality, wireless stereo sound and manage mobile phone calls with the touch of a button. The Pulsar 260 expands Plantronics’ growing family of stereo Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones, which also includes the award-winning Pulsar 590 series.

News: New Speakerphone from Blueant

During CTIA, Australian Bluetooth market leader, BlueAnt Wireless unveiled the Supertooth Light Bluetooth speakerphone. Stylish in design, easy to use and with no installation requirements, the new Supertooth Light offers the very latest in handsfree speakerphone technology. Following in the footsteps of its highly successful counterpart, the Supertooth II the new Supertooth Light incorporates advanced technology including Clear Voice Capture (CVC) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) from Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) to help achieve its outstanding audio qualities. Other notable features include:

• Mounts on a sun-visor using a two-sided magnetic clip
• Easily switches sides when the sun-visor is up or down
• Sliding microphone shaft retracts when not in use
• Supports multi-pairing to 5 Bluetooth devices

CTIA News: GoWare Launches DoMo HomePage Public Beta

GoWare announced that its new DoMo HomePage personal mobile portal is available to the public as part of a free beta trial at domohomepage.com. According to the press release, DoMo HomePage is a new service that revolutionizes mobile connectivity by allowing users to create personalized mobile portals for convenient delivery of their Web-based and PC-based content through a single page on their mobile browsers. Using any browser, DoMo HomePage makes it possible for users to access a mashup of Web content (news, blogs, podcasts), PC files (documents, photos), and application data (email from Outlook, financial data from QuickBooks), quickly and easily from their mobile phone. In addition, DoMo's open architecture lets third-party developers create plug-ins to applications and Web services, such as online banking, for even greater customization.

CTIA News: New Mobile Interface Unveiled

Microsoft announced the launch of ZenZui, an independent company that is offering a new user interface for mobile devices that was initially developed by the Microsoft Redmond Research lab. ZenZui worked with Microsoft IP Ventures to acquire the patented technology and get assistance in finding venture capital funding. Brighthand’s story includes a link to a video demo of how this new user interface operates on phones with a variety of screen sizes, resolutions, and input methods.

Over at Smart Device Central, I found another take on this, written by Tim Bajarin. Per his story, the company's goal is to create an easy-to-use interface that will, according to CEO Eric Hertz, "transform the way people engage, consume, and interact with Web content through a revolutionary mobile user experience and information ecosystem, using ZenZui's Zooming User Interface." Tim writes:

"My first impression is that ZenZui is on to something quite new and important for the mobile phone and mobile data markets.

…From talking to Hertz and his team, it is clear that they have given a lot of thought to creating an easier way to access Web-based content on these types of phones. And the new ZenZui UI should get serious attention from carriers and consumers alike."

CTIA News: Avvenu Brings iTunes to Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Users

At CTIA, Avvenu announced the availability of the Avvenu Music Player for Windows Mobile 5. Avvenu’s new mobile music service allows iTunes users to listen to and share their iTunes music library anytime, anywhere, by streaming music directly to Windows Mobile Smartphone devices, like the Treo 750 and 700w. After successful completion of a closed beta test program, the Avvenu Music Player for Windows Mobile is now available to the public at getit.avvenu.com.

News: MobiTV & Yahoo! Team Up

This week, in a press release without an ORLANDO dateline, Yahoo! and MobiTV, the global leader in mobile and broadband television and music services, announced they have formed a new mobile advertising alliance. Yahoo! will be the ad network partner for MobiTV's mobile video advertising sales and delivery - providing top brands access to a one-stop, fully integrated mobile media-buy across all advertising modes, including text, banner and mobile video.

CTIA News: AAA and Networks In Motion Announce First GPS-Enabled Navigation System for Mobile Phones with Integrated Roadside Assistance

AAA, North America's foremost motoring and leisure travel organization, and Networks In Motion (NIM), the award-winning wireless navigation and location-based services (LBS) company, announced an industry first in mobile phone-based GPS navigation and travel assistance. A new application called AAA Mobile, powered by the NIM LBS platform, transforms the mobile phone into a powerful navigation device and travel companion.

AAA Mobile subscribers can use their mobile phone to receive visual and audible directions to any travel destination in the U.S.; locate AAA Approved points of interest (POIs), including Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants; and find locations that offer AAA member savings. Subscribers can review detailed AAA descriptions for POIs on their phone, receive a map showing a destination on the mobile phone screen, and bookmark locations as favorites for quick recall in future.Networks In Motion's Location-Based Services Platform Powers 'AAA Mobile', Providing Quick and Easy Access to Exclusive AAA TourBook(R) Information and Roadside Assistance Services.

CTIA News: Coming Soon – YouTube Mobile

According to GigaOM, YouTube has plans to bring a mobile version of YouTube to more cell phones in June 2007, once the firm's exclusivity agreement with Verizon comes to a close. Until now, only Verizon customers were able to run YouTube mobile.

CTIA News: Cowabunga! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Hit the Fourth Screen With Blinko

Buongiorno USA, Ltd., market leader in digital entertainment services, announced the launch of mobile video downloads via its direct-to-consumer brand, Blinko.

"The addition of mobile video downloads to the Blinko product catalogue has enhanced the Blinko.com website to offer customers a greater selection of products, addressing the increasing consumer demand for multimedia products for mobile phones."

Blinko also announced the availability of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles downloads (wallpaper and ringtones), although a quick check of their website doesn’t turn up immediate evidence of this (you have to search for turtles).

Endnotes & Ponderables:

The Sunday New York Times ran this story, "Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Don’t Read This in Traffic" on the front page. Well, at least I think it was on the front page, I was watching March Madness basketball on TV and listening to a Spring Training baseball game on the radio while I was perusing my Sunday Times. But I digress.

Anyway, the story somehow reminded me of the old public service, "Brain on drugs" ads.

This is your brain. This is your brain multitasking. Any questions?

Per the story:

The human brain, with its hundred billion neurons and hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, is a cognitive powerhouse in many ways. "But a core limitation is an inability to concentrate on two things at once," said René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University.

That sounds like a "duh!" statement, yet how many of us push the boundaries of multi-tasking on a daily basis?

Here’s another one for the "brilliant!" file:

"Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes," said David E. Meyer, a cognitive scientist and director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan. "Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information."

So you think you’re getting more done, but you aren’t.

I may be a maniac, multi-tasking at work and around the house, but definitely not behind the wheel or while out in public. Safety first!

Furthermore, all the legislation in the world (i.e. the handsfree movement) can’t change human nature. You can have two hands on the steering wheel and still be incredibly distracted by what’s going on "in your ear." And that idea of being safe in the crosswalk, as my pals from Jersey would say, "fugetaboutit."

Somehow we need to learn to strike a balance, and use our mobile devices with some (here it comes…) common sense. Think about it… Before there were mobile devices, would you have walked into an intersection reading a newspaper or book, without looking up? Gee, probably not. And last I checked, the purchase of a mobile device didn’t also include some sort of 9 lives guarantee.

So people, let’s be smarter about how (and where) we use our Treo (or other mobile device).

That’s a wrap!

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