| There
is so much an excellently designed smartphone can do. But
without the software to power it, it's virtually useless.
Since the launch of the first Orange SPV Microsoft smartphone
in October 2002, there have been a host of new applications
designed to run on this platform.
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Installing Applications
One point about installing an application
for the smartphone: you can either use ActiveSync to install
the application from your PC to your smartphone, or you can
install it directly from the vendor's web site. Simply go
to the vendor's web site and click on the relevant link to
download the file. Once you confirm the download, it will
be installed on your smartphone automatically.
Transferring Files onto Your Smartphone
Sometimes you just need to transfer files
(such as MP3 music files) onto your smartphone. There are
a few easy ways to do that. You can either use the infrared
port or use ActiveSync to do the job. I use ActiveSync most
of time, as it is the most flexible method. Simply hook up
your smartphone to your PC through ActiveSync and at the ActiveSync
window, click on the Explore button. You will then be able
to explore the file system on your smartphone and drag and
drop files as required.
Photo Contacts
One application that is useful for your smartphone
is the Photo Contacts application from PocketX Software. Using
Photo Contacts, you can assign photos to your contacts in
your address book.
If your service provider supports caller identification,
the photo of the caller will be displayed when your smartphone
rings.
World Time
Another useful application is the World Time
application by The MadBeetle. Using the World Time, you can
view the time of 400 cities worldwide. City data includes:
* Sunrise\sunset
* GMT offset
* Daylight savings
* Analogue clock
* The moon phase
* Airport code
* Dial Code
* Longitude and Latitude
The World Time application is useful if you do a lot of travelling
and need to check out the different time zones.
System Utilities
If you constantly install applications and
move files into and out of your smartphone, then you need
an effective way to view the various resources on your smartphone.
I've found Resco SystemToys for Smartphone to be a good choice.
Resco SystemToys allows you to check on your
battery status, as well as the amount of memory remaining.
So the next time you want to install that favorite MP3 on
your smartphone, check out the amount of available memory
first.
Pocket TV
If you spend a significant amount of time
on the road, then you will be glad that PocketTV allows you
to play MPEG movies on your smartphone.
You can download some free video clips from pocketmovies.net.
I downloaded snippets of The Return of the King and played
them on the MPx200. The playback was smooth and the sound
of acceptable quality. So the next time you hit the road,
be sure that you load your smartphone with the latest movie
hits.
Media Player on Your Smartphone
Envy those people who have an iPod or a digital
video player? Fret not; with a little investment, you can
turn your smartphone into a music player. In fact, your smartphone
already comes with the required software to play your music
and video files (MP3s and WMA are supported).
The only constraint that you probably face
is storage. While the iPod supports storage of 4GB and above,
your smartphone comes with a paltry storage space of about
10MB (this depends on your phone model). So you can literally
forget about storing your music files on your smartphone.
Fortunately, this problem can be solved by
buying an external storage card. For music- and video-playing
purposes, I suggest you invest in at least a 128MB SD card.
If budget allows, go for the largest in capacity -- 1GB.
To copy CD music or videos onto your smartphone,
you can use Media Player 9
Playing music on the smartphone is cool --
the sound quality is good and crisp. However, video playback
using the smartphone Windows Media player is not fantastic
-- screens tend to be jerky. The sound track of the video
is good, but the video does not synchronize well with the
sound. Even so, watching videos while you are on the train
is still a good way to spend your time.
One of the success factors for a platform is the amount of
applications available for it. In my upcoming articles, I
am going to dive more deeply into how to get more out of your
smartphone. In the meantime, do share with us on your favorite
applications on the smartphone.
What
is a Smartphone ? | Emergence
of the Smartphone | What
Can a Smartphone Do? |
Access
Web 2.0 | Developing
Smartphone Applications | Microsoft
Smartphone Tips and Tricks |
Motorola
MPx200 Smartphone 2002 | Samsung
SGH-i750 | What
Makes A GPS Cell Phone |
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N73: Inspirational Technology | PDA
& Handheld Computers buying guide
|
