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SMS
When using the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone,
users will have well integrated SMS (Short Message Service).
SMS messages have their own folders in the Inbox and can
be used for near real-time notification of events and information.
Many carriers provide subscribers a significant number of
free incoming SMS messages per month, making it practical
to create server applications and web sites that send out
SMS messages to users on the go. You can also enable your
PPC applications to send out SMS messages, just be aware
that most carriers charge their users a small fee for outgoing
messages. SMS may also provide a bridge to users of other
less powerful phone devices as a broad range of devices
support it.
Web Services
I believe some of the most compelling
solutions PPC developers are going to create will be based
on Web Services. The possibilities seem too vast to explore
in any kind of serious detail in a short review article.
In general Web Services are going to be one of the most
powerful and simple ways to bring our mobile applications
to life. Lots of consideration will need to go into the
best way to leverage and implement them in your applications
but Web Services will give you the ability to empower both
the enterprise user and the personal user to pull live data
into your application from just about anywhere while on
the go. Add other exotic ingredients like triangulated location
to the mix and stir.
Multi-Player Games
Games are touted as a huge growth area
for mobile devices in general. The Pocket PC Phone Edition
has the power and display of a regular Pocket PC but also
offers the added plus of flexible connectivity. Can you
think of an idea or two that might make the morning commute
more fun for your users that have T-Mobile devices? Web
Services, SMS messages and even simple email might make
for some interesting gaming solutions, but keep an eye open
for new game server solutions and platforms that you may
soon be able to take advantage of as well.
POOM
The idea of integrating your application
with Pocket Outlook or coming up with brand new application
ideas based on the Phone support will be another area that
will keep some developers busy as carriers subsidize a growing
population of Pocket PC Phone devices. Lets hope better
support for POOM in the .Net Compact Framework isn’t
too far off.
Ring Tones
Pocket PC Phone Edition devices raise
the bar for ring tones to the wav format. By making skins,
ring tones, and products that take advantage of the multimedia
features of the Pocket PC Phone Edition device, you have
yet another way to enhance the popularity and general user
appeal of this new hybrid device.
Many of the mentioned items above relate
to or overlap with other form factors as well as the Pocket
PC Phone Edition. After working with the T-Mobile unit for
a couple of weeks, I was struck by the nice balance that
this device achieves. It has the screen size and power of
a Pocket PC that will allow for a much richer application
experience than, say a SmartPhone, yet it offers the connectivity
that many regular Pocket PCs lack and it provides the voice
call capability and features that are the main motivator
for many people to carry around a device in the first place.
So, in many ways the Pocket PC Phone Edition sets the stage
for a new generation of interactive applications that talk
to servers and enables enterprise solutions with broader
reach and mobility than previous devices have offered. When
using this new generation device it made me more conscious
of the fact that user needs will change as a result of this
technology. That change presents new opportunities for PPC
developers. Our opportunity or responsibility to create
these innovative solutions will impact how quickly the next
generation of personal communication devices is adopted
and in turn what the next generation of devices may actually
look like. We are part of an interesting cycle of change
that may significantly change the way people connect to
each other and to information.
If you haven’t yet had a chance
to see a T-Mobile device first hand, here are some of the
important things to know about:
Size:
The T-Mobile is .7 of an inch thick,
2.9 inches wide and 5.1 inches high excluding the small
protrusion for the antenna. Numbers aside, holding onto
this well tapered unit is much different from holding any
previous generation PPC. It fits nicely in the hand. The
unit weighs in at slightly more than 7 ounces. I found the
weight and size much less noticeable in the shirt pocket
than my old Casio’s.
Battery Life:
Documentation claims you will get
4-5 hours of talk time, up to a 170 hours (about one full
week) of standby, or 15 – 17 hours of straight PDA
use; also much better than previous generations of similar
consumer oriented PPC only devices.
In The Box:
Packaged with the T-Mobile unit
is a USB cradle along with cables and adapters that allow
you to power up the device without the use of the cradle.
Included in the box you will also find an ear bud/mic for
hands-free calling and a nicely designed carrying case.
The unit itself seems to have been well
thought out and designed, in ways of shape and simple things,
like providing a good way to eject your SIM card. I found
the stylus unnecessarily short and uncomfortable to use
compared the longer styli of other PPCs. I also missed not
having 802.11b support or a compact flash slot to pop my
802.11b card into. The unit does have an SD slot that would
provide a way for expanding storage but that doesn’t
help much with the compatibility of my existing media or
digital camera.
Perhaps one of the most important issues
is that the unit has a good sounding speaker and microphone
that help make it a pretty darn good phone.
So, regardless of how you may have felt
about the dipping of phone technology into the PPC space
or the dipping of PPC technology into a phone space, the
recently released T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition may make
a real impact on how smart your phone is going to be in
the future. Smart developers will give the issue some thought.
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