MAVROMATIC » Cell Phones

Windows Phone 7 Series is very impressive!

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:39:46 +0000

So today Microsoft officially announced the newest version of their mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7 Series, and I have to say I am VERY impressed with the initial details. The user interface is reminiscent of Windows Media Center and XBOX which I have loved using over the years. The key element I like is that the user interaction is all about flow instead of launching little applications — something that makes the iPhone messy when you have a lot of apps installed.

My feeling is that if Microsoft can control the hardware quality, Apple will have a true contender to compete with which is great for the industry. As for where I think Andriod fits in… it feels like Windows CE from 10 years ago.

Pretty exciting for Microsoft and great job to all the teams involved! I can’t wait to use and develop for this platform too!

Check out the links below for some great photos and videos of the interface in action:

- Windows Phone 7 Series
- Announcing Windows Phone 7 Series

SNEAK PEAK: Myro:Home for iPhone (HAI Controller)

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:08:26 +0000

Here is a sneak peak of the Myro:Home iPhone application. As you can see, progress has been coming along. I’ve been getting the design finalized and now I’m just tweaking the look and feel a bit. The mobile framework has also been set in the core Myro:Home application which acts as a server on your home network. The iPhone version connects into Myro and loads and controls the HAI panel via a secure channel.

The key focus has been getting control of your home via the iPhone in the quickest time possible. As it works now, I can load and control in less than 3 seconds (if on WIFI).

- MYRO CONTROL – Myro:Home

Zack Morris Still Using The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:10:57 +0000

Here’s a clip that will bring you back to your younger years… Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. No Palm Pre or Apple 3GS for Zack… nope, he still prefers a phone only mobile. I’m surprised the DynaTAC 8000X’s battery is still holding a charge after all these years! The clip from the show is below:

[JustJared via Gizmodo via David Cho]

iPhone 3GS – Feature List

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:29:10 +0000

Apple has announced the release of the newest iPhone, the iPhone 3GS. Visually the iPhone looks the same as the previous 3G version but the 3GS comes loaded with new futures! For starters, the new iPhone shoots video and has zoom capabilities. If battery life was a problem for you apparently the new iPhone 3GS will give you up to 9 hours of Wifi surfing compared to the 3G’s six.

Here’s a break down of the notable features:
- 3 Megapixel sensor
- Video Capture Support 30fps (share via MMS, email, MobileMe and Youtube)
- Support for the faster 7.2 Mbps 3G Standard
- Screen now has ingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Built-in compass application which also works with map (shows orientation)
- Voice Control
- Inline Remote for Music Control (you can use iPhone headphones with volume control now)
- Nike + Support
- Improved Battery life (12 hours talk time, 9 hours WiFi, 5 hours on 3G, up to 300 hours standby)
- $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $99 for 3G model.

The bad part: “Requires new two-year AT&T wireless service contract, sold separately to qualified customers; credit check required; must be 18 or older. For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).”

Best iPhone 3g Car Kit?

Danny Mavromatis — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:12:27 +0000

So this seems to be the best iPhone 3g Car Kit I have found so far. It doesn’t look the sexiest, however, it seems to have everything I would need and no drilling or self adhesive mounting hardware needed — just plug it into the cigarette lighter (12v aux port).

Features:

Hi-Fi Stereo FM Transmitting at 88.1-107.9MHz (0.1MHz/step) brings you the perfect music enjoyment
iPhone Hands-free supports talking through car speaker system
Supply charging power for iPhone and iPod models with dock connector
Flexible Goose-pipe makes it convenient to find the best position for your devices with any car in the world.
Goose pipe rotation-preventing design makes the iPhone/iPod devices steady and secure.
Standard USB-A (5V, 1A) output socket provides the charging for iPod Shuffle, Microsoft Zune, mobile phones, GPS and other portable devices
Using a flexible clamp to fix the iPhone/iPod steadily in the car. Removable stoppers prevent it from dropping.
High quality silicone gel at the back and sides of the cradle protect the device.

It’s onsale now for $19.99 (regular $24.99) use coupon code: IFMALL (exp 5/31) from Handheld Items.

HandHeld Items – iPhone 3G, iPod Touch 2G, iPod Nano 4G, MP3 ALL-in-ONE FM Transmitter With Bluetooth Function

iPhone’s Safari, a Fake?

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:31:15 +0000

Check this out… I was looking at the iPhone 20min Guided Tour on Apple.com and is it just me or is the browser on the iPhone just a Google Maps type image viewer application and not a full fledged browser? Look at the screen midway through the guide (about 10min). Here are a few suspicious things about the iPhone web browser:

- iPhone web pages load too fast for Edge (could be that it’s just for the demo) — but could if they follow the Google Maps model.
- when the user “zooms in”, it looks like the image is getting blurry, exactly like it does with Google Maps, then the higher resolution images load in.
- when the user moves around, the same happens.

- when the user “zooms out” (pictured), the image panels to the left are not loaded. Exactly how Google Maps works.

I’m speculating here and could be 100% wrong, but I think Apple might be proxying all requests to a server (3rd Party??) that takes a snap shot of the page, much like “snap.com“, except it updates more often.

Guess we’ll know for sure in a few days! What do you guys think?

Update: So I talked to Mike D. (he’s a diehard fanboy of Apple) and I’m more than likely wrong… why it’s loading fast is because it’s wi-fi — look at the wifi signal indicator next to AT&T? And we think it’s rendering the page first on screen, then turning it into an img (PDF) and then re-rendering it to screen when zoomed — like the PDF viewer — wow! The iPhone must have a ton of processing power!? Guess, there won’t be any magic that will make the pages load quicker over Edge.

Steve Jobs, “Nobody uses Java anymore” — Really?

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:45:18 +0000

Ten days ago, Pogue posted an interview he had with Steve Jobs about Flash and Java support on the iPhone. Steve Jobs said, “Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain.”

Am I the only one that finds this interesting since the format Apple is supporting for HD content is BluRay, which uses Java for all the interactive menus or BD-J discs. He is supporting a next gen format which supports a technology that he claims nobody uses anymore.

Windows Live Search for Mobile BETA — Amazing!

Danny Mavromatis — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:57:11 +0000

Last night I installed the Windows Live Search for Mobile BETA (enter http://wls.live.com from your Smartphone or J2ME device to install client) on my HTC Wizard (8125) and today on my way to get an oil change I decided to test out its usability. The steps are very simple…

1) Enter the business name and the location near you.

2) Results display quickly. Select business.

3) The next screen gives you the option to call, get directions To or From the location, as well as search the nearby area. I chose “Directions To Here”.

4) Start location and end location are prepopulated (I haven’t tested a GPS unit with this yet, but I expect it to prepopulate the start with the current GPS data).

5) Route Summary (with live updates if GPS is available)

6) And now for my favorite feature! Map with REAL-TIME traffic status! WOW!

I’m also a big fan of the Categories search. If you feel like Greek food, it will list all the restaurants near your location. I’m very impressed with the speed and ease of use. Kudos to the team over at Microsoft that wrote this great piece of software. It blows away the Google Maps (J2ME) application I used before this.

NFC Chip Will Turn Your Cellphone Into A Credit Card

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 00:49:32 +0000

That’s right! We soon will be able to pay for stuff without the need of a wallet — just bring your cellphone along. The technology that makes this possible is a new wireless technology called NFC (Near Field Communication). The NFC chip encrypts your credit card information using short distance radio waves that transmits the data directly to the register. What makes this different than RFID is that it is a two-way technology. The whole footprint of the chip (both transmitter and receiver) measures only five-millimeters. The chip can also receive other data like receipts or coupons.

The best part about this technology is that you won’t have to get a new cellphone. Yup! If you already own a Palm or Windows Mobile phone you will be able to use this new technology by just installing the mini-SD adapter from SanDisk. Which should be available March 2007 for about $80.

- SanDisk and Philips Join Forces to Ensure Security in Ticketing and Mobile Payment Applications

REVIEW: Cingular 8125 (HTC WIZARD) – Part I

Danny Mavromatis — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:40:38 +0000

I’ve been real busy lately, so it’s been hard to find time to post new entries — one of the many problems with running a blog. I have managed to find some time to make huge progress on my automation server, by adding native support for the Omni Pro II automation controller into my .NET server as well as refined it a bit. I had requests from people that wanted to buy my software, but, I’m still not to that point, this project is a hobby and I wrote it because everything out there is so unnecessarily complicated and heavy, not because I wanted to sell it. Who knows, I may decided to release it one day.

Ok, so onto the phone, I’ve been looking for a new phone for over two years, my Sony T610 was being held hostage until someone came out with a phone that had Wi-Fi, BlueTooth and was running Windows Mobile 5.0. The Pocket PC version of my automation interface is in Flash and ties into a CE.NET application on the device so I wanted the latest and greatest when it comes to platforms. That’s what I got, the Cingular 8125! This first review will be short, since I haven’t had much time to play with the phone yet… but initial reaction is that I love it! It will be a tough transition going from a “real” phone to a computer. The biggest challenge I am having so far is that there is no dial pad. It’s virtual on the Cingular 8125, so touch dialing is pretty much out. I’ve been playing with voice dial and that seems to be working fine, as is Microsoft Voice Command 1.5, but it’s still pretty weird. I want the ability to touch dial and touch screens don’t offer that feature. But again, overall, I’m loving it. I’m going to spend a few more days with it before I try to install my software on it. More to come…

Oh, one more thing, the reports are true, the Cingular 8125 (HTC Wizard), does seem a bit under powered… I’ll let you know if it irritates me.