What's with Windows Mobile?: Ask the Editors

Q: I need to replace my Palm Treo 650. Here's what I need. I need the organizing/calendar as well as contacts features. It needs to be a quad-band phone; have a screen similar in size to the Palm 650; a camera so it can record video clips and photos. It also needs to send text messages with photos attached and a QWERTY keyboard.

I'd buy another Treo, but I hear that Windows Mobile 6 works really slowly and is unreliable (at least on the Palms). I've also heard that Treo keyboards tend to die (like mine has). I've definitely ruled out the BlackBerry Pearls. Have I heard wrong about the Treos and/or Windows Mobile? What else is out there that fits my demanding feature list? Thanks greatly!--thracker11 via email

A: I'll be honest (and I don't think I'm in the minority here), the Windows Mobile operating system has its fair share of problems. It's not the most intuitive OS in the world, and it has a checkered past of stability issues and slow performance. So thracker11, you have reason for concern. That said, I feel like Microsoft has made strides in improving the OS.
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10 (more) absurd iPhone apps

It's been just a month since the App Store hit the streets, and the number of applications has skyrocketed. That doesn't mean they're all winners though. The vast majority are downright useless, buggy, or simply overpriced. Heck, some have even been removed by Apple because of all-around lameness. Since our inaugural list of absurd iPhone apps was a big hit, we've picked another group of 10 that are even more absurd than the first ones.

Note: This list is not the same as the version that was published Monday afternoon. Glagow Coma Scale has been replaced with 40 Cozy's Pour1out in light of creator Brent Thompson's comment about the people it's helped. That's not so absurd.

1. GottaGo
Price: US$1.99
This is one of those apps you hope is some sort of sick joke. Designed to get you out of a bad date or an awkward conversation, you can use GottaGo to ring you up with a fake phone call that looks real to your unsuspecting date. All you have to do is set the time like you would an alarm and it will call you, with faked caller ID and everything.

Why it's absurd: Be a decent human being and tell someone when it's just not working. They'll probably respect you more and it'll tie things up better than trying to explain why your apartment being on fire means you'll have to skip dessert.
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Touchscreen Symbian OS on a Samsung mobile phone next year

To date, there are no Symbian S60 phones that come with touchscreen display, but come next year, we can expect such an implementation to be seen on a Samsung handset.

Mahmood Kalantar, regional director of Symbian S60 in Asia Pacific, said at the launch of the INNOV8 in Vietnam that his company is "working on a touchscreen Symbian OS" and we can expect to see it in a Samsung mobile phone in 2009.

Nokia, which bought over Symbian earlier this year, will probably be the first manufacturer to incorporate the new OS into its phones and we're guessing that the Korean chaebol won't be lagging too far behind.

Google announces Android Market for phone apps

Google on Thursday announced Android Market, an online center that will let people find, buy, download, and rate applications and other content for mobile phones equipped with the open-source operating system.
Attracting developer attention is a key part of the Google-led Android software effort, and those who produce applications will have an easy time getting them to the market, Eric Chu of Google's Android project said in a Thursday blog post.

"Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: Register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it," Chu said. "We chose the term 'market' rather than 'store' because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available."
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Vertu Racetrack Legends: Because you and I can't afford it

You know you belong to the upper echelons of society if you already own a Vertu from the Racetrack Legends series. But how do you leave the rest of the elite pack in the lurch? The key is in getting all six in the collection that comes with a specially designed carbon fiber and titanium box.

Announced in May 2006, the Racetrack Legends series comprise six handsets that commemorate the renowned tracks (Monza, Silverstone, Le Mans, Indianapolis, Monaco and Nurburgring) in the motor sport. 1,000 sets are available for each edition and, by now, they are all probably sitting in someone's home, just not yours or mine.

According to Vertu, there are only 51 boxes of the Collectors' Edition with serial numbers 0001 to 0050 and 0888. In Singapore, three sets numbered 5, 6 and 22 are left. If you are going to ask about the price, then chances are you probably can't afford it.

Each Vertu costs S$9,900 (US$7,147.50) and the collectors' box (including the six phones) goes for S$96,000 (US$69,309.08), which we think would be the perfect companion if you are going to air kiss in the paddock complex at the upcoming Formula One night race in Singapore.

As for poor scribes like us, we will remain contented just looking at the product images.

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