The Pantech Matrix Duo first impressions

We had Mobility Minded were lucky enough to get a Pantech Matrix Pro from AT&T for review.

In the near future we will be holding a contest here at Mobility Minded and are able to give one of these away.

I just got this Windows Mobile 6.1 standard phone(non-Touch Screen) in the house yesterday and I was able to use it for quite some hours. The rounded edges is a nice feature which makes the device look attractive but also gives a good feel in the hand.

Some other early reviews online have remarks on the thickness of the device. Yes it's is slightly thicker, but don't forget that it has two different keyboards that pop out. One a numeric keypad and one full QWERTY-Keyboard. Both are spring loaded and gives it a great experience.

The phone is a 3G phone. The 3G data connection give you a high speed data and voice. The setup was easy, just insert your SIM-card and all the settings were correct. I was able to pull in all my emails (imap,pop3 and exchange) with no problems. There are many great media software's installed on the device to instantly use with your data plan. (XM radio, MobiTV, etc)

Please follow the following link for the specifications

To get the online experience of the Pantech Matrix pro from AT&T you can go here for a tutorial.

I will be using this phone extensively in next coming weeks. Periodically I will post some updates on my experiences with this already great feeling device.

O yes, the non-touch screen, I am not missing a touch screen at all yet, actually I get a better reliable experience using the hardware buttons and keyboard buttons to operate the Pantech Matrix Pro by AT&T.

Also kudos's to AT&T for the start-up and shut down splash animation screens. I like it.

Brookstone XpressCheck 21 inch Ballistic Computer Carry on

On our current travels we love to go light weight. Most of us in the Mobility Minded world like to travel with only carry on luggage. Everyone has their favorite laptop bag and carry-on. The maximum size these days is 22" to bring on the airplane and we all want to use that maximum allotted space. Brookstone's XpressCheck 21" Ballistic Computer Carry-on might for fill your need of an one piece luggage that will have a removable laptop bag in it.

Actually you have the option of just using the separate laptop bag and have extra space left over in the bag for other clothing or shoes. I will be traveling with this case soon and will give you all more impressions. So far it looks like this is going to be a great Carry-On. The price is a little steep at $199.95, but will see if it is worth it.

See below for the specifications and some pictures of the Brookstone's XpressCheck 21" Ballistic Computer Carry on.

Padded computer section secures your laptop
The padded, interior computer section securely holds a 15.4” laptop.

Perfect for short business trips
Our computer traveler with removable suiter holds enough clothing for short business trips and long weekends, plus all your business essentials.

Plenty of pockets
Inside, you’ll find a zip-down business organizer, fan file and snap-out toiletry kit.

Flight legal
Meets most airline carry-on requirements.

XpressCheck®—a better way to clear airport security
Discover the smart traveler’s alternative to plastic security baskets and fumbling with loose items. Every bag in our collection is outfitted with a quick-access, zippered pocket specifically designed to keep your keys, phone and wallet safe in one place—and get you through airport security faster.

Dimensions:

14” x 10” x 21”

GottaBeMobile.com and Notebooks.com Ink a Deal

Most of you know Notbooks.com and GottabeMobile.com as great content holding websites for the mobile community. Just today they announced that Notebooks.com has aquirred GottaBeMobile.com. What will this mean for you as readers of these great sites. A lot! More and better content from the same staff. Nothing physically will change for you readers. Just their backbone will be stronger.

Please visit their announcement for more specifics.

The Pantech MATRIX goes PRO at ATT

The word on the street is out and a great looking Pantech Matrix Pro will be added to the AT&T line up of Windows Mobile 6.1 3G devices. The Pantech Matrix Pro will the same form factor as the Duo. Meaning a dual sliding keyboard. One way as simple phone keypad and the other way as a full QUERTY keyboard.

Mobility Minded will be getting a Matrix Pro for a review soon, so stay Tuned.

"The Matrix Pro Debuts as the Powerful Next Evolution of the Dual Slider

DALLAS, Feb. 18, 2009 — AT&T* and Pantech Wireless, Inc. today introduced the Pantech Matrix ProTM, available exclusively from AT&T on Feb. 24. The next generation in Pantech’s line of successful dual-sliding, double-keyboard mobile phones, the Matrix Pro includes a host of updated features including a compact new premium design with a larger and more brilliant LCD screen, a chat-style view of text messages, tri-band 3G for the best global coverage possible, an upgraded camera, more memory, a faster processor and AT&T Video ShareSM calling. Customers can learn more by visiting www.att.com/matrixpro.

Beneath the dual-sliding keyboards and refined steel-blue exterior, the Matrix Pro connects Windows Mobile 6.1 to the nation’s fastest 3G network to provide a full range of entertainment and business features. Additionally, with AT&T’s wireless network, you can listen to a conference call on a headset while sending and receiving e-mail attachments, picture messages or Web pages at the same time1. The compact and elegant design of the Matrix Pro fits snugly in your hand for optimum comfort when typing e-mails with the QWERTY keyboard or dialing phone calls with the numeric pad.

“The Matrix Pro is a fantastic-looking device and a significant evolution in this dual-sliding family of phones,” said Michael Woodward, vice president-Smart Devices for AT&T Mobility. “We’ve seen the Matrix become a hit with consumers, and the Matrix Pro will appeal to anyone who wants a powerful smartphone with a great design.”

Patrick Beattie, vice president, Sales and Marketing at Pantech Wireless, Inc., said: “By offering users an exciting alternative to smartphones with traditional QWERTY keyboard constructions, the Matrix Pro emphasizes efficiency without sacrificing style or functionality. With a large and vibrant LCD screen, two full keyboards, enhanced multimedia functionality, and the ability to edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, the Matrix Pro appeals to both business users and trend-conscious consumers.”

Customers in 3G coverage can also use AT&T Video Share to send live video during a phone call to a user with a compatible phone. With aGPS support for location-based services such as AT&T Navigator, the Matrix Pro can help you find your way with turn-by-turn directions. AT&T Navigator is available for a free 30-day trial2.

A messaging and multimedia powerhouse, the Matrix Pro has smartphone-class memory and processing power to go beyond simple text messaging and voice and allows customers to run the thousands of applications available to Windows Mobile users. It supports threaded chat-style text messaging, corporate and personal e-mail and also provides access to a host of AT&T services such as MobiTV, Napster Mobile, eMusic Mobile, AT&T Mobile Banking and CV on-demand video.

The Matrix Pro operates on the fastest 3G network at home and the best global coverage outside the U.S. — even in Japan and South Korea — because the Matrix Pro supports all three 3G frequencies used worldwide. AT&T customers can use their mobile phones to make calls in more than 200 countries, access data in more than 160 and even use 3G data in more than 65. AT&T offers 3G service in nearly 350 U.S. major metropolitan areas and many other smaller cities and towns across the U.S.

Pricing and Availability
The Matrix Pro will be available Feb. 24 in a steel-blue metallic finish at AT&T company-owned stores and online atwww.wireless.att.com for $179.99 after a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate3.
For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com."

MWC 2009: Microsoft MyPhone - A new backup & restore service for Windows Phones

A week ago the::unwired already published an article about Microsoft MyPhone service that went live, prior to its scheduled date. Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona during the Microsoft keynote with Steven Balmer and Andrew Lees, not only the Windows Mobile 6.5 is unveiled, but also two additional services: (1) Microsoft MyPhone, (2) Windows Marketplace for Mobile.



Some of you might saw the demo during the MWC-keynote, but -with many thanks to Scot Rockfeld from Microsoft for providing the screenshots of this service- I will be able to focus more on some details, in the following walk-through. Microsofts strategy is aimed at providing the Windows-experience on (1) the personal computer, (2) on a mobile phone, (3) in the cloud, and provide an exhange of information among the different “platforms”. The Microsoft MyPhone service connects these platforms, resulting in synchronizing, editting and sharing of personal information.





Currently MyPhone is offered as a free backup-service, which includes 200MB of storage. For using this service you need to install a client on your Windows Phone, and this also emphasizes that this is not an Exchange Active Sync solution for the mass market, although this might be a direction to go for the furture. However if you use a Microsoft Exchange solution now, you can use MyPhone as a complementary service because it backups your text messages, your photo’s, your video’s, your music and your documents. The Microsoft Exchange partnership has priority over the MyPhone service for managing your contacts, calender, tasks and e-mail just to be perfectly clear. For the documents backup and restore the following file-formats are supported: ppt, xls, doc, one, wks, as well as txt, rtf, pdf, html and xml.



The screenshot above shows the option “connected devices”. It is possible to connect multiple phones to this service, extremely helpful for technology enthusiasts lik we are. On the other hand the normal consumer probably just has one Windows Phone. Furthermore you can browse on your personal computer and upload a picture to the MyPhone account, and add it to a contact, restore it to a Microsoft Phone (one or more if you have connected more phones), or Archive it to the web. The last option just puts the file on your MyPhone account, while the icon clearly shows that the file isn’t on a device but in the cloudservice.



The MyPhone service is compatible with all Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 devices (professional and standard) up to the today announced version 6.5. Furthermore the MyPhone service seems to work both over a cellular data connection as well as over WiFi. The MyPhone business model is currently based on advertising, in order to provide the free storage. However for the future one could also think of premium subscriptions, which offer more storage space, or even operator “branded” services. For example: “My T-Mobile Phone” or “My Vodafone Phone”.



The bottomline is that I’m really enthusiastic about the MyPhone service, because it can keep all my important information in the cloud. And for instance in comparison with DashWire it is a total Microsoft solution which builds upon the existing Windows platforms, Microsoft Exchange and cloud-services, resulting in a solid and robuust backup and restore solution. If you are as enthusiastic as I am, please read on over here for additional information.

Reference List:

1.THE UNWIRED: Microsoft previews Microsoft My Phone Consumer Cloud Service
2.MICROSOFT: More info about the Microsoft MyPhone service
3.POCKETPCTHOUGHTS: Microsoft’s My Phone Service
4.DASHWIRE: Free mobile phone contact, photo, video and text message backup

Sync wars

With the World Mobile Congress just a couple a days away we hear many news leaking from different directions.

The interesting news/battle seems to be in preserving the information of your mobile device in the cloud. No, not just when your are switching your phone and staying with the same platform. Why not just switch phones and and platform and still be able to get all your data over the air back onto your new phone.

An article just last week gave some hints of Microsoft’s cloud-based service complements to mobile phones named Skybox. This service will grow to be available for Windows Mobile and Non-Windows Mobile devices. It's also going to be called My Phone

It looks like Google is reacting to this need as well with the expansion of their Google Sync services (in Beta) to the iPhone and Windows Mobile devices.

The war of cloud data management is on, and consumers won't be tied down to a single platform anymore for their mobile device.

Microsoft announces different versions of Windows 7

Microsoft just announced the SKU line ip for the Windows 7 roll out.

They have created a SKU line-up where each SKU is a superset of the previous SKU. This means that each higher edition SKU will have every feature lower edition SKUs have. Microsoft will be focusing on two primary editions of Windows 7: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.

Micosoft will continue to offer a few targeted SKUs for customers with specialized needs: for price-sensitive customers with small notebook PCs, some OEMs will offer Windows 7 Starter. For customers in emerging markets, Microsoft will make Windows 7 Home Basic available. Businesses have two recommended choices: Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise. Windows 7 Professional is recommended for small businesses and Windows 7 Enterprise is recommended for mid- and large-sized businesses that have a Software Assurance Agreement with Microsoft.

SKUs for Windows 7:

The SKU lineup for Windows 7 is: Windows® 7 Starter, Windows® 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows® 7 Home Premium, Windows® 7 Professional, Windows® 7 Enterprise and Windows® 7 Ultimate.

-For Consumers, we recommend Windows 7 Home Premium for most customers and Windows 7 Professional for customers who want additional features and functionality useful for small business activities.

-For Businesses, we recommend Windows 7 Professional for most customers and Windows 7 Enterprise for medium-to-large business and enterprise customers that choose to license Windows through Software Assurance.

-The features in each version of Windows 7 build upon the one before it. As customers move up from one SKU to the next, from Windows 7 Starter through Windows 7 Ultimate, they gain additional features and lose none.

Click image to enlarge