E-TEN announces new WM 6 devices

E-TEN recently announced the release of two new Windows Mobile 6 Professional devices. The Glofiish M750 and M810 both feature GPS receivers, slide-out QWERTY keyboards, 2.8-inch touch screens, 2 megapixel cameras, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, 64 MB of RAM and 256 MB of flash ROM, a 500 MHz processor, and an integrated quad-band GSM phone. The two devices are nearly identical, except that the M810 features tri-band UMTS/HSDPA telephony and a second VGA-resolution camera for videoconferencing. The announced acquisition of E-TEN by Acer is expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year, and there have been no announcements regarding changes in E-TEN's product line.

YouMail offers free speech-to-text voicemail service

YouMail has recently announced that it will be offering a free beta service that enables users to receive automatically transcribed voicemail messages in their e-mail inbox. One unique feature of the service provides the opportunity for users to give feedback based on the quality of the transcriptions, which YouMail will use to make improvements of the service over time. Other features of the service include personalized greetings based on caller ID, access of voicemail over the Web or in e-mail, and the ability to easily save and share voicemails. General availability of YouMail is expected in late 2008.

Windows Mobile wristwatch phone announced

A wristwatch-sized mobile phone that runs Windows Mobile 5 was recently announced by Epoq Media. Specs of the EGP-WP98B include a 1.8-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 266 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, a microSD card slot and an included 1 GB card, quad-band GSM telephony, and music and video playback capability. While the screen is too small to run the standard WM user interface, the device does have a WM 5 core that includes a Web browser, calendar, calculator, health manager, unit converter, voice recorder, and a world clock, as well as support of WMV, AVI, 3GP, and MPEG-4 video. The wristwatch phone will provide 100-180 minutes of talk time and 80-100 hours of standby and will ship with a Bluetooth headset. The device is priced at $630.

HP releases mobile device management updates

HP recently released updates to its mobile device management software to meet the needs of wireless operators, enterprise customers, and handset manufacturers. The newly named HP Mobile Management Center (MMC) for wireless carriers will provide real-time access to mobile device and usage information. Also released was the HP Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), which includes Windows Mobile 6.1 support to enhance control and security over mobile deployments. Additionally, enhancements were made to HP's mProve software for device manufacturers, which includes component-based updates and expanded platform support, among other improvements.

New app turns smartphones into Wi-Fi access points

TapRoot Systems has released an application for Wi-Fi-equipped Windows Mobile smartphones that can turn the phones into an access point for other devices. WalkingHotSpot uses a phone's Wi-Fi receiver and cellular data plan to make it act as a router, which can provide Web access to up to five other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Since the application operates as a router, no special client software is required. And since all devices connected to a WalkingHotSpot-equipped phone must share the same connection bandwidth, performance can vary. TapRoot is also offering a free "basic" version that only supports one device. WalkingHotSpot works with Wi-Fi-enabled devices running Windows Mobile 6 or greater. Phones that have been pre-tested with the application include the AT&T 8528 (HTC TyTN) and 8925 (TyTN II), HTC Touch Cruise, and Sprint Mogul (HTC Mogul).