Posts filed under 'Tools'
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For the longest time, I checked my Gmail account from my BlackBerry by firing up the embedded browser and navigating over to gmail.com like it was 2005. That worked just fine and dandy, but it was slower than I would have liked and was not the best mobile interface. After breaking down and downloading the suite of Google mobile applications for the BlackBerry, I may never go back to my old ways.
Google Mobile Apps
So I downloaded the entire suite of Google apps, which includes the Google Mobile Updater to keep them all up to date. Here’s a quick list of what the Google Mobile applications include (in order of what I use most often):
- Gmail
- Google Reader
- Google Search
- Google News
- Google Sync (syncs your BlackBerry calendar with your Google Calendar)
- Picasa
- Google Docs
- Google Maps (I’m a guy. I don’t need directions.)
All the icons for these apps appear on your main screen. I can now check my Gmail much faster, and it’s got a cleaner mobile interface that I can do things like reply or compose emails so much faster. I now use Google Maps instead of the default BlackBerry maps application.
If you use Gmail and have a BlackBerry, trust me when I say this will make your life easier. Go ahead and pull the trigger on the Google Mobile apps for your BlackBerry, and call me out if you disagree!
Downloading Google Mobile Apps to Your BlackBerry
To download Google Apps for your BlackBerry (or any web-enabled mobile phone), navigate to mobile.google.com from your mobile browser, and select Google Mobile Updater. The download process will let you pick and choose which apps you want, or you can do what I did and download them all.
Tip: Here’s a tip straight from the folks at Google Mobile. To get instant access to Google Search from your BlackBerry, press the Convenience Key, then go to Options->Screen/Keyboard->Convenience Key and select ‘Google Search’.
April 11th, 2008
I want to take a few seconds to thank YOU for reading, commenting, and simply for being part of the growing MobileMammoth community! My earlier article on the Orbitz mobile website was officially our 200th post! Coincidentally, we also reached 200 email RSS subscribers just last week, and that list is growing fast.
If you haven’t subscribed to our free RSS feed via email yet, you can do so from our home page (see upper right).
Many are not aware that I do just about everything for this site on my own. Except for some excellent design work done last fall by a fantastic web design firm, I handle everything else. It takes a great deal of effort, but I love doing it and I continue to be amazed by the positive feedback I get back.
I’ve taken enough of your time, so thank you again, please come back often, and enjoy the rest of your week.
April 10th, 2008
It’s Friday, so today we’ll highlight a mobile service that you could have some fun with, or even play private investigator if you are so inclined. You could also get yourself in trouble if you’re not careful, so do keep that in mind.
Mobile Spy is a phone monitoring application for designed specifically for smartphones. Once installed, the program runs behind the scenes, logging all call details and text messages sent or received on that phone. The user of the mobile phone has no way of knowing that the application was ever installed, as there is no display of icons or any application name.
Applications
Clearly, this can be a useful service for certain commercial or government environments where mobile phone use must be strictly monitored, or simply to validate that any calls made were work related. Some parents of teens might be interested in this service as well, particularly if they are concerned about the increasingly common, yet dangerous practice of texting while driving (twd).
That said, there are several scenarios where this service can be abused as well. I’ll let your imagination play out those scenarios.
Not Totally Stealth
I will warn our MobileMammoth.com readers, however, that if someone is very tech-savvy, they might notice if data is consistently being sent over GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) after receiving a text message, for example. This data transfer usage, which is from the Mobile Spy application, may also appear on their mobile bill. That is unlikely, as many wireless agreements now have very high data usage limits, and most mobile customers do not read, much less audit, their wireless data usage every month.
A few points to keep in mind before you try the free trial version:
- Windows Mobile users will have to install the Microsoft Compact .NET Framework files (free download) to the phone if they are not there already.
- Don’t forget to cancel when you no longer need it. Remember, there is never any indication on the phone that the software is running, so be sure to either use it or cancel the subscription if you find you no longer need it.
- Take advantage of the one-week trial version before deciding whether to buy. If you do buy it, note you can choose a billing frequency of either monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Of course, choosing the annual option results in the lowest per-month cost, though you may decide you won’t need it for that long.
Mobile Application:
www.mobile-spy.com/trial.html
April 4th, 2008
Have you ever wondered about the nutritional value of the meal you were about to order? Now there’s a text messaging service that sends you just that.
A friend of mine forwarded me a note about the Diet to Go text message service from Diet.com. By sending a text message to DIET1 (34381) with the restaurant name, followed by the menu item, you will receive back the basic nutritional information for that item.
The service works best when you text only the restaurant name and menu item - do not include words like “the” or “and”. (They also say not to include your signature line — who has a signature line on their text messages?)
Let’s look at a quick example. We compared the Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich (Grilled) with the Sonic Grilled Chicken Wrap. My guess was that the Wendy’s sandwich would probably have more calories and more grams of fat. Let’s see the result below:
Sonic Grilled Chicken Wrap
Calories: 539
Fat: 27g
Carbs: 40g
Protein: 29g
Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Calories: 300
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 36g
Protein: 24g
Obviously, I was way off. I would never have imagined that the Sonic wrap would contain almost 4 times as much fat as the Wendy’s sandwich, and the calories are significantly higher as well. Maybe that wrap includes Ranch dressing or something?? Maybe one of our readers can validate those counts.
In any case, this is a neat service that I intend to use. It’s quick and easy, and really provides valuable information. Test it out for yourself and let us know what you think.
Mobile Service:
www.diet.com/mobile
March 24th, 2008
While the talk of Google’s Android mobile platform continues, OpenMoko has one of it’s own that’s worth a look. Not only does OpenMoko provide a mobile development platform, they’ve also opened up the CAD files of the phone case design, allowing industrial designers to customize the actual hardware. Now that is different.
Now you have no excuse not to go build your bright yellow, tiger-striped phone with GPS and voice recognition software for your kid.
OpenMoko Mobile Platform:
http://www.openmoko.com
March 20th, 2008
If you’ve ever wondered how to get your mobile application on the deck of one of the big wireless carriers in the U.S., know that it will not be easy, and that it will take time. Then, go read this excellent write-up by Ofir Leitner.
Leitner, founder and CTO of mobile content startup GamearraY, provides a detailed analysis of the caveats and restrictions inherent in working with each of the four major wireless carriers. If you’re working on a mobile app, or are considering it, I consider this a must read.
March 3rd, 2008
Some of you may have noticed I am testing out a social networking tool from Clearspring. It’s a customizable, widget-like tool that lets users take content and share it, bookmark it, and add it to their desktop.
I try to be subtle and unobtrusive when testing new things, so for now you will notice it at the bottom of each individual post. If you have any feedback, good or bad, please do comment!
February 19th, 2008
Just a quick note to let you know we’ve added two more wireless carriers to our free text messaging tool - US West and Comcast.
Here is the full list of carriers supported:
Alltel
AT&T
Boost
Comcast
Cricket
Nextel
Sprint
Suncom |
|
|
Sprint
T-Mobile
US Cellular
US West
Verizon
Virgin
Voicestream
|
So what are we missing? Let us know what carriers YOU want in a comment on this post, and we’ll add ‘em!
February 13th, 2008
If you do not use a Windows Mobile phone or a BlackBerry, then you need to be aware of a free service that lets you send and receive emails on your regular mobile phone. Their tag line is, “Just the emails you want, sent as text messages.”
Think You Need a Blackberry? Try TeleFlip First
TeleFlip lets you set which emails you want forwarded as text messages to your phone. The emails can come from just about any type of email account (work, Yahoo! Mail, GMail, etc.), and the only thing you pay for is the text message fees from your wireless carrier. While you’re thinking about it, check with your carrier about changing your text message (SMS) fees. Many carriers are offering more flat rate options that are cheaper for those that do a lot of text messaging.
TeleFlip is better suited for those who simply want to stay on top of certain emails while they are away from their computer. It is certainly not practical for a salesperson, for example, that goes through 50-300 emails per day from the road. Those high volume users should stick to their smart phone or BlackBerry.
Has anyone else tried TeleFlip? What do you think?
Website:
http://www.teleflip.com
January 3rd, 2008
Have you ever been about to make a large purchase at Best Buy or Target, and were worried you might be overpaying? I know I have.
Fear no more — the fine folks at Barcle offer a mobile website that lets you search prices based on the SKU number (or product name), so you’ll know whether or not you are getting the best price. It is very good for in-store comparison shopping in real time, and the ability to search by SKU is a dramatic improvement over other similar services, as it improves accuracy.
Here is an excerpt from Barcle’s website regarding what they offer:
Barcle is FREE for American consumers and focuses on products in the American stores. Barcle allows the shopper to utilize the product name, category or UPC/SKU (by typing or scanning) to search the net for best prices, coupons, rebates, and pertinent product information from their web enabled mobile handheld device.
Take it for a spin the next time you are out making a large purchase.
Mobile Website:
http://mobile.barcle.com
Desktop version:
www.barcle.com
December 31st, 2007
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