Jabra BT3030

The Jabra BT3030 is such a cool accessory- expect a review (from Gavin) soon- “Bluetooth just got cool thanks to the BT3030. Not only does it look good, it sounds great. Finally a product that lets you listen to music from your mobile – without damaging your style!

BT3030 plays music from any enabled device such as mobile phone and Mp3 player. Play, pause, skip – remote control your music without touching your mobile.* Yep, that’s right – no wires!

No need for phone envy – keep it in your pocket! When a call comes in, your tune pauses and the call connects. A microphone in the dog tag picks your voice up, loud and clear. No hands, no missed calls.

The dog tag design keeps the wearing style simple. But if it doesn’t fit your wardrobe, use the optional clip. Your belt, your bag, your pants – you choose the look, you choose the style.”

Palm OS emulation video

A couple of days ago on PDA247 we asked if you would consider leaving Palm OS for an emulator on another smartphone and we received some interesting answers-

“I would switch & use an emulator if the experience was fairly seamless. That’s basically what happened with OS 5 on the Palm anyway.”

“Yeah, it’s the first time I think a move wouldn’t hurt too much… But, my TH55 is still workin as I wish and I can still wait a year or two to see if Palm releases some new devices…

If I needed GPS and phone functionality, the i780 would certainly look more attractive than a Treo to me.”

“Styletap for the iPhone would make me toss my personal palm OS devices and not look back.”

If you are still undecided, take a look at this video demonstating StyleTap on a Samsung i780 (click the image to view the video). It has a quicker frame rate than it should, but I am still tinkering with the software. See what you think and have your say through the comments link.

A Billion i780 Cases!

PDair has released a huge selection of new cases for the Samsung i780-

Leather Flip Type case in Black Crocodile

Leather Book Type Case in Black Crocodile

Leather Sleeve Type Case in Black Crocodile

Leather Flip Type Black Case

Leather Flip Type Brown Case

Leather Flip Type Red Case

Aluminium Silver Metal Case

Aluminium Black Metal Case

CoPilot Live 7 Review

For many years I have used TomTom for my navigational needs and in general found the experience to be extremely positive. Ever since I first got my hands on a TomTom GO (review here) I was hooked on the aided navigation experience. There are two reasons why I absolutely must have a decent navigation aid- the first is that I am directionally challenged in that I cannot find my way anywhere and have a mental block for remembering roads and locations. The second is that, latterly, I have come to rely on the Traffic service from TomTom to get me out of trouble when huge tailbacks occur on any many roads in the UK, almost daily.

The TomTom set up is incredibly easy to use and reliable, but recently the Traffic service seems to have fallen apart. In a recent 4 hour trip I was advised of 3 tailbacks which would have delayed me by 2 hours- not one of these was correct and I completed the journey in just under 4 hours. This has happened over and over again and I am also finding issues with the accuracy of the maps. I have the latest maps loaded, but I still get problems in some areas where I know the last works were completed 5 years ago! Anyway, it is time to try something new and see if the popular CoPilot Live 7 can finally be the one to replace TomTom for me. I have been testing it on a Samsung i780 (which is not quoted as compatible by the way) and will give my views using that device.

Installation

The install process is very easy- in the package is a 1GB micoSD card which comes with miniSD and SD adaptors so the majority of devices can just accept the card and let the auto install process start. Obviously that would be too easy for me so I copied the files to my desktop and then back onto my 4GB microSD and away I went. The installation process took about 5 minutes all in all, with a wireless activation process included for good measure.

First Impressions

Once up and running I was not perturbed by moving away from a system I had used for many years, and found the CoPilot interface extremely easy to use from the start. Everything is logically laid out and the menu icons are more than large enough for finger touches. The beauty of the interface is how it manages to cover the myriad of advanced features in a simplistic set of icons to make it easy for the consumer who just wants to drive and the advanced user who wants to delve deeper.

There is a Live feature which is used to connect to the outside world and in theory your desktop. This was slightly fiddly for me and I still haven’t managed to get everything connected together- let’s call this one another of ‘my’ issues:)

Features

My first trip with CoPilot was a joy- the interface, audible instructions and the general set up worked perfectly and in my opinion is way ahead of the TomTom experience. It is hard to explain what made it so different, but I found the trip to be a pleasant experience which I rarely do when travelling anywhere. The wide view helps a lot in helping the driver to understand what roads are surrounding them and the small left hand box makes knowing your next turn as easy as pie.

There is a good selection of points of interest and these appeared to be comparable to TomTom, but no better. Besides these the feature list is strong when the price is considered-

Walking, cycling and motorcycle routing options in addition to automobile
Pre-loaded European safety cameras
POIs enable dialling direct from the POI itself
London congestion charge zone included
CoPilot Central is a desktop companion designed to help manage your software from your desktop
Real time traffic service using TMC or GPRS

I want to spend some time discussing the traffic service, because this was the main reason for my testing the software in the first place. It drove me round the bend (excuse the pun) initially because of connection problems. ALK advised that if I was using Vodafone I would need to get ports opened up to use the Traffic service. Unfortunately I use BT Mobile which makes the problem worse- Vodafone cannot help and BT Mobile sent me instructions on how to access TomTom, which was at least GPS related if nothing to do with what I asked them about.

I tested the traffic service with a T-Mobile SIM and it worked fine first time, so it appears that there could be issues with ports if you use one of the lesser known providers. This may be understandable, but there are two points that bother me about this- firstly, I have never had any issues with emails, mobile web or TomTom Traffic on BT Mobile and secondly, why is there no mention of this potential problem on the ALK site when you buy the service?

To add to the confusion, the CoPilot traffic service now works perfectly on my BT Mobile SIM after two days of no service? I am confused by this, but my first tests seem to indicate that it could be more accurate than the TomTom solution- time will tell though.

Conclusions

Despite the initial troubles with the Traffic service and a couple of memory errors, which never returned, CoPilot Live 7 has proved itself as a top of the range solution for smartphones. My Samsung i780 is not quoted as compatible, but it looks good and seems to run without issues.

Is this the best smartphone GPS software I have used to date? Yes.

Available from www.clove.co.uk.

Boxwave Releases the Desktop Cradle for the Samsung i780

Boxwave Releases the Desktop Cradle for the Samsung i780

BoxWave’s Samsung i780 Desktop Cradle is a USB cradle specifically designed for your Samsung i780. It comes with everything you need to synchronize and charge your Samsung i780. The Samsung i780 Desktop Cradle also supports Hi-Speed USB 2.0 data transfers, providing optimal performance. Also included is an A/C adapter cable for quicker charging time – perfect for home, the office, or a frequent secondary location.

See more Samsung i780 Accessories by BoxWave.

Samsung i780 Compatible Applications & Games

We have added a new page detailing as many of the compatible i780 third party applications and games as possible. We have not included titles that work with RealVGA at this time, but may do so in the future. The list is small currently, so drop us a line to shaun.mcgill (at) btinternet.com to let us know of any we have missed!

The page link is in the right hand column (second from the top).

Fizz Alarms 1.0 for Classic/ Professional

Fizz Alarms 1.0 for Classic/ Professional has been released and looks like a well thought out application. Works with the i780- “Fizz Alarms is your every day time manager. From repeating alarms, stopwatches to counters. Its your time so take control.

Localised in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch & Russian.”

Comprehensive Alarm Support

Control your alarm recurring options

Control your alarm volume playback – various options

WAV, WMA & MP3 support

Snooze Support

Stopwatch Support

Save your lap times

See your laptimes at a glance – compare the speed bar.

Multiple Counters

Name your counters

Select different sounds for each counter

Snooze time – at end of counter

Digital or analog main clock face

Windows Mobile 6.1 support – all screen sizes

Super Simple Interface

Localised in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch & Russian

Do NOT install Windows Live on your i780!

A friend of mine, Gavin, totally bricked his i780 yesterday when he installed the new Windows Live. This was compounded by some messages in this thread. It’s not guaranteed to screw up your i780, but may be worth waiting a little while…

New i780 accessories from Proporta

Proporta has released 2 new accessories for the i780. First up is the Advanced Screen Protector which is described as follows- “Proporta really are a cut above the rest when it comes to producing screen protectors. Well, we have come across a few in our time. And, these are the best – and you can wash them.

The ultra high-clarity plastic that they’re manufactured from protects your screen like a dream, and we’ve even been able to increase the thickness without impairing screen brightness or clarity. Proporta realise that sometimes applying screen protectors can be a bit fiddly, so each kit contains a screen cleaning cloth and an application card to make perfect-fitting quick and easy.”

Secondly, the flip style Alu-Leather Case- “The Proporta Samsung SGH-i780 Alu-Leather Case is hand crafted to meet the exact specifications of your Samsung SGH-i780. Featuring our trademark ‘Screen Saver System’, which uses a sheet of rigid, lightweight aircraft grade Aluminium to line the Case, the Proporta Samsung SGH-i780 Alu-Leather Case can even protect your precious device screen from crushing and impact shocks. Stylish and clever.”

Samsung i780 Full Review

Myself and Gavin recently posted our thoughts on the new Samsung i780, and now Gavin has followed it up with a full review.

Review of the Samsung i780  by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

Date of Review – 13th April 2008

Available from – Clove Price – £290.00 + VAT

Pros – Everything about it; light, fast, good software, reliable, excellent value for money, great design, looks expensive.

Cons – If you have an old piece of software, the 320 x 320 resolution may cause you a problem.

There has been a multitude of new devices recently released. I reviewed the i-mate 8502 and 9502 last month and really liked both of these devices. I had intended to change my MDA Touch 256mb to one of the new i-mates and nearly ended up with the 9502. However, Clove posted the Samsung i780 at the same time as the 9502 and even then the 9502 was the winner until the last few minutes. That was until I realised there was something special about the Samsung i780, but I wasn’t sure what. I knew I was going to buy this over the i-mate though, except that at the time I wasn’t sure why!

So was this a mad decision or is it the best decision I have made to date in my PDA/smartphone history? More later… First the key specifications:-

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 with Direct Push email, Memory – Rom 256MB, RAM 128MB
Display – 2.6″ Touch Screen with 320×320 pixels
Network- Tri-Band GSM 900/1800/1900MHz, GPRS, EDGE, 3G/UMTS 2.1GHz HSDPA
Input – QWERTY Keypad, 4 Way Black Navigation Pad
GPS- A-GPS Receiver , Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 WiFi 802.11b/g
MiniUSB 2.0 , Camera – 2 megapixel digital camera on the back and VGA camera for video calling on the front with 2 x digital zoom
Expansion – MicroSDHC
Dimensions – 61.3 x 115.9 x 12.9 mm
Weight – 120g

Opening the Samsung i780 box reveals the handset, 2 batteries, a separate charging module for the battery, AC charger, USB cable, a CD with the manual, software which includes a podcast retriever for the PC to sync across to the podcast application on the i780 and another application called MITS Wizard. This is a photo/video editing software, but also allows photo contacts/contacts, SMS/MMS inbox/sent items, ringtones, voice notes and other data to be backed up from the i780 to your PC. This is a superb piece of software. It backs up all pictures from the i780 My Pictures directory on the main memory and memory card and it does the same for videos too. It also allows you to create wallpapers for the i780 and installs and transfers them automatically.

I am sure a lot of you are thinking that the optical mouse feature and the screen resolution are a concern. I did originally and this nearly stopped me even considering the device. In short the mouse IMO is a bonus, a brilliant feature and the screen resolution wonderful on the eyes. I use the 4 way navigation mode mainly, but the one drawback is the lack of games designed for this screen resolution. This will change as the number of new devices being released will have this resolution thus causing more developers to update their titles. The way to view the i780 is- do you want a device which is offering new technology within a refined package? It is definitely not doom and gloom at all. For example I have installed the following applications – 1-calc, psshutxp, resco file explorer (the today plugin works too), Coreplayer, CTLottopick, CurrencyConvertor, Ereader, Google Maps, GPSProxy, Keyswop, Memmaid, MSS Converter, Pocketxpdf, Samsung Mobile Navigator (Garmin XT), TomTom 6 and vsnap. Games installed are Astraware Casino, Astraware Solitaire, Astraware Suduko, Bejeweled 2, Mobile Stream Casino, Meteor, Invasion by Amiga, Platypus, Text Twist, Virtual Pool Mobile and Westward. Suduko and Text Twist get resized but work and look ok. All the other games work perfectly and look great on the screen. If however, you do require some older apps/games there is a free piece of software available at XDA Developers called realvga which changes the screen dpi from 128 to 96. This allows a lot more titles to work fine, but to be honest, I don’t see the need. It is also possible to use Styletap and use any old Palm OS titles which fit perfectly on the screen.

When I first started using the i780, I installed a lot of my favourite apps and soon realised that the i780 includes a number of extra apps which meant I now have uninstalled numerous applications. The Samsung i780 includes the following software: Alarms (Samsung’s alarm app offering a lot more options and sounds), Java, Media Album (for viewing pics, videos, ringtones etc), Mini Player, Opera 8.65, Photo Slides (a brilliant photo app, so good I removed Resco Photo Viewer), Podcasts, RSS Reader, Smart Converter and Video Player. The 2MP camera is quite good and takes reasonable shots and you can easily switch from the front VGA to the rear camera.

Whilst the software package is excellent, what makes it better is how well Samsung has integrated it into the hardware. Menu names have been changed to be more user friendly and easier to understand and Samsung has even created a lovely today screen. Other menu options in the settings have had additional fields added to help customise the device even more. Apart from changing the Today screen, there is also a theme app for further tweaks.

Tapping on the blue today screen icon, reveals contacts, and the other way switches to shortcuts. Tapping on the settings buttons reveals system options.

The system tap has options for switching from finger mouse to 4 way nav mode, vibrate on/off, backlight changing from 3 ways, flight mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on/off. The screenshot next to it shows the mini player which is activated by pressing the camera button. This appears and allows you to change songs etc. and disappears a few seconds later- a neat touch.

If you tap on a contact in the contact tab, you get the following screen.

Throughout the whole device, Samsung has tweaked the options. Instead of a few lousy ringtones, Samsung has included a number of different tones.

The front keyboard is superb to use. There are buttons on the front for the Windows start menu, OK, phone red/green, messaging and GPS. The beauty of the keyboard is the shortcuts. For example, pressing the start menu reveals a host of programs. One letter from the name is underlined. Press this key on the keyboard, and the app opens. Also, pressing the start menu, “P” for Programs and “G” goes to the Games Folder icon. But if I wanted Google Maps, I press “G” again and Google Maps is selected. If I had several apps beginning with a g, all you have to do is keep pressing the letter g and it scrolls through. Also in most application menus, a shortcut is available to use with the keyboard.

Battery- now Samsung does include a second battery and a separate charging pod, so that must mean poor battery life. Actually, the battery life is excellent and is the best 3G phone I have used so far. I do have my backlight on power save, but I manage a day and a half with one battery using it constantly.

Screen- having 128 dpi provides a very clear and readable screen. It is not possible at present to reduce the screen font size so at first emails/SMS look a little large. After a while I realised this was a bonus as it was easier to read everything, and this benefit stopped me trying realvga. There is a problem though in that the screen is difficult to see in bright sunlight.

Phone- multimedia, PDA. All of these functions are performed effortlessly and reliably apart from one bug. The notification LEDs only work when the device screen is on and turn off once the device goes into sleep mode. Hopefully Samsung will release a fix for this soon and this may be released with the new firmware for WM 6.1 which is rumoured to be in testing by Samsung at the moment. A workaround for the led problem is to use a piece of software called dontforget.

GPS- the i780 has the option of enhanced GPS and Samsung designed the i780 to integrate with Garmin XT. TomTom6 works too (COM8) but for a near instant fix, I use GPSProxy with TT6. After installing the special version of Garmin, the today plugin changes to Samsung Mobile Navigator- see screen shots above.

I have also fitted a Brando Ultra Clear screen protector on my i780 and it is impossible to notice it is even fitted. I will also be reviewing 3 cases for the i780 soon; the slim Beyzacase, Pdair Sleeve and the Noreve Classic.

This is the first device that has not had any registry changes from me- it is that good out of the box, and it is the best device I have ever owned so far. I had the Samsung i600, which was ultra reliable too but boring. The i780 is reliable but exciting and I can see that I will be keeping this device for a long time.

In summary, I would “demand” that you all try one because you may find that you buy it. The Samsung i780 is a marvel and I love it to bits!

Available and with thanks to Clove. Review by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond.