Roaming Data Speeds

I am roaming on T-Mobile right now and noticed that the "G" on my screen (for GPRS) had switched to an "E" (for EDGE). So far, I haven't noticed much of a difference in speed, but I will be roaming on T-Mobile for most of the week, so I will continue to check it out and report back.

Sony Ericsson GC89 Price Drop

You won't find it on the i wireless website, but i wireless does sell the Sony Ericsson GC89 Wireless LAN PC card. With this card in your laptop and a Mobile Connect data plan, you can access the internet anywhere you can pull an i wireless signal. And now the price of the GC89 has just been slashed! You can now buy this wireless data card for $132.95 with a 2-year agreement.

HTC S620 Now More Affordable

i wireless has increased the rebate on the HTC S620 from $50 to $100. Get it here.

Free Games

Hovr offers free ad-supported games for your phone. Unfortunately, my phone is unlisted, so I have not been able to try it out. If anyone has any reviews, please post here.

Freeware for the HTC S620

DashApps is a page that provides downloadable freeware for the Dash (S620). It is where I downloaded SKToolsLite from for my "phantom alarms" problem. I just downloaded SnoozeAlarm from there and will be trying it out next.

HTC S620 Alarms Multiplying Like Rabbits!

For the most part, I like my S620, but there are some things about it that make me want to throw it out the window. One is the alarm.

I made the mistake of setting different times for the alarm, as I needed them. Little did I realize how under-designed the alarm feature is with Windows Mobile and/or the HTC S620. I now have alarms going off at all different times of the day, with no apparent way to deactivate them. Thanks to the HTC Wiki and a free download from SKKV Software, I think I may start hating my S620 a little less now.

I found and followed the directions below to clean up my unwanted alarms. It appears to have worked with my multiple 5:55 AM alarms. I will know by this time tomorrow if it worked on all the other alarms.

1. Download, install and open SKToolsLite (Clean up and uninstaller utility)
2. Select View -> Maintenance -> Notifications Queue
3. Scroll to the bottom of the list and you should see multiple entries already checked for “Clock.exe” (these are the alarms in the notification queue).
4. Select Action -> Delete marked
5. Do a soft reset (turn off then back on).

BTW, this issue is apparently referred to as the "phantom alarms" issue. That's a little too benign for me. I don't consider an unwanted alarm that wakes me up every morning at 4 AM a "phantom." A "nightmare" is more like it. But misery loves company. There is a thread on Howard Forums if you'd like to read about others who feel your pain.

Great Resource for Finding Quality Mobile Websites

I just stumbled upon Wap Review, which is a blog that appears to be doing a much better job of finding, reviewing and categorizing mobile websites than I am. If you are looking for any information on a mobile website, I heartily recommend it. They also have a Mobile Site Directory (mobile and PC versions) as well as a mobile version of the blog.

I was going to say that WAP Review doesn't have the local edge that I can offer, but they had a posting about the Iowa City Press-Citizen's new mobile website the same day I wrote about it.

CNN Relaunches Mobile Website

Some of you may have noticed in my previous posts listing the top ten mobile websites by visits that the CNN link (wap.cnn.com or mobile.cnn.com) did not work. That is because CNN has made their mobile website available only to customers of their network partners (i.e. the big carriers).

Well, the world's second-most watched TV news source appears to be changing their strategy. I learned via MediaPost that CNN has re-launched its mobile site as a free service supported by ads. The site (at cnnmobile.com) allows you to sign up for breaking news alerts via SMS, and will feature a searchable news archive and correspondents' blogs. There is also a two-minute video news update each hour. It's supposed to be "mobile-friendly" but I receive the message "your handset does not support this video format" when I try to view it on my HTC S620. If anyone has any luck with this, please post a reply in the comments.

CNN's parent company, Time Warner, apparently plans to roll out mobile sites for their other media properties throughout 2007.

Have You Applied the Daylight Savings Time Update to Your Windows Mobile Device Yet?

Update your Windows Mobile powered device now! Due to Congress' Energy Policy Act, you'll need to remind your Windows Mobile device that clocks will be set forward this Sunday. To update your device now, visit
http://www.windowsmobile.com/daylightsaving/ and download the necessary updates.