Any OneNote users out there? Microsoft OneNote, made popular by the Home and Student Edition of Office 2007, features the ability to have virtual notebooks. It’s a powerful tool that even features conversion of pictures to text as well as the ability for tablet PC users to take and to organize their hand written notes. According to GottaBeMobile.com, the MS Team (A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner), is creating an iPhone version and they are currently accepting beta testers. Sign up if you want to try it out as registrations will close on July 30 and the first beta will be released in August. Key features include the ability to synchronize with Microsoft OneNote. I still wonder how much of it they’ll be able to put on – will this app feel like it was designed for the iPhone? Or will it feel like something that got stripped and stuffed onto the platform?

Technorati Tags: OneNote, IPhone, Tjchan, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

Alas, the never ending search for a desk top browser experience on the smallest of screens, your phone. Once again prompted by updates, I’m having a look at the Skyfire browser for Windows mobile.

With this latest update I’ve decided to go a bit deeper into the application, so let’s see how it goes.

Skyfire is one of those browsers that is not completely dependent on your device, but uses cloud technology to serve you a compressed version of the web through their own third party servers. Much like Opera Mini, and recently, the Opera Mobile 9.7 Beta.

First up I’d mention that this will work equally as well from a storage card as installed to your device, so if you are being miserly with storage space [like me] you’ll already appreciate this. You may also notice, from the screenshot above, that since Skyfire came out of beta, it’s received even more update love. Every tweak helps right? It’s good to know that this is a well supported application,

The first screen or option you’ll be presented with is a choice to make Skyfire the default browser, I chose no for now, knowing I can change that later, to test with other apps. First up though, I want to see how it performs on it’s own. One of the most striking things about Skyfire is what it comes with/ the default bookmarks, that give you access to all sorts of services with no set up at all.

There’s also a today screen plug in included in this iteration, a nice touch. One of my little negatives with Skyfire has always been the fact that you cannot import bookmarks to the browser in any way. Well unless it’s a very elusive option. You will have to manually enter the URL of all of your most read sites, something that may be off putting to a lot of users.

BUT, and it’s a big but, for usability and intuitiveness, Skyfire goes all the way up to eleven for me. The amount of settings/options you have to configure are as minimalistic as I’ve seen

Everything else is configured through the browser interface and shortcuts, and it’s really self explanatory. All of the menu shortcuts go no deeper than two levels, keeping with the simplicity of the program. Performance though is what everyone is going to judge this app on, so I.ve done a screen cap video that gives a relative speed comparison for you to look at.

Overall, performance is the key, Skyfire plays video, is really quick to load and even runs JAMM 3.0 with it’s animated home page, no other WinMo browser does all of that. Another performance not here is that it’s doing all of that on my Tilt/HTC Kaiser. If you are looking for a better internet experience on Windows Mobile you have to give this a try

Skyfire is available for free, for Windows Mobile and Symbian devices

After having made fun of Mac users for most of my life, I find myself now a proud owner of a 13″ Macbook Pro. How the heck did this happen?

The Mac hatred probably all started with my father, a bona fide anti-Mac guy. Like a lot of kids I took after my father’s tendencies, so when he scoffed at something Apple-related, I would too. My father still sees a lot of Apple’s principles and ways of doing things as arrogant and far too proprietary. Want to hook up to a display? Buy our specialized MiniDisplay Port to DVI converter! Most any PC would simply feature a DVI port on the device, but Macs have to juice every dollar they can from the customer. Apple is a lot like the cool kid in high school who is charming, good-looking, and does everything his (or her) way and everybody goes along with it because they’re enthralled by the coolness. The funny thing is: now that I’ve bought this Macbook and showed him the quality, even he’s thinking of getting one as his next laptop (the blame rests squarely on Vista’s buggy shoulders).

One thing that I’ve noticed is that I’m having a lot more fun using this new Macbook — and I don’t think it’s just because it’s new (although, hey, I could be wrong). I don’t have anything against Windows XP, but I don’t remember having a good time using it. It was a good tool for launching games and programs like MS Word, but any fun I had with a new computer had a lot more to do with the satisfaction of having built my own desktop or from buying new components — it never had anything to do with the OS. I suppose Windows 7 is trying to fix a lot of that with their focus on a tighter and more integrated interface, but the Mac feels like it’s already there. I’m not going to do a feature-by-feature run down as to why I think the Mac is more pleasurable to use, but I really enjoy how all the applications work well together and how the UI slides into place in ways that were previously only seen with WindowBlinds on the PC.

But all the hype around the Mac software wasn’t what drew me to the platform — it was the hardware.  One of the qualities I wanted in a new laptop was something that looked and felt like a premium machine, since most anything above the $900 price range (read: above Netbook range) would meet my modest technical requirements. My sister uses a 15″ ASUS N50 that’s quite capable for gaming and a great little desktop replacement, but it just feels too plasticky. A tour of the local Best Buy and Sony shops only showed me more of the same — a lot of powerful hardware wrapped up in a plastic shell.

I know it’s ironic coming from a guy who wants to upgrade to a new plastic iPhone 3GS, but the point is that I wanted a machine that would feel solid and look gorgeous. Something made out of metal, like a Terminator without the killer instinct. After a fair amount of googling I had narrowed the choices down to a Dell Adamo or one of the aluminum Macbook Pro models. The Adamo’s reported low battery life was a real buzz kill, but it was ultimately the price that was the deciding factor. The Adamo hovered at around $2000 before taxes with the power of something like the Macbook Air, whereas the 13″ Macbook Pro started at around $1300 with a student discount and came with an 8GB iPod Touch as long as I bought it before September. Once I saw the MBP design in person I was sold and I forwarded Apple large chunks of money in exchange for their product.

This might all just be a mid-year crisis that sometimes hits tech geeks. I’m caught part of the way between Q1 and Q2 launch cycles, and so I go and buy a “sexy” laptop instead of buying a more powerful and affordable one from HP or Toshiba. But I think it’s more than that. There’s something about the clicking of the Chiclet keyboard, the laser precision of the unibody aluminum design, and the pulsing white of the sleep light that makes using this computer far more fun than it should be.

Users of mobile devices each tend to have a different set of functionality they desire.  Some want to be able to browse the internet, some to have great multimedia capabilities, some want to use the device as a laptop replacement.  Believe it or not, some even want the device to be just a quality phone.  With all of the various uses that are highlighted as the “stand out” functionality of new devices, and in my opinion especially the iPhone, Personal Information Management (PIM) is often overlooked.  Enter Agendus for iPhone.

Assuming that you are not new to the world of mobile computing, going back to the Palm OS, chances are that you are familiar with the emphasis on PIM management.  There’s also a very good chance that you are familiar with Agendus, Iambic‘s flagship application.  Iambic has since brought Agendus to Windows Mobile and Blackberry operating systems, and finally to the iPhone and iPod Touch.  As Iambic was kind enough to provide a copy for review, grab yourself a glass of iced tea and read on to see how Agendus dares to encourage quality PIM management on the iPhone.

Agendus’ primary functionality in version 1.o is built around tasks and contact management.  Boiling PIM down to the core, managing activities doesn’t get any more basic that planning what it is that a person needs to do.  Agendus excels at this.  Task definition is robust, providing a number of features to choose from.  When creating tasks, categories can be assigned, notes can be attached and contacts can be linked.  Agendus even provides support for specifying a start time for the due date.

Iambic has integrated numerous ways for users to filter the tasks, allowing a glance at what is to be accomplished today, tomorrow, etc..  The filter selection screen is very attractive, with icons and intuitive labeling.

Contacts management is the second facet of PIM that Agendus tackles.  If you’re familiar with Agendus from Palm OS or Windows Mobile, you’re aware that the program is built around contact functionality.  In the iPhone version, two unique views have been provided:  Compact View and Expanded View.  The differences between the two views are pretty self-explanatory, but there are a couple of worthwhile features to note.

Of course, tapping on an existing contact presents the user with contextual actions:  allowing for quick dialing or addressing of a text message.  Agendus has always excelled at integrating it’s data manipulation with device hardware.  Kudos to Iambic for continuing support of this on the iPhone.

Agendus’  Today View provides the user with a glimpse of important information, including today and tomorrow’s tasks.  If you are coming from being an Agendus user on a different platform, you will find this familiar.

First impressions may be that a second screen displaying tasks seems redundant.  Fortunately, Agendus incorporates additional information, pulled from the internet, to enrich the layout.  The Today View also displays a “Quote of the Day”, a “Day in History” blurb and local weather.  The weather is configurable to  your local area, so  I was easily able to set up my home town of Coffeyville, Kansas by entering the town’s zip code.  Tapping on the truncated weather on the Today View screen takes the user into a different form, presenting the forecase for multiple days.

The version that I’ve been testing on my iPod Touch is 1.0.  Iambic, eager to incorporate more functionality and fix bugs, has already submitted version 1.01 to the iTunes App Store.  Submitted for review on June 30th, version 1.01 promises to include several new fixes and refines many of the present features.  Check out all of the goodies that you’ll get when the update becomes live in the iTunes App Store here.

PIM management likely brings to mind three major types of data to manage.  Tasks, contacts and appointments.  Discussed above, we already know that Agendus covers all the bases with tasks and contacts functionality, but doesn’t address appointment functionality.  Up front, this isn’t any fault of Iambic!  Apple has always restricted developer access to various aspects of the the iPhone’s functionality, with one being no permission to work with the calendar data in any way.  Rest assured that Iambic is looking into possible solutions and has their eye on the day that Apple finally wises up and incorporates support for a Calendar SDK.  You can read about their plans here.

Highlights

• Extends built in Contacts functionality
• Adds support for Tasks, an area that has been overlooked in the iPhone’s stock OS
• Integrates web based weather information into Today View

Areas of Concern

• As noted above, Calendar / Appointment functionality is missing

Specifications

• Price:  $7.99
• Version:  1.0
• Size:  .5 MB
• OS 3 Compatible

Finally, I recommend Agendus for the iPhone and iPod Touch, for two reasons.  First, it’s a great start to a full featured PIM management application.  Granted, it’s version 1.0 and has a ways to go before catching up with the functionality found in other versions.  This dovetails in with the second reason for recommending Agendus.  Iambic has a long history of standing behind their products.  They continually provide major and minor updates, incorporating both new features and bug fixes.  To me, it looks like a good time to jump on the Agendus for iPhone bus and see what is in store for the future updates!

CNetX has just released version 2 of their Face Contact application, which is a fun to use Today Contact interface, that makes finding your favorite contacts a snap!

It is easy to set up and allows use of custom pictures or a selection from a colorful 3D graphics set of icons.   In my brief testing over the weekend, I especially enjoyed the use of gestures to quickly create emails, SMS messages and calls directly from the Today Screen.

Read about the update here:

Version 2.00 – June 30, 2009

• New configurable Gestures/Actions logic
  • Over a dozen gesture-assignable actions to choose from.
  • Actions added with ver. 2.00 include: Send E-mail, Send Text Message, Browse Web Page, Call after prompt, Edit Contact, Sort Contacts, Phone Dialer.
  • Double-tap gesture now supported (can be assigned to any action).
  • The Start Call key can also be configured and assigned to any action.
  • The standard system handling of Tap&Hold has been overridden, resulting in a more finger-friendly response.
  • The “Actions” configuration screen has been redesigned to support the extended gestures/actions logic.
• Improved performance and smoother animations
  • The rendering engine has been redesigned to include several device specific optimizations.
  • On most devices (especially with HiDPI screen) rendering is about 60% faster than version 1.00, resulting in even smoother animations.
  • A new “Optimization” option provides control on the algorithm used to resize/crop pictures. In most circumstances, the default “Automatic” setting provides an additional 20% performance improvement compared to version 1.00.
  • Compatibility of the “Fast” rendering mode with most devices has been improved, so “Fast Mode” is now the default on all devices.
• New layout and pictures options
  • Background rendering using the Today theme highlight color can be disabled, so that the plugin remains transparent even when selected/active.
  • The size of contacts’ pictures shown in the plugin can be adjusted.
  • The number of contacts displayed and the resulting 3D perspective are automatically adjusted based on the active picture size.
  • The depth of the reflection effect can also be adjusted (with single pixel precision) to obtain a perfect fit of the plugin within specific Today screen layouts.
  • The layouts of the “Contact Manager”, “Sort Contact” dialog box and “Customize” property sheet are dynamically adjusted to match the height of plugin control.
  • New “Picture Shape” options added. The “Rounded” shape has smoother corners.
• User interface enhancements
  • New WM6.5-like user interface with 3D shade effects for dialog boxes, pushbuttons, sliders and tab controls providing easier finger interaction.
  • Enhanced “Contact Details” and “Edit Contact” screens with 3D tab controls.
  • The 3D contrast and rendering of user interface elements can be adjusted or disabled to fit the look and feel of the device theme.
  • All settings and options are now grouped in two multi-tabbed property sheets for easier access (“Customize” and “Preferences”).
  • When needed (on square screen devices or in landscape view) tab controls are automatically hidden and replaced by menu items, so that all settings/options remain visible without the need for scrolling.
  • The “Adjust Picture”, “Replace Picture” and “Remove Picture” commands are now accessible as top level items in the “Contact Manager” menu for easier access.
  • “Restore Defaults” and “Previous Values” menu commands have been added to all configuration screens, making it easy to switch and compare different settings.
  • Dialog boxes prompting the user for mutually exclusive choices have been redesigned to use list/pushbuttons, rather than radio buttons, resulting in easier finger interaction.
  • Default values for combo boxes are now shown only when the corresponding drop down list is displayed, reducing the clutter in configuration dialog boxes.
• Smart “Call Confirmation” screen
  • The “Prompt before call” option available in version 1.00 has been removed, as this displayed a system prompt that was pretty cryptic and hard to operate without stylus.
  • A new “Call After Prompt” action can now be associated with a gesture or with the Start Call key to display a prompt before a call is initiated.
  • If the selected contact has multiple phone numbers, the “Call Confirmation” screen provides the ability to select a different phone number if desired.
• Configurable “Messaging” accounts
  • The messaging accounts used to send E-mail and text messages can now be configured as desired.
  • If multiple accounts are available, a “Prompt/Auto” option can also be selected to reflect the preferences defined in the main messaging application (which will either show a prompt or pick the most recently used account).
• New sort and caption options
  • “File As” has been added to the list of sort keys, so contacts can be displayed in the same order of the standard Contacts application.
  • Sort by “File As” is now the default sort criteria.
  • If desired, the caption can be altered to show to primary sort key only (e.g.: “First Name Only”, “Last Name Only”, etc.).
• Improved camera integration
  • The camera icon is no longer displayed by the “Replace Picture / From File” screen as this resulted in inconsistent behavior on some devices (causing the system to hang).
  • A new “Replace Picture / Camera” command has been added to the “Contact Manager” menu, providing easier access to the camera functions.
  • Any picture taken with the above command is automatically transferred to the “Adjust Picture” dialog box, resulting in a more effective and intuitive camera integration.
• New error handling logic
  • If a call is initiated by a gesture or via the Start Call key, and the selected contact doesn’t have a phone number, instead than displaying an error message, Face Contact 2.00 shows a prompt suggesting other communication methods.
  • The same applies when a gesture is used to send an E-mail, a text message or browse a contact’s web page, and the selected contact doesn’t have a definition for the corresponding property.
• Phone number tag
  • The phone number tag shown in the caption can be disabled if desired.
  • In version 2.00 the phone number tag always displays the phone number type that will be used by the “Call Contact” action (and that will appear as “selected” in the Contact Menu or Call Confirmation dialog box).
  • If a contact has never been called before (or if the last communication was not a phone call) the preferred phone number is selected in the following order: mobile, work, home.
  • The tag is omitted only if the selected contact doesn’t have a phone number, .

The detailed information about Face Contact 2.00, including screenshots, video and download links is here: Product page