It seems that HTC is going to launch the successor to the HTC Touch HD that it launched last year, running Windows Mobile 6.1. The twist, this time it is rumored to be running Android instead. I cannot say that I am surprised by this, especially since this means that there will be yet again another Android device in the exact same form factor, only with some better stats.

Maybe eventually I will get excited over an Android device. The G1 was a great start, but so far nobody has decided to follow it up with a GSM model that has power and a physical keyboard. So, HTC is continuing the Android trend lately by pushing out another iPhone clone re-using a design (albeit a very good design) from last year. *yawn*

I’ll sit here waiting for a true Android workhorse that could compete with upcoming devices like the Nokia N900 to be the phone that will let me leave my laptop at home.

So, does a Touch HD2 running Android tickle your fancy or do you think it is yet another Android iPhone clone? Sound off in the comments and let us know.

[via Register Hardware]

With all of the new laws regarding the use of hands free devices while driving, I find it a bit difficult to believe that Bluetooth headset use would actually be declining.  That is exactly what Strategic Analytics found, however, in a recent study.  In fact, Bluetooth headset use apparently declined dramatically from 2008 (43%) to 2009 (26%).   According to the study, a large reason for the decline in use was style and design, with fewer and fewer people remaining satisfied with these devices.   Additionally, satisfaction with device performance was lower among Bluetooth headset users than users of professionally installed hands-free car kits.

I have to admit that I still find these numbers to be a bit suspect.  We all know that statistics can be easily twisted to support virtually any conclusion, and I have not read the study closely enough to draw my own conclusions about the methods used for the study or its conclusions.  That being said, I have always had a real love-hate relationship with Bluetooth headsets.  As much as I love the idea of a headset, I have never found a convenient way to carry them when not in use.  So, I will simply take this study for what its worth and celebrate the fact that maybe we are moving on to some other, more convenient way to communicate wirelessly.

Check out the original study at Strategic Analytics and let us know what you think.

Via Engadget and Brighthand.]

Resco is currently preparing an update to their photo viewer program for Windows Mobile Professional, Resco Photo Viewer.  The update will bring about version 7.00 and the support of a touch friendly user interface.  The alpha version is currently available for download here, while Resco is announcing that the first beta version will be available for download tomorrow.  I’ve been running the alpha version on my phone for a couple of days and haven’t run into any problems, but please do keep in mind that alpha and beta quality software is not fully complete and should be approached with the understanding that bugs will be present and / or not all features will be implemented yet.  Please see below for a full listing of upcoming features supported in version 7.00.

Leading new features in Resco Photo Viewer 7.00:

3 Main User Interfaces
The overall concept of the application has been changed. Users can now operate in 3 main interfaces (browser, viewer, slideshow), each with own rules and options of use.

4 Main Image Databases
Browser’s home screen offers 4 main image databases (My Documents, Camera Roll, Favorites, My Albums). My documents show all the images present on the device or the storage card. Camera Roll shows only images captured by the built-in camera. The rest 2 are obvious.

Support for Devices with GPS Module
Cameras with GPS module use to record the position where an image is taken. GPS position from the image can be located on a map (using Google Maps application). If the application is not present, online Google Maps are used instead. User is also able to add GPS position to any image manually.

Upload Images to Flickr, Facebook, Picassa or Twitter
Capture images and send them straight to the net. Along with Flicr, the biggest internet image database, users can choose among other three popular social networks (Facebook, Picassa or Twitter) to upload their photos to.

Interactive Work with Slideshow
Users get ability to move forward, backward or set parameters during the slideshow itself. Change the direction, speed (3 levels) and choose among 9 slideshow effects.

There’s an old saying amongst hard drive users: “Oh crap, it’s dead.” Well, it’s either that or “Aaaaaaaaaargh!”

I recently experienced a crash of sorts that wiped out all the data on my hard drive and corrupted the operating system installation, so I just had a dead computer. Fortunately, I had just bought a My Passport Studio to back up all of my Mac’s data via Time Machine, so the $200 purchase paid for itself pretty much instantaneously. There’s really not all that much to review in a hard drive without getting more technical, and bits and bytes sound more like ice cream than data to me anyway. However, I can talk about how the Studio looks and feels and generally functions, which is awesome, by the way.

Please ignore the strange reflection on the WD logo. It doesn't look like that.

Form Factor

The Studio is encased in a silver-painted plastic shell that’s just solid enough to not feel cheap. The hard drive features a little sliding door that also functions as a capacity gauge when the drive is plugged in. The entire package is light, and rubberized feet keep it from sliding around on a desk.

Power and Ports and really short wires

The Studio features two ports: one for mini-USB and one fore Firewire 800. Because my MacBook has a Firewire port already, I’ve been using that as my primary connection to the hard drive — and let me tell you, it’s fast! It’s so fast that I now look down and giggle at my USB thumb drives whenever I use them. Firewire transfers 3GB in about three minutes, whereas USB 2.0 via the mini-USB port seems to take about 7-10 minutes. It’s a big difference, and I can see why power users would want FireWire for large file transfers.

As for the wires, the Studio comes with a FireWire 800 cable, a Firewire 400 -> 800 adapter cable (for older Macs), and a USB<->Mini-USB cable. The problem here is that the cables all feel quite short, and I’m considering getting some sort of retractable Firewire 800 cable (if it even exists).

What I really love about the Studio, though, is the fact that it doesn’t need a stinking external power supply. This absolutely sealed the deal for me, since I already liked the look of the whole enclosure and was curious about FireWire 800.

My Usage

Admittedly, I’m doing a bit of a no-no with my hard drive. The Studio comes formatted HFS+ (Mac-only, though you can format the drive to play with Windows, too), but I’ve also made a separate partition on it to hold my media. This means that all my data and media are on one hard disk, but I just can’t be bothered (or afford) to have two separate backup discs at this time. I may pick up a Time Machine Capsule (for wireless backups) at a later date, but this solution will do just fine for now.

Bottom line

Having never bought my own hard drive enclosure before, I don’t exactly have any experiences to reference or any great way to judge the quality of the product (but you’ve gotta start somewhere). All I know is that the Studio is the first hard drive I’ve seen that looks great, runs off of FireWire 800 or USB, and features half a terabyte of storage space. It also matches my Mac and is formatted HFS+ right out of the box, so it doesn’t get much more plug n’ play than that.

—

You can find the WD MyPassport Studio at almost all big retailers. I bought mine at BestBuy.ca, but Amazon.com would be a decent place to start in the US.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to review iScore for the iPhone and iPod Touch, an app which I think has to be on the top of any baseball fan’s list of favorite apps.  Well, in the wake of that review, I got an email from the folks at Onscreen Scientist, with information about their new app, Onscreen Pitch Count.   I am always happy to check out a new baseball app, so let’s take a look at what Onscreen Scientist sent my way (note that they did provide a free copy of the app for this review.)

This is not nearly as robust an app as iScore, but it but it does do a great job of knowing what it can do. Rather than try to be a complete statistician’s dream on all sides of the field like iScore, Baseball Pitch Count focuses solely on one position: the pitcher. 

The app is really extremely simple, which I appreciated.  As much as I liked iScore, it could get extremely complicated and difficult to control.  To the contrary, Onscreen Pitch count requires only two screens to access all of the information and functionality hidden within.  First, to get started, you will want to enter your team names and starting pitchers.  Just type them in and you are ready to start counting pitches.

The main screen consists of four sections, and we are going to take a look at them slightly out of order.  The top section provides you with your pitcher information.   You are not going to spend a lot of time here, until your team swaps pitchers.  One of the things I liked was how easy it is to keep up with your team’s moves.  Just tap New Pitcher, and type the new pitcher’s name in the box.  That’s it.  all of the pitcher stats will be recorded for later review and reset for the new pitcher.

The place where you will spend most of your time is the bottom portion of the screen.  This is where you will record the results of pitch.  Like the rest of the app, this is incredibly simple.  All you have to do is tap the result of each pitch and tap the appropriate button: Ball, strike (foul, called strike, or swinging), fair hit, or out.  Pretty easy, though at the same time, I found the order of the buttons to be a little unintuitive.  It felt almost backwards to me to have the balls and strikes at the end of this section, and hits, runs, and outs ahead.  I would like to see this section redesigned to put the buttons in a more intuitive order.

In between are your stats.  Not only will the app keep track of the balls, strikes, outs, and runners on base for the inning; it will also track the total number of pitches (balls and strikes) thrown by the pitcher.  This is a fantastic tool, especially for coaches trying to limit a pitcher’s pitch count. 

At first, I was disappointed that the stats were not more robust, but that was only because I failed to notice the Details button.  Just tap it to instantly call up a complete pitching stats screen, which breaks out how batters reached base (walks, hits, errors, etc…), method of striking out (called strike, swinging, foul…).

I really liked the way Onscreen Pitch Count came across with both simplicity and thoroughness, that made it an easy app to like and use.  I will say, though, that it is something of a niche app.  Most people I know pay more attention to the batter than the pitcher, and this will not help you there.  It is not a baseball scoring or scorecard app.  That being said, I did find it did a great job with what it was, a pitch tracker, and I think anyone who works with baseball pitchers – be they a parent, coach, or fan – will appreciate this functionality.

My biggest gripe with this app, however, was the interface.  While the functionality is robust, the interface is just awful with alternating color bands and terribly laid out buttons.  I would really like to see this app get a thorough facelift.  I would love to see an interface which is more graphical, and takes better advantage of all the iPhone has to offer. 

I ended the day with mixed feelings about this app.  On one hand, it is difficult to get past the interface, which is just plain unintuitive and ugly.  On the other hand, like the story of the Ugly Duckling, there really is a fantastic and robust app hidden inside there.  It is also a real niche app, in that it really only gives you half of the story.  Since it does not keep batting stats, this is not going to serve the typical fan looking to score a game.  It will, however, work well for coaches and parents working with pitchers, or anyone else who thinks chicks dig the fastball!    If you work with pitchers, though, or just enjoy tracking an awful lot of pitching stats, then this is an app you will certainly want to check out.

What I Liked:

• Easy to use
• Robust stats

What Needs Improvement:

• Interface
• Unintuitive button placement

Developer: Onscreen Scientist

Price: $2.99 (at the iTunes App Store)