I am a fanboy, but I am not a fanboy of a single company or device. I am a mobile tech fanboy. Exploring the ins and outs of different mobile platforms almost always gives me ideas about what I want in a perfect mobile device. One exception over the past couple of years has been the BlackBerry platform. I tried the BlackBerry Bold 9000 twice over the past year and a half. Both times I returned the BlackBerry within a week because it just would not do what I needed my primary (or secondary) device to do.

Fast forward to the present and the release of BlackBerry Bold 9700 on T-Mobile and AT&T. I was very interested in the BlackBerry Bold 9700 for a few reasons:

• The hardware is elegant. It has the professional look of the Bold 9000, but a slightly smaller form factor. It also added an optical navigation pad instead of the trackball.
• BlackBerry OS 5 looked like a decent upgrade from OS 4.5 that was on the Bold 9000.
• It was available on T-Mobile as their first 3G BlackBerry.
• I wanted to see how the BlackBerry app experience was compared to other platforms since they launched BlackBerry App World
• Finally, the recent announcements from RIM regarding BlackBerry developers have all been positive from what I have read.

So, what is a gadget geek like myself do when I am curious about a device?  I visited the local T-Mobile store and bought yet another BlackBerry. Could the Bold 9700 be the BlackBerry to finally win me over for more than a week?

I am mainly going to take a look at the hardware right now.  It is the first thing you experience, so let’s what kind of impression the Bold 9700 can make.

I have always enjoyed front-facing keyboard phones. When I was a Windows Mobile user, I always wondered why nobody could make a phone that was half as elegant as the BlackBerry Bold. The Bold 9700 comes in second as far as look and feel for this form factor. While I still believe the Nokia E71 is the best designed phone in this category, it also suffered from the wimpy QVGA screen resolution like Windows Mobile non-touch devices. The 9700 has a beautiful 480×320 resolution screen. I think this should be the standard for this category of devices. Hopefully Nokia and Windows Mobile Standard manufacturers will finally be able to match this screen quality in 2010. There is no excuse for 320×240 to live on any longer.

I love buttons. I especially love it when I can customize buttons to do what I want. Other than the QWERTY keyboard, the 9700 also has 2 buttons that are customizable out of the box. In addition to those 2 buttons, there are third party apps that add the ability to customize other buttons like the lock and mute buttons on top of the 9700. You can even assign actions to double, triple, and quadruple clicks. This makes the few customizable buttons much more efficient…as long as you can remember what you assigned to each button.

The Bold 9700 is the first Bold that came with the optical navigation pad/trackpad instead of the traditional trackball. I remember using the Samsung Epix which also had an optical trackpad, but the user experience is so much better on the BlackBerry. I was a fan of the old trackball concept, but I never gave it a good enough shot to become a fan. I can’t imagine that the trackball could match the quality of the trackpad. I think this is the future of non-touch devices. The Bold 9700 trackpad is really a joy to use.

With the exception of the Storm, RIM has always been known for putting excellent keyboards on their devices. The 9700 is no exception. It did take me a day or so to get used to the keyboard, but that was mainly caused by the fact that I have been using phones with a sliding keyboard for the past few months. I had to get used to using the “alt” key more than normal since nearly all numbers and punctuation is accessed by an alt-click or the “sym” button. One of the nice features that is also available on other keyboard phones is the ability to hold down a letter to have it capitalized. I have been enjoying this on the Nokia N97 mini and E75, so I was pleased to have it on the Bold 9700. I do wish there was a better way to access frequently used punctuation like the period and comma, but I have adjusted to the keyboard the way it is.

This is a multi-part review, so stay tuned for more. If you have any questions or you want me to take a look at something specific, leave a comment.

The SBSH developer has updated its SBSH Calendar application, both for your pleasure and duties.

Here is the press release:

January 25th, 2010

SBSH is excited to announce a new update for its best selling PIM application, Calendar for S60 smart-phones to version 1.5! Featuring overhauled design, filters, empowered engine, view picker, advanced recurrence support and much more! The new SBSH Calendar for S60 is available as free update for all registered users. We invite our users to update to the latest and greatest PIM for S60 today!

SBSH Calendar 1.5 Highlights

• Empowered Engine – The database engine has been rewritten from the ground up, providing a dramatic speed improvement!
• Landscape Monthly View – Monthly Calendar layout will automatically change for optimized display in both landscape and portrait screens
• Overhauled Design – Redesigned for better look and optimized usability for smart-phones: OS scrollbars, new category icons and more!
• Advanced Recurrence – Now offering powerful recurring item configuration, supporting all types of recurring item creation
• Filters – Powerful filters system! Filter the display by multiple categories at the same time, assign names to each of your filters
• View Selector – Easily jump between views using the new optional View Selector or navigate between views using the view toggling tray button
• Customization – Myriad of new settings added. Ensuring Calendar perfectly fits the needs of all users, from the home user to the busy professional!

Click here to read the release note from our development team and find out more about the new SBSH Calendar 1.5 release

The new release will pack several UI refinements as well as welcome additions, like the filters system that will allow you to view only the relevant information, without any unneeded screen clutter. The app, which also packs an empowered engine, a view picker, and an advanced recurrence support, is a free upgrade for existing costumers.

A trial version is available here.

Via: SBSH

Several years ago, when I bought my first generation iPod Touch, I found what could have been the greatest app in the iTunes App store, ShapeWriter.  Simply put, this was the best solution I had ever found for the onscreen soft input panel.  The reason I could not recommend it back then was the fact that Apple would not allow it to be used as a universal input method.  In other words, it could only be used on ShapeWriter’s notes app.  It all seemed like a waste of a great idea to me.

Fast forward to this past week when I started using the Android platform.  Rummaging through the App Market, I suddenly remembered that the developers of ShapeWriter had not limited themselves to a single platform.  Although at the time, I was disappointed not to find a Windows Mobile version (they have since developed one), they did make sure to tell me that they were developing an Android version.  A quick search of the App Marketplace revealed what I had hoped to find…ShapeWriter for Android.  And it was still free.

So, what is so great about ShapeWriter?  Well, before we can answer that question, we need to start with why there was a need for something like this at all.  Basically, there are two methods for inputting data in a mobile device: a hard keyboard and a soft input panel on the screen.  Soft input panels come in all shapes and sizes, and we have tested just about all of them here at JAMM: handwriting recognition, speech to text, on-screen keyboards, fancy shorthand keyboards.  Frankly, I have found them all to be terrible alternatives to a keyboard.  The buttons are often cramped or unintuitive, speech or handwriting recognition never seems to work well for me (though I will admit that I have not tested out the new Dragon software which is now available for iPhone), and they are simply an exercise in tedium trying to enter more than a few words of text.

Shapewriter changed all of that for me.  When activated, Shapewriter will replace the default device onscreen keyboard, and can be used with any program in which you enter text (for purposes of this review, I tested it with the default email client).  At first glance, it looks a lot like just an alternative to the default keyboard.  Once you start using it though, you will find so much more.  Sure, you can use it like a keyboard, hunting and pecking your way around the keys, but that is really missing the point.

The real beauty of ShapeWriter is the ability to simply draw a line connecting the letters in your word.  Using a powerful algorithm, which I will not pretend to understand, it translates this line into a word.  What impressed me most was the level of accuracy I was able to achieve from this one.  Sure, sometimes it makes a mistake and suggests the wrong word, but it always offers alternatives, one of which is generally the correct word. 

If you do come up with a word that ShapeWriter does not know (which is common with proper nouns), you will be given the immediate option to add it to ShapeWriter’s dictionary.  This is one of those apps which works better the more you use it.  The more it learns how you draw your lines, and which words you use through its dictionary, the better it will become at predicting the words you are trying to type.

On the bottom, there is a handy emoticon button which allows you to automatically add a variety of common emoticons to your text. 

The most important button, however, is the ShapeWriter action button next to it.  This button enables you to take actions using a command stroke.  These can include things like cut, copy, and paste, select text, and plenty more.  A complete list of the command strokes can be found by pushing the action button. 

To take any of these actions just start with the action button and then draw your line, connecting the letters of the command (so, action-C-U-T would send the Cut command.  If you need a little extra practice with all of this, then go ahead and use the GAME command to start an included practice game.

Is it perfect?  No.  It still misses the occasional word for me.  And I did have a few problems with the keyboard layout, such as the enter key which is awkwardly placed and too small, and some special characters were not exactly easy to locate, but those are pretty minor complaints.  Overall, this is the best and fastest method of text entry I have ever used on a mobile device.  I was thrilled to find it in the App Market on my HTC Hero, and even more excited to find it did not come with the senseless restrictions which made it virtually useless on the iPhone/iPod Touch.  This is the first absolutely must-have app I have found in the Android App Market!

ShapeWriter was developed by www.shapewriter.com, and is available as a free download from the App Marketplace.

Smartphones weekly roundup is back with some cool news and updates from different mobility sites:

PocketNow:
It’s been a busy week with Windows Mobile 7 rumors, with two editions of the platform, business and media editions. We also are beginning to see two new Windows Mobile 7 devices, the HTC Diamond3 and the LG Apollo), both supporting high-resolution screens and 720p! Lastly, on the hardware news, Palm seems to be severing its Windows Mobile relationship and have forged ahead with Verizon to bring the webOS Palm Pixi Plus and Pre Plus to the US, of which we reviewed.

MobileSpoon:
After many reports about a disappointing Nexus One, this week the Spoon has renewed his love to his iPhone with some tweaks for a brilliant multi-thread support.

JAMM:
Better late than never, we finally got our hands on a Windows Mobile 6.5 based device at Just Another Mobile Monday.  Find out what we thought in this look at the Samsung Intrepid.

And don’t miss our very own Chris Spera, who appeared on Tech TV,in the form of TechVi’s Bottom Line.

MobilityDigest:
This week we were treated to some nice Windows Mobile software with the release of I Left My Phone At Home, OpenMarket (for freeware apps), Pocket Plasma and an update of MyMobiler. At the same time we had a chance to look at the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pre Pixi for Verizon.

1800PocketPC:
Check out the new Task Manager called ArkSwitch for WM6.5.1 and above. To use it, simply click the left half of the top bar. The right half still has the normal WM6.5.x icon enlargement functionality.

The Smartphones Council:
- MobilityDigest
- 1800PocketPC
- The Mobile Spoon
- JAMM – Just Another Mobile Monday
- PocketNow.com

Site owners, wanna join the Smartphones Council? Contact us.

We have all done it.  On those cold winter days, driving in the back of the car, you suddenly notice that your window has fogged over with condensation.  So, trying to be helpful, you clear it off…with your finger…in delightful patterns, pictures, or even words.  At least until your Dad caught sight of what you were doing and threatened to remove that appendage if he saw it drawing on the window anymore.   Well, thanks to the folks at Swiss Code Monkeys, you can now draw on that condensation-filled window, without fear of retribution.

No, Swiss Code Monkey is not the name of some counter-terrorism group.  And no, they will not threaten to rain down with pain upon your relatives if they do not stop stifling your creativity and let you draw on those windows.  They are just humble developers, cranking some extremely creative games and apps into the Android Market.  Today, we will be taking a look at Steamy Window, which accurately replicates the experience of drawing on a steamy or condensation covered window…without the yelling.

When you start the app, your screen will cloud over with steam.  Now, let the fun begin.

Just start drawing on the screen with your finger.  just like the window in the back of your Dad’s old car, you have pretty much free creative reign to draw or write whatever your wish, revealing your home screen (or any other picture you choose) underneath.

What really impressed me about this one was the behavior of your doodles.  Those of you who have drawn on a real steamy window know that water vapor does not long remain static, and your doodles will start dripping within seconds.  The folks at Swiss Code Monkey were not blind to this behavior, and managed to include these drips in the app.  Heck, you even have complete control here, with the ability to set how sensitive your doodles will be to drips, and how quickly drips will move across your screen.

Once you have completed your steam doodle masterpiece, you can even save it to your device, or share it with friends via email, Facebook, and a variety of other picture sharing accounts.

The best apps I have used will actually improve upon their reality based counterparts, and that is exactly what Steamy Window does.  In real life, once you have doodled on the window, you are pretty much stuck with it.  Not so here.  Once you are done doodling on your Android’s screen, all you have to do is add more steam and continue on your way.  The real treat comes in with how you resteam the screen.  There is no button to accomplish this task.  Instead, you need to breath into the microphone.  The harder you blow, the faster your screen will steam.   Now that is pretty cool.

I have spent quite a bit of time since I got my HTC Hero this week carousing the Android App Market, and testing out various games and downloads.  As you might expect, I have tested and tinkered with dozens of apps in a variety of categories.  So far, I have not found anything in there as creative or irresistibly fun as Steamy Window.

Steamy Window was developed by Swiss Code Monkey, and is available as a free download from the Android App Market.  There is also a Pro version available for $.50, which adds additional features and environments.