Saturday, April 12, 2008

Battery Life 2

After calling in to T-mobile support to complain about the battery life on my Shadow. T-mobile has offered to replace my Shadow and battery free of charge.

Full post here.

Battery Life

I use my Shadow mostly for going online when I'm in places that its either impractical or impossible to use anything but a smartphone to connect to the web. When I first got the Shadow I was very pleased with the phone itself, but very disappointed with its battery life.

After a few days of using the Shadow to its fullest capabilities, I was hooked. Even if it meant carrying around a power cord and plugging my Shadow in constantly.

So I've started looking for ways to make my Shadow's Battery last longer.

Full Post Here

Saturday, April 5, 2008

T-Mobile Shadow First Look

Quick overview of the shadow and its capabilities.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Smartss.cab Screen Capture working link.

Smart SS a screen capture utility for Windows Mobile smartphones. The program has been reviewed elsewhere.

The download link on the creator's site has been broken for some time.

After a bit of searching for an alternative download link, I found one here.

http://mymits.korea.com/zboard/zboard.php?id=pds&page=10&category=17&no=1861


The page is in Korean, but the link to smartss.cab is prominently displayed in English in the center of the page.

Also featured is pocketsnapit.cab, another smartphone screen recorder.

These .cab files will install directly when clicked on from your Shadow, or other windows mobile smartphone browser.

Enjoy.

Post submitted from a T-mobile Shadow.

Jb5 Browser Screen Shots.

These are screenshots of the Jb5 Browser in action, taken off of my Shadow with Smart Screen Capture and sent with Shozu.

http://tmobileshadowfiles.blogspot.com/2008/04/ss000.html

http://tmobileshadowfiles.blogspot.com/2008/04/ss001.html

http://media.shozu.com/cache/portal/media/9e05c2/33554444

http://media.shozu.com/cache/portal/media/9e05c2/33554442

http://tmobileshadowfiles.blogspot.com/2008/04/ss004.html

finally updated my shadow.

When I first found out about the Shadow update from T-mobile I was pretty excited and I immediately pulled up the update site on my Shadow's browser.

After about twenty minutes of futzing around, I realized that the only way to get the update was to plug the Shadow in to a desktop computer and install it from there.

I have to say I was disappointed by this. Its reasonable to expect a smartphone to sync with a pc to back up files and reconcile email inboxes and whatnot. But to have to hook your phone up to a pc for a critical update sort of defeats the purpose of having a smartphone, mobility.

So I put the update on the back burner for a while. Choosing to live with no alarm clock and having to plug my phone in every twenty minutes to keep the battery charged.
the other night I crashed at a friends house, and I happened to have my shadow's usb cable with me so I pulled up t-mobile's upgrade site and downloaded the update.

Updating was fairly painless, though I needed to have my phone plugged in for an hour.

I didn't back up any of my files but most of the things I use, TCMP, jb5, Google Maps, are easy enough to download again.

I did lose some contacts that weren't saved to my sim card, so you might want to back up your contacts if you have a lot of numbers card to your shadow.

The verdict; the update is worth it just for the improvement in battery life alone, its only a 1/4 to 1/3 improvement but it allows me to leave home and use all of my shadow's features without the battery dying on me prematurely during my commute, a huge improvement.

The accuracy of text input on the Shadow is also vastly improved with this update.

Windows Live driving directions have been added; I already am using google maps but its a nice feature for those unwilling to go with google. A feature called Audio Postcards was added as well; it seems like a glorified mms program to me, but it could be fun.

Get the update here;

http://www.t-mobileshadow.com/update.asp

Mike at allshadow.com has a lot more info on the shadow update.

http://www.allshadow.com/

Monday, March 31, 2008

How to run a Blogger blog from a shadow.

Most Blogger users know that Blogger allows users to post content from their mobile phones by way of mms, but not everyone knows how easy it is to create a fully functioning blog post complete with working links by using mms to send your posts to blogger.

First off, register your phone with blogger by following the instructions provided here.

http://www.blogger.com/mobile-start.g


Got web content that you need to link to in your post? Simply browse to the content in Pocket Internet Explorer and bookmark it.

Now when you go to edit your mms blog post all you need you do is insert your link by pressing, menu>insertfavorite. Your pocket ie bookmarks will pop up automatically, simply choose the link to your content and press the select button.

Presto! Instant link insertion without any tedious typing.

What about sending multiple pics or videos to Blogger at one time?

Shozu is an excellent app that allows you to batch send your pics and videos right to Blogger.
As an added feature it lets you rotate your pics before you send them.
This is something that can't be done from inside blogger later, so having this app is a must for serious phone bloggers.
Get it here.

http://www.shozu.com/portal/


What if you have more than one blog to maintain? Don't worry, you can change the blog that your phone posts to at any time but pulling up your blogger settings in your mobile browser.

Happy blogging!

Post created with a Shadow

A better flash player

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=344274


TCPMP is a pretty good movie player in that its one of the only free options available for playing flash, youtube, videos on the Shadow.

The major problem I have with TCPMP is that I've never been able to fast forward or rewind a video using that player.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=344274

Mplayer, a freeware flash player has no problem rewinding or fastforwarding flash files, therefore its a much better option for Shadow users who are in the same boat as me.

I kept TCMP installed, but now when I download a .flv, flash, file I use Mplayer to view it.

Mplayer's options are pretty sparse, system volume is controlled with the Shadow's main volume controls and adjusting the volume pauses your movie until you hit play again, but unlike TCPMP, you dont seem to need to make a lot of adjustments for a file to play properly.

Streaming is supported through manually entering links. I haven't found a way to make Mplayer my standard app for opening flv, flash files yet, this would make things much easier.

I feel that this file in conjunction with a good copy/paste utility would be a great replacement for TCPMP.

this is my first full post on the Shadow, hope it works!

A browser that works

Jb5


Its a browser for windows mobile that works better than any other that Ive tried and I've tried a lot of them.
From The site;

Mobile Browser - Unique Features
Import Bookmarks Wizard
jB5 Mobile
Browser provides you the facility to import all your bookmarks/favorites from
your browser on your Desktop PC using the Import Bookmark feature. This provides
desktop users the power of getting all their favorites/bookmarks into their
mobile browser quickly.
Click here to know more
about importing bookmarks onto jB5 Mobile Browser



Personalize Wizard
Personalize Wizard allows
you to preserve values entered in form fields for future use. Thus pages
containing form fields that need to be filled in frequently like login pages,
query pages, etc, can be saved once and accessed without having to re-enter
these fields again. Pages stored using Personalize Wizard will take you directly
to the resulting page, thus bypassing the initial page where these fields would
otherwise have to be entered.

A special folder called “Personalize
Wizard” folder will be created in Favorites folder in jB5. This folder will
contain special bookmarks created by Personalize Wizard.

Personalize Folder may be locked by a PIN (a 4-digit number) to
avoid unauthorized access. PIN for Personalize Folder can be set by selecting
Options->Settings on jB5’s main menu. On the Settings screen, scroll down and
click on the “Manage personalize Wizard PIN” link. Enter current PIN (if set
previously) and the new PIN. Leaving the new PIN field blank, will unset the PIN
allowing access to “Personalize Wizard” without validation.

Note:
Personalize Wizard PIN cannot be retrieved if lost. In the event you loose the
PIN, you will have to delete the Personalize Wizard folder completely. Doing so,
will also delete all the stored links as
well.

Exclusive features of jB5 for
Win Mobile 5.0
Home Screen Favorite
jB5 Mobile Browser has a unique
feature where you can move some of your really favorite links to the mobile home
screen. This creates a separate entry on the home screen with a specific icon if
available. Clicking on this link will directly launch the mobile browser and
fetch the page. A maximum of 3 links can be configured on the mobile home
screen.

WAP Push
jB5 supports WAP Push messages. Two types of
push messages – SI (Service Indication) and SL (Service Loading) are currently
supported. The push inbox is integrated with the messaging application as an
independent account type. Thus on installation of jB5 mobile browser you will
see a new messaging component called WAP Push among other components such as
SMS, Email and MMS in the application.


You do have to register in order to download the file, but its well worth it in my opinion.

Minimo, confusing, complicated great feature set but poorly implemented.
From the site;
Minimo uses Mozilla Technologies to produce a highly usable web
browser for advanced mobile devices. Features include:
* Fast access to your
mobile content via Homebase start page
* Best support for modern web
standards (Javascript and AJAX).
* Social Bookmarking
* Tab browsing
* RSS Support
* Proven security (TLS, SSL3)
* International support
* Cross platform capability
* Widget and Extension support


Opera. Claims to be the fastest mobile browser, it wasnt for me. Certain cites just dont work in this browser, Myspace is one.
After 30 day trial you must pay to continue using it.

From the site;
New Features for Opera Mobile 8.65
Support for Macromedia Flash Player 7
for Pocket PC
FlashLite 2.1
Text Wrap in Desktop Mode
Grab and
Scroll (only applicable to Pocket PC)
Web search in address bar
Save
image
Copy text
Send link as email, SMS or MMS
Import Bookmarks from
Pocket Internet Explorer
Desktop Mode as default viewing mode
Click here to download
Opera Mobile 8.65
.
Opera Mobile is the fastest, most secure browser
available for S60 and Windows mobile handsets. Please visit the mobile download
page for your Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile PDA to download or to learn more
about Opera for these devices
.

Pocket Internet Explorer Slow, Buggy, crashes often, and some sites Just refuse to be loaded in it. I havent figured out how to uninstall it yet, but im working on it.

From the site;

Find the Right Information, Right When You Need It.
Now you can take the
Internet with you! Use Internet Explorer Mobile to enjoy a rich Web experience
wherever you go. Check for the latest news, get stock reports, confirm facts,
see what the competition is doing, and check your Web-based e-mail all on your
Windows Mobile phone.Internet Explorer Mobile makes it easy to:
Sync the
Favorites you’ve saved on your PC.
Change your view to make the display
appear in a full-screen format or in a single-column view to limit side-to-side
scrolling Internet Explorer Mobile is included on all Windows Mobile phones, and
works on both touch screen and non-touch screen devices
.

Skyfire is still in private beta, those who have tried it say its great, but I cant get my hands it so, I couldnt tell you.

From the site;


Q:
What is Skyfire?
A:
Skyfire, a free downloadable browser, is the
industry's only mobile browser that delivers both the speed and media-rich
experience similar to the PC browser. It breaks through the consumer pain points
that stifle Internet consumption on mobile phones by providing access to any web
site built with any web technology at speeds comparable to a typical PC. To
learn more
click here
Q:
Who
is Skyfire?
A:
Skyfire was founded in April 2006 by Nitin Bhandari and
Erik Swenson, who serve as CEO and CTO respectively. Skyfire is backed by
Trinity Ventures and Matrix Partners and has raised $4.8 million in total
funding. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif. Previously, the company
was in stealth mode as DVC Labs.
Q:
What makes Skyfire different?
A:
It's not about the browser, it's about the browsing. The web on your PC is
not just static HTML anymore. Unlike many other popular mobile browsers, Skyfire
supports all the modern web technologies so users can watch any web video,
listen to any web music, stay connected on any social network, and browse
anything they want without delays, missing content or error messages. Skyfire
provides predictable access, speed, and a user experience designed to delight
mobile users.

Iris by torch mobile is another free browser.

I found the software to be buggy and hard to use.

From the Torch Mobile site;

The Iris Browser is an advanced, high-performance and versatile application
that is specifically designed to function in resource-constrained environments.
It brings the full Web experience to mobile phones, set-top boxes, mobile
Internet devices, portable media players, Ultra-Mobile PCs and other embedded
devices - in a fast and user-friendly manner.

Thats What I've got so far. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, February 25, 2008

TCPMP

TCPMP is a media player that I have had limited success with on my T-mobile Shadow.

Mike over at Allshadow.com has a great walkthrough on how to install it along with the Skunkworks flash video bundle that is needed to play flv files common on youtube and other video sites.


I would be interested in any feedback on the tcpmp player as I have never been completly satisfied with its results.

Get the player here.


http://picard.exceed.hu/tcpmp/test/


Get the flash video bundle here.


http://rapidshare.com/files/54622936/Skunkworks_FlashVideoBundle_v1.2.rar


Let me know what you think.

Pass the word on about shadow files to your friends!!!

Kepp This Site Alive!

We are accepting Paypal donations to expand this site.

So please make a $5.00 donation to keep us up and running!!






Streaming Radio and video for shadow.

http://www.talkstreamlive.com/mobile/

All the links here work on the T-mobile Shadow without the addtion of any extra software.

There are dozens of radio and tv stations of all kinds.

Check it out and pass the word on.

App Unlocker

App unlocker is a program that allows you to run any compatible file on your tmobile shadow. By default t-mobile blocks permissions for some programs resulting in a file error message when trying to open the program.

App unlocker and some other good smartphone software can be found at


http://mobile.surrealnetworks.com/

Check it out and pass it on.

All Shadow.com

http://www.allshadow.com/

Allshadow is probably the best place to get information on the shadow and what is can do.

The reason I set this blog up is that many of the files needed for the shadow can only be found through an exhaustive search and not every file is listed on all shadow.com

Purpose of this blog

This Blog is a collection of links and files for the t-mobile Shadow (HTC Juno) Smartphone.

The files and links below should work on other smart phones but have not been tested on those phones.