HTC's Twitter client, Peep, does not automatically shorten URLs. ShortenMobile is a small background program that watches the clipboard of the device and automatically shortens the URLs for you.

Currently implemented url shortening services:

* bit.ly
* tinyurl.com
* snipurl.com
* is.gd

How to use:

* Install the cab file
* Open ShortenMobile from StartMenu
* Activate the checkbox "Run at startup"
* Click on Hide-Softkey
* Copy any url (including "http://" at the beginning) to the clipboard
* The shortened url is available in the clipboard after the confirmation dialog has been shown

Download Here

[Via Pocket Now]

Chris and I are proud to present the MoDaCo Mobile Week Episode 41 - Post MWC 2010!

Sharing our views, activities and the news in this week's mobile world.

In this weeks ~50 minute edition, recently rebranded as the MoDaCo Mobile Week, we're talking about:

• Our superetrader.co.uk sponsored device - the Motorola Milestone
• The HTC HD Mini
• The HTC Legend
• The HTC Desire
• The Samsung Wave
• The Samsung Halo

...as well as our usual number of tangents!

To coincide with the Motorola Milestone as the MoDaCo Mobile Week featured device, Superetrader are offering the Milestone with a dock, carry case and pack of 6 screen protectors included at a fanastic price of £375.99! This deal is for podcast listeners only, visit the offer page for more details!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Enjoy!

You can listen to this weeks show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-fourtyone.mp3

Chris and I are proud to present a special episode of the MoDaCo Mobile Week discussing the Windows Phone 7 Series launch!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Or post back on the official topic here!

Enjoy!

You can listen to the show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-wp7s.mp3

Microsoft's new attack on the mobile space - Windows Phone 7 Series - is now official!

Steve Ballmer has just been on stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and i'll be updating this topic with all the details on the new OS and all the related announcements from around the web. I'll also be posting my own thoughts and Chris and I will be recording a special WP7S edition podcast this evening.

Please feel free to call in to the show to share your thoughts - you can leave us a message on 01379 888101 (UK) or +44 1379 888101 (outside UK).

What is it?

'Windows Phone 7 Series' is the next iteration of Windows Mobile. You know how WM in the past has been successive iterations of an increasingly ageing platform with only limited change and innovation? Well, not any more. Windows Phone 7 is a ground up rebuild of the Operating System. You know how we've all moaned for years about the wasted opportunities in product synergy for things like XBox Live (promised years ago), Zune et al on mobile? Well, forget about that... WP7S is all about exploiting those synergies.

Forget everything you know about Windows Mobile / Windows Phone, everything is different. The tagline for the product is 'Designed for Life in Motion'. WP7S is designed around a simple layout based upon 'live tiles'. The Start screen (or home screen as we would historically have referred to it) shows a scrollable view of the tiles, which update in real time to show content - in stark contrast to other mobile OS' paradigms of 'static icons to launch an application'. For example, creating a live tile of a friend provides an up to date view of all relevant data about that person - status updates, pictures, messages etc.

With WP7S, Microsoft is very specifically mandating the hardware requirements for devices, including the hardware button configuration. Every WP7S phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for search (Bing), which itself will be optimised to provide intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results, depending on the type of query. Every device has a big, touch, capacitive screen. Au-revoir WM Standard. Sort of...

Central to WP7S is the concept of hubs. Hubs draw in content from different sources into a single place to provide a unified view. Out of the box default hubs are...

Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:

• People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
• Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.
• Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
• Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
• Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
• Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

It all looked fast and smooth, if not overly full of eye-candy. Was it smoke and mirrors?

Probably not! Microsoft has simplified the UI (they call it 'less chrome'), making it look attractive without being overly busy or complex. As well as providing a clean look this means that, coupled with the powerful hardware mandated in the chassis design, the whole experience should be smooth and fast. Which is good.

Now, a chunk of the guts of WP7S clearly comes from Zune, and this comes with a significant benefit. No more ActiveSync. No more Windows Mobile Device Center. Your WP7S series device will be managed using the Zune software, which IMHO is quite excellent. This is GOOD NEWS!

Will my old apps etc. work?

We don't know yet, but I suspect not. Microsoft is expected to announce a WP7S SDK to developers at the Mix10 conference in March. Nobody knows what this consists of yet but I suspect it'll be a hugely upgraded release of the Compact Framework coupled with (PLEASE MS!) a version of Visual Studio tailored to WP7S development with a much lower cost of entry than what is available today. We'll know more in about a month, but Microsoft absolutely needs to woo developers, particularly if legacy apps do turn out to be incompatible.

When can we have it?

Microsoft has announce 'holiday season 2010' as the target date for Windows Phone, and it's a pretty safe bet that they'll hit that date. Come Christmas, you'll be unpacking a WP7 device in your stocking.

Which manufacturers are building the devices?

HTC have already announced their support for WP7 and in the press conference today Microsoft reeled off all the big names you'd expect as WP7 licencees. They include Dell(!), Garmin-Asus, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm. Operator partners include AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

If Microsoft are prescribing such a unique UI and also mandate specific hardware features, where is the differentiation for HTC et al?

This is a good question, and a very interesting one. The simple answer is - we don't know yet. I imagine that device manufacturers will be able to have slightly different hardware design (albeit broadly conforming to a chassis spec), customised colour of the UI, their own tiles and their own hubs. What I don't expect to see is wholescale skinning of the UI as we've seen with Sense / TouchFlo 3D. A WP7S phone will be unmistakable from the moment you pick it up.

So that's it for Windows Mobile 6.x and non touchscreen devices then?

Well, no, not exactly. Steve said on stage that Microsoft would continue to develop Windows Mobile 6.x. Whether this will be a business class OS, a OS for lower spec devices or become purely an OS for non touch devices, it remains to be seen.

Now how about some random facts?

OK, since you asked!

It has multitouch - 4 point multitouch is mandated in the hardware, as is a WVGA screen. It runs a version of the IE8 engine for browsing (it seemed very fast!). The text rendering uses a technique called 'sub pixel rendering' for excellent readability even when zoomed far out.

P

Resources

Microsoft

- Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Series
- Windows Phone 7 Series official site
- Additional video / multimedia content
- "Life in Motion" Drives Development of New Windows Phone 7 Series
- Video replay of Steve Ballmer's Press Conference Launch

Partners

- HTC to deliver portfolio of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series phones

Well they say a picture tells a thousand words, and this leaked image of the as-yet unannounced Touch HD Mini from HTC certainly fullfils the requirement!

Specs according to Infosyncworld are set to include a 3.2" HVGA screen, 5Mpix camera, WinMo 6.5.3, HTC TouchFlo 3D / aka Sense and a 3.5mm jack. It'll have quadband GSM and Euro 3G. A little bundle of media-tastic joy!

We have some updates for you from our friends at Devicewire, who are trying some new things on their site atm (not to mention dropping their prices)!

• Prices have been dropped on a number of items, for example the HTC Hero (White) was £357.99 – Now Only £314.95 and
  HTC Touch Diamond2 was £321.99 – Now Only £274.95 (bargain!)
• The cost of delivery we have is now reduced from £7.95 to only £6.95. All in stock device orders are sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery, Pre 1pm.
• A freephone number is now available, alonside the previous 0870 number. Devicewire can now be reached on 0800 198 0000.
• Google Checkout is currently being trialled as a payment method
• You can now live chat to a representative online, using the link on the right hand side of the homepage.

All positive improvements i'm sure you'll agree, in addition to existing offers such as price matching. Nice work @devicewire!

P

Chris and I are proud to present the MoDaCo Mobile Week Episode 40 - The software buzz!

Sharing our views, activities and the news in this week's mobile world.

In this weeks ~45 minute edition, recently rebranded as the MoDaCo Mobile Week, we're talking about:

• Our superetrader.co.uk sponsored device - the Motorola Milestone
• The Archos 5 with Android
• Google Buzz
• The SlingPlayer update
• The Resco Explorer update
• LastPass and MoDaCo Plus

...as well as our usual number of tangents!

To coincide with the Motorola Milestone as the MoDaCo Mobile Week featured device, Superetrader are offering the Milestone with a dock, carry case and pack of 6 screen protectors included at the standard £389.99 price! This deal is for podcast listeners only, visit the offer page for more details!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Enjoy!

You can listen to this weeks show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-fourty.mp3

Here are this week's news from Mobiholics!

This week's '7 in 7 on Mobiholics'

As mentioned in a previous post CoPilot was due to add Text to Speech and Live Traffic services to CoPilot 8.

Well it's just been spotted that both the Text-to-Speech and Premium Live Services are now available!

"TTS" is just £3.59 for the lifetime of your product and the "Premium Live Services" subscription is £19.99 for 12 months for UK and N. Ireland.

Simply log into CoPilot Central or purchase on their website.

Thanks to jonlad for spotting it

Here are this week's news from Mobiholics!

This week's '7 in 7 on Mobiholics'

I am very excited to welcome LastPass and their LastPass Premium product to our 'Plus Partners' program!

LastPass is an excellent, multi-platform online password management tool, complete with excellent support for mobile browsing! Featuring automatic form filling, one click login, sychronisation across multiple browsers, secure notes, sharing, backup / restore, import / export, password generation and analysis, phishing protection and even an on screen keyboard to protect against keyloggers in vulnerable environments, LastPass Premium is already a must-have on the desktop (Windows, Mac AND Linux), but REALLY useful when you take into account the fact that Windows Mobile, Android, iPhone, Blackberry and S60 are supported!

Under the terms of our Plus Partnership, MoDaCo Plus members receive a 1 year Premium upgrade to their lastpass account free of charge!

You can read more about LastPass and LastPass Premium at the LastPass website, MoDaCo Plus members, check out your dedicated area for YET ANOTHER great benefit!

Enjoy!

P

Click Here if you would like to learn more about joining MoDaCo Plus!

Would your company like to become a 'Plus Partner'? Click Here to contact us!

Chris and I are proud to present the MoDaCo Mobile Week Episode 39 - The 'AFTER Apple released the tablet' edition!

Sharing our views, activities and the news in this weeks mobile world.

In this weeks 1 hour edition, recently rebranded as the MoDaCo Mobile Week, we're talking about:

• Our superetrader.co.uk sponsored device - the Motorola Milestone
• The Apple iPad - with guest presenter Matt from tracyandmatt.co.uk
• Tweetcaster

...as well as our usual number of tangents!

To coincide with the Motorola Milestone as the MoDaCo Mobile Week featured device, Superetrader are offering the Milestone with a dock, carry case and pack of 6 screen protectors included at the standard £399.99 price! This deal is for podcast listeners only, visit the offer page for more details!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Enjoy!

You can listen to this weeks show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-thirtynine.mp3

T-Mobile's New Tariffs & Price "Refresh" Part 2 - Full Details!

So, here it is, the details of the new T-Mobile's Tariffs & Prices that you've been waiting for. However I would like to point out that anything could have changed between the time I received this details (last week) and the official T-Mobile's announcement/press release which is due on Monday 1st Feb 2010. So the details below may or may not be 100% correct. But I am pretty sure most of them are correct as it came from a very good source.

As soon as T-Mobile posts their full Press Release, it will be posted here too.

NOW INCLUDED WITH PRICE LISTING - CLICK FOR FURTHER DETAILS!

Now that we got it out of the way, here's the details that you've been waiting for...

CLICK HERE to view the full news item.

T-Mobile's New Tariffs & Price "Refresh"


Some of you may have heard that T-Mobile is planning to do a revamp of their Tariffs & prices on 1st February.

I have all of the details & prices on my desk but due to being told that I cannot release the full details until next Monday, I can confirm, due to some info already leaked on the web, that T-Mobile is replacing Combi and Flext to a new Tariff deals with some exciting prices. Same goes for PAYG plans.

It also comes with Boosters where you can pick/remove what you need on Pay Monthly contracts.

I will be posting the FULL details of it on Sunday 31st January, just about 11pm to 12am. So keep your eyes out for it! I'm pretty sure the T-Mobile website will be updated first thing during business day on 1st Feb.

Looks like it's going to be an exciting month for T-Mobile and its customer base.

But who's not liking the idea of Flext/Combi being dropped? I am one of them as I still have Flext 20 from the old days and I am hoping they will keep Flext running for existing customers who chose to stay with their existing plans, unless the prices are VERY good enough to switch to the new tariff.

What do you think? Do you like the idea of Flext/Combi being dropped?

[Via: Myself with the inside info]

Got some sad news in my inbox and have confirmed from the NAV4ALL website that NAV4ALL will shut down in a matter of days.

I've had a many great years of service from this product, and although not as flash as TomTom, Copilot and others, it was an app that ran on nearly all mobile devices.

Here is the extract from the NAV4ALL site:



Any suggestions for free or reasonably priced alternatives? Google Maps? Bing? Copilot Live?

[edited by philly-d for News]