A sneak peak of the HTC Tattoo

The Tattoo is HTC's second SIM-free Android-based device following in the footsteps of the Hero (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/introducing-htc-hero). Aimed more at the consumer market than the Hero, the Tattoo is smaller, fitting any pocket thanks to the removal of the Google 'chin', including an FM Radio and also boasting a range of replaceable covers, reminiscent of Nokia's Xpress-On covers from yester-year.

This article is intended as a 'preview' only: the unit I am using being a prototype only rather than the final release. The hardware specs are the same, only the software revision is not the version that will ship to customers. Still, if you consider that this unit will offer a similar feature set to the Hero (perhaps minus the QuickOffice viewers), but running the newer Android 'Donut' operating system, you will now be able to enjoy support for VPN access as well as text to speech functionality....read on!

Specifications

• Processor - Qualcomm MSM7225, 528MHz
• Platform - Android
• Memory - ROM:512MB, RAM:256MB
• Dimensions (LxWxT) - 106 x 55.2 x 14mm (4.17 x 2.17 x 0.55 inches)
• Weight - 113 grams (3.99 ounces) with battery
• Display - 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 240x320 QVGA resolution
• Network
  • HSDPA/WCDMA
    • Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
    • Up to 384 kbps uplink and 7.2 Mbps downlink speeds
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
    • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

  Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent

• Device Control - 4-way navigation control with Enter button
• GPS - Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate ad A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
• Camera - 3.2 megapixel colour camera
• Audio supported formats - MP3, AAC (AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media Audio 9
• Video supported format - MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media Video 9
• Battery
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
  • Capacity: 1100 mAh
  • Talk time:
    • Up to 342 minutes for WCDMA
    • Up to 390 minutes for GSM
  • Standby time:
    • Up to 520 hours for WCDMA
    • Up to 340 hours for GSM

  (The above are subject to network and phone usage)

• Expansion Slot - microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter - Voltage range / frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz. DC Output: 5V and 1A
• Special Features
  • G-sensor
  • Digital Compass
  • FM Radio

Getting Started

As with the Hero before it, the setup procedure is simple. You will be prompted to select your desired language:

calibrate the keyboard and set up wireless network access:

allow applications to access the GPS module and configure email accounts:

as well as configuring Social Networking applications and time zone information:

Once complete the Home screen will be displayed:

which, as with the Hero before it, features not one, but 7 screens, accessed by simply scrolling left and right with the thumb:

And in addition to 7 home screens, multiple profiles (or "moods") are available, including Play:

Work and Social:

and Travel:

Additional home screens can be configured from scratch too, if you wish.

Widgets

Widgets are Internet-enabled applications that can run on the Home Screen, providing at-a-glance access to weather reports, stock information, sports results, email, calendar appointments - you name it, you can put it in a widget.
Applications can also provide access to local information such as your Contacts list, Photos albums or just a search box. Android comes with a number of pre-defined Widgets and HTC have bundled a load more meaning that virtually any aspect of the device's functionality can be accessed directly from the Home screen if you wish.
As well as Widgets, you can of course add shortcuts to your favourite applications so they can be launched directly by tapping the icon rather than first accessing the Programs menu and then scrolling to the program's entry location.
Application shortcuts can be added to the Home Screen simply tapping and holding on the icon for the application. As soon as you hold, the program view will fade away and the home screen will be displayed. Release the icon to add a shortcut to the home screen.

When you take the sheer variety of screens, themes and widgets available, this platform offers an unparalleled ability to customise your device to how you want to use it.

Keyboard / Input

As with the Hero, the touch-screen keyboard is capacitive rather than resistive, meaning that the unit does not ship with a stylus, rather you use your finger or thumb to select keys.

Applications

As I mentioned earlier, this unit is not running the final shipping version so I won't give a list of installed applications, but you can rest assured that the unit will include at the very least:

• Albums - browse and sort your photographs and images, upload to FaceBook or Flickr
• Browser - access the world wide web in stunning multi-touch quality
• Calculator - number crunching
• Calendar - never forget Gran's birthday again
• Camcorder
• Camera
• Clock - featuring a world clock, timer, stopwatch and several individually-configurable alarms
• FM Radio - radio gaga
• Mail - POP, IMAP and Exchange Server ActiveSync Exchange email accounts
• Messages - SMS/MMS client
• Music - audio file player
  
• Peep - Twitter client
• People - address book
• Voice Recorder - record voice notes and use the device as a dictaphone

The Albums feature allows you to browse and organise your photographs, both taken with the built-in 3.2 megapixel camera or saved to the SD memory card. Pictures can be set as the home screen wallpaper or uploaded to Facebook or Flickr.
Indeed, as with the Hero, Once logged in, you can access any social networking services from within any other 'socially-networked' application - be it uploading a photo to Flickr directly from within the Albums application, replying to a contact via Twitter directly from the People (Contacts) application, or viewing a contact's Facebook updates directly from your contacts list.

The Music player allows you to organise your audio files into playlists, shuffle songs, set files as your default ringtone, or as the ringtone for a specific contact.

The FM Radio, provided that you have a set of headphones connected to act as an aerial, can be used to access any FM radio station and save it as a Preset:

Email

The Tattoo supports both POP and IMAP email accounts as well as featuring a Server ActiveSync client enabling bi-directional push-based synchronisation of Contacts, Calendar and Email with Microsoft Exchange (2003 SP2 or later).

When adding a POP or IMAP-based email account, provided that your account is with a 'popular' provider such as Hotmail, Tiscali, Virgin or whoever, then the setup procedure is simply a matter of entering your full email address and password and the Hero will do the rest for you - even getting the correct outgoing mail server settings for your mobile operator, something that trips up a lot of users when having to enter the settings manually.
Alternatively you can complete the settings yourself should you want to set up a private server.

Setting up an Exchange account is not much more difficult - if you enter your Exchange email address and password the Hero will attempt to determine the server settings to use automatically, using the Microsoft AutoDiscover service.

Should the client not be able to determine the settings automatically, you will be prompted to enter the address of the server manually, as well as your domain, username and password - as you would have to on any Server ActiveSync client.
There are a number of 'little touches' on the Tattoo, as with the Hero, that make using it that much more intuitive and shows that the developers have clearly put some thought into. For example, when running through the Exchange manual setup, by entering in your email address of 'name@domain.com', the server address is automatically completed with 'domain.com' and the cursor placed at the beginning of the line, so that all you need to enter is the server name, ie 'mail.domain.com'.

Once you have entered all of the required information, the device will verify that it is able to connect to the server using the supplied credentials. If your Exchange server is using a self-issued, or non-root-trusted certificate, you will be warned to that effect and be prompted to accept the connection:

Once the connection has been established, you will the be prompted to select which mailbox folders you wish to synchronise:

and then be taken to your Inbox:

As with other ActiveSync clients you can specify a schedule for your mail delivery - having mail pushed as it arrives or every xx minutes:

VPN Access

Running the "Donut" version of the Android operating system, the Tattoo includes support for PPTP, L2TP and IPSec-based VPN connections:

Camera

The overall response time of the camera and camcorder has been improved in Android 1.6, and it is possible to switch between camera modes without the need to close one application and open another, simply by selecting the switch in the corner of the screen:

As with the Hero, photos can be uploaded to FaceBook or Flickr directly from the Albums application.

Miscellaneous

Also present in Donut is the inclusion of Text-to-Speech at the operating system level, meaning in theory that any application can be configured to "speak" to you:

Another feature not present in earlier models is support for MacOS: when connected to my Snow Leopard machine the SD card inserted in the Tattoo was mounted automatically as a USB drive:

Which also means that as soon as I took a picture with the camera, connecting the Tattoo caused iPhoto to launch on the Mac (as that is how I have the mac configured, you don't need to have this happen)

Summary

As I mentioned earlier, this article is intended as a "sneak peak" only. I will be blogging about the Tattoo in full once I get my hands on the final release version of the handset, but you can see from this prototype that the handset is going to provide unparalleled customisation options as well as all the power of the Android platform.

HTC Sync for Wildfire released

HTC have released a separate version of HTC Sync for the Wildfire which enables synchronisation Contacts, Calendar, Music, Bookmarks and Documents between your Android device and your Windows desktop. The software is compatible with any HTC Android device running Android 2.1 or later.

Available for download from the HTC web site, the application is compatible with Windows XP SP3 or later. The download is available here - http://www.htc.com/uk/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=982&news_id=712

How to hard reset the HTC Hero

NOTE - performing a hard reset on the Hero will erase all user data and applications on the device and return the unit to a factory-default state.

• Power the unit off (removing the battery if necessary)
• Hold down the Home and Back keys
• Press the power button whilst still holding down the Home and Back keys
• After a few seconds a message will be displayed on the screen prompting you to press the Menu button to confirm the reset process.
• Release all buttons, then press the Menu button to hard reset the device

After a few moments your device will boot and display the welcome wizard.

Installing the HTC Tattoo as a USB Modem on Windows 7

In order to use the HTC tattoo as a USB modem with your Windows 7-based PC to connect to the Internet, firstly set the Tattoo to Disk Drive Mode before connecting it to your PC for the first time.
Within the menu tap on the USB to PC icon:

Set the option to Disk Drive and tap done:

Connect the Tattoo to your Windows 7 PC. The device will be detected as a USB disk drive and the contents will be displayed. Install the HTC Sync application.

Once complete, return to the USB to PC setting on the Tattoo and adjust it to Mobile Network Sharing mode:

Windows will detect new hardware and attempt to install a new Network Adapter. The installation procedure will fail. Don't Panic.

Click on the Start Menu and right click on the entry for My Computer. Select Properties. Open the Device Manager:

The Tattoo will be listed as an Android device in the Other Devices section. Right click on the entry and select the option to Update Driver.

Select the option to Browse the computer for driver software.

Browse to C:\Program Files \ HTC \ HTC Driver \ Driver Files \ Vista_x86

Click OK. Windows will now install the correct driver for the new network adapter:

Once installed, you will be prompted to enter a location for the new Network Connection.

You will now be connected to the Internet (assuming that the Tattoo is successfully connected to your mobile operator's Internet service)

NOTE - I found I had to disable my internal network adapter before the Tattoo's connection would work successfully, but that may have been due to an IP address range conflict between my local network and the addressing scheme used by the mobile operator.

Introducing the HTC Desire

The Desire is HTC's latest Android offering, which they themselves have modestly dubbed a "SuperPhone" rather than a regular "SmartPhone", and even after only a few hours with the device I have to say it is worthy of the title.
Running the latest version of the Android operating system (version 2.1, or "Eclair"), the Desire packs a number of new features over older HTC Android models including an updated Exchange email client, support for Bluetooth file transfer, support for VPN connections, Version 3.1 of the WebKit browser as well as HTC's new "Friend Stream" social networking client. I will look at all of these features in more detail.

HTC's own marketing blurb summarises the key features of the Desire as follows:

Highlights

• Enjoy a vivid visual experience on the large 3.7 inch AMOLED display
• Surf the web in style with pinch to zoom controls and Adobe flash support that opens up the vast world of video and games of the Internet
• Experience super-fast response when jumping between applications, enjoying multimedia or playing games with the 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• Keep in tune with all your friends across multiple social networks with all of their updates, shared photos, links and tweets in a single, easy to view flow with Friend Stream.
• Tap into an online library of content-rich widgets that help you personalise your phone experience.

Specifications

• Model - A8181
• CPU Speed - 1GHz
• Platform - Android 2.1 (Eclair) with HTC Sense
• Memory - 512 MB ROM and 576 MB RAM
• Size and Weight - 119 x 60 x 11.9mm, 135 grams
• Display - 3.7-inch AMOLED touch-sensitive screen
• Network
  • HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz)
  • GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• GPS - Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.1, A2DP, FTP, OPP and PBAP
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
  • 3.5mm stereo audio jack
  • Standard Micro-USB
• Camera - 5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and flash
• Expansion Slot - microSD card

More detailed specifications can be found on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/uk/product/desire/specification.html

But what is the phone really like to use?

Setting up the phone initially was characteristically simple of the Android platform - the unit correctly detected what mobile network I was on from my SIM card and automatically configured the appropriate 3G connection settings to use without any further interaction. I was prompted to set up my WiFi, Email and Social Networking accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Flickr) and then I was in.

Home Screen

Like the Hero and the Tattoo before it, the Desire offers 7 home screens, all of which can be accessed simply by sliding your finger to the left or right, and all of which can be customised to your preference to contain shortcuts to applications, or any of the wide range of HTC "Widgets" to conveniently and quickly provide access to email, text and picture messages as well as updates to "Friend Stream", not to mention weather updates, stock reports, RSS feeds and more.

Similar to "Expose" on Mac OS X, all home screens can be viewed at a glance by 'pinching' whichever home screen you're on, enabling you to jump to the screen you want.

On the subject of the screen itself, at 480 x 800 pixels (WVGA), the 3.7-inch AMOLED screen looks superb both inside and outdoors (although to prolong the battery life you may consider adjusting the brightness manually). Combined with the metal navigation buttons and metal optical navigation key, the overall build quality of the Desire is of a very high standard and the device feels robust in the hand without being overly heavy or chunky. The lack of the Android 'chin' is also a welcome omission for me personally.

Applications

The complete list of application menu items on the Desire is as follows:

• Calculator
• Calendar
• Call History
• Camcorder
• Camera
• Clock
• Desk Clock
• Facebook
• FM Radio
• Footprints
• Friend Stream
• Google Mail
• Internet
• Learn More
• Mail
• Maps
• Market
• Messages
• Music
• News
• PDF Viewer
• Peep
• People
• Phone
• Photos
• Quickoffice
• Search People
• Settings
• Setup
• SIM Toolkit
• Stocks
• Google Talk
• Teeter
• Voice Recorder
• Weather
• You Tube

But naturally a whole universe of applications is at your fingertips within the Android Market! For a selection of some of the applications I have used and enjoyed in the past visit the Android section of the blog.
If you're new to Android and the Android Market and are unsure how applications can be installed, this article is a good starting point - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/what-applications-will-you-install-your-...

Some applications you might want to look at include Dropbox, Shazam, GDocs, DataViz Documents To Go and Layar

Email

The Desire can host an unlimited number of email accounts - provided that they're POP or IMAP-based. Only one Microsoft Exchange email account can be configured on the Desire, but HTC's Exchange ActiveSync client is updated on the Desire providing the ability to set and edit out of office status and message and specify mail delivery peak and off-peak delivery schedules, as well as providing support for remote device wipe from the Exchange server and the ability to enforce password usage via ActiveSync mailbox policy.

The Desire also has a separate Google Mail client for use with a GMail service.

Setting up an Exchange email account is relatively painless provided that you know the settings to enter: the Desire can attempt to determine the settings to use automatically but this requires that the AutoDiscovery service is configured correctly on the Exchange Server by the administrator. Exchange 2003 SP2 or later is supported (older versions of Exchange can still be accessed via POP or IMAP).

When launching the Mail application for the first time, you will be prompted to select what type of email account you want to configure:

Selecting Exchange will allow you to enter your email address and password for automatic detection, or you can tap on Manual Setup to enter the required information by hand:

As with all Exchange ActiveSync clients, you will need to know the address of the Exchange server to use, your username, password and domain.

The Exchange Server address will be the same address used to access WebMail (Outlook Web Access), if this feature is available in your company, normally in the form 'mail.company.com'
The username will be in the same form used to log into your Windows PC, and the domain will also be the same used to access your Windows PC (normally the contents of the third field when logging in, below the password field).
Specify whether your mail server uses SSL (one way to tell is whether your WebMail address has 'https' at the beginning rather than just 'http').

Once all of the fields have been completed, the wizard will then attempt to authenticate against the Exchange server. Provided that all has gone well, you will be prompted to select which mailbox folders you want to synchronise - note that the HTC Exchange client DOES support Exchange calendar synchronisation:

Your mailbox data will then be synchronised to the device automatically (by default the last 3 days' worth of email will be synced, which can be adjusted).
All mailbox folders can be accessed:

And your OOF status can be set:

Mail and Event notification settings can be configured, and mail delivery schedules and times can also be set - this is a new feature to the Desire: previous Android models allowed you to define a mail delivery delivery (ie 'as items arrive', every 15 minutes, etc) but that setting was either on or off; it was not possible to say 'as items arrive' BETWEEN 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday - now you can.

Calendar entries will be synced (if this option was selected) and can then be added to the Home Screen as a Widget for quick 'at a glance' access:

Contacts will be synced to the device (again if this option was selected), and contacts can be searched in the company Global Address List:

Camera

The Desire features a 5 Megapixel auto focus camera with flash. There is no dedicated shutter button on the device, rather the auto focus is operated by touching the optical navigation key once lightly, then again to take the picture. Alternatively there is also an on-screen button to take the picture.
A number of image processing effects are available:

Images can be quickly and easily shared with others, either by uploading them to Facebook or Flickr, via Email or now via Bluetooth.

Web Browser

The Browser works well, rendering the blog faithfully and providing support for JavaScript and Flash plugins:

Pop-up windows can be blocked, web sites offering a 'mobile view' can be viewed in either mobile or full versions, and links can be shared quickly and easily via email, facebook, twitter, or SMS text message.
Multiple web pages can be opened simultaneously and jumped between using the Windows feature.

Productivity

The Desire comes bundled with QuickOffice, a Microsoft Office document viewer supporting Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. To edit and create documents a separate application will need to be purchased, such as DataViz's Documents To Go application.
A PDF viewer is also included as standard.
The Desire can be synchronised with Microsoft Outlook on the desktop (if you're not using an Exchange email account) as with the Hero and Tattoo before it (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/synchronise-htc-hero-microsoft-outlook).
Using a free utility such as Dropbox or GDocs you can keep your device synchronised with your online documents quickly and easily so you need never be without that crucial presentation ever again.

Other Stuff

The Desire also ships with HTC's own Music Player application which provides playlist and shuffle functionality as you'd expect as well as the ability to set tracks as your ringtone at the touch of a button:

With its built-in GPS antenna, the Desire can be sued with the excellent Google Maps software providing satellite navigation (with voice assistance) in a variety of views:

Tethering

The Desire can be used as a USB modem with both Windows and Mac platforms (ie it can be "tethered" as its sometimes referred to). Windows "Internet Sharing" is built in, for Mac users a third party application will need to be downloaded, free:

Windows instructions
Mac instructions

Summary

This has only been a cursory examination of the Desire - I've only had it for a couple of hours! I'll be sure to post new features as I discover (and swoon) over them. On a personal note I've always maintained that I'm not the best person to review Android devices - huge a geek as I am I prefer working from a laptop and consider my phone a tool rather than a toy. But I must admit that even after an hour I do like the Desire: with its enhanced Exchange email capabilities, fast processor, impressive screen resolution, 'one-click' system-wide integration with online services and the sheer wealth of applications available in the Android Market (over 70% of which are free, even if they do come with adverts) I think it could strike the "life / work" balance just right.....ask me gain in a week if I'm still using it....I strongly suspect I will be!

Do let us know what applications you'll be installing on your new HTC Desire!

Addendum

I have previously asked the question Is Android ready for the Enterprise. The updated Exchange ActiveSync client on the HTC Desire should satisfy IT admins' requirement that devices have the ability to be remotely 'killed' directly from the Exchange server, and the announcement that leading device management solution providers are now offering Android as part of their supported client range means that the Android platform is rapidly 'growing up'. Watch this space for more information or use the Contact Form to discuss specific requirements.

Introducing the HTC Hero

Working for one of the key players in the mobile data industry and getting advance samples of devices before they reach the market is definitely one of the big plus points of my job, but it is easy to become 'de-sensitised' to new products and be distinctly under-whelmed by the big announcements that others get excited about.

This is not one of those times.

I have been looking forward to reviewing the Hero ever since it was first announced that HTC were working on it and the advance units we have been provided with have been the subject of a lot of attention - but naturally the readers of the blog take priority and I have the device in my hands and have screen-shotted it to within an inch of its life!

But seriously though, the Hero is HTC's much-publicised and long-awaited Android-based PDA, Android being the Linux-based operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance.
Offering unparalleled levels of personalisation and customisation, and already boasting a wide range of applications available for download from the Android Marketplace, this new platform could prove to be a serious challenger to the more 'entrenched' operating systems offered by Microsoft and RIM, among others, although HTC have made it clear that they will continue to develop handsets on the Windows Mobile platform.
There has been much conjecture in the press as to whether this could finally be the 'iphone-killer', I'll let you decide...

I should point out at this stage that prior to reviewing the Hero I had not used an Android handset before, therefore if anything I say in this or subsequent posts seems a little 'obvious' to users more familiar with the Android platform, then indulge me.

What's in the box

The Hero comes with the following accessories:

• Quick Start Guide
• Screen protector
• Travel charger
• Mini-USB data cable
• Standard battery
• Wired stereo headset with 3.5mm connector
• Accessory leaflet
• 2GB miscroSD card

Specifications

• Processor - Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528MHz
• Operating System - Android
• Memory - ROM: 512MB, RAM: 288MB
• Dimensions (LxWxT) - 112 x 56.2 x 14.35mm (4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)
• Weight - 135 grams (4.76 ounces) with battery
• Display - 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320x480 HVGA resolution
• Network
  • HSPA/WCDA: 900/2100MHz, up to 2Mbps uplink and 7.2Mbps downlink speeds
  • Quand-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent)
• Device Control - Trackball with enter button
• GPSInternal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
  • HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
  • 3.5mm audio jack
• Camera - 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
• Audio supported formats - MP3, AAC (AAC,AAC+,AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media Audio 9
• Video supported formats - MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media Video 9
• Battery
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
  • Capacity: 1350 mAh
  • Talk time:
    • Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA
    • Up to 470 minutes for GSM
  • Standby time:
    • Up to 750 hours for WCDMA
    • Up to 440 hours for GSM

    (The above are subject to network and phone usage)

• Expansion Slot - microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter - Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
• Special Features
  • G-sensor
  • Digital Compass

Getting Started

When powered on for the first time, the Hero startup wizard prompts you to confirm your desired language:

You are then taken through a quick introduction on how to use the on-screen keyboard:

Should the device be able to detect any WiFi networks, at this stage you will be prompted to select whether you wish the device to connect to any of them:

You will then be prompted to configure any email or social networking accounts you wish to:

I will look at how to configure these accounts later. You can then verify the date and time and you're all set:

The default Home Screen will then be displayed:

The device I used automatically configured itself for use on Vodafone UK, provisioning the correct settings for Internet access, SMS and MMS with no user interaction required at all:

The Home Screen / HTC Sense

The home screen on the Hero is not a single screen, it is in fact 32 screens.
By pressing the navigation key to the left or the right when viewing the main page of the home screen, you can move to a second, third or fourth screen - in either direction, giving 7 screens in total:

By pressing the menu button and selecting the Scenes option, you can select from up to a further 5 pre-configured Scenes, or a sixth blank scene which you can configure from scratch should you so desire:

The pre-configured Scenes have been designed to address the different usage styles, or 'moods', that the Hero might be put to and the features available on the screens correspond to that usage type. For example, the social scene has a Twitter and SMS 'widget' available:

Whereas the Work scene provides access to stock information and favourite web browser bookmarks:

And those are just the built-in scenes, naturally you can create your own as well, giving a massive range of customisation options. I currently have the following set up:

Widgets

Widgets are Internet-enabled applications that can run on the Home Screen, providing at-a-glance access to weather reports, stock information, sports results, email, calendar appointments - you name it, you can put it in a widget.
Applications can also provide access to local information such as your Contacts list, Photos albums or just a search box. Android comes with a number of pre-defined Widgets and HTC have bundled a load more meaning that virtually any aspect of the device's functionality can be accessed directly from the Home screen if you wish.
As well as Widgets, you can of course add shortcuts to your favourite applications so they can be launched directly by tapping the icon rather than first accessing the Programs menu and then scrolling to the program's entry location.
Application shortcuts can be added to the Home Screen simply tapping and holding on the icon for the application. As soon as you hold, the program view will fade away and the home screen will be displayed. Release the icon to add a shortcut to the home screen.

Keyboard / Input

As you are taught during the initial introductory wizard, the Hero features an on-screen touchscreen keyboard. No stylus is supplied with the unit: this being a 'capacitive' screen rather than a 'resistive' screen - the screen does not respond to the impact of a stylus, rather your finger completes a very weak electrical circuit to create input.

It did take me a while to get used to I must admit, but once you stop paying too much attention to what you're typing it is surprisingly accurate. The keyboard can be calibrated to your specific requirements by running through the calibration wizard within the settings menu.
Tapping and holding a single key will display all of the characters available on that key and allows you to select the one you want by sliding over to it. The text suggestions that pop up as you are typing are all sensible as well, and when not typing, controlling applications and menus with your finger is simplicity itself.

Applications

As you'd expect from an Android-based handset, the Hero comes with Google's client applications pre-loaded, providing quick access to GMail, Google Maps and Google Talk and contact and calendar information can be synchronised with Google 'cloud-based' PIM services.
The Hero is also integrated with online services including Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. In fact it is clear that "online" is very much how the designers of the Android platform envisage that it will be used, no doubt something that will make the mobile operators very happy.
The full list of standard applications is as follows:

• Albums - browse and sort your photographs and images, upload to Facebook or Flickr
• Browser - access the world wide web in stunning quality!
• Calculator - number crunching
• Calendar - organise appointments and events, configure reminders, etc
• Camera
• Camcorder
• Clock - featuring also a world clock, timer, stopwatch and several alarms
• Dialer - the phone application
• Footprints - time-stamp, geo-tag and categorise photos into collections of 'memories'
• Google Mail - GMail client, distinct from the 'main' email client
• Google Maps - GPS services
• Google Talk - Google Instant Messaging client
• Mail - POP / IMAP and Microsoft Exchange email client
• Market - search for and download both free and chargeable applications for the Android platform
• Messages - SMS/MMS client
• Music - audio file player
• PDF Viewer - Acrobat-compatible PDF application
• Peep - Twitter client
• People - address Book
• Quickoffice - Microsoft Office-compatible document viewer
• Stocks - Internet-enabled Widget
• Teeter - game which makes use of the Hero's G-Sensor
• Voice Recorder - record notes and use the device like a dictaphone
• Weather - Internet-enabled Widget
• You Tube - search for videos and view the most popular

The Albums application allows you to organise and browse your photographs, both taken with the built-in camera or saved to the SD memory card:

Pictures can be set as the wallpaper or assigned to a 'Footprint':

Pictures can be uploaded to Facebook or Flickr directly from the Album view simply by tapping on their entry.

Your account details for Facebook, Flickr and Twitter need to be entered within the 'Social Networks' menu within the Settings:

Once logged in, you can then access any of the services from within any other 'socially-networked' application on the Hero - be it uploading a photo to Flickr directly from within the Albums application, replying to a contact via Twitter directly from the People (Contacts) application, or viewing a contact's Facebook updates directly from your contacts list:

The Peep Twitter client is designed to allow you to manage your tweets and messages:

Teeter is annoyingly addictive!

The Music player allows you to organise your audio files into playlists, shuffle songs, set files as your default ringtone, or as the ringtone for a specific contact:

YouTube is also built in:

The Quickoffice application provides view-only access to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents, but does not provide support for Office 2007-formatted documents.

The PDF Viewer, as its name suggests, can open pdf files.

Google Market

The Market is an online repository of all manner of both free and purchasable tools, applications and games for your Android handset.
When accessing the Market for the first time (and for that matter any of the Google applications on the Hero for the first time), you are prompted to sign in using your Google account details or create a new account and read the terms and conditions of the Market:

Once logged in, you can browse by category, filtering each by date or by popularity:

Installing an application, provided that it is free, is simply a matter of selecting its entry and tapping Install. If the application requires access to any of the phone's features, such as the connection to the Internet, you will be prompted to confirm that the action may be permitted:

Should you have to hard reset your Hero, when you next sign into the Market, any apps that you had downloaded previously will be re-downloaded and installed again automatically. This process will continue until you uninstall the application.

Email

The Hero supports both POP and IMAP email accounts as well as featuring a Server ActiveSync client enabling bi-directional push-based synchronisation of Contacts, Calendar and Email with Microsoft Exchange (2003 SP2 or later).

When adding a POP or IMAP-based email account, provided that your account is with a 'popular' provider such as Hotmail, Tiscali, Virgin or whoever, then the setup procedure is simply a matter of entering your full email address and password and the Hero will do the rest for you - even getting the correct outgoing mail server settings for your mobile operator, something that trips up a lot of users when having to enter the settings manually.
Alternatively you can complete the settings yourself should you want to set up a private server.

Setting up an Exchange account is not much more difficult - if you enter your Exchange email address and password the Hero will attempt to determine the server settings to use automatically, using the Microsoft AutoDiscover service.

Should the client not be able to determine the settings automatically, you will be prompted to enter the address of the server manually, as well as your domain, username and password - as you would have to on any Server ActiveSync client.
There are a number of 'little touches' on the Hero that make using it that much more intuitive and shows that the developers have clearly put some thought into. For example, when running through the Exchange manual setup, by entering in your email address of 'name@domain.com', the server address is automatically completed with 'domain.com' and the cursor placed at the beginning of the line, so that all you need to enter is the server name - little things, but they show that extra attention to detail that impresses me!

Another aspect of Exchange Server ActiveSync synchronisation that is a problem on other devices that the Hero simply dismisses is the matter of self-issued SSL certificates. If you use a non root-trusted certificate on your Exchange server, it is necessary to install the root certificate of the CA that issued the certificate to the Exchange server onto your client devices manually. This is not required on the Hero - when verifying the details of the server, if the certificate is not trusted by the device you will be prompted to 'cancel' or 'continue anyway', much as you are within a web browser when accessing a secure site whose identity cannot be guaranteed. This takes the headache out of setting up Server ActiveSync completely!

Once the connection to the Exchange server has been verified, you can then select what details you want to synchronise:

After a few minutes, depending on how much data you have to sync, your information will be downloaded and available:

As with other ActiveSync clients you can specify a schedule for your mail delivery - having mail pushed as it arrives or every xx minutes:

Synchronisation of email sub-folders is possible:

and you can define a maximum default size limit for downloaded email and define your signature:

It is not possible to edit your out of office status currently. It is also not possible to define different mail delivery schedules for different times of the day - when you leave the office or no longer wish to receive email of an evening, you must adjust the schedule manually - or you can just turn off the email notifications so the client still checks for mail but does not make any audible alert or vibrate.

These points aside, and let's not forget this is version 1.0 of the Android Exchange client, email delivery is very slick and the messaging very nice to use. Email messages can be previewed using a widget on the home screen, allowing you to quickly delete spam or move through the headers of messages to get to important mails that do need actioning.

Alternatively, if you don't have an Exchange email server, you can sign up for and use Google's own online services, synchronising email, contacts and calendar information with your online 'cloud' account:

Multi-touch Web Browsing

The web browser on the Hero is based on the WebKit platform, meaning that it is has the same core as Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari browser and is fully 'Flash-capable'. Web pages can be 'zoomed' into using the screen's multi-touch capability: moving a single finger across the screen moves the view of the web page; keeping a finger pressed on the screen while moving a second finger to the left or right causes the view to zoom in or out.
Displaying the blog is certainly not a problem:

The browser is also integrated with the Hero's messaging and Twitter client, meaning that should you come across anything of interest you can immediately 'share' it with others:

The Settings allow you to set the home page, turn off pop-ups, enable or disable JavaScript, etc:

The History shows recently-viewed pages:

The 'Windows' feature acts in the same way tabs do on desktop browsers and allows you to toggle between multiple active web pages within the same browser session.

Camera / Camcorder / HTC Footprints

The 5.0 megapixel camera on the Hero also features the usual effects and image processing options you get on other HTC models:

New to the Hero is the concept of Footprints. You can think of a Footprint as a digital journal entry that can be a photograph or a video, which can be geo-tagged by location and also have a voice recording associated with it:

GPS

The Google Maps application on the Hero is quite simply, amazing. Even indoors the GPS receiver not only correctly found the building I was in on the company site, but actually precisely pinpointed me to the rear of unit 9 by the window:

The route-planning capabilities are very impressive, providing both written and graphical directions:

Search

The Hero features an integrated search function, initiated by pressing the search button on the handset, depicted by a symbol of a magnifying glass.
When on the home screen, pressing the search button initiates a Google search box:

Pressing the search button within whatever application you are in at that point will search that application, be it your email inbox or your calendar:

Miscellaneous

The Google Talk client provides instant messaging functionality with other Google Talk users:

The Messages application provides a very nice means of managing your text and multimedia messaging:

Summary

The Hero is effectively several devices all in one. The ability to configure the look and feel of the handset for different 'moods' or times of the day based on whether you are at work or at play is a very attractive feature indeed.

For the prosumer, I think the Hero is definitely a contender for the iPhone's crown: unparalleled customisation options; powerful hardware; push email and PIM data delivery (whether with Exchange or with Google's own services); GPS; a very impressive web browser, the list goes on and on...

The iPhone's integration with iTunes and the iTunes Store is something that Android doesn't have an equivalent of yet, but depending on who you speak to this may be precisely the plus point they are looking for rather than be viewed as a limitation.

The Android Market really extends the functionality of the Hero, and any Android-based device for that matter. The wealth of free applications is astounding, ranging from alternate messaging and social networking clients to a barcode reader application that uses the on-board camera to scan barcodes of products and then locate via Google where on the web they can be purchased most cheaply!

For the business user, the ability to synchronise mailbox data with Microsoft Exchange is crucial. There are several device management solution providers working to integrate the Android platform into their products, but currently there are no automatic device provisioning tools I know of that can configure devices 'over the air' and enforce corporate usage policies, but this is surely only a matter of time.
DataViz have already released a version of their "Documents To Go" application for Android, providing viewing and editing capability for Microsoft Office 2007-format documents. This is available for purchase directly from the Android Market.

On the whole, then, the Hero is a joy to use: responsive, intuitive, excellent call quality (oh yes, by the way it's also a phone!) and a good battery performance.

It is perhaps also important to state at this juncture that Android is a very young operating system. Google only announced that they had begun development of a mobile platform approximately two years ago and already a significant number of major handset manufacturers have either already released a model using the operating system or have announced that they have one on the go.
Combine this break-neck development pace with the wealth of applications available in the Market and Android becomes a very attractive prospect. I for one am looking forward to this and future releases.

If by the time you read this you already have your Hero device in your hands and you are eager to learn more about Android and its capabilities, visit the Android section on the blog - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/android

Visit the Hero section of the HTC web site here - http://www.htc.com/www/product/hero/overview.html

Visit the official HTC Hero micro-site here - http://www.htc-hero.co.uk

For further information on how to configure Microsoft Exchange synchronisation on the Hero, read this blog article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-microsoft-exchange-synchronisati...

Introducing the HTC Wildfire

The Wildfire is HTC's latest Android-based "Superphone". Designed very much with social networking at its core, the Wildfire brings you closer to your online contacts with a raft of clever tools including the ability to view all of your Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates all in one feed, organise emails, SMS text messages and photos by the person that sent them, as well as displaying contacts' Facebook status together with their caller ID when they ring. As HTC's own tagline has it: with the Wildfire, your friends have never been closer.

Technical Specifications

• Size: WxHxD 2.4 inches (60.4mm) x 4.2 inches (106.75mm) x 0.48 inches (12.19mm)
• Weight: 118 grams (4.16 ounces)
• Display:
  • Capacitive touch screen with pinch-to-zoom functionality
  • 3.2 inches
  • 240 x 320 QVGA
• Platform: Android 2.1 Eclair with HTC Sense
• Processor: 528 MHz
• Memory: 512MB ROM, 384MB RAM
• Expansion: microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible), supports up to 32GB
• Battery: Rechargeable 1300mAh lithium-ion battery
• Talk Time: WCDMA up to 440 mins, GSM up to 490 mins
• Standby Time: WCDMA up to 690 hours, GSM up to 480 hours
• Network: HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz, GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Internet:
  • 3G: Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed
  • Up to 384 kbps upload speed
  • GPRS: Up to 114 kbps downloading
  • EDGE: Up to 560 kbps downloading
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• Camera: 5 megapixel colour camera, auto-focus and flash, geotagging
• Connectors: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)
• Tethering: Internet sharing via USB
• Sensors:
  • G-Sensor
  • Digital compass
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
• Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate
  • A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • FTP and OPP (object push) for file transfer
  • Other supported profiles: AVRCP, GAP, GOEP, HFP, HSP, PBAP, SPP, Service Discovery Application Profile
• HTC Widgets: Bookmarks, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, FM Radio, Friend Stream, Mail, Messages, Music, News, People, Stocks, Weather, Settings (such as Profile, Ringtone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) plus downloadable widgets
• Multimedia:
  • Gallery application for viewing photos and videos
  • Music
  • FM Radio
  • Audio supported formats: Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9) / Recording: .amr
  • Video supported formats: Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9) / Recording: .3gp
• Social Networking:
  • Facebook™ for HTC Sense
  • Friend Stream
  • Photo sharing on Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter
  • Video sharing on YouTube™
  • HTC Peep for twittering
• Location Services:
  • Internal GPS antenna
  • Google Maps
  • HTC Footprints™
• Special Features:
  • HTC Caller ID that shows the caller’s Facebook status and a birthday reminder
  • App Sharing that lets you recommend apps straight from your phone
  • Full Flash support on the web browser
  • In-built, dimmable flashlight
  • Ringer that automatically lowers the ring volume when you lift up the phone or mutes when you flip the phone face down

You can check up to date specifications on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/uk/product/wildfire/specification.html

To celebrate the launch of the Wildfire, tell HTC UK via their Facebook page what you would do if you could get all your friends together for a day...and they may make it happen! (http://www.facebook.com/htcuk)

Applications

The Wildfire comes with all of HTC's own social networking, email, productivity and media management applications as well as a number of new features including a flashlight application, a means of quickly recommending new apps and a data transfer tool to copy data via Bluetooth from an old phone. The complete list of applications is as follows:

• App Sharing - recommend applications you like via your social networking accounts
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Call History
• Camcorder
• Camera
• Camera
• Clock
• Desk Clock
• Flashlight
• FM Radio
• Footprints - organise and geotag your photos
• Friend Stream - access your Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts from one convenient interface and have status information and updates displayed throughout the device in the People and Phone applications
• Gallery
• Google Mail
• Internet
• Mail
• Maps
• Market
• Messages
• Music
• News - RSS reader
• PDF Viewer
• Peep - Twitter client
• People
• Phone
• Quickoffice
• Search People
• Settings
• Setup
• Stocks
• Talk
• Teeter
• Transfer Data - transfer data via Bluetooth from another device
• Videos
• Voice Recorder
• Weather
• YouTube

Home Screen

As with all HTC Android devices, the Wildfire offers not one, but 7 home screens accessed by swiping your finger either to the left or right. Each home screen can be customised with Internet-enabled widgets providing up to date, at-a-glance information without the need to launch a separate application to view emails, text messages, calendar appointments, stocks, news, weather, social networking updates, etc.

Email

The Wildfire features the same HTC Exchange email client as that featured on the Desire, providing push-based bi-directional synchronisation of mail, contact and calendar data with Exchange 2003 and later. Contacts can also be searched online in the Global Address List.
Setting up the Exchange account is quick and simple, provided that you know your username, password, domain and mail server address details - contact your IT department if you are unsure:

When running the Mail application for the first time, you will be prompted to create an email account, select Exchange. You will then be prompted to enter your email address and password.
The wizard will attempt to determine the correct connection settings to use automatically. If the wizard is unable to determine the settings, you will be prompted to complete them:

The mail server address will be the same as that used by Outlook Web Access, or webmail, usually in the form "mail.company.com"

The domain will be the same as that used to log into your desktop PC or laptop (usually the third field underneath username and password).

The username and password information will be the same as that used to log into your desktop PC or laptop.

Once all of the details have been entered successfully, you will then be prompted to select which mailbox folders you wish to synchronise:

Your mail will then be synchronised. Access to all mailbox folders is possible:

Out of Office status and message can be edited directly from the device:

Schedule information can also be specified during which time mail will be pushed to the device, and separate delivery schedules can be set for peak and off-peak hours:

Application Sharing

App Sharing is a feature new to the Wildfire and allows you to recommend applications you have downloaded to your friends and contacts via your social networking accounts:

Utilities

The new Flashlight application on the Wildfire uses the camera flash as an adjustable torch, useful for finding your keys or even the keyhole!

The Data Transfer tool enables you to transfer contacts and other information from another phone via Bluetooth:

The Music Player provides MP3 playback as well as the ability to create Playlists, set music as your ringtone or share tracks via Bluetooth:

Google Maps offers all the features that the latest version of the application provides including Layers, Navigation, Latitude, Stars and more:

The News application provides up-to-date access to your favourite RSS news feeds:

With a set of headphones connected to act as an aerial, the FM Radio turns your device into a portable music player even if you have no tracks stored on your memory card:

The Footprints application allows you to group photos into events, combining them with GPS location details and comments:

Camera

The Wildfire features a 5 Megapixel auto focus camera with auto-focus and flash. The auto focus is operated by touching the optical navigation key once lightly, then again to take the picture. Alternatively there is also an on-screen button to take the picture. A number of image processing effects are also available.

Web Browser

The Wildfire also features a WebKit 3.1-based browser, supporting both JavaScript and Flash sites, as well as "pinch to zoom".

Pop-up windows can be blocked and web sites offering a "mobile view" can be viewed in either the mobile or full version optionally. Links can be shared quickly and easily via email, facebook, twitter or SMS text message. Multiple web pages can be opened simultaneously and toggled between using the Windows feature.

A nice feature when browsing a text-based page is the ability to highlight a word or paragraph, and send that text to Wikipedia, Google Translate or Google Dictionary with one tap:

Productivity

The Wildfire comes bundled with QuickOffice, a Microsoft Office document viewer supporting Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. To edit and create documents a separate application will need to be purchased, such as DataViz's Documents To Go application.
A PDF viewer is also included as standard.
Using a free utility such as Dropbox or GDocs you can keep your device synchronised with your online documents quickly and easily so you need never be without that crucial presentation ever again.

The device can also be used as a USB modem with Windows allowing you to share the device's connection to the Internet from your PC, both via the cellular and WiFi capabilities of the Wildfire.
Connect the device to the PC via USB and select the option to connect the device in Disk Drive mode:

The device will be detected automatically:

Browse to the Tool folder on the device and run the HTCDriver application:

Once the installation has completed, remove the Wildfire from the PC, then reconnect it again, this time selecting the option to connect in Mobile Network Sharing mode. Windows will detect new hardware and install a network adapter:

You will now be connected to the Internet via your device. It really is that simple.

Visit the HTC web site for more information.

The Wildfire is available to order today from Brightpoint - +44 (0)870 849 0225

Setting up Microsoft Exchange synchronisation on the HTC Hero / Tattoo

The HTC Hero features a Server ActiveSync client enabling bi-directional push synchronisation of contacts, calendar and email PIM data with Microsoft Exchange 2003 SP2 or later.

You will be prompted to configure email account settings during the initial setup wizard when powering on the device for the first time or following a hard reset:

Alternatively, once booted, Launch the Mail application. The following screen will be displayed:

Should you have already configured a POP or IMAP account, then to add another account, select Menu --> More --> New account

Select Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, the following screen will be displayed:

Enter your full email address and password and tap Next. The client will attempt o determine the correct server settings to use automatically. If the client is not able to determine the settings, you will be prompted to enter the information manually. Alternatively if you prefer you can just tap on the Manual Setup button, the following screen will be displayed:

Complete the fields with the appropriate information:

• Email address
• Server address - this is normally the same information used for webmail access
• Domain
• Username
• Password

If the server uses a secure connection (ie, if you usually need to enter https at the beginning of the URL for webmail access), then tick the option.

If you do not know the information to enter, contact your IT department.

Once all of the information has been entered, tap Next. The client will verify the information entered. If you are using a 'non root-trusted' certificate on the Exchange server you will be warned that the device cannot verify the identity of the certificate and be prompted to confirm that you wish to continue anyway. Provided that the client is able to connect to the server successfully, you will then be prompted to select which folders you wish to synchronise:

Tap Next. The mailbox data will then be synchronised to the device:

To edit the synchronisation settings once the account has been configured, tap on the Settings icon in the All Programs view. Select Data Synchronisation and then Exchange ActiveSync:

Press the Menu button and select Settings:

The following screen will be displayed:

The following options are available:

Email sub-folders can be synchronised by pressing the Menu button from within the Mail application and selecting the Folders option.
Select the folder that you want to access, then press the Refresh button to download the mail in that folder. Bear in mind, that if you have selected the option to only download the last 7 days' worth of email, then that applies to all email folders so only messages that are newer than 7 days in this folder will be displayed.

Following a successful connection to the Exchange server, the device will be listed within the Mobile Devices Options within Outlook Web Access (Exchange 2007):

From here it is possible to issue a 'remote kill' command to the device that will remove the Exchange account from the device as well as any PIM data.

Setting up Microsoft Exchange synchronisation on the HTC Legend / Desire

The HTC Desire and Legend units feature an updated HTC Exchange ActiveSync client, offering the same push-based bi-directional synchronisation offered by the Hero and the Tattoo, but now also offering the ability to set and edit Out of Office status and message as well as supporting remote device wipe from Exchange as well as the ability to enforce password usage via ActiveSync mailbox Policy.

Setting up the Exchange email account is very similar as on the Hero and Tattoo models.
Launching the mail client for the first time will prompt you to select the type of email account you want to configure:

Select Exchange ActiveSync:

Select the option for Manual Setup:

Enter your full email address.
In the Server Address field enter the external name or IP address of the Exchange server (depending on how the administrator has configured the Exchange server - contact your IT department for the correct settings to use). This is usually the same address used to access Outlook Web Access webmail, in the form "exchange.mycompany.com"
In the Domain field enter in the domain which your user account is in - again contact your IT department for the correct settings to use. Usually, if you have a Windows PC in the office, this will be the contents of the "Log Into" field you use to access your PC (the third field below both "username" and "password" when logging in).
Enter your username and password - these will be the same details you use to log into your Windows PC.
Tick the option to use SSL if required by your Exchange server. If you don't know whether your Exchange server does or not, a handy way of telling is checking the address used to access webmail - if it begins with "https" then it does use SSL. If it just uses "http" (and doesn't redirect to an https address) then there is no need to use SSL.

Tap Next. If your Exchange server uses a self-signed Exchange certificate, you may be warned that the identity of the certificate cannot be verified, select the option to Continue:

Select which mailbox data you want to synchronise:

If your Exchange server has enforced security policies requiring password usage, you may be prompted to accept this requirement. Click OK:

Your mailbox data will now be synchronised. This may take a few moments depending on how much data is in your mailbox and which options you selected to sync.

Within the menu you can access Out of Office settings:

The Settings menu allows you to define how far back into the past you synchronise as well as how often mail is delivered:

NOTE - the default selection is for mail to be delivered every 15 minutes, so to enable true push you will need to adjust this option to "As items arrive":

Once synchronised, the device will be listed in the Mobile Options view within Outlook Web Access:

From here a remote wipe operation can be instigated in the event that the device has been lost or stolen, or you simply want to hard reset the device. Once complete, you will receive notification in your Exchange Inbox:

Once the Exchange account has been configured, you will be able to search the Exchange Global Address List (GAL) directly from the device:

You may also want to enable the LED notification light for new email messages:

Synchronise the HTC Hero with Microsoft Outlook

The HTC Sync application that ships with the Hero enables the synchronisation of contact and calendar information from either Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express or the Windows Address Book.
Also included is the Application Installer, which enables the installation of APK Android application packages onto the Hero from your PC.

The HTC Sync installer is included on the SD card that comes in the Hero sales package, or alternatively is available for download from our FTP site:
ftp://ftpaccess:Brightpoint1@ftp.brightpointuk.co.uk/Technical%20Support...

You can download the software to your PC, or insert the microSD card into a suitable reader to access the software.

Installing the software is straightforward, run the executable package and follow the on-screen instructions:

Once installed, the application will launch automatically and an icon will be added to the System Tray:

On the Hero device, browse to Settings --> Applications --> Development and tick the option to enable USB Debugging. Now connect the Hero to your PC via the supplied USB cable. Windows will detect the new hardware automatically and install both a Removable Storage Drive and an Android USB Device.
Provided that the HTC Sync application is running, the new device partnership wizard will launch automatically:

Enter a name to identify your device:

You will be prompted to set the device time to that of your PC if they are different:

The main interface will then be displayed:

Select the Sync Manager icon and then the Settings button:

The Settings wizard will be displayed:

Select which application you wish to synchronise with:

Select which information you want to synchronise:

Specify whether synchronisation should be performed automatically each time the device is connected:

Click Finish to complete the wizard:

Depending on the options you specified, synchronisation will now either start automatically, or you can initiate it manually.

Transferring files to the HTC Desire and HTC Legend via Bluetooth

The HTC Desire and Legend Android models feature the Bluetooth file transfer protocol, making it possible to wirelessly transfer files to and from your device from another Bluetooth-equipped device.

To enable Bluetooth on the device, browse to Settings --> Wireless & Networks:

Tick the option to Turn on Bluetooth.
Tap on the option for Bluetooth Settings:

Tick the option to make the device Discoverable. Select Advanced Settings:

Tick the option to enable the Bluetooth FTP Server.

On your PC or other Bluetooth device, search for available Bluetooth devices. The device will be listed (you can adjust the Bluetooth name of your device if you wish in the Bluetooth settings):

Select the option to connect to the device. The HTC PDA will prompt you to accept the incoming Bluetooth connection in the Notification area:

Select the option to accept the request, you will be prompted to enter a PIN code for the Bluetooth connection:

Enter in a suitable code - this can be anything of your choosing, ideally of up to either 4 or 5 digits. You will be then prompted to enter the same PIN code on the other device:

Enter in the same PIN code. The two devices are now paired. The HTC device will then prompt you to accept the incoming file transfer in the Notification area:

Select the option to authorise the connection:

Select OK. You will now be able to send and receive files to and from the HTC device via Bluetooth:

Files can be sent via Bluetooth from directly within media applications by selecting the option to Share:

Using the HTC Hero as a USB Modem

It is posible to use the HTC Hero as a USB 3G modem with Windows XP and Vista.

In order to use this functionality, the HTC Sync software must be installed onto the PC first (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/synchronise-htc-hero-microsoft-outlook).

The HTC Sync installer is included on the SD card that comes in the Hero sales package, or alternatively is available for download from our FTP site:
ftp://ftpaccess:Brightpoint1@ftp.brightpointuk.co.uk/Technical%20Support...

You can download the software to your PC, or insert the microSD card into a suitable reader to access the software.

Once installed, on the Hero device browse to Settings --> Wireless Controls and enable the option to enable Mobile Network Sharing. Now connect the Hero to the PC via the supplied USB cable. Windows will detect the new hardware automatically and install an "HTC Remote NDIS Network Adapter":

Provided that your Hero has a cellular data connection, you will now be able to use that connection from your PC.

Addendum

For details on how to configure Windows 7, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/installing-htc-tattoo-usb-modem-windows-7

Auto Call Recorder for Windows Mobile

I came across a link to this application on the Clove Blog (http://blog.clove.co.uk). Auto Call Recorder is a free application for the Windows Mobile platform that, as its name suggests, allows you to automatically record the phone calls you make and receive on your PDA.

The application can be downloaded from the XDA Developers web site here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=528507

The application is still in beta stage and the author of the application cannot guarantee compatibility on all devices. The author is also keen to stress that the recording of phone calls is not legal in all countries, so to be on the safe side it is probably best to let the person on the other end of the phone know if you are recording them.

Auto Call Recorder requires that the .NET Compact Framework version 2.0 or later be installed on the Windows Mobile device. This can be downloaded free of charge from the Microsoft web site.

Once installed, an icon for Auto Call Recorder is added to the Programs folder:

Launching the application allows you to enable and disable the call recording feature and specify the location where you want the recorded sound files to be saved:

To save recordings to a memory card, enter a location of \Storage Card

Once enabled, any calls made or received will be recorded automatically and saved in WAV format to the location specified. The filenames will be created in the format [Direction] [FileAs] [Phone Number] [Call Length]

The bit rate and codec used to create the recordings can also be specified:

Selecting a higher sampling rate will result in larger sound files - you may need to experiment with the settings to find the configuration that works best on your device.

Eltima SyncMate - synchronise your Windows Mobile PDA with your Mac

Sync Mate is a utility for Mac OS X that allows you to synchronise your Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device with your Mac.

The free version of the software is available for download here:

http://www.eltima.com/products/syncmate/

The free version allows you to synchronise contacts and calendar with the Mac Address Book and iCal applications, as well as read your SMS messages.

The Expert verison, which you need to purchase, allows you sync awhole lot more, as you can see from the screenshot above. But the real benefit of the free version of the software is that when the PDA is connected to the Mac for the first time, a network adapter is installed within the System Preferences, which allows you to use your Mac's Internet connection from the Windows Mobile device:

The other really cool feature, which to the best of my knowledge is unique, you can also mount the Windows Mobile PDA as a drive, to view the contents of the device and drag and drop files to and from the Mac. Once mounted, the PDA is displayed as a drive:

Which can be controlled via the Finder:

Eltima supports both USB and WiFi connections.

Finger Keyboard for Windows Mobile

Finger Keyboard is an application for Windows Mobile Professional (Pocket PC) devices that provides a replacement to the standard keyboards that are available as part of the operating system.

The application can be downloaded from the XDA Developers web site - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=501122
NOTE - the application is available for a wide range of different display resolutions - be sure to download the correct installation package for your device.

Once installed, the Finger Keyboard is added to the list of available keyboards within Settings --> Personal --> Input, as shown above.

There are a wide range of options available to further control the behaviour of the keyboard:

• A wide range of different colour schemes are available
• Customisable click sounds and vibration feedback can be configured
• Cut, copy, paste and undo shortcuts
• Customisable emoticon shortcuts for fast typing
• Customisable shortcuts for email addresses, web sites, names, or anything you want

Setting up Google Sync on Windows Mobile

Google’s Sync service allows you to backup the contents of your Contacts and Calendar folders from your PDA to Google’s servers, where you can access the information from any web browser with a connection to the Internet.

The system uses Microsoft’s Server ActiveSync protocol, and therefore does not require that any additional software be installed on the Windows Mobile device – you can simply use the ActiveSync client already present on the device.

You will need an account with Google, but registration is free: browse to http://m.google.com/sync from your PC.

Setting up a Pocket PC device

Tap on Start and open the Programs Folder. Tap on the icon for ActiveSync.
Select the option to Set up your device to sync with an Exchange Server.
On the next screen, untick the option to ‘determine settings automatically’ if the option is available, the following screen will be displayed:

In the Server address field type in ‘m.google.com’ as shown above. Ensure that the option ‘This server requires an encrypted connection’ is ticked.

Tap Next, the following screen will be displayed:

Enter your username and password information.
Your username will be your full Google email address, normally in the form ‘xxxx@googlemail.com’.
Your password will be the password you specified when you created your GoogleMail account.
Leave the domain field empty. If your device requires a domain to be entered, use ‘google’.

Tap Next, the following screen will be displayed:

Select the option to synchronise the Contacts and Calendar folders. Untick the Email and Tasks options.

Tap Finish. Your device is now configured for Google Sync.

Addendum

Google have now added Email support to the platform - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/google-adds-push-email-support-google-sy...

Tweak your Windows Mobile device

The Advanced Configuration Tool from TouchXperience is a free to use utility that enables you to configure virtually any aspect of your Windows Mobile device: from controlling which icons are displayed by default on the status bar at the top of the screen, to altering the GPS polling interval.

The application also allows you to edit the default key mapping behaviour on the device, so that should you wish you can make pressing the left soft-key launch the music player, for example.
File associations can be edited, enabling you to change what applications handle certain file types.

For the advanced user, once you have made all of the tweaks you wish, you can export the registry configuration as an XML file, which can then be re-imported should you need to hard reset the device.

You can add and remove icons from the Comm Manager window as well as editing the TouchFLO tabs.

The software can be downloaded from here - http://www.touchxperience.com/en/advanced-configuration-tool/downloads.html

Before installing the software, you will also need to install the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5 on your device, this is a free download from the Microsoft web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=e3821449-3c6b-4...

There is also an article on the Tracy and Matt web site detailing common tweaks that you can perform using the software, as well as a nifty trick on how to 'unlock' hidden features on the HTC Touch Pro 2 camera. Read the article here:

http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/index.php/2009/06/07/touch-pro2-adva...

NOTE - the software does come with a disclaimer warning you that you use it at your own risk and you should not make any changes to your device's configuration unless you understand the ramifications of doing so.

Happy tweaking!

HTC Diamond 2 Simulator

Our friends over at Wireless Data Services (www.wdsglobal.com) have created a web-based simulator detailing the key features of the new HTC Diamond 2, available from Brightpoint today.

You can view the simulator HERE

HTC Snap Simulator

Our friends over at Wireless Data Services (www.wdsglobal.com) have created a web-based simulator detailing the key features of the new HTC Snap, available from Brightpoint today.

You can view the simulator HERE

You can read the GB Tech Blog's review of the Snap here - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/introducing-htc-snap

HTC Touch Pro 2 Simulator

If you liked the simulators of the Snap and the Touch Diamond 2, then you'll love the simulator of the Touch Pro 2, once again developed by our friends over at Wireless Data Services (www.wdsglobal.com).

You can view the simulator HERE

Introducing the HTC HD2

The HD2 is the successor to the Touch HD, HTC having decided to drop the 'Touch' this time round, running Microsoft's new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, or "Windows Phone" as Microsoft are now referring to it.
Codenamed "Leo", the HD2 is HTC's new flagship Windows Mobile PDA. To quote the HTC web site: "HTC HD2 delivers an experience your senses have been waiting for. The unprecedented 4.3-inch pixel-packed display is stunning. The world's first capacitive touch technology on a Windows phone along with 1 GHz processing power ensure a smooth and lightning-fast response to the lightest touch of your finger."

Specifications

• Operating System - Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
• Size - 11mm x 67mm x 120.5mm (0.43 x 2.64 x 4.74 inches)
• Display Type - Capacitive Touch Screen
• Display Resolution - 480 x 800 WVGA
• Weight - 157 grams (5.54 ounces) with battery
• Storage - 512MB ROM / 448MB RAM
• Expansion Slot - microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• Processor - 1GHz Snapdragon
• Network Bands
  • HSPA/WCDMA - 900/2100 MHz
  • GSM - 850/950/1800/1900 MHz
• Internet
  • 3G - Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed, Up to 2 Mbps upload speed
  • GPRS - Up to 114 kbps download speed
  • EDGE - Up to 560 kbps download speed
  • Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• Tethering
  • Internet Sharing through USB or Bluetooth
  • WiFi Router
• Battery - Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, 1230 mAh
• Talk Time
  • WCDMA - Up to 320 mins
  • GSM - Up to 380 mins
• Standy Time
  • WCDMA - Up to 390 hours
  • GSM - Up to 490 hours
• Video playback - Up to 8 hours
• Audio playback - Up to 12 hours
• Camera - 5 Megapixel colour camera, Auto Focus, Dual LED flashlight
• Bluetooth - Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate
• Supported Bluetooth Profiles - A2DP, AVRCP, BIP, BPP, DUN, FTP, GAP, GOEP, HFP, HID, HSP, OPP, PAN, PBAP, SAP, SPP
• Connectors
  • 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
  • Standard Micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)
• Sensors
  • G-Sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
• Multimedia
  • Windows Media® Player
  • Albums
  • Pictures & Videos
  • FM Radio
  • Audio supported formats: .aac, .amr, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .mp4, .qcp, .wav, .wma
  • Video supported formats: .wmv, .asf, .mp4, .3gp, .3g2, .m4v, .avi
• Location
  • Internal GPS antenna
  • HTC Footprints
  • Digital Compass
  • NaviPanel (requires the HTC HD2 car kit which needs to be purchased separately)
• Social Networking
  • Facebook integration
  • Sharing photos on Facebook and Twitter
  • Sharing videos on YouTube
  • HTC Peep for twittering

You can read the full specifications on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/uk/product/hd2/specification.html

Getting Started

The startup wizard on the HD2 is reminiscent of the Hero and Tattoo Android-based devices.
When powered on for the first time, should the SIM card not be detected, you will be displayed an animation of how it should be inserted:

You will then be guided through how the on-screen capacitive keyboard works and be prompted to set up wireless network access:

Next you will be prompted to enable Google's Location service (which can be used to display GPS location information within applications such as Google Talk instant messaging and Google Maps), as well as set your local time zone:

Once all of these settings have been completed, you're done. Tapping Finish will take you to the default Home Screen:

The Home Screen & Start Menu

The HD2 is HTC's first Windows Mobile device to feature the Sense user interface. The default Windows Mobile 6.5 interface has little to no provision for allowing users to add content to the Home Screen making it difficult to customise the device to your personal requirements. Sense allows you to "make it mine" by adding shortcuts to frequently-accessed applications, contacts or web links as well as Widgets: Internet-enabled applications that can display real-time data such as weather information, email messages, calendar entries, etc:

The Start Menu has been changed in this version of Windows Mobile: rather than being displayed a slide-down menu that occupies part of the screen, you are instead presented with a full-screen grid of icons, which includes both applications as well as the Settings menu:

HTC's TouchFlo technology offers quick and sensible navigation between applications, which can also be customised to your personal preference. Actions are grouped logically, so that when reading an email from an individual, you can quickly select to place a call to that person. In the People application, when viewing a person's contact details, you can also view all calls made to and received from that person, email messages exchanged with them, facebook updates and so on.

The Lock Screen is improved, displaying at a glance information on missed calls, text and email messages as well as calendar entries.

Applications

The HD2 has a comprehensive list of preinstalled applications:

Available programs include:

• Messages
• Phone
• Email
• Internet Explorer
• People
• HTC Calendar
• Music
• Album
• Camera
• Footprints
• Camcorder
• Games
• Pictures & Video
• Audio Booster
• Windows Media
• FM Radio
• Streaming Media
• MP3 Trimmer
• Windows Marketplace
• Excel Mobile
• PowerPoint Mobile
• OneNote Mobile
• Word Mobile
• Tasks
• Microsoft Calendar
• Notes
• Calculator
• Comm Manager
• ActiveSync
• Internet Sharing
• Microsoft MyPhone
• Search Phone
• RSS Hub
• WorldCard Mobile
• JetCet Print 5
• JBlend
• Mobile WiFi Router
• Remote Desktop Mobile
• Adobe Reader LE
• MSN Messenger
• Windows Live
• Live Search
• File Explorer
• Facebook
• QuickGPS
• Google Maps
• Voice Recorder
• YouTube
• Teeter

I believe that's what they call 'fully-loaded'!

People

The People application acts as your Address Book and stores multiple Contact directories from your SIM card, the device's internal memory, a Microsoft Exchange account, etc.
Contacts can be assigned to Favourites and to speed dials and can have images associated with them.

Albums

The Albums application allows you to view and organise images stored on the device memory and a storage card, both photographs as well as regular image files:

Image files can be quickly sent to others via email or MMS as well as uploaded to either Facebook or YouTube:

In order to use the latter feature, you will need to be logged into your account with that service, this is done within the Accounts section of the Settings page:

Images can also be set as the default wallpaper and can be assigned to a Footprint, a form of power journal enabling events to be categorised and permanently recorded along with dates, times, GPS coordinates, images and videos:

Slideshows of all available images can also be displayed:

Windows Marketplace for Mobile

This new feature from Microsoft allows you to browse for, download and install supplementary games, applications, sounds, images, themes and utilities for your device, similar in principle to the BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market and Apple App Store.

Microsoft MyPhone

The MyPhone service from Microsoft allows you to synchronise your personal data with the cloud, effectively enabling you to securely backup your data to your personal 200MB area of Microsoft's online storage. Data can be backed up automatically on a schedule, or manually as you prefer. Once backed up, your data can be restored to any device of your choosing or accessed directly online via your web browser. Data sources that can be backed up include:

• Contacts
• Calendar
• Tasks
• Text Messages
• Photos
• Videos
• Music
• Documents

The Photos, Videos, Music and Documents options can be applied both to the device's internal storage as well as any inserted memory card.

You will need a Windows Live / Hotmail account in order to use the service. Registration is free.

The client application is installed by default on Windows Mobile 6.5:

When running the application for the first time you will be prompted to accept the terms and conditions of the service:

and then enter your Windows Live account details and set your synchronisation options:

as well as define which folders you wish to synchronise:

Once the initial setup wizard has been configured, you can adjust any settings by selecting the Options Menu:

Once backed up, your data is then also accessible online from any web browser:

Mobile WiFi Router

This feature of the device allows you to share its data connection to the cellular network via WiFi from any suitable device within range, be it another PDA as well as a laptop or any other WiFi-capable client device:

Meaning that you need never worry about finding a WiFi hotspot for your laptop ever again.

Web Browsing

The version of IE that ships with Windows Mobile 6.5 is based on version 6 of the desktop browser, meaning that you can view web pages 'as they were intended', with full-screen browsing, zoom and side-to-side scrolling. The desktop experience can be turned off if you prefer viewing the mobile version of web pages if they exist.

Opera is also installed on the device if you prefer.

Tools

Remote Desktop Mobile allows you to connect to a suitable desktop PC running Windows XP or later or server running Server 2003 or later:

NOTE - in order to be able to remotely access hosts then you may first need to have established a VPN connection, but otherwise this feature is ideal for IT admin staff who need to be able to remotely control servers via WiFi while in the office.

Windows Live Search allows you to access Microsoft's Bing service directly from the device without first having to load your web browser:

Facebook is included:

Domain Enroll

The Domain Enrollment feature introduced in Windows Mobile 6.1, allows client devices to connect to a Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager (SCMDM) Server and have Group Policy settings applied to it automatically.
The Domain Enroll feature is accessed within the Comm Manager:

Users are assigned an activation password by the administrator, which needs to be entered on the device along with their full email address:

The device then performs a DNS lookup on the domain entered in the user's email address to locate the external address of the SCMDM Gateway server, for more information on the SCMDM product view the Device Management section of the blog - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/device-management

Music Player

The Music Player application, as its name suggests, allows you to play music files stored both locally and on a storage card, as well as display album art, organise playlists, shuffle songs and adjust equalizer settings:

Email

Microsoft Exchange

As you'd expect from a device running the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, the HD2 can synchronise mailbox data with an Exchange server (provided that it is running Exchange 2003 SP2 or later if you want to make use of the push functionality).
Once Exchange 2010 is released, not only will you be able to synchronise contacts, calendar, email and task information, but SMS text messages too:

enabling you to compose text messages directly from within Outlook Web Access (OWA) or Outlook 2010 on the desktop when it's released, and have them sent from your device remotely:

after which they will be displayed in your Sent Items folder:

Also available is the ability to display email messages by Conversation, grouping messages in a common thread together and applying rules to the whole conversation thread to help keep you organised:

Consumer Email

In addition to advanced Microsoft Exchange functionality, the HD2 naturally supports the ubiquitous POP and IMAP protocols used by consumer email provider services. The HD2 has the ability to configure common accounts quickly and easily, having the settings predefined, requiring only that you enter your email address and password:

Miscellaneous

As the HTC web site states, some design features of HTC HD2 are far better experienced than can be explained in mere words. Like the ringer volume level that immediately scales down when the phone detects that you have picked it up, or the display that automatically adjusts to the light level in your surroundings and turns off to prevent false screen touches during a call.
HTC HD2 is built for pure finger touch control. Zoom in and out of documents, web pages, pictures or emails with just a simple pinch. Type up responses faster and more accurately on the large onscreen keyboard. The capacitive touch experience combined with an interface optimized for the spacious display, lets you easily adjust the settings, set up calendar appointments, browse through photos, and navigate through menus with only the touch of a finger.
HTC HD2 has you covered when it comes to taking and viewing pictures wherever you may be. The 5 megapixel auto-focus camera is perfect for capturing the beauty of the great outdoors; combined with the dual LED flash it's also ideal for capturing images in dim conditions. And when you're ready to move from behind the lens and start sharing your collection, you'll dazzle your audience with the large beautifully displayed pictures in the new river-flow gallery.

The HD2 is available to pre-order today, contact Brightpoint for more information on 0870 849 0225

Introducing the HTC Snap

The Snap (or S521 to give it its model number) is the latest PDA from HTC. Running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard edition (ie Smartphone rather than Pocket PC), the Snap is the successor to the incredibly popular Excalibur (S620) and has a similar form factor, but at only 12mm thick and 61.5mm wide, it is a very sleek device indeed. The rest of the specs are similarly impressive:

Technical Specifications

• Model – S521
• Processor – Qualcomm MSM 7225, 528Mhz
• Memory – ROM: 256MB, RAM: 192MB
• Dimensions – 116.5 x 61.5 x 12.0 mm (LxWxT)
• Weight – 120 grams with battery
• Display – 2.4-inch TFT LCD with LED backlight and QVGA resolution
• Network
  • HSDPA / WCDMA - 900 / 2100 MHz - Up to 7.2Mbps downlink speed
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz - (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent)
• Device control – Trackball with Enter button
• Keyboard – 4-row QWERTY keyboard
• GPS – Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
• Camera – 2.0 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Audio supported formats – AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, AWB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI
• Video supported formats – WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
• Battery
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery:
  • Capacity - 1,500 mAh
  • Talk time - Up to 300 minutes for WCDMA / Up to 510 minutes for GSM
  • Standby time - Up to 480 hours for WCDMA / Up to 380 hours for GSM
    (the above are subject to network and phone usage)
• Expansion slot – microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter – Voltage range / frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60Hz DC output: 5V and 1A

What's in the box?

The Snap comes with the usual accessories you'd expect from HTC:

• Charger
• USB connection cable
• Hands-free kit
• User Guide CD
• ActiveSync / Outlook CD

Getting Started

When powered on the for first time, the Snap automatically, and correctly, detected the network I'm using from the SIM card, in this case a BT Mobile SIM, and prompted me to let it install the required Internet, WAP, SMS and MMS settings itself:

Following a quick reboot my device was then ready to connect to the Internet and send and receive text and picture messages.

Keyboard

I tend to get easily frustrated by smaller PDAs having quite large fingers, but the keyboard on the Snap is very responsive and easy to use for such a small form factor. Continuing the comparison between the Snap and the Excalibur, I'm showing my age a little, but think of the keyboard on the ZX Spectrum 128 as opposed to that of the original Spectrum.
Gone is the Joggr slide key of the Excalibur, which you will either have loved or despised with a passion!
A new feature to the Snap is the Inner Circle button which I will look at in a moment.
While I'm talking about inputs, it is perhaps a shame that the Snap does not have a separate headphone jack - the headset connecting to the single USB port, meaning that the headset cannot be used while the device is being charged, unless you opt for a Bluetooth headset.

Applications

Running Windows Mobile 6.1, the Snap has all the usual Microsoft applications you'd expect, including Office Mobile - viewers for Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint documents:

But it is the HTC-developed applications that make the Snap stand out. Emphasis has clearly been placed on the multimedia capabilities of the device: Within the Programs list is a folder called "Multimedia" containing a number of new applications:

The Album applications allows you to quickly and easily view thumbnails of the image files stored on the device as well as browse the photographs taken with the 2.0 megapixel camera:

From this application images can be set as the default home screen background, can be sent to friends via email or MMS, or can be displayed as a slideshow:

The Audio Manager application allows you to manage the sound files on the device, organising tracks by genre and arranging them into playlists:

GPS

The Snap has an integrated GPS antenna and comes with both Google Maps and QuickGPS preinstalled:

Enabling you to use the device with any compatible satellite navigation application whilst driving as well as any "geo-tagging" application compatible with the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.

Camera

The integrated 2.0 megapixel camera can be used to capture still images or record video footage at up to 352x288 resolution.
The camera application has a number of preset effects you can use to make images look more 'artistic'.
Using online services you can capture an image of a presentation, for example, upload the image and have it converted into a PDF file, which can then be emailed back to the office.

Inner Circle

Inner Circle is a new feature to the Snap that allows you to add specific contacts to your "Inner Circle" and have emails and text messages automatically prioritised from those contacts. The Inner Circle application is launched either from the Programs folder, or directly from the keyboard by pressing the new Inner Circle button in the lower right hand corner:

The application will only work once you have at least one email account successfully configured and will display a list of those contacts that you have received email from:

Select the contacts that you want to be part of your Inner Circle and add them. Email messages from those contacts only will then be displayed:

Selecting the All Email option will return you to the default Inbox view.

Internet Explorer

The HTC Snap boasts the latest version of Internet Explorer Mobile which provides advanced web site rendering, ensuring the complicated web sites are displayed on the mobile device as close to the original as possible.
A 'mobile browsing' view automatically re-sizes text columns and images so that you only need to scroll up and down to view the whole web page rather than also left ro right. The view can be returned to normal at the touch of a button. The view can also be 'zoomed' in and out via the menu.

Summary

The latest offering from HTC makes keeping on top of your 'digital life' literally, a snap! Manage email, text and picture messages quickly and easily, never miss an appointment or lose a telephone number. Using Microsoft Direct Push technology your device can be updated automatically from the corporate Exchange server over the air.
A portable digital camera, video recorder and music player, the Snap is your consumer gadget as well as your essential business tool.
Slim, sleek and competitively-priced, the Snap also won't be making a dent in your pocket.

Contact Brightpoint today for more information - +44 870 849 0225

Introducing the HTC Touch 2

The Touch 2, as its name suggests, is the successor to the hugely popular Touch, and shares its beautifully-crafted ergonomics and form factor. The Touch 2 is also one of the first devices to feature the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, including such new features as the Windows Marketplace and Microsoft's MyPhone service. To quote the HTC web site:

"HTC Touch2 is ready to help you with all the things you want to do on your phone. Stay in touch with your friends, find out what they're up to on Facebook, check your mail, or browse the web. It's all at your fingertips in a compact phone that fits nicely in your hand. Ready to do even more with HTC Touch2? You can add games and applications from the Windows Marketplace to personalize your experience. And you can keep your stuff safe when you back up to Microsoft's My Phone servers without a PC."

Specifications

• Model - T3333
• Platform - Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
• Dimensions - 104 x 55 x 12.9 mm
• Weight - 110 grams
• Network
  • HSDPA / WCDMA (900/2100 MHz)
  • GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Display - 2.8-inch touch screen
• GPS - internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and A2DP
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • HTC ExtUSB
• Camera - 3.2 megapixel camera
• Expansion Slot - microSD card

You can read full specifications on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/uk/product/touch2/specification.html

Getting Started

When powering on the device for the first time, or following a hard reset, the device will automatically configure itself with the correct connection settings for your network provider. Should the unit not be able to determine the specific network operator your SIM card was issued by, you will be prompted to select your provider from a list:

You will then be guided through how to use the on-screen keyboard and be prompted to configure WiFi access should any wireless networks be detected:

Next you will be asked whether or not you want to enable the Google Location service which will use the device's built-in GPS capability to display information on your location online, as well as configure an email account:

I will look at the email configuration process in more detail later.

Finally you will be prompted to visit the Windows Mobile web site to download a copy of either ActiveSync (for versions of Windows prior to Vista) or the Mobile Device Center software (for Vista onwards) as well as a 60-day free trial of Microsoft Outlook:

You're done. When tapping on the Finish button you will be taken to the default Home screen:

The HTC TouchFLO banner running across the bottom of the screen provides quick and easy access to common applications.

The Start Menu has changed in this version of Windows Mobile: rather than being displayed with a drop-down menu, the menu now occupies the whole screen and application icons are arranged in a grid:

Email

As you'd expect from a device running Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, the Touch 2 can synchronise email, contacts, calendar and task information with a Microsoft Exchange Server. HTC's own Mail Setup wizard also has the settings for common email service providers pre-configured, removing the need to enter complicated service settings: all you need is your email address and password:

When setting up a Microsoft Exchange account (or Outlook as it is perhaps confusingly referred to in this iteration of the operating system), you will be prompted to enter your full email address and password. The device will then attempt to determine the rest of the setting to use automatically based on the domain entered in the email address using Microsoft's AutoDiscover technology.

Should the unit now be able to determine the settings, you will be prompted to enter your Active Directory username, password and domain, as well as the address of the Exchange server:

You can then specify which mailbox folders you wish to synchronise:

As this unit is running Windows Mobile 6.5, when Exchange 2010 is released next year, you will then also have the ability to synchronise text message folders between your device, the Exchange server and Outlook on your desktop:

Also available in this version of Windows Mobile is the ability to display email messages in "Conversation View", grouping similar message threads together for ease of tracking:

Which email folders you synchronise can be selected, and you can set and edit your out of office status:

Microsoft MyPhone

The MyPhone service from Microsoft allows you to synchronise your personal data with the cloud, effectively enabling you to securely backup your data to your personal 200MB area of Microsoft's online storage. Data can be backed up automatically on a schedule, or manually as you prefer. Once backed up, your data can be restored to any device of your choosing or accessed directly online via your web browser. Data sources that can be backed up include:

• Contacts
• Calendar
• Tasks
• Text Messages
• Photos
• Videos
• Music
• Documents

The Photos, Videos, Music and Documents options can be applied both to the device's internal storage as well as any inserted memory card.

You will need a Windows Live / Hotmail account in order to use the service. Registration is free.

When running the application for the first time you will be prompted to accept the terms and conditions of the service:

And enter your Windows Live details and check for updates:

Then you can specify your synchronisation schedule preferences and specify which folders you want to sync. Should you already have an Exchange account configured, you will be warned that this information cannot be synced using the MyPhone service:

Once synced, you will be taken to the main screen, which is reminiscent of the ActiveSync application:

Once synced, your preferences can be adjusted at any time by selecting the Options menu:

Once backed up, your data is then also accessible online from any web browser:

Windows MarketPlace

This new feature from Microsoft emulates the other online application repositories deployed by Goole, Apple and RIM, and allows you to search for, browse, download and install additional applications, games and utilities for your device:

Web Browsing

The version of Inter et Explorer Mobile that ships with Windows Mobile 6.5 is based on version 6 of the desktop browser, meaning that you can view web pages 'as they were intended', with full-screen browsing, zoom and side-to-side scrolling. The desktop experience can be turned off if you prefer viewing the mobile version of web pages if they exist.

Opera Mobile is also included if you prefer.

Windows Live

The Windows Live setup wizard allows you to quickly and easily configure your Live/Hotmail email account and MSN Messenger settings:

Once configured, you will be able to access MSN Messenger and your Live email:

Miscellaneous

HTC have also included a new application: MSN Money, which can display real-time stock information:

The device can be used as a USB or Bluetooth modem with your laptop using the Internet Sharing feature:

The built-in FM Radio provides access to available stations, provided that you connect the supplied 3.5mm headphones to act as an aerial:

The Task Manager can be accessed directly from the Today Screen to quickly show a list of all running applications:

Remote Desktop Mobile allows you to connect to a suitable desktop PC running Windows XP or later or server running Server 2003 or later:

NOTE - in order to be able to remotely access hosts then you may first need to have established a VPN connection, but otherwise this feature is ideal for IT admin staff who need to be able to remotely control servers via WiFi while in the office.

A Facebook client is also included:

The RSS Hub provides access to news and entertainment feeds:

A 14-day trial version of ALK Co-Pilot 7 satellite navigation software is also included:

as is a local and online Search widget, Voice Recorder, YouTune client, Google Maps, Media Streaming application and graphic equalizer, not to mention the camera and camcorder features as well as Office Mobile and Adobe Reader applications!

The Touch 2 is available to order today, contact Brightpoint for more information on 0870 849 0225

Introducing the HTC Touch Pro 2

The Touch Pro (or T7373) is HTC's latest addition to its portfolio of enterprise-class business PDAs. Featuring a slide-out 5-row qwerty keyboard, gynormous 3.6-inch WVGA screen and "Straight Talk" technology, enabling you to use the device as a speakerphone simply by turning it upside down during a call, impressive memory capacity and battery performance, this device should be able to satisfy the requirements of even the most demanding power user.

Technical Specifications

• Model - T7373
• Processor - MSM7200A, 528 MHz
• Platform - Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Memory - ROM: 512MB / RAM: 288MB
• Dimensions - 116mm(L) x 59.2mm(W) x 16.65mm(T)
• Weight - 178.5g with battery
• Display
  • 3.6-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480x800 WVGA resolution
  • Adjustable tilt screen
• Network
  • HSPA/WCDMA: 900/1200MHz (Up to 2Mbps uplink and 7.2Mbps downlink speeds)
  • Quand-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/800/1800/1900MHz (band frequency, HSPA availability and data speed are operator dependent)
• Device Control - TouchFLO 3D, Zoom bar
• Keyboard - Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
• GPS - Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack and TV Out in one) HTC TV Out cable needed for TV operation
• Camera
  • Main camera: 3.2 megapixel colour camera with auto focus
  • Second camera: VGA CMOS colour camera
• Audio - AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
• Video - WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
• Battery
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
  • Capacity: 1500mAh
  • Standby time
    • WCDMA: Up to 750 hours
    • GSM: Up to 500 hours
  • Talk time
    • WCDMA: Up to 390 minutes
    • GSM: Up to 510 minutes
  • Video call time
    • Up to 160 minutes

    (The above are subject to network and phone usage)

• Expansion Slot - microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter
  • Voltage range / frequency: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz
  • DC Output: 5V and 1A
• Special Features
  • G Sensor
  • Straight Talk
  • Noice-cancelling dual microphones and speakers

What's in the box?

The Touch Pro comes with the usual accessories:

• Charger
• USB connection cable
• Hands-free kit
• Spare stylus
• Leather carry case
• User manual CD
• Outlook / ActiveSync CD

Getting Started

When powered on for the first time, the HTC Touch Pro 2 prompted me to let it automatically configure itself with Internet, WAP, SMS and MMS settings and then prompted me to confirm the network I'm using:

Following a quick reboot my device was ready for service and able to connect to the Internet.

Interface

The first thing you notice about the Touch Pro 2 is that HTC have added an additional 'skin' over the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 interface layer.
Applications and "widgets" can be accessed quickly and easily on the Today screen itself from the "slidebar" running along the bottom of the screen.
Tapping on the Start button displays a "quick launch" menu of your favourite or most commonly-used applications:

Tapping on the "All Programs" entry displays the full list of available applications, in a single vertical, alphabetically-sorted, list:

The same has been done to the Settings view. Selecting the Settings link will display commonly-accessed options, with the option to return to the default, 3-tab settings view by tapping on the "All Settings" link:

Contacts

The Contacts application has been renamed to "People", and also has a new 'layer'. When launching the application you are displayed with a Favourites screen which allows you to configure a list of up to 12 "most-used" contacts for easy access:

From the Favourites screen, selecting a contact enables you to call either the home, work or mobile number of that contact, or send a message to the contact at the touch of a button. By selecting the call log or messaging icon, all of the calls made to or received from that contact are displayed grouped together, and all messages exchanged with the contact are listed, grouped by conversation for easy reference.

Selecting the "All People" link displays the full contacts list:

When launching the People application for the first time, you are prompted to create your personal contact card, which once created can be sent via SMS by selecting its entry within the People application:

If you have a Facebook account, your profile details can be downloaded automatically and used to populate the contact card.

Push Email

Setting up Server ActiveSync Exchange-based push email on the Touch Pro 2 is a quick and simple process, provided that you know your account details and the Exchange server is using a root-trusted SSL certificate.
Launching the "Mail Setup" option within Settings displays the Add New Email Account wizard:

As the device is running Windows Mobile 6.1, you can add a POP or IMAP email account, or if using Microsoft Exchange 2003 SP2 or later, you can tick the option to create an "Exchange Email" account:

You will need to know your username, password, domain and the external address of the Exchange Server to complete the setup, as per usual.

If you are more comfortable setting up Server ActiveSync within the ActiveSync application itself, the process remains the same.

Straight Talk

The Straight Talk feature of the Touch Pro 2 turns your PDA into a conferencing tool simply by turning the device over during a call. A mute button is provided (below the camera aperture). Thanks to its dual microphones and dual speakers, noise cancelling technology ensures that background sounds are eliminated as much as possible and voices are presented free from distortion.
Conferences can be dialled into quickly and easily directly from calendar entries or pop-up reminder notifications simply by selecting the number in the appointment entry.
It is even possible to initiate a conference from the device itself by dialling contacts in turn and adding them to the conference when they answer the call (network services permitting).

Zoom Bar

The Zoom Bar is located at the base of the screen, above the left and right soft keys, and as its name suggests, can be used within applications that support 'zooming', such as Google Maps, Opera Mobile and the Photo Album.

Office Mobile

The Touch Pro 2 comes preloaded with the mobile versions of Microsoft Excel, Word, OneNote and PowerPoint, enabling you to view, edit and create office documents on the move.

RSS Feeds

The Touch Pro 2 has a built-in RSS feed reader application, allowing you to stay up to date with your favourite sources of news and entertainment (including the Brightpoint GB Tech Blog, obviously!):

Remote Desktop Mobile

Also included in this release is the Microsoft Remote Desktop client for Windows Mobile (or Terminal Services as you may know it by), providing remote access to a Windows-based PC or server that has the remote desktop feature enabled:

Album

The Touch Pro 2 has the same Album application that we saw on the Snap (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/introducing-htc-snap), displaying thumbnail images of your image files and camera photos and enabling you to send pictures via email or MMS at the touch of a button, set up a slideshow or make the selected image your default Today screen background.

JetCet Presenter 5

JetCet is a Powerpoint presenting application, that provides additional features over PowerPoint Mobile, enabling you to preview the next slide and optionally skip it or re-order it if desired on the fly.

I haven't had the opportunity to test the TV Out capabilities of the Touch Pro 2, but when used in conjunction with JetCet, a compatible projector or external monitor could be used to present your magnum opus there and then, without the need to get your laptop out, or copy your presentation onto a USB stick and use someone else's PC.

WorldCard Mobile

The Worldcard application has long been available as a separate, purchasable download, but is now included as standard on the Touch pro 2. This handy utility allows you to use the device's camera to scan a contact's business card and save the information on it to a new contact entry within the Contacts application. It's not always perfect, but it can be quicker to edit the errors than entering all the information manually.

GPS

The Touch Pro 2 has an integrated GPS antenna and comes with both Google Maps and QuickGPS preinstalled:

Enabling you to use the device with any compatible satellite navigation application whilst driving as well as any "geo-tagging" application compatible with the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.

Web browsing

The award-winning Opera Mobile browser is preinstalled on the Touch Pro 2, facilitating mobile web browsing with the incorporation of such features as "tap to zoom", widescreen viewing, automatic text reformatting and password management.

Summary

This post has only been intended to give an overview of the features available in the Touch Pro 2. More information can be found on the Touch Pro 2 Simulator, or on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchpro2/overview.html
Or naturally, you can ring Brightpoint today on +44 870 849 0225