I talk about my 8525 a lot, and there is no end in sight.

I recently recommended this phone to a coworker a few weeks ago and to a friend last week, and both picked it up. My brother is now in the market for a new smartphone, and he has is sights on this one. With more people getting this phone, I thought I should suggest a few applications.

As a general goal, I’ve been searching for applications that will allow me to remain connected to the world while on the bus to and from work. It is a shame that Windows Mobile does not come with more applications to make it more useful out-of-the-box. As it is, you are forced to buy applications that would normally be free on Windows, and the companies that sell them charge far too much for them. I’m happy that companies like Google give away useful programs.

Here is what I have loaded on my 8525 so far:

1. Instant Messaging: I have yet to find an IM application that I am happy with. Agile Messenger is the best of the bunch, but I won’t pay $45 for an IM program. IM+ is a decent runner up, but I didn’t like its interface at all, and it is also not freeware. Someone recommended OctroTalk to me. While it is free, it is also garbage. With only a 10% chance of it actually connecting to my accounts, I quickly realized that I got exactly what I paid for. Finally, AT&T includes an app that looks like IM software, but all it really does is enable you to use SMS to send IMs. I’m sorry, I don’t pay $40/month for an unlimited data plan to be nickel-and-dimed by SMS fees.
2. Personal E-mail: “Pull e-mail” is so 20th century. For this reason, the included Pocket Outlook is useless to me. Besides, all of my e-mail is web-based: Gmail, Yahoo Mail and (ugh) Live Mail. Luckily, each of these services has a mobile version, so I can get to my email easily enough. AT&T offers an app called Xpress Mail, which allegedly simulates push email by pulling messages from a POP3 email account, then uses SMS to alert your phone that new message is ready, which causes the phone to pull the message down. What actually happens is nothing. Well, not nothing; lots of error messages appear on the handheld. Oh, and Gmail Mobile sucks on Windows Mobile.
3. Work E-mail: My company’s IT vendor uses Blackberry Connect and Good Messaging to keep employees connected to the office. Since at&t often refuses to allow 8525 owners to enable the Blackberry Connect service (despite evidence that it is a feature), I installed Good Messaging. This program’s featureset includes: hijacking the phone’s Contacts and Calendar apps, heavy load on internal storage and memory, occasionally stops receiving email (requiring a reinstall to fix), and an uninstall routine that leaves the Contacts and Calendar shortcuts completely broken (requiring you to dive into the registry to fix, or flashing the ROM). If only the vendor would offer Microsoft Direct Push, Windows Mobile’s native push e-mail technology. I’ve moved to aforementioned Xpress Mail, which works with corporate mail, but not with my personal mail. It also allows me to sync my work email with Pocket Outlook, which is a big plus.
4. SSH: I use PocketPuTTY to SSH into *nix servers for work and personal use. It works just as well as PuTTY, and it is free. My only problem with is it that there is no Today Screen plug-in, nor can you list it in the Start menu. You have to go into File Explorer to use it, which is a chore.
5. TV: I got SlingPlayer Mobile for free because of a promotion Sling Media was running at the time, but this program is normally $40. If you have a SlingPlayer and you want to watch live TV anywhere you have a 3G data connection, then this is the program for you.
6. Internet: The included Pocket Internet Explorer is serviceable. I have used Opera Mobile and I thought it is great, but there is no way I will pay for a browser.
7. RSS: The mobile versions of Google Reader and Bloglines are quite good. I ended up going with the former since I prefer the layout of their full and mobile versions over Bloglines’ layout.
8. Maps: I started using the mobile Google Maps, but then I downloaded the mobile Microsoft Live Search. While Google Maps is a fine map app, Live Search absolutely destroys it. Coupled with Live Search’s map is a directory of various services, like resteraunts and movie theaters. After providing your zip code, you can search through their categories. Once you find one you like, it’ll give you the phone number for the place as well. You can also map the location of contacts you have stored in Pocket Outlook. Finally, you can get directions from your current location to the place you searched for, either by providing your address or via GPS (the latter I have not tried yet).
9. Today Screen: SPB Software’s SPB Today Suite makes the Today screen worth looking at. Almost every bit of information I need can be accessed from that one screen now. I’m currently trying out their Mobile Shell application, which promises to change how I interact with the device.

Do you have any suggestions for programs I could use?

Continued from last week.

I followed the instructions provided by URGE support, which led to my MicroPhoto not being recognized by Nad’s PC. The player doesn’t even recognize that a USB cable is plugged into it. I did no investigation on it, I just put it aside and grabbed my Vision:M. I’m still not sure why I chose the inferior MicroPhoto to be the authorized player for URGE.

I logged into my account and deauthorized the MicroPhoto. I then tried to authorize my Vision:M… and failed. I got an error message about how I can only deauthorize one player every 30 days. I didn’t understand what was going on. I said to myself, “I don’t want to deauthorize another player; I just did that. I want to authorize this one.” But the option was greyed out. It seemed clear that I paid the “All Access To Go” price, without the “To Go.”

I quickly fired off a message to support, to which I got this response:

William,

With a single All Access To Go subscription, URGE allows you to sync the same subscription track an unlimited number of times on up to 2 portable music players. (In accordance with the URGE Terms of Service)

It’s not necessary to deauthorize one device in order to authorize another. Simply connect your additional portable music player and sync your URGE music to it.

Sincerely,
Jelyn
URGE Customer Support
www.URGE.com

My reaction was that there is no way in the world it would be that easy. Just plug it in and sync? How would that work? I can’t add the Vision:M to my account as an authorized player because the option is greyed out.

It couldn’t hurt to try, so I did, and it worked. I was stunned. I had expected the fix to be so unbearably painful or that I would not be able to use the Vision:M with the service for the rest of the month. I was pleasantly surprised with this turnout.

Three days. That’s how long I’ve had my URGE subscription. Just a few minutes ago, at the very beginning of a song, my Zen Micro Photo threw the error message “Playback error” and stopped playing music. I have been able to pinpoint the problem to my DRM-ed tracks, since the unprotected ones play just fine. I reset my player, thinking that it would fix the problem (it works with PCs all the time). Started up, rebuilt library, playback error.

When I get home tonight I’ll resync with my library and see what difference it makes, if any. I know that licenses have to be renewed every so often with these subscription services, but three days? Isn’t that a little too soon? A quick Google search brought up others with similar issues, but they used Rhapsody’s service. Since they are both PlayForSure, maybe they are related?

I put in a request with URGE support, but I have no doubt that I will get the standard, “check with your device manufacturer” or “is your firmware up to date?” response.

Update: I got a lengthy response from URGE support describing a step-by-step process for fixing the problem. I’ll give it a shot tonight. If you are interested in seeing the message, read on. Read the rest of this entry »