Fighting obsolescence..... - do you REALLY use a smart phone, and if so, how?
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
Needed to get something from one of my remote servers but couldn't access it from the company PC. My smart phone couldn't access it because of it's size for whatever reason. However, I was able to write a Windows Mobile application to get the data I needed onto my phone and then I blue tooth transferred it to the computer to put it onto a USB dongle to bring it to someone else's computer who was allowed to print.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
I was going to get an android, but was put off that I had to sign up for 2 years and pay $720 in additional charges to get it. I can outright buy am Eris for 180. So I did. Verizon says that I HAVE to have the additional data plan, if I am trying to activate a phone of that type. I said I don't want to use their data plan, I only want to use wi-fi. They say 'take a big bite out of it'. If I want to activate the phone I have to pay $30 extra a month. I'm worried that if I do, my I will also have to pay an additional $10 a month if I transfer my NV3 to my wife - I'm not paying the now required data access charge for it. So, a required $40 a month charge to not use their data plan on two phones. Verizon pisses me off. They make me feel like Christian.
Opacity, the new Transparency.
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I was going to get an android, but was put off that I had to sign up for 2 years and pay $720 in additional charges to get it. I can outright buy am Eris for 180. So I did. Verizon says that I HAVE to have the additional data plan, if I am trying to activate a phone of that type. I said I don't want to use their data plan, I only want to use wi-fi. They say 'take a big bite out of it'. If I want to activate the phone I have to pay $30 extra a month. I'm worried that if I do, my I will also have to pay an additional $10 a month if I transfer my NV3 to my wife - I'm not paying the now required data access charge for it. So, a required $40 a month charge to not use their data plan on two phones. Verizon pisses me off. They make me feel like Christian.
Opacity, the new Transparency.
RichardM1 wrote:
They make me feel like Christian.
Can't have THAT! Join us at Sprint and feel like Pagan. ;P ;P
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
charlieg wrote:
do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful
Read email (probably too much). Take pictures (I have about 600 I need to delete from my phone). Maps (I added this phone holder to my car's air vent and now use my phone as a GPS). Have a browser with me at all times is very nice too. How do you spell JodiJodie Foster? Just need to Google it. Apartment hunting and get a really good deal on an apartment, but it is only offered until the end of the day? Google other apartment prices to see if there's anything comparable. I don't know how I lived without my iPhone for all those years. EDIT: A few more things I find useful. The TODO list (I use that for all my shopping). As a music device (Chris reminded me of that). I also use it to check the weather report (never used to do this before I had an iPhone).
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
I have an iPhone and use it constantly for: - Email (triaging emergency emails, quick replies, and social chat only. Serious email on the desktop) - Taking, swapping and viewing pics. Far, far more than I realised I would - Reading the news (Aussie news, gadget news, weather news, PhysOrg - endless news!) - As an iPod while cycling - For directions while (often) lost via Google maps - For weather reports so I can determine how wet and potentially fried I will get while cycling - Occasionally I use the 'phone' function that I discoverd not long ago. I can talk to other people on my iPhone! Cool.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
I bought what i think is a "smart" phone back in March. It's a nokia 5800 touch screen. It looks cool and I forgot to ask what OS it runs on (Symbian) There's a pretty cool flight sim on it. I use it ocassionally for accessing stuff on the net. It also has a sticky note application that i use for shopping lists and recipes. And the free sat nav is useful every now and then Not sure if this is what you mean by 'USE'ing a smartphone.
Pete
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RichardM1 wrote:
They make me feel like Christian.
Can't have THAT! Join us at Sprint and feel like Pagan. ;P ;P
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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[Theme from Dragnet]
Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]
Trollslayer wrote:
[Theme from Dragnet]
I did spend the evening in the company of Connie Swail....
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
charlieg wrote:
$549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone.
IIRC the 549 price is without a contract, and is intended for people who just want a wifi tablet. The contact price is $300(?); but I expect that it'll be rebated down after doing the early adopter gouge or just because until they get 2.2 out it's stuck on crappy android 1.6.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
I have a smart phone. It's a Blackberry, and it's smart enough to deduct $75 a month from my bank account.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
RichardM1 wrote:
They make me feel like Christian.
Can't have THAT! Join us at Sprint and feel like Pagan. ;P ;P
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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El Corazon wrote:
Join us at Sprint and feel like Pagan.
I don't want a smart phone enough to be a human sacrifice. :omg:
Opacity, the new Transparency.
RichardM1 wrote:
I don't want a smart phone enough to be a human sacrifice.
oh no! we save THAT honor for the AT&T iPhone folks....
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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I have an iPhone and use it constantly for: - Email (triaging emergency emails, quick replies, and social chat only. Serious email on the desktop) - Taking, swapping and viewing pics. Far, far more than I realised I would - Reading the news (Aussie news, gadget news, weather news, PhysOrg - endless news!) - As an iPod while cycling - For directions while (often) lost via Google maps - For weather reports so I can determine how wet and potentially fried I will get while cycling - Occasionally I use the 'phone' function that I discoverd not long ago. I can talk to other people on my iPhone! Cool.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
- Occasionally I use the 'phone' function that I discoverd not long ago. I can talk to other people on my iPhone! Cool.
Amazing isn't it??!!
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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I have a smart phone. It's a Blackberry, and it's smart enough to deduct $75 a month from my bank account.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Trollslayer wrote:
[Theme from Dragnet]
I did spend the evening in the company of Connie Swail....
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
Wait, don't you mean the virgin Connie Swail? Flynn
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
charlieg wrote:
$549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly
I don't think so. Apple iPhones, Motorola Droid 2 & Droid X are all approx $200 with a 2 yr contract.
charlieg wrote:
Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful?
Don't have one yet. I have an iPod Touch for mobile wifi use that keeps me happy for the moment. I'm planning that in 18 months when my daughter & son are out of college, the current 2 year contract on our standard phones ends and my satellite dish contract ends that this great confluence allows me the opportunity to switch my home ISP & TV provider, cancel my landline and upgrade the wife and me to smartphones with data packages for less money. Time will tell.
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
Well, so far, I'm not hearing a very compelling reason to worry about smart phones (unless I want to develop an Android app). After freeing myself from the evil clutches of Verizon, I just don't want to go back to the dark side of ANOTHER monthly bill. Setting aside the statistical blip of Ennis hacking his way past a firewall ;), I like the idea of time tracking, and I guess the maps would be nice. If I needed to monitor remote servers, web access would be a benefit. Everything else seems to be a gimmick to get you into the mode of "just got to have one" come to the dark side. Perhaps it's that most of us sit in front of laptops/monitors all day. I just cannot see the need to read my email that much. Facebook, I mean, social networking sites are out of the question.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
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Wait, don't you mean the virgin Connie Swail? Flynn
Flynn Arrowstarr / Regular Schmoe wrote:
Wait, don't you mean the virgin Connie Swail?
[Theme from Dragnet]
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
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charlieg wrote:
$549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly
I don't think so. Apple iPhones, Motorola Droid 2 & Droid X are all approx $200 with a 2 yr contract.
charlieg wrote:
Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful?
Don't have one yet. I have an iPod Touch for mobile wifi use that keeps me happy for the moment. I'm planning that in 18 months when my daughter & son are out of college, the current 2 year contract on our standard phones ends and my satellite dish contract ends that this great confluence allows me the opportunity to switch my home ISP & TV provider, cancel my landline and upgrade the wife and me to smartphones with data packages for less money. Time will tell.
Mike, I guess my point is that people are willing to give thousands of dollars over a period of time. All for the smart phone, so I'm trying to understand the value. cg
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
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So, I'm talking to a friend who needs to give me some source code... he doesn't want to email it, so I tell him to burn it to a CD. He gives me the :wtf: look, and asks if I have a USB drive. First I laugh, then I start to whimper. I realize I am stuck in a time warp - pre USB drive era. Now, I have 4 of them in my pack, it's not that I don't use them, it's just that I scared myself thinking 10 years ago. So..., I get CP's newsletter and see all of the flashy announcement of the Android app contest. Hmmm, sounds cool. I go out to Dell's site to look at their new Streak. Mind you, I am NOT a smart phone lover. In fact, unless it's a customer, I really don't like cellphones. But perhaps a smart phone would be useful, etc. :omg: $549 for a 5" display and the privilege of a long term contract? I'm guessing the other Android phones are priced accordingly, and I know about the iPhone. Seriously - do any of you techies actually USE your smart phone for something useful? Hell, I remember when the next big data driver for the wireless companies was video. So every phone now has a camera. The magazines I read indicate that laptops are sooo old school, and that the growth area is all in mobile apps on these little machines. So, I'm looking for some practical examples.
Charlie Gilley You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house. "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
I miss plain old PDAs. I don't need a phone. I have one already that makes calls and only costs me an average of $10 per month. Now, if I could get a smartphone with just the data contract, I could handle that, but I refuse to pay iPad prices for an "unlocked" phone. Right now, I have an iPod Touch (it was from my card's rewards program), which is sorta what I'm looking for, but I'd love to have a data plan with it so I can use it everywhere. Right now, it's mostly used for reading (Kindle and Stanza), and music. Sometimes a few games, but nothing major. But, honestly, I'm looking for something closer to this[^] device running either WM6.5, WM7 or Android. Of course, for the price, I could live with the limitations of WM5. :-\ Flynn