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smartWatchM hooks Sony Ericsson watches up with WinMo, adds features
Who says you need a Sony Ericsson phone for a Sony Ericsson watch to function correctly? Well, Sony Ericsson does, but xda-developers is taking a slightly different tune. Member moneytoo over on the Windows Mobile hacking haven has fashioned "smartWatchM," an app that not only gets the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth wristwatch of your choice up and running on Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices, but -- get this -- actually manages to make it more functional than it is on Sony Ericsson's own phones. Besides the usual caller ID, SMS, MMS, and out of range notifications, smartWatchM adds weather, your task list, operator, profile, and phone battery / signal strength, among other things. Now before you get all worked into a lather about this, Sony Ericsson, bear in mind that this app is only going to sell more of your fricking watches, okay?[Thanks, maflow]
Windows Mobile 6 promised for Apache owners on Friday
Although frankly the benefits they'll see are marginal -- especially if they've already upgraded their handsets to AKU 3 -- many Sprint PPC-6700 / Verizon XV6700 devotees will nevertheless be delighted to learn that xda-developers forum member helmi_c is promising an Apache-compatible build of Windows Mobile 6 to be released this Friday, and he's got the screenshots that claim to prove it. As tipster Joey put it, "many of us [6700] owners have been kinda left out in the cold with no WM6 love for the 6700," but where manufacturers and carriers fail to act, you can usually count on the tireless community over at xda-developers to provide a solution -- and from the looks of things, helmi_c's build even trumps the standard upgrade by cooking the HTC Touch interface right in. Good stuff if it does indeed pan out, so we'll keep you posted.Update: Helmi_c wrote in to let us know that he is actually based out of the ppcgeeks community, and the links in this post were quickly adjusted accordingly. Because seriously, would you want to step in between factions of highly motivated geeks and developers? No thanks.[Thanks, Joey S.]
Xda-Developers to pull all ROM images next week
Microsoft has asked that the revered Xda-Developers site take down all Windows Mobile device ROM images. Sadly, it was inevitable that this day would eventually come. For those not in the know, the Xda-Developer forums are the uncrowned king or top shelf contender for any and all help, tips, tools or hacks for just about anything in the Windows Mobile world. In the past, Microsoft has asked to have images that were pre-release removed and the moderators always obliged, this time it would appear that it is for keeps. In conversation with Microsoft they argued that although the ROM images contain Microsoft software, having them available to the community doesn't necessarily hurt Microsoft's interests as their revenue stream ends with the purchase of the device proper. We will leave the legal debate to the lawyers, but the site is going to comply with the request. If you are into all that Windows Mobile tweaking and cooking – we suggest you get there posthaste and greedy as much stuff as you can before it is gone for good. Administrator Peter Poelman puts it rather succinctly at the end of the announcement he posted this morning: "The vendor giveth, and the vendor taketh away." Oh yeah, happy Valentine's day.
Pioneer's DEH-P810 Bluetooth-equipped car stereo
If we had a car, we'd be all over Pioneer's new DEH-P810 Bluetooth-enabled head unit, which allows you to stream audio from your BT-enabled musicphone or the odd BT-sporting MP3 player directly to your sound system. This will be an especially attractive model to Windows Mobile 5.0 device owners, who have recently been able to cut the headphone cord thanks to the folks over at xda-developers, but still need a cassette adapter or FM transmitter dongle for listening in their cars. Little else is known about the specs on this unit, but the "phone" button would indicate that it can also route calls through your speakers, so it may include an embedded mic as well. We saw the DEH-P810 online for about $660, but the price was in yen, so we're pretty sure you're gonna need to import for now.
A2DP finally available on WinMo 5.0 AKU2
Hallelujah! After what has seemed like an endless wait, coupled with a crushing letdown by Microsoft, Windows Mobile 5.0 users who've upgraded to the AKU2 firmware can finally listen to stereo audio in glorious, wireless freedom. Users of numerous WM5 devices over at the xda-developers are reporting success with a series of files and registry hacks, posted by sas90850 and assembled into a handy CAB by Khuanchai, which enable the A2DP Bluetooth profile that was so conspicuously absent on the current round of AKU2 updates. Khuanchai's file can be found by following the "Read" link, and before you freak out, you need to register as a forum member before you're able to even see the download. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to hit the local electronics store and pick up a pair of BT 'phones, pronto.[Via Smartphone Thoughts and the::unwired]
