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Page 4: Connectivity, Software and Memory
Connectivity
The main facet’s to emphasise here on
are:
1)
Bluetooth
2)
Wi-Fi
3)
IR
4)
3G
5)
USB
Bluetooth
Always a very controversial topic as
there always seems to be a dispute between the use of 2 significant developers:
1)
MS BT stack
2)
Broadcomm
MS BT stack is preferred as it
supports voice dialling over Bluetooth which is mandatory these days especially
for the I-mate line of devices. But the drawback to this stack is that it misses
out on essential profiles like
PAN access
profile
and more
importantly sending/receiving files over Bluetooth.
However, the
BT file transfer problem can be solved by using a 3rd party
application like Resco File Explorer. Regarding PAN access profile, I have
spoken to the technical incharge at I-Mate and they are working with MS to
support the missing profiles.
I don’t know the
reason behind the lack of these 2 profiles, and I don’t think I am going to know
anytime soon.
(Updated Sep 22, 2005)
Broadcomm has a stack of their own
before, but it was rather useless so no one really endorsed their product.
Widcomm on the other hand has a very good stack and provides all the necessary
profiles required these days EXCEPT voice dialling over Bluetooth. So you see
where I am getting at? Broadcomm were down in the crapper until they purchased
Widcomm sometime back and started marketing widcomm’s product as their own.
It really comes down to which profiles
matters more to you, voice dialling support or BT LAN access point support,
there are really slim chances that both of these will be present in the same
stack anytime soon.
Overall my BT experience so far has been
very good. The JASJAR got along very well with my Notebook and my BT GPS like
bread and peanut butter. I can active sync comfortably up to a distance of
around 8-10 metres without losing connection. I can also browse the internet on
my PDA using my notebook internet connection.
Some screenshots showing the working’s
of BT are shown below:
Main
BT window
BT device manager
BT COM port manager
BT security (pass key
authorisation)
Bluetooth Headset
(Updated September 27, 2005)
Bluetooth and MS are two terms that have never really gelled
well together…until now. My first statement itself gives away the suspense
In the past, the experiences that people have had with BT and
PDA-phone’s have been so horrifying that Stephen King is currently working on a
movie called “Tales from the Bluetooth Crypt”!!!
Well, I would like to say that with WM 5.0 and the “new and
improved” (sounds like a soap ad doesn’t it?
) BT stack from MS, everyone can now breathe (and talk) a lot easier. I for one
think that a lot of interest and not to mention care has been taken in
developing the stack. I don’t say it’s perfect but I can definitely say that
it’s almost there. I will list the Pro’s and Con’s of BT at the end of the page,
so those of who don’t want to read my “word puke” below, just skip to the end
To test BT, I have borrowed (begged) a Sonyericsson BT
headset called the HBH-662. Perhaps, the first question one might ask would be,
what made me choose this headset. With the numerous options available in the
market today, choosing the right headset can be just as hard and as frustrating
as buying a birthday gift for your wife/girlfriend. Well, in case of the JJ, it
becomes pretty easy. Why? Well, its pretty simple actually. The JJ doesn’t have
an external screen when in notebook mode which is usually the way the device is
tucked away in the case. So, when a call comes, it might take about 5-7 seconds
(which is not a lot) for you to remove the device from your case, open it up and
see whose calling and then answer the call. Ok so this is the hard way, the easy
way would be to BUY A BT HEADSET WITH CALLER ID. I hope I stressed that well
enough
Ok, so by all the above drama, I meant to say that it is best
to buy a BT headset that supports Caller ID, so that you can identify the caller
through the headset itself without having to do go through the above process. At
present there are only 2 BT headsets in the market that support Caller ID:
1)
Jabra BT800
2)
SonyEricsson HBH-660/662
The only difference between the HBH-660 and the HBH-662 is
that the latter supports BT v1.2 (Hint: JJ also supports BT v1.2
)
A few months back, I had the BT800 whom I lost to a tragic
incident that I have plainly labelled “stupidity”. Let’s not get into that, as
that would involve tissues. Anyways, the BT800 is a very good headset and has
oodles of functions, to name a few:
a)
BT v1.2
b)
DSP (Digital Signal Processing which basically
means background noise cancellation)
c)
Caller ID
d)
Individual ringtones which can be assigned to
contacts (upto 6)
e)
Vibrate function
Come to think of it, its almost like a cellphone itself! Just
jam in a phone-chip and a teeny-weeny number pad and you are good to go! Two
people who I know would really appreciate it would be Mini-Me from Austin Powers
and Jerry (from Tom and Jerry)
Ok, so how does the BT800 hold up with the JJ? Well, I don’t
know cause I did not get a chance to use it with the JJ. Mohd who has been using
it since a while and he will fill us in about it within the next few days.
Update December 7, 2005:
Click here to read the feedback from Mohd and forum members on BT800
performance.
Ok, now lets move on to the SonyEricsson HBH-662. Well, its
not all bells and whistles like the BT800 but it does the job. 3 very important
features to mention about this headset are:
1)
Caller ID
2)
BT v1.2
3)
Extremely ergonomic
Well, it was extremely easy to pair with. All you have to do
is press the “volume” i.e “+” and “-“ button on the device for 5 seconds and it
enters pairing mode. The pairing process from the JJ is the same as any other
PDA. By default, the passkey is “0000”. Once paired, a single press on the
headset button will initiate VOICE COMMAND. Now this realllllly impressed me. I
did not have to manually assign any buttons nor did I have to do any circus
tricks to get it working. It configured everything all by itself. I had already
saved some voice tags for my commonly called contacts so that I could run a test
immediately. So here’s how it goes:
1)
Press the headset button to initiate voice command
2)
You will now hear a loud beep followed by a dull
beep which is the indication for you to now speak
3)
Speak.
4)
It recognises your contact as you had saved a voice
tag and initiates the call.
5)
To end the call, press the same button on the
headset again
6)
Now do the “Victory Dance”!!!
It’s absolutely fantastic. I did not even touch my JJ and
successfully completed a call without having to swear at anybody for screwing
up!
Personally, I hate putting the “bug” (that’s what it looks
like from far) on my ear when I am not in a call. I usually put it in my shirt
or trouser pocket. When a call comes in, I just look at the headset’s caller ID
and see whose calling and decide that I want to take the call because it’s my
girlfriend and reject the call because its my Boss! Well, this is one situation
where the BT800 whips the HBH-662. Since the BT800 has a vibra-alert function,
even if I put the JJ on silent, I can still know that I am getting a call as the
BT800 will start vibrating. This one function is sorely missed on the HBH-662.
There are 2 other headsets from Jabra that support vibra-alert and they are the
BT250v and the BT350, unfortunately the both of them don’t have Caller ID.
Anyways, that’s just for info.
Ok, this is perhaps the MOST important point regarding MS BT
stack and BT headsets. Currently, irrespective of whether or not the calling
party is a contact or not, ONLY THE NUMBER WILL SHOW. The name will not
show up even if you have saved the calling party as a contact. From the
information I have gathered through VERY credible sources, it is not a hardware
issue, but a software thing. MS and I-Mate are actually working together to fix
this problem. I am quite sure that a fix for this should be available pretty
soon. In this regard, at present all I can say is “Beggars cant be chooser’s”
Well, I think I have pretty much covered all the points in
regards to BT headsets. If I am forgetting anything…well “Ok so I forgot”! S*e
me!
Overall, I am extremely happy with the HBH-662. Its light
weight, fits very well on the ear and doesn’t fall over even when I am slapped
hard by a girl for asking her out!!! Trust me, that’s the best test to see how
well it sits on the ear
Initiating and receiving calls are child’s
play…literally! Even a 5 year old kid can become a pro in it like in 5 second!!!
Another thing that is perhaps important is the “Range”. Well,
I just want to say that I am DARN HAPPY! I know I seem too positive but I am
just telling it like it is! I can comfortably be 10 metre away (without
obstacles) and talk clearly without even a single crackle! Infact, just to push
the limits, I left the JJ in my room, went to the next room and initiated a call
through Voice Command and JJ actually picked it up!!! Only thing was that there
was about 30% crackling because of the wall in between. But, without any
obstacles, its just plain superb. People on the other end won’t even realise you
are on a headset!
Battery life is perhaps one more concern on everyone’s mind.
Just to put it to a heavyyyyy test. At the end of the day after making plenty of
phone calls, I noticed that I actually had more battery left than compared to
without headset!!! Makes me sound stupid, doesn’t it? Well, its pretty simple
actually. Without the headset, I would have to open the flip and use the keypad
to make a call which would involve turning on the “brightly” lit VGA screen.
Imagine how much juice that would suck for every single call made!!! Pretty
logical huh? That’s why I had mentioned that using BT headset actually saves
battery life rather than draining it like soda in a desert!
Too many exclamation’s, I know, but every one of them is
warranted
Well, just going to list the Pro’s and Con’s for those who
avoided my “word puke”
Pro’s
1)
Voice command
2)
Superb Clarity and very good range.
3)
INCREASE in JJ battery life
Con’s
1)
Lack of contact identification by “name” (only
number shows)
2)
Lack of vibra-alert (with the HBH-662)
If you have any
questions regarding this, please feel free to ask in the forums
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi on the JASJAR is absolutely
brilliant. It supports 802.11b and not g. it picks up hotspots extremely quickly
and the range is much much much better than the PDA2K.
It can be conveniently managed through
the Wireless Manager as evident below:
Continuous Wi-Fi use can drain the
battery down to 10% within 3 hours which is still not bad considering the fact
that the PDA2k also had around the same runtime.
There is also support for 64, 128bit WEP
standard data encryption, which makes it a big plus for the corporate and
business users.
Infra-Red
The only significant thing to mention
here is that it supports Consumer IR which means that it can now be used to
control your electronics such as TV’s and Home Theatre systems etc.
3G
Supports only 2100Mhz UMTS band which
means that is not usable in the States and other countries where this band is
not available. You can set the device to switch manually between these bands
depending on coverage or you can set it on “auto” to do it by itself.
We will further test 3G and report the results at a later time and this review
will be updated accordingly.
USB
The I-mate line finally has a device
that supports USB. This has been one of the fore-runners on the most-wanted list
for a long time.
I suppose all the
bickering, hate mails and dognapping threaten calls finally served their
purpose.
Although it is Mini-USB, it supports USB 2.0 speeds which
ensures fast transfer rates. The supplied USB cable can synchronise and charge
the device at the same time. The provided AC/DC charger also uses the USB port
for charging purpose.
A slightly controversial topic as of now
is regarding the ability of this Mini-USB to be used as a host. Clarifications
regarding this will be posted as and when we get more information.
Software
OS
