Panoramic Software updates Calc Pro and Converter Pro

Panoramic Software Inc. has updated Panoramic Calc Pro to version 3.4.0 ... this is a big update from 3.3.0:

New Icon

Added Tax+/Tax- buttons to standard calculator

Added Flow Rate to Unit Converter

Added Feet of Water and Inches of Water to Pressure Conversions

Added Tangents to graph screen

Added message box response when saving constants

Added email menu icon to View Tape

Added additional flag images for new currencies

Improved stability

Improved performance

Improved calculator accuracy

Fixed %T button when using RPN

Updated labels in several worksheets

Improved constants calculator button labels

Mortgage worksheet properly loads in payment terms

Worksheet regression calculation bugs fixed

TVM worksheet properly loads settings

Conversion buffer setting is properly loaded in options

Flags update when switching currencies

You'll definitely want to update if you're still running an older version.

Converter Pro was also updated to 3.6.0 which has equivalent updates to Calc Pro 3.4.0.

If you're looking to purchase these applications for your Windows Phone 7 device you can find them on the marketplace, in Zune or linked directly from the Panoramic website:

http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileproducts.php

Proud owner of a Samsung Focus

And clearly I like it as it's kept away from my blog.

For those that are curious I bought the Samsung Focus in mid December from the Best Buy in Vancouver, Canada. I'm sure supply is no longer an issue and it should be quite easy to buy them on or off contract North of the boarder.

It seems that its not as easy in the US; Microsoft is addressing that issue by working with Zones.com to provide carrier locked but off contract Windows Phone 7 handsets. It's worth checking out if you're looking for a phone with no strings attached. Be prepared to pay between $500 and $700 depending on the model.


Back on topic - I wanted to write a few quick notes on my impressions of the Samsung Focus after using it for 2 months.

Its a great phone and I wouldn't trade it for anything currently available but there's still a little room for improvement.

What I like:

Amazing, bright 4" OLED screen

VERY responsive touch

VERY thin

VERY light

Ability to add additional storage via micro-SD

It runs my Windows Phone 7 applications

In a sea of smart phones you can still show this one off

What I don't like:

16 bit display - meaning you will see color banding on occasion but its not a big issue

Plastic shell - mine has collected a few chips already. Not even close to the durability of an iPhone or even my old Palm Treo Pro

Physical buttons are to sensitive. You only have to swipe over them to activate but because they're close to the screen they're often accidentally hit

Adding a micro-SD card requires a hard reset


Overall its a great phone and its probably the best Windows Phone 7 device currently available in North America. The Samsung Omnia 7 is nearly an identical phone but I've been told its more durable but unfortunately its only officially available in Europe.


And if you're looking for software head over to www.PanoramicSoft.com. I've fallen behind on reporting releases so here's the catch up - Calc Pro, Converter Pro, Scientific Calc, Guitar Suite, FreeCell, Blackjack and Ultimate Sudoku are all available now and moTweets should be for sale before the end of the week.

The Samsung Focus is finally available in Vancouver, Canada

I just stopped by my local Futureshop and discovered they finally have the Samsung focus in stock. They received one (1). And they wouldn't sell it to me "off contract" but if you're looking to become a new Rogers Wirelss customer you're in luck.

However I did discover that the BestBuy website is now showing them as in stock at the Cambie store - so it looks like the wait is finally over.

Now the question is - is it worth waiting until boxing day to see if they'll offer any discounts? FYI - the Focus retails for $499 US so we're definitely over paying north of the border.

Strangely, the HTC Surround is actually $50 less in Canada. This might be the one and only time I wish I was a Telus customer.

Continuing the search for a Windows Phone 7 device

After reading several reviews and first impressions of the retail Windows Phone 7 handsets I decided that I wanted to get my hands of a couple of the devices before shelling out $500 for a new phone.

Yesterday (being the last day of December) I decided to check in again with Future Shop, Best Buy and a Rogers Wireless retail store to see if anyone had any stock of the Samsung focus in Vancouver - still nothing. I did notice that Futureshop is now selling the LG Quantum with a slide out keyboard for Bell customers. Its a start but it still doesn't help me.

Today I took a trip down to Redmond to see if could get my hands on a phone south of the border. The Microsoft retail store in Bellevue Square is currently selling 5 phones for various carriers - and all of them are turned on and setup for display.


Samsung Focus: Thin, light and responsive. The color accuracy and brightness seems a little off but that could have been from the overly bright lights in the MS Store

LG Quantum: Looks like a good device but I'd like a larger screen and I'd prefer a thinner phone without a slide out keyboard. The display and responsiveness seemed good.

HTC Surround: I've used one of these devices before and its good (although a little thick) but I do notice just a bit of ghosting when scrolling through menus.

HTC HD7: A beautiful and thin device but substantially heavier than the Focus (its closest competitor feature-wise). I also has VERY vi sable ghosting on scrolling text, so much that I wouldn't buy the device which is unfortunate because it was my favorite of the phones on paper.

Dell Venue Pro: Another good phone but the weight and thickness make it uninteresting and I personally don't like the bottom slide out keyboard. The keys are smaller than the onscreen keyboard so I don't see the need for it.


After deciding that the phone I wanted to buy was the Samsung Focus I quickly discovered that the Microsoft store doesn't sell any phones unlocked nor will they provide any assistance with unlocking the phone. I was told that if I used AT&T service for 3 months they would then provide an unlock code.

I walked over to the AT&T retail store to see if I could get a different answer and they claimed complete ignorance and simply stated they don't sell unlocked phones.


It also looks like expansys.ca is no longer selling the Samsung Focus so I think my next step is to try ordering one online from Rogers.com for the inflated price of $599.99 Canadian ...

Panoramic Software Windows Phone 7 Applications

Panoramic Software Inc has released several products for the new Microsoft Windows Phone 7.

All the software is fully translated English, French, German, Italian and Spanish (all of the languages the wp7 marketplace currently supports).


Rather than list off all of the features your best bet is to go to the website (or take a look on the Zune Marketplace):
http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileproducts.php


The currently released and certified applications so far are:

Calc Pro
Guitar Suite
Ultimate Sudoku
Converter Pro
Scientific Calc


FreeCell and Blackjack are also very close to being ready and there's more coming for Windows Phone 7 before the end of the year.

Windows Phone 7 Development

I just wanted to write a quick post to let any readers know that I haven't stopped updating my blog. I'm currently in the process of learning Silverlight and trying to master C# to prepare for Windows Phone 7 development.

If you read this blog for Windows Mobile software updates, check back soon as there are updates for Panoramic Calc Pro, Guitar Suite, and Ultimate Sudoku in the works.

And for any developers out there, the transition from C++ to C# isn't quite as simple as you may be lead to believe but C# is a great programming lanugage and it will reduce your development time.

Cheers

Updating Windows Mobile

Having your phone look "cool" is really half of the enjoyment of owning a smartphone. If you read my blog at all its obvious that my current phone of choice is a Palm Treo Pro which I think is still quite a good looking device.

However the operating system on it has been looking dated for quite some time. If you own a Treo Pro or another HTC made Windows Mobile phone you could always head over to XDA developers and install a "cooked" version 6.5 ROM but its risky and I'm sure violates at least once of your license agreements. Besides, Windows Mobile 6.1 works great and now I can dress it up a bit.

1st - Panoramic Launch Pad 1.6 (currently beta)
Its receiving a major visual update along with some usability improvements and the option to add contacts to favorites. The retail version should be released very soon but the beta is fast and stable.
http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileapps/launchpad/LaunchPad.php

2nd - iSS Battery Monitor
It was recently updated to version 1.5 and includes a few new features but most importantly it has 5 new skins including that great blue color.
http://www.implicitsoftware.com/mobile_battery.html

3rd - Pocket Digital Clock
Another gem in the world of free Windows Mobile applications that a colleague of mine came across. Its pretty, its customizable (color, size, display, etc) and it works great: I love it.
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-pocket-digital-clock.html

4th - iSS Task Switcher
Its also been updated to version 1.5 which includes visual enhancements but the new colors really make the application more appealing and allows it to match most color schemes on your phone.
http://www.implicitsoftware.com/mobile_taskswitch.html

Background:
The background is from http://www.digitalblasphemy.com, definitely go check it out if you haven't done so already. They have a great free section which is where this image is from and you can subscribe to access the paid section. I've been using the backgrounds for years, fantastic work. I used Paint.net on my desktop PC to crop and re size the background image.

Worth Mentioning:
I also have Fizz Traveler and customized version of Calendar+ and Live Search installed on the today screen. And I use Illium Software Screen Capture to create the screen shots.


For just over $10 you can give the same visual treatment to any touchscreen Windows Mobile device (5.0 or newer).

Panoramic Phone Genius updated to 1.8.6

Panoramic Phone Genius has had a number of updates in the past few weeks and with every version its getting better.

Version 1.8.6 should be released later today, if you haven't updated Phone Genius for a while you'll want the new version.

Panoramic has been working hard to improve the software from top to bottom, there have been many recent changes that improve speed and reduce memory usage. If you've had any problems in the past you owe it to yourself to get the latest version.

And the big news, as of 1.8.5, it now fully supports regional calling codes for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. More countries coming soon.

Grab it here:
http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileapps/phonegenius/PhoneGenius.php

Panoramic Phone Genius and Contacts Genius updated to v 1.6.0

Both of these titles from Panoramic Software have been updated to version 1.6.0

Several minor bug fixes were made to Contacts Genius (which is included in Phone Genius). The big fix is the ability to display contacts without names that only have a business name defined.

A "Bounce" effect has also been added to the scrolling menus and lists.

Go to www.panoramicsoft.com for more information

Panoramic Phone Genius updated to 1.5.1 and gets a new low price

Panoramic Phone Genius has been updated to version 1.5.1 and this is the version to get. Almost all aspects of the software have been reviewed and tweaked and as a result, the new version is even more responsive and very stable.

But the big news is the 20% price drop. As well, Panoramic Contacts Genius and Area Code Genius are both going on sale.

Head to www.panoramicsoft.com for more information.

Panoramic Phone Genius updated to 1.3.0

Panoramic Software is constantly improving Phone Genius.

Some of the latest features include:

• adding custom pictures to contacts from your phone
• taking pictures of contacts using the built in camera
• easily adding ring tones from the contact details screen
• expanded contact details including birthdays and addresses

And we've got some new, exciting features coming soon.

You can get the latest version of Panoramic Phone Genius for your Windows Mobile Professional Phone here:

http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileapps/phonegenius/PhoneGenius.php

Panoramic Software releases Phone Genius for Windows Mobile

Another release from Panoramic Software Inc.

Phone Genius is now available for Windows Mobile Professional (5, 6, 6.1 & 6.5).

Simply put - Phone Genius is designed to make your Windows Mobile device a better phone.

It has a lot of depth and a lot of features so I'm just going to list off my favorites:

• automatic area code look up for incoming and outgoing calls so you know their location and local time
• smart profiles that will prevent your phone from ringing during busy appointments or specific times of day
• smart rules that will allow priority contacts to always reach you
• block lists! block unwanted numbers, contacts or area codes (no more 1-800 calls)
• great looking interface for finger friendly browsing of contacts, sms, missed calls, etc
• favorites screen that shows pictures of your favorite contacts (and again, finger pressable)

This application has been in development for over a year and we're quite proud of the finished product. We're also happy to say that in our testing it beats the competition both in performance and features.

Grab it here:

http://www.panoramicsoft.com/mobileapps/phonegenius/PhoneGenius.php

Wireless Gaming (www.wireless-gaming.com)

I'd like to introduce you to a relatively new online sales website for wireless games.

Specifically - for Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian Series 60 (Nokia Smartphones), UIQ (most Sony-Ericsson phones), and Blackberry. iPhone games should be added soon.

This is a site I helped develop, I'll admit that up front, but I do think it’s an excellent website and has quite a few advantages over the competition.

So first off, you can take a look here: http://www.wireless-gaming.com/

Wireless-Gaming has been designed to be easy to use, both for shopping and browsing.
We put this site together because we felt it was just too hard to find the top games on other online websites. There are amazing quality games getting very little attention in the mobile market because they're not associated with a great brand. And there are some that are associated with a big name that still fall through the cracks.

All of the titles on Wireless Gaming have been hand selected for quality and of course fun. Take a look, the site's interface, is, for lack of a better term: really cool. And of course its VeriSign secured so you don't have worry about your personal information being miss-used.

The entire site was just completely updated so even if you have browsed the site before, it’s worth looking again. And please feel free to post any comments or questions here.