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T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 20th 2009 @ 6:24AM

That Microsoft / T-Mobile tag team has been doing a pretty decent job of cleaning up the disaster area left by the Sidekick data loss, and now the first item on the recovery menu is ready for collection. Sidekick users can hit up the My T-Mobile webpage to download their contacts and then restore them either to their Sidekick or whatever device they've replaced it with. Extensive how-to instructions are available at the read link, which also furnishes us with the reassurance that "Microsoft/Danger continues its efforts to recover pictures, calendar entries and to-do lists, which may be available in the future."

[Thanks, Abe G.]

Palm Pre User Guide: the highlights, so far

by Laura June posted May 28th 2009 @ 8:31AM

When word that Sprint Gurus had gotten hold of the Palm Pre User Guide came across our desks yesterday, we couldn't wait to get our eyes all over it... and then we saw that it was almost as long as Infinite Jest. Okay, we kid, it's not as bad as all that -- just 344 pages of heretofore unseen glorious tidbits. So here's what we've culled thus far: first, the Pre's main musical squeeze, Amazon MP3, will queue your music downloads when on the 3G network for later download when the device is on a WiFi network -- which is sure to cause annoyance and dismay the whole world over (and by "world" we mean the Pre's world, which is the US only). There is however, plenty of good news: the Pre will, in fact have IMAP IDLE (AKA Push) Gmail capabilities, meaning that you'll get your spam nearly the moment it hits Gmail's servers. Finally, the previously spied Reminder field in the Pre's Contacts has been found out, and it's a really awesome feature allowing you to make a note and attach it to a particular contact, so that the next time you are in contact with that person, the reminder will pop up and... remind you. For anyone suffering mild memory loss (like us) little touches like this are sure to make the Pre a more attractive proposition. Hit the read link for the full manual, and let us know what you find. Warning: the user's manual is a PDF, and has an insanely huge Sprint Gurus watermark across every blasted page.

[Via Pre Central, My Pre]

Verizon bridging address books across mobile, landline, and FiOS

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 23rd 2009 @ 11:54PM

There's surprisingly little synchronicity amongst Verizon's diverse service offerings, of which Verizon Wireless is just a part -- you've also got landline telephones, internet, and television in the mix. The Hub is a small step toward bridging those services (though ironically, the device is offered solely through Wireless, not the landline division), and another step is coming courtesy of FusionOne, which is partnering with Big Red to deliver unified contact synchronization across all of Verizon's services later this year. With cloud services more real than ever before and heavyweights like Google clearly looking to be at the forefront, Verizon's effort seems almost quaint in comparison -- but for folks who subscribe to a number of the company's services and want a dead-simple contact management solution without having to venture outside the Verizon ecosystem, this just might be the answer. FusionOne has previously partnered with Verizon Wireless to deliver Backup Assistant, so the new service really seems like it'll be little more than an extension of that; alas, no word on pricing or availability yet.

Google Sync debuts for iPhone, Windows Mobile and SyncML devices

by Paul Miller posted Feb 9th 2009 @ 12:59PM

Google just announced a new service for pushing Gmail contacts and Google Calendar updates to mobile devices. For iPhone and Windows Mobile devices Google is using Exchange ActiveSync with some limitations due to the beta nature of the service, but it'll also work on many other devices that support SyncML (a vendor list is here). Google Sync works automatically, and replaces all existing contact and calendar information on the device, so sync-er beware -- we wouldn't let Google get close to our contacts without some serious preflight cleanup and maintenance. Google Apps users can enable the service per domain. There's an explanatory video after the break.

Continue reading Google Sync debuts for iPhone, Windows Mobile and SyncML devices

Nokia Chat bows out as Contacts on Ovi steps in

by Darren Murph posted Jan 24th 2009 @ 2:28PM

Nah, there was no inauguration ceremony for the departure of Nokia Chat and the swearing in of Contacts on Ovi, but there was a blog post penned by a Beta Labs staff member. For those totally into Nokia Chat, you may have noticed a dearth of updates over the past few months. Needless to say, that time was being spent honing the future release of Contacts for Ovi, a natural replacement and one that's fully compatible with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 / Series 40 handsets. Backwards compatibility with existing Nokia Chat clients was included, and you're being summoned by Nokia to give this app a shot and report back with your opinions. So, you down or what?

Sprint discontinuing Voice Command on July 1st

by Darren Murph posted Apr 27th 2008 @ 8:01AM

Sprint's not going out of its way to make a big fuss about it, but its long-standing Voice Command service will soon be no more. The service, which allowed Sprint-Nextel phones to dial two buttons and then give voice commands to place calls, will be discontinued on July 1st, 2008, meaning that all your server-based contacts will soon be inaccessible. Aside from removing the VC fee from your monthly bill, Sprint's advising users to download and print their contact lists, and better still, it's encouraging users to rely on handset-based voice-activated dialing (or pick up a new phone if their current one can't pass muster). So long, Voice Command -- we can't imagine too many folks actually missing you.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Contact search in iPhone firmware 2.0?

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 11th 2008 @ 6:01AM

It doesn't matter what Apple says, a touchable strip of letters isn't the civilized way to navigate through a few hundred (maybe even a few thousand, if you're a salesman or a renowned socialite) contacts on your phone. Seems they've realized the error of their ways, too, with a number of eagle-eyed folks noticing that the firmware 2.0-equipped model in Apple's SDK presentation sported a Spotlight-esque magnifying glass icon above the strip in the contact list. So go ahead and enjoy just a few more short months of finding your peeps the hard way, knowing that by mid-year, you can look forward to name searchin' nirvana. Score.

[Thanks, Mark]

T-Mobile launches T-Mobile Address Book

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 13th 2007 @ 4:51PM

One of the many, many perils of cellphone ownership lies locked in the handset's memory: data loss. Nothing ruins an otherwise pleasant day worse than sending that Samsung t629 for a dunk in the pool (at least, that's your story on the insurance report, though we all really know you dropped it in the loo) -- or, even more catastrophically, running it over with a 5,000-pound SUV. Of course, the loss of the phone itself sucks enough, but the real challenge is resurrecting those contacts. T-Mobile's bringing a solid solution to the table with wireless synchronization of contact lists to its server, a la Sidekick. The service is initially launching with the aforementioned t629, along with Nokia's 6600 (how's that for an S60 throwback?) and 3220. Finally we're able to flush our phones down the toilet with wild abandon.

[Thanks, The Fish]

Verizon Wireless customers to get automatic contact list updates

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2006 @ 1:59PM

There's nothing like keying 300+ contacts to your cellphone, only to have something catastrophic happen and lose them all. Sure, providers offer certain forms of backup, but a new service from Plaxo will make all your worries over losing that oh-so-precious contact list disappear. The firm is hooking up with Verizon Wireless (with Alltel and US Cellular to follow suit) to offer automatic list updates from "commonly used e-mail systems" (such as Outlook, Yahoo Mail, OS X Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc.) wirelessly via its Plaxo Mobile Plus system. Customers will still have to choose which names receive the honor of being placed in their always-available contact roster, but the service "eliminates the need for manual reentry or copying directly from a computer." While specifics weren't given, this convenience is slated to work with "30 Verizon Wireless handsets" initially, and run customers $4.49 per month, which seems like a lot to ask unless you're notorious for destroying phones.

[Via DigitalTrends]