A Linux User’s Nokia Lumia 920 Review – Part 2: Using Dropbox With Windows Phone 8

I don’t use cloud file storage services much, but I do use Dropbox for online note taking on all the platforms (Linux, Android, Symbian) I use. The notes are just plain text files containing things I want to remember and have available everywhere like; family member’s clothing sizes for gift shopping, GSM hash codes, frequent flier numbers, train schedules, tech tips, etc. I create and update the notes with a text editor; gedit on Linux, redak on Symbian and Text Edit or the built … Continue reading

FBReader Now Available For Symbian and Harmattan

My favorite eBook reader is now available for Symbian 5th Ed. and later and MeeGo/Harmattan.  It’s FBReader, which I started using around 2005 on a Sharp Zaurus Linux PDA.  FBReader is open source software that runs on just about every Linux based portable platform including Android and Maemo as well as on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows PCs. The Symbian and MeeGo/Harmattan versions are labeled as Betas with the disclaimer that aren’t production quality. A  production release for both … Continue reading

KeePass, a FOSS Password Manager With Great Multiplatform (PC and Mobile) Support

The focus of this site is on mobile web apps so I rarely cover native apps. However I prefer using a native app for password management.  I want my passwords available instantly and everywhere regardless of whether I have a wireless signal or not.  I also need a password management solution that works on all my devices using the same encrpted password database.  I use Windows and Linux PCs as well as Android andSymbian smartphones and basic feature phones with Java … Continue reading

How to Download Bada Apps in the US

I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring the Samsung Wave Bada phone that I got at the Bada Devloper Day last week. I continue to be impressed with many aspects of the phone, especially the gorgeous Super AMOLED screen and great build quality. Except for the plastic end caps, the phone is all metal, including the battery cover. Plus it’s stable (no crashes yet), the UI is snappy and the battery lasts a couple of days on standby. There … Continue reading

The Best Free Mobile Java Game and App Sites

This post, which was originally published in October 2007, is consistently one of the most popular on WapReview and as such gets updated periodically to remove sites that are no longer working  and to include the best new ones. Last Update: 31-Dec-2011 Mobile pundits are starting to talk about the death of  Java ME.  Oracle, which owns the Java brand, isn’t doing much to reassure developers of mobile Java’s viability. But Java ME is still the biggest mobile app platform … Continue reading

Swype Opens Android Beta To All

If you haven’t tried Swype yet and have an Android phone with an HVGA (480h x 320w), WVGA (800h x 480w) or WVGA854(854h x 480w) screen hurry over to beta.swype.com and signup. Swype will be accepting new Beta testers for “…a few days” at most. I was able to get into the first Swype Beta and have been using Swype for several months on an HTC Evo and an HTC MyTouch 3G (Sapphire) and thoroughly recommend it. Swype is a … Continue reading

Picking The AppCircus Finalists

I just finished  my stint  helping select the 10 finalists for the AppCircus that will be held at the Mobile 2.0 Europe Developers Conference in Barcelona June 17th. The AppCircus is a traveling showcase of new, innovative mobile applications that are presented in front of a live audience with the winners chosen by popular vote. My role was that of one of  32 mobile developers, bloggers and analysts who picked and ranked their favorite 10 apps from 29 contenders. The … Continue reading

Mobile Industry Incompetence Keeps A Two Year Old Post Relevant

A post I wrote over two years ago about configuring GPRS settings for Java apps, “Solving Opera Mini Connection Problems” has consistently been the most viewed and most commented on WapReview.  I consider its popularity an indictment of what a bad job the industry, particularly mobile operators and handset makers have done in making it easy for users to setup data and run applications on their phones. In looking it over I noticed some broken links and references to ancient … Continue reading