Just a reminder folks, the SBSH Eten Blog promotion is still ongoing where you can for yourself a one of kind SBSH cocktail shaker. There are only 50 of this in the whole world so it’s definitely limited edition and something you want to keep. To take part in such a great contest is really easy and I have 2 shakers to give away. A gentle reminder that comments will close on March 19th 2008 so you have to leave your comments before that if you want to win.

For those wondering what’s in store, here is the prize:

A beauty ain’t it? So what are you waiting for? Head over here to find out how to take part and win one of these for yourself

Tags: Prize Giveaway

Did you do a ROM upgrade with a cooked ROM recently and it bricked your device? That usually happens when you flash your device with a ROM that was not meant for your device. Scenarios include flashing your Glofiish X500 with a Glofiish X500+ ROM or even a Glofiish M800 ROM. When this happens, your device is bricked (or some call it semi-bricked) because you can’t seem to do anything with it. It’s nothing more than a brick. Even flashing with the right ROM the next time around will produce an error: Os Image is NOT compatible with this hardware. So what do you do?

Until recently, you could not do anything except to send it back to Eten for repairs. And since you are not suppose to be uploading cooked (unofficial) ROMs to your device, your warranty is void and you would need to pay for the repair. That’s the good case scenario. In a worst case scenario, they’d refuse to repair your device and you are stuck with it. Well that was in the past, things are different now.

Preparation

Now you can repair your device on your own if this does happen to you. But first, you will need to download and install a Hex Editor. There are some free versions out there and in this example, I am using the freeware Hex Editor XVI32. If you do not know your way around, I would recommend that you download that program but if you know your way around, any application works fine.

The other thing that you need to prepare is the ROM that you are going to use to fix your device. You will need the temp.dat file. Usually when you download a cooked ROM, you will see a similar file but called temp.bin. Just rename it to temp.dat and use that instead.

If you prefer to use an official ROM, then follow the steps in Flashing Your ROM From SD Card up to step 3.

Step by Step

Now that you have prepared the things you need, it’s time to get fixing. Feel free to click on any of the screenshots below to get a larger picture.

1. Launch your hex editor. This is my startup screen.

2. Click on File > Open. A window like the one above will pop up and you navigate to the location of your temp.dat

3. Once loaded, you should see something similar to the screenshot above.

4. Click on Address > Go to.

5. A box will pop up. Under the Go to heading, choose hexadecimal and enter $38. You should get the screenshot as above. When you do, click OK.

6. You will then be brought to the cell in question. Enter 0A 3D 72 F4. The end result will look like something above

7. Once done, save the file in temp.dat (which is the original filename).

You can now use this recently edited file to unbrick your device. Just follow the steps to Flashing Your ROM From SD Card and your device should come back to life.

Some Notes

• For those familiar with hex editing, you will want to patch from offset 0×38 with the bytes 0A 3D 72 F4.
• What you see above will vary from ROM to ROM. However, the magic bytes (as Cyril calls them), will remain the same.
• This unbricking guide will only work for Eten devices and only for those that can enter the bootloader mode. If your device cannot enter this mode, it looks like you have a bigger problem and might have to send the device in for repairs.
• At the moment, it has only been tested on devices that were flashed with the wrong ROM.

Have you tried this? Does it work for you?

Thanks to Cyril of Eten Users Forum for coming up with the ‘magic bytes’ and thenenea for outlining the steps in Eten Blog dot Com’s forum.

Tags: guide

Last week I asked readers what they looked for in a Pocket PC and they let their thoughts be heard which were lated consolidated with mine in this post. It went pretty well and so this week, I would like to ask you, the reader, another question. This one pertains to Apple and their announcing of the iPhone SDK as well as their licensing of the Microsoft ActiveSync/Exchange earlier last week. There were a lot of reactions from both supporters of both camps and a lot of sites were covering this announcement. But my question to you is rather different. Instead I ask you:

Is It The End Of Windows Mobile?

Here are some points that you might want to consider when you leave your comments:

• Exchange was the only thing that prevented the iPhone from coming into the corporate world, which was Microsoft’s and RIM’s playing field. Why do you think Microsoft licensed it to Apple?
• With their SDK due out soon, do you think most developers of Windows Mobile will switch camps? Considering that the cut Apple will take is significantly lower than what Handango (which is supported by Microsoft) is taking, wouldn’t it seem more attractive to them?
• Why would anyone want to buy a Windows Mobile device over and iPhone?
• What do you think Microsoft can do to help Windows Mobile?
• Or is all this just something that is blown out of proportion?

Feel free to add your thoughts that covers points that I did not bring up. In addition, here are some articles that you could read about what other sites are saying on this issue:

• Just Another Mobile Monday’ Is Windows Mobile Still Relevant?
• pocketnow.com’s Dear Apple:My iPhone No Longer Is A Good Paperweight
• msmobiles.com’s Downfall Of Windows Mobile Due To iPhone SDK And Help Of Microsoft
• BoyGenius Report’s iPhone SDK Honeymoon Over - No Background Processes?!

I am sure you can find many more articles to read up on. It’s still fresh news so expect more sites to come up with articles on it soon. In the mean time, feel free to leave your comments below. But please do so before March 16^th because that is when the comments will close.

Tags: opinion

So last week I tried something new here at Eten Blog dot Com and asked the readers of the site for their opinions on a certain subject. In the past, I would write articles based on my own opinions and then readers would comment on it. While this worked, I decided to try a different approach. I wanted to hear from the readers themselves and then create a post around that. And I am glad to see many readers taking part in this discussion.

The question I asked last week was: What Do You Look For In A Pocket PC?

We all have our own reasons for buying a certain model of a Pocket PC. Some prefer looks over features, other prioritize price. But what did the readers think?

Why They Bought It?

For starters, most of them bought a Pocket PC to replace one that they no longer have (damaged or sold off) or because their contracts were up. Considering the prices of these devices, I am sure many would opt for a huge rebate rather than getting the latest undiscounted. But there are those who are on the lookout for a certain specific device and do not bother whether their carriers offered a discount on it.

In my case, the carrier I am on (T-Mobile USA), does not have great Pocket PCs and I do not really like being tied down to a contract. In fact, the last time I signed a contract was over 8 years ago. Therefore, I usually change my phones around a year or so after I’ve had it. I guess the ‘discount’ comes in the form of me selling off the old device to offset the price of the new one.

Price

That does not mean they will go out and spend a bomb on the best. That’s because all of them actually mentioned that they look for a low or affordable price instead of powerful features. But that does not mean they get the most basic. Rather, it’s a compromise between price and features. As spmwinkel pointed out, if he were to go for the most powerful, it would have been the HTC Advantage but price and size were factors that put him off and in the end, her got him a TyTNII.

It’s hard to say what is a fair price to pay for a device and how much is too much because there are no identical devices from the different manufacturers. Even the Glofiish M800, which many say is the Kaiser rival, is different in terms of screen resolution and RAM.

I do agree here, price and features are always at a constant tug-of-war. Which is why I settled on Eten lately because it’s one of the cheapest Pocket PCs out there when you compare price-to-feautre ratio (is there such a thing? )

Warranty & Support

Most did not really care about where the support came from as long as it had basic support, be it from manufacturer or carrier. However, in Helmy’s case, he takes really great care of his device so it does not really matter where there is warranty on the device.

For me, I too would like some basic warranty, be it from a manufacturer or carrier. With electronics, you never know when they will go down. I also look for online support in the form of forums and blogs where I can discuss my problems should I have any. This way, I can self-fix them before I send it in for repair (which thank god, so far has not happened).

Powerful Or Best Selling?

Most would go for the most powerful, or in this case, the most powerful that suits their needs. With the exception of Adrian who says that he it could be either, depending on which catches his eyes first. Interesting method Adrian.

For me, I have never gone for the best-selling which is usually not powerful enough for my needs. Nor do I go for the most powerful. Instead, I go for the ones that suit my needs. So if you were to ask me where I am leaning towards, it would definitely be powerful.

Design

Very important aspect as you can tell from the comments. Helmy prefers the one-handed candybar version (aka BlackBerry), Adrian wants something small, spmwinkel is not really concerned with neither looks nor size though he needs it to fit into his jeans pocket and allow him to type messages quickly while Anonymous \(O_O)/ says a good looking design is a must for him.

What do I say? Well, design in terms of size and portability is important for me. I like something small and thin, which is why I don’t do 3.5 inch screens anymore. Like they say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Device Specs

This was not something I asked but I am glad many of you brought it up. It seems that GPS is gaining popularity with Philskill, PJMDS and Anonymous \(O_O)/ wanting it a part of their device. Others, like spmwinkel, prefer a good CPU/ROM/RAM combo, slide-out keyboard and WiFi.

For me, I need something with GPS and WiFi at the very least. And considering I am running navigational software, the CPU/RAM combo would be important as well. This is one topic that’s really hard to pin down because these features will vary according to your needs and use of the Pocket PC.

So there you have it, what our readers look for in a Pocket PC. It was really interesting to read your comments. I will be creating another topic soon so do be sure to check it out and leave your comments.

Tags: opinion

There are some pretty interesting articles out there and here they are for your reading pleasure:

• ASUS will be releasing the M536 which is a touchscreen QWERTY. What’s more interesting is the new UI that it’s planned for its line of phones. Check out a video of it here.
• Here’s one giveaway you might be interested to take part in.
• Are you on T-Mobile USA and want to enjoy their MyFaves plan but do not want to purchase one of their phones. Well it’s now possible with this hack.
• Think Apple will take over the mobile industry because of their iPhone? They might have set the bar high in terms of functionality + design but I doubt other manufacturers can’t match it. What do you think?
• Just a few more reports from Werner on MWC ‘08. This time it’s on a few upcoming devices and chipsets.
• Some of the writers over at Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine were asked to write about their favorite tweaks here. There’s one here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here and here’s mine.
• Besides just opinions, this week had quite a number of reviews on the newly released Spb Mobile Shell 2.0. Feel free to check them out here, here, here, here and here. There are some video reviews in there as well if you are into that.
• Still on the topic of reviews, but this time, it’s about Resco Diamonds.
• What happens to you when technology fails?
• Why search using words when ‘Otello’ can do it for you via images? Then again, it’s just a prototype.
• We all know that ACER bought E-TEN and have heard ACER’s side of the story. How about E-TEN’s?
• Having trouble setting up a Bluetooth ActiveSync connection with your Windows Mobile device? This guide might be just what you need.
• Looking for a nice but free battery gauge for your Windows Mobile device. Then look for VistaHide.
• For those who have been following pocketnow.com’s Glofiish X650 review, here’s Part III.
• Apple has just licensed Exchange from Microsoft. Could this start the downfall of Windows Mobile? This other article doesn’t think so and provides some suggestions.
  
• Interested about Eten’s presence at CeBit? You can read about it here.
• Here’s another article which I found that talks about the difference between VGA and qVGA screens.

Hope you enjoyed those reviews as much as I did bringing them to you. If you have something to contribute to this section, be sure to let me know about it.

Tags: Link Love