Not every social networking concept strikes gold, even when the coalescing factor is the common interest of finding a good Internet cafe. In the case of WeFi, a hot-spot-finding application with a social community tacked on, various CNET editors have raised a collective eyebrow at some of the more intense methods of attaining human connection, but largely agree that being able to chat with verified friends or nearby Internet surfers adds a useful dimension to the search for reliable Wi-Fi access in comfortable coffee shops.
This First Look at WeFi for Windows laptops and WeFi for Pocket PC tours WeFi's easy-to-use interface and automated hot-spot-sniffers from two Internet-thirsty devices.
Zagat To Go for BlackBerry
For 29 delicious years, the Zagat Survey (pronounced zuh-GAT) has been compiling restaurant ratings from user reviews all over the globe to help foodies and regular people find the perfect spot for a first date, romantic meal, or celebration. For considerably fewer years, it has made its renowned services available for mobile phones.
I reviewed the trial version of Zagat To Go (see all downloads) on a BlackBerry Curve (download) and Windows Mobile Palm Treo (download).
Zagat To Go for BlackBerry may have been custom-built for BlackBerry, but features a surprisingly basic home menu that's still stuck in the dinosaur days of Web 1.0 and doesn't feel suited to the BlackBerry's navigational pearl. If you can get past that, you'll find quick access to Zagat's flagship product of cleverly cobbled user reviews, plus pop-up ratings while in list view for food, decor, service, and average meal cost.
Zagat To Go for Windows Mobile streamlines with a tabbed interface, but lacks hyperlinks.
You would expect extras for a mobile edition, and Zagat To Go offers some. BlackBerry users can click to call an establishment, and pinpoint the location on a map. They can also get directions to and from the restaurant, e-mail the location, and add it as a calendar item or contact. However, the app doesn't take advantage of SMS or link to the restaurant's Web site.
The Windows Mobile version of Zagat To Go looks like a distant cousin with its ratings tiles, notes section, and tabbed windows. Like the BlackBerry version, you can plot your selection on the map, get directions, and add it to your contacts list or calendar. However, click-to-call is completely absent, and there's no Web site listed, let alone hyperlinked.
In both products, Zagat is passing up two opportunities. The first is mobile Web usability in the form of hyperlinks; the second, a chance to revamp its pricing structure and offer a free-to-use product that scoops revenue from ads and coupons rather than from a subscription fee. Zagat To Go would be an appropriate outlet for targeted advertising, and a way to reward existing subscribers to Zagat.com with an upgrade to an ad-free version of the app.
We love feedback, and this great tip describes the behavior of the new Opera Mini 4 mobile browser on one phone, in a way that challenges iPhone browsing.
This from Marion in Texas:
"Good review on Opera Mini 4, but you should try it on a Pocket PC, too! The interface (using Java midlet) has "the O" working like the iPhone! You tap on the screen and the Web page enlarges, and you can scroll with your finger left to right or top to bottom to view the larger page, as well...who needs iPhone?! Opera Mini 4 is great on my HTC 8125 (review) with Windows Mobile 5.0."
Sweet!
Seamless Internet's S-XGen ultramobile PC
In what seems to be the Swiss Army knife of portables, the S-XGen ultramobile personal computer (UMPC) from Seamless Internet includes an Intel PXA270 Xscale 520MHz processor running Windows CE 5.0 operating system, Microsoft Office Mobile, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, Wi-Fi (802.11b), Bluetooth and tri-band GSM/EDGE/CDMA EV-DO network access, Ethernet and USB ports, a 4-inch TFT LCD touch screen, a 280 pixel Web video camera, and a fold-out QWERTY keyboard, all of which collapse into a package measuring 6.5x3.8x1.25 inches and weighing 14 ounces.
Eight hours of battery life accommodates a full day of computing as well as MP3 and video playback. Considering this exhaustive list of attributes and its price--$1,395--the S-XGen is clearly targeted toward the serious mobile warrior.
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