software

T-Mobile has released a massive software update for their HTC Shadow handset. The update offers new functionality, as well as a number of bug fixes and improvements.

• The ability to send "audio postcards" (MMS) to any of your 5 MyFaves contacts;
• The ability to hang up calls when shutting the slider mechanism;
• The ability to display the camera application in portrait mode;
• "Multiple alarm issue" fixed;
• New camera themes, ringtones, wallpapers and graphics added.

Helio Player is the company's new media manager for Windows.

With this program you can manage and transfer various multimedia content including music, movies and images between current Helio handsets and a PC. It also allows downloading music bought on the phone to the PC and vice versa.

Buying music through the Player costs 99 cents per track, while purchasing music on the handset will cost you $1.

The UK-based company Blue Tree Services has developed a software program transforming an ordinary GPS phone into a GPS tracker, which allows users to track the current location of anyone who is using a cell phone or a PDA. Its accuracy is only 4 meters in all directions, which is very accurate. The software is entitled KoolTrax and costs GBP40 (approximately $80).

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced an upcoming software development kit for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

It should be ready by February 2008. The company wants to make sure that the handset will be protected from hackers while remaining open to third-party application developers.

This explains such a long development period of the SDK.

Tchart Development has just released the newest version of its Speed Sentry application for GPS-enabled handsets.

The latest release as before warns the driver to slow up when the road speed limit is exceeded, and also gives warnings about upcoming speed cameras, so you won't get flashed speeding.

Nokia announced that the Nokia Software Updater application is now available from selected Nokia local support web pages as well as http://www.nokia.com/softwareupdate . After a successful trial run last year, Nokia is expanding the program to enable people to update their own mobile device software without having to visit a service point. So far, over three quarters of a million people have updated their Nokia device using Nokia Software Updater.

Motorola Inc. is going to develop a Java Micro Edition software stack using the Apache License Version 2.0 hoping to unify the fractured market for Java software in cell phones. Motorola reported it would cooperate its future Java ME-based development with Apache's model of licensing and open governance. Open-source software is offered by Apache Software Foundation planning that customers and developers don't have to pay royalties on the software.

Nokia today announced a way for internet users to interact with some of the web's favorite services while they are away from their PC's, in a pocketable, easy to use device.

Nokia N80 Internet Edition brings together wireless LAN (WLAN), a robust browser, support for internet calls, a 3-megapixel camera, and quad-band GSM WCDMA coverage along with an easy to use WLAN wizard (to make connecting to the internet easy), and a host of other internet services not previously installed together on Nokia devices.

Nokia has made another content acquisition, this time it's Germany-based gate5. Earlier this month Nokia bought out Loudeye to help build a Nokia music store. Nokia is predicting rapid growth in the personal navigation vertical and hopes to jump on board:

The acquisition of gate5 is an important step in developing the new product category of multimedia computers that offer people multiple ways to connect to information, entertainment and other people.

Motorola has posted a software update for the Q, which is currently available in the US exclusively through Verizon Wireless. The update includes both security fixes and new features. Most welcome will be the addition of dial-up-networking (DUN) support through Bluetooth or USB. While the feature needs an accompanying data plan, it has been a hotly requested feature. Other new features include push email support and remote device erase for users under an Exchange 2003 server.