encrypted bits » BlackBerry http://www.kevinbocek.com senseless ciphertext Sat, 04 Dec 2010 02:55:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 What’s worse than no blog: an unattended blog http://www.kevinbocek.com/2008/01/30/whats-worse-than-no-blog-an-unattended-blog/ http://www.kevinbocek.com/2008/01/30/whats-worse-than-no-blog-an-unattended-blog/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:36:10 +0000 Kevin Bocek http://www.kevinbocek.com/2008/01/30/whats-worse-than-no-blog-an-unattended-blog/ A stale blog certainly isn’t a crisis, but it is a real annoyance.

The mobile world continues to evolve, but the time to spend documenting the ways of a mobile switcher have dwindled.

Since the last post, I’ve moved into a management role but switching was still strong:

  • I’ve moved back to Sprint for mobile data (integrated with Dell XPS1330)
  • A BlackBerry with EVDO and GPS was also too compelling (8830)

    • There is hope – a double fisted HTC Advantage and HTC Touch Dual (20key) blitz would be impressive.

    With the Gartner Wireless & Mobile Summit approaching, there are sure to be at least a few things to keep the place a bit more up-to-date.

    ]]>     http://www.kevinbocek.com/2008/01/30/whats-worse-than-no-blog-an-unattended-blog/feed/ 0     Nokia E62 vs. BlackBerry Pearl http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/03/23/nokia-e62-vs-blackberry-pearl/ http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/03/23/nokia-e62-vs-blackberry-pearl/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2007 06:39:05 +0000 Kevin Bocek http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/03/23/nokia-e62-vs-blackberry-pearl/

    My first smartphone was a Siemens SX-1, a Symbian Series 60 variant. This was a great GSM phone for check emailing and listening to music. So I jumped at the opportunity recently to spend time with one of the latest Series 60 phones, the Nokia E62. I had high hopes for the Nokia E62. When I first saw the phone during its prerelease period, I thought it could truly be the often talked about but yet to be produced “BlackBerry Killer.” Plus its WebKit-based browser has some of the sames feature found in the Apple iPhone.

    The verdict: Series 60 continues to work well on smartphones and the E62 browser renders pages well, but the OS and this phone still lack the integration and utility of the RIM BlackBerry platform

    Pro:

    • WebKit-based browser
    • Edit Words docs, including
    • Nokia/Cisco-compatible VPN client
    • Bright display
    • Sturdy construction
    • BlackBerry Connect client for BlackBerrry BES support

    Cons:

    • GUI is more clunky than functional
    • Only EDGE, not UTMS or WiFi capable like the European E61
    • No built-in storage encryption
    • No camera
    • Too chunky (but still pocketable)

     

    ]]>     http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/03/23/nokia-e62-vs-blackberry-pearl/feed/ 4     Full Mobile Device Encryption http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/12/full-mobile-device-encryption/ http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/12/full-mobile-device-encryption/#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:20:23 +0000 Kevin Bocek http://www.kevinbocek.com/?p=20 With the introduction of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft has taken a first step in closing the gap with BlackBerry for native device encryption (see table below for smartphone OS comparison). Windows Mobile 6 adds the ability to encrypt the entire contents of a memory expansion card. While this protects data stored on an expansion card (attachments, documents, etc.) in the event the card is lost or stolen, the contents of a device are still not encrypted. While more complicated than simply reading data off an SD card, reading the contents of a smartphone’s memory is not impossible.

    Third party products are available that add device, file, or folder encryption to Symbian and Windows Mobile devices. In 2006, Juniper research forecasted the market for mobile phone encryption to reach over $1BB by 2011.

    Comparison of Native Device Encryption by Smartphone Operating System

      RAM Expansion (e.g. SD card)
    BlackBerry OS 4.1 Supports Supports
    Symbian OS 9    
    Windows Mobile 5    
    Windows Mobile 6   Supports




    ]]>     http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/12/full-mobile-device-encryption/feed/ 0     Treo 750 vs. BlackBerry Pearl http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/10/treo-750-and-blackberry-from-above/ http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/10/treo-750-and-blackberry-from-above/#comments Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:04:49 +0000 Kevin Bocek http://www.kevinbocek.com/?p=19
    More comparison photos on Flickr

    While attending the Gartner Wireless and Mobile Summit 2007, I had the chance to use a Cingular’s Palm Treo 750 for two days.

    The verdict: Nice try Palm, but the BlackBerry Pearl wins

    Pros:

    • UMTS-capable
    • Palm enhanced Today screen
    • 3rd party Windows Mobile 5 application (not included)
    • Two days plus worth of battery

    Cons:

    • Keyboard a step backwards from the Treo 650, difficult to use one-handed
    • Windows Mobile 5 – while sometimes pretty, does not match the efficiency of a BlackBerry
    • No built-in encryption: full device, email, or removable storage

     

    ]]>     http://www.kevinbocek.com/2007/02/10/treo-750-and-blackberry-from-above/feed/ 1     Q vs. Pearl http://www.kevinbocek.com/2006/12/10/q-vs-pearl/ http://www.kevinbocek.com/2006/12/10/q-vs-pearl/#comments Sun, 10 Dec 2006 11:31:20 +0000 Kevin Bocek http://www.kevinbocek.com/?p=15

    More comparison photos on Flickr

    The Motorola Q versus the BlackBerry Pearl: Q walks away in shame while the Pearl shines on. Windows Mobile and hardware vendors like Motorola have a long way to go! The BlackBerry OS plus a near perfect hardware design makes the Pearl a joy to use: encrypted push email, easy access to multiple apps, Java apps,and a trackball zips around web pages and emails.

    ]]>     http://www.kevinbocek.com/2006/12/10/q-vs-pearl/feed/ 0