zGhost Now Available for iPhone!

We are excited to announce our new game division, zgames, has released their first iPhone app, zGhost!

zGhost is an augmented reality application that combines 3D graphics over live video that lets you see ghosts and take pictures of them using the live camera preview of your phone. The camera is actually sensitive enough to pick up the low-glow of ectoplasm radiated by ghosts. It works similarly to the nightvision setting of your video camera. See what's around you right now, that you can't see with your own eyes!

Now available for iPhone 3GS and coming very soon to Android. zGhost v1.0 can be downloaded for $0.99 on the App Store here.

Become a zGames Facebook fan and upload your favorite zGhost photos. We look forward to hearing from you!

Read more about zgames online here.

Softeq launches zGames Division

For those of you who have been with us over the last 14 years know we have been keeping our eye on the mobile game market and have worked on game projects for SEGA, Atari and Motorola. We've also written books on game programming, so as you can imagine, we are very excited to announce the launch of our new game division, zgames.

Our mission with zgames is to create leading edge applications for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile, while showcasing our technical software capabilities. Games are some of the most demanding programs you can write. And fun, too!

We look forward to sharing the fun with you through the games and applications we develop. Feel free to drop us a line with feedback on new features or the types of games you would like to play. Your feedback is important and key to our success!

Stay tuned for the announcement of our first zgames release....coming just in time for Halloween!

Read more about zgames online.

Orlando Sentinel story on DURATEQ ATV at Disney

An article today in the Orlando Sentinel talks about the DURATEQ ATV devices and their success at the Walt Disney World theme park. Heard but not seen at Disney: Device helps blind visualize rides.

Meet ALICE: Mobile Software for Assistive Technology

When Alice encounters the Looking Glass in Lewis Carroll's famous story, it unlocks a whole new world of experiences for her. Similarly, the ALICE software from Softeq unlocks a rich world of multimedia experiences for people with disabilities. ALICE (which stands for the Assistive LIstening and Captioning Engine) runs on the Durateq ATV rugged handheld. ALICE was created by the Softeq team to provide an automatic and immersive experience at museums, theme parks, and venues for patrons with low sight, low hearing, or both. Now available at entertainment venues like renowned theme park Walt Disney World, The World of Coca-Cola, and The Hall at Patriot Place, the handheld is offered to guests with visual or auditory impairments. Venues also use ALICE and the DURATEQ ATV as a solution to meet the ADA requirements, because it combines Closed Captioning, Descriptive Narration, and Assistive Listening all in one small and lightweight device.

Walkthrough: Creating Web Pages for Mobile Devices

Mobile development in ASP.NET does not differ much from traditional ASP.NET browser-based Web development. ASP.NET exposes a System.Web.Mobile namespace devoted specifically to Web development. You can create a Web page from the MobilePage base class and add controls from the System.Web.Mobile namespace. In this walkthrough, you will create two Web pages that inherit from the MobilePage class and that are designed for a mobile device.

Visual Studio 2008 released

On Monday, Nov. 19, Microsoft announced that Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 were released to manufacturing (RTM). With more than 250 new features, Visual Studio 2008 includes significant enhancements in every edition, including Visual Studio Express and Visual Studio Team System. This entry from WindowsForDevices.com discusses specific enhancements included for device developers.

An Introduction to WCF for Device Developers

Are you seeking to implement a service for mobile devices without all the configuration and setup that an XML Web Service involves? This article presents a complete, working, end-to-end example of how to create a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service running on a PC and how to consume it using a Compact Framework 3.5 application. -- From OpenNETCF Consulting, LLC

Introduction to the Microsoft Sync Framework

"Partially connected application" is a buzzphrase frequently heard among mobile device developers yet robust implementations are, shall we say, far less frequently seen. The upcoming Microsoft Sync Framework solves the difficult synchronization challenges of a "partially connected" environment, allowing developers to focus on the "application". The Microsoft Sync Framework provides a platform for taking web services and databases offline. In addition, it provides optimized P2P sync of any type of file including contacts, music, videos, images and settings. The extensible framework includes built-in support for synchronizing relational databases, NTFS/FAT file systems, Simple Sharing Extensions for RSS/ATOM, devices and web services.

Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 Upgrade

Office Mobile 6.1 is available for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC and Windows Mobile 6 devices. The upgrade is a free download from Microsoft and will allow you to open and edit Office 2007 file format documents from Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx). You can also view Powerpoint 2007 (pptx) documents.

Windows Mobile Starter Kits

Windows Mobile Starter Kits available on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) are fully functional sample applications. Each sample is complete and contains its documentation, so you can get started right away. Current kits include a Tabbed Web Browser, a Windows Mobile 5 Today Screen plug-in, a Windows Mobile 6 Home Screen plug-in, and games. Also available separately is the new Contact Starter Kit, which demonstrates accessing the internal contacts database.

HP Announces Support for Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008

HP plans to add Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 to HP Services' comprehensive mobility offering, which already includes the HP Enterprise Mobility Suite. Additionally, HP plans to support interoperability with future HP iPAQ handheld devices that will be compatible with Microsoft's Mobile Device Manager. HP Enterprise Mobility Suite, available now, manages environments with multiple device platforms. Microsoft Mobile Device Manager works with an upcoming version of Windows® Mobile and is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2008.

Softeq and HP extend their mobile partnership

For the fifth consecutive year, Softeq Development has been selected to manage and administer the HP iPAQ Developer Program. Softeq, a ten-year HP partner, serves as the system integrator between HP, the website developer, and the support portal. Additionally, Softeq is an experienced iPAQ software developer itself, specializing in custom solutions such as line of business applications for the iPAQ-powered Durateq.

HP Handheld PCs Solutions Catalog

Looking for a specific solution for HP handheld devices? Before building your own, check out the Handheld PCs Solutions Catalog which lists a multitude of solutions and applications that are available from iPAQ Developer Program members and HP partners. Interested in listing your product? Solutions from iPAQ Developer Program Premier members receive priority consideration for inclusion in the Handheld PCs Solutions Catalog. To submit a solution, log in to the iPAQ Developer Program site, click "Partner Resources" then "iPAQ Solutions Catalog".