There are phones out there other than just iPhones and Androids after all.
Q: Dear Deemable Tech. I have a question that I am pining for your expert opinion about. What is the best calendar app for a Pantech Renue? I tried Googling it, but nothing really comes up. I am app ignorant.
A: Don't worry. Finding any information on the web about the Pantech Renue is difficult. The Pantech Renue runs on Pantech’s proprietary operating system, which is based on an operating system called BREW. It should run most J2ME apps, which is Java Micro Edition. Java Micro Edition was designed so that developers could build programs for mobile phones. It was supposed to make it so that a developer could make one program that would work anywhere. Unfortunately, that is not how it actually worked, because usually you only able to buy apps through your carrier. Before the iPhone came out, everything in mobile was made for either J2ME or Palm OS. Once the iPhone hit the market, and the Android became a legitimate option, most developers stopped building apps for J2ME. Unfortunately, there aren't many apps available for J2ME anymore.
As a result, the best calendar app is going to be anything you can find. You can try GCal which is a J2ME Google Calendar client. If that doesn’t work, you might be able to use GCalSync which will sync the built-in calendar with your Google Calendar, assuming you use Google Calendar. Both of these apps use data, so if you do not have a data plan, you may want to stay away from them.
Whatever you do, I wouldn't pay for anything in their store. You won't likely be able to use it ever again. I expect it won't be long until almost every phone out there, even the cheapest, bottom of the barrel phones are running some version of Android. There are very, very few developers that have even a mild interest in making apps for J2ME. Most of the apps still available are several years old. There are a few fun apps that you should be able to download for free though. Opera Web Browser most likely works much better than the default web browser. There is a Gmail app that still works, but Google does not support it anymore. Don't be surprised if it suddenly stops working when Gmail gets an update. If all else fails, you should at least be able to play Tetris.
ABOUT RAY HOLLISTER
Ray Hollister co-hosts the call-in help show Deemable Tech. Each week, he and his co-host, Tom Braun, answer questions submitted by users and provide helpful tips about computers, tablets, mobile phone, the Internet and technology in general. Need tech help? Call 1-888-972-9868 or send them an email at [email protected]. Listen to the show on their website, or subscribe to Deemable Tech's podcast by clicking here, searching for "Deemable Tech" in iTunes, or by entering the RSS feed, http://dmbl.co/pod, in your favorite podcast app.
