The availability of the 5.1 browser for WinMo adds another handset to the line of 5.1 compatible devices with the browser already available for Java, Android, and Blackberry smartphones. The browser also promises an improved page layout when surfing the web on a Windows Mobile device.

Among the new features is support for auto rotating phones. The new browser also has advanced configuration support for power users. The server backbone in the new browser version promises to cut mobile data bills by up to 90% by reducing the data transferred to the phone as you surf. You can download the browser right now.

While the main purpose of the iTiny Bluetooth Keyboard may be for Apple’s iPhone or iPod Touch, you can obviously see where the possibilities are here. Wit the Bluetooth connectivity, you’re options are almost endless in today’s age. And, at only five- by two-inches, this small gadget could indeed be the way you type out your next email on your mobile device.

It’s a full QWERTY keyboard, with a dedicated row for numbers, and a space key (even if it doesn’t look as big as it probably should be). And as you can see, every key gets used to the best of its ability, with plenty of secondary options for your choosing. As for specifications, they look something like this: support for Bluetooth 2.0 products, with a frequency band of 2.4GHz. There’s a 200mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery inside, which should last you about 50 hours of constant usage, or 400 hours of stand-bye time. It supports not only Apple’s iOS, but also Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, and Nokia’s Symbian platforms. No mention of when the device will hit store shelves, but hopefully it’s soon.

[via Gear Diary]

The Best of R3 Media

Nexus One, with Froyo, Launches in Korea: While the rest of the world waits for an official release date for Android 2.2, affectionately called Froyo, it seems like those in Korea, with wireless coverage from KT Wireless, may not have to wait any longer. Because it looks like Google is set to launch the Nexus One with Froyo right from the start. Which hopefully means that the release is right around the corner for the other Nexus One owners out there. We can keep our fingers crossed, at least. [via Android Community]

Nintendo 3DS Not Arriving in the UK Until 2011: You’ve got to hand it to senior executives at companies, they can just say whatever they want, whenever they want. Even if it’s bad news. For example, thanks to a senior exec from Nintendo, it looks like the 3DS, the new 3D mobile gaming platform from Nintendo, won’t be making it to the United Kingdom by the end of 2010. Apparently, it’ll make an appearance in those parts some time in the beginning of 2011. So, 3D fans out there, start counting down the calendar! [via SlashGear]

iPhone 4 Launching with 512MB of RAM: Truth be told, Apple’s never very open about the internals of their hardware. At least, not when it comes to their mobile phones. Sure, they’ll tell you how many gigabytes you’ve got, or the screen resolution, but if you want to know the RAM, you’ll have to wait until someone starts tearing them apart. Not this time, though. There’s confirmation out there that the new iPhone from Apple is going to have 512MB of RAM, which means double that of the iPad and iPhone 3GS. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge ‘Net

Windows Embedded Handheld is Windows Mobile 6.5: While Microsoft focuses on Windows Phone 7, there’s still that lingering feeling that Windows Mobile isn’t completely dead. And, sure enough, it looks like Microsoft feels the same way. So much so in fact, that they’re launching Windows Embedded Handheld, which is built from Windows Mobile 6.5 technologies. They’re doing this, in hopes that they can speak to enterprise customers, so that when they launch a new enterprise-based Windows Phone 7 later in the year, or maybe even in 2011, they’ll be able to make the transition more comfortably. In the mean time though, Motorola’s launching a Windows Embedded Handheld device later this year (odd, we know), but it doesn’t quite yet have a price. [via Laptop Mag]

Camper for iPhone 4 Already on Premises: Well, this may be the most ridiculous thing we’ve heard all day. Despite the fact that the iPhone 4 won’t be out for another 7 days (by the time of this writing), there’s already someone out there, ready and willing to get their hands on that Retina Display. Unfortunately, there’s no word on where this is, but we’re hoping it’s not somewhere too populated. Sitting out there for that length of time probably means a lot of people will poke and prod him, and we wouldn’t want that. [via Engadget]

HP Slate: Windows 7 or Not? This is getting frustrating. When the HP Slate was debuted, it had Windows 7 on it. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, had his fun on a stage showing it off, saying that it was the slate of all slates (or tablets). Well, considering HP just bought Palm, the house that built webOS, there’s some questions regarding the launch of the Slate, and what it means for its Operating System. On Thursday, speaking at the Untethered conference, Personal Systems Group CTO Phil McKinny said that using an existing OS on a new design, such as a tablet, means failure usually. In the same breath, he began talking up the goodness that is webOS. As for Windows 7? When asked directly about the future of it on the Slate, McKinny said that he couldn’t elaborate on the subject until after the acquisition by HP was completed. Very, very curious, to say the least. [via Ubergizmo]

Meanwhile Windows Mobile – set to be replaced by Windows Phone 7 by the end of the year – and BlackBerry OS each dropped two points, though RIM’s platform does still hold the top spot at 35-percent.  User satisfaction seems to be higher among iPhone OS owners, too; in pure percentage terms, twice the number of current Android users said they’d be keen to try an iPhone as their next device, as current iPhone owners said about Android handsets.

Apple is due to announce a new iPhone – tentatively dubbed the iPhone HD – at their WWDC 2010 keynote tomorrow, Monday June 7 2010.  SlashGear will be liveblogging the whole event at http://live.slashgear.com/ so join us at 10am PST!

This is really no surprise given that in February Skype pulled its Windows Mobile VoIP application for WinMo. Skype is focusing on developing for the iPhone, Symbian, and Android OS’.

I can see Skype’s point of view on the move. WinMo is shrinking in users while the other major OS’ are starting to grow, especially Android and the iPhone.

Microsoft Research, unsurprisingly, aren’t saying much about Menlo – though it’s given a brief namecheck on Hunt’s own MR People page – but there are tidbits to be found.  Hunt’s LinkedIn profile, for instance, mentions the following:

“Co-lead two of the largest cross-group research projects in MSR’s history: the Menlo and Singularity projects. Menlo combined OS, UX, and applications research to explore the future of computing when mobiles becomes users primary PCs. Singularity combined language, tools, and OS research to determine how to build more reliable systems and built a new OS from scratch in managed code.”

Foley then talked to Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry, who suggested that Microsoft could be looking to “follow Apple’s lead” and develop a tablet-friendly platform on which regular Windows apps could be relatively easily ported.  He describes that as a “frankenOS” of sorts:

“Microsoft could follow Apple’s lead and build a similar tablet on CE or Windows Phone 7, and have developers create CE and Web based applications for it….Mostly, it would be a rival to the iPad with similar battery life attributes.  Microsoft could even add some USB ports just to differentiate the connectability.  They could also open the carrier access.

“Second, Microsoft could build a tablet on Windows 7 Standard Embedded, and really be ruthless in removing Windows 7 components that do not make sense in the ‘new’ tablet scenarios. I have not seen any attempt to use what they have to create a truly “designed for tablet” version of OS (key here is instead of adding tablet extensions you remove non-tablet components of the base OS).”

That actually sounds a lot like our own Courier speculation, in which we suggested that Microsoft’s apparent abandonment of the dual-display digital notebook concept was in fact only a move to cut off talk of Microsoft-produced Courier hardware.  Instead, they could take the Courier customisations and develop a special tablet build – as Cherry says, “really be ruthless” in stripping out any superfluous functionality – that third-party manufacturers could then put onto their own hardware.  Indeed, several firms have already suggested they have notebook-style hardware on the way though they’ve been coy with their OS preferences.  Such a plan would also mean that porting apps over from other Microsoft platforms could be easier, both to the newly customized tablet and to mobile devices.  Of course, this is all some way in the future (if it evens pans out that way), but it’s good to think that Microsoft might be doing the sensible thing and pulling together the different strands of their various computing options.

Updated with official Marvell Moby MED image.

The Moby MED would be based on a Marvell 600 Series chipset, such as the ARMADA 618 we saw demonstrated at MWC 2010 a few months back.  The company were showing two potential setups, one simultaneously driving a PMP display and an HDMI connected 1080p HDTV, and the other having two LCD panels running independently.  Potential OSes include Windows Mobile and Android, complete with Flash support.

It’s unclear whether the Moby MED would have more than one display built-in, or if Marvell intend it to connect – either wired or wirelessly – to individual displays throughout, say, a hospital or clinic.  Unfortunately there’s no imagery of the reference design, nor a price; we’re guessing it’ll be higher than the roughly $99 tag suggested for the Moby.

[via Linux for Devices]

Press Release:

Marvell Drives ‘Telehealth’ Revolution with Moby MED — Always-On Medical Tablet

Healthcare-focused Tablets With Multiple Simultaneous Viewing Screens Including Video Conferencing and Live TV Allow Consumers to Manage Medical Records, Conduct Live Physician Consultations, View 3D Images and Sonograms, Collect Real-Time Data From Personal Monitoring Devices, Access Information From Online Sources, and More

Santa Clara (Apr 21, 2010) Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL) a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced a bold new healthcare initiative to drive high performance mobile tablets based on its leading silicon solutions. Marvell’s Moby MED initiative promises to give consumers much greater command over their own healthcare and proactive wellness information and decisions. The Moby MED tablet platform is an always-on, high performance multimedia reference design featuring live, real-time content, 1080p full-HD, 3D capabilities, and full Flash Internet. Marvell’s Moby MED tablet platform is designed to allow physicians to consult with patients remotely in real-time, allow consumers to manage their own health histories in a highly-secure, encrypted environment, make it possible to send and read high-resolution diagnostic imagery, and give consumers access to online medical information in a light-weight, long-running device.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070411/SFW034LOGO)

“Passage of the National Healthcare Reform bill was only the beginning. We as individuals now must take much more responsibility for our healthcare and wellness decisions — including connecting with personal physicians and proactively managing our private health histories. I believe the Marvell Moby MED tablet platform will empower patients to take proactive control of their healthcare, and will enable doctors to save more lives,” said Weili Dai, Marvell’s Co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of Marvell Semiconductor’s Consumer and Computing Business Unit. “I believe the Moby MED solution could ignite a telehealth revolution in America. The Moby MED tablet platform features a built–in camera for live video conferencing and multiple simultaneous viewing screens allowing patients — no matter where they are in the world — to have real-time consultation with a physician while examining an x-ray image, referencing an online medical encyclopedia and order a prescription from a nearby pharmacy. The Moby MED tablet platform provides everything needed in a mobile medical tablet – from keeping track of blood pressure rates, glucose levels and other vital data to serving as a virtual medical station in remote parts of the world. With the Moby MED, doctors could once again make house calls—without leaving the office—and provide a much higher, more personalized quality of care.”

Marvell’s Moby MED tablet platform will also help deliver on a US “telehealth” strategy as recently defined in the Federal Communications Commission’s national broadband plan. The FCC’s national broadband strategy contains a 25-page chapter on telehealth, and calls upon the Department of Health and Human Services to make “e-care” projects a top priority. As part of the plan, clinics, hospitals and doctors’ offices will be encouraged to put health records into a secure database that can be remotely accessed by patients and their authorized care givers. In addition to saving lives, video consultation and other telehealth techniques can save money by giving facilities remote access to world-class specialists.

National adoption of electronic health records systems accessible from devices powered by the Moby MED tablet platform can save more lives by alerting physicians and patients of dangerous drug allergies and drug interactions when prescriptions are written. According to one study cited by the FCC report, these alerts alone could result in a net savings of as much as $371 billion for hospitals and $142 billion for physicians over the next 15 years.

Launch of the Moby MED tablet platform comes just weeks after Marvell announced its breakthrough reference design for a $99 Moby tablet (read more) aimed at powering affordable mobile tablets for the world’s two billion students. The high performance, low cost reference design concept has rapidly captured worldwide interest from publishers, educators and governments looking to replace today’s outdated and expensive printed textbooks.

About the Marvell Moby MED Tablet Platform

Specifically designed for healthcare, the Marvell Moby MED tablet platform drives development of high-performance low-power medical tablets with a built–in camera for live video conferencing and multiple simultaneous liquid crystal display (LCD) or electronic paper display (EPD) viewing screens for convenient viewing of information.

Powered by a high-performance, highly scalable, and low-power Marvell® ARMADA™ 600 series of application processors, the Moby MED tablet platform features gigahertz processor speed, 1080p full-HD encode and decode, intelligent power management, power-efficient Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM/GPS connectivity, 3D graphics capability and support for multiple software standards including full Adobe Flash, Android™ and Windows Mobile.

Optional platform features include Marvell’s leading storage and wireless solutions such as embedded MMC, which is a handheld device optimized SSD-type technology, and Marvell Mobile Hotspot which allows Wi-Fi access that supports up to eight concurrent users connected to the Internet via a cellular broadband connection.

At its launch, HTC told us that the HD mini embodies their new “Hidden Power” design ethos, where the structural form of a device is embraced by its aesthetic rather than hidden away. Most obvious are the four exposed screw heads that emerge through the rubbery back cover, being not just decorative but what’s actually holding the whole phone together. The front, meanwhile, is a single pane of glass, with a 3.2-inch HVGA 320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen and five touch-sensitive buttons for Call, Home, Start, Back and End. On the side there’s a volume rocker while up top a small power button doubles as the lock key; on the very bottom there’s a microUSB port.

Take off the rubberised back plate and you’ll find HTC have finished the entire rear of the phone with a bright yellow finish, complete with matching battery. It’s eye-catching, certainly, but we can’t help but wish you could see it without having to open the whole thing up. HTC expect transparent or colored aftermarket cases to show up shortly after the HD mini launches, but they’ll need to be more than just silicone skins since the antenna is embedded into the lower section of the cover. It remains to be seen whether HTC’s business market will see the appeal.

HTC HD mini unboxing:

Inside, where the HD2 gets Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset, the HD mini makes do with a more mundane 600MHz processor such as you’d find in the HTC Legend. That’s paired with a Europe/Asia-Pacific friendly dualband HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100MHz radio (with quadband GSM/EDGE), WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and GPS. So far there’s no talk of a US version, so if you decide you’re desperate to use the phone in North America then you won’t get 3G speeds. ROM is 512MB and RAM 384MB, and there’s a microSD slot content with up to 32GB cards. Overall performance proved nothing to write home about, with the CPU running out of breath when trying to deal with data-heavy apps.

As for that ageing OS, the HD mini is HTC’s latest Windows Mobile 6.5 device, toting the HTC Sense interface on top. As is common knowledge now, Windows Mobile is due to be replaced by Windows Phone 7 by the end of 2010, with handsets running the new platform expected to be on sale in time for the holiday shopping season. Lacking sufficient screen resolution, processor grunt and physical controls, there’s pretty much zero chance that the HD mini will see an official Windows Phone 7 upgrade option, though of course there’ll be plenty of unofficial hacked ROMs if that’s the path owners want to take.

Windows Mobile 6.5 has been well criticised, and it’s certainly not the most pleasing OS on the market today. It does have a few strengths, however, not least the decent baked in Exchange support which makes hooking the HD mini up to a corporate network an indecently simple proposal. As for usability, just as we’ve seen on the HD2, HTC’s Sense system goes a long way in improving matters. The regular homescreen is replaced by a finger-friendly UI that allows you to flick between different task-specific tabs, such as the preloaded Opera browser, Footprints GPS photo-tagging app and HTC’s own Peep Twitter client. It also does a decent job of hiding some of Windows Mobile’s less attractive dialog boxes and settings pages.

Nonetheless, in comparison to the flexibility of Android or the intuitive nature of webOS, Windows Mobile 6.5 feels clunky. Sense might pull in Facebook, Flickr and other information into your contacts, and link together different communication records – all emails, SMS, calls and other contact – per individual, but other platforms simply do a slicker job of it. The HVGA display also falls short, and while it’s color-rich it’s also noticeably grainy in comparison to the (WVGA) screen on the HD2. That undermines media playback, and it makes for frustrating web-browsing too, demanding plenty of panning and zooming if you want text to to be readable. The onscreen keyboard, meanwhile, does a decent job of auto-correcting errors and predicting words, but we prefer the experience on the Legend which, despite having the same size and resolution display, we found we were more accurate on.

Photos from the HD mini’s 5-megapixel autofocus camera are passable, if nothing outstanding. There’s no hardware shortcut, just as on most HTC phones, but at least when you finally get to the camera app it loads relatively quickly. Images demand more light than we’ve found on other recent handsets from the company, and there’s no LED flash (though, to be fair, we generally aren’t impressed with their performance anyway). Once you’ve snapped a shot you can upload it with relative ease to Facebook or Flickr.

As a phone, we experienced some issues with the HD mini’s call quality. Both us and the people we were calling experienced static and audio drop-outs, and the audio performance generally fell short of what we’ve come to expect from HTC devices. We weren’t alone in our disappointment, either; we know other reviewers who have found the HD mini falls short in this department. Hopefully this is a pre-production flaw that will be ironed out by the time the handset ships.

Battery life, meanwhile, was certainly enough to get through a full day, even with push email turned on and regular Twitter polling. HTC reckon you’ll see up to 435 minutes of GSM talktime from the 1,200mAh battery, or alternatively up to 500hrs WCDMA standby (340hrs GSM), up to 8hrs video playback, or up to 12hrs audio playback. With more casual use we reckon you could see your way through a couple of days, in fact, which given we’re used to nightly recharges (or even mid-evening top-ups for some greedier devices) is a serious plus for the HD mini. HTC preload their excellent WiFi Router app – which allows you to share the phone’s 3G connection with WiFi devices like a netbook or iPad – but be warned that sucks down power considerably.

There’s no disguising that we’ve been impressed with the recent HTC smartphones to cross our desk, but we need a little extra convincing with the HD mini. It’s not so much that it’s a bad device – though we hope the call quality issues are addressed before production models go on sale – but rather that it lacks that all-important spark. Where the HD2 has enough hardware-wow – the speedy processor, the huge display and the fulsome multimedia handling – to offset the lacking appeal of Windows Mobile 6.5, the HD mini’s more mundane specs can’t quite manage the same.

If you’re wedded to a particular app that demands the current Microsoft smartphone platform – and it’s worth noting that Windows Phone 7 breaks backward compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.5 titles – or you want their solid Exchange support, the HD mini might still appeal; we’d point you to the company’s own HD2, however, which while more expensive offers a far more impressive user experience. Had HTC released the phone this time last year, the outlook for the handset could be very different; faced with a significantly more appealing OS right around the corner, and a wealth of tempting rivals running different platforms on shelves today, the HTC HD mini doesn’t offer enough to warrant buying into Windows Mobile 6.5.

We’ll just start off with the “bad” news first, just to make sure we get it out of the way. As much as everyone is still holding out hope that the HTC HD2 is going to be upgraded from its current Windows Mobile 6.5 existence, we can now completely confirm that the HD2 is not getting updated. Furthermore, despite the rumors that OEMs would be able to determine whether or not their current generation models would be able to get updated to the new mobile Operating System, that rumor can now officially be squashed. It’s not happening. Microsoft is making a clean break from the previous iterations of their software, and doing so with no strings attached.

Microsoft is doing everything they can to remove a lot of the barriers and other blockades that was preventing previous developers out there from creating applications for their Windows Phone 7 Series platform. New tools will be introduced with the already set-in-stone tools available to developers, making it completely possible that new devs can just jump right in and start making the highest class products, right out of the gate. And as we mentioned in earlier posts throughout the day, these applications can be developed in record time, and have the same high quality that consumers have come to expect.

The Windows Phone Marketplace is going to be a vibrant digital store front, with the applications being the most important part. As you make your way through the Marketplace, you’ll download what you want, and watch as the applications of that same nature are shown to you on the go. Are you fond of a particular style of game? The Marketplace is going to show you the other titles in that particular style, just to make sure that you enjoy your experience. And speaking of games, where trial periods are a well known feature, the developers are able to determine just how long a particular trial period will last. Whether that means you get to play the first level for free, or continue on until you’ve accomplished a particular goal, is completely up to the developer. Furthermore, while some applications may become static and forgotten on other systems, an application or game title in the Windows Phone 7 Series platform will always be able to be found easily, and be promoted by the developer with push notifications. Have an update for a game you’ve forgotten about? The developer can let you know with a simple push notification.

Ads are still going to be be prevalent within the application marketplace for Windows Phone 7 Series. Developers can utilize their own advertisement network, so that they can promote something that they wish to promote. Anyone can bring their own model for advertisement, if they wish. Microsoft, though, has created their own advertisement model, which promotes other applications within the Windows Phone Marketplace, and showcases other paid apps. Basically, to keep the pay ecosystem going strong. The Windows Phone Marketplace is currency-based, as well, which should be good news for people who have been fed-up with Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE points system. Consumers can tie their Windows Live account (which means you can use Xbox LIVE, Hotmail, or any other Microsoft-based service) with a credit card, and pay for applications directly in that fashion. A Live account is required, though. And, thankfully, the credit card and applications are tied to the account, and not the phone.

Updates for applications are pushed to the device, meaning you’ll never miss an update. Additionally, if the application is part of the core element of the Windows Phone 7 Series, like an Xbox LIVE arcade game, then that push notification would be displayed on the Game Hub. Updates to third-party applications happen in two ways: the toaster method, which means that you get a pop-up notification that an application can be updated; or users can be notified of an available update when they enter into an application. These are determined by the developer, and will be different for each application.

The full policies of application development and all the extra information will be available in May, when Microsoft releases that information officially.

Finally, the Windows Phone Marketplace will be the majority rule for downloading applications to your Windows Phone 7 Series device. Meaning, you can’t side-load a lot of the applications. Except that, you’ll be able to do some “big screen” shopping from your desktop client, such as the Zune Software that syncs your device with your PC. You will be able to buy them from the PC, and then they will syncronize with your device when you connect it.

With rumors coming out that Microsoft is hard at work on the next version of the Zune HD, we wanted to know if Microsoft has any plans to make an optimized version of Windows Phone 7 Series available for any other “mobile” platform. They ceremoniously said that they haven’t announced any future version of the Zune HD, but they did add that the Windows Phone 7 Series User Interface is obviously pulling a lot of design elements from the Zune HD. So, take that for what it’s worth.

The big difference between the Windows Phone Marketplace and the Apple App Store is going to be the transparent screening process. While the rules for the development process for the App Store may not be so clearly defined, Microsoft is going to make sure that everyone who wants to develop for the Windows Phone 7 Series platform knows exacty what they need to do to get published. If they follow those rules, and don’t stray far from the scope, then they’ll get approved. As of right now, there won’t be any mature-rated material found in the Windows Phone Marketplace, but that’s because they don’t have any parental controls in place. As soon as that changes, then the Marketplace may begin to reflect those changes.

As we mentioned previously, developers get 70% of revenue when their application is bought within the Windows Phone Marketplace. When asked about returns, Microsoft made it clear that they do allow refunds for Windows Mobile 6.x, and that that is going to stick around for Windows Phone 7 Series. As for returns that do occur, the developer gets only 70% of the return price, and Microsoft would keep the difference. Developers will not be charged for updating their software, and developers are only charged the $99 a year for the ability to release applications. The development software is free, and will always be free. Additionally, developers are able to release 5 applications, before they are charged $99 for any additional applications they want to release. Obviously, not many developers go over that 5 application threshold. Developers can release one of their apps they’ve already released as many times as they want in the Marketplace, and have the ability to update their application an unlimited amount of times.

MIX10 is still going strong, and there’s still a lot of information to sift through. Hopefully this in-depth interview has brought answers to a lot of the questions you may have, but if you have more, feel free to let us know in the comments. And, if you’re a developer that plans to bring applications to the Windows Phone Marketplace, we want to hear from you in the comments. Are you excited about what Microsoft is doing? What are some of the applications you can’t wait to see, or are going to build yourself?

And lastly, if you want to join the discussion about Windows Phone 7 Series, sign-up over at Windows Phone Forums!

The Marketplace is being billed as the perfect place for you to find whatever it is you’re looking for. Whether to find a game, or to find something to spice up the life of your phone, the Marketplace will have it. It says that it’s a “smarter way” to find your apps, games, and music for your phone, thanks to the panoramic view that Windows Phone 7 Series is highlighting. You can also find featured items of the day.

There’s also the ability to read reviews of the applications you want, as well as “try before you buy,” which is created by the developers. They can choose how long an application can be tested, before the customer is optioned to buy it. There wasn’t any mention of a refund policy though. You cana input your own reviews, and base your decision on app ratings. All easy enough by the touch of your finger.

Discuss Windows Phone 7 Series at Windows Phone Forums!

The news comes courtesy of Charlie Kindel, on Microsoft’s Windows Phone developer experience team, who in the process confirms that applications written for Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and earlier versions won’t be compatible with the new platform.  Kindel says that Microsoft will be supporting these devices “for many years to come”, though it’s obvious that the company expects devs to jump on board with Windows Phone 7.

“The expertise and familiarity with our tools is not lost. If you are a .NET developer today your skills and much of your code will move forward. If you are Silverlight or XNA developer today you’re gonna be really happy. New developers to the platform will find a cohesive, well designed API set with super productive tools.” Charlie Kindel, Microsoft

Apparently Microsoft have been meeting with hundreds of developers and ISVs over the past year to find out exactly what they want from a platform, and almost 70-percent prioritised “ease of use”.  Of course, we’d also guess that they look at the potential for success that a platform faces – contrast, say, iPhone OS development versus Palm’s webOS as it stands currently – but Microsoft seem like a pretty reasonable bet there, too.  More at MIX 2010, we’re told.

Resident Engadget legal-beagle Nilay Patel has been digging through the hot-off-the-press legal documentation, and has highlighted just how Android-centric Apple’s claims are.  Windows Mobile devices, while named in the lawsuit, are only ever tangentially referred to (as “DSP Products”) while the Android devices are specifically connected with what Apple believe to be relevant – and infringed – patents.

Meanwhile, over at Gizmodo they’ve dug through the patent documentation and come up with an illustrated guide.  Some of the filings look, to our legally-untrained eyes, pretty tenuous; Apple have patented “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image” (US Patent No. 7,657,849), or basically using some sort of slider or control on a touchscreen to unlock your phone.  Meanwhile “list scrolling and document translation, scaling, and rotation on a touch-screen display” (US Patent No. 7,469,381) seems to document paging through various screens of text or menus.

In fact, none of the patents specifically refer to multitouch, despite initial expectations (based on Apple’s previous wranglings with Palm).  Instead, many of them deal with the general interface of devices, but since Apple name both devices using HTC Sense and those with the plain Android UI (such as the Nexus One) it’s unclear how HTC are entirely responsible for that.  List paging and an “object-orientated graphic system” (US Patent No. 5,455,599) seem hard-boiled into the underlying OS, rather than specifically something HTC have done, hence our suspicion that this is Apple testing the water for an all-out assault on Google themselves.

That could certainly draw Google into the battle, something Apple’s phrasing appears reluctant to do with Microsoft.  One thing is certain: expect legal experts to be digging into this battle royale for some time to come.

Video demo after the cut

When we say “very early”, we mean it.  By Jaxbot’s own admission the UI runs very slow; as you can see in the video demo below it’s not really usable on your everyday device at present.  The promised beta should be far snappier, however.

As for functionality, already you can set phone, text, Outlook and people to certain apps, see previews of calendar entries on the homescreen and see certain amounts of live preview information.  Future builds will have social networking integration and even “Hubs”, Microsoft’s new enclosures for similarly-themed tasks and other apps.

[via PocketNow]

“You can expect the final release for Android to be available mid-year.  All Android devices that meet our minimum s/w and h/w requirements will be supported.  Unfortunately, I cannot say a lot more publicly about our port to the Android platform at this time.

As for WinMo, we have made the tough decision to defer support for that platform until WinMo7.  This is due to the fact that WinMo6.5 does not support some of the critical APIs that we need.” Antonio R Flores, Adobe

Flores’ excuse regarding APIs may be the truth or, equally likely, Adobe may be deciding to cut their losses with WinMo6.5.3 just as Microsoft themselves appear to be doing.

[via IntoMobile]

Update: Apparently Williams was misquoted; more details after the cut.

Now, we’re working from a Google-translated quote here – Williams actually said “Das wird der nächste Schritt sein” – and there’s certainly a possibility that something has been lost in the process.  Our skepticism stems from the Ovi launch itself; Nokia made it very clear at the time that they viewed Ovi Maps and the accompanying service to be a true differentiator between their devices and those of rivals, and so to publicly suggest that such a differentiator might be diluted seems entirely off-script.

Of course, there’s now speculation that Nokia are planning an Android and/or a Windows Mobile device, neither of which seems likely what with their regular and vocal commitments to S60 and the new MeeGo platform.  We’ve got a request in with Nokia’s PR team for more clarification, and will update as soon as we know more.

Update: Nokia’s UK social media team have got back to us, and as expected the rumors are unfounded.  They’ve spoken to Greig Williams and he absolutely did not make any such statement suggesting an Android/Windows Mobile port was on the cards.  Die Presse are apparently taking down the contentious quote.  Excitement over!

Nokia Ovi Maps demo:

[via Electricpig]

“We’ve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience – much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones” Skype FAQ

One interpretation of their quote is that they are looking to port the iPhone version across to other platforms, potentially including the upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform set for release later in 2010.  Of course, that’s no good if you want to run Skype on your WinMo device now; handily there’s still a hidden page where you can (for the moment) download the file.

[via the::unwired]

The chart detailing U.S. platform share, represents both existing devices as well as new sales during each period., brought to us by Silicon Alley Insider.  Microsoft has lost much of its market share and almost all of its relevance; RIM’s army of BlackBerries and Apple’s legion of iPhones have become the dominant forces jockeying for position in the mobile smartphone arena.

Windows needs a serious boost in its mobile market, and Microsoft knows it, completely revamping its mobile platform and outing Windows Phone 7.  Will it regain its glory, and more crucially, its marketshare?  It depends on a lot of variables, strecthing from hardware choice, pricing, app platform, and carrier selection.  Time will only tell if Microsoft can climb up the very hill it fell from.

There are no handsets debuting today – though HTC, Dell and Qualcomm are among the manufacturers onboard – and all of the demo devices are unbranded, generic models specially built by ASUS.  Still, they’re a decent example of what we can expect: a large, multitouch-friendly capacitive touchscreen with a glass front, three front-panel buttons (back, Start and search), GPS and a rear-mounted camera.  They also have a front-facing camera, though there won’t apparently be support for it natively in Windows Phone 7, and OEMs are limited to what hardware controls they can add; it’s pretty much down to volume buttons, camera shortcut and power.

What Microsoft aren’t talking about is some of the other rumors we’ve heard: talk of no multitasking was met with stony silence (though they did confirm that you’ll be able to play music in the background while doing other tasks), as was any timescale for Flash support, though Adobe have confirmed they’re working on it.  In fact the focus at the show has been showing off the Windows Phone 7 UI, apparently the work of 12 months and a new team including alumni from Nike’s design department.  Since users will be stuck with it, thankfully it’s a pretty slick system; design team member Albert Shum described it as focusing on “content not chrome”, and certainly there’s less unnecessary detailing than you’d find on other platforms (or indeed earlier Windows Mobile versions).  It’s based on the same premise as the Zune HD UI, with strong typography and slick animations – in fact Microsoft employed motion specialists to work on transitions – adding up to something the company hopes is clean, light, open and fast.  They’re describing it as “Authentically Digital”; that is, recognizing that a Windows Phone 7 device is an electronic one, and searching for aesthetics in purity of purpose.

Windows Phone 7 Series hands-on video:

The on-screen Start button has been retired, and the hardware Windows flag now takes you directly to a blocky homescreen.  Each app on the screen is dynamically represented, pulling in the user’s content and constantly shifting; the gallery icon, for instance, transitions through recent shots from the camera.  Microsoft contrasted it to the iPhone OS, where the extent of user app customization is rearranging the icon layout on their homescreen; Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, pushes up constant reminders of the user’s content.  Swiping to the right, however, gives instant access to the entire app list, again something prompted by user requests for easier access.  Microsoft have created six “hubs” – People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace and Office – which collate similarly themed content.  So, the Music + Video hub resembles the Zune HD UI, and if you install a media plugin, such as Pandora (which Microsoft also announced today), it will integrate in here.  The Games hub links in with a user’s Xbox Profile, and you can modify your profile, view those of others, and play games (though Microsoft haven’t announced a list of titles yet).  The People hub pulls in updates from across the phone and various linked services – though we only saw Windows Live and Facebook mentioned – and you can post your own updates and read those of others.

Across each hub is a consistent UI, with large text running across the top showing what element of the hub you’re in – unread, new and flagged emails, for instance – which Microsoft refer to as Pivots.  Swiping across that line flicks between the views.  At the bottom of the screen there are a few contextual buttons – such as trash, next/previous message and reply in messaging – and tapping to either side of them pulls up a more comprehensive menu.  Where there’s a list – such as in messaging – where you might want to select multiple items, tapping to the left expands checkboxes.  Search is generally via Bing, though there’s no global search; instead, hitting the search button in each app triggers a local search.  There’s also support for multiple calendars, including multiple Exchange calendars, with each color-coded.

Microsoft are retiring not only their “Windows Mobile” nomenclature but ActiveSync and any other desktop sync app they’ve used in the past.  Instead, the Zune desktop manager software is being rolled-out worldwide, and that will be used to sync Windows Phone 7 devices.  Both wired and WiFi sync will be possible, which is long-overdue.

Confirmed carrier partners includes AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, while manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm are on-board.  Those partners won’t be able to change the onscreen QWERTY keyboard – which is one of seven layouts (including numeric) Microsoft have developed – but they will be able to add on a hardware QWERTY.  For the moment, since Microsoft have screen aspect ratio specifications, they’ll have to be landscape rather than portrait QWERTY devices, too.  In the display units Microsoft showed us, the accelerometer wasn’t working properly, but final devices will flip automatically between portrait and landscape on-screen keyboard layouts.

We had a chance to try out some of the prototypes – though not take photos or video yet – earlier on today, and first impressions are reasonably positive.  Microsoft were at pains to point out that it’s still an in-development build, and indeed we saw various bugs and slow-downs.  Often these would take place when opening an app, with data being pulled in but no on-screen indication of that taking place nor its progress.  The touchscreen on the development device seemed responsive, as was the onscreen keyboard, and the animations are smooth.  The browser supports pinch-zoom and will eventually reflow text on a double-tap.

Windows Phone 7 UI Demo:

Press Release:

Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Series

New phones designed for life in motion to debut at holiday 2010.

BARCELONA, Spain – Feb. 15, 2010 – Today at Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of Windows® Phones, Windows Phone 7 Series. With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people care about from the Web and applications. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series. Partners have already started building phones; customers will be able to purchase the first phones in stores by holiday 2010.
“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. We believe Windows Phone 7 Series is a phone that truly reflects the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people.”

Designed for Life in Motion
With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft takes a fundamentally different approach to phone software. Smart design begins with a new, holistic design system that informs every aspect of the phone, from its visually appealing layout and motion to its function and hardware integration. On the Start screen, dynamically updated “live tiles” show users real-time content directly, breaking the mold of static icons that serve as an intermediate step on the way to an application. Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a friend’s latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.
Every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for Bing, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone, while a special implementation of Bing search provides intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results, depending on the type of query.
Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:
* People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
*Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.

* Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
* Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
* Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
* Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

Availability
Partners from around the world have committed to include Windows Phone 7 Series in their portfolio plans. They include mobile operators AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc. The first phones will be available by holiday 2010. Customers who would like to receive additional information about Windows Phone 7 Series and be notified when it is available can register at http://www.windowsphone7series.com.
To watch the full replay of Steve Ballmer’s press conference at Mobile World Congress, and to experience Windows Phone 7 Series through an online product demo, readers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/news/windowsphone.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Each smartphone also has Bluetooth (with A2DP support), while the Bluetooth SIG go on to confirm that the E110 has GPS and AGPS.

Those features aren’t mentioned for the P300, but that gets specified with USB 2.0 and WiFi b/g.  We’re assuming both have cameras, but there’s no mention of megapixels, autofocus or flash; after all, the Bluetooth SIG is really just interested in Bluetooth, so we’re lucky to get whatever scraps they give us.

According to the listings, the E110 will see a launch in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, while the P300 will only be released in Asia, Australia and Europe.  There’s no indication of when that might happen, though with Mobile World Congress 2010 only days away there’s a possibility Acer might announce one or both devices there.

[via Unwired View]

As we mentioned before, The Aspen has a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, UMTS/HSPA (dual or triband, depending on region), WiFi and Bluetooth, along with a 3.2-megapixel camera.  There’s also A-GPS, a microSD card slot and stereo speakers, an FM radio with RDS and a 3.5mm headphone jack.  To top it all off, the Sony Ericsson Aspen runs Windows Mobile 6.5.3.

The video demonstrates the Windows Mobile 6.5.3 interface, as well as several menus, and compares it to some Apple, Nokia, and RIM models.  From first look, WinMo 6.5.3 looks nice and quick, so check out the vid for yourself.

[via Recombu]

There’s apparently been a fair bit of customization to get it all up and running with the X1′s hardware, but the touchscreen works and it’s not as sluggish as some hacks we’ve seen.  So far everything bar the Bluetooth, camera, GPS and LCD auto-brightness function, but it’s still a work in progress.

[via Android Community]

That’s earlier than some previous estimates had suggested, but the sources have an explanation for that, too.  Microsoft’s initial WM7 release will only cover English or “common European” languages, with the Asian build not expected until 2011; that staggered launch has, they reckon, led to incorrect assumptions that Microsoft’s overall roadmap is delayed.

Two early Windows Mobile 7 devices currently in development are apparently the HTC Obsession and LG Apollo, though of course the companies themselves aren’t confirming anything.  Samsung, Toshiba, ASUS and Acer are also expected to launch WM7 devices.  Meanwhile Microsoft are also rumored to be considering launching their own Pink project phone at MWC 2010, produced by their in-house Danger team.

As for what WM6.6 brings to the table, the biggest improvement is said to be support for capacitive touchscreens.  Right now only the HTC HD2 runs Windows Mobile with a capacitive display, and HTC had to engineer that support into WM6.5 themselves.  Official support for the technology would make it easier for manufacturers to add the popular touchscreen technology to their model range, and hopefully maintain some platform momentum until Windows Mobile 7 arrives; the sources claim Microsoft is considering delaying WM7 until the end of 2011, rather than the end-2010 they have previously indicated.

The BlackBerry Tour 2 9650 is tipped to include WiFi and use the new BlackBerry 5.0 OS; other BlackBerry devices will include the new BlackBerry Pearl Flip.  Meanwhile there’ll apparently be a Motorola Windows Mobile smartphone, which given the company have said they’ve no plans for a WinMo 6.5 device would seem to suggest it could be a Windows Mobile 7 device.

Elsewhere there are several LG devices – the LG LN510, LN240 and LS680 – with various combinations of touchscreens and QWERTY keyboards, models from Samsung – the M350, M570 and M910 – and a new Sanyo 8600.  The tipster also reckons Sprint will launch a full-touchscreen Android 1.6 smartphone, the Motorola i1, for its Nextel iDEN subscribers, complete with a 5-megapixel camera, together with a black version of the Clutch and new rugged i680 and i890 devices.

“At Xbox LIVE, we’re accelerating the trend towards connected, social interactive entertainment by designing incredibly rich, multi-platform game and community experiences. We’re connecting players via the LIVE services on new devices beyond the console. We need a Principle Program Manager who can help drive the platform and bring Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile. This person will focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences “LIVE Enabled” through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multi-screen experiences.” Microsoft job advert

Beyond that, it looks likely that Microsoft would leverage their Xbox LIVE brand to bring mini-games to Windows Phones, gamers’ performance at which would then be linked into their Xbox LIVE accounts.  There’s no timescale for the rollout of service, however.

[via MobileBurn]

That cool Kohjinsha DZ dual-screen netbook has landed on a video review. I really like the idea behind this netbook, I still want to know about battery life on the thing, and I hope some mainstream netbook makers are looking to offer similar machines.

A new concept called Synaptics Fuse tipped up this week and the thing looks like a cross between a smartphone and a kids toy to me. It’s packed with squeeze, scroll, and stroke sensors and is an interesting concept for sure. MSI added new models to its X-Slim range with a new X350 and X600 Pro. The machines have WiMAX options and can be fitted with a Core 2 Duo processor.

JVC unveiled some cool looking and very thin home theater sound bar systems called the TH-BS7 and TH-BA3. These thin systems would look great on the wall along with your HDTV. Slides leaked out showing that NVIDIA is set to debut a couple new high-end video cards called the GTX 360 and the GTX 380. The GTX 380 looks to be more powerful than anything ATI is offering now.

The Nokia N900 has been confirmed for Vodafone aiming at a launch in January. We bet the thing will be offered free with certain plans. The FCC outed a new Samsung ST5500 camera with WiFi with 14.2MP and 7x optical zoom. Samsung was fast to point out the specs could change before launch.

Viewsonic released a boring netbook called the Viewbook VNB102 that has nothing interesting about it. The machine is like every other netbook on the market for the last year. I guess netbooks are like the field of dreams for these companies, just because you build it, customers will not come. Corsair unveiled a massively expensive RAM kit this week with 24GB in six DIMMS. The big downside was the kit costs over $1300.

Toshiba unveiled some new 64GB NAND chips this week that would be fantastic for the iPhone. Here’s hoping they find their way into the next model to hit the market. The Google Nexus One turned up on another video this week. We wish someone would just give us a full video breakdown, they must fear the Google ninjas.

LaCie unveiled a small external HDD called the Rikiki that has 640GB of storage and is about the size of a tiny monkey. Apple won a permanent injunction against Psystar this week. The judge didn’t specifically name Rebel EFI in the injunction but said Psystar would sell the software at its peril.

Cherrypal unveiled the $99 Africa netbook aimed at developing countries. The company also announced an updated Bing netbook for those of us with more loot to spend. The WarMouse Meta has debuted with 18 buttons and packing a laser sensor. I would never remember where I bound the macros on the thing.

AAXA has debuted its M1 projector that is both bigger and brighter than the pico. It had better be much brighter, that Pico was nearly useless in anything but total darkness. I am not sure how I feel about Bond’s preferred car marquee building a city car. Aston Martin has unveiled the Cygnet that looks like a cross between a Mini and a DB9.

The Barnes & Noble Nook has been hacked to add a full web browser to the device. That would actually be a cool feature, but I am sure the data consumption will be higher and AT&T won’t be happy. Word came in this week that the NVIDIA Ion 2 launch had been delayed at the request of manufacturers. The crux of the delay is to let the computer makers sell the remaining original ION devices.

The best news this week was that the 3D Blu-ray specs had been completed and that the PS3 would support 3D. I will be glad to see 3D movies in the home, but we will surely need a new TV to enjoy 3D on the PS3. SplitFish started shipping its Dual SFX Evolution controller. The thing looks pretty cool, but I bet it takes some getting used to.

The Asus Eee 1005P and 1005PE netbook broke cover this week. Both the machines are running the Intel Pine Trail platform. Research firm IDC reports that the PC market is back to growth. This year the growth is minimal, but through 2013 the prediction is for double-digit growth.

CES is right around the corner and one of the cool gadgets we will be looking for is the Notion Ink Tegra Android smartpad. This thing should be all kinds of cool. Fusion Garage and Michael Arrington are continuing with their legal battle over the failed CrunchPad. Fusion Garage still maintains it owns the IP behind the design.

The iPhone has beaten Windows Mobile in market share for the U.S. smartphone market. Windows Mobile is the only mobile OS losing market share according to a recent report. That’s it for this week, have a Merry Christmas!

The gap was narrowed back in July, and Microsoft’s sluggish growth between then and October has left them floundering behind Apple’s significant climb in numbers.  Google’s Android platform and Symbian are both trailing at the back, while Palm has around a third of Apple’s numbers.

In terms of specific patterns of use, comCast found that both Android and Apple users were roughly equal in their mobile media and news/browser access, while iPhone owners made significantly more use of email.  Android users are slightly more likely to use IM on their devices, perhaps because of the platform’s native multitasking support, while iPhone users are slightly more likely to access social networking.  comCast reckon the battle is now between Android and iPhone: 17-percent of users questioned during the three month period to October said they were planning to buy an Android-based device, while 20-percent said they planned to pick up an iPhone.

The iPAQ Glisten gets an AMOLED touchscreen display, Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and a 3.1-megapixel camera, together with both WiFi and GPS.  They’ve also packed it with all the 3G bands you’ll need not only in the US but while traveling too, though you’ll obviously have to deal with AT&T’s roaming rates as well.

All the usual Windows Phone enhancements are here, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile, IE Mobile 6 and the Facebook app, and there’s also a dedicated WiFi control button and access to AT&T’s 20,000 WiFi hotspots.  The HP iPAQ Glisten will be available “in the coming weeks” priced at $179.99 after a $50 rebate and assuming a new, two-year agreement.

Press Release:

AT&T and HP Introduce HP iPAQ Glisten, 3G World Phone for Mobile Professionals

Dallas, Texas, November 24, 2009

AT&T* and HP (NYSE: HPQ) today announced the upcoming availability of the new HP iPAQ Glisten, a feature-rich 3G world phone that meets the increasing demands of modern mobile professionals. AT&T’s first smartphone with an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen, the HP iPAQ Glisten is loaded with features tailored with the business power user in mind.

Featuring the Microsoft Windows® Mobile 6.5 operating system, the iPAQ Glisten offers a touch-friendly user interface and improved browser with Flash support. Connections to your favorite people, content and applications are a fingertip away on the redesigned Start Menu, and Internet Explorer Mobile** supports the rich experiences that many Web pages offer for desktop computers.

Users can easily move between work and leisure with advanced mobile e-mail capabilities, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS functionality as well as rich multimedia features and applications. AT&T supports Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a variety of applications.

The iPAQ Glisten features a full QWERTY keyboard and five-way directional pad for fast, easy and accurate messaging including SMS/MMS and e-mail. The touch-enabled AMOLED screen, among the best displays on the market, allows users to easily navigate through menus, windows, and links with the touch of a finger.

“iPAQ Glisten adds to our innovative Windows Phone portfolio,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “It meets the demands of our business customers while boasting a beautiful AMOLED touch screen and a full package of multimedia features.”

“The iPAQ Glisten packs a powerful punch with its multiple input methods, variety of connectivity options, and a familiar, consistent email experience that allows mobile professionals to connect with the people and information that matter most to them,” said Susan Macke, vice president, Marketing, Handheld Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Our strategy for success in growing the iPAQ business and customer base is working with industry leaders, like AT&T and Microsoft, and leveraging our collective strengths in the business and prosumer markets.”

Manage and take control of demanding professional lifestyles
Power users stay more connected with Outlook calendaring, Microsoft Word and Excel as well as the ability to view Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe PDF documents. The HP iPAQ Glisten gives users the ability to manage a single contact list and synchronize them wirelessly or with a PC using a supported e-mail account. It also comes with an integrated inbox that summarizes recent emails, calls, and texts.

In addition, users can take advantage of the built-in speakerphone and enjoy the freedom of hands-free control with Voice Commander, voice recognition software which reads text messages, emails and appointment details and lets users begin messages and dial contacts using simple voice prompts.

Bridge work and social life
Web browsing and streaming video on the HP iPAQ Glisten are fast and enjoyable with the improved Internet Explorer Mobile 6. Users can turn on the built-in Wi-Fi quickly with a dedicated on/off button and enjoy high-speed Internet access – featuring automatic access to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots included at no additional charge with select smartphone data plans.

Users can also connect with friends and colleagues on their favorite social networking sites, including a preloaded Facebook application. Mobile professionals can capture pictures and videos with the 3.1 megapixel camera and view them in brilliant color and clarity or edit them with HP Photosmart Mobile and easily share them via email or on the Web using Snapfish.

Pricing and availability
The HP iPAQ Glisten will be available in the coming weeks for $229.99 (receive a $50 AT&T Promotion Card with two-year agreement, smartphone data plan). The smartphone will be available through AT&T business services, HP corporate sales, small and medium business and consumer Websites at AT&T.com and HP.com as well as through third-party e-commerce sites.

More information on HP iPAQ Glisten is available at www.att.com/hpipaqglisten and www.hp.com/go/glisten. For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

**Advance Mobile Email Capabilities: Standard GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA infrastructure, Wi-Fi network access, other Bluetooth-enabled devices, separately purchased equipment, and a service contract with a wireless service provider may be required for applicable wireless communication. Wireless Internet access requires separately purchased Internet service contract. Check with service provider for availability and coverage in your area. Not all web content available. Normal GSM Data Calls (CSD) are not basic GSM data services. These services may not be available via all service providers, and may require separate subscription. Establishment and continuation of a wireless connection depends on network availability, provider support and signal strength. Coverage is subject to transmission limitations and terrain, system, capacity and other limitations. Wireless transmission speeds may vary due to location, environment, network capabilities and other conditions. Not all features and service options are available in all areas.

1 AT&T imposes: a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge of up to $1.25 to help defray costs incurred in complying with obligations and charges imposed by State and Federal telecom regulations; State and Federal Universal Service charges; and surcharges for government assessments on AT&T. These fees are not taxes or government-required charges.
2 3G coverage is not available in all areas.
3 Coverage not available in all areas.
4 AT&T Promotion Card: Price before AT&T Promotion Card & with 2 year contract is $229.99. Allow 60 days for fulfillment. Card valid for 120 days wherever major credit cards accepted. May be used to pay wireless bill. Not redeemable for cash and cannot be used at ATMs or gas pumps. Some restrictions and other charges apply. See terms at store or at att.com/wirelessrebate. You must be customer for 30 consecutive days to receive Promotion Card. Offer expires December 25, 2009.
5 Limited-time offer. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live & have a mailing addr. within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activ. fee applies. Equipment price & avail may vary by mrk & may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $175. Some agents impose add’l fees. Offnet Usage: If your mins of data use on other carrier’s networks (“offnet usage”) during any month exceeds your offnet usage allowance, AT&T may at its option terminate your svc, deny your contd use of other carriers’ coverage, or change your plan to one imposing usage charges for offnet usage. Your data offnet usage allowance is the lesser of 24 MB or 20% of the KB incl’d with your plan).
6 Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.
7 Standard usage rates apply to text messaging and Internet browsing, depending on your plan.
8 Nation’s largest Wi-fi network based on non-municipal company and owned and operated hotspots and an 802.11 b/g enabled device.
9 Built in GPS: purchase of GPS navigation and maps is required.
10 Voice Commander: the ‘Read email’ Voice Command feature is only available for email sent via an Outlook Exchange Server to the iPAQ Glisten Outlook Inbox.

According to the Windows Team blog, around 90-percent of the titles in the Marketplace should support the older versions of the OS, and the app will support not only free but paid titles too.  Users of the 6.0 and 6.1 smartphones should hop over to http://mp.windowsphone.com/ from their handset in order to download it; alternatively those in the US can use this form to have a direct download link sent to them.

Reports are coming in that Samsung will be moving away from Windows Mobile in its handsets and moving towards using Android. According to analyst Greg Noh from HMC Investment Securities Samsung will move from 80% Windows Mobile usage to 50% in 2010.

That percentage is said to be decreased further in coming years until only 20% of Samsung’s devices use Windows Mobile by 2012. The move is seen as a signal by some that more and more handset makers are moving away from Windows Mobile towards Google’s open source Android OS.

Of course, that raises the question of why Barnes and Noble haven’t enabled lending support for their Android client, as is possible on the iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola handsets, and a few other clients, when the nook itself is Android based.  Check out our launch day coverage of the nook here.

[via The eBook Test]

The handset is hailed as the first business-class GSM quad-band 3.5G phone that runs Windows Mobile. The handset offers a full QWERTY keyboard and a frameless touch screen to allow fast and easy text messaging and email. Inside the handset is a 624MHz CPU that supports advanced applications and multi-tasking.

The Billionair 7 also has a front facing camera for video conferencing and one on the back for taking pictures. The handset is compatible with HSDPA technology and has integrated 802.11g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability. The camera is a 3MP unit with digital zoom that can capture video as well. A built-in microSD card slot supports up to 8GB of storage. The handset is available now for $275.

While the transition from Widows Mobile to Android isn’t that shocking, considering the love that HTC has shown for the evolving OS, but considering that their Windows Mobile roots go well deeper than anyone can see, we’re shocked to learn that Windows Mobile 6.5 won’t be on the updated Touch HD. A source told Register Hardware that the new Touch HD will be significantly faster than its predecessor, and actually faster than the majority of HTC handsets on the market right now.

Currently, the basic standard for HTC devices is a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, but the mole went on to say that the Touch HD will upgrade to a 628MHz Qualcomm chip. The Touch HD 2 will also feature a massive 3.8-inch touchscreen (no word on resistive or capacitive, but it is Android, so hopefully capacitive). There wasn’t any information revealed about future availability or pricing, but we’re sure that won’t be too far off now.

[via Register Hardware]

Sure, it’s unlocked. And that’s all well and good, but come on Samsung. Or Amazon. Or whoever is in charge of this disaster, let’s be real here. Take a look at Nokia’s N900 going for $700 and that being glared at, and out of left-field comes the Omnia II for a grand? No. But, if you’re interested in the price, then here’s your stats: 5MP camera, 8GB on board storage, WiFi, GPS, Windows Mobile (6.1) that can be upgraded to 6.5 once available, and a 3.7″ resistive, AMOLED display that runs TouchWiz 2.0.

Yes, there are good features, and yes, this phone is coming to Verizon, and this is the first time where we can say carrier subsidy will obviously be a beneficial thing. Is anyone thinking about pre-ordering this? Are you that excited for another Windows Mobile device, with some albeit fantastic physical features? We understand that technology is expensive, but let’s not go overboard here.

[via Amazon]

And it’s going to cost a pretty penny. While the T-Mobile Touch Pro 2 is already available for the same price, there were a few people out there who were hoping that HTC’s Touch Pro 2 would see at least somewhat of a price drop, once it reached the Now Network. Either way, we’re sure someone out there is still clamoring for this thing, and thankfully September 8 seems to be the day of days, so to speak.

We’ve already provided a review for you, so if that got you interested in this new piece of tech, and you’re on the Sprint Network, then get ready to drop a hefty $349.99 after a $100 rebate. You’re going to have to sign a new two-year contract of course, and sit atop a data plan, but that’s nothing new. As for the specs, nothing’s changed with the launch. It’s still running WindowsMobile 6.1, has a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 3.6-inch touchscreen.

And now that the Touch Pro 2 is ready to hit Sprint, we should be “eagerly awaiting the AT&T” version here soon. With T-Mobile USA users already using theirs, were you one of the lucky ones to grab one? If so, what do you think? Is it everything you wanted and more? If you’re on Sprint, are you waiting to grab this thing as soon as it’s available? Or are you going into a store to play with one first, before you smack down your money?

[via WM Experts]

Other specifications for the ambitious render include an 8-megapixel camera, WiFi and GPS, while the processor keeping everything chugging along is tipped as an 806MHz chip of unspecified origin.  According to Sunno, Chinese buyers will be able to pick up the S880 from October 15th.

While a dual-booting handset that can flip between Microsoft’s smartphone OS and Google’s might seem like madness, it does mean you could use the business-friendly Windows Mobile during the work day – after all, it does play exceptionally well with an Exchange server – and then flip over to the more carefree Android during your downtime.  No word on pricing, nor which cellular connectivity the S880 might have, but we don’t expect to see it in Europe or North America anyway.

[via WMPowerUser]

Video demo after the cut

Leo’s new widget layout and fettled menu bars look great on the Touch HD’s display, even if it’s a little smaller (at 3.8-inches) than the massive 4.3-inch panel the new HTC phone totes.  There are more animations, too, though the whole thing seems to lack speed; that could be because the Leo is expected to have a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, compared the Touch HD’s which is just over half that speed.

Still, if you’re wondering what TouchFLO 3D 2.6 will look like and how it will interact with Windows Mobile 6.5 then check out the video below.  We’re curious to see what Microsoft’s rumored WM6.5 UI refresh looks like, tentatively tipped for early in 2010, but we’ll have to wait for the next round of leaks before seeing that.

[via HDBlog.IT]

Let’s be clear, while Windows Mobile’s UI is not as flashy or fluid as that of the iPhone, it certainly stacks up well against offerings from other vendors. This latest set of UI enhancements, along with hardware innovation from licensees HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG have also helped put a little more polish and chrome on the UI as well.

Just take a look at the HTC Touch Pro 2 if you want to see how far Windows Mobile has come these days. It’s not perfect but the key is that the core of the product works rather well and for synchronization with Exchange, there’s simply no better solution (or more cost effective solution, as pointed out in TCO study after TCO study). But Windows Mobile is more than just the Enterprise. Here are my top five reasons why we’re going to see Microsoft stay in the Windows Mobile game for some time to come.

1. Choice. Microsoft’s partners offer Windows Mobile devices (or Windows Phones as they’re now called) in in a variety of form factors. OEMs offer everything from touchscreen to full QWERTY keyboard as well as a range of devices in between. When it comes to mobile devices, one size does not fit all. In addition, Windows Phones are available from a range of carriers extending consumer choice even further.

2. Microsoft offers the best integration to Exchange via ActiveSync for sync of contacts, calendars and email. While other platforms have licensed the Exchange/ActiveSync protocol, no one else offers the degree of integration and management that Windows Mobile offers.

3. While email support is critical, it’s what’s in the email, often in the guise of attachments, that’s where the real information lies. Windows Mobile’s native support for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note make it seamless to not only read the information but edit as needed as well.

4. Steve Ballmer is well noted for his mantra of developers, developers, developers. With Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which is a core part of 6.5 , Microsoft is emulating Apple with an integrated shopping experience that allows users to quickly find and purchase the latest application they’re looking for. While Microsoft does not have Apple’s 50,000 plus strong applications catalog, there have been more than 20,000 third party applications developed for Windows Mobile that extend the functionality of the platform. Moreover, the platform is completely open so developers need not use the store to deliver their applications if they choose not to.

5. Windows phones are among the few platforms that offer the ability to live in the intersection between business and personal spaces. The core software offers both business integration as well as entertainment and social features to seamlessly move between family and friends to co-workers and colleagues.

Today, it’s not just the IT department handing devices out to users. It’s people making the choice of platform and device to be used with both business and personal information and scenarios. Despite the negative hype, make no mistake, Windows Mobile should be still be on any mobile device purchase shortlist.

Video after the cut

At the same time, the voiceover suggests “If you want your app to do well, you’ve got to set it up for success. That means learning from experience, knowing when you could do better.”  You could indeed read that as a critique of Apple’s approval system, which has recently hit headlines for rejecting various applications for what have at first glance seemed like spurious reasons.

However Long Zheng from istartedsomething has also been privy to internal Microsoft documents that “outright ban” turn-by-turn navigation apps from the Marketplace, which if maintained could make a mockery of this new campaign.

Alternatively, though, another interpretation might be that Microsoft are not looking at Apple specifically, but instead hinting to developers that they should focus on building apps for newer, emptier download services where they can gain more attention from users, rather than existing, well-stocked download stores where they might not so readily carve a niche.

Sly side-swipe or otherwise – let us know what you think in the comments.

[via istartedsomething]

“The LIVE Engagement Team is looking for a LIVE Community Director to manage its LIVE community strategy and execution across a range of properties, from Xbox LIVE to Windows Mobile. This senior position will play a vital role in the community space as the LIVE Engagement team builds and programs Microsoft’s next-generation, LIVE-enabled casual and social gaming platform across the Web, the console, mobile and beyond.”

Microsoft is well versed in saying that they plan to invade the “three screens”, which looks to be: TV, PC, and any and all mobile devices they can get their software onto. Of course, Windows Mobile is a well known Operating System on phones around the world, and Steve Ballmer said back in 2008 that the Zune Software would be integrating with WinMo, so maybe this is just one more step in that direction.

Zune would be getting their own games as well, called Indie Games, which was announced in June of this year. But as of right now, the only solid word of any Zune integration with the Xbox branch is Zune Video, which can be played via the Xbox 360 console, later in the year, but all of that might change with the release of the Zune HD. Might we see some kind of integration between video games, and the Zune HD, where gamers could potentially solve puzzles via their portable device, if not something more in depth?

[via ArsTechnica, thanks Adrian]