Hasta La Gadget!

You may be surprised to learn this, but we’re currently at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, which is basically the CES of cellphone shows. We’ve seen a handful of emails from confused readers who didn’t understand why the site was stacked from floor to ceiling with cellphone news — and we wanted to clear things up. We’re not just covering the news because there’s a tradeshow going on, of course. There are some huge stories breaking at MWC, and we’d be remiss in our duties if we didn’t cover every single one of them. Now, some of you may ask why we don’t just carry the news on Engadget Mobile; the simple answer is that we are covering the news on Engadget Mobile, but the stuff that we feel has crossover relevance and appeal (which happens to be a lot this year) ends up on Engadget Classic as well. If you can’t handle the insane and awesome torrent of phone-related news, you can subscribe to a special feed we’ve set up with Yahoo! Pipes which axes our MWC stories, but to be frank, you’ll be missing a lot of really cool gadget news. Hey, it’s your call.

Engadget Classic without any MWC news – RSS feed, Pipes page
Engadget Classic with only MWC news – RSS feed

Filed under: Announcements

Too much cellphone news on Engadget? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kind of a big announcement from Microsoft and LG at MWC just now — LG’s going to make Windows Mobile its primary smartphone operating system, and it sounds like there’s going to be some serious cash involved from both sides to make it happen. No specific device plans yet, but that’s going to change big fast — LG’s going to drop 50 (!) WinMo handsets on us through 2012. Yikes. Hope you’re ready for some S-Class WinMo action, guys.

Filed under: Cellphones

LG picks Windows Mobile as its primary smartphone OS, plans to release 50 new phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s event is located in the Plaza Catalunya across the street from the expo center proper, and the world’s WinMo faithful (well, okay, the world’s technology press) have started to gather inside in preparation for the 3PM Central European Time extravaganza.

Continue reading Live from Microsoft’s MWC press conference!

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Live from Microsoft’s MWC press conference! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZiiLABS — that same company that blew up the hype machine with its StemCell Computing initiative at CES — is making good on its promise to demonstrate Android in HD on its ZMS-05 media-rich processor / development platform. There’s not much here that can’t be better explained via video than words, so hop on past the break for a look at the (admittedly silky smooth) demonstration.

[Thanks, Ruben]

Continue reading Video: ZiiLABS demos Android in HD on ZMS-05 processor

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: ZiiLABS demos Android in HD on ZMS-05 processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With an endless chain of leaks dating back several months, the suspense factor might not be there that Microsoft had been hoping for — but for what it’s worth, Windows Mobile 6.5 is now official. The latest rendition of Microsoft’s mobile platform puts an emphasis on touch-friendliness with a honeycomb-style main menu that the company says is easier to finger than a traditional grid layout; a new lock screen that can be slid on different alerts to automatically call up texts, voicemails, and so on; a thoroughly-restyled cut of Internet Explorer Mobile that features a touchable zoom slider and frequently-used commands; redesigned menus that don’t need a stylus to actuate; fingerable home and contacts screens, and more. It’s not the thorough gutting of the platform many were hoping for, but for anyone thinking that Windows Mobile 6.1 can stand another facelift without ending up looking like Joan Rivers, 6.5’s clearly your baby. Sadly, Microsoft’s saying that no devices in the market today will receive official 6.5 updates, but don’t pull out your wallets just yet, though — the first devices with Windows Mobile 6.5 preinstalled should be available in the fourth quarter of the year.

Further reading:

	Windows Mobile 6.5 feature tour sneaks onto YouTube Well, what have we got here? Someone has upped nine breathtaking minutes of Windows Mobile 6.5 (build 21159.5.0.0, if you must know) running live on an HTC Touch HD.		Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot We’re just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable announcements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather.
	Microsoft confirms MyPhone, invite-only beta coming to MWC Remember that alleged Microsoft MyPhone beta page that popped up on getskybox.com yesterday? It’s back up now and being hosted under the company’s official domain, with everything apparently intact except that tantalizing “Sign In” button.		Microsoft Recite brings voice search to your voice notes Windows Mobile 6.5’s presumably going to be the big news out of Redmond here at MWC this week, but Microsoft’s also using the show as an opportunity to launch the “technology preview” of its Recite software, an ultra-simple voice note app for WinMo 6.0 and above.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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