Hasta La Gadget!

Boeing’s truck-mounted HEL TD laser is assembled and ready for testing. It’s designed to shoot down short-range projectiles and UAVs.

Make no mistake, Microsoft isn’t playing coy in the smartphone market any longer. The folks in Redmond are making a significant jump forward in the mobile arena, announcing that the upcoming version of Windows Phone, codenamed “Mango,” will be heading to a device near you in time for the holidays. As its competitors have raised the bar of expectations to a much higher level, Microsoft followed suit by adding at least 500 features to its mobile investment, which the company hopes will plug all of the gaping holes the first two versions left open.

We received a Samsung Focus preloaded with the most recent developer build (read: not even close to the market release version) and we had a few good days to put it through its paces. It’s still far from completion, as there were several key features that we couldn’t test out; some weren’t fully implemented, and others involved third-party apps that won’t be updated until closer to launch. Yet we don’t want to call this build half-baked — in fact, it was surprisingly smooth for software that still has at least four months to go before it’s available for public consumption.

At the risk of sounding ridiculously obvious, we’re mighty interested in seeing the final result when all is said and done this holiday season. As a disclaimer, we can’t guarantee that the stuff we cover here will actually look or act the same when it’s ready to peek out and make its official introduction in Q4; as often happens, features and UI enhancements are subject to be changed by the Windows Phone team as Mango gets closer and closer to release. Let’s get straight to brass tacks, since there’s a lot of details to dive into. It’d be best to grab a large beverage (we’d recommend a Big Gulp, at least), find your most comfortable chair, and meet us after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone 4 was released in June 2010. Rumors peg Apple's next iPhone to launch in September this year. (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

Should we expect to see two new iPhones in September? Although it’s an interesting possibility, it doesn’t seem very likely.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore claims that Apple will be releasing two iPhone models in September: a completely new model — referred to as the iPhone 5 — and an essentially souped-up iPhone 4 called the iPhone 4S.

“With Nokia and RIMM struggling, the time is right for Apple to aggressively penetrate the midrange smartphone market (i.e. $300-500 category) to dramatically expand its [total addressable market] and market share,” Whitmore says.

Whitmore believes that an unlocked iPhone 4S with a $350 price tag and a prepaid voice plan would be able to penetrate markets that previous iPhone models have been unable to. Such markets include Africa, Asia and Latin America, where prepaid voice plans far outnumber post-paid plans, which dominate here in the United States.

Image: Deutsche Bank

The rumor of an affordable, prepaid iPhone has been floating around for several months now, particularly from financial analysts — and often with little to no actual proof. The most evidence for such a phone stems from statements by Apple COO Tim Cook that Apple understands “price is a big factor in the prepaid market,” especially in China, and that it is “not ceding any market.”

Other rumors about the upcoming iPhone that carry a bit more clout include the September launch date, improved A5 chip and 8-megapixel camera sensor and stylistic changes such as curved glass and a flat metal back.

A dual iPhone-model release seems pretty unlikely for several reasons. Firstly, financial analysts typically have a pretty poor track record at predicting anything Apple-related — although they did get a few things right about the iPad before it launched. Whitmore has no proof to substantiate his claim.

And as for affordability, Apple substantially reduces the price of previous iPhone models whenever a new one becomes available. The iPhone 3GS is currently sold for $50, for example. Apple and its carriers, AT&T and Verizon, would only need to introduce a new prepaid pricing option for older iPhone models; there’s no need to create an entirely different phone model for markets that favor prepaid voice plans.

Apple also recently made its GSM model available unlocked for $650. Not cheap, but an option for those who don’t want to stick with AT&T or Verizon’s standard data plans here in the United States, or for those who want to use it internationally.

Apple just has no need to release two new iPhone models in September, or whenever the company decides to lift the curtain on its latest smartphone.

Seemingly inspired by the look of a taco, the Smartfish Mouse Pad Travel Pouch works as both a mouse pad and a zip-up travel storage case.

CNET editor Dong Ngo’s take on Crucial’s SATA 3 (6Gbps) M4 solid state drive.