Amazon is today adding BlackBerrys to its stable of Kindle-compatible devices and also taking the opportunity to remind us that it’s working hard on Mac and iPad versions of its software. The app is a freebie download for Americans (sadly it’s not international just yet) and should offer the same functionality as its PC and iPhone brethren — namely automatic syncing via Whispersync and what Amazon hopes will be a seamless reading experience from one device to the next. There’s also an in-app book store, as well as the ability to create bookmarks and view annotations from other portable Kindle readers. Go download it at the Amazon link if you care, or move right along if you don’t.
Despite being launched at Mobile World Congress, VoxOx has yet to make a mobile version of its Universal Translator. That said, the desktop version is still quite useful for those with Windows or OS X-based rigs who attempt to communicate with friends — particularly with friends who speak a different native language. The new software build enables real-time language translation for SMS chat, social media and email, and so long as the VoxOx client is pulled up, you can send and receive any of those messages in your own tongue while receiving translated messages in return. Granted, we get the idea that some phrases will be quite literally lost in translation, but this sure beats accessing Google’s Language Tools for each questionable phrase. Hit the download link below to grab a copy, and head on past the break for a video demonstration of what’s on offer.
Update: Read our hands-on with the new Windows Phone 7 Series.
Microsoft on Monday announced its next-generation mobile operating system Windows Phone 7 Series, which will bring together the Zune multimedia experience and Xbox Live gaming to mobile phones worldwide.
Manufacturers have already begun building phones featuring Windows Phone 7 Series with plans for release by the 2010 holiday season, according to Microsoft. Manufacturers on board include Dell, Garmin, Asus, HTC, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba.
Carrier partners include AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, and Vodafone.
Microsoft did not announce its own phone hardware. However, the software giant is working more closely than it has in the past with manufacturing partners in the design process of their phone hardware. For example, each Windows 7 Series phone will include a dedicated hardware button to access Microsoft’s Bing search tool with one click.
“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,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, in a press statement. “Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”
Similar to the Zune HD’s interface, the Windows Phone 7 Series main screen is organized into six “Hubs” (categories) containing different sets of features: People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace and Office.
The People hub includes tools to make posting status updates, photos and videos on social networking sites (such as Facebook and Windows Live) a one-step process.
The Pictures hub keeps a user’s videos and photos all in one place, where they can also be immediately posted on a social networking site.
The Games section will provide access to the Xbox Live experience. With Xbox Live integration, Windows Phone 7 Series users will be able to download and play games sold through Microsoft’s online store, Xbox Live Marketplace, which currently serves about 300 titles. Windows Phone 7 users will also be able to view their Xbox Live profiles, avatars and game achievements on their phones. (The addition of Xbox Live to Microsoft’s mobile OS may come as a surprise, but the software giant as early as 2007 announced its plans to incorporate the Xbox Live experience into phones as part of its “Live Anywhere” program.)
For Music + Video, Microsoft is integrating its Zune player software into Windows Phone 7 Series, which will enable Windows Phone 7 Series customers to sync and play content downloaded through the Zune Marketplace store. Windows Phone 7 Series devices will also include a built-in FM radio and Zune Social to share their music recommendations with other users.
The Office hub will contain productivity tools: Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace, enabling users to read, edit and share documents. This section also includes Outlook Mobile for managing e-mail, appointments, contacts and tasks.
At the press conference, Ballmer was vague about the Marketplace hub, which will serve downloadable third-party apps and games. Microsoft did not disclose whether Windows Phone 7 Series would have access to apps and games sold through the Zune Marketplace. The company said it plans to share details about the Windows Phone 7 Series Marketplace and its development platform during the Microsoft MIX developer conference in March.
“Windows phones are very differentiated with the new UI,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president and tech strategist of Interpet. “They don’t look to act like another iPhone clone. The integration of other Microsoft services such as Zune and especially Xbox will help drive a message that there’s more to mobile than apps, and that integrative services matter a lot as well. Finally, the breakdown of app silos into an integrated story will help, and Microsoft explains why different can be better.”
Microsoft’s new, rebranded mobile OS is the software giant’s effort to regain its edge in the mobile space. The software giant had a head start in mobile beginning with Windows CE, its pocket PC OS, in 1996, which serves as the foundation for the Windows Mobile OS shipping on smartphones today. However, while Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android devices are gaining market share and rising in popularity, they’ve left Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS in the dust. Windows Mobile lost nearly a third of its smartphone market share between 2008 and 2009, according to research firm Gartner. Windows Mobile had 11 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter of 2008, according to Gartner, and in the third quarter of 2009 Windows Mobile’s market share plummeted to 7.9 percent.
Analysts and developers told Wired.com in November 2009 that Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS failed to appeal to the mainstream because its apps focused on enterprise users rather than consumers. Also, from a programmer’s perspective the platform was difficult to develop apps for due to segmentation of the hardware ecosystem for Windows Mobile smartphones. Because Windows Mobile ships on several different manufacturers’ hardware, including phones made by HTC, LG and Samsung, developers have to code an app for several phones with different UI styles, buttons and screen sizes — a daunting task when compared to coding one app for Apple’s iPhone platform.
It remains to be seen to what extent Windows Phone 7 Series will compensate for its predecessor’s weaknesses — though the emphasis of personal media and social networking, along with the additions of Xbox gaming and Zune functionality, will likely shift the new platform’s focus toward consumers. Also, because Microsoft is now more involved in the design process of Windows Phone 7 Series hardware (as shown by the Bing button and built-in FM tuner included with all Windows Phone 7 Series phones), it may become easier for developers to code software for the new platform.
“Microsoft hasn’t been in nearly as bad shape as many have believed, but this refresh takes them to the next level in terms of mobile platforms and does so in a way that differentiates them from the rest of the market,” Gartenberg said. “Their challenge now is to execute, continue to tell the rest of the story and begin to expand their market share as these devices come to market.”
A live webcast of the Windows Phone 7 Series announcement will be viewable at Microsoft’s website 3 p.m. CET (6 a.m. PDT) on Monday. Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel will be reporting live from Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. He’ll post more details as he receives them, so stay tuned.
We loved the concept behind the Touch Wood last year, NTT DOCOMO’s cypress phone. Now, once again mixing eco and design insights in that bravado way that only Japanese product designers seem to know, the Moku Deji (もくデジ or “Wood Digital”) series from Game Tech and With Smile Ltd. brings consumers natural wooden covers for their iPhone or Nintendo DS consoles.
It feels smooth and natural in the hand, and is arguably more eco than a plastic case (not just aesthetically of course, but also in the manufacturing process). The makers have used a warm mahogany for the outside cover and then, for the iPhone model, a velvet to cushion your handset inside. The results are, as you see, stunning.
Using only Japanese wood (saving on the carbon footprints from importing — disposable chopsticks brought in from China could learn a lot here), there are currently six models: the iPhone, iPod nano, iPod touch, DSLite, DSi, and DSi LL. You can even have a customized name or logo inscribed. Prices vary a bit, with the nano cover as low as 6,800 JPY (c.$76), the iPhone case at 9,600 JPY (c.$107) and the DS ones at around 16,000 JPY (c.$179).
It seems that Set Japan, who wowed us with their Louis Vuitton / Murakami and Marc Jacobs promotions last year, have now been working on “built” QR codes for clients like Frisk mints, utilizing actual physical object (like the product in this case) to create the scan-able barcodes.
We’ve been gathering resources and case studies on eco trends in Japan for years now. As part of our recent eco report we compiled a lot of them into categories in order to analyze their influence and global potential. Here’s a quick run-down of some of the coolest innovations we came across.
1. Eco-vending machines
Japan has 2.4 million beverage vending machines and this understandably consumes a vast amount of power. How can we support our mobile lifestyles while being kind to the planet? Well, there are prototypes being developed, including Fuji Electric’s E3 vending machines, which gets energy from a solar panel and insulates in the winter by growing moss on its side.
2. Solar powered electronics
Products such as those from Sanyo’s eneloop range prove that it is possible to be consumerist, mobile and eco at the same time. From their batteries that can be recharged 1,000 times to this portable solar panel, if you want to be green without setting up in a shack in the woods — then eneloop might be the solution. The panel serves as an auxiliary power source for your music player or iPhone, and can be put into your bag or held in your hand.
What’s more, though the totally solar-powered mobile phone might have some time to go, the main Japanese carriers are still pioneering handsets that at least offer some extra energy help from the sun. Softbank’s Solar Hybrid phone is waterproof and part-solar powered, with 10 minutes of solar charging equaling 1 minute of conversation.
3. Art visions
What would Tokyo look like if the pavement were suddenly replaced with grass? Well, the Green Island Project have turned this eco-warrior’s fantasy into art: a series of photographs that cleverly turn Tokyo streets into fields of green. The project is a collaborative effort between creative director Tag (Ryo Taguchi), photo retoucher IMKW (Imakawa), and contemporary artist-cum-coder Immr (Yuichiro Imamura).
Recycling and re-using materials is a major part of eco (that and cutting down energy consumption in the first place). Trust the Japanese to turn a good deed into a design dream. Just some of the great products made from old materials that we have particularly liked included (recently blogged) Seal brand’s bags and shoes (made from parts of old tires), Index’s eco chopsticks (from rice-based biomass plastic), and the Filt Waste Oil candles (below) (uses locally collected cooking oil waste and thrown-out glass jars).
5. Re-thinking packaging
Coca-Cola Japan’s l LOHAS is a bottled water product that makes an environmental stand (at least marketing-wise): its bottle design twists up neatly into a 12 gram piece of plastic, said to be 40% less than other PET bottles.
Apple, which launched its first iPhone barely three years ago, has already become the third largest smartphone maker worldwide, according to an IDC ranking of the top five mobile device companies.
Apple ranked third in terms of market share in smartphones for the fourth quarter of 2009 and the entire year, behind Nokia and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.
The numbers should be no surprise to smartphone enthusiasts. Apple’s iPhone has become an iconic product as it has set the standard for elegant hardware design and the distribution of third-party software applications through the App Store. Much of Apple’s gains has come at the expense of smaller smartphone makers, clubbed in the “others” category. These include Palm, Samsung and companies such as Sharp and Fujitsu, says IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.
Surprising as it may seem to have Nokia as the market leader on the list–its smartphones are unloved in North America–the company continues to hold on to consumers elsewhere. “Nokia’s shift to bring more touchscreen-enabled smartphones to market began to pay off, as its 5800, N97, N97 mini, and 5530 models drove both revenue and profits,” says IDC in its statement.
Motorola returned to the top-five mobile phone makers list during the fourth quarter, after a year-long hiatus, says IDC. Last year, Motorola launched a slew of Android-powered devices including the Cliq on T-Mobile and Droid at Verizon Wireless. Combined sales of both the phones crossed two million since their debut.
Overall, 54.5 million handsets were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 39 percent from the same quarter a year ago. During the year, mobile phone makers shipped 174.2 million handsets.
As for operating systems, IDC says to watch for what Symbian and Windows Mobile do this year.
“2009 was the coming-out party for Google’s Android and Palm’s webOS,” says Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC. “More advances are in store for 2010 as Symbian and Windows are expected to unveil new versions of their respective operating systems.”
The source code for the ten-year old Symbian platform will be completely open source and available for free starting Thursday. The transition from proprietary code to open source is the largest in software history, claims the Symbian Foundation.
“The dominant operating system provider out there is Symbian,” says Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, “and now we are offering developers the ability to do so much more.”
Symbian, which powers most of Nokia’s phones, has been shipped in more than 330 million devices worldwide. But in the last few years, Symbian has seen more than its fair share of changes. In 2008, Nokia, one of Symbian’s largest customers, acquired a major share in the company. Nokia then created the Symbian Foundation to distribute the platform as an open source project, and began the process of opening up the source code that year.
Meanwhile, the operating system has seen new rivals crop up. Google’s Android, which is based on a Linux kernel, has become a favorite among handset makers such as Motorola and HTC. And it’s based on an open source foundation too.
Symbian’s move to open source has been completed four months ahead of schedule and it offers mobile developers new ways to innovate, says Williams. Any individual or organization can now take, use and modify the Symbian code for any device, from mobile phone to a tablet.
Similar as it may sound to Android’s promise, there are major differences, says Williams.
“About a third of the Android code base is open and nothing more,” says Williams. “And what is open is a collection of middleware. Everything else is closed or proprietary.”
Symbian is also ahead of Android in that it will publish its platform roadmap and planned features up to 2011, he says. And anyone can influence that roadmap or contribute to new features.
“Open source is also about open governance,” says Williams. “It’s about letting someone other than one control point guide the feature set and the asset base.”
But will that be enough for Symbian to steal away customers lured by a snazzier and younger rival?
In case you weren’t aware, Mobile-review’s Eldar Murtazin is somewhat of a living legend around these parts. The Russian-borne phone guru manages to get his hands on an ample number of then-unreleased devices and juicy scoops — but he’s also been known to get things dead wrong from time, so keep that in mind. This time he might’ve just outdone himself with some apparent hands-on time with Windows Mobile 7. Here’s what he’s saying via Twitter: the OS has been built on scratch, and none of the old WinMo 6.x apps worked. There’s “a lot of horizontal movements, a lot of additional info by clicks… for WM users it will be a great step ahead. For market it’s a copycat of Android 3.1/3.2 [sic] or iPhone.” No direct comparison to Zune HD, except to say that it’s a simpler UI than what he was seeing here, and also no clue on the kernel underneath. Still, the lack of legacy compatibility is either a huge bummer to the fan base, or if not that then Microsoft is preparing for a two-platform WinMo world. Then again, this is a purported early build (and while we’re at it, an unconfirmed hands-on), so who knows what’s bound to change before the final release. There’s a lot of other details if you’re willing to check his feed, or just head over to WMPoweruser for the abridged / “good parts” version. Boy, February just can’t come soon enough.
Cutting the price of its mobile WiMAX subscription prices for the second time in half a year, Sprint’s confirmed a $10 drop in its monthly fee. The price cut, which brings the price to $59.99 for monthly CDMA / mobile WiMAX. Back in August the company dropped the unlimited 3G/4G service by $10, as well. A spokesperson for Sprint told Fierce Wireless that the price drop is in order to make the service a “no brainer” for its customers, and denied specific, recent rumors that Sprint may partner with Walmart for mobile WiMAX cells in all of its retail locations nationwide. Regardless, if you want to get in on a WiMAX deal, now might be a decent time to do it.
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Amazon is today adding BlackBerrys to its stable of Kindle-compatible devices and also taking the opportunity to remind us that it’s working hard on Mac and iPad versions of its software. The app is a freebie download for Americans (sadly it’s not international just yet) and should offer the same functionality as its PC and iPhone brethren — namely automatic syncing via Whispersync and what Amazon hopes will be a seamless reading experience from one device to the next. There’s also an in-app book store, as well as the ability to create bookmarks and view annotations from other portable Kindle readers. Go download it at the Amazon link if you care, or move right along if you don’t.
[Image courtesy of 
