Hasta La Gadget!

Turns out LG’s fancy new feature phone UI — S-Class, as it’s called — isn’t just for feature phones. The GM730 brings the same 3D interface into the wide world of Windows Mobile, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA, quadband EDGE, and Internet Explorer Mobile 6.0 into a package just 11.9mm thick. Sadly, LG’s elected to do nothing but 900 / 2100MHz with the 3G here, so North Americans are left out of the equation at this point — but much of the rest of the world can look into picking it up in the first half of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

LG brings S-Class UI to Windows Mobile with GM730 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft finally got around to giving official word on the stopgap disaster relief measure known as Windows Mobile 6.5, and here it is: Marketplace, My Phone and the new interface are, as expected, happening.

The most exciting part of WinMo 6.5, aside from the new, finger-safe interface, is the Windows Marketplace—a feature which was teased at, but not fully integrated into, the various leaked ROMs that are floating around places like XDA developers. As it turns out, it’s pretty much a straightforward app store, like Apple’s or Google’s, which will be accessible from your handset or your PC with nothing more than your Windows Live ID.

It doesn’t sound like store prohibitions will be too strict, either, though the required “simple security and compatibility check” could turn out to be as stringent or lenient as Microsoft desires. Some crucial details are missing though, like whether or not paid apps will be immediately available, if MS will host the store contents, and if there will be any cost associated. Anyway, the app store is happening, and should be open for business when WinMo 6.5 handsets start shipping.

The rest of the news doesn’t break so hard: My Phone, as we knew, is part of the release, as are the new interface tweaks. Microsoft’s screens show some minor UI differences between the leaked ROMs and the final product, but our impression remain good—the honeycomb app launcher looks usable, the finger-oriented navigation improvements are sensible, and the new menu and widgets have a significant modernizing effect on the whole OS. Microsoft says to expect 6.5-based phones by the “the second half of 2009”. Sadly, there’s no indication that 6.5 will be available as an upgrade, paid or otherwise, to 6.1 users. Boooo!, etc. Full presser below. [Giz at MWC]

BARCELONA, Spain – Feb. 16, 2009 – Today at Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners unveiled new Windows® phones featuring new user-friendly software and services. The next generation of Windows® phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows® phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video and contacts to the Web; and Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications that can be controlled from both the phone and the Web.
“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows® phones that break down the barriers between people, information, and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”

Windows Mobile 6.5 Delivers New User Experience
Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new home screen with customizable widgets that display glanceable updates from users’ favorite Web services and let users tap into them quickly, along with faster, more efficient access to personal e-mail, work e-mail, phone messages and instant messaging. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser, which in a third party research study by sponsored by Microsoft, supported execution of up to 48 percent more assigned tasks than the other browsers and phones studied.
My Phone Service Connects the Phone to the Web
The free My Phone service will enable people to access, manage and back up their personal information on their device to a password-protected Web-based service, making it easier to upgrade phones without the worry of losing important information. With automatic syncing and backup, users can count on their contacts, appointments, text messages and other information being kept up to date and easily restored should they lose or upgrade their phone. Consumers also will be able to wirelessly update photos and video from their Windows® phone directly to the My Phone service, making it simple to share content that, in the past, would have lived and died on the phone. The My Phone service is currently available in a limited invitation-only beta.
Rich and Integrated Marketplace Service Will Offer Easy Access to Mobile Applications
The new operating system features Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a rich and integrated marketplace for searching, browsing and purchasing mobile applications from Windows® phones or from a PC by simply using a Windows Live ID. The new marketplace will ship inside all Windows phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5, which will allow consumers to easily find, install and experience those applications that fit their needs and make the phone truly personal. Developers, who have already built more than 20,000 applications for Windows® phones, will be able to offer applications to customers through the marketplace via a simple security and compatibility check from Microsoft.
The new Windows® phones are expected to be available at the beginning of the second half of 2009. Additional information about Microsoft at Mobile World Congress 2009 is available on the Microsoft MWC Web page at http://www.windowsmobile.com/mobileworldcongress.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

We sniffed out Nokia’s new E55 not-a-QWERTY QWERTY candybar phone, which uses a SureType-esque predictive text mechanism with two letters per key, and looks pretty good doing it. Nokia’s calling this the “world’s thinnest smartphone,” quite the feat if it’s true, and it might just give Nokia’s ultrapopular E71 a run for its money in the “fashionably smart” category. We played with the phone for a brief moment, and though it’s running an alpha software build, we didn’t have much trouble typing out a quick message. Unfortunately, while the keys are naturally larger, they aren’t very “clicky” or distinct — not horrible, but certainly not best-in-class. The prediction works well enough, learning new words after one entry, and letting you d-pad up and down through other options if it doesn’t get it right the first try. Overall the phone feels on par with quality of the E71, though lighter and smaller, and is insanely pocketable. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Nokia E55 hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia E55 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While HTC’s press didn’t deliver on our Android dreams — or electric sheep — it did land us the new Touch Diamond2. First off, this set is a stunner, build quality and feel in your hand is really a quality affair. The material choices in both metal and plastics used here are really first rate — we gush because we’re rather impressed. The screen is bright, easy to read and the UI overhaul — and new features underneath — are much appreciated. One standout in the new improved UI has to be the start menu which, when clicked, pops you into a full screen shortcut list which is miles better to surf through with a finger. All in all? We’re impressed with the Touch Diamond2 and though it’s not a wildly new device, it is worth peeking at if you’re lost in the decision making process for a new Windows Mobile phone. Follow on for some video action.

Gallery: First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!)

Continue reading First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!)

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So this thing’s definitely got some heft to it — and honestly, especially for a business-centric device in this class, we don’t think that’s a bad thing. As with just about everything HTC churns out, the Touch Pro2 is exquisitely manufactured, feels rock-solid, and the WVGA is absolutely awesome — we noticed that the gestures and animations are totally smooth and responsive, proving that WinMo is perfectly capable of handling this kind of UI dazzle. The Straight Talk functionality for seamlessly moving between different types of communication will be appreciated by anyone who spends half their business day on the phone and seems to work (and look) positively lovely — and as for that speakerphone? We can totally picture ourselves slamming this thing upside down during a meeting in a fit of “our company just lost a $100M contract”-style rage with a satisfying, weighty “thud” and instantly bringing the whole room into the conversation. Follow the break for a couple videos of this thing in action (and sorry, no angry speakerphone fits).

Continue reading First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!)

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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