Hasta La Gadget!

Whoa. Nokia’s premier range of devices, the N Series, will bid adieu to the Symbian operating environment and go MeeGo full time after the introduction of the N8. That’s what we’ve just heard directly from the Finnish horse’s mouth. Nokia will naturally keep Symbian around — of course there’s a whole Symbian^4 to come — but will utilize it on more mass market devices as it seeks to push smartphones further down the product hierarchy. So it’s not necessarily bad news, as such, it means we’ll likely see Symbian trickle down to handsets priced more like featurephones and less like miniaturized laptops. What it does mean, however, is that Nokia is pushing forward with its modernization plans, and doing so more aggressively than previously thought. Which we consider to be a pretty awesome (and necessary) thing.

Nokia N8 to be final Symbian N Series device, all MeeGo from here on out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Jolicloud promises touch support in version 1.0, gives a demo now

Jolicloud promises touch support in version 1.0, gives a demo now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s oftentimes easy for us to get swept up in Android mania and forget that Google’s mobile platform is still in its infancy. Then we get cold hard numbers like these — showing iPhone OS owning 28 percent of the US smartphone market and closing in on RIM’s leading 35 percent — and we face up to the realization that Android handsets still account for less than one in every ten smartphones owned by Americans today. In spite of collecting 28 percent of all consumer smartphone purchases in the first quarter of 2010 (according to NPD), Google’s OS was only able to climb up a couple of percentage points in terms of total market share, showing just how long a road lies ahead of its world-conquering plans. Guess that now explains why Apple’s response to the earlier numbers was so nonchalant.

Other intriguing figures include a high rate of loyalty among iPhone OS and Android users, with 80 percent of the former and 70 percent of the latter expressing a preference for the same OS in their next phone — both rather shaming Microsoft and RIM’s numbers, which were a mediocre 34 and 47 percent, respectively. Funnily enough, despite its inflammatory title, this report finds Android and iPhone users are more similar to each other than anyone else — an uncomfortable fact for both parties to deal with, we’re sure. The source link contains some more demographic comparisons, so why not go check them out and drop some sage analysis for us in the comments?

‘iPhone vs Android’ report finds Apple has three times Google’s market share originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft certainly made a bit of splash at Computex with the introduction of Windows Embedded Compact 7, but it’s not necessarily the easiest thing to wrap your head around right off the bat (or say three times fast). Thankfully, Microsoft has now come through with a site that explains the new OS in detail (complete with videos), and a trial download that will let you get a sneak peek at it yourself. The short of it is that the OS is aimed at devices that don’t need or aren’t well suited to the full-fledged Windows 7 (or Windows Phone 7, for that matter) — like the Eee Pad pictured above — which, incidentally, seems to address one of the major concerns from folks like NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. That added simplicity also means that the OS won’t run regular Windows applications — it is a successor to Windows CE, after all — but Microsoft does at least promise a “streamlined developer experience.” That’s not to say the OS isn’t capable in its own right, though — it boasts a full-range of media playback capabilities (including MPEG-4 and HD video), built-in support for Silverlight for Windows Embedded and Flash 10.1, a customized version of Internet Explorer with full multitouch, support for Open GL ES 2.0, support for the latest ARM v7 architectures and, of course, “seamless” integration with Windows 7, to name just a few highlights. Still hungry for more details? Then hit up the source link for the complete rundown and Microsoft’s videos, and for all the information you need to download the preview release.

Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 explained, trial download now available originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s OEM vice pres, has pulled no punches in responding to a query about the threat posed by Android OS in the burgeoning tablet sector. Describing the early enthusiasm for Android from big hitters like Acer and Dell as a stage of experimentation, the Redmond man tells us he expects “Microsoft’s support for Windows 7 will be seen as more valuable over time.” In aid of this assertion, he cites the netbook market’s development, which started off almost exclusively with Linux installations, yet “three years later it is 95% on Windows.” That’s quite an incontrovertible track record, but we can’t help feeling the Guggenmeister is somewhat underestimating his competition here. He argues the continuous support of Windows 7 will keep OEMs in line, but we’ve seen Android iterating at a breakneck pace almost since its inception, and it’ll be interesting to see if manufacturers opt for new features with Google’s wares or cozy security with Microsoft. Either way, as the desktop OS leader, Microsoft is entitled to use such strong words — we just hope Steve won’t have to eat them.

Microsoft’s Guggenheimer dismisses Android on tablets as ‘an experiment’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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