Celio’s Redfly smartphone dock gets real enough for a demo reel

You know, it’s sort of crazy to look back at what companies did and didn’t survive the Great Recession of 2009. Ugobe, Veoh, SGI, TZero and Circuit City all folded within the last year, yet Celio — of all firms — is still alive and well kicking. If you’ll recall, we spotted a “proof of concept” smartphone dock from the outfit 13 months ago, and apparently that very device has shifted out of the R&D lab and into a working product. Now sporting the codename “Moab,” the dock essentially brings a keyboard and mouse of your choosing to your smartphone, and it channels the video on your mobile’s display onto a bona fide external monitor. The best use of this doohickey is when you need to bang out a long email on your phone, and reaching for a spare LCD, keyboard and mouse is easier than just plugging away on that miniaturized QWERTY. Which happens… when? Anywho, video of the completely and utterly thrilling action is just past the break.

Continue reading Celio’s Redfly smartphone dock gets real enough for a demo reel

Celio’s Redfly smartphone dock gets real enough for a demo reel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceRecombu  | Email this | Comments

Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 gets handled, reviewed in the wilds of Russia

We just heard about Garmin-Asus’ WinMo 6.5.3-packin’ M10 yesterday, and already the handset has been broken out for a photo shoot and hands-on review in Russia. The design itself isn’t anything otherworldly, but we have to say — we’re kind of digging the user interface. Granted, we’ve a soft spot in our hearts for Garmin’s nuvi line of PNDs, so anything remotely familiar gets a big thumbs-up ’round these parts. At any rate, critics noted that the phone was a pleasant mix of WinMo and nuvi, which is something that really sets it apart from other Windows Mobile-based offerings. There’s nary a mention of exactly how awesome this thing would be with Windows Mobile 7, but if you’re in no hurry to ponder the next big thing, give that source link a look.

Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 gets handled, reviewed in the wilds of Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHi-Tech  | Email this | Comments

Wall Street Journal: Windows Mobile 7 coming next week

We pretty much knew that Windows Mobile 7 is coming next week at MWC, but the Wall Street Journal has a piece up confirming the announcement, along with a few other interesting details. As we’d heard, the new UI is a riff on the Zune HD interface, and the OS “reflects a much tighter focus” on hardware / software integration, all based around a “small number” of hardware chassis specs — pretty much what we’ve known, but it’s interesting that the Journal‘s source says the plan is to “limit the wild variation” that’s typically been the hallmark of Windows Mobile. The WSJ also says that the long-rumored Pink project is a separate phone designed to replace the Sidekick — which we also basically knew — but that it won’t make an appearance at MWC at all. Hmm, sounds like someone ought tell all those Twittering Danger employees. We’ll see what happens — it all goes down early on Monday.

Wall Street Journal: Windows Mobile 7 coming next week originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

T-Mobile promises to say more about the HTC HD2 next week

Nothing more to go on with this one than what you see above, unfortunately, but that message does come from T-Mobile USA’s official Twitter account, and it pretty clearly indicates that the carrier will have something to say about the eagerly anticipated HTC HD2 sometime next week. That would certainly line up with the latest rumors we’ve hearing — which pointed to a March launch — but we’ll just have to wait a few more days to see exactly what the carrier has planned for the mighty Windows Mobile phone.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

T-Mobile promises to say more about the HTC HD2 next week originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SoftSailor  |  sourceTwitter  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft to Introduce Windows Phone 7 Monday at MWC

The WSJ has confirmed that Mic will introduce their newest mobile phone OS on Monday at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. WinMo 6.5 is dead; long live Windows Phone 7.

The announcement will almost certainly come during Steve Ballmer’s Windows Phone press conference, scheduled for 3pm local time. According to the WSJ, Windows Phone 7 will have an entirely new user interface that closely resembles that of Zune. This backs up what we’d heard from a tipster last month.

Apparently, Windows Phone 7 will look to fix the mistakes of WinMos past by working more closely with OEMs:

With Windows Mobile 7, similarly, Microsoft has gotten more involved in hardware design by creating detailed plans for a small number of handset “chassis” on top of which hardware manufactures can build their devices, people familiar with the effort said. The idea behind the plan, these people said, is to limit the wild variation in quality of Windows phones and to make it easier for independent application developers to write software that runs well on them.

One of those devices to run off of Windows Phone 7 is expected to be Microsoft’s Project Pink/Zune phone, although that handset’s considered unlikely to be part of next week’s announcement.

It’s still going to be some time before we see any Windows Phone 7 devices on the market, but it’s good to see Microsoft getting in gear to replace the inexcusable WinMo 6.5. [WSJ]

BlackBerry Application Suite leaks, ready to corrupt a perfectly good WinMo phone

We’d figured that RIM’s ambitious (if not questionable) project to port the juiciest morsels of BlackBerry OS to a virtual machine running atop Windows Mobile was abandoned long ago, and for all we know, it has — but the half-baked remnants of the undertaking are finally available thanks to the good folks at xda-developers. BlackBerry Application Suite, as its known, has finally found a proper home in a CAB file that’s making the rounds on the forums, and it’s apparently been bolted together with enough duct tape to work on an AT&T Fuze. Well, “work” is a relative term — you’ve apparently got to be on a BES server for it to work, you need to generate a valid PIN, and actuating the touchscreen requires a double-tap, but when you’re ready to stop punishing yourself with this craziness, the cold comfort of WinMo is just a couple clicks away. If you think you need this, odds are you really just need a Storm2, but hey, feel free to ruin your weekend trying to get this to work.

BlackBerry Application Suite leaks, ready to corrupt a perfectly good WinMo phone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PocketNow, Mobility Digest  |  sourcexda-developers  | Email this | Comments

Rumored Windows Phone 7 details surface ahead of MWC launch: Zune-like UI, no multitasking

We’ve had a pretty clear indication that Microsoft would have plenty to say about Windows Mobile 7 at MWC this month, and it looks like we now have the first significant batch of rumored details ahead of the presumed launch. While nothing is close to being confirmed just yet, PPCGeeks has received what it describes as some “truly amazing information” about what’s now apparently known as Windows Phone 7, and it certainly paints an interesting picture. According to the site, Windows Phone 7 will sport an interface that’s “very similar” to the Zune HD, along with a complete revamp of the start screen, and a UI (codenamed METRO) that’s described as “very clean,” “soulful,” and “alive.” Perhaps just as notably, the OS supposedly won’t support multitasking, with applications instead simply pausing themselves when in the background (there will be support for push notifications, though). Also missing is Flash support (at least initially), as well as NETCF backwards compatibility for older applications, although there are apparently “high hopes” for porting NETCF to the new platform eventually.

On the upside, the OS is said to have full Xbox gaming integration (including gamertags, avatars and, yes, achievements), full Zune integration, full support for social networking, and a try before you buy system in the Marketplace. What we apparently won’t be seeing at MWC, however, is any Windows Phone 7 hardware, as the announcement is said to focus solely on the user interface. According to PPCGeeks, however, Microsoft is confident that the first hardware will be ready by September of this year. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown.

Update: MobileTechWorld looks to have also received the same batch of rumors, and has revealed a few more, including word that the browsing experience is currently “better / faster” than the iPhone 3G, and that Microsoft is “aiming towards” the 3GS. They also say that while there will be no Microsoft-made device, the company will have tighter control of the manufacturing process, which promises to simplify things for everyone involved and allow for over-the-air updates.

Rumored Windows Phone 7 details surface ahead of MWC launch: Zune-like UI, no multitasking originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePPCGeeks  | Email this | Comments

How would you change HTC’s HD2?

From a pure specification standpoint, it’s hard to knock HTC’s HD2. Scratch that — it’s impossible to knock the HD2. A 1GHz Snapdragon CPU is just the tip of the iceberg, with the icing on the cake being the 800 x 480 resolution display, 5 megapixel camera, GPS and a downright stunning overall design. Unfortunately, phones are made or broken by the software that’s loaded on, and Windows Mobile 6.5 isn’t exactly the most nimble mobile OS on the market right now. That said, we’re confident that more than a few of you have unloaded your savings accounts in order to posses one of the sexiest cellular telephones this world has ever seen, and now that the deed is done, we’re eager to hear your opinions on how the phone really stacks up. Are you happy with the performance? Did you expect it to be snappier given the monstrous CPU? Would you have held out for WinMo 7 if Sir Patience would’ve allowed you? No need to go easy on anything — tell it like it is in comments below.

How would you change HTC’s HD2? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson Aspen caught on video, loving life with WinMo 6.5.3

Chances are we’re missing something incredibly awesome being said in this foreign-language video, but we can probably guess what Mobile-review Sergey Kuzmin is saying: “I’ve got the Sony Ericsson Aspen and you don’t. Life is grand.” Okay, so maybe we’re a little jealous, but at least he was kind enough to give us a brief look at the hardware out in the wild, showing off some of Windows Mobile 6.5.3’s menus and sizing it up with some of Apple, Nokia, and RIM’s offerings. Let’s not waste any more time — the video you seek is after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Aspen caught on video, loving life with WinMo 6.5.3

Sony Ericsson Aspen caught on video, loving life with WinMo 6.5.3 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Recombu, Twitter (zavackiy)  |  sourceMobile-review  | Email this | Comments

China Mobile’s OPhone platform goes 2.0, supports WinMo API… wait, what?

Remember the OPhone platform, Open Mobile System? You know, China Mobile’s supposedly beefed up Android? Things have become even more interesting as OMS jumps from 1.5 to 2.0 — it now supports Scalable Vector Graphics UI elements and does voice recognition, but what really caught our attention was the vague mention of Windows Mobile API support. Now, our understanding is that it’s been China Mobile’s intention to make Symbian and WinMo apps run on OMS all along, but we don’t know if this update means WinMo apps will run natively in OMS through some compatibility layer, if there’ll be Symbian- and WinMo-based versions of OPhone, or that it’ll just be easier for developers to port WinMo apps to OMS. No word on what phones will be getting 2.0 or when they’ll be getting it, but considering Android’s generally positive outlook on upgradeability, we’re hoping the answers are ‘all’ and ‘soon.’

China Mobile’s OPhone platform goes 2.0, supports WinMo API… wait, what? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Tech World  |  sourceChina Mobile Labs  | Email this | Comments