Jun 01

Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on (video)

Posted in: Features, hands-on, hspa, mango, Microsoft, qualcomm, Today's Chili, video, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

It’ll be a little while before Windows Phone 7 Mango phones pop up in the shops, but here at Computex, Acer decided to give us a little tease with a mockup of its upcoming W4 handset. Before you get all excited, though, the hardware specs are pretty yawn-inducing: there’s a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 display of unknown type, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 CPU, up to 8GB of storage, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, and DLNA support. Hardly anything new here, which is a surprise given that we’re looking at a Mango device — a phone to be shipped with a major WP7 refresh.

Anyhow, you’ll also find the usual radios like 802.11 b/g/n plus Bluetooth 2.1 here, but interestingly enough, it looks like the W4 will be coming in two SKUs: one with HSPA 850 / 1900, and one with HSPA 900 / 2100 — obviously a potential problem for globetrotters. As for look and feel the W4’s well within the comfort zone of Acer’s smartphone ID, and the curved back felt nice and solid in our hands, but we shall save our final judgement for the real deal. When we hear a release date, you’ll know it as soon as we do.

Gallery: Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on

Continue reading Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on (video)

Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 30

Mystery HTC Windows Phone sports 12 megapixel goodness, RAW support

Posted in: camera, HTC, leaks, Microsoft, Today's Chili, Windows, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Phone cameras still have a ways to go to catch up to the awesome capabilities of your standard DSLR, but the handset captured in the image above would certainly get them headed in the right direction. International phone review superstar Eldar Murtazin snapped a few shots of an as-of-yet unnamed HTC device running Windows Phone. It sports a look very similar to the HTC Trophy, although this particular gem is capable of capturing images at 12 megapixel resolution — comparable to the Nokia N8. We can tell from Eldar’s tweets and images, however, that it’s gone one step further by adding support for pictures in RAW format. We’re still waiting to get more information about this device, but for now we invite you to enjoy the images above and below.

Continue reading Mystery HTC Windows Phone sports 12 megapixel goodness, RAW support

Mystery HTC Windows Phone sports 12 megapixel goodness, RAW support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 07:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 26

Verizon bonanza: Droid X2, Revolution, Trophy, and Xperia Play hit Big Red today

Posted in: 4G, Android, cdma, dual-core, DualCore, HTC, launch, LG, lte, motorola, netflix, official, release, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Verizon is seriously diversifying its portfolio today with the official in-store launch of four new smartphones. Three of them roll up in Android gear, though they all have major selling points beyond Google’s software. LG’s Revolution is the sole LTE-capable handset of the bunch, bringing with it a 4.3-inch screen and pre-installed Netflix for $250. The Droid X2 undercuts it on price, at $200, but doubles the core count with its Tegra 2 processor and ramps up resolution to qHD (960 x 540). Gaming aficionados can spend the same amount on the Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson, which offers a slideout gamepad and unique PlayStation Certified status. Bringing up the rear is HTC’s well-traveled Trophy, a 3.8-inch Windows Phone that accepts it’s a little late to the party and therefore slices $50 off its asking price, with a $150 levy before the obligatory two-year contract. What say you — buy, try, or keep waiting?

Verizon bonanza: Droid X2, Revolution, Trophy, and Xperia Play hit Big Red today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 25

Microsoft to launch web-based Windows Phone Marketplace alongside ‘Mango’

Posted in: mango, Microsoft, Today's Chili, web, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7
We’re not quite sure why Microsoft didn’t make mention of it during its big event yesterday, but the company has now confirmed that its forthcoming “Mango” update will also bring with it another significant addition to the Windows Phone scene: a web-based Marketplace. That will of course let you browse and buy apps right from your favorite web browser, and then have them installed on your phone over-the-air (“via SMS or email,” apparently). You’ll also be able to take advantage of various social networking tie-ins to share apps with your friends, and the Marketplace will hang onto your download history so you can easily reinstall all of your apps if you switch phones — and, yes, you can count on plenty of Bing integration as well.

Update: Microsoft got in touch with us to clear up some of the confusion about how apps are actually delivered to the phone. It says it expects the vast majority of customers to install apps OTA in a single step using its regular notification system. SMS would only be used in instances where that service is not already turned on, and in that case there would still be “no links or added engagement on the phone.” Customers can also choose to send themselves an email with a link to the app but, again, it expects most folks to simply let apps install in the background.

Microsoft to launch web-based Windows Phone Marketplace alongside ‘Mango’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 24

Every Phone Should Have Windows Phone’s Beautifully Brainy Search

Posted in: cellphones, mango, Microsoft, search, Smartphones, Today's Chili, top, Windows, windows phone, windows phone 7, Wp7

Windows Phone Mango’s here, and it’s a particularly juicy piece of fruit. But aside from the new features (both cool and catchup), one stands out: search. Windows Phones will rattle off information like a friend, not a cyborg. More »

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May 24

Windows Phone Mango augmented reality hands-on

Posted in: app, augmented reality, AugmentedReality, hands-on, mango, Software, Today's Chili, video, Windows, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

We’re still waiting to get our first big bite of the full Mango experience after this morning’s liveblog, but we were able to get a quick hands-on with a few of the apps making use of the operating system’s new features. Chief among them is the History Channel app, which is making use of the augmented reality features that have been enabled. Using the internal gyro and accelerometer the device was able to overlay landmarks, which with a tap can be added to the phones home screen — you know, in case you really want to know what’s up at the Brooklyn Bridge. We also got a look at the updated Weather Channel app, which will not identify cloud types using any augmented reality trickery, but will give you quick and easy access to what’s up — and about to start falling. Check out the pics below, and get ready for a video after the break.

Gallery: Weather Channel and History Channel apps for Windows Phone Mango (hands-on)

Continue reading Windows Phone Mango augmented reality hands-on

Windows Phone Mango augmented reality hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 24

Microsoft Makes Windows Phone More Social

Posted in: Microsoft, Phones, Today's Chili, windows phone 7

Microsoft mobile-products chief Andy Lees introduces the Windows Phone 7 "Mango" update at an event in New York on Tuesday.  Photo: Sam Gustin/Wired.com

NEW YORK — Microsoft previewed new features in its upcoming software update for Windows Phone 7 here Tuesday. Code-named “Mango,” the update focuses on streamlining different forms of wireless communication.

Microsoft highlighted the “People” hub in Mango, an all-in-one contacts list with tight Facebook integration that allows users to text, call, e-mail, IM or tweet at people on their contacts list.

Microsoft’s sales pitch: By making it easier to contact friends and family in the People hub, customers can spend less time fiddling with apps and get straight to communicating. In other words, it’s the less-antisocial smartphone.

“We wanted to provide the customer with less clutter, more clarity,” said Andy Lees, president of Microsoft’s mobile-communications business at a press conference. “This builds upon our mission to make the smartphone smarter and easier. With Windows Phone Mango, we’re taking a people-centric approach to communications.”

Other new features Microsoft previously announced for Mango were multitasking, copy-and-paste and multimedia messaging.

Microsoft has been searching for a path forward in the mobile space, lest it fall further behind Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system, which have surged to a lead in the booming smartphone market. The company originally launched Windows Phone 7 in November 2010 on handsets built by manufacturers including HTC, Samsung and LG.

In order to differentiate itself from the likes of Apple and Google, Microsoft officials said the company is pursuing a strategy that seeks to integrate mobile applications with the operating system.

The new software emphasizes tight integration with Facebook, of which Microsoft is a minority owner; Bing, Redmond’s search engine; and Skype, the web-telephony pioneer Microsoft recently purchased for $8.5 billion.

“Think of your applications as musical instruments,” Lees said. “With Mango, they finally become part of an orchestra, with a conductor. With Windows Phone 7, applications are alive as part of the total experience.”

Mango will be available for Windows Phone 7 customers as a free update beginning this fall, Lees said, adding that the software is already live on not-yet-public handsets built by Nokia.

Microsoft is releasing the API immediately, to allow developers to create applications for the software.

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May 24

Qualcomm confirms its Snapdragon processor will power ‘new generation of Windows Phone’ devices

Posted in: mango, Microsoft, qualcomm, snapdragon, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

We’d heard some rumblings ST-Ericsson might be moving in on its turf with Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, but Qualcomm has now reasserted that it’s still the main game in town. Following the big Mango announcement this morning, Qualcomm confirmed that Microsoft has chosen it to bring a “new generation of Windows Phone handsets exclusively featuring Qualcomm’s second generation Snapdragon mobile processors to market.” The company’s executive vice president, Steve Mollenkopf, further went on to say that Qualcomm is “excited about this next Windows Phone Mango release,” and that it will “leverage the synergy of our highly integrated second generation Snapdragon solution and Microsoft’s Windows Phone software.” Leveraging synergy, what more could you ask for?

Qualcomm confirms its Snapdragon processor will power ‘new generation of Windows Phone’ devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 24

Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone VIP preview event!

Posted in: LiveBlog, mango, Microsoft, Software, steve ballmer, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 VIP Preview Event is when you’ll finally find what’s coming next for Microsoft’s biggest little operating system yet. Are you ready? Sure you are. Come, join us at the times below

04:00 – Hawaii
07:00 – Pacific
08:00 – Mountain
09:00 – Central
10:00 – Eastern
15:00 – London
16:00 – Paris
18:00 – Moscow
22:00 – Perth
22:00 – Shenzhen
23:00 – Tokyo
00:00 – Sydney (May 25th)

Continue reading Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone VIP preview event!

Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone VIP preview event! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 24

Windows Phone ‘Mango’ search offers location-specific results, app integration (video)

Posted in: cellphone, Internet Explorer, mango, Microsoft, os, phone, smartphone, Today's Chili, update, video, Windows, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Windows Phone’s latest iteration (codename Mango) is all about keeping it in the hood. We had a chance to sit down with a Windows Phone rep before today’s big reveal, and they let us in on a couple of new features that will most definitely set the OS apart — at least when it comes to navigating the tangled web that is the internet. We did get a quick glimpse at IE9, but the new browser isn’t much of a game changer — it supports HTML5, but still won’t deliver Flash or Silverlight compatibility. The real news here is in the Bing-powered search function, which lets users surf the vast expanses of the web four different ways, with a focus on the local.

Clicking the dedicated search button from the Windows Phone home screen takes you to a familiar Bing page, offering the visual, audio, and voice options we heard rumored earlier this month, along with a city scape icon. That skyline represents Local Scout, a function that focuses your queries on the neighborhood you’re in, providing location-specific results that highlight important information about establishments and events in your immediate area. Clicking through on any link brings up general information as well as reviews gleaned from popular user-generated sites. That’s not all that’s new, however, as Mango also offers some nifty tricks in its visual search. Instead of just snapping a barcode, you can actually use a shot of the product itself to bring up information about pricing, availability, and relevant apps.

The demo we saw used the cover of The Girl Who Played With Fire, and supplied among the search results a link to the title in the Kindle app. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking technology — Google Goggles does much the same thing — but what’s truly different here is the tight integration of such functions in the operating system, as well as links to outside applications. Thus, the experience is a bit unlike any other in the OS atmosphere, upending our idea of what it means to search the internets without resorting to standalone programs. Whether it’s something users will take to is anybody’s guess, but we’re certain it’s enough to get folks talking. For a deeper (and very vertical) look at Local Scout, hop on past the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone ‘Mango’ search offers location-specific results, app integration (video)

Windows Phone ‘Mango’ search offers location-specific results, app integration (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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