Hasta La Gadget!

No surprise here, but you can officially mark Nokia World 2011 down as must-watch TV. Andy Lees just confirmed here on stage at AsiaD that the London-based event, which kicks off on October 26th, will be the launchpad for Nokia’s Windows Phones. Yes, phones. As in, plural. He specifically stated: “[Nokia will] have differentiating hardware and software.” We’ve already caught plenty of sneak peeks at what may be on tap, and you can bet we’ll be on hand to bring you the details as they’re poured out. First Mango, now Nokia. Looks like it’ll be quite the holiday season for the WP7 department.

Update: Here’s a quote near the end of the interview from Andy. “Nokia will announce its rollout plans with Windows Phone, among other things. It made an evaluation early on, and saw our roadmap for this year and next year, and it decided to bet the whole company on Windows Phone based on that. We’ve seen that other hardware makers have seen this occurrence as an accelerant, which in turn helps both Microsoft and Nokia. I’m also excited about naming some new OEMs that will be coming onboard [with WP7].“

Microsoft’s Andy Lees: Nokia will announce ‘its Windows Phones’ at Nokia World originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“You don’t have to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone,” said Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, “but you do to use an Android phone.” He was addressing the Web 2.0 summit in San Francisco, where we guess his audience must have included a large but silent population of Android-loving non-scientists. In any case, the Redmond CEO also revealed that he just can’t get “excited” about Android phones, which proves that anything can be boring if you’re rich enough — including raking in up to $15 per Android handset in cross-licensing deals. On a serious note, though, HTC’s latest Titan handset shows off the Mango experience at its best and it is simpler than Google’s OS. If Windows Phone sales eventually pick up despite the buzz over Android 4.0, then the point beneath Ballmer’s bluster might not seem so unreasonable.

CE-Oh no he didn’t: Steve Ballmer lays into Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With barely a few weeks before the phone giant’s annual hurrah, Nokia World, kicks off in London, details have leaked of a new phone possibly winging its way to the Finnish faithful. According to MyNokiaBlog, the 710 is slightly longer and wider than the MeeGo-powered N9, with a 1.4GHz Cortex A8 processor, a 3.7-inch TFT screen and a five megapixel camera topped with some 720p video-capture frosting. All these details were swiftly pulled from the site, but not before the blog managed grab the screenshot above. A Nokia 710 also made a brief appearance on Occasional Gamer, which registers phone use on WP7 games. Most of the details match up with the Nokia Sun we saw earlier this month, though there are some inconsistencies — is it TFT or AMOLED? We’re hoping for the latter. It’ll be a few weeks before Nokia has anything official to say, but whatever it is, it’s going to have to wow us. The competition’s never been tougher.

Nokia 710 spotted on developer site, probably not running ‘Internet Tablet OS 2008 Edition’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Know who loves it when other OEMs call him big poppa? Ballmer, that’s who. So much so that he’s opened up the company’s coffers to Nokia and Samsung for a holiday blitz of Mango marketing. Hold onto your hats though, it’s no carte blanche access to Redmond’s Gringotts. According to a report on Mobile Magazine, inside sources claim MS has set aside ₤28 million (about $44 million) for the endeavor, with about ₤20 million of that reserved for Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7.5 handset. This joint marketing effort is reportedly a broader extension of the cooperative agreements all parties agreed to, ensuring future WP devices get the media saturation they deserve. So, keep your eyes peeled this upcoming winter. We have a feeling you won’t be able to escape the commercial onslaught, anyway.

Microsoft doles out the dough to Nokia and Samsung, plans Mango marketing bonanza for year’s end originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, get this. We were cruising through the halls of Pepcom’s Mobile Focus with a horrible fever and on the brink of delirium. Unsure how much longer we could keep composure, we came upon Navigon’s booth. In addition to displaying its brand new Windows Phone application, the company was also showing off its upcoming releases of MobileNavigator for Android and iOS. Fortunately, Navigon’s Public Relations Manager, Johan-Till Broer, was kind enough to give us a demo of each app. Among the new features, users will be able to select individual states for local map storage, which goes a long way toward freeing up space. Additionally, there’s also a driving mode called Cockpit, which allows leadfoots to check their speed and acceleration over the last 30 minutes. The app updates will be free to all existing users, although if you want to load up new maps, that’ll be a one-time fee. We’re told to expect these latest gems in a couple of months. As for the Windows Phone version, it sells for $50, although is currently available for $30 — at special introductory pricing. A demo video and full PR is just after the break. Be sure to check it out.

Continue reading Navigon demos upcoming MobileNavigator for iOS and Android, latest Windows Phone app (video)

Navigon demos upcoming MobileNavigator for iOS and Android, latest Windows Phone app (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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