Feb 02

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

Posted in: Android, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo
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

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Feb 02

Sony Ericsson Aspen: first with Windows Mobile 6.5.3

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, Microsoft, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, windows phone, WindowsMobile, WindowsPhone

It’s finally here: Windows Mobile 6.5.3, the iterative finger-friendly Windows Mobile release that should have been wrapped into 6.5.0. The latest mobile wares from Microsoft come wrapped inside the Sony Ericsson Aspen (aka, Faith); a business-focused QWERTY candybar with 2.4-inch QVGA TFT touchscreen LCD, 3.2 megapixel camera, A-GPS with Google Maps, 3.5-mm audio jack, WiFi, and microSD expansion. This latest addition to Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart portfolio comes in black or white silver and packs quad-band GSM/EDGE with either HSPA 900/2100 or 850/900/2100 radios (depending on region). Available in Q2.

Back to Windows Mobile 6.5.3 for a second, although this is a .dot.dot update it’s actually a fairly significant move for Microsoft. For starters, this release now includes a more finger-friendly layout (no stylus needed even when digging deep into the OS), support for capacitive touchscreens (huzzah!), and acts as a platform to enable multitouch. Microsoft has also improved browser performance with faster page load times and better memory management while improving the pan and flick gestures and zoom and rotational speeds. Sounds like somebody is getting ready for Mobile World Congress.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson Aspen: first with Windows Mobile 6.5.3

Sony Ericsson Aspen: first with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 29

Microsoft CFO says ‘we’ll have much more to say’ about WinMo 7 in February

Posted in: Microsoft, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo

Every indication we’ve had out of Microsoft is that Windows Mobile 7 is on track for a grand unveiling at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, and indeed, Fox Business has none other than CFO Peter Klein on record saying as much — the closest thing we’ve had to a confirmation outside of Robbie Bach’s analyst remarks a few weeks back. At the 4:07 mark of the video, Klein says that the company is “heads down” on WinMo 7 and expects to have “much more to say” about the product out in Spain, which would mark the one-year anniversary since the announcement of 6.5 at the same venue. Considering the brutal response that last version endured over the better part of 2009, let’s hope they’re coming to the table with something much, much more delicious this time around.

Microsoft CFO says ‘we’ll have much more to say’ about WinMo 7 in February originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPoweruser  |  sourceFox Business  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 27

Windows Mobile 7 roadmap elucidated, starts with MWC 2010 demo

Posted in: Microsoft, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, roadmap, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo, zune

You know, January is all but expired now. Gone are the heady (or is that headless?) days of CES 2010, and we’re nearly past the rumor euphoria of the decade, so what do we have to look forward to? According to CNET‘s sources, WinMo 7. This year. Sure, we heard as much from DigiTimes, but it’s always good to put a more legitimate source to what is quite the juicy forecast. Confirmation that Microsoft is planning to finalize all code by this summer also meshes with an earlier leak of an LG Windows Mobile 7 handset set for a September release, while the latest Pink phone rumors are also reiterated. At any rate, it all kicks off in Barcelona come February 15, with Microsoft also circling its MIX 2010 web development conference a month later as the time it’ll start dishing the dirt on how to code for the new OS. So there we have it, new consumer phones and a long overdue WinMo overhaul all coming to you within the next few months.

Windows Mobile 7 roadmap elucidated, starts with MWC 2010 demo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceCNET  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 26

Zune ‘Phone’ devices listed in latest software update

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, Microsoft, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, phone, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, zune

Whoa, what’s this? The so-called Zune software maintenance release has a trio of Phone device drivers tucked away inside the Zune.inf file according to Long Zheng over at istartedsomething. And similar to the three devices listed representing the three types of Zunes, we have three Phone.DeviceDesc placeholders for three unannounced (Pink and WinMo 6.x/7?) phones presumably running premium Zune media services. We expect Microsoft will come clean at Mobile World Congress starting February 15th. We’ll be there live which means that you will be too.

Zune ‘Phone’ devices listed in latest software update originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 25

Acer to launch e-reader, app store, and Chrome OS netbook this year; wants to ‘change the Microsoft-Intel environment’

Posted in: Android, AndroidOs, app, apps, AppStore, chrome os, ChromeOs, e reader, e-book reader, E-bookReader, e-books, ebooks, Google, netbook, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile

Man, Acer’s on the warpath. The world’s second-largest PC manufacturer seems hell-bent on radically changing the status quo, telling Bloomberg today that it’s “aggressively pursuing” Chrome OS “so there’s a change to the Microsoft-Intel environment,” with plans to be among the first to ship in Q3. That’s somewhat ahead of Google’s own schedule for reaching v1.0, so yeah, it’s definitely aggressive — and it also sounds like a strong hint towards an ARM-based Chrome OS machine in our future, but Acer wouldn’t confirm anything. Still, those are basically fightin’ words, especially since Acer’s framing the future as a choice between “either” Windows or “Google’s defined OS space.” Acer also promised to fully detail a 6-inch monochrome e-reader by June with an initial focus on European markets, and we’re also informed of a forthcoming free / cheap application store that will be compatible with Android, Windows Mobile, and, obviously, Chrome OS. And lest you thought Acer was ignoring the Apple tablet madness that permeates our world, we’re told that an Acer tablet is in the works, accompanied by the candid admission that the Taiwanese giant is waiting to see what Apple has in store before finalizing its own plans. Yep — things are getting a little nuts.

Acer to launch e-reader, app store, and Chrome OS netbook this year; wants to ‘change the Microsoft-Intel environment’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 25

Microsoft Pink targeting teens and twenty-somethings, devices launching in Spring?

Posted in: Microsoft, rumor, speculation, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, windows mobile 6.5, WindowsMobile, WindowsMobile6.5

Few reporting on Microsoft are as plugged in to the day-to-day happenings in Redmond as Mary Jo Foley. So much so that she’s apt to write an entire column (or two) about internal Microsoft reorganizations — moves that can be telling from a company attempting to seamlessly integrate its Zune, Xbox, Media Center, and Windows Mobile products, services, and experiences. While you might find it interesting that Enrique Rodriguez has left the company in the latest shakeup to hit MS’ Entertainment and Devices unit, the following sentence presented as fact is what caught our attention:

“Pink is the codename for both the set of premium mobile services and one or more Windows Mobile phones aimed at the teen/twenty-something market.”

Of course, what she’s referring to is the infamous Project Pink, the mystery whatsit said to be emanating from the Microsoft Premium Mobile eXperiences (PMX) group built around the people and technologies nabbed after the Danger acquisition. We’re also intrigued by the discussion of Pink in a separate breath from the consumer build of Windows Mobile 7. This makes us wonder if Microsoft is working on a three-pronged strategy that will result in targetted Windows Mobile 7 business and consumer devices as well as Pink phones specifically aimed at teens and twenty-somethings. Mary Jo Foley speculates that the Pink devices might be the first to run Microsoft’s new premium Pink services but still be WinMo 6.x based — if true then we could see a launch this quarter, no need to wait for Windows Mobile 7 which isn’t expected until the end of the year. How many days until Mobile World Congress again?

[Thanks, Pratik]

Microsoft Pink targeting teens and twenty-somethings, devices launching in Spring? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMary Jo Foley (1), Mary Jo Foley (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 22

Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website

Posted in: palm, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile

Well, this was probably bound to happen someday, but we still can’t not sniffle a bit… the Treo Pro seems to have disappeared from Palm.com. The site has of course been mainly trafficking Palm’s webOS devices — the Pre and Pixi — as of late, but until very recently, it still listed its last non-webOS device, the Window Mobile Treo Pro, a much older phone first outed in August of 2008. If you’re hell bent, of course, there are still plenty of places to get one of these bad boys, so we’re not going to sound the death knell yet — but it will be missed.

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Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePalm Info Center  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 22

Engadget Podcast 180 – 01.22.2010

Posted in: Apple, nokia, palm, podcast, podcasts, pre, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile

Plug into the latest Engadget Podcast for the lowdown on all the hottest, dirtiest, nastiest Apple Tablet rumors! Too hot for text! If you don’t get down with the Crowd from Cupertino you can also feast your ears on sultry Finnish imports, steamy webOS reviews, and yeah, even some wild and wooly Windows Mobile wishes! FREE for a limited time only. Featuring Chris “Zazzle” Ziegler. Void where prohibited.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Guest: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Electrodreams – Where It’s At

Hear the podcast

01:50 – Nokia N900 review
13:40 – Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on
13:49 – Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally (updated)
19:32 – Palm Pre Plus (and Pixi Plus) review
29:40 – Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)
31:10 – The Engadget Show – 005: Google’s Erick Tseng, CES wrap-up, WiDi, AR.Drone, and more!
31:15 – Next Android version will be called Froyo, says Erick Tseng
31:37 – Windows Mobile 7 megarumor: LG Apollo and HTC Obsession running flagship ‘720p’ specs, Zune Phone Experience
32:40 – Microsoft’s Twitter chatter suggests Danger is up to something — Pink drawing near?
34:10 – It’s on: Apple holding January 27th event to show off its ‘latest creation’
36:00 – Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala’s role and Verizon’s iPhone 4G
38:00 – WSJ: Apple tablet to have books, games, music, TV, will make sandwiches
40:00 – Apple Tablet rumor roundup: summer 2010 edition
42:00 – Apple rumor roundup: future of media edition
45:00 – WSJ: Apple and HarperCollins negotiating e-book deal for tablet
47:40 – Next week’s Apple event to be iLife / iPhone OS 4.0 / tablet trifecta?
56:30 – Apple rumor roundup: iPhone patent 4.0 edition


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Contact the podcast

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

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Engadget Podcast 180 – 01.22.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 22

Windows Mobile 7 rumors coalesce around Q4 launch, MWC announcement

Posted in: Microsoft, mwc, rumor, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, xbox live, XboxLive, zune

While DigiTimes isn’t our go-to source for all things Microsoft, the Taiwanese tattler does have its finger on the pulse of the Taiwanese / Chinese manufacturing juggernaut. As such, we expect it to be privy to information related to HTC, Acer, and ASUS handsets. So lean in close when it cites “sources familiar to Microsoft’s roadmap” in claiming a September 2010 release of Windows Mobile 7 to its handset partners — the same month pegged by that LG leak last week. That should translate into consumer availability by the end of Q4, or Q1 2011 at the latest. As it’s stated, WinMo7 will bring an improved interface, browsing, and multimedia experience with integrated support for Zune, Xbox Live, and Silverlight; nothing we haven’t heard before (and long wished for). DigiTimes claims that only English and “common European languages” will be available initially with Asian localization coming in 2011. Oh, and it’ll be announced at Mobile World Congress.

One thing’s clear: the rapid convergence of the rumor mill around dates and feature sets has us very excited about Microsoft’s chances at resurrecting its smartphone soul in time for the holidays. As such, we’ll be at Mobile World Congress in force to bring you the full story starting February 15th. It’s going to be good.

Windows Mobile 7 rumors coalesce around Q4 launch, MWC announcement originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDigiTimes  | Email this | Comments

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