Hasta La Gadget!

Much to Ballmer’s chagrin, Windows Mobile 7 is still a rather nebulous thing, but it’s getting a wee bit clearer thanks to some bits and bytes extracted from the LinkedIn profiles of current and former Microsofties and Motorolites, the latter group indicating the company that brought you the Droid is also rather committed to Microsoft’s theoretical new hotness. Various experience line-items reveal that the OS will support Silverlight (natch), will have a new navigation app, and will include much better game support along with some sort of Zune integration — finally. Now, any guesses on how many people will lose their jobs for being so open about what those positions entail?

LinkedIn profiles reveal Windows Mobile 7 clues, folks with really great people skills originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re going on the assumption here that the lads and ladies over at QiGi haven’t actually heard that “smartbooks” have a vaguely defined look and feel, as the outfit’s latest handheld definitely looks nothing like the smartbooks that we’ve seen emerge over the past few months. In fact, the Windows Mobile 6.5-equipped device looks more like a MID than anything else, boasting a 5-inch 800 x 480 display, only a few face-mounted buttons and 1GB of memory. Hit the read link if you’re interested in a poorly translated review, and good luck finding one of these in the open market (at least with an English-language operating system).

QiGi’s Smartbook is more like a WinMo 6.5-powered MID originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s far from being a major player in the smartphone space, but to call it irrelevant would be grossly inaccurate. Up until now, however, the outfit has relied largely on Microsoft’s mobile OS to power its phones, though even it seems shocked by the warm reception the Android-powered Liquid has received. According to the company’s own Aymar de Lencquesaing, Acer recognizes that “there is definitely momentum behind Android,” and he continued by stating that “the pace is faster than most would have anticipated one year ago.” He went on to proclaim that the company was apt to pump out 8 to 10 phones in 2010, with next year’s lineup being “much more balanced” in terms of the amount of Windows Mobile vs. Android handsets. Look out, world — Google just might take over another huge portion of your life while you’re fixated on the next great Black Friday deal.

Acer to unveil 8 to 10 phones next year, show more love to Android originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Microsoft finally launched Windows Mobile 6.5 earlier this year, there may have been lots of fanfare, but there was little honest excitement. After a tepid showing at MWC in Barcelona followed by the proper launch this October, no one was exactly up in arms over the OS, though support from the big M’s partners was characteristically plentiful. Still, there was nary a ray of light to be seen in the otherwise bleak and basic landscape of handset offerings… until the HD2 came along. In August of this year, HTC showed off what seemed to be one of the few Windows Mobile devices capable of generating honest enthusiasm. The massive, full touchscreen device boasts impressive specs: a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a generous 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive WVGA touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and lots of other bells and whistles. But the centerpiece here isn’t the hardware, it’s HTC’s totally revamped user interface, Sense, which doesn’t just hide Windows Mobile 6.5 — it all but zaps it out of existence. Sadly for Microsoft, that’s the most enticing part of this equation. So, is the HD2’s new face enough to quell the bad vibes of Windows Mobile and make the platform seem viable again, or is that a challenge which takes more than just a coat of paint? We’ve taken a hard look at the phone… so read on to find out.

Continue reading HTC HD2 review

HTC HD2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard anything about LG’s Monaco, but now it seems as if the wait for this to transition from presentation slide to reality is almost over. Unfortunately, Windows Mobile 7 won’t be onboard as previously rumored, but prospective Telus customers can look forward to LG’s S-Class interface sprucing things up somewhat. Other specs purportedly include a Snapdragon processor, WVGA display, 5 megapixel camera and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, though nitty-gritty details beyond that are nil. Peep that read link if you’re lusting for a few more angles, and don’t kid yourself — you are.

LG’s Monaco (IQ) spotted in Telus garb, rocking WinMo 6.5 and Snapdragon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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