Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that Windows Mobile 6.5-equipped HTC phone that was stolen from the Telstra exec at MWC? Well it looks like you can forget about any hands-on videos popping up — to quote the immortal words of Will Smith from Men in Black, the device has apparently been flashy thing’d, from afar. According to an anonymous Microsoft staffer speaking to APC, the company remotely wiped all traces of the operating system and user data from the mobile as soon as it was reported pickpocketed, so unless the thief was smart enough to immediately place it in a faraday cage, this phone’s probably a bit too frazzled for the limelight right now.

Filed under: Cellphones

Telstra exec’s stolen WinMo 6.5-equipped HTC phone remotely wiped? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The talk this week at Mobile World Congress has been largely positive about Microsoft’s latest iteration of its smartphone UI, Windows Mobile 6.5. Still, some of us at Engadget (well, one of us, at least), feel like the folks in Redmond missed the mark by a longshot. Instead of demonstrating its technical prowess and vast resources, Microsoft limped out a half-hearted rehash of an OS we’ve seen all too much of, and managed to blind most onlookers with a storm of big time partnerships and bloated PR. While their major competitors (and even some allies) in the mobile space seem bent on changing ideas about how we interact with our portable devices, the company proved once again that it’s content to rest on its laurels and learn little from its mistakes.

To give you another side of the story — a side which I think Microsoft has done an immaculate job of hiding this week — here’s ten reasons why Windows Mobile 6.5 disappoints.

Continue reading Editorial: Ten reasons why Windows Mobile 6.5 misses the mark

Filed under: Cellphones

Editorial: Ten reasons why Windows Mobile 6.5 misses the mark originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Technically, i-mate’s only official announcement at MWC this year is the mega-rugged 810-F that’ll withstand 140 degrees of heat, 14 degrees of cold, water resistance, and shock resistance courtesy of a nasty rubber casing, but it’s certainly not going to appeal to the average consumer — especially consumers who aren’t wearing clown pants with one-liter pockets. So to that end, the company is also showing off a Windows Mobile Standard device codenamed “Centurion” — and we’re pretty sure this is the most compelling device i-mate has ever made. The version we saw was literally the first working prototype they’ve assembled, which meant it was creaky, wobbly, and felt like it could break at a moment’s notice, but we’re not taking too much stock in that; the more important thing to note is that it’s freakin’ tiny. The keyboard was too mushy from its overwhelming prototype-ness to take stock of whether it’ll actually be usable in production, but our quick impression gives us hope that it might be wide enough to get the job done. The battery is absolutely tiny, so i-mate will be throwing in a battery wallet (remember the Upstage?) to help mitigate the problem — they didn’t have a wallet ready to show, but even with such an accessory tacked on, you’re still looking at a smartphone leaps and bounds smaller than pretty much anything else you’ve used. There’s no date on the Centurion’s launch, but they’re targeting mid-year — and yes, both the 810-F and Centurion will get free Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrades. Cheers to that.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

i-mate’s 810F and Centurion handled with wild abandon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, there was an absolute flood of news from Mobile World Congress today, but day one in Spain has finally come to a close, and it looks like Microsoft is flexing all its muscle to try and lock up partners and rejoin the fight for mobile dominance. Seriously, this is Redmond’s show: we haven’t seen a new, non-prototype Android handset powered up yet, and that’s frankly astonishing and somewhat disappointing. What else did we learn?

Continue reading MWC day one: the Empire strikes back

Filed under: Cellphones

MWC day one: the Empire strikes back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With an endless chain of leaks dating back several months, the suspense factor might not be there that Microsoft had been hoping for — but for what it’s worth, Windows Mobile 6.5 is now official. The latest rendition of Microsoft’s mobile platform puts an emphasis on touch-friendliness with a honeycomb-style main menu that the company says is easier to finger than a traditional grid layout; a new lock screen that can be slid on different alerts to automatically call up texts, voicemails, and so on; a thoroughly-restyled cut of Internet Explorer Mobile that features a touchable zoom slider and frequently-used commands; redesigned menus that don’t need a stylus to actuate; fingerable home and contacts screens, and more. It’s not the thorough gutting of the platform many were hoping for, but for anyone thinking that Windows Mobile 6.1 can stand another facelift without ending up looking like Joan Rivers, 6.5’s clearly your baby. Sadly, Microsoft’s saying that no devices in the market today will receive official 6.5 updates, but don’t pull out your wallets just yet, though — the first devices with Windows Mobile 6.5 preinstalled should be available in the fourth quarter of the year.

Further reading:

	Windows Mobile 6.5 feature tour sneaks onto YouTube Well, what have we got here? Someone has upped nine breathtaking minutes of Windows Mobile 6.5 (build 21159.5.0.0, if you must know) running live on an HTC Touch HD.		Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot We’re just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable announcements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather.
	Microsoft confirms MyPhone, invite-only beta coming to MWC Remember that alleged Microsoft MyPhone beta page that popped up on getskybox.com yesterday? It’s back up now and being hosted under the company’s official domain, with everything apparently intact except that tantalizing “Sign In” button.		Microsoft Recite brings voice search to your voice notes Windows Mobile 6.5’s presumably going to be the big news out of Redmond here at MWC this week, but Microsoft’s also using the show as an opportunity to launch the “technology preview” of its Recite software, an ultra-simple voice note app for WinMo 6.0 and above.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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