Hasta La Gadget!

In his latest routine forum visit, Meizu CEO Jack Wong dropped a couple of teasers about what’s coming up in his fancy Zhuhai-based factory. First is that the M8 3G will need at least another six months to brew, which is slightly off the March release date we last heard. Initial versions will pack W-CDMA (aka, UMTS) and China’s own TD-SCDMA radios, then maybe a CDMA version whenever Jack’s ready to pay “premium license fees” to enter the “narrow international market [of EV-DO].” Next up is word that apparently the infamous Windows CE-based M8 may get a dose of Windows Phone apps in a future firmware update, courtesy of “a project that Microsoft is working on.” Sure, it all sounds great, but given Meizu’s record of underestimating the complexities of manufacturing mobile phones, we’ll believe it when we see it.

Meizu CEO: M8 3G launch pushed, original M8 getting Windows Phone apps (maybe) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Mobile 6.5 users rejoice, you now have a better marketplace experience your way. Microsoft’s added a couple updates to its mobile app store. On the developers’ side of things there’s a new portal for submission, and “more advanced anti-piracy protection” — no clue if it solves those DRM issues we heard about before, but sounds at least like a step in the right direction. For the consumers, there’s now an online store that you can use from your certainly superior desktop / laptop browser. In the vein of Xbox Live Marketplace’s online portal at Xbox.com, purchased apps from the browser will be sent to the connected phone next time you open up the Windows Marketplace client… what’s that? You want support for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1? Microsoft reassures us it’s coming later this month, so hang tight, okay?

[Via Mobile Tech World]

Read – Announcing new features…
Read – Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Filed under: Cellphones

Windows Marketplace for Mobile updates tackle piracy, adds online store for non-mobile browsers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

As CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates would often talk about his dream of “information at your fingertips.” The company he co-founded, though, is now taking literal steps toward that goal. By the end of the month, Microsoft will have released three new devices or platforms that embrace or extend touchscreen support — but the impact touch will have on each varies significantly by their legacy, usage, and manufacturers.

Windows has long had touchscreen support. Such support, in fact, was the basis of the Tablet Edition of Windows XP, and Tablet PCs were proclaimed to be the future of notebooks. Early iterations were larger and thicker keyboard-lacking slates much like the new Archos 9pctablet. But this was before rampant Web browsing, streaming video, casual games and electronic books — all of which now provide relevance for a new generation of touchscreen PCs as content-consumption devices.

Continue reading Switched On: Microsoft’s touchy subjects

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Tablet PCs

Switched On: Microsoft’s touchy subjects originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Got a cool grand to drop on a Windows Phone? Oh, yeah? Then have a gander at Samsung’s latest fashion piece, the Armani-branded M7500. The cool cats over at PhoneArena managed to get their paws around a unit, and as predicted, they didn’t hesitate to bust out the camera and give us all a good look. They also took the chance to give us a brief overview of how the handset handled, calling it “bulky even for a WinMo smartphone,” though praising the high-res display and well-spaced keyboard. Feel free to hit the read link if you’re interested in more, but don’t be shocked to hear more than a little criticism.

[Via MobileTechWorld, thanks Arnaud]

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung’s WinMo 6.5-powered Armani smartphone gets previewed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you knew nothing of Samsung’s lineup you might think that they’d just announced five Windows Mobile smartphones, but the reality is much, much less interesting: they’ve basically announced one (which was already widely known) and whipped up a rebranding and relaunch campaign for the other four. To the Omnia range, Sammy has now officially added the Omnia Pro B7330, essentially an upmarket B7320 with a square 320 x 320 display in place of the earlier model’s QVGA unit and HSUPA thrown in for good measure. The bigger news might be that the i8000, B7320, B7300, B7330, and B7610 — every current Omnia model — will be packaged with Windows Mobile 6.5 going forward, while updates will be offered to Omnia IIs, B7610s, and B7320s currently in the field running 6.1. The B7330 launches on October alongside the previously-announced Omnia Lite B7300; Samsung’s being a little more coy about dates for the upgrades, but we’re hoping owners aren’t waiting too long.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Samsung announces Omnia Pro B7330, spills WinMo 6.5 plans for entire Omnia range originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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