New Mediaroom clients to bring Microsoft’s TV platform everywhere this year

Windows Media Center using Mediaroom 2.0

The days of being tied to a traditional TV to watch your favorite shows is becoming less and less of a dream — at least for Mediaroom 2.0 users, like those who subscribe to AT&T U-Verse. It hasn’t even been a full year since Xbox 360 owners were first able to launch a U-Verse blade to watch TV, but it has been about nine months when we first heard rumors of Mediaroom clients for Windows Media Center (aka Monaco), Silverlight (aka Taos) and Windows Phone (aka Rome) would see the light of day. A recent post on William Zhang’s blog, a Microsoft employee, confirms the rumored code names in addition to giving us reason to believe those using Mediaroom 2.0 software might still realize the three screen dream by the end of 2011 after all.

New Mediaroom clients to bring Microsoft’s TV platform everywhere this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul

Autumn is fast approaching — and you know what that means: it’s round about time for an Xbox Dashboard update. Sure, we got a peek of Microsoft’s upcoming harvest back at E3, but the good folks from Redmond invited us to take a closer look at what they’re calling the “most significant update to the Dashboard since NXE.” Senior project Manager Terry Ferrell was on-site to walk us through an early engineering beta and show us how an updated Metro UI, Bing search and deeper Kinect integration is going to change the way folks manage their entertainment content.

Continue reading Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul

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Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer W4 hands-on (video)

Hey, it’s our old pal, the Acer W4. We’ve heard tell of the device and seen our share of mockups, and this week at IFA, we actually got to play with the thing. The 3.6-inch handset is fairly compact, and pretty slick looking, with its black front and curved white backing. It’s not particularly exciting on the spec side, with its 1GHz Qualcomm processor. Nope, what’s most exciting here is the inclusion of Mango, which should look rather familiar to Windows Phone 7 owners, while adding some welcomed updates to the mix.

According to Acer, the handset should be arrive some point next month, though the company isn’t offering up much in terms of pricing. Check out a hands-on video after the break.

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Acer W4 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tango video calling en route to Windows Phone Mango?

Good news, folks — Tango is about to reach Windows Phone. No, not that Tango. We’re referring to the video calling service that’s already popular on iOS and Android devices, but has had absolutely no presence on Microsoft’s platform at all. Of course, there’s a blatantly obvious reason for that: the OS didn’t support front-facing cameras until Mango came along. At this week’s unveiling of HTC’s first WP7.5 devices, someone perusing the Radar’s software happened across a Tango app in the Start menu, indicating users will have more video chatting options to choose from than just Skype. Better yet, it appears to offer cross-platform compatibility to ensure you can see your Android-toting pals and your iPhone-equipped in-laws up close and personal. We’re ecstatic to see the feature finally ready to go with Mango’s debut, but unfortunately it’s only a matter of time before the name confusion settles in.

Tango video calling en route to Windows Phone Mango? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of August 29, 2011

This week, as always, was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here’s some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 15, 2011:

  • More rumors are circulating about the upcoming Sony Ericsson Nozumi, originally leaked two weeks ago. The new specs getting floated around are even better than we previously thought, which include a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution for a PPI of 342, and NFC. (Thanks, David) [via XperiaBlog]
  • The Motorola Milestone 3 — the GSM twin of the Droid 3, essentially — was released in Brazil this week and will be available in select Latin American countries later this month. [via AndroidCentral]
  • Just as we’re getting used to the idea of a white HTC EVO 3D at Radio Shack, it’s now reported that a purple version will soon be available exclusively at Best Buy. [via PocketNow]
  • The BlackBerry Torch 9860 has two new Canadian homes, as it launched this week on Telus for $100 and SaskTel for $130. Both carriers involve setting up a three-year commitment. [via MobileSyrup(1) and (2)]
  • Did someone mention SaskTel? Yes, the carrier is jumping on the 4G bandwagon by announcing its intent to deploy LTE by the fall of 2012. [via MobileSyrup]
  • AT&T’s LG Thrill 4G is finally getting released tomorrow after several weeks of delays. While the phone will be offered for $100 by the carrier itself, you’ll be able to get it at Costco for $30. [via PhoneArena]
  • Alongside the Kyocera Milano, Sprint will also launch a new feature phone called the Kyocera Brio. The Brio will offer a QWERTY keyboard, a 192MHz CPU and will run Java. [via Electronista and AndroidCentral]
  • At HTC’s Windows Phone launch this week, reps confirmed that all of its new Windows Phones will indeed have the mobile hotspot feature included, though it won’t be a part of the software update to the company’s existing lineup. It’s likely to be added with a future refresh, but apparently the feature was added too late in the process to get thrown into the initial rollout. (Thanks, Gilles) [via Pocket-Lint]

Mobile Miscellany: week of August 29, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays: September 2, 2011

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we’ve gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don’t need). Enjoy!

Phones

Read – Samsung I919
Read – Samsung I727
Read – Samsung GT-S5360
Read – LG AS680
Read – LG C800
Read – LG L55C
Read – LG VS920
Read – HTC PI39100
Read – HTC PI39110
Read – Mobo Murano
Read – ZTE N860
Read – Motorola P56MA2 (GSM / WCDMA)
Read – Motorola T56MP1 (Sprint CDMA)
Read – Sonim XP1301
Read – Sharp SH80F

Peripherals

Read – Huawei E560S-6
Read – Plantronics M155

FCC Fridays: September 2, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC pushes a Windows Phone through FCC, Mango launch close at hand?

Phones approved by the FCC are seldom so upfront about the OS they run on, but HTC decided to go against the status quo in its latest filing to the government agency. A quick perusal of the FCC filings show a handset tested for 850 / 1900 GSM — standard 2G bands for AT&T and T-Mobile — and no WCDMA frequencies in the US. There’s one detail in the docs, however, that stands out like a sore thumb: this device, the HTC PI39110, is listed as a Windows Phone. What’s more, the paperwork also mentions the inclusion of a “WiFi hotspot,” which likely is the mobile hotspot feature confirmed to be supported by Mango. HTC hasn’t announced any devices that run on the updated OS yet, but this particular gem could very well be the long-rumored Eternity. While it probably won’t make its way to the US, this is at least a solid indicator that Windows Phone 7.5 is coming soon to more parts of the globe.

HTC pushes a Windows Phone through FCC, Mango launch close at hand? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7 Mango will play nicer with Macs, update your Connector app now

Windows Phone 7.5 will be wearing more Mac-friendly pajamas when it comes. Microsoft’s Connector app just got updated to Version 2.0 and it enables both Marketplace support and ringtone transfers for Mango-equipped handsets. It also packs some other improvements which already work with WP 7.0, including drag-and-drop file importing from the Browse Device window, better backup and restore operations, and full sync and import support for Apple Aperture software. Connector 2.0 is ready and waiting at the App Store and Mango should poke its head around the mountain any day.

Windows Phone 7 Mango will play nicer with Macs, update your Connector app now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM

According to ComScore, out of the 82.2 million people in the US with a smartphone (up ten percent from last quarter), Android came in first as the biggest platform yet again, capturing a whopping 41.8 percent of the market like a boss. In a not-so-close second, Apple was able to snag 27 percent, followed by RIM in the third place spot with 21.7 percent — down 4 percentage points from last quarter. Pulling up the rear is Microsoft with 5.7 percent, and lastly Symbian with a grim 1.9 percent — both down when compared to the previous three months. As far as US hardware manufacturers goes, Samsung is still on top with 25.5 percent of the market, while LG got 20.9 percent and finally Motorola with 14.1 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from before. Apple was able to snag some standing in the OEM space with a 9.5 percent share, while BlackBerry-maker RIM only captured 7.6 percent. As the battle wages on, looks like Androids, iPhones, and BlackBerrys (oh my) are still on top — at least for this quarter. Check out the PR after the break for the full scorecard.

Continue reading ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM

ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nsquared’s Seamless Computing, Surface + Kinect + Slate + Phone = amazing interface (video)

Sydney’s nsquared is calling it “Seamless Computing” — software which unifies Windows Phone 7, Surface, Windows 7 Slate and Kinect. Begin designing a new home on your phone and then place it on the Surface to share between all the devices, then pick up the Slate to make some modifications before walking through a 3D model of the building, navigating with Kinect’s gesture interface. Software like AirPlay and Touch to Share already give you a taste for this sort of tech, but the experience that Dr. Neil Roodyn demonstrates in the video below is far more immersive — not to mention unspeakably cool.

Continue reading Nsquared’s Seamless Computing, Surface + Kinect + Slate + Phone = amazing interface (video)

Nsquared’s Seamless Computing, Surface + Kinect + Slate + Phone = amazing interface (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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