Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft is no stranger to having partners galore in the phone business, but its lineup of manufacturers for the upcoming, surprisingly promising Windows Phone 7 launch is no less impressive. After plenty of rumoring, Microsoft has confirmed that Dell and HTC will be making Windows Phone 7 phones, in addition to ASUS, LG, and Samsung who had already been confirmed. All of these companies should have their stamp on hardware by the end of the year, with the launch of the OS still vaguely slated for the “holidays.” We have no doubt that all five manufacturers can build some compelling, sexy hardware, but we’re particularly enthused to see Dell really getting into the game after the impressive Streak and that drool-worthy leak a little while back. It’s a good time to be alive if you’re a person who buys or uses phones.

Microsoft confirms Windows Phone 7 manufacturers: ASUS, Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung all on board originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Which is more important, the fact that Microsoft rolled out a brand-new developer preview of their mobile OS or the fact that Nilay can get some free protection from Apple for his sweaty kill-hands? You be the judge.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Christopher Voss – Where is My Mind (Pixies cover)

02:25 – Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview
44:00 – Apple to give away free cases to iPhone 4 users

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Engadget Podcast 205 – 07.20.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a long road, hasn’t it? Well, in some respects, it hasn’t — in fact, it’s only been about two years since development of Windows Phone 7 as we know it today kicked off — but when you consider that this product will be replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, that puts things in proper perspective. In fact, even the very latest maintenance releases of good ol’ WinMo are based on the same rickety underpinnings as version 5.0 was way back in 2005, at a time when WVGA smartphone displays were science fiction, 4G networks were a good two Gs beyond the average American’s comprehension, and Engadget looked like this. Nowadays, it’s a very different game; eight year-olds have access to mobile email, your phone understands German, and “Yelp” is a verb (okay, actually Yelp is a verb). Indeed, mobile devices are the new PCs — and companies like Apple and Google are dominating an industry that had once been practically handed to Microsoft on a silver platter. No one — either inside or outside of Redmond — is arguing that change isn’t desperately (and quickly) needed, because it simply isn’t enough to dominate the desktop anymore.

In light of all that, you could call Windows Phone 7 a desperation move to become relevant in the pocket again. Call it whatever you like, but regardless, brand loyalty isn’t going to save this product — it simply has to be good to sell. Scratch that; it actually has to be nearly flawless in a world where iOS 4 and Gingerbread play. Microsoft still has a few months before it intends to get the first volley of Windows Phone 7-based products to the marketplace, but we’ve recently been provided with reference hardware — a not-for-retail Samsung called “Taylor” that’s closely modeled on the Symbian-based i8910HD — to get a feel for where they’re at as the clock ticks down. Is this shaping up to be a killer platform for the next generation of high-end smartphones? And more importantly, can it win customers? Read on for our first take.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview

Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft director Todd Brix has apparently revealed what’s been known from a series of non-denied rumors for a while now: they’re making it rain on mobile developers with good ideas. According to a BusinessWeek report, it seems they’re pursuing a number of angles to entice software shops to help build out Windows Phone 7’s launch catalog, ranging from offering free test hardware to simply paying cash, sometimes in the form of revenue guarantees that Microsoft will meet if apps don’t meet sales goals in the Marketplace. Of course, there’s not really anything wrong with Microsoft inorganically pursuing support for its ecosystem like this — they’ve certainly got the pocketbook for it, and considering their come-from-behind position, they ought to be using any tool available to ’em right now to get this thing as ready as it can possibly be for app-hungry customers later this year.

Microsoft comes clean on doling out cash, free hardware to entice Windows Phone devs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early versions of the tools Windows Phone 7 developers will use to craft their wares have been floating around since Microsoft’s MIX event in March, but it looks like things have finally gotten robust and feature-complete enough this week to bless the kit with a beta label. In fact, Microsoft is coming out and saying that this release “represents the near final version,” which we take to mean you can develop with some confidence that your world won’t be turned upside down when the time comes to prep your apps for shipping devices and firmwares. The actual API has been tweaked and Expression Blend is now fully integrated with the tools, though there are apparently still a few controls that aren’t ready for primetime and will be added over the coming weeks. Oh, and if no emulator is enough to satisfy your intense cravings, you might be excited to learn that more developer devices are slated to ship next week — so keep an eye on your mailbox and your porch if you signed up to get one.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Developer Tools package goes to beta originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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