Hasta La Gadget!

Say, for a moment, that you’re Microsoft and you’re on the cusp of releasing a version of the much-maligned Windows Mobile 6.5 that actually made it touch-friendly for once — but like all WinMo versions before it, you’re relying on carriers and manufacturers to wage an inexcusably slow, arbitrary, incomplete upgrade campaign. Wouldn’t you think that quietly burying its launch amongst a sea of more interesting (and less controversial) products might be a good idea? Indeed, that appears to be the angle Microsoft is taking at CES by discreetly showing off a Toshiba TG01 and Pharos Traveller loaded with the long-rumored 6.5.3 with “tiles” along the bottom and finger-friendly adjustments throughout the UI. As far as we can tell, this truly is what 6.5 should’ve been — in our quick look, we’re finally comfortable not having a stylus handy, even on a resistive display. It’s still not pretty, but this is a case where function is at least earning its money trying to trump form.

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.3 shown off very, very quietly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The hints were already pretty strong on this one, but now Microsoft has come right out and said it, albeit in a job posting — the Xbox Live gaming platform is extending beyond the console and specifically onto WinMo phones. Seeking a Principal Program Manager who would be responsible for bringing “Xbox Live enabled games to Windows Mobile,” Redmond is particularly interested in “avatar integration, social interaction, and multi-screen experiences.” That leaves an awful lot of room for imagination as to how the two modes of gaming will complement each other, but at least we now (sort of) know that it’s going to happen.

[Thanks, Jessy]

Windows Mobile and Xbox Live coming together, according to Microsoft job ad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileTechWorld  |  Microsoft  | Email this | Comments

We’re not sure we’d be able to find a piece of hardware that made us adore Windows Mobile 6.5 the same way we adore puppies or a hot cup of cocoa, but that doesn’t mean that the usual suspects — HTC, Samsung, LG, and the like — aren’t producing some magnificent hardware on which to run it. Today we’ve had a chance to give LG’s new eXpo for AT&T a quick once-over, and on paper, this is a hell of a handset: 5 megapixel autofocus cam, a fingerprint sensor that doubles as a d-pad, Snapdragon power, a WVGA display, full QWERTY, and most notably, support for an optional microprojector add-on. Sadly, a ship date hasn’t yet been assigned to the PJ, but does the basic package hold its own against the similarly-spec’d Tilt2? Let’s check it out.

Continue reading LG eXpo unboxing and impressions

LG eXpo unboxing and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson giveth, and Sony Ericsson taketh away. Just as the Xperia Pureness — that wildly mainstream device with absolutely universal appeal (and concierge service) — makes its way to commercial availability, we’re hearing that the Xperia X2 will not be finding store shelves for at least another month. Made official way back in September, the Windows Mobile 6.5 QWERTY slider had already used up most of its Q4 release window, and this latest setback will do its chances of success little good. In the time since its announcement, SE itself has shown off the X10, HTC has leaked an entire roadmap all over itself, the Google phone has emerged from secrecy and, of course, the Droid has come out to a deafening roar of approval. Sony Ericsson explains that it is still optimizing the software and battery life, but all that could be irrelevant to a January 2010 world looking forward to Maemo this and Android that.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 delayed until January 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Brighthand  | Email this | Comments

The projector phone mishmash idea has been around (and even demonstrated) for quite some time now, but only recently have we seen one of these two-pronged, hunchbacked monsters land on a major US carrier. LG’s eXpo is carrying that crown (or burden, depending on perspective), and while we’re itching to get one into our own labs for testing, we’ll happily pass along what looks to be the world’s first real good look at this handset in action. Make no mistake — the DLP-based beamer affixed on the back adds quite the bulge, but the actual video performance looks about as good as any dedicated pico projector that we’ve seen to date. Have a peek past the break to see for yourself.

Continue reading LG’s projector-laden eXpo smartphone gets demonstrated on video

LG’s projector-laden eXpo smartphone gets demonstrated on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pico-Projector Info  |  YouTube  | Email this | Comments