Hasta La Gadget!

Approved and waiting for your download, Chrome to Windows Phone 7 is now available in the mobile OS’ operating system. True to its name, once you download both this app and the applicable Chrome extension, a quick click on the Windows logo in your otherwise Google browser will send links or selected text to your Microsoft mobile. Join your Android friends in embracing the Continuous Client lifestyle.

Update: Looks like Site to Phone can handle just about any smartphone. Thanks, Ed!

Chrome to Windows Phone 7 now available originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop, Lifehacker  |  Dave Amenta  | Email this | Comments

The much-delayed and much-desired Venue Pro is now finally ready for its proper launch. Dell has begun taking online orders for its first Windows Phone 7 device and prices are set at $99 for the 8GB handset or $149 for the 16GB version — both on two-year contracts with T-Mobile as your carrier — or, alternatively, you can snap them up for $449 or $499, respectively, if you just want the phone by itself. Shipping is promised for December 9th and there’s even free delivery if you have a couple of business days’ worth of patience. So, what are you waiting for?

[Thanks, BeeMichael]

Dell Venue Pro finally available to order: $99 on contract, shipping December 9th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s no sign left of it now, but it looks like none other than the Venue Pro made a brief appearance on Dell’s website earlier today, complete with a few key details about the device. Namely, that it will apparently run $150 on a two-year contract or $500 off-contract (which is a bit different than the asking price was at Microsoft stores), and that it will start shipping on December 14th. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Dell pulled the page in order to make some changes to those details — and considering the Venue Pro launch so far, that might even be likely.

Venue Pro makes brief appearance on Dell’s website: $150 on-contract, December 14th launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  Pocket Now, Dell (inactive)  | Email this | Comments

Hot on the heels of the release of a utility for bypassing the Windows Marketplace and sideloading your own apps, Microsoft has released a brief statement on the state of the Windows Phone 7 hacking community… and we wouldn’t exactly say they’re too worked up about it:

“We anticipated that people would attempt to unlock the phones and explore the underlying operating system. We encourage people to use their Windows Phone as supplied by the manufacturer to ensure the best possible user experience. Attempting to unlock a device could void the warranty, disable phone functionality, interrupt access to Windows Phone 7 services or render the phone permanently unusable.”

So yeah, we’d say this is more or less a boilerplate quote: “we figured you’d hack this thing, we’d prefer it if you didn’t, and here’s a laundry list of things that could (but probably won’t) happen if you fail to heed our meek warning.” Over the long term, we wouldn’t be surprised if Redmond ended up playing an Apple-style cat-and-mouse game with these folks, breaking hacks with firmware updates only to have them re-hacked within a few days’ time. Considering the lack of spitfire in the statement here, we don’t see them coming down too hard unless legitimate, card-carrying, fee-paying developers throw a fit — and granted, ChevronWP7 could be a step on the road to piracy, so that could very well happen.

Microsoft: we figured people would hack Windows Phone 7, would suggest that they don’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  WinRumors  | Email this | Comments

It’s staggering to think how much things have changed in the cellphone industry over the last few years. Where vendors once measured success largely in terms of units shifted, future success is now measured by the number of apps, games, and devs attracted to each opposing platform in a burgeoning smartphone marketplace. Just last week, Nokia announced that it had lured in some 400,000 new developers over the last year. Now Microsoft is touting a rather meager (by comparison) 15,000 Windows Phone developers “signaling their intent to bring exciting content to Windows Phone.” Enough implied manpower to push well beyond the 3,000 apps and games expected to be populating the Windows Marketplace by the end of this week. Of course, objectively measuring a developers intent to develop on a platform is difficult. And really, platform potential is not the primary thing driving the purchasing decision of most consumers — not with so many viable handsets available today. Still, it’s good to see such optimism coupled with the fact that the vast majority of people around the world — gasp! — don’t use smartphones.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 3,000 apps and games, attracts 15,000 developers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Windows Team Blog  | Email this | Comments