MWC day one: the Empire strikes back
By Nilay Patel 
posted February 16th 2009 7:30PM
posted February 16th 2009 7:30PM
- As expected, Windows Mobile 6.5 brings some much-needed interface enhancements to the table along with the Windows Marketplace app store and My Phone syncing, but some longstanding issues remain -- the biggest one being that it still doesn't support capacitive touchscreens. We spent some time with it, and while we're impressed with the new lock screen, honeycomb app launcher, and browser, it's obviously just a paint job -- it's still kinda laggy and the media features haven't been changed at all.
- The Palm Pre is going to have full Flash support. So will Windows Mobile, S60, and Android, according to Adobe. BlackBerry and iPhone users are still out in the cold.
- HTC launched the Touch Pro2 and the Touch Diamond2, which are super-evolutionary in the best possible way. Both are incredibly slick and well built, feature some nifty new calling features and UI tweaks, and will be upgraded to WM 6.5 for free when the time comes.
- The hardware highlight of the show so far has to be the Samsung OmniaHD, which can capture and play back 720p video. S60, 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, yeah yeah -- it's a phone with freaking HDMI out. What more do you need to know?
- Huawei had the only new Android handset we've seen on display. Only it wasn't so much a "handset" as a "non-working hunk of plastic." It'd be cool if it was real, but it's obvious to us that Microsoft wanted this to be its party, and those kids from Googletown weren't invited.
- LG launched the Arena KM900 featurephone and the GM730 WinMo phone, both with variants of the S-Class UI. We'd be interested if the GM730 ran it as well as the Arena, but it doesn't. Way more intriguing: the GD900, which sports a super-cool transparent keypad.
- LG also made a splash by announcing a deep partnership with Microsoft: WinMo is is going to be LG's "preferred" smartphone OS, and it's committed to launching an incredible 50 Windows Mobile devices through 2012. See what we mean by Microsoft's party?
- Nokia forgot to launch the 8.1 megapixel N86 at MWC, instead unveiling it in Singapore. Hey guys, we're all in Spain -- you know, where the E55 and E75 launched?
- Acer came to this gunfight with a spoon, launching four me-too WinMo 6.1 phones -- two of which most likely can't be upgraded to 6.5. We wouldn't take 'em if they were free.
- Sony Ericsson showed off a vapor-y Symbian Foundation phone with a 12.1 megapixel camera codenamed the Idou. It's pronounced E-Do, and by the time you'll be able to buy one we don't think you'll be interested anymore.
- Garmin-Asus let us play with the Linux-based nuvifone G60 and WinMo-based nuvifone M20. They're slick and have solid GPS features, as you'd expect. But why did they make us shoot the demo in a moving car?
- There might be a HTC G2 called the "Magic," and it might be coming to Vodafone. There might also be an Android-powered LG KS360. There might also be no chance in hell these two are at MWC.
- We spotted a GSM Palm Pre with a Vodafone SIM card, which could mean everything or nothing. But it exists!
P.S.- Remember, if you're not loving all the MWC news, there's a special RSS feed just for you. Seriously though -- this stuff is pretty sweet.
I'm also surprised how the manufacturers are not embracing Android. So far, it's been all about Microsoft.
I guess Android has a long way to go to have market penetration.
Very disappointed so far myself. Need more Android!
The most exciting thing for me was the news of the HTC Magic (possibly) being released in Europe. This may mean that it actually will be released via T-mobile in the states sometime this year.
Why arent' more phone makers jumping on a free, open OS?
Probably for the same reason MS have dominance on PC's instead of Linux.
Because its easier, quicker and everything is already there for you. You can pump out phone after phone in quick succession, just look at LGs promise to deliver 50 handsets by 2012.
"Probably for the same reason MS have dominance on PC's instead of Linux."
Microsoft has more money to throw at vendors?
Honestly I think Google is getting the reputation as a company without much focus who might drop a product/service without warning or leave it to die on the vine. I think Android is probably suffering a bit as a result. I could see how it might be hard for a company to jump in when Google is being very careful to hedge their bets themselves and continue to focus heavily on the iPhone platform for new services/features. Makes you wonder how committed they are.
does iphone os have good penetration.,?
«does iphone os have good penetration.,?»
I think it does, since some people seem to have it up their a55es.
/joke
Sorry for that, but you just left it for pickup.
Seriously, I don't think there's a real do-all, fit-all, whatever-all in any product, even less in OS territory. UI design can be changed and perfected but core functionality not only has to be solid, it has to be «predictable» as well as documented. Android it's portrayed as an excellent environment for programming, but it's really young. Apple's iPhone OS is better acknowledged, by adopting pre-existing languages inside OSX, therefore opening the platform for their fellas, but then again: it's just one device.
Windows Mobile can perform better or worse, it depends on modding, tweaking, etc. There's a lot of tinkering inside and can be refurbished entirely. Certain actual shells can perform feats that are as iPhone-worthy as the next, and even reduce to almost none interaction with the WinMo's old and 90's styled interface.
But, of course, that needs a special kind of user to be true.
I'll wait and see the WebOS, which is kind of fun since in spanish webos is the way you pronounce «huevos» (eggs, which is used to describe a man's balls) so we Latins could say «Este Palm va a tener unos huevos barbaros!!» (this Palm will have a lot of balls)
The truth is that none of the manufacturers want to be Google's beta-tester. Android is currently a swiss cheese OS and there's lots of functionality missing.
Once it's feature complete and relatively bug-free, I'm sure more manufacturers will join the party.
Don't forget there are all sorts of privacy concerns associated with Android that don't exist for any other phone OS. That will turn off lots of people that aren't prepared to hand their lives over to Google and the OEMs know it.
I really don't get all the Android fanboyism. Why? It's an OK mobile OS, not as good as (tweaked) WM, a little better than Symbian and it's made by Google and that's it.
Why are you all so excited to run ad-ware on your phones? What about having Google search adn index all of your text messages is so freaking appealing? There's no reason to think that Google is any more capabale at mobile OS software than, RIM, Apple, Microsoft or anyone else. They only thing they are better at is search alogrithims and advertising.
I disagree.Symbian has stolen the show so far this year.
I agree.
How?? You mean OmniaHD and Idou? Hmm... that would make sense... but I think both devices were not so much focused on the OS like the Windows Mobile stuff.
Shit, I missed the part about the Omnia HD being a Symbian phone. Barring any major Android revelations, I think I've found my next mobile. Samsung, please let that thing do UMTS on the freq's that Rogers and AT&T use. PLEASE.
Apple has stolen the show... because the iphone is still better than all of this garbage
Agreed, OmniaHD and Idou are lightyears ahead of every WM device showed... And SEs S60 shell looks amazing and it DOESN'T LAG. HTC didn't launch "super-evolutionary" TouchDiamond2, it launched an ugly version of Touch HD...
What's with Idou being vapor-y? What is your basis for that assumption? What are you, paid by the goverment to advertise american stuff only?
And DEAR GOD, WM 6.5 dubbed "lagOS" is going to be available by the Q4, that's like a year from now, how on earth is that any kind of a win?
I own a Touch Diamond, and I kinda like WinMo, but let's be realistic...
HTC Touch Diamond 2 preview...so far it looks better than anything seen during the show ( other that the Omnia' HD sexy screen..but we haven't seen abything else on it besides a video and mobile-review.com critical preview...) and it's gonna be available soon :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4HQvKVVYi0
I actually love the Touch Diamond2 design a lot...
Idou and OmniaHD still own this year's MWC though.
While the iPhone will continue to be the favorite of teeny boppers and college kids, these latest releases guarantee that it will move even further down the wishlist of everyone that wants a powerful business phone.
Face it, the iPhone is really dated at this point. Innovative in its day, sure, but take a look at it now:
- It's half-VGA resolution is basically second tier now that all the cool kids are doing full or wide VGA
- It's lack of a physical keyboard has always been a drawback for business users
- It's lack of certain basics like tethering, MMS, and autofocus, is just pathetic in this day and age
I hope Apple has something up its sleeve for this year or next, because pretty soon even the kiddie crowd will start looking elsewhere for their next phone/toy.
d,
people may want a powerful business phone, but i wouldn't go so far to say that the iphone is "really dated". its still decent.
and why have no other phones came out with capacative screens, i know they take asia into consideration, but still it can be done. I think i can only name two, the iphone and the g1.
"While the iPhone will continue to be the favorite of teeny boppers and college kids, these latest releases guarantee that it will move even further down the wishlist of everyone that wants a powerful business phone."
I know that was flamebait, but I can't resist.
I almost laughed out loud since I sell these products everyday and hear so many business users glow over the iPhone's features, interface, and best-on-the-market web browser. No, Opera Mobile isn't better, even on a battery-chugging beast like the Touch Pro.
I see people ditch their Blackberries daily and not look back.
Tethering, MMS, autofocus?! While these features would be nice, they're more of an afterthought since most business users have aircards for mobile internet, email will one day replace MMS, and autofocus doesn't help a plastic lensed phone camera.
Look at the competion. Windows Mobile, no matter how many nuclear powered bricks you run it on, just plain sucks. It's a jumbled terror to navigate for daily use. I used it for a year and was ready to through that device out the window. Blackberries are very nice. They have lots of useful features and the interface is quick and efficient to navigate. That said, they lack horsepower. With all the java action going on, apps don't have the low level hardware access they need to give a rich experience. The web browser (and by extension, html email) is weak. The iPhone has an elegant interface, tons of horsepower, and practical everyday uses. Hell, I'd love background apps, copypasta, push notifications, MMS, ect. But truthfully, the iPhone wins even without these features.
I've used the Blackberry Bold, HTC Touch Pro, and iPhone. The iPhone is what I carry.
Yes, Jason, but you work in a phone shop, we work in corporate business. Our needs are somewhat different to yours.
i just hope that touch diamond2 is the topaz that was leaked w/ an AT&T logo
I agree.
That was for iLoveApple
bs thee's not more Android phones.
There's only 2 more things I want to see.
1) A Dell Phone
2) SPB Mobile Shell 3.0
Mobile Shell 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWzppakWPLI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2AOukFSz5o
+1
Yeah, definetely expected more from Android, but I don't think it's as great as it is touted to be. The future Windows Mobile 7 and the new Symbian Open Alliance os seem to be what coming, with last versions of them coming out on some handsets.
What I want to know is where are all the Nvidia Tegra handsets and mids, it has been a year since they showed us the working technology, c'mon I want one asap. I managed after much searching to find more info at this site:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/02/closeup_view_of_nvidias_tegra_wmc.html
They say Nvidia have a handheld Android prototype that was on display.
Come on Engadget give us some video demos and more info on Nvidia Tegra.
Hope to see this Toshiba with Qualcomm Snapdragon tomorrow, that thing is pooowerful.
nVidia doesn't have anything new to show. The Android prototype is just the same as the WM one (they can dual boot) Same demo, same interface. Qualcomm is killing nVidia right now. Qualcomm's offering is the whole package (2D/3Dchipset+IO+GPS+Radio etc) nVidia's Tegra is just the CPU+GPU. Guess what's probably cheaper for the ODMs....
Vid of nVidia's Booth : http://www.mobinaute.com/258162-videonaute-presentation-nvidia-tegra-puce-anti-iph.html
thats one of the best headline in ages. and winmo 6.5 does look quite nice.
Agreed that it does look nice. But WinMo REALLY needs an overhaul, sooner rather than later if they wish to stay competitive in the mobile market.
I wonder how many people know that Android is almost entirely customizable? Apparently not many manufacturers/carriers do...
Have you maybe thought that customizing Windows Mobile is easier than Linux especially if all you have done is Windows Mobile development?
In addition there is the whole tie into Google with Andriod, which requires that you basically have a google account. While Windows Mobile does encourage you to use Hotmail/Windows Live or Exchange, you are more than free to set your primary email account to AOL/Yahoo/gMail etc... From the get go it is more customizable. I think to seriously try to beat the Windows ecosystem, people need to develop something that isn't so tied down. But the only revenue Google can see from Android is not thru licenses like Windows Mobile but thru potential use of Google services plastered with adverts.
Yes I have, and you make a very good point about that. I am not a developer (far from one), but I don't think that--if you had the wits and manpower--it would be too hard to develop for Android. I'm not saying it'd be easy or simple or painless, but I'm saying that it can be done. Now, I can't speak for the Android community, since I don't have a G1, but from the looks of the lack of manufacturer/carrier support, not too many developers are jumping on the Android train, which is unfortunate.
What I'm saying is that Android has a ton of untapped potential that no one seems to be desiring to harness on a large scale.
maybe it because the manufacturers realize that Android is a half baked product who's only appeal is freee and _future_ potential. I'm typing this on a G1 and I will be honest. I'm unimpressed by Google progression on the platform. The damn dialer is sluggish on ending and dialing a call....the dialer!?
While I'll NEVER use an iShit I will be considering something else this fall unless something drastic happens on the Android front
Android does NOT require a Google account. The G1 does, but any manufacturer is free to realease a phone running a build of Android that has absolutely no Google services on it whatsoever. Microsoft could theoretically release an Android phone that requires a Live.com account if they want to, and it would not be an unrealistic amount of work to do (I am both a C# .Net and Android Java developer).
The Android is customizable but customize it too much and you break all of the third party apps.
I think some serious props are in order for HTC, once again dominating the high-end touchscreen spectrum for the 2nd year in a row. Palm what?
Huh? What did they announce that's better than the Samsung Omnia HD or SE Idou?
Man those HTC Diamond 2 and Touch 2 looked quite impressive, too bad about the slow old 528mhz processors. Should have used Nvidia Tegra chips - much faster, much much more battery life and awesome graphics.
Or Qualcomm's Snapdragon. I'm very surprised that we haven't heard more about that, especially after Toshiba's TG01 announcement from a couple of weeks ago.
Gotta love that "HTC Debug Tools" icon... free with a WinMo purchase? ;-)
lol... it's funny because it's true.
ha you beat me to the punch ;)
It's amazing that it's MWC 2009 and no one has filled all of these must have's in one device....
3" or larger WVGA capacitve touch Screen
3 to 5 Megapixel Camera with flash and video
3.5 mm headphone jack
Mini-usb charge and sync
hot swappable flash memory
stereo bluetooth
This should be an obvious set of requirements....
Agreed. Why the hell hasn't someone done this?
I don't necessarily agree that a capacitive screen is essential but the Touch HD covers all your requirements with the exception of the flash and the resistive screen.
Typical - Microsoft muscles in with vast amounts of cash and tie-ins to push a competing product (a better one to use, in most people's eyes) out of the market. Again. Remember netbooks and Linux? Seriously, if Google has the money, they need to push massively now or lose their market share like Linux did.