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Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace's imminent demise
It truly is the end of an era. In just under two weeks, Microsoft will follow through with its plan to shutter the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace for good. In a cautionary email, Redmond asked that those still using a WM device "install any available updates in advance of the [...] shut-down," scheduled for May 17th. Not all hope is lost for the antiquated mobile operating system, though, as the announcement reminds technology holdouts that application updates can be acquired directly from developers (good luck with that). If you're out on the town this evening having a few drinks with friends, remember to pour one out for Windows Mobile, a true OG smartphone operating system.
HTC HD2 review
When Microsoft finally launched Windows Mobile 6.5 earlier this year, there may have been lots of fanfare, but there was little honest excitement. After a tepid showing at MWC in Barcelona followed by the proper launch this October, no one was exactly up in arms over the OS, though support from the big M's partners was characteristically plentiful. Still, there was nary a ray of light to be seen in the otherwise bleak and basic landscape of handset offerings... until the HD2 came along. In August of this year, HTC showed off what seemed to be one of the few Windows Mobile devices capable of generating honest enthusiasm. The massive, full touchscreen device boasts impressive specs: a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a generous 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive WVGA touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and lots of other bells and whistles. But the centerpiece here isn't the hardware, it's HTC's totally revamped user interface, Sense, which doesn't just hide Windows Mobile 6.5 -- it all but zaps it out of existence. Sadly for Microsoft, that's the most enticing part of this equation. So, is the HD2's new face enough to quell the bad vibes of Windows Mobile and make the platform seem viable again, or is that a challenge which takes more than just a coat of paint? We've taken a hard look at the phone... so read on to find out. %Gallery-77279%
HTC HD2 hands-on and impressions... on video!
We had a chance to give HTC's newest darling device -- the Windows Mobile 6.5-sporting HD2 -- a more thorough hands-on today, and we wanted to share our impressions. Firstly, we must say that HTC has done perhaps its most ambitious skinning job ever here. So while this does run atop Windows Mobile 6.5, you rarely see the OS poking through the gorgeous new Sense user interface the company has created. If you're used to TouchFLO 3D (or Sense on Android), this should seem old hat to you, but keep in mind there are some major changes here that dramatically affect the Windows Mobile experience. As you probably already know, the Snapdragon-based device sports a 1GHz MSM8250 CPU, a massive, 800 x 480 capacitive display (with multitouch functionality thanks to more tinkering from HTC), a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, and GPS chip on-board. We were frankly blown away with how slick this phone is. Mind you, WM 6.5 still shows its not-so-fresh colors here and there, but the general experience of using the device is handled mainly through the Sense interface, and it blows the hinges off of any other Windows phone experience we've had. Ever. From the lag-free gestures which get you around the device, to image pinching and zooming with that aforementioned multitouch, the hesitation-free jumps in and out of applications, and typing on the sprawling, HTC-ified onscreen keyboard, using the HD2 is a joy. There's no getting around the fact that the phone is still very much anchored to Windows Mobile, but what HTC has done here is nothing short of a revelation. Why Robbie Bach didn't bring this up on stage today at Microsoft's open house event is anyone's guess -- though we have to imagine that when your OS is this heavily gutted (HTC has even completely removed stock apps like calendar and contacts and replaced them with its own versions, and the company had to hand-roll the capacitive / multitouch interfacing), it might not be the best example of what you've done. We'll be waiting with bated breath till we get more hands-on time with this phone, but until then, we can all enjoy some lengthy video of the device in action... so check it out after the break. Update: Second video is up!
Software dumps bring a taste of the Touch Diamond2 to the original
No quantity of illicit CABs will grant your Touch Diamond a 5 megapixel camera or touch-sensitive zoom bar, but at least you can get some of the Touch Diamond2's software goodies ahead of time. everythingdiamond.info is hoting a plethora of binaries ripped from a Touch Diamond2 ROM, including several versions of the new on-screen keyboard, the photo album app, calculator, volume control, and more, all just waiting for a lovely Touch Diamond to call home -- especially cool considering the sequel's screen resolution has changed. Odds are we're just weeks (if not days) away from a full cooked 6.5 ROM with all of the Touch Diamond2's features for the Diamond, but if you're really into living on the bleeding edge, your playground awaits. [Via WMPoweruser.com]
Weird Toshiba FCC filing suggests -- of all things -- a WinMo flip?
If there's an organization phone manufacturers probably shouldn't be pulling shenanigans on, the FCC ranks at or near the top of the list -- but Toshiba's latest filing has an awful lot of holes in it that need some 'splaining. At first glance, you'd figure this thing is a TG01, no big deal, and the product code of TM5-E01 seems to match up with the "E01" sticker at the bottom of the pictured test unit. A quick glance through the user's manual, though, reveals mentions of a 96 x 39 OLED secondary display, a primary display that's a full 1.1 inches smaller than the TG01's, and a device outline that's narrower, shorter, and way thicker. What does that sound like, exactly? A flip phone -- a form factor rarer than unicorns in the WinMo community -- but the pictures in the user's manual are of a TG01, not a flip. If we had to guess, this is an ultra-early draft of the manual with contents partially and haphazardly ripped out of another model's, but wouldn't it be crazy if Tosh dropped a Snapdragon-powered clamshell this year?[Via Unwired View]
Microsoft's SkyBox sync service set for a February unveiling, new Windows Mobile UI confirmed?
According to the good people at Neowin, Microsoft has a few big announcements for Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona next month. Apparently, the company will be taking the wraps off a cloud-based syncing service called SkyBox, a MobileMe-like system which allows you to sync and backup your Windows Mobile phone OTA, though there's speculation the service might be extended to non-WM devices as well. The cats in Redmond will also apparently unveil something called SkyLine, an enterprise version of SkyBox, and will properly introduce SkyMarket -- its "mobile marketplace" (an App Store competitor). Most interestingly, however, Neowin is now claiming that those shots of a Windows Mobile interface we saw back in November that looked somewhat questionable are in fact actual pics from a forthcoming UI overhaul. The site goes as far to say it can "confirm" that the honeycomb interface seen in the photos are "genuine concept shots" of a new interface. As usual, don't place any bets on any of this -- but we'll be live and direct at MWC next month, so stay tuned.[Thanks, Bill]
Verizon preps for launch of UTS XV5800?
Is Verizon having a busy summer? We guess it depends on who you ask. For some, the time for the HTC Vox (aka UTStarcom XV5800) finally hit the hands of employees last week and the device should be available for sale sometime in August. All the stats remain the same like a Qualcomm 7500 series EV-DO Rev A chipset and a 400MHz processor. The only thing we noticed was the change for internal storage which is claimed to be 162MB, which sounds a little strange to us. Let's hope that Big Red can pull this one off in time for Labor Day. [Thanks, HTC Kid]
Yahoo! gets cuddly with all of HTC's Windows Mobile handsets
As Yahoo! and Google battle it out old-style to find out who is king of the mobile web these days, Yahoo! had already stepped it up a notch from offering its Yahoo! Go service on Nokia phones via Symbian's S60 to offering the same experience on that Windows Mobile handset -- but now, it'll be on quite a few WM handsets. With that notion, Yahoo! signed on HTC (maker of a healthy dose of WM handsets) to embed Yahoo! into almost every HTC Windows Mobile device -- including recent models (we guess via a firmware update) and all new and upcoming HTC models as well. So, in addition to Yahoo! Go on Symbian-powered handsets and Windows Mobile handsets made by HTC, the California company is embedding Yahoo! services into standard handset models from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG as well. Google -- you got a comeback for that?
HTC Vox in the wild?
When the shot's blurry, you know it's got to be good -- and boy oh boy, is this one ever blurry. This sucker is said to be an HTC Vox, the upcoming numeric and QWERTY keypad-equipped Pocket PC, doing what it does best. Notice the presence of a d-pad front and center, which is something we haven't seen on older shots, but we're not taking that to mean it ain't a Vox we're looking at here. Really now, can you imagine a Pocket PC without any sort of directional control? Still no word on when Voxes might be in abundant retail supply, but if it turns out to be true that a 3G radio is absent from its innards, it'd best hit post haste before we all end up waiting for a Wings.[Thanks, Maximus]
i-mate's JASJAR redux, the K-JAR
It looks like i-mate's ongoing collaboration with TechFaith is starting to pick up a good head of steam, seeing how they've gone and entrusted the Chinese ODM with serving up the de facto successor to the HTC-sourced JASJAR. Not a heck of a lot is known about this pivoting, flipping, QWERTY-sporting monster of a device, though it apparently (strangely) lacks that all-important 3G radio its predecessor packed. Features are rumored to include a 2.8-inch QVGA display, WiFi, Bluetooth, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, and a TI OMAP750 core clipping along at an undisclosed clock speed. With i-mate making (or at least trying to make) inroads in the US market, this is one Pocket PC phone the full-keypad lovers among us will be tracking with eagle eyes.[Via HowardForums, thanks Galt]
Yahoo Go for Mobile spreads to Windows Mobile
It seems Yahoo was happy enough with their exploits in S60 land to bring their ragtag group of applets to another demographic. This time around, Windows Mobile gets the honors, offering the typical set of Yahoo-themed channels: Search, Mail, Calendar, News, and so on; strangely, Messenger seems to be left out of the equation. Compatibility is apparently fairly wide on this one, so if you can tolerate the lack of text messenger du jour, pull out that Q / 2125 / UBiQUio 501 of yours and get your Yahoo on, eh?Update: As you can clearly see from the screen shot, Messenger's included -- it looks like you won't have to do without text messenger du jour after all. Sorry, Yahoo!
