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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.
Microsoft putting Windows Mobile 6.x market out to pasture
Are you still out there rockin' a Windows Mobile device? And, yes, notice we did not say "Windows Phone." Well, we've got some bad news (besides the fact that your handset is seriously obsolete) -- the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is getting ready to ride off into the sunset. In May of last year Microsoft stopped accepting new app submissions, now the store is being scheduled for complete shutdown on May 9th of 2012. After that day you might still be able to score some software straight from the devs or via third-party markets, but you'll no longer be able browse or download from the official outlet. If you're interested in a bit more info, we've embedded the entire notice after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Canalys: iPhone becomes most popular smartphone in the US, Android continues as most popular OS
The Canalys numbers are out, and with Android coming off an 886 percent jump reported at the end of the second quarter we were expecting something big. So, here it is: Android is up 1,309 percent worldwide from this time last year, taking over 43.6 percent of the US smartphone market in the third quarter. In terms of mobile operating systems that makes it the dominant player in America, but with Apple capturing 26.2 percent it now jumps into the lead when it comes to hardware, beating out RIM's 24.2 percent. That's a swap from last quarter, where BlackBerries beat iPhones 32 to 21.7 percent, and worldwide things are looking the same: Apple at 17 percent compared to RIM's 15. However around the globe it's Nokia and the Symbian Foundation still dominating the stage as the leading smart phone OS vendor, owning 33 percent of the market compared to 38 last quarter, while Microsoft sits at a lowly 3 percent. With WP7 ready to rock the world, and Ballmer ready to release the advertising hounds, that's a figure we'll be keeping a close eye on for the next few quarters. Update: NPD has posted its third quarter smartphone market share and Mobile Phone Track reports; they basically back up Canalys' report, though NPD gives both Apple and RIM slightly less market share. Interestingly, RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8500 series is identified as the second-best selling phone in the US in the quarter, while the lowly LG Cosmos for Verizon takes third. Weird, huh?
TerreStar Genus hybrid satellite phone hits AT&T at long last for $799
It's been just shy of a year since TerreStar's Windows Mobile-based Genus was announced for AT&T, offering a unique combination of GSM / HSPA backed up with satellite capability for those times when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere; in fact, you may have assumed that it had already been released by now. After all, this isn't the phone for 97 percent of the population -- it runs Windows Mobile and still works in places where us soft city folk would never dream of going -- so odds are good you never bothered to follow up on it. Fact is, though, it's just now available for the first time today, so as long as you've got a line of sight to TerreStar's bird and a willingness to tolerate WinMo 6.5.3, you'll be able to make and receive calls throughout the US, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and in the surrounding waters -- and it's all on one telephone number. Of course, having a single number eliminates the cool factor of being able to say "if you can't reach me, try my sat phone," but let's be honest: convenience wins here. Right now, the phone's only available to business and government users... and with $799 upfront for the phone and satellite service running $25 a month plus per-minute, per-message, and per-megabyte charges of 65 cents, 40 cents, and 5 dollars, respectively, that's probably for the best. Follow the break for AT&T's full press release.
DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket To-Go floods mobile app stores everywhere
The first Sunday of the regular NFL season is almost here and some DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers (plus a few without the DirecTV part) are getting an extra treat. If you've dropped the additional $50 or so for the NFL Sunday Ticket To Go service, feel free to take advantage of the mobile apps that have been issued for Android, Blackberry (you'll want to uninstall the 2009 app first), Windows Mobile, webOS, iPhone and iPad platforms in the last day or so. Check the gallery for screens from the new iPad version plus the updated iPhone and Android apps -- isn't football season the best time of the year?%Gallery-101929%
Keepin' it real fake: a Moto Droid for WinMo diehards
Being able to combine the best of both worlds is something of a shanzhai strong suit. Unfortunately, we don't see conjuring up a Droid with Windows Mobile 6.5 as the best of both worlds. As for the phone itself, it holds up pretty well, with a 533MHz Huawei Hass K3 processor, 256MB memory, 3 megapixel camera, 3.5-inch (800x480) display, dual SIM cards (GSM 900 / 1800) , and the usual GPS, WiFi, and FM receiver. But is it as mind-bending as an iPhone that runs Android? We'll let you be the judge of that. Get a closer look after the break.
Verizon FiOS will stream live TV, VOD plus your own stuff to TVs, iPads & mobile devices soon (video)
Despite whatever other tablets Verizon may have on the way, it showed off a new trick for FiOS TV at a press conference today by streaming live TV and video on-demand to the iPad. NewTeeVee grabbed the above picture of the app, which Chief Information Officer Shaygha Kheradpir says brings the same software from its set-top boxes to the iPad and other screens. That hasn't stopped potential licensing issues with offering video on off-TV devices, but Reuters reports the company doesn't expect to pay any additional fees to programmers, probably because the app will only work from subscriber's homes. While live TV streaming is a big draw, it also showed off a video on-demand app called FlexView due later this year for Verizon's new Android phones, the Blackberry Storm and Windows Mobile 6.5 (other platforms due later on, it will work on other mobile networks as well) that would let videos purchased/rented via the cable box or website be downloaded onto up to five different devices, while its Media Manager service will be refreshed with an update that lets users upload video to 70GB of cloud storage and then stream it to their PCs, TVs or mobiles. Reports indicate live TV streaming should be available early next year, we'll see if FiOS beats Cablevision to the punch. Update: ZatzNotFunny pointed out a video of the demo posted by Steve Donohue on YouTube, check it out after the break.
Keepin' it real fake: EVO 4G Shanzai edition
Shameless isn't even the word for it. While some companies try to get away with calling themselves Nokla or BlockBerry, these Chinese KIRFers have no qualms about copying HTC's EVO 4G in its entirety (externally, anyhow). Yes, that includes the Sprint insignia and the promise of 4G, both of which are, of course, amusingly untrue. Not only do you not get that supersonic WiMAX radio, you also miss out on Android, as this EVO rides the WinMo 6.5 gravy train. There's also no 8 megapixel camera, no 720p video, and no mini-HDMI output. But you still get a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 screen and one of the best copy-and-paste KIRF jobs we've seen to date. See the back of this skilled imitator after the break.
HTC HD2 caught running Android 2.1 and Ubuntu with touchscreen enabled (video)
Still clinging on to your HTC HD2? Good on ya, cos this WinMo slate's about to last you a wee bit longer -- team HTC Linux has recently made a breakthrough with getting the touchscreen to talk to the HaRET Linux bootloader. In other words, us mere mortals can finally use Linux variants like Android and Ubuntu on the HD2 the way it's meant to be, although we're apparently still a few bugs away from a stable release. Until then, enjoy the techno-fueled video demo after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Kin skin for Windows Mobile 6.5 leads to more questions than answers
How would we like to replace the UI on our Windows Mobile 6.5 phone with the Kin UI? Well, we never really thought about it, we suppose... and frankly, we're not sure why anyone else did, either. Alas, KinLauncher is here, delivering a pretty authentic Kin-esque home screen but not much else -- as soon as you touch anything, you'll be dumped back into the cold comfort of WinMo (or Sense, as the case may be). It's available for download, if you're really into that sort of thing -- but if you'd rather enjoy the carnage from a safe distance, there's a video after the break.
HTC HD Mini review
We had to exercise our neglected patience muscle with this one, but at long last we've gotten ahold of a real live HD Mini and put it through its paces. Equipped with the same processor, screen size and resolution as HTC's Legend, but running the HD2's Windows Mobile 6.5.3 under a WinMo-specific Sense skin, the Mini is in many ways an amalgamation of its two better known cousins. You'll no doubt be aware that we weren't too displeased by either of those handsets, so what you must be wondering now is whether or not splicing them into one eminently pocketable package delivers an equally compelling device. Read on to find out.%Gallery-94462%
T-Mobile's update for HTC HD2 now extra official, wipes some game purchases
On the list of ways to not foster customer satisfaction, deleting purchased apps with no recourse for getting them back has to be very, very high on the list, doesn't it? T-Mobile's now trumpeting that sort-of-leaked official update for the HD2 that features "stability and performance improvements" on top of a new ROM-integrated T-Mobile MyAccount app, but if you purchased the full versions of the demo games that came bundled with your phone, beware: installing the upgrade will wipe you out, and the only advice T-Mobile has for you is to "re-purchase them at the standard cost." Gee, thanks, guys! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Office Mobile 2010 released, free upgrade for WinMo 6.5 users (update)
After having gone to public beta late last year, Office Mobile 2010 is now available in conjunction with the retail release of the full desktop version of Office 2010, bringing comprehensive Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editing capabilities to the pocket -- on Windows Mobile 6.5, that is. Yes, granted, Windows Phone 7 is Microsoft's biggest mobile news this year, but there'll be a huge legacy base of 6.5 users out there for a long time to come, and they're pretty much the core audience for the sorts of features that Office Mobile 2010 is offering: SharePoint integration for grabbing documents from the office, a nifty Bluetooth controller mode for PowerPoint presentations, and so on... you know, suit-and-tie stuff. The download is available today from Windows Marketplace for users of 6.5 devices with an older version of Office Mobile installed -- so go on, Tiger, whip up the hottest quarterly reports the world has ever seen. We know you have it in you. Follow the break for Redmond's full Office 2010 press release. Update: Curious what Office 2010 will look like on Windows Phone 7? Get a glimpse into the not-so-distant-future in Microsoft's video presentation, and fast forward to 52:45 for the good stuff. [Thanks, Kamara B.]
Bing app for WinMo 6.x phones adds turn-by-turn navigation
Turns out Google isn't the only one pushing further into the turn-by-turn market this week -- Microsoft came out swinging today with the announcement that full car navigation capability has been added to the latest version of its Bing app for Windows Mobile 6.x devices, too. It's got the usual array of route configuration options for avoiding traffic and tolls, alerts, direction lists, and voice prompts -- and Microsoft describes the audible directions as an "amazingly lifelike voice experience," so our expectations are set appropriately. Interestingly, the turn-by-turn capabilities of the new app aren't to Verizon subscribers for some ominous reason, but folks using a laundry list of devices on Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T can get all the capabilities by updating their already-installed Bing app or visiting Bing's site for the download. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Phone guitar: iPhone OS, Windows Mobile and Android got all night to set the world right (video)
What can you do when no one's got a phone to jam with you? Why, you can be a geeky one-man band, of course! Web developer Steffest (just one name, like Sting or Madonna) managed to do just that by strapping a couple of Android devices (possibly an Archos 5 and a HTC Desire), a couple of WinMo handhelds (looks like a HP iPAQ h1940 and a HTC Touch Diamond), and an iPod touch on top of a portable speaker. All this just for a forthcoming presentation on mobile cross development -- Steffest had to painstakingly write the same audio program "in Java for Android, in C# for Windows Mobile and in Objective-C for iPhone." Oh, and it doesn't just end there -- turns out this dude can also pluck tap away a good Neil Diamond classic on this five-way nerd-o-strummer. Get on board and check out the video after the break.
Keepin' it real fake: HTC HD, too
If you're going to rip off one of the more memorable Windows Mobile devices ever made, you'd think you'd want to at least clone its most notable feature -- but seriously, what do we know about the KIRF business? Yeah, well, this little number manufactured by a firm doing business as "iHTC" (no relation to HTC, we're sure) looks an awful lot like the HD2, but lacks that all-important 4.3-inch display, instead trading down for a more pedestrian 3.6-inch unit. On the upside, it's still WVGA and packs the latest and greatest Windows Mobile 6.5.3 (if "latest and greatest" really applies there) plus a 5 megapixel autofocus cam -- not bad specs for a device that eats copyrights for breakfast. Seems you can hunt one of these puppies down for about 1,580 yuan ($231), so start saving and packing for your Chinese adventure -- and in the meantime, follow the break for a comprehensive video demo of the finest technology iHTC has to offer.
HTC HD mini with North American 3G gets FCC approval?
So, hear us out: this isn't a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination, but we've good reason to believe that we're looking at the FCC ID label of the HTC HD mini variant designed to support North American 3G bands. The most obvious reason is the fact that the label is screaming yellow -- a perfect match for the chartreuse internals of the device that HTC was excited to show off at its MWC introduction a couple months back. What's more, this approval comes a few weeks after approval of the Euro-spec PB92100 with a similarly-designed label, which would've been the right time frame for a phone that's due to ship across Europe any day now. Of course, the approval of this phone doesn't really say anything about carrier availability -- sure, it could ship on AT&T, but it could also come to Rogers, Bell, Telus, or be sold unlocked and unbranded, a tactic that HTC has occasionally employed stateside in the past. Regardless, though -- considering WinMo 6.5.3's rapidly-waning relevance, they'd better ship it on the double.
Qi Smartbook U2000 gets WinMo 6.5 upgrade, retains its wide berth
When dealing with Chinese products that have yet to cross the pond (and are unlikely ever to), you spend a lot of time looking at translated docs, trying to figure out what the hell it is exactly they're trying to pitch to you. For instance, the Qi U1000 that we caught wind of last September -- or its successor, the U2000, pictured above. Looks like a MID, acts like a smartphone, yet someone (or, more likely, something) insists on calling it a "Smartbook." What we do know is that it'll run you 2,680 Chinese yuan (roughly $390), and it sports Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, a 624MHz Marvell CPU, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a whopping 5-inch touchscreen. What do you think: Can you handle this much phone?
LookTel's 'artificial vision' makes Windows Mobile useful to blind people (video)
There's a surprising abundance of tech geared toward helping out people with visual impairments, but you won't find too many smartphones populating that sphere of electronics. Aiming to reverse this trend, LookTel is in the Beta stage of developing so-called artificial vision software that combines a Windows Mobile handset with a PC BaseStation to provide object and text recognition, voice labeling, easy accessibility and remote assistance. It can be used, much like the Intel Reader, to scan text and read it back to you using OCR, and its camera allows it to identify objects based on pre-tagged images you've uploaded to your PC. Finally, it allows someone to assist you by providing them with a remote feed of your phone's camera -- a feature that can be useful to most people in need of directions. Skip past the break to see it demoed on video. [Thanks, Eyal]
Toshiba K01 goes official as IS02 in Japan
Talk about a globetrotter. Toshiba's K01 has made the journey from the American FCC to a Japanese carrier in the space of just one day. AU, part of the KDDI group and one of Japan's big three network operators, has picked up the phone and promptly renamed it the IS02. Coming with a 1GHz Snapdragon core, a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen of the AMOLED variety, and that indispensable (for some) QWERTY keyboard, this WinMo 6.5 handset will be available to our Japanese comrades in the latter part of June this year. Given the long waiting times both for this and its brandmate, the IS01, we have to wonder what's up with Japanese carriers. Have they developed an aversion to the cutting edge or what?
