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US Cellular expands its Windows Phone catalog with the ZTE Render for $80
Most Windows Phone enthusiasts have their sights set on large trophy-like targets, but if you have more modest goals in mind, then US Cellular's latest acquisition might be just what the doctor ordered. If the device pictured above looks familiar, that's because it should. Rebranded as the Render, most of you know this handset as the ZTE Orbit, an entry-level device that features a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a 5-megapixel camera and Windows Phone 7.5 Tango. So, if US Cellular is your wireless carrier of choice and you're seriously crushing on Windows Phone, the ZTE Render will run you $80 after a $100 mail-in rebate.
Refresh Roundup: week of August 13th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
HTC Trophy for Verizon prepares to Tango as soon as tomorrow
Stage fright is a problem for many, and perhaps it's for that reason that the HTC Trophy has yet to show us its interpretation of the Tango. We've received a bit of good news, however, as Verizon's own documentation reveals the update is on the way. Meanwhile, a leaked tidbit courtesy of AndroidGuys suggests that we may see the refresh come as soon as tomorrow. Whether the specific date pans out remains to be seen, but whenever Tango actually arrives, it'll bring newfound WiFi hotspot functionality, multi-picture and video MMS attachments, and the ability to send / receive ringtones. As for that little blurb about the Trophy catching a piece of Apollo... well, let's just chalk that up to codename confusion.
Refresh Roundup: week of June 25th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Nokia Lumia 610 with NFC hands-on (video)
You never know what's going to be hiding in the deep dark corners of an event, and in our searches during the Windows Phone Developer Summit we came across the Nokia Lumia 610. But this isn't just the standard fare; no, this particular version offers NFC and should soon be making its way to Orange. Yes, by offering Near-Field Communication, the handset will be compatible with Nokia's NFC-enabled accessories like the Essence and Play360. While this elusive device is no stranger to us -- we've seen it shown on video, it's been certified for MasterCard's PayPass service and it's even been blessed by the FCC -- this was the first time we held it in our hands. So what can we expect from this particular flavor of the Tango-running Lumia 610? Frankly, our impressions matched that of its non-NFC predecessor: build and overall feel remain unchanged from the original version. Naturally Nokia needed to find some space to stick the contacts and antenna, and those are inconspicuously found on the back of the device and on the battery cover, respectively. We still haven't seen any pricing surface, but it's been expected to arrive on Orange at the beginning of next quarter -- which frankly means we could well see it available within the next couple weeks, though we couldn't get an official date. Head below to get a good look at the NFC-enabled glory as well as a brief video showing the phone interacting with the Essence. %Gallery-158773%
Nokia Lumia 710 phones on T-Mobile USA should learn to Tango on June 20th
If you've been carrying around a Lumia 710 for T-Mobile in your pocket and waiting for the day when you'd get a taste of Tango (Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh), you'll be happy to know that it could very soon. An internal memo passed along to WPCentral has Microsoft delivering the update on June 20th. Much like you'd hope, it should switch on hotspot support to share that HSPA+ network with others; many of the fixes between Mango and Tango will have snuck their way in as well, such as the cure for the well-known disappearing keyboard bug. Assuming the schedule holds, about the only visible drawback might come from a staggered rollout that won't have everyone dancing until July 31st.
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Sprint reassured us with optimism for Windows Phone 8, and T-Mobile's CEO found a new partner to continue the fight against Verizon's AWS acquisition. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 7th, 2012.
Windows Phone Developer Summit coming June 20th, makes for one busy month
Just in case June wasn't busy enough for mobile app developers, between Apple's WWDC and Google I/O, Microsoft has thrown its hat into the ring. It's scheduling a Windows Phone Developer Summit in San Francisco for June 20th and 21st, just a week before Google's meetup. Details are scant in the notice Engadget received, although Microsoft teases us with the prospects of learning "developer opportunities and platform capabilities in Windows Phone." Whether that means Apollo or just more about Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh (Tango) is still very much a mystery. Either way, it's likely to be good news for Metro-friendly developers crestfallen after MIX was shut down.
ZTE's Tango-running Mimosa gets pictured, benchmarked (update: nope)
If you thought ZTE's insatiable lust for Windows Phone handsets ended with the Tania and the Orbit, then you haven't been keeping up with the company's plan for global domination. WPDang has revealed that the ZTE Mimosa is going to occupy the same Tango-ified strata of the market as the Lumia 610. While it shares a name with Android-powered Mimosa X, it won't share specs. Apparently it's only packing an 800MHz Qualcomm CPU -- confirmed when the handset appeared in WPBench. Unfortunately our choice will remain binary: the Mimosa isn't likely to be released outside of China. Update: Dang! Turns out there's been some misunderstanding. WPDang didn't clarify that the phone pictured is just the good old Tania; and this article was based on its sources rather than on what was displayed at the Windows Phone launch event in Beijing (we were there, too). Bearing in mind that this website's missed a few of its own "exclusives" (WP devices from Sony at CES and MWC, and new WP device from ZTE at MWC), we're inclined to not put too much hope into WPDang's latest report.
Windows Phone Tango ROM leaks out, reveals support for more background tasks
Rumors point toward a probable Tango launch in China on the 21st of the month, but folks over at the XDA forums already have their eager palms on a "world first" ROM. The leaked Windows Phone goodies show support for more multitasking apps, getting a boost from the five that are currently supported in Mango to eight. Additionally, Tango (8773) seems to use less no-task memory than its older 8107 sibling, while it also brings Delivery Confirmation and Acknowledgment to its MMS settings. More secrets are bound to shell out over the next few hours, and you can keep yourself entertained by checking what else slipped through the cracks at the XDA site by clicking our source links below.
Microsoft plans Windows Phone Tango reveal for March 21st in China
There's no doubt that China's feeling the Microsoft love as of late. After HTC broke ground last week with the launch of the country's first ever Windows Phone handset -- a re-badged Titan known as the Triumph -- Nokia quickly reacted, announcing its plans to unleash unspecified members of the Lumia line on March 28th. Now, further fueling MS' mobile momentum in the region, comes word of a major launch event, slated for the 21st, which centers on the official unveiling of Tango: Redmond's lighter, low-end software. While it's already been confirmed that HTC's Chinese flagship will be shipping with that version of the OS onboard, it remains to be seen whether Espoo's Sino-devices will follow suit. With that planned public release only a week away, it won't be long before we know for sure.
Microsoft: there's a limit to Tango's love (for 256MB devices, anyway)
Microsoft's going after the low-end market with devices like the Lumia 610 and its brethren. The handset's biggest limitation is that it only packs 256MB RAM and Redmond spent last week imploring developers to slim down their apps or face ghettoization. Now the company's revealing what else will be missing from Tango's cheapie iteration: Video podcasts, Bing local scout, fast app switching, automatic photo uploading, HD video playback (with certain codecs) and background agents will all be disabled. On the upside, this efficiency drive should ensure Windows Phone's apps remain as lithe and responsive as its interface is. Developers interested in learning more can head down to our source link for a dash of nitty and a spoonful of gritty. Update: To clarify, the fast app switching situation is a little more nuanced: apps which uses upwards of 90MB will be "tombstoned" on deactivation, but those occupying less memory should fast resume just fine.
Live from the Nokia press conference at MWC 2012!
It's hard to say what Nokia's going to reveal at this year's MWC, but naturally we have a hard time believing it will be any less shocking than what the Finnish company had in store for us last year. After all, we're rather certain that tonight's announcement will feature more from the same mobile platform it launched twelve months ago, not to mention the addition of a few extra lower-end devices. Join with us as we learn more of Stephen Elop's secrets in Barcelona!
Is this the Nokia Lumia 610? More specifications leaked
While posters are raised and Barcelona continues to fill with confused-looking tech journalists, another taste of Nokia's 2012 offerings has appeared. This time, it's the company's low-cost Windows Phone entry. The Lumia 610 will purportedly pack a 3.2-inch display and a 3-megapixel camera, with BGR even reckoning that it will arrive with Microsoft's Windows Phone Tango OS, with a price of around 175 euros. We'll be listening intently to what Nokia has to say over the next few days -- and it looks like it could be plenty.
Nokia Lumia 800's CDMA cousin coming to China Telecom in March?
An employee of the Qingzhou branch of China Telecom went a bit camera-happy over the weekend, but we'd do the same if we were handed a CDMA Nokia Lumia 800. The since-pulled images and text confirmed our feeling that it's arriving in early Spring (i.e "March"). The tipster revealed to WMPoweruser that both the 800 and 710 would arrive at the same time, potentially joined by the 900 in April -- and that all three handsets would be available in black, cyan and white, as well as coming preloaded with Tango as standard. We'll take the latter claims with a pinch of salt until we see 'em, okay? As you were, China.
Report: Windows Phone Tango to support 120 languages, C++ development
When Microsoft confirmed Windows Phone "Tango" back in August, it emphasized its focus on developing country markets that other heavyweight manufacturers tend to neglect. Today, new details have emerged to corroborate these claims about Redmond's forthcoming update, which will reportedly support a wider range of languages than its Mango-flavored predecessor. As WP Sauce reports, a Microsoft representative confirmed the news at a developer event in India today, telling attendees that Tango will support a full 120 languages, compared to the 35 tongues that Mango currently support. (iOS, by comparison, supports 34 languages, while Android boasts 55.) One of the speakers also reportedly confirmed that Windows Phone would add support for C++ native coding, though it remains unclear whether that will apply to Tango, or Windows Phone 8 (codenamed "Apollo"). We'll have to wait and see whether or not any of this actually comes to fruition, though it's worth noting that WP Sauce has since pulled its report on today's news, apparently at the request of Microsoft.
Nokia Lumia 900 and Champagne pop up in dev records, possible Tango build makes appearance
Nokia's field testers must be avid fans of the Times of India Windows Phone app, because unannounced phones like the Lumia 900 and Champagne are beginning to show up in its stats. This tells us nothing of specs, but here's what we learned: both phones are real, and they're not the same exact device. The app also discovered a new build of Windows Phone called 7.10.8725 in its system, a hint that one of these two handsets -- likely the Champagne -- may be running on the next OS update known as Tango. Does this mean the Champagne is destined for emerging markets? We're hoping to find out in Vegas at CES, just a month from now.
Microsoft delays Windows Phone launch in China until next year
Next week will mark the one-year anniversary of Microsoft's declaration that Windows Phone 7 would come to China during the second half of 2011, but the company has officially stated that it's not going to make the December 31st deadline. Instead, phones with the OS are now expected to hit the nation sometime in the first half of 2012. Microsoft mentioned that the delay is at least in part due to trying to ensure that Chinese citizens will have a good experience using the platform (Nokia mentioned that localization is needed in certain aspects of its phones to keep in line with the government's media censorship policy); it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if we see the first batch of phones -- likely to be made by Nokia, Huawei and / or ZTE, at least -- come with a fresh install of Windows Phone Tango on them, but that's mere speculation for now.
Nokia Champagne handset spotted on Windows Phone app, dancing the Tango?
Has a Windows Phone app just popped the cork on a new Nokia handset? It very well may have, based on the above image. Extracted from the "I'm a WP7" app and first identified by the folks over at WP Central, this screenshot purports to reveal a Nokia device codenamed "Champagne" -- a rather delectable moniker that, until now, wasn't even on our radar. At this point, little else is known about this mystery phone, though according to WP Central, it's running Windows Phone 7.10.8711 -- suggesting, perhaps, the presence of Tango, the Mango successor for low-end devices. Could this be a mythical, LTE-equipped Lumia 900 / Ace handset for Verizon Wireless? Could we see it at this year's CES? Only time will tell, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear more.
Windows Phone Apollo to feature speech-to-text for email, low-end Tango gets split in two
If this hodgepodge of sorta, kinda official confirmation is to be believed, Windows Phone users can look forward to deeper integration of voice command functionality built-in to the Apollo update. Nokia US' CEO, Chris Weber, first spilled the speech recognition beans in an interview with VentureBeat back in early August, referring to the tech as a killer WP feature. Now, a report over on ZDNet backs up that leaked info with resume tidbits from former MS Windows Phone / Mobile Communications team members that had a hand in creating the so-called "Voice-Compose" and "Read-Aloud" features for native email clients-- even tipping us off to a possible Windows 8 and WP 8 convergence. There's also mention (gleaned from a company job listing) of MS' lower-end mobile OS splitting into two separate versions -- Tango1 and Tango2. We know what you're thinking. It's hard to get excited about far-off OS updates when we're still waiting on Mango's release. Still, it's good to know Ballmer and co. aren't just resting on their Windows laurels.
