Mwc09
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Microsoft Recite brings voice search to your voice notes
Windows Mobile 6.5's presumably going to be the big news out of Redmond here at MWC this week, but Microsoft's also using the show as an opportunity to launch the "technology preview" of its Recite software, an ultra-simple voice note app for WinMo 6.0 and above. The concept is one of those "I can't believe I didn't think of that" moments, actually: one button records your quick notes, and the magic happens with a second button that you use to search your previously recorded notes by voice. For example, you can record "Sean Cooper's birthday is May 22" and later search on "Sean," "Sean Cooper," "birthday," or any combination of words you've mentioned in the note to recall it. Doesn't get much more straightforward than that -- and happily, you'll pay a big, fat goose egg for the privilege of grabbing it. It's a beta product, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: Microsoft's trying to gather feedback on how awesome (or not awesome) it is before deciding how to use it going forward, so give it hell and let 'em know what you think.
Samsung's OmniaHD: world's first phone to capture 720p video?
We've no way to confirm at the moment, but if SamsungCentral is to be believed, Samsung's newly announced OmniaHD will soon become the world's first cellphone to record 720p video. Unlike the HTC Touch HD -- which had precisely zero high-def amenities -- it seems the next breed of Omnia may actually live up to its moniker. Other purported specifications include an 8 megapixel camera and a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, though the resolution of the panel is currently unknown. Have we mentioned we can't wait to get our paws around this? Because we can't.Update: Sammy's sent out a press release for the OmniaHD and, sure enough, this bad boy's boasting 720p video recording. Also confirmed: we can't wait to try this sucker out. [Via Samsung Central]
Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 hands-on
So, we played around with the new Windows Mobile-sportin' nuvifone M20 from Garmin-Asus this evening, but there's really not much to say: the software is barely even alpha at this point. Most every tap or swipe of the screen was met with a two or more second delay, and we managed to crash a couple of the phones. That said, it's clear that Garmin-Asus aren't just adding a pretty launcher to Windows Mobile and calling it a day, there's some good navigation and location-based stuff happening here, and we look forward to playing around with it all once it's closer to reality. We don't look forward to meeting the resistive touch screen a second time, but we'll just have to live with that fact -- at least the Garmin-Asus apps are all touch-optimized, but you might have to pull out the stylus for a gander at the rest of Windows Mobile 6.1.Update: Official media handed out for the M20 reveals a small handful of new screen shots, mainly a swanky new media player and calling screen that really don't say a damned thing about the M20's deep-rooted nav capabilities. Thing is, when you have a winged disco ball, you can get away with bending a whole lotta rules -- but yeah, this is one phone where we think we'd rather let the hardware do the talking.%Gallery-44777%%Gallery-44769%
Video: Samsung Memoir hands-on
Samsung's long-awaited Memoir has already had its 8 megapixel shooter shown up by Sony Ericsson's 12 megapixel Idou, though the former has one huge leg-up over the latter: the Memoir is shipping to T-Mobile USA in ten days, while the Idou doesn't even have an official name yet. We were able to stop by and see this spectacle live and in-person at Mobile World Congress, and we've got the images and video to prove it. Feel free to peruse the media at your leisure, we're open late tonight.%Gallery-44774%
Sony Ericsson gets official with "Idou" 12 megapixel mobile
We didn't doubt it for a second (okay, maybe one second), but Sony's so-called Idou is for real. Though, we wouldn't go memorizing that name or anything, 'cause SE has plans to change it to something more commercial before summer. At any rate, the touchscreen-heavy handset -- which will run Symbian Foundation at launch -- does indeed sport a 12.1 megapixel shooter (which was hinted at last November), which sort of makes the also-just-official Samsung Memoir seem a bit dated already. It's funny too, as the only dozen megapixeler we were actually expecting at this show was from Samsung. We're still waiting on the minutiae, but we do know that it will pack a 3.5-inch panel (640 x 320 resolution; no word on capacitive or resistive) and "full media consumption," a phrase we're still struggling to digest. More as we get it!%Gallery-44764%
Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC press conference
Sony Ericsson decided to get a really early start to its Mobile World Congress festivities, packing our jetlagged butts into Central Barcelona for a Sunday evening presser / party. Read on to find out what they've got in store!
Samsung Memoir hitting T-Mobile USA on February 25 for $249.99
At this point, it's tough to say the Memoir wasn't official with a straight face, but Samsung and T-Mobile have jointly disclosed all (er, most) of the remaining details that were so sorely missing here at Mobile World Congress. The 8 megapixel handset will boast a Xenon flash, CMOS auto focus and 16x digital zoom, not to mention a full touchscreen and a sophisticated camera menu that enables users to adjust the brightness and flash, change the default destination of images, select a timer and zoom in or out. Moreover, the video recording and TV-out features should provide even more joy in the lives of multimedia lovers, and the blink detection, face detection, anti-shake and geotagging inclusions should shake off any remaining pundits who say there's not a "real camera" in here. As anticipated, the phone will launch exclusively on T-Mobile USA in just ten days (February 25, if you're too excited for math), though there's still no mention of a price. Procrastinate much?Update: Boom, pricing -- $249.99 on a two-year contract with a $50 mail-in rebate. Not the cheapest thing we've ever seen, but you get what you pay for, yeah?%Gallery-44761%
Sony Ericsson's W995 Walkman slips out ahead of schedule
Clearly, the flood gates have opened well before Sony Ericsson intended over in Barcelona, as the countdown is still on while we're watching handset after handset leak out. Next up is the W995 Walkman (can someone say Hikaru?), a multimedia-centric slider which boasts an 8.1 megapixel camera, A-GPS, Google Maps, WiFi, DLNA certification, 118MB of built-in memory, an 8GB M2 card and a 2.6-inch QVGA scratch-resistant display. The mobile should ship in a trio of colors -- Progressive Black, Cosmic Silver and Energetic Red -- and the inbuilt kickstand should make airplane-based movie watching a touch easier on the neck. No word on a price or release, but SE should be remedying that at any moment.Update: As you may have caught in our liveblog, the W995 is now very much official, and just as described in its not-quite-official form. SE did have a few small surprises up its sleeve, however, in the form Sony's MediaGo software, which will let you share media with your PS3 over WiFi, and take advantage of Sony's PlayNow services, including downloaded movies purchased on your PC. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look. %Gallery-44773%
Sony Ericsson "Reese" flip QWERTY smartphone leaked?
If the above picture is to be believed, Sony Ericsson's looking to release a new swivel-based QWERTY called the "Reese" that boasts one-click access to "your favorite networking sites." Details beyond this ad are pretty light, and we're not ruling out the possibility that this might be a fan render (as SE aficionados are fond of). Furthermore, the original poster told forum members at Esato that this device "will not be announced soon," which makes the appearance of an advertisement even more perplexing. Regardless, we'll know one way or another soon, as the company is just about to start its MWC press conference... and we'll be there live.[Via Boy Genius Report; Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: we're here!
If this last week's wide assortment of pre-show announcements and leaks was any indication, this is going to be one helluva MWC. Naturally, we're here, on the ground, scarfing down tapas and working ourselves into a mild frenzy. The excitement is due to begin at 5PM local time (11AM EST) with some pre-show events, and should carry well into the night as phones are unveiled, embargoes lift, and we get our hands on the latest and greatest. The show proper begins tomorrow, so rouse yourself a few hours early, pour a pot of coffee into your face, head on over to Engadget Mobile and get ready for phones, phones and more phones! Nuestro equipo de Engadget en español también está aquí, y realizará las coberturas en directo y en español!
Microsoft insists it's not making a phone, rumored to be rebranding WinMo to "Windows Phone"
We're just ten days away from whatever Microsoft has to announce at Mobile World Congress, and it looks like the company is trying to put a halt to the endless rumors that it's developing a phone: WinMo director Scott Rockfield told CNET it's not happening, and another Microsoft spokesman just denied it to the Wall Street Journal. That should be enough to shut people up, right? Of course not -- no denials by anyone ever have been -- but unless Stiv Ballmers actually pulls a Zunephone out of his pocket next week, we're going to assume that Microsoft is on the level with us, persistent rumors of some crazy Tegra-powered superphone notwithstanding. We are willing to believe that the company is planning on rebranding Windows Mobile as "Windows Phone," however -- yeah, it's a Digitimes rumor, but it makes a lot of sense to us, and it's an easy way to capitalize on the launch of a new version. We'll see what happens, we suppose -- honestly, we just want a US launch of the Compulab Exeda.P.S.- Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says what's more likely is that Microsoft is working on several Windows Mobile reference hardware designs -- including one based on Tegra -- which we find much more believable and lines up nicely with some other whispers we've heard. [Via PhoneMag] Read - WSJ, "Microsoft: Once Again, We're Not Making a Smartphone" Read - CNET, "Nvidia-based Microsoft smartphone coming?" Read - Digitimes, "Windows Mobile phones to become just Windows phones, say sources"
