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Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs: too early to call the game on Windows Phone
This shouldn't come as a surprise after Steve Ballmer crashed the Qualcomm CES keynote yesterday, but at a follow-up briefing earlier today, the latter's CEO Paul Jacobs reiterated his support for Windows Phone. The exec said "it's too early to call the game" on Microsoft's mobile OS, and emphasized that he "never counted Microsoft out" as it has a lot of resources plus benefits, especially with the tie-in with its enterprise software and Xbox. "It is growing, they are gaining traction. When you use the devices they work well. That's pretty key," said Jacobs. Well, we're certainly fans of the Snapdragon-powered HTC 8X and Lumia 920, so it'll be up to Microsoft to convince more consumers. When asked whether the latest Snapdragon flagship is overshadowed by NVIDIA's Tegra 4 in terms of graphics performance, Jacobs insisted that is a very wrong assumption, and he's actually very confident about his own product's capability courtesy of his in-house graphics engineers. SVP of product management Raj Talluri added that even the Snapdragon 600 has a much higher CPU and GPU performance than both Tegra 4 and Intel's Clover Trail+. Obviously we'll know the truth when the consumer devices eventually land on our hands later this year.
Huawei's Ascend W1 and D2 confirmed for CES, Richard Yu expresses worry over the latter
Huawei's first-ever Windows Phone, the Ascend W1, is no stranger to us at this point, but no one's been certain about its debut until now. After mourning his daughter's two stolen ducks on Sina Weibo, Senior Vice President Richard Yu said not only will his company formally introduce its WP8 device at CES next month, but it'll also be showing off its Android-powered Ascend D2 (pictured center and right). Interestingly, Yu also expressed concern that the D2 "Dream Phone" will be too expensive to produce due to the powerful specs: five-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz chip (undoubtedly Huawei's very own K3V2), 13-megapixel camera and 3,000mAh battery -- all according to leaked info from an internal event from late October, as well as a recent filing in the TENAA database. Don't worry, Richard, just give us a decent price tag and we'll be all over you.
Nokia Lumia 920 camera fuzziness getting fixed in PR1.1 update
We're not going to lie. After spending some quality time with several Lumia 920 prototypes in Finland last September, we came away extremely impressed with the PureView-branded camera aboard Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flagship. It's the first handset to feature optical image stabilization -- the floating sensor and lens enable ultra-stable video recording and phenomenal low-light stills. Imagine our disappointment then, when upon receiving our Lumia 920 review units, the shooter failed to live up to our lofty expectations. While the OIS was performing as advertised, most photos we took suffered from an obvious lack of detail, an annoying fuzziness / softness. We reached out to Nokia and it exchanged one of our phones, but to no avail. Compounding matters, we also experienced problems with inconsistent white balance and exposure. The company never confirmed these issues, but hinted that the camera software was still being tweaked. We've been longing for an update ever since. It's time to rejoice, because it looks like something's in the works. This weekend we obtained an exclusive set of identical pictures taken with two Lumia 920 handsets -- one setup with the existing PR1.0 firmware, the other running the upcoming PR1.1 update . Here's the great news: looking at these sample shots (see crop above), it's abundantly clear that Nokia's fixed the camera's fuzziness problem. The not-so-great news is that we're still seeing some issues with white balance. Nokia US recently hinted on Twitter that an update is scheduled "this month" and our source confirms that it's indeed PR1.1. The new software also includes many stability, LTE and web browsing improvements, plus Microsoft's own tweaks (such as declining calls via SMS). We've compiled the images (labeled with the firmware version, ISO and shutter speed) plus some composites (including 1:1 crops) for comparison in the galleries below. The originals (stripped of EXIF data at the request of our source) are available for download right here. %Gallery-173550% %Gallery-173553%
Bloomberg: HTC backing away from plan to build five-inch Windows Phone
We've been fans of super-sized live tiles ever since the OG Titan came around, but maybe we can't count on HTC to push things any further. According to Bloomberg's sources, the Taiwanese manufacturer has given up on a project to create a Windows Phone with a display larger than five inches. Instead, it'll focus all its big-screened efforts on Android, much as it's already doing with the Droid DNA (shown above) and Asian Butterfly. The reason? Well, that bit's unclear. Microsoft's mobile OS doesn't currently play nice with 1080p, which puts a limit on the pixel density of any big device -- but then there's always the potential for software updates, and besides, the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II is hardly being held back by its 720 lines. Bloomberg does mention another, more plausible reason, which is that HTC simply believes the WP market is too weak to haul a juggernaut.
Editorial: Does Windows Phone even have a chance without Google?
Go ahead -- lambaste me for even mentioning it. I'll wait. Now, how's about we look beyond the surface -- the beautified tile regime and the whimsical animations -- and focus on what actually matters when looking at a smartphone platform. You don't have to look far to get a solid grasp on which platforms are soaring, which are hanging tough and which have one foot in the proverbial grave. Gartner's latest worldwide mobile report shows Android and iOS at the top, with rarely discussed terms like "Symbian" and "Bada" above some company called "Microsoft." Which brings me to a question that has been haunting me for months: "Why?" Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series nearly three full years ago, bringing with it an extraordinarily fresh take on a smartphone world that has grown soggy with pages of grid-mapped programs. But, as things have turned out, beauty that's only skin deep doesn't do much for market share -- even when you're pouring millions upon millions of dollars into marketing, coaxing one of the most notable names in mobile to run your OS exclusively and cutting deals with carriers like it's just some trivial affair. I've waxed lyrical about the danger of Windows Phone losing out simply because it offers (comparably) little in terms of ecosystem glitz, but these days, I'm growing closer to putting the platform's fate on a single name: Google.
Windows Phone web store opens in 37 new countries, adds universal search, and supports installing apps via SD card
If you had any doubts about Microsoft's efforts to actually make an impact with Windows Phone 8, let this address them. After announcing that it'd be maintaining a full staff to certify apps through the holiday period, the outfit has just revealed that its web store for apps / games is now open in 37 new locations around the globe. (You can find the full list after the break.) All told, that makes 112 supported nations, complementing the phone store that's available now in 191 markets. As for other changes? First off, universal search is being added -- instead of having to go one place to find apps and another to search for how-to articles, you'll now see all these search results in one place. The web store has also gained support for installing apps via SD card, which Microsoft points out could be useful when a solid cellular or WiFi connection is nowhere to be found. For the full spiel, head on over to the source link.
Low-end Nokia Lumia 505 gets outed, coming as an exclusive to Mexico
It's not exactly often that our neighbors down south get any handset exclusives to call their own, but according to Guerrero Móvil's Facebook page, there's a Mexico-only Lumia 505 well on its way to Telcel's mobile lineup. Aside from touting an 8-megapixel camera, though, the regional carrier doesn't really reveal any other details -- however, rumor has it this Nokia handset will be running Redmond's en-route Widows Phone 7.8 and come sporting a 3.5 or 4-inch WVGA display with an 800MHz, single-core processor, 256MB RAM and 4GB of built-in storage. Of course, it's still a tad bit early to say these specs are set in stone, but the social network post does note that the WP slab will soon be official, and thus it's only a matter of time before we find out what the Lumia 505 really has to offer.
Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store
The Bing Translator app has been helping Windows Phone users avoid cross-cultural mishaps since April of last year, adding augmented reality and offline capability along the way. Naturally, Microsoft has updated this utility for Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Translator supports six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and features a new "lens" for translating text via a smartphone's camera. The app is available as a free download in the Store. Head past the break to see it in action.
Microsoft's Greater China VP says Windows Phone 7.8 to launch in the 'coming weeks'
Sure, Microsoft has already delivered its new Windows Phone 8 OS to the masses, but the WP7.8 release details, on the other hand, have been extremely minimal since we learned about the upgrade earlier this year. Well, according to Microsoft's Greater China Vice President, Windows Phone 7.8 will be hitting the Chinese market in the coming weeks, adding that there's an honest belief both numerical versions (maybe more?) of Redmond's mobile OS could easily live alongside each other in this country. Still, in the "coming weeks" could mean anything, although rumors around the web suggest the 7.8 version could make its official debut as early as next month -- which goes perfectly on par with previous whispers of an eventual launch by the end of 2012. We'll have to wait and see.
Engadget Giveaway: win one of two iPad Minis, courtesy of Rebtel!
In two days we celebrate a holiday in which the main theme (aside from gratitude) is "bigger is better." That's why Rebtel is here to change that mindset by offering two iPad Minis (black 16GB WiFi-only) to a pair of lucky winners, along with a voucher for $100 service credit! The VoIP provider is promoting its iPad app, which is a free download that allows you to make free calls over WiFi and cellular to other Rebtel users, as well as cheap international calls. (If you're not an Apple user, the company also has Android, Windows Phone and PC apps available.) So you know what to do: take a moment to reflect on what you're thankful for, and leave a comment below to enter to win. Update: the giveaway has expired, but stay tuned for our next giveaway coming soon! Winners: congratulations to our winners, Matthew D from Saint Paul, MN and Tony M from Sunfield, MI!
Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T: what's different?
A few days ago we reviewed the global version of Nokia's Lumia 920 flagship running Windows Phone 8. The handset's been available for purchase on AT&T since last Friday with a few carrier-specific tweaks, such as compatible LTE bands. It's aggressively priced at $100 with a two-year agreement -- this includes 32GB of built-in storage, a free Nokia wireless charging plate (while supplies last) and the same camera magic as its global sibling. It's a phone that would otherwise cost about £445 ($710) unsubsidized and unlocked. Nokia's Lumia 920 for AT&T comes in a choice of high-gloss (red, yellow or white) and matte (cyan or black) finishes. Despite the global and AT&T models being virtually identical, there are minor differences worth noting. Join us after the break for the details.%Gallery-170070% %Gallery-170074%
Nokia Lumia 820 review: a less expensive option for the Windows Phone crowd
More Info Windows Phone 8 review Nokia Lumia 920 review Nokia Lumia 820 announced The Lumia 820 has been tucked away behind the shadow of its bigger brother ever since it was revealed, but if any phone represents the Windows Phone 8 vision -- different phones for different people -- it's this next-generation Lumia. Avoiding the unibody build of the rest of the family, this phone has an outer shell that's removable and can work with a range of cases: glossy, not-glossy, ruggedized and capable of wireless charging. It's a nice option, one that offers a taste of hardware customization before you've even started swiping around the Live Tiles and customizing the color schemes. Under the lid, there's a removable 1,650mAh battery, with access to expandable microSD storage. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, the same 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor used in the Lumia 920 and a 4.3-inch OLED 800 x 480 display, albeit with the same glove-courting super-sensitivity found on that other new Lumia. On AT&T, it'll be $50 upfront, half the outlay for the 920, while in the UK, it's priced SIM-free at £360 in the UK, again compared to £445 for the bigger model. At this reduced price, you won't get to sample Nokia's optical image stabilization, but you'll still get a Carl Zeiss lens paired with an 8-megapixel sensor. So there's some understandable drawbacks compared to Nokia's statement phone and its two greatest strengths, but how does Windows Phone 8 fare on a cheaper handset? Join us after the break as we see what 50 bucks less gets you.
PSA: Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today
Now that we've got the dates and prices sorted, all you need to do is get yourself to the nearest AT&T store (or one of those source links below) today to pick up either of Nokia's Windows Phone 8 handsets (Lumia 920 for $100, or the Lumia 820 for $50) or HTC's Windows Phone 8X, priced along the same lines as Nokia's bigger smartphone. Not a fan of Ma Bell? Then you'll can wait it out with Verizon, which starts taking preorders for both the Lumia 822 and 8X from today.
HTC Windows Phone 8X for AT&T: what's different?
We recently reviewed the global (HSPA+) version of HTC's Windows Phone 8X, the first handset to cross our desks running Microsoft's newly minted mobile OS. Starting today you'll be able to purchase HTC's 8X for AT&T, which features the same exquisite design but adds LTE and a dash of carrier flavor. Pricing with a two-year commitment is $100 for the 8GB model (available in California Blue and Limelight Yellow) and $200 for the 16GB version (blue only) -- in comparison, the global (HSPA+) phone sells for about £350 ($560) unsubsidized and unlocked. We spent a few days with the 8X for AT&T and while it's pretty much identical to its global sibling, there are a few differences worth mentioning. Hit the break to find out more. %Gallery-169525%
SkyDrive app gains Windows Phone 8 support in version 3.0
After just a few short months at v2.0, Microsoft's own SkyDrive app is now sitting pretty at 3.0. What's an extra point get you? For starters, it'll support all incoming Windows Phone 8 products, and it'll also allow users to search their SkyDrive files / folders. Moreover, you'll find new settings for photo upload and download size, as well as updated app icons and visuals. Microsoft has also improved performance when it comes to loading one's content, but as of now, the 3.0 update won't play nice with WP7 handsets. Hit up the source link if you're hungry for more.
AT&T prices Lumia 920 and 8GB HTC 8X at $100, Lumia 820 at $50, Nokias due on Friday
AT&T is finally spilling the beans on how much its Windows Phone 8 handsets will set you back if you plump for a two-year deal. Nokia's Lumia 920 costs $99.99, $50 less than previously speculated, and will come with a free wireless charging plate. If your wallet can't (or won't) stretch that far, then you can snag a Lumia 820 for just $49.99, the same price as last generation's flagship. If you've had your eye turned by HTC's much-lauded Windows Phone 8X, then you can select an 8GB limited edition version in blue or limelight (yellow) for $99.99, or a 16GB device for $199.99. Both of the Nokia handsets will be available to pre-order from the 7th (tomorrow) and available on the 9th (Friday), while the 8X should be rolling around "before Thanksgiving." Now that 'Ma Bell has tipped her hand, it's now down to Verizon, which is expected to make its riposte on Thursday.
Best Buy pricing once again pegs Nokia Lumia 920 at $150 on-contract (update: now $99)
Seems like just a few days ago that Best Buy inadvertently outed its pricing of the Lumia 920. While the company eventually pulled its listing, its pricing for the upcoming Windows Phone is looking more solid than ever. You see, a shopper in Naples, Fla., was recently able to snag a photo of an in-store display that once again pegs the Lumia 920 at $150 with a two-year contract or $600 outright. Keep in mind that Best Buy's pricing may not be the same as AT&T's own offering, but it's worth putting this on your radar in the buildup to its debut -- especially if the Smurf shirt crew manages to come in cheaper. Update: Following AT&T's official announcement this morning, Best Buy is following suit by pricing the Lumia 920 at $99. Company representatives tell us the smartphone will be available for pre-order at all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile locations beginning tomorrow, and the Lumia 920 will be available for purchase this Friday.
Ballmer: Windows Phone 8 'still small', but will 'really ramp quickly'
Following its launch event in San Francisco and the appearance of its first devices last week, the folks behind Windows Phone 8 are hoping for big things in the future. Chief exec Steve Ballmer said that Microsoft's work with Nokia, HTC and Samsung offered it the chance to create a "really strong third participant in the smartphone market." He admitted that the company isn't there quite yet and told the audience at a Windows 8 launch event in Israel that Microsoft's mobile OS was "still relatively small", but that he expects "the volumes on Windows Phone to really ramp quickly." The company will be lavishing more resources on marketing and advertising for Windows 8, Window Phone 8 and Surface than it has on any previous products -- which sounds good, as its new mobile OS might need the help.
Microsoft posts Build 2012 session videos for eager Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 coders
Not every developer had the luxury of putting a flight to Redmond on the corporate tab so that they could attend Microsoft's Build 2012 conference in person. Much to their delight, they won't have to. The company has posted streaming video for every session addressing Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and beyond, ranging from the two keynotes through to nuts-and-bolts framework talks. Be warned: most programmers will want to know Visual Studio and similar tools like the back of their hand before tackling some of these sessions. If they emerge unscathed, though, they'll be well-equipped to live in Microsoft's Windows Store world.
Bell gearing up for November 15th HTC 8X release
Windows Phone fans in the Great White North shouldn't have to wait long to get their hands on HTC's latest piece of kit -- a internal Bell document obtained by MobileSyrup pegs the 8X for a November 15th launch. The reported Canadian launch date trails T-Mobile's availability by a mere day, noting that pre-ordered devices could ship out as early as November 9th. Not too surprising, considering the phone just skipped through the FCC with support for the entire north American continent. No word on pricing, but the page's listed specs nicely match the brightly colored 4.3-inch, 1.5GHz dual-core slab we reviewed. Not a Bell customer? Don't worry -- MobileSyrup is hearing murmurs that the same date applies to Rogers, as well.
