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LG C900 rumored to be 'Pacific,' E900 gets hi-res blurry pic, missing link D900 doesn't exist (yet)
Turns out the Secret Society of Blurrycam isn't just a group of freelancers. Courtesy of the Windows Phone NL group comes a pretty high resolution -- albeit slightly out of focus -- shot of the LG E900 / Optimus 7. That ain't enough for you? Boy Genius Report claims it's heard from a source that the LG C900 will hit the scene as Pacific, and if that sounds familiar, we kindly point your attention to a Pocket-lint piece from late July where Microsoft product manager Greg Sullivan namedropped a LG Pacific without elaborating. One and the same? Tired of waiting on Windows Phone 7 devices? Us too -- one day at a time.
Windows Phone 7's short-term future includes phone-to-console gaming, Twitter?
At this point you'd think we covered almost every nook and cranny of Windows Phone 7, from games and UI to a launch device or six, but of course there's a few dust balls of info our swiffer of newsgathering has yet to grab up. Microsoft Canada's Greg Milligan has revealed at a recent Xbox 360 event. The big takeaway is future plans for phone-to-console gaming. While suggesting an initial use would be companion games that bring enhancements to full 360 titles (our first thought is how both a web game and Arcade casino title directly tied into Fable 2), he says it's something they are "absolutely" working on for the "near future" -- likely initially through WiFi only due to network speed sensitivities. "Near future," on that note, is a lot sooner that the impression we got at the recent hands-on, but in either case, we won't believe it until we see it with our own eyes. In news that won't directly affect your gamer score, Twitter, which has been noticeably (and annoyingly) absent from our time with the device, Milligan had this to say: "Twitter is not part of the base platform, but we're working closely with a number of software developers to make sure we have a twitter experience... on or very shortly after launch." Some on the staff are divided whether or not this implies full integration or just some third-party apps, but let's be hopeful for the former, aye? Video interview after the break.
LG GW910 slider turns heads at FCC; likes AT&T, Windows Phone 7, and long walks on the beach
So, BEJGW910, we meet at last... or should we call you the LG GW910 with Windows Phone 7? Oh, don't act surprised, we've had you on our radar for some time now. You're not as sneaky as you might think, you know that? Sure, you thought your FCC meeting was a private one, but that foul temptress is not one to keep things to herself, and lookie, she's put some surprisingly decent shots online. External and internal, we're afraid. She also tells us you're wired for AT&T, is that to say you're in cahoots with Ma Bell? We've got all the photos ourselves now in a gallery below, so don't try and deny the rendez-vous. Oh, and your user manual showing off a "multitasking" button? We jumped ahead to page 25 and noticed the LG eXpo nod -- it's just a cobbled-together draft manual, a ploy to trick us. Good joke, you -- now tell us about your evil twin brother, C900. %Gallery-100161%
HTC Gold with Windows Phone 7 in November, and more from a rumored UK roadmap leak
O, to see what Omio sees. The outlet has obtained what it claims to be "a huge UK mobile phone release schedule for the rest of the year... [from] all the manufacturers" (emphasis its own). So, from where would such an all-encompassing roadmap hail? We don't know, nor can we corroborate any of this, but the details are numerous so let's go through it -- albeit with cautious optimism and a few grains of salt. The biggest phone we can see of this baker's dozen of a lineup is the HTC Gold (sound familiar?), due in November and loaded with Microsoft's mobile OS newcomer Windows Phone 7. Unfortunately, that's all the information provided, but it's certainly enough to entice us. Also in November, we've got Samsung i8700 and Nokia E7 -- the latter being possibly a N8-esque QWERTY slider with AMOLED display and Symbian^3, and the former being a mystery (although Omio takes a gander that its aquatic Greek mythology might suggest a Bada-powered existence). Going up the list Memento style, October purportedly brings across the pond-ers HTC Vision, the virtually unknown HTC Ace, Nokia N8, and Sony Ericsson's Xperia X8 and Yendo. September's a bit of a yawner -- SE Hazel and a Nokia X2 candybar -- as is August with the X6 8GB and BlackBerry Curve 9300. And July? Nokia E5-00, Sony Ericsson W20, and Samsung i5500. As is usually the case, the more you can wait, the better your options. Now, let's see if this supposed roadmap stays on course.
Windows Phone 7's October release casually mentioned in Microsoft ad presentation
"I'm gonna ask rock star Kostas... to come on. And Kostas has brought with him Windows Phone 7, which we launch this October." So sayeth Microsoft VP for Marketing Mich Mathews in introducing GM of Live Labs' Kostas Mallios, who was at the Cannes Lions advertising conference to show off the advertising capabilities of the upcoming smartphone platform. Of course, last we heard, the official company line on WP7's release was "holiday 2010," so this would definitely narrow the launch window quite a bit, as well as corroborates earlier Telstra roadmap leaks. Not an official statement, but Mathews would definitely be someone in the know here. Don't expect the folks in Redmond to go ahead and confirm -- they work on their own schedule, thank you very much -- but should someone 'fess up, can we also talk about that $150 Kinect price? Video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft One and Two Project Pink phones appear in Verizon database? (updated)
What's this? Two devices apparently of Microsoft origin in Verizon's database prefixed by MSONE and MSTWO on the eve of Microsoft's big presser -- an event widely thought (and even announced) to be the unveiling of Project Pink. We're also seeing Sharp, the Sidekick manufacturer named on the Turtle and Pure looking handsets that passed through the FCC. Really though, "One" and "Two?" Surely those words are just placeholders awaiting today's event before getting properly named, right? Who knows... when you're believed to be launching a competing platform against your own Windows Phone 7 OS while simultaneously keeping the WinMo 6.x dreams alive for businesses, hell, anything goes. Update: 9 to 5 Mac is suggesting that the actual retail names of the devices will be Kin. As in next of, as in family. Since the company has an event in just a few hours, we'll obviously know for certain very soon, but it does look likely given the use of Kin in the listing above.
Omnimo: desktop Windows given fashion makeover with Phone 7 Series flair
Can't wait for Windows Phone 7 Series, but can't hack the emulator, either? Don't lose hope, Windows junkies -- you can still bring some semblance of WP7S order into your life with this Metro UI-inspired desktop HUD. Based on the open-source desktop customization platform Rainmeter, the "Omnimo UI" will overlay your desktop with a minimalist, tiled interface not unlike the one you've been drooling over for weeks, with live hooks into many useful services (including Gmail, iTunes, Steam, Twitter and SpeedFan) as well as the usual widgets and a host of program shortcuts. The best news of all? It's available now for all versions of Windows since XP, completely free of charge; simply follow the source links or flit over to Lifehacker, where good folks will teach you how it's done.
HTC HD2 gets early Windows Phone 7 OS port, could be released before official devices (updated: videos!)
Don't look surprised. With the Windows Phone 7 Series dev tools now out in the open the pent up demand for that elusive HD2 upgrade was bound to be a priority for some well-meaning developers, somewhere... namely, Russia. Now we've got what looks to be the first screenies of the WP7S OS running on an HD2. Better yet, htcpedia claims that almost everything is working including WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. However, the graphics driver is still showing problems and there is noticeable device lag. Nevertheless, the team is planning a beta release soon. Imagine it, an HD2 WP7S ROM available before Microsoft and its partners can even launch an official device, with its 5 buttons or not -- now that would be something. One more grab after the break, the rest at the source below. Update: Video evidence after the break. For what it's worth, the folks at XDA also think it's legit. Update 2: Yet another video has surfaced... beta please. Update 3: It's worth noting, as demonstrated by our friends at the:unwired, that the so-called port could be easily faked with a Remote Terminal connection back to a PC running the unlocked SDK. So while the HD2 port is definitely coming, this might very well be a hoax. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Entelligence: Mobile multitasking is mostly a myth
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. The idea of multitasking on mobile devices has been a hot topic for years. It's been debated since the early days of smartphones, when devices such as the Treo based on Palm OS could not handle more than one task at a time, while handsets based on the Windows Mobile platform had the capability. The issue reached a crescendo with the release of the iPhone (and more recently with the iPad) and lack of multitasking capability for third party apps. This week it's come up once again, with news from MIX10 that Microsoft would not support multitasking for third party apps on Windows Phone 7 Series, at least initially.
Windows Phone 7 tablet concept is just a big iPhone (video)
How's that headline treating you? Surely the same criticism leveled at the iPad holds true for this tablet concept running the Windows Phone 7 smartphone OS right? Maybe. But it's certainly advantageous to see all those metro UI panels laid out as a single image instead of a series of vertical slices suitable to a mobile handset. And a pair of backside joysticks and double-duty touch QWERTY / viewing stand are nice features as well. Nevertheless, we already have a fictitious lover in the Courier who we're not quite ready to betray even if the designer is named Umang Dokey, okey? Test your own nobility in the video after the break.
First Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series devices to boast 480 x 800 pixel displays, HD2 owners sigh
Even though Microsoft's big MIX event is still days away, the Windows Phone 7 Series development platform is already pretty well defined. It's also clear that Microsoft wants to keep things tidy for developers by requiring all WP7 phones to meet a certain base-level spec. Now, thanks to a post from Microsoft's Shawn Hargreaves, we know the display resolution for the first batch of Microsoft's next generation phones: 480 x 800 (WVGA) pixels at launch, with a future update that will introduce a 320 x 480 (HVGA) native resolution. Dedicated hardware will ensure image scaling across all those pixels without taxing the GPU. That allows game developers, for example, to write to a lower resolution (requiring less horsepower) and then scale up as required while remaining compatible to a variety of screen resolutions. Now, for those playing along at home, the HD2 getting ready to launch on T-Mobile in the USA is also WVGA and it features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, Microsoft's WP7 silicon partner. So we can assume (but not guarantee) that it meets the image scaling hardware requirements described by Hargreaves. Man, if only the HD2 had three-buttons. [Thanks, Cytrix]
LG's first Windows Phone 7 handset shipping as early as September
Our buds over at Engadget Chinese are just reporting back from a sitdown it had with LG Mobile in Hong Kong at a Chinese New Year event. The most tantalizing bit of truth is confirmation of that September launch date rumor for its first Windows Phone 7 Series device. However, this time LG padded the date a bit and said it would launch sometime between September and November. Of course, the only official word so far, has Windows Phone 7 launching before the "holidays," so we'll take what we can get. Maybe Mr. Ballmer meant Halloween?
Windows Phone 7 development policies and guidelines leaked?
We expect to learn a lot more about Microsoft's plan to entice developers to Windows Phone 7 at the MIX 2010 developers conference. Until then (March 15-17), aspiring WP7 devs have to rely upon rumor and innuendo to feed their curiosity. So here you go: three purportedly official Microsoft docs from January that provide a glimpse into Microsoft's Windows Phone OS 7.0 Application Platform. First up, the docs claim that WPOS 7.0 is built around Silverlight, XNA (like the Zune HD), and the .NET Compact Framework -- a mostly clean break from WinMo's past as far as developers are concerned. Native apps are restricted to OEMs and mobile operators in order to extend the experience and functionality specific to a phone or network. Even then, they'll be limited to a set of managed APIs that Microsoft will audit during the app submission and provisioning process. Sound familiar? As you'd expect, the OS supports preemptive multitasking -- not that Microsoft will necessarily allow its devs (OEMs, mobile operators, and independent software vendors) to send their apps to the background. The primary development tools include Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010 and Express Blend used in combination with a Windows Phone emulator. Check the docs in the gallery for the full read and be sure to hit up XDA-Developers if you want to commiserate with your like-minded peers.%Gallery-85906%
Oxygen deprivation and iPod hatred
Climbing the tallest mountain on earth is no small feat, and is certainly something to be proud of, but it's not without its risks; most of which stem from the extremely low Oxygen content in the air in "The Death Zone" above 22,000 ft. Unfortunately, it seems that Neal Muller, a grad student at UPenn's Wharton School succumbed to this lack of O2 and lost some brain cells on the way down. Muller whines in a Washington Post article that he was unable to triumphantly mount the top of the world to to soundtrack of Van Halen, because his iPod died during the climb. Now, my first reaction to this is utter speechlessness, followed by anger and depression about the state of the human race. I won't address Muller's arguments here, as Dan over at Mac User has done a tremendous job of that, but I will outline some of his arguments and their flaws. Muller complains that the hard drive failed; almost 20,000ft above its designed maximum operating altitude, and likely 50 degrees below its minimum operating temperature. He complains that because the iPod doesn't use an "open connection standard," it suffers from a lack of accessories; I suppose that just over 3000 iPod specific accessories isn't really that much compared with... wait... no, thats actually a lot. Argues that the iPod is a "flash-in-the-pan": I guess 85% market share and 5 years of growth don't count for much. In addition to contradicting with evidence every single one of this morons arguments, Dan poses a really great question; what the hell was this guy doing listening to his iPod on Everest? When you're doing something which kills as many people as summiting Everest does, you should probably be paying attention to your surroundings instead of worrying about how many stars to give the currently playing track. It's really sad to see that some people really are so stupid as to make these kinds of arguments, and disappointing that the WP would post such drivel. In any case, check it out, if only to laugh at this guys utter clueless-ness.
