Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

I can't understand a word of the dialogue, but the video speaks for itself - the Aspen looks like one nice device if you're the kind of person who likes the front-facing QWERTY messaging devices (and until the HD2 came my way, that was my #1 preferred device style). Oh, be prepared for some psychedelic white balance issues in the video...it's trippy!

Nvidia had their CES press event today and among the announcements were details on the next generation Tegra chip. The Tegra powers, among other things, the Zune HD and from everything I’ve seen it’s a very impressive chip already. The current Tegra runs the ARM11 chip. The new Tegra is going to be running the dual core Cortex-A9.

They also said that there will be 8 independent processors so if I understand the transcript from Engadget correctly, that means 16 cores total on the new Tegra (I didn't understand correctly. Thanks bitbyte for pointing out there are actually 2 Cortex A9 processors). All while only consuming 500 milliwatts. They claim this will allow for 140 hours of music and 16 hours of HD video but of course, that will depend on a lot of factors unrelated to the Tegra alone.

Nvidia’s biggest announcement for Tegra is that it will be powering all Audi cars starting in 2011. I assume that means the 2012 model years but they don’t specify in the live blog on Engadget. There is no mention of the Zune or other devices specifically but they do say there are 50 devices in the pipe for the new Tegra.

I think a combination of Tegra, Windows Phone 7, and the Zune all on one platform could make for a killer device.

Check out the rest of the live blog on Engadget. They have other announcements involving 3D on our laptops, which I’m sure everyone is excited about and lots of great pictures and slides from the Nvidia’s presentation.

"The short video segment showcases the Microsoft My Phone service which, amongst other things, allows users to locate and retrieve a lost mobile phone. Watch as host Natali DelConte tosses her AT&T HTC Pure into the back of a cab as it drives straight into the heart of New York City. Laugh Be concerned when the GPS signal fails and the phone is no longer traceable, seemingly lost forever..."

CNET's Senior Editor Natali DelConte tested Microsoft's My Phone tracking service, which helps users locate misplaced (or stolen) smartphones, by throwing it into the back of a cab in New York City and seeing how successful she is recovering it by using the service. In the end the GPS tracking feature didn't help, but the phone was returned by a good samaritan who saw a message on the phone's screen that was sent using the service. Read more...

This is a two-part unboxing and first impressions video of the AT&T LG eXpo. The LG eXpo is a Windows phone, running Windows Mobile 6.5, and runs on the AT&T GSM network. It's a quad-band GSM phone, and a tri-band 3G phone, supporting the 850/1900/2100 bands. It's the first smartphone to be sold in North America that features the Qualcomm "SnapDragon" processor, which runs at 1024 mhz. The LG eXpo has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 512 MB of ROM, 256 MB of RAM, GPS, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g WiFi, and is 0.63 inches thick. Read more...

The HTC HD2 [affiliate] is a device worthy of much coverage - it's really a ground-breaking Windows Mobile device, and a big part of that is the software that HTC has put such huge effort into creating. This is a two-part video walk-through of the HTC "secret sauce": HTC Sense, a.k.a. TouchFlo 3D. The second video is after the break - enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions about the device or the software. Read more...

An LG eXpo showed up today! I'll be shooting an unboxing and first impressions video of it later this week - but I figured I'd share this somewhat amusing video in the meantime. It gives a decent overview of what's in the phone, though you've got to wonder why someone would go through all the trouble of making this video and not post it to YouTube in HD or even HQ format. Oh well. Give it a view...

This is a two-part unboxing and first impressions video of the HTC HD2 [affiliate], a Windows phone running Windows Mobile 6.5. The HTC HD2 has is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, at an amazing 1024 Mhz. It has 512 MB of ROM, 448 MB of RAM, and a microSDHC card slot for expansion up to 32 GB. It weighs 5.54 ounces (157 grams), and measures 11mm thin (0.43"), 120.5mm tall (4.74"), and 67mm across (2.64"). Read more...

"Full details regarding Tegra 2 are unknown, but it's expected to have roughly twice the power and graphical capabilities of the original and be based on 40nm processes. The current-gen Tegra is already capable of 1080p HD video; Hara says NVIDIA's goal is the desktop internet and media experience in a portable device:"

The first Tegra chip is mouth watering enough, but imagine a chip that can handle twice what the current Tegra does. That is just what Nvidia's Tegra 2 is rumored to do. They are set to release more details at CES 2010, including some demo products from their partners. The first half of next year will bring us tablet PCs, smartbooks, netbooks, and MIDs all powered by Tegra 2. Later down the line will we see a second generation Zune HD based off of the new chip? Or a Windows phone? Only time will tell on that one.

"This update for HTC HD2 delivers clear digital picture quality like never before. Living up to the name of "HD" this phone and its twin LED flash will take beautiful pictures for you to cherish your memories. Displayed in brilliant vibrant colors on its 4.3 inch screen, HTC HD2 camera will delight you."

Remember that story about the camera on the HD2 taking pictures with a crazy pink hue? HTC has released a fix via a software patch, so if you have an HD2, grab it today!

Curious about the new iPAQ Glisten from HP? Chris Leckness from MobilitySite has gotten his hands on one, and unboxes it for your viewing pleasure. It's great to see HP is still in the game - I wonder how this device stacks up against devices from HTC and others?

"A video review of HTC's flagship Windows Mobile Touch screen phone, the HD2. This is the first Windows Mobile phone with a capacitive touch screen, and the glass display measures 4.3". The HD2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 with HTC's Sense UI which is their new version of TouchFLO 3D. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 488 megs RAM, a 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash, WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS. This is one of the best smartphones we've seen and is definitely worth a look!"

Lisa Gade from MobileTechReview does a great walk-through of the HTC Touch HD2. I haven't had a chance to shoot mine yet, so until then, enjoy...

That's a photo taken by Philip Berne from infoSync on the HTC HD2 he received at the recent Mobius event (and here's his review of said phone). Notice anything, uh, pink about that photo? There's something screwy with the sensor on the camera - likely related to white balance I'd think - and it thinks the scene deserves a blast of pink. Initially HTC told users that it was a hardware problem, but now it seems it's a software problem and can be fixed with a forthcoming update. Good news for HTC HD2 owners! Myself, I haven't noticed this problem yet, but now that I've said that, I probably will...

"I understood that Windows Mobile 6.5 was going to be a fairly minor update to bridge the gap between WM 6.1 and 7, but as I stated in my Windows Mobile 6.5 review I found too many things still missing from the update that I expected to see even with this understanding. Given the experiences I had with 6.5, I was expecting the same issues on the HTC HD2. I was pleased to discover that HTC didn't just settle for Windows Mobile 6.5.0 and took it to the next level with several optimizations to make the experience better. There are still a couple of issues I want to see addressed in an update prior to Windows Mobile 7, but HTC did a great job with the HD2 and we may see updates to address these issues too."

Matt Miller has put together a great write-up that talks about the HTC HD2 that he was given at Mobius 2009, and about the latest version of HTC Sense (Touchflo 3D) that covers up even more of Windows Mobile 6.5. HTC has done a really good job of hiding Windows Mobile - perhaps too good of a job. For instance, it took me several days of searching off and on to find the interface panel that would allow me to set how much of an email to download (5KB, 10KB, etc.). HTC hides this part of the interface - I had to access Inbox via the "real" shortcut rather than HTCs covered-up interface. All in all though, I really appreciate the work that HTC has done to make Windows Mobile finger-friendly - their calendar program and new appointment interface is absolutely brilliant.

"We have waited long for this device, but finally it's here. There were a lot of rumors about the HD2, also known as HTC Leo. Some people believed it would be a (killer) Android device and others told us that it would be the first HTC device with the 1 Gigahertz Snapdragon processor and a capacitive screen. The last party was right. The HTC HD2 has been released to the public with a Snapdragon processor, a large 4,3″ capacitive touchscreen, lots of ROM and RAM and all this in a 11 mm tick housing. Currently there is no other phone with these impressive specifications and comparing it to an iPhone 3GS only reveals that HTC has done a very good job and beats the iPhone in every single way!"

This article is a great walk-through of the HTC HD2. I learned several new things about the HD2 after reading it - the most interesting of which is that HTC has created a Wi-Fi Router application. It takes your 3G connection and shares it out via Wi-Fi, which is quicker than setting up the built-in Internet Sharing application. I'm curious how badly it beats up the battery life though - when I'm using Internet Sharing over Bluetooth, I can practically watch the battery on my Samsung Blackjack II drain. The HD2 is a very exciting device - and if it really does arrive in North America by early 2010, it just might become my next device.

Product Category: GPS-assisted software

Manufacturer: JMD Software

Where to Buy: From the developer -- download available here; or from the Windows Marketplace

Price: $3.99USD

System Requirements: Marathon requires a Windows Mobile 5.0+ Professional device with a GPS receiver and a screen resolution of at least 240x240 pixels.

Specifications: Requires approximately 400K of storage memory. Cannot be installed to Storage Card.

Pros:

• Very easy to install, configure and use;
• Main user interface is very intuitive, but there are lots of settings for individual customization.

Cons:

• Not possible to pause timings if you stop for a drink or chat;
• Some of the terminology used is confusing (eg. Sprint vs Track) A Help file or glossary would be useful.

Summary: Training up for that next marathon or triathalon? Or maybe just looking for something to provide an extra nudge for your personal 'Biggest Loser' exercise program? Marathon, a GPS-enabled software package from JMD Software may be just the right coach. It provides a simple, easy way to track your progress whether you're walking, running, biking or even rallying by car! Read more...

"We have already published a lot of screenshots of Samsung's I8000 Omnia II. Now we have a final build of the software and it looks like Samsung has tried to cover Microsoft flaws as much as possible with it's TouchWiz interface. The device itself is very fast, and build quality is excellent. After a quick check of the specs we present you a vdeo [sic] tour and a ton of new screenshots..."

According to the ar.is blog, the Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional-based Omnia 2 will feature a 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA resolution (480x800) resistive touchscreen, a Samsung 800MHz CPU, an unknown dedicated graphics accelerator, 256MB RAM and either 2/8/16GB worth of storage - though I'm pretty dubious on the first one. 2 GB of storage is a departure from the norm for the Omnia - though perhaps it's a move to get the phone to a lower price point. The Omnia 2 also features a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, a G-Sensor, a microUSB port, a DivX software player, TV-Out capabilities, a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, the Opera Mobile browser, and strangely enough also features NTSC (720x480, 30fps) video recording. I'm presuming there's some sort of adaptor you'd have to use for video input - this is a rather curious feature to have on a smartphone. I'm all for cool technology, but I'm hard pressed to think of this being useful to more than a handful of "Why? Because I Can!" types. Lots of screen shots to be found in their gallery.

The audio is Greek to me - literally, it's two Greek guys talking - but mute the audio and enjoy the video. Finally, someone with a camera that can focus and decent lighting to boot! The Touch HD2 looks like an amazing device, and the updated version of HTC Sense (a.k.a. TouchFlo 3D) is ridiculously responsive and gorgeous on this device. The only weird thing I noticed was that they had a hard time doing the reverse-pinch to zoom out on the browser. I wonder why that wasn't working very well?

"What is Zune HD? Zune HD is a couple things. Number one, Zune HD is a music player with a nice music service. By the way, the same software will be available on Windows Phones and Windows PCs. You have that today on the PC, you'll see that in our phone environment as well."

Straight from Ballmer's mouth to your eyes and ears. Ballmer dropped this tasty morsel during an interview with CNET. Now of course there is no mention of WHEN, but like pocketnow.com, I believe it won't happen until the Windows Mobile 7 OS launches. Even the most powerful of the current crop of Windows Mobile devices probably would choke on a full Zune HD experience.

This is, without a question, excellent news. Microsoft desperate needs to integrate its different platforms in an intelligent way and this is absolutely one of them. I no longer use Windows Mobile (I switched to Android almost a year ago) and I was just saying today I can't see a reason I'd come back. This could be a reason. This would be a major upgrade over WMP at least!

The device-formerly-know-as-Whitestone, now dubbed the HTC Imagio? Yeah, it's definitely coming to Verizon, and the video above is a walk-through of the device.

Product Category: PDA Phone

Manufacturer: HTC

Where to Buy: Expansys [Affiliate]

Price: $699.99 USD

Specifications: From the Expansys site

Pros:

• Elegant design;
• Large, sharp and vibrant screen;
• The best, most "touch friendly" version of TouchFlo 3D yet;
• Excellent speakerphone;
• Nicely designed hardware keyboard will satisfy those for whom only a hardware keyboard will do.

Cons:

• Very expensive;
• Large and heavy.

Summary: As rival phone manufacturers continue to strive to emulate the success of the iPhone, HTC weighs in with its most sophisticated finger friendly WinMo Professional phones yet. The Touch Pro2, the topic of this review, supersedes last year's Touch Pro, with a revamped version of Touch Flo 3D, which strives to make stylus use a thing of the past. Have HTC been successful? Let's put the Touch Pro2 through its paces...

Read more...