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

"Looks like the HTC HD2 is getting a little spec bump on its way to our fair shores: the official spec page lists the version bound for T-Mobile US with 1GB of ROM and 576 of RAM, a boost over the international edition's 512 and 448MB. What's more, it looks like a bigger 16GB microSD card will come in the box, a big jump over the 2GB stick currently bundled overseas."

Over the weekend Engadget and others repoted that the version of the HD2 that is slated for T-Mobile will get slightly better stats than the first version available worldwide. My HD2 Saving Fund is strong in both amount and desire - how about yours?

In case you haven't heard, the ROM updates for the T-Mobile Dash 3G and Touch Pro 2 are now available! So if you've got nothing else pressing this weekend, back up your personal files and explore Windows Mobile 6.5!

"T-Mobile USA, Inc. and HTC today announced that HTC HD2ä is expected to be available for the first time in the U.S. exclusively from T-Mobile USA this spring. With its industry-leading, high-resolution, 4.3-inch capacitive touch display and high-powered features, the ultrathin HTC HD2 phone delivers content in a sharper, brighter and richer way. The HTC HD2 comes equipped with the 1GHz SnapdragonTM by Qualcomm mobile processor and utilizes T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network for a fast mobile data experience. "T-Mobile and HTC have a long history of partnering to deliver innovative, cutting-edge products to T-Mobile customers," said George Harrison, vice president, marketing product innovation, T-Mobile USA. "The HTC HD2 delivers a thin, sophisticated design and powerful features that we are excited to add to our dynamic smartphone lineup this spring."

Later this spring the HTC HD2 will be coming to those on T-Mobile USA. It's a beautiful machine, so those looking to upgrade may want to fill out the form on T-Mobile's site for updates!

"These days, most of us use Bluetooth enabled car kits, and it is not necessary to have a second SIM card for safe vehicle use anymore. However ... many people have multiple phones. Smartphones are now quite prevalent, but sometimes you don't want to carry your most complicated phone everywhere you go. For instance, I like to carry a smaller phone on me during the weekends while on the road with my kids. The hassle now is to get my SIM card out of one phone and place it in the other. And we all know how frustrating it can be to do so. It would be so much easier to have a duplicate SIM card already placed in my second phone..."

Johan van Mierlo (and others, including myself) have had ENOUGH with the 1 SIM per number draconian rule of US carriers. It would be relatively easy for carriers to allow more than one SIM per number, which would be great for those of us with multiple devices that hate swapping SIMs in and out all the time. Mobility Minded is running a poll right now on the issue, and if you're wanting a second SIM to soothe swapping, I'd encourage you to vote!

I really like a lot of things about my T-Mobile Touch Pro 2. However one thing I detest is the SIM card slot. The provided method you are asked to use (pressing down on a small silver latch and then sliding the card out) simply doesn't work. I've tried jamming the stylus under it, on it, around it, and that isn't the best solution either. Finally this morning I found a method that works very well, is easy to do, requires very little outside funding, and is safe: A Paperclip! Bent up paperclip to be precise, with a small loop that can lift the SIM card up just enough to slide it out. Check out the video below for my simple fix, and be free to swap SIMs like a maniac (a.k.a. like me).

"The good news is that this isn't the 400th article this month talking about a potential Sprint/T-Mobile merger. The better news is that this rumor has a stronger chance of coming true than a Sprint/T-Mobile merger. One of my trusty ninjas hit me up tonight with information claiming that a Windows Mobile 6.5 update will see the light of day for the TouchPro2 and Dash 3G beginning January 6th, 2010"

It's a rumor reported by TMoNews, to be sure, however hopefully it's somewhat accurate. I mean when else will T-Mo finally get around to popping out the 6.5 updates for these two phones anyway? (Actually, if past track record is any indication, January 6th 2011 is probably just as likely). Hopefully though within a month us loyal T-mo users will have an official 6.5 upgrade - you know, the OS that was released on October 6 -- for those devices released in early and mid summer!

"That's why droves of subscribers on virtually every carrier are on the edge of their seats awaiting the Touch Pro2's release. Whether you love, hate, or feel nothing but pure, unadulterated ambivalence toward Windows Mobile, it's hard to argue that the Pro2 isn't a gorgeous smartphone at a distance, and T-Mobile USA's gently-tweaked version is no exception."

Engadget has a nice write-up on the Touch Pro 2, including more pictures like the one above. Overall it isn't a bad looking device, and it's taking a lot of control for me not to buy one. However with 2 phones already purchased this summer, I think I should hold off for awhile!

"T-Mobile USA, Inc., and HTC Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of the HTC Touch Pro2TM, a powerful, stylish device with an intuitive touch screen and user interface that enables customers to simplify their communication and mobile Internet experience while staying connected, informed and in control of work and life. The device will be available in a mocha finish to T-Mobile customers beginning Aug. 12.

Enabled for T-Mobile's expanding high-speed 3G network and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), the HTC Touch Pro2 offers fast data delivery and an enhanced Web-browsing experience along with popular features such as built-in GPS and location-based services. Featuring a 3.6-inch color WVGA touchscreen that slides back and tilts up to reveal a full-QWERTY keyboard, the screen is perfectly positioned for reading and creating e-mail, browsing the Web, using applications, and playing videos and games. A 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus also provides customers with an easy way to capture and share high-quality images and video as well as view that content on the crisp display."

Image courtesy of Engadget Mobile.

I've had a chance to use the Touch Pro2 over the past week, and I've got to say, this is one impressive device. T-Mobile is the first US-based carrier to release this uber-device, but they won't be the last. I'm not sure how I feel about the "mocha" colouring on this though. Any of you T-Mobile users plan on picking this up?

"We'd been holding out hope that T-Mobile's version of the HTC Touch Pro2 would materialize for customers in the month of July, but that's looking less and less likely now that we have some awfully real-looking documentation that claims otherwise. TmoNews has nabbed some sort of slide suggesting that HTC's latest AWS-equipped superphone won't hit retail until August 12"

Are you a "successful professional who tend[s] to be [an] early adopter and place[s] high value on having top-of-the-line products"? Are you also a "t-mobile customer frustrated that 3G Windows Mobile phones are only now starting to roll out, when AT&T has had them for years?". Then the Touch Pro2 may be your saving grace. It looks pretty good - I'm thinking of having a Mass Jon Firesale of Pocket PCs to finance one of these (And perhaps a MyTouch as well, for a good ole' fashion Android vs. WinMo Showdown!).

T-Mobile was expected to release the Touch Pro2 on July 22 in the US, but now there are rumors that it could be delayed until early August. Of course, and this is the device I am waiting on. My old phone died and I've resurrected my HTC Universal for daily duty. I seriously need a new device. My three week wait may have just become five or six weeks. Ugh.

Update: T-Mobile's official Twitter account has confirmed that the Touch Pro2 will make it this summer.

Well, word on the street is that the Wing has mysteriously taken to the skies, though if you look hard enough, you'll see that it still has its feet firmly planted on the T-Mobile site. Just don't bet on picking one up anytime soon; it's out of stock and for good reason, too. The Dash 3G (HTC Snap) is just around the corner, while T-Mobile's worst-kept secret of the quarter, the Touch Pro2, is expected on July 22. Anyone planning on picking either of the two up when released?

The folks at TmoNews have managed to grab a snap of what appears to be T-Mobile's inventory list, and somewhere in the middle of it all, there's the Touch Pro2. Of course, normally, we'd ask you to take it with a grain of salt, but when shots like these emerge, it all becomes just that little bit more believable. Official subscription costs and a release date are still a question mark, but expect to hear more as the weeks unfold.

I recently ran across an interesting article written by Sascha Segan from PCMag.com asking an interesting question, "Has Android Already Failed?" Personally, like Steve Mueller from Mobility Site, I feel it is way too early to write the Android platform off. Let's face it, when Google and HTC teamed up to release the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) the handset wasn't really built around the needs of the average consumer. Sure the HTC Dream is a great little handset on its own, but you would have to be blind to not see that this device was built for the sole purpose of having development hardware on the market for individuals interested in the platform as a whole. It is, after all, a dream device for the open source junkie in your life. You can build almost anything you want for it or install any of the various homebrew Android operating systems out there in the digital realm that are ready and waiting to be flashed to the handset.

What annoys me about these articles however is just the assumption that Android is a failure because it has sold so few handsets over the course of its first six months on the market. I personally consider selling 1 million handsets a success and I seem to remember all the Windows Mobile fanboys out there, myself included, shouting from the rooftops when the HTC Touch Diamond sold its first million handsets. Read more...

TmoNews has uncovered some release dates for a number of Windows Mobile phones on the US T-Mobile network. It looks like the HTC Snap will be available around July 1 and the Wing II, better known as the HTC Touch Pro 2, will be available around July 22. HTC has said that the Touch Pro 2 will have an upgrade made available to WinMo 6.5 later this year. I hope T-Mobile passes that upgrade along.

T-Mobile's German division has released (English translation) the HTC Touch Viva as the MDA Basic, which packs some - you guessed it - rather basic innards: a TI OMAP 850 201MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, quad-band GSM/EDGE (no 3G), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 2.0 megapixel camera, a 2.8" QVGA (240 x 320) touch screen, a microSD slot, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. But all is forgiven, thanks to its low price tag of €4.95 ($6.58 USD) on a two-year contract.

It's official. The Android-powered G1 will be hitting T-Mobile stores across the US on October 22, the UK in November, and elsewhere in Europe in early 2009. Being a Windows Mobile site, we'll spare you the fine details. Head over to the T-Mobile G1 site, and check out the videos after the break, if you're eager to learn more.

On to other matters: Android is one capable platform, and undoubtedly, one that users of Google services will love. Combined with Apple's continuing efforts to enhance the capabilities of the iPhone and Mac OS X, and the growth of heavyweights such as BlackBerry and Symbian, where does this leave Windows Mobile? Over the past year, we've perused multiple comments from readers suggesting that the platform is becoming increasingly stagnant and that efforts by HTC, Samsung, and other manufacturers to improve the usability of the platform are merely a band-aid solution.

As a result, you may have already jumped ship or are considering it. If you're in that group, just what would Microsoft have to do to Windows Mobile to win you back? If you're not in that group, what is it about Windows Mobile that's keeping you glued to the platform? The mobile war is on. And it's you, the consumer, who dictates the winners and the losers. Tell us what makes, or would make, Windows Mobile a winner for you.

Read more...

"Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that the Amazon MP3 music store will be pre-loaded on the T-Mobile G1, the world's first Android(TM)-powered mobile phone in partnership with Google. T-Mobile G1 users can search, download, buy and play music from Amazon MP3, which offers over 6 million DRM-free MP3 songs from all four major music labels and thousands of independent labels that can be played on virtually any hardware device and managed with any music software. "Amazon wants to make it easy for customers to discover, buy, and play their music wherever they happen to be--whether sitting at their computer or on the go," said Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President for Digital Music and Video. "We look forward to the release of the T-Mobile G1, which will put Amazon MP3's vast selection of low-priced DRM-free music at the fingertips of even more customers in more places." The T-Mobile G1 comes pre-loaded with an Amazon MP3 application, giving customers a phone-optimized version of the Amazon MP3 store and the immediate gratification of buying and playing their favorite music. Amazon MP3 has worked to make its DRM-free music available through numerous products and services, such as Pandora MySpace Music, and now Android and T-Mobile G1."

The mobile music downloads market just got a lot more interesting with Amazon.com announcing the availability of the Amazon MP3 music store on the Android-powered T-Mobile G1. Its biggest rival is, of course, the iTunes Store on the iPhone and iPod touch, followed by the Zune Marketplace on the Zune. However, Amazon MP3 trumps one or both in a few areas: (a) all tracks are DRM-free; (b) most content is better-priced; and (c) tracks can be browsed, previewed, and purchased on the T-Mobile network, and later downloaded via Wi-Fi.

What can Microsoft and Apple conjure to match or beat this?

After months of teasing via product demos and leaks, Android is finally coming to a T-Mobile USA store near you in the form of the G1. At 10:30 AM (EDT), the G1 press conference will kick off in New York; be sure to tune in at that time, if you're interested in seeing what's unveiled. Can't make it? Don't worry - we'll be covering Android and the G1 from top to bottom right after the press conference.

So, just how will Android impact Windows Mobile? We'll soon find out.

T-Mobile G1 Press Conference (September 23, 2008):

• GMT -7 (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver): 7:30 AM
• GMT -5 (Chicago, Houston): 9:30 AM
• GMT -4 (New York, Washington, D.C.): 10:30 AM
• GMT +1 (London): 3:30 PM
• GMT +2 (Paris, Berlin): 4:30 PM
• GMT +4 (Moscow): 6:30 PM
• GMT +8 (Perth, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong): 10:30 PM
• GMT +9 (Tokyo): 11:30 PM
• GMT +10 (Sydney, Melbourne): 12:30 AM (September 24)
• GMT +12 (Auckland): 2:30 AM (September 24)

As I am sure all of you have heard the release of Google's open source operating system is right around the corner. As Jon posted yesterday, T-Mobile is having some weird special event pre-sale to kick off the release of the first Android device, the HTC Dream, and T-Mobile subscribers can expect to pick up this new handset for a mere $150USD. This is an amazing price for a touch screen smartphone.

As some of you have probably heard me say before, as of the last Android SDK release, the operating system felt more like a collection of stuff rather than a useable mobile platform. With the recent release of the Android SDK we can see a lot of that "hobbyist" feel that usually accompanies most things open source start to peel away from the device as Google shapes Android up to a viable iPhone killer. Read more...

Touch Diamond? That was so yesterday. The long-awaited HTC Raphael has finally made an appearance as the T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, and it's packing some serious horsepower. Check it: a Qualcomm 528MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, HSDPA connectivity, a 480 x 640 touch screen, 3.2-megapixel and 0.3-megapixel cameras, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, an FM radio, a microSD slot, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Also note the top row of keys on the keyboard - that's right, a dedicated number row! But alas, only tri-band GSM (no 850MHz), although I'm willing to bet that we'll see a quad-band version elsewhere in the near future.

And err... your keyboard is wet. You can stop drooling now.