It is only a few weeks since Windows Phone (Windows Mobile 6.5) was launched and there is plenty of talk about a new version of Windows Phone – Windows Mobile 7.

There is a great deal of rumours going about and it is difficult to make head or tail of what is official, and as far as we are aware nothing has been confirmed.

But the general message:

• Windows Phone 7 will be officially announced at the Microsoft MIX conference, in March next year. (according to Knowyourmobile)

However since this conference is not wireless focused, rumours suggest that it will be announced at Mobile World Congress in February 2010.

In my opinion Mobile World Congress would be a much more suitable audience.

The inevitable is going to happen. I will get myself an iPhone. On one hand I want one (let’s face facts, it’s a very very good product), on the other hand I don’t want fall into the Steve Jobs reality distortion field.

I was holding out hope for the Samsung Omnia II (Omnia Icon in some markets). It sounded like the Windows Mobile to have (aside from coming preloaded with WinMo 6.1). I recently had an opportunity to play with one in a Telstra T[life] shop and I was very disappointed. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI shell didn’t impress me (in fact it just made me think I was using their low-end F480 which everyone who’s had one seems to hate). And compared to the other smartphones around it, it’s AMOLED screen didn’t look special at all. I played with it for all of 2 minutes, got depressed, and went to see what other toys I could play with in the shop.

For comparison’s sake I also played with a HTC Touch Diamond2 which seemed to be running bog-standard WinMo 6.5 (IE without HTC’s TouchFLO UI). This is the first time I’ve played with a 6.5 powered device (although I have played with it in the emulator) and even though I know that clunky old Windows Mobile lurks just under the surface, I was pleasantly surprised as to how the new welcome and start screens worked (smooth, responsive, easy). There may be some hope for WinMo 7 after all (if MS and their OEM partners can get it right).

For now it looks like I’ll lock into an iPhone for 24 months. By then WinMo 7 will be mature and maybe the Marketplace for Mobile will have (almost) as many apps as Apple’s App Store. Or maybe Android will have taken over as mobile king-of-the-hill.

Gizmodo has a nice write up explaining how to backup your data from the major smartphone platforms that’s well worth the read. Windows Mobile (s msft), iPhone (s aapl), Android (s goog), Symbian, BlackBerry (s rimm) and webOS (s palm) are all covered, so there’s something for everyone. I actually don’t backup my phones because all of my data is generally in the cloud and can be restored with an over-the-air sync. The only exception is the iTunes backup for my iPhone during the rare USB sync. Mail, documents, contacts, music, photos and just about everything else is on the web for me. Apps are the obvious exception to this rule, but my text message history is out there and searchable thanks to Google Voice. Although it generally doesn’t apply to my workstyle, the article ought to help the majority of smartphone users out there.

Got any other phone backup tips or services that should have made the cut?

Black Friday is just around the corner and it seems everyone is looking for the best deals on gadgety goodness. The folks at HTC just let us know that they are running a promotion that puts $100 in the pockets of qualifying customers buying a new HTC Tilt 2, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Imagio, or HTC Ozone.

According to HTC, here’s how it works:

“Once the new phone is purchased, the customer can go to the appropriate site below and enter their specific promotional code. This will provide them with a mailing label, which they use to send their old smartphone, a copy of the UPC code from the new phone, and a copy of the invoice from the new phone. After that, they get a $100 check in the mail!

URLs with promo codes:

• Verizon: www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone
• T-Mobile: www.htctradein.com/t-mobile
• AT&T: www.htctradein.com/att

List of eligible smartphones for trade-in:

• http://www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone/approved-phone-list.html“

The list of eligible phones is extensive so chances are your old phone is on the list. The promotion runs on November 27^th thru December 31^st and customers have until January 31^st, 2010 to send their information in.

Last week I played a lot with my HTC Touch phone and the result is what I am going to share now. After installing and testing many softwares on my windows mobile, here is my pick  for the best softwares or better to say Must-Haves to rock any PC phone out there. And the best part is these are all FREE (licensed under Freeware)

Check it out guys, I am sure you wont regret the list:

• VLC Remote – This is personally my fav one and thus tops the list. It turns your mobile phone into remote control of your VLC player running on your pc/laptop. Simply amazing experience.
• Task Manager 3.1 – A handy exhaustive utility to manage programs/memory efficiently. I specially liked its detailed control on processes and ability to soft reset the phone.
• HTC Home Customizer – Provides multiple options to configure GUI with quiet a lot of sexy-licious themes
• Opera Mobile Browser – Sure this dont need any description
• Facebook – Opera might need a description, but this – NEVER
• Total Commander –  A multi purpose File Manager with great set of flexibility.
• Registry Editor – This one is for the geeks out there. It gives you plethora of options to configure your smartphone in exactly the way you want
• Fring – Single tool to login into multiple IM/VOIP clients like Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo, Facebook, Orkut etc however bit heavy on memory.
• Clean RAM -Does simply what its name suggests.
• YouTube Player – Plays directly from the youtube and provide options to store video as FLV and view later.
• Slide 2 Unlock – Nice utility to provide I-Phone style slider to unlock the phone

In case of any configurational issues guys, I am just a comment away. If you know any other cool software, Please share it here with the community.

The story of the lucky goat goes something like this:

A man is unhappy because he lives with a large family in a very small house. The man complains to his wise friend. The friend loans him his “lucky goat” for a month. During this time the goat bites the man’s children, scares his mother-in-law half to death and takes a dump in the man’s shoes. It keeps the whole family up at night and eats almost as much as they do every meal. The man later returns the goat to his friend complaining how awful his life has been lately.

Two weeks pass and the two friends meet again. The man now looks very happy and his friend asks him why. The man explains that ever since he doesn’t have to worry about the goat biting his kids, scaring his mother-in-law half to death or taking a dump in his shoes he has been much more relaxed. He also tells his friend that his family sleeps much better and has more to eat now that they don’t have to tend to the goat.

The moral of this story is of course that sometimes you’re unable to appreciate what you have unless you find yourself in a worse situation.

I’m the man, Windows Mobile is the goat.

–Read the rest after the break–

Last week, I struggled to get a hang of WinMob to no avail. I was ready to throw in the virtual towel this Friday but got a pep-talk from a colleague. I rarely quit things and I’m glad I didn’t this time. Instead, I spent a good bit of my weekend developing a demo-application for a potential client. I can’t say who or what yet but I can show a totally, 100% spoiler-free screenshot

The biggest issue I had during development was the Images for the app. Windows Mobile doesn’t handle images in the way I’m used to and Internet offered little help. What I tried to do was similar to this:

Image myImage = new Image();
myImage.Source = new Bitmap(”Images/avokado.jpg”);

OR

Image myImage = new Image();
myImage.Source = Bitmap.FromFile(@”C:\Images\avokado.jpg”);

None of which worked. It turns out the only way to insert pictures from code is to first add it to the global Resources object.

And add images (sorry bout the censoring. Copyright and whatever):

With this done I could finally point to the pictures like this:

Image myImage = Properties.Resources.avokado;

When I finally managed to do this, everything else fell in place and the app flowed from my brain into digital form. I’ll gladly show some real screenshots from it as soon as I can.

Working with Windows Mobile was a hassle. The framework is very limited both in function and graphics. At least that is my impression as a developer spoiled by WPF and Silverlight. I can’t wait until Silverlight is available for WinMob and I can start making mobile SL apps. I’m very glad to get back to playing around with some more powerful frameworks.

Nuovi sviluppi giungono in rete per quanto riguarda la fotocamera difettata degli HTC HD2.

Dopo alcuni giorni di lavoro, questa è la risposta che HTC ha fornito agli utenti di XDA:

Il testo, tradotto, riporta che il problema della fotocamera è causato da un errore nel software. Gli sviluppatori sono già al lavoro su un aggiornamento che andrà a risolvere il tutto. Non è ancora stata fissata una data per il rilascio dell’hotfix, ma HTC consiglia di continuare a monitorare la pagina di supporto per scaricarlo non appena sarà disponibile.

Problema risolto, dunque?

Staremo a vedere.

Via

Android (s goog) is the hot phone platform, with market share growing at a rapid pace, and handsets with the OS being touted across the web. I have been impressed with how far Android has come in a relatively short time, and how well it has penetrated the market. Windows Mobile (s msft) has seen recent updates, an all-too-infrequent occurrence, and is often getting bashed for being a dated smartphone platform. I have dished out my fair share of criticisms about Windows Mobile, largely due to being such a longtime enthusiast who has grown jaded.

I set my cynical attitude aside and compared WinMo with Android, and the fact of the matter is, WinMo is better than you might think. When you compare the two platforms in the major areas that matter the most, the results may surprise you.

When you talk about what makes a good smartphone, some key abilities are usually mentioned. The ability to run many apps at the same time, multi-tasking, is always at the forefront of such discussions. The number of apps available for a given platform is a hot topic. The user interface is also right up there in discussions about phone platforms. And you can’t overlook the ability of a platform to integrate with the user’s computer desktop, as comments across the web bear witness.

Let’s break down these major abilities and compare Android to Windows Mobile to see how each fares.

Multi-tasking

Android is often touted for its ability to run multiple apps at the same time. My experience with Android phones bears that out — it is a seamless experience running many tasks at the same time. The OS does a good job handling the resources each app needs as it is running, and it makes sure that any app running in the foreground gets the attention it deserves to provide a good user experience.

What is rarely mentioned in the press is that Windows Mobile is an excellent multi-tasking platform. It’s probably not mentioned because WinMo has always been good at multi-tasking. The OS has no problem with tasks running in the background — in fact, it is designed to handle them with aplomb. WinMo automatically changes memory allocation based on the needs of each app, and if the system memory starts to get stretched thin, the OS shuts down background tasks automatically. The user is rarely aware of these system adjustments that are happening all the time, and that’s the way it should be.

WinMo has long been criticized about multi-tasking due to the lack of an app close option. Apps do not shut down by default when exited; they still run in the background. Some users are not used to such behavior and find that to be an undesired feature. Sure, an app developer can include an exit option expressly, but many feel that should be the default action of the OS.

Guess what? Android operates exactly the same way. When the user leaves an app to start something else, the first app keeps running in the background. In a familiar way, an app developer must include an express option to shut down an app when exited. Anyone who has run an Android phone for more than a few minutes should fire up a task manager and have a look. You’ll likely see 20 or more tasks running in the background, not unlike WinMo.

WinMo actually has a big advantage over Android in one area of multi-tasking, and that is how the OS handles user installed applications. WinMo allows them to be installed to either system memory, which can be in the hundreds of megabytes, or on external memory cards such as SD, microSD or miniSD cards. This makes it possible to install an almost unlimited number of apps on a Windows phone.

Android has a huge limitation when it comes to user installed apps. They can only be installed to system memory, and even on the latest and greatest Android phone, the Droid, that is only 256MB. When the system memory gets full, no additional apps can be installed. That’s not even enough storage to install a good game. Android will remain seriously hamstrung until this insane app install limitation is addressed in future versions.

Big advantage:  Windows Mobile

Available apps

We are hearing a lot about the 10,000+ apps available in the Android Market, and it is an outstanding achievement that there are so many apps in such a short time. It is definitely an advantage that the Android platform has evolved so quickly. While Android has only a fraction of the apps that one can find for the iPhone (s aapl), there are many good ones to meet users’ needs.

Microsoft was late getting to the app store game, with the Marketplace just recently opening its doors. Not a lot of apps are in there yet, which is not surprising given how new the store is to the market. What is rarely discussed are the tens of thousands of apps already widely available for the Windows Mobile platform.

The advantage of an app store is bringing apps into one central location, which makes it easier for customers to find them. Windows Mobile apps have always been sold through a variety of outlets, so customers have to do a little homework to find the app they need.

There almost certainly is already a WinMo app to meet virtually every need a user might have. Search around a little, and new WinMo owners will likely be amazed at the number of apps already available, and the quality of them. Most WinMo developers have been producing apps for a long time, and those applications have evolved over time as apps often do. That means that many apps for Windows phones have grown over time to be robust and complete.

Android’s web browser has been widely acclaimed for being much better than the latest version of Mobile Internet Explorer. That is an accurate claim, and many view this as a big advantage for the Android platform. There are already a number of good third-party browsers for Windows Mobile, and while it would behoove Microsoft to get the browser included in the OS to be more competitive, it really doesn’t matter for users.

Opera Mobile 10 is as good as any mobile browser out there on any platform, and it is free for Windows phone users. It is so exceptional that HTC has been using it as the default browser on its WM phones for years, and with good reason. It demonstrates the quality and quantity of apps available for the WinMo platform. While this is just the web browser application, the same can be said for many application categories. There is usually a good WinMo app to fill a user’s needs.

Advantage: Windows Mobile, with a salute to Android for a better central store

User interface

I have been as vocal as many in lamenting the old, tired interface on Windows Mobile phones. The lack of innovation in the interface design is really showing its age, and Android is currently better in that respect.

The primary difference between the interfaces of the two platforms is that Android is a new OS, and thus, has been written for finger manipulation. It is easier to interact with, and it looks more modern. This is why the Android interface is often thought to be the better of the two.

When you compare the two interfaces, you begin to realize that both of them are simple icon-based “launchers.” The icons for apps and tasks are organized in launcher screens for easy (and sometimes not so easy) access to fire things up. Android is cleaner and easier to interact with, so out of the box I must give it the nod.

You can’t compare interfaces without looking at third-party alternatives; it’s the only fair way to compare the two platforms. Android phones with the stock interface are pretty plain Jane, as is the WinMo interface. The magic happens on both platforms when you start adding third-party interface shells, such as HTC Sense, that transform Android into a very capable interface.

HTC has long produced its own interface for WinMo phones, too, and the latest Sense interface, such as found on the HD2, is amazing. It does for WinMo what it does for Android — adds a highly customizable face on the OS that makes it work the way the user prefers. HTC Sense works in a similar fashion on both platforms, although optimized to take advantage of each OS’ strengths. The end result is that a WinMo phone running Sense is as good as an Android phone running it.

The advantage that WinMo has over Android gets back to the third-party app scene. There are other shells already available that turn a WinMo phone into a user customizable dream interface. Spb Mobile Shell has been out for years, and the latest version is for WinMo what Sense is for Android. The difference is that Mobile Shell is user obtainable, where HTC Sense must be installed on a phone as purchased. That means that WinMo phone owners have the option to put a sophisticated interface on their phone, and customize it to fit the way they prefer to work.

Advantage: Windows Mobile

Computer desktop integration

Many consumers expect, no, need their phones to integrate with their desktop computers. They need a simple way to keep the phone’s contacts, calendars, tasks and email in sync with their desktop environment. For millions, this means syncing the phone with Outlook on the desktop.

Windows Mobile wins in this scenario, hands down. It is designed from the ground up to integrate with both Exchange Servers in the corporate world, and with Outlook environments on the desktop. All aspects of desktop Outlook commingle happily with Mobile Outlook on the Windows Mobile side of things.

On the other hand, consumers who have their desktop environment built around the Google cloud will no doubt find Android to be a better fit. The installed user base of Google services such as Gmail has grown steadily, and it’s big. Android is designed around integration with the Google cloud, so it is the obvious choice for those consumers.

Advantage: Tie — depends on which camp a given user falls in, Outlook or Google

The hot platform of the two is definitely Android, but Windows Mobile still has a lot to offer. While criticized for being an aging platform that has been around seemingly forever, the evolution of the WinMo ecosystem is, in fact, an advantage. If only Microsoft would make that clear.

HTC HD2 è un fantastico smartphone, potentissimo e dotato di ottimo hardware.

Purtroppo, però, il suo sistema operativo è Windows Mobile 6.5, il che ne limita fortemente le potenzialità.

Sembra, però, che presto HTC HD2 potrà contare su un sistema operativo completamente rinnovato, in grado di sfruttare a fondo l’hardware disponibile.

La notizia proviene da una fonte infiltrata in HTC, che ha comunicato che non appena Windows Mobile 7 verrà rilasciato da Microsoft, la stessa casa coreana provvederà a rilasciare una ROM ufficiale con l’aggiornamento al nuovo OS.

Se le notizie che giungono in anteprima su questo nuovo Windows Mobile 7 sono veritiere, HTC HD2 potrà contare su nuovo OS davvero potentissimo, completamente rinnovato e pieno di interessanti novità.

In sostanza, vi dovreste ritrovare in mano un nuovo smartphone.

Via

Hello Viewers,

I know I’ve been quiet for some time. It’s been a year already since I moved to LA. I came with a MacBook 1st generation and a Compaq Presario Laptop. Now, a year later…my Macbook died and I sold that presario and an Asus EeePC 900HA that I purchased a few months after moving here.

Currently I’m working out of my MacBook Pro 13″ Aluminum that I purchased a couple of months ago and my iPhone 3G. I am officially a twitter addict and that’s the reason mainly why I have drifted away from wordpress.

I am in the process of acquiring a new Netbook because I miss the portability of one but not the compromises. I’m thinking of getting one with ION Graphics like the HP 311 or perhaps the Acer Aspire 1410 with Intel 4500HD. These are available with Windows 7, but I’ll wait until the holiday’s are gone and I have rounded up some money.

Also, I’m very intrigued about Android and Chrome OS. I think they are both great ideas but Google should have followed the path of the iPhone because if they do not focus on one specific device, it’ll become the next Windows Mobile…too many devices, not enough developers interested in developing apps for several screen sizes, hardware and users.

Another thing I’d like to say is that my Team, REAL MADRID are on the top of the spanish league.

Senast under MIX konferensen i mars verkar det som att Microsoft kommer att presentera Windows Mobile 7.

En annan trolig mässa är World Congress conference i Barcelona 15 februari där troligen operativet kommer att visas

HTC har nu också sagt att min nya telefon HTC HD2 kommer att få en uppgradering till Windows Mobile 7, jippiee

As much as I’d love to be a trend setter (who wouldn’t?), I’m merely just following the trend of many, many Windows Mobile users that have jumped ship either to iPhone (the more “consumer-oriented” portion), but mostly the Android (mostly ”the geekiest” portion). It is sad, but things like the one that happened at PDC09 where Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s “Chief Software Architect”, said that the mobile apps are not an important strategy clearly shows that Microsoft has no clue of how the mobile space is working right now, and Gartner’s latest research shows people is not tolerating that… only time will tell. As far as I’m concerned, Android brought back my passion for mobile devices. Click on the “Read More” link to get the full story.

“Windows Mobile lost 28 percent of its smartphone market share between the third quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009, according to analysis from Gartner.”

read more | digg story

I don’t understand MS/Palm strategy either.  Why not support Googles format?  Click here to read more.

They are back!

They are back!

1000 of kids were feeding, playing and killing them everyday and now they are back! The Tamagotchi!

The new Tamagotchi ID from Bandai actually looks exactly like the old one, with the difference that it is equipped with a 1.44 inch colour screen. You will be able to purchase it from the 23^rd of November on only in Japan for a price of 38 euros. They will be available in six different colours: pink, blue, white, yellow, green and purple. On top of that they’ve got a great feature: You can by new accessories, rare items and mini games over your cell phone and transfer them via infra-red to your Tamagotchi.

I think it’s a fantastic idea, but what cellphone still supports infra-red? What about Bluetooth or WiFi? I think Bandai overslept the trend. Specially in Japan where they have the latest generation of cellphones I really doubt that there are a lot of cellphones left with infra-red.

Our cellphones are powerful enough to play any kind of simulation and there are all sorts of games you can by just for a few euros. What’s the point of buying a Tamagotchi?

Bandai probably focuses on children and therefore it’s ok. Kids are going to be happy with this product, specially now that your pet is in colour. If you want to get a few more informations about these cute little pets you should read this article.

The Tamagotchis even have their own TV-Show on you tube. Of course produced by Bandai!

References

Hmmmh… lasst es mich vorweg schicken: Nach anderthalb Tagen die bEva zu Hause Ankettens und Warten auf die – sorry – Deppen von Hermes, die es nicht geschafft haben, das in der Ausliferung befindliche Paket auch zuzustellen (dazu später noch ein separater Post) hier die ersten Eindrücke:

Das Milestone ist extrem gut verarbeitet, auch wenn die Form ein wenig gewöhnungsbedürftig ist, es ist haptisch wie technisch klasse. Die Tastatur  ist weit besser, als zu befürchten war (wenn auch natürlich nicht mit der Referenz des HTC Touch Pro2 vergleichbar), das Display sehr gut. Und, liebe US-Freunde, hier rächts sich Euer Ällerbätsch, dass Ihr das Droid schneller hattet als wir das Milestone: Wir haben Multitouch…

Wirklich ärgerlich aber sind drei Bugs, die mich wahnsinnig machen:

1.) Sortierung der Namen: Nach Synchronisation stellt das Milestone die Kontakte in der Sortierung “Vorname Nachname” dar… und leider gibt es keine Möglichkeit, das umzustellen. Alle meine Geräte aller Plattformen (diverse Windows Mobile-Geräte, Palm Pre, iPhone, Nokias) schaffen es, nach Nachnamen zu sortieren… das Milestone nicht.

2.) Keine Email-Signaturen bei einem Exchange-Konto: Es geht einfach nicht. Punkt.

3.) … und das für mich am bittersten: Es lassen sich keine Anhänge aus dem Email-Konto eines Exchange herunterladen. Und noch schlimmer: Probiert man es, dann bleibt das Herunterladen nicht nur erfolglos, sondern der Push des Exchanges bricht ab und ein Sync ist nur noch manuell möglich. Man muss die Verbindung einmal trennen und wieder herstellen, dann geht zumindest der Push wieder. Lösung für Anhänge einzig: Weiterleiten an einen Google Mail Account und den Anhang dort abrufen. Geht, ist aber irendwie suboptimal…

The week marches on and today being Saturday means it is time to recap the recent happenings in the world of Windows Mobile. The Windows Marketplace for Mobile only launched for phones running WM 6.5 a week ago, but this week it hit all phones running WM 6.x. Those with phones running WM 6.0 or 6.1 can now get into the Marketplace by downloading the app to the phone. As is the case with most online app stores, the new Marketplace provides OTA purchasing and downloading of apps right on the phone.

Opera Mobile has long been one of the best browsers on the Windows Mobile platform, many would claim it is the best, and the newest version has cemented that position. Opera Mobile 10 has updated the user interface to make it less cluttered and easier to use, while making improvements to the browsing capabilities of the program. The new interface is optimized for touchscreen navigation, bringing good usage benefits to current smartphones. Tabbed browsing and the Speed Dial features add to the full-featured usage of Opera Mobile. It is no wonder that Opera Mobile is the default browser on HTC phones.

Office 2010 is in full preview mode, and the new mobile version of the next Office suite is now available for Windows Phones. The suite can be obtained through the Marketplace, and is restricted to phones running WM 6.5.

I came across this article from HTCPEDIA which was quite interesting.

Whilst I agree with some of the points and I know that HTC have done a great deal with Windows, are they the best thing to happen to Windows Phone?

There is a huge market of Motorola Symbol users who have devices running Windows Mobile.  Have a read and see what you think.

Let’s all face it; Windows mobile has had some negative press and reviews. And many would like to believe that Windows Mobile 6.5 is nothing more than an interim step on the way to Windows Mobile 7. Sure we are all disappointed in the delays but let’s not forget and lose sight that Windows Mobile 6.5 also has some nice features as well that have taken the operating system to a new level. A quick look at the comparison of versions for Windows Mobile provides some of the features 6.5 offers:

• The new Today screen in Windows Mobile 6.5 makes it easy to get to the information that matters most to you with a touch of your finger.
• Customize your phone by re-skinning it with exclusive themes designed by well known artists and fashion designers. Or, create your own theme on your PC and have it sent right to your phone.
• The new lock screen displays new messages and appointments without requiring you to enter a PIN when the phone is locked, and still provides access to critical functions—like mute, speakerphone, and hold—while you’re on a call.
• The new MSN Widgets provide real-time information on weather and stocks.
• The NewBreak Lite RSS feed reader lets you keep up to date on your favorite blogs and news sites. Stay informed even when you’re out on the town.
• Expand your phone’s horizons—find and download the latest apps for your phone.
• The new Conversation View gathers multiple e-mails into a single threaded view for easy reading.
• You can quickly access previously used names when writing new e-mails—no more scrolling through contacts.
• New icons identify which e-mails have been forwarded and replied to, helping you manage your inbox.
• View web sites as they were meant to be viewed with full Flash support.
• New navigation tools let you move through web pages with ease.
• Now you can search directly from your address bar just by typing in the search term.
• The new auto complete feature suggests words and even sites to speed up your browsing.
• You can now choose between mobile view (enhanced for display on phones) or full desktop view, depending on your immediate viewing needs.
• The new gesture support lets you quickly scroll through contacts, web pages, and other screens with simple, intuitive taps, clicks, and drags.

As Tony Bradley of PC World pointed out that “It is a solid operating system with innovative features, but may fall victim to negative publicity and ultimately may go down in history as the dud Microsoft released before Windows Mobile 7 emerged to save the day.” And that “HTC has always been one of the best things going for the Windows Mobile operating system. Whatever the Windows Mobile operating system may lack is often more than compensated for by the hardware and software designs that HTC builds around it. The HTC Pure is no exception.”

Source: HTCPEDIA

Come promesso qualche settimana fa, Microsoft ha reso disponibile in via ufficiale il suo MarketPlace anche per sistemi operativi diversi dal nuovo Windows Mobile 6.5

Nella fase iniziale, infatti, lo store online di Microsoft poteva essere raggiunto soltanto da smartphone che montavano l’ultima versione del suo OS.

Dopo l’arrivo della versione desktop dello store, ecco che finalmente viene estesa la compatibilità anche ai dispositivi più vecchi, che utilizzano ancora il sistema operativo Windows Mobile 6.0 e 6.1

Per accedere al negozio dovrete raggiungere questo indirizzo con il browser del telefono: mp.windowsphone.com

Fin dal momento della sua uscita, molti utenti hanno evidenziato un problema alla fotocamera.

Ora arriva la conferma ufficiale anche da parte di HTC: HD2 è un problema hardware alla fotocamera.

Come potete vedere, lo stesso servizio clienti di HTC ha confermato il problema e consiglia agli utenti che hanno notato il difetto di farsi sostituire il terminale in assistenza.

A quanto pare, il problema causa un colorito tendente al rosa/viola alle immagini scattate.

Anche voi avete notato il problema?

 “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”
~Margaret Fuller 

Tips
1. Tel: Again
2. BB Calendar Tips & Shortcuts
3. Tax-Deduction with Wikipedia
BlackBerry
4. T-Mobile Offers Wi-Fi Calling with BlackBerry 9700
5. T-Mobile Offers First US Prepaid BlackBerry Service
iPhone
6. AT&T Boosts 3G Coverage in SF Bay Area
Windows Mobile
7. Microsoft Announces WinMo 7 Announcement Coming March 2010
8. WinMo Marketplace Shows OS Fractures
9. Windows Marketplace Open to More Devices
Google
10. Droid Becomes Fastest Selling Android
Other News
11. Cell Phones in U.S. Homes 71%
12. The Potential of Smartphone DDoS Attacks
13. Palm Releases $99 Pixi
14. Mobile money on the rise in U.S.
15. Your Cell Phone Could Be a Germ Breeder
16. Anti-Bacterial Wipes for Your Mobile 

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

Tips

1. Going to CES? 

Let me know if you’re going to CES in Las Vegas 1.7-10.2010.

2. Tel: Again 

Dan Whipple reports… I used the following formula on my 8310 (v4.5.0.110) and it worked like a champ…

Tel:8666578888×2188888#,,*,8888#,1 (note “x” after dial in number).  Also had to switch to “Wait for: My Response” (in Phone > Options) to make it work.

3. BB Calendar Tips & Shortcuts 

RIM offers this page with a few BB calendar tips and a list of shortcuts.  RIM 

4. Tax-Deduction with Wikipedia 

This week, I gave my first tax-deductable Wikipedia donation to reciprocate for the times it helped a not-so-smart guy, like me, appear almost intelligent.  (Thanks Wikipedia)

BlackBerry 

5. T-Mobile Offers Wi-Fi Calling with BlackBerry 9700 

T-Mobile USA says the BlackBerry Bold 9700 with Wi-Fi calling is now available. Wireless Week

6.  T-Mobile Offers First US Prepaid BlackBerry Service 

T-Mobile will allow customers to buy a BlackBerry Curve 8520 without signing a contract as part of its new “Complete” package that the carrier will sell for $60, including a free month of service. Chicago Tribune

iPhone

7. AT&T Boosts 3G Coverage in SF Bay Area 

AT&T says it has invested nearly $65 million from 2008 through the third quarter of 2009 to complete a “substantial upgrade of its local 3G wireless network in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.” The upgrade includes additional spectrum in the 850 MHz band, which generally delivers better in-building coverage. Wireless Week

Windows Mobile

8. Microsoft Announces WinMo 7 Announcement Coming March 2010  

It’s always weird to hear that a company is announcing that it will make an announcement, but Microsoft is announcing that Windows Mobile 7 will make its grand official appearance at the MIX 2010 conference in March 2010.  The new OS is rumored to have a Q3 2010 launch.  Unwired

9. WinMo Marketplace Shows OS Fractures 

The mere handful of apps in Windows Marketplace for Mobile shows the downside to a business model like Microsoft’s: users have the luxury of choosing the phone design they prefer, but it comes with limitations in interoperability.  InfoWorld

10. Windows Marketplace Open to More Devices 

A second take on the same topic… Microsoft is making its 800-application Windows Marketplace available to a wider audience of Windows Mobile users. The Marketplace, which launched on Windows Mobile 6.5 about a month ago, now will be available to Windows 6.0 and 6.1 users, a market that is estimated to be about 30 million devices worldwide.  MocoNews.net

Google

11. Droid Becomes Fastest Selling Android 

With only one week of Droid sales under its belt, Flurry Analytics’ latest statistics on Verizon Wireless’ exclusive Motorola Droid suggest VZW’s $100 million integrated marketing campaign paid off. Telephony Unfiltered

Other News

12.  Cell Phones in U.S. Homes 71% 

71% of U.S. households now have a cell phone.  HOUSTON CHRONICLE

13. The Potential of Smartphone DDoS Attacks 

Smartphones could be used in the future to target and bring down wireless carrier’s cellular networks via distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Computer World

14. Palm Releases $99 Pixi 

Last Sunday, Palm launched the $99 Pixi.  CEO Jon Rubinstein said Palm did not have to be a huge company to compete.  New York Times

15. Mobile money on the rise in U.S. 

Already a presence in Europe and Japan, person-to-person mobile money services — the ability to send someone cash by cell phone or e-mail — are beginning to gain traction in the U.S.   New York Times / BusinessWeek

16. Your Cell Phone Could Be a Germ Breeder 

With the flu and cold season upon us (not to mention the H1N1 scare), recent findings offer a harsh reminder that our mobile devices are considered a main culprit for collecting and spreading germs. Fear not: you can still use your cell phone without it becoming a petri dish — and win the “germ warfare” game just in time for the holidays.Mobile Enterprise Mag

17. Anti-Bacterial Wipes for Your Mobile 

Now are you nervous about germs on your mobile?  Delicate use of normal anti-bacterial wipes will do (avoid charging and headset ports), but here is a specifically designed solution…  Wireless Wipes