Xperia X10 - no multitouch

No multitouch on the new Android Xperia then.

Which is a surprise.

Omnia II - one last chance

Nice device the Omnia II but it has started to niggle me quite substantially.

Firstly, despite the fact I was told it had two processors (maybe it has) it runs like a dog, I guess the Out of Storage Memory error is not helping affairs.

This is starting to look like a real vindication of those who say that the Samsung overlay is taking up FAR too much memory. I have SK Tools, but cannot find a way of getting some of the bloatware off.

Oh, for a 1Ghz Snapdragon and another 500Mb of storage memory.......that HTC HD2 is starting to look like the killer 6.5 device to me.

Things that I am not allowed to comment on

It may be that those clever techies at xda developers have got the Windows Phone 7 series OS runnins on an HTC HD2....

I couldn't possibly comment

Off Topic: Printing costs

I hate the cost of ink - a real rip-off in my view and I read something fascinating today in The Register.

According to the "Director of Computing and Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay" printing in Arial costs 30% MORE than printing in Century Gothic

So, when we're doing draft accounts etc, that's another 30 % saved !!

Not much doing at CTIA

I could make a career hopping from trade show to seminar to partner meeting etc. One of the ones I decided to miss was CTIA in Las Vegas

Seems I may have saved the company a few bucks as there really is little of note on the new phone front . T-Mobile were launching the HTC HD2 (ho hum , we had it months ago) but there was a little conflict as the HTC Evo was also announced (with an Android 2.1 OS)

When's the next CTWNIAGSMWWM conference?

Now that's a quote (and a device) I like

"Windows Mobile 6.5 is much more appropriate for the apps and the uses that our customers are looking for," said Sheldon Safer, Motorola's director of product marketing for the EDA series. "I think we can clearly say that Windows Mobile 6 is the standard for enterprises today."

This comes as Moto announces the M75A....more news as we get it

Windows Phone 7 - a small omission

Just a note to say that, according to news just made available, Windows Phone 7 phones will not have an expansion slot - hmmm, it really is locked down then!

No Firefox on Windows Phone 7 ....not yet anyway

Of course, we know that Microsoft's new phone OS will effectively be closed source (unless you wnat to go through marketplace) so it should be no surprose to learn that Mozilla have ceased developemnt of Firefox for the mobile Microsoft platform.

I hear good things about IE9 (for the desktop of course) but it will be interesting to see what the browser experience is like on a Windows Phone 7 unit. At the moment, one will have one browser option and one alone.

I'm using Opera Mobile on the Omnia 2 at the moment which has its ups and downs but is generally punchier than the native browser.

I wonder what the thoughts on WP7 are from people like SPB and Resco....?

An android unit.......a Dell Android unit? What next ?

Is it me, or does the device seem "upside down"?

As you know we are Windows Mobile champions, however the Google Android platform just cannot be ignored. We have an inherent issue with their being 5 distros but too many OEMs are joining the throng for us to ignore.

Dell have become the latest manufacturer to release an Android unit. It is called the Aero on AT&T and is a modified Mini 3

We do not have too many details but the Mini 3 had a 3.5-inch 640x360 display, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash, microSD, and GPS (thanks to engadget for this)

Hopefully it is a better unit than that horrid old Dell Axim !

Windows Mobile 6.1 Outlook update

Microsoft have released an update to the Outlook Client on Windows Mobile 6.1.

Enabling threaded email conversations and a few other niceties, it can be sourced here

By the way, it appears to allow SMS back up to Exchange , as well as the ability to read SM texts on the PC. (We'll have to check that!)

Apparently, Windows Mobile 6.5 users do not need to install the update as the functionality is already embedded in 6.5

HMV and Orange open games store

I have been unimpressed by HMV's online efforts ever since the music service ripped me off some 3 or 4 years ago. I notice that the company has joined forces with Orange to offer an online games download store.

I'll be interested to see the quality of Call of Duty:MW2 on a java phone (not as interested as my son, obviously) but, having been killed repeatedly on Xbox because I can't see the enemy, I rather think a phone screen will be insufficient for me to pick up any gamer points.

With the multitude of app stores, I really can't see this one becoming a major player.

Moto divorce

I see that Motorola is splitting into two (some say they should never have joined in the first place) and both companies' stock will be publcily traded.

We will be focused upon the The Enterprise Mobility and Networks business - what we traditionally know as the Symbol business - where we supply the set of rugged and semi-rugged devices for the Chicago based outfit

It would be interesting to know what has happened to the device I saw roadmapped a year ago, the replacement for the ill-starred MC35. Not sure what it was called but I was probably uner NDA anyway. We'll ask our friends in the US.

More Windows Phone 7

I was interested to see that pictures on the phone will allow you to view cloud based photos on the device. That will save a few storage issues - interesting to see whether it handles thumbnail, then full version. Also interesting on the data plan front.

Off Topic - picture of the day

Well it is a tech thing, and it is mobile but we picked up on this image from Google streetmap published by The Register.

Windows Phone 7 Info from MIX

A bullet list:-

C Sharp is the development language
Apps only from Windows Mobile Marketplace
No ActiveSync
Multitasking not available for 3rd party apps (limited number of Microsoft Apps)
No upgrade from WM 6.5

Credit to the excellent Mary Jo Foley on the ground in LV, NV

Putting two and two together on Windows Phone 7

ZD report today that the HTC HD2 will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 come "holiday season 2010"

This is no surprise to me as my understanding is that NO current phone will be upgradable. The Windows Phone 7 series OS will require an entirely new chassis and Microsoft is controlling how the manufacturers distribute those chassis.

More critically, is the plural of chassis chassis?

WinMoSquare - an exciting app coming soon!

You can register to be alerted on th release of WinMoSquare here

If you have heard of foursquare, you'll realise that WinMoSquare is a location based mobile service to connect with your friends or see where they are from the phone

The service has only been available for the fruit-based devices and the open source thing but developers at touchality have got hold of the SDK and , I hear , a Windows Mobile version is coming soon

See the original here for details

Bing on Android

I hear that Microsoft are going to allow Bing to be used on Android mobile phones. This is fairly typical of our Redmondian friends (remember ActiveSync is used on non Microsoft OS phones). I'm quite a fan of Bing, the categorisation and location services are very user-friendly.

PC/Xbox/Windows Phone 7 integration

Now I understand that Microsoft do some cool stuff - but this is very cool

Basically, one will be able to play the same game on PC/Xbox and Windows Phone 7

Have a look at the video here

This proves that Microsoft is integrating a number of technologies, particularly Visual Studio, Silverlight and XNA

We'll let you know the Windows Phone 7 details next week after MIX10

MIX 10

MIX is Microsoft's development conference and this year's big noise is about Windows Phone 7 . ( I have officially dropped the term "series")

I understand that 15 sessions are planned and that Silverlight and XNA are high on the list. My son will be excited about the XNA part.

By the way , I can't be there (Sorry about that but I already have too many US trips this year) but we'll pore over the sessions online after MIX and let you know what we think....

We're back - and we've seen a Windows Phone 7 (series)

Surely our friends from Redmond will drop the word "series" soon?

Anyway , LG (via Microsoft) have let slip that their Windows Phone 7 (series) is expected in Q4, 2010. Here's a teaser which shows that the device is a slider with a slick Windows Phone 7 (series) image.