Author: PhoneDog.com – Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts

Aaron visited the SF Bay Area, so he and Noah grabbed two GPS-enabled smartphones and hopped in the hybrid for a day of cheesy tourist stuff. What better venue for a Navigation Dogfight between Android’s Google Navigation and Nokia’s Ovi Maps?

After seeing Microsoft’s announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series, I’ll readily admit that the concept excites me.  While I haven’t experimented with it in person and thus can’t provide an accurate depiction of what it does and doesn’t do, my excitement doesn’t come from the OS alone.  Oddly enough, it comes from Microsoft’s realization that complete innovation was the only option for long-term success.  Let’s be clear: the fact that Microsoft has completely redefined their mobile OS from the ground up is a huge step for a company that is notorious for reproducing similar products over and over again.  It shows that they’re ready to play again.

There are a number of similarities between Windows Mobile and PalmOS, Palm’s legacy offering.  Much like PalmOS, Windows Mobile was an establishment of mobile computing for many years.  Much like PalmOS, it was kept around for years with minimal updates here and there.  Let’s be honest – the strategy worked until the launch of the iPhone.  Fast forward a few years, and a whirlwind of mobile OSes entered the playing field and challenged Windows Mobile in every manner.  From web browsing, to messaging, to listening to music, alternative operating systems existed on the market that made even the most die-hard Windows fans ponder “why Microsoft?”  Needless to say, when you get to that point, nothing good can come out of it.

On that note, when you look at Windows Phone 7 Series, be sure to look at it objectively and remove Windows Mobile out of your vocabulary, as it doesn’t exist anymore.  This isn’t the Windows Mobile that you and I remember from the mid-2000’s.  Windows Phone 7 Series has been rebuilt from the ground up, and is a clear indicator that Microsoft realized the need to innovate in today’s smartphone market.  The convergence of wireless and computing are rapidly merging, and Microsoft is positioned for success with its new mobile operating system.  The true question is whether the company will harness it to the extent that they should.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if Windows Phone 7 Series makes coffee, tea, toast, and bagels better than Android, iPhone, or webOS.  If Microsoft really wants market share, the winning formula for success is usability for the average consumer.  If 7 Series is too complicated, or requires too much time and energy to perform basic day-to-day tasks, then it won’t succeed in the long-term.  At one point, there was a demographic that would overlook this (IT specialists, businesses, and tech-centric consumers), but after seeing how easy and painless a smartphone can perform (iPhone), ease of use is now an expectation.  We’re dealing with the consumerization of the smartphone – Mom, Dad, Grandma, the FedEx guy, and your 12-year-old neighbor all have one, and Microsoft’s strategies of the past aren’t going to work in today’s market.  If I could communicate anything to Microsoft, it would be this:

Microsoft, you have a notorious reputation for offering a complicated mobile operating system, yet you dominate the PC operating system field.  Your latest version of Windows (7) has received quite a bit of praise from supporters and critics alike for its numerous improvements over past versions.  In order to make Windows Phone 7 Series successful, you need to leverage your brand name, create an ecosystem between Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 Series that rivals Apple, and take the opportunity to revamp your platform into something usable for everyone.  It’s your one opportunity to catapult yourself back into the smartphone races, so make your decisions wisely.

At best, you have to agree that Windows Phone 7 Series is a revolutionary entry into the smartphone OS field, and at worst, you have to acknowledge that the new operating system is a valiant effort by the company to increase their market share in a crowded arena.  The remaining element to the success of 7 Series is execution.  Microsoft, make 7 your lucky number.

Announced at Mobile World Congress earlier today, HTC’s three new Sense-equipped devices offer a range of specifications.  But what about promotional videos to go along with the launch?  Rest assured, we wouldn’t leave you hanging.  Below are the “first look” clips of the HTC Desire, Legend, and HD Mini.

HTC Desire

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HTC Legend

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HTC HD Mini

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As expected, HTC this morning announced three new smartphones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  Featuring Android and Windows Mobile, the devices vary a bit in size and specifications.  Let’s get into them.

HTC Desire

At the core, the Desire is HTC’s version of the Nexus One.  Featuring specs that are nearly identical to the popular Google device (which just so happens to be manufactured by HTC), the Desire will offer:

• 3.7-inch 480 x 800 WVGA AMOLED capacitive touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capability
• Android 2.1 (Eclair) with HTC Sense
• 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
• 5.0-megapixel camera
• GPRS/EDGE/3G connectivity
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• microSD card slot (with support for up to 32 GB)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Available in Europe in April

As I said, nearly identical to the Nexus One, but with more HTC flair, the introduction of physical buttons, an optical trackpad, and the inclusion of Sense.  If one of your primary complaints about the Nexus One was the lack of HTC’s Sense UI, this is the device that you want to get your hands on.

HTC Legend

There’s no confirmation to go along witht this, but I see a design like this replacing Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris at some point in the future (we already know it’s going to replace the Hero, so it makes sense).  For now, it looks like it’s on the GSM side (and European GSM, at that).  More on that below.

Specs:

• 3.2-inch 320 x 480 HVGA AMOLED capacitive touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capability
• Android 2.1 (Eclair) with HTC Sense
• 600 MHz processor
• 5.0-megapixel camera
• GPRS/EDGE/3G connectivity
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• microSD card slot (with support for up to 32 GB)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Available in Europe in March

HTC HD Mini

Think HTC Touch here, but with an improved design and specifications list.  We were also told that the internals of the phone (under the back screws) are “fiery yellow” (check it out at your own risk).

Specs:

• 3.2-inch 320 X 480 HVGA capacitive touch screen
• Windows Mobile 6.5.3
• 600 MHz processor
• 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• microSD card slot (support for up to 32 GB)
• Available in Europe in April

All of the devices discussed above will launch with GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, and HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz connectivity.  Available in Europe and Asia Pacific at launch, I’m sure they’ll move to the United States.  Wireless bands aside, do any of these devices tickle your fancy?

Aaron visited the SF Bay Area, so he and Noah grabbed two GPS-enabled smartphones and hopped in the hybrid for a day of cheesy tourist stuff. What better venue for a Navigation Dogfight between Android’s Google Navigation and Nokia’s Ovi Maps?

Microsoft is hitting, and they’re hitting hard.  Shortly after announcing Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress, the company showed an advertisement criticizing every other manufacturer for launching devices that are relatively similar.  Billed as phones in a “sea of sameness,” Microsoft points out Apple’s App Store as a “focus on apps over the phone experience itself” and quickly discusses the device’s inability to multitask.

Granted, Apple holds the smartphone reins at the moment, and it’s easy to bash the leader (when you think about it, most of the manufacturers do).  But Microsoft actually has a chance to bring up their market share here.  An aggressive advertising campaign is just the beginning of the puzzle.

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Via MobileCrunch

Live from MWC 2010 in Barcelona, we get a hands-on demo of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz. A Symbian S60 device with HD video capture, Vivaz hits the market during the first half of 2010.

Not long after the launch of the original Acer Liquid device, the company is at it again with the announcement of the Acer Liquid e in Barcelona.  In regards to specifications, there’s not a huge difference between the Liquid e and the original device, save for Android 2.1 (replacing 1.6 from the original Liquid).  The Snapdragon processor is still underclocked to 768 MHz, and other specifications are identical: a 3.5-inch WVGA display, 5.0-megapixel camera, 256 MB RAM, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity (for those carriers that support it).

Pricing and availability are still unknown.  Anyone care to offer a guess – or does anyone care, for that matter?

Via Engadget

HTC’s MWC 2010 press conference doesn’t happen until tomorrow. But Android.MoDaCo.com went ahead and spilled the beans a day early, outing press photos and specs of HTC’s three new devices: Desire, Legend, and Touch HD Mini

Desire, known to tech geeks as codename “Bravo” (pictured above), is the highest-end of the three new handsets, packing a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1 with HTC Sense out of the gate. The device is said to be 11.9mm thick and sporting a 3.7″ WVGA resolution AMOLED touch display. Note also the optical trackpad where a trackball used to be. The trackball is dead, long live the optical trackpad.

The Desire spec sheet notes something called “Friend Stream,” which makes me wonder if HTC went ahead and overhauled Sense for this release. Remember that like Motorola’s MOTOBLUR, HTC Sense on Android is deeply integrated into the OS. So an HTC Sense device with Android 2.1 is most likely a device with version 2.1 of “Sense for Android,” if that makes sense.

Next up is Legend, something of the successor to last year’s Hero. Legend features aluminum unibody construction, Android 2.1 with Sense, and a 600 MHz processor. You’ll get a 3.2″ HVGA touchscreen here, along with that optical pad. Friend Stream is also listed in Legend’s specs.

And last but not least is the Touch HD Mini. No specs to be found, but it sure looks like a shrunken down version of Touch HD. You might be wondering why. I say, “Little phones you can use with one hand are awesome! So long as you have really sharp eyes.”

More on these new HTC’s, if in fact they’re real, as we get it. And remember, all shall be revealed at HTC’s press conference Tuesday. Mean time, full specs and bigger photos available on Android.MoDaCo.

[Via: MoDaCo, Gizmodo]

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with advertising campaigns targeting a certain demographic, but given the capabilities of the Palm Pre, I found the idea of targeting the Palm Pre Plus to Mothers to be a bit off-base.  Fact of the matter is women, teenagers, business individuals, and first-time smartphone buyers could find a lot to like in the webOS-powered device.  Verizon Wireless seems to have realized this…or they changed the advertising campaign since Valentines Day is over.  At any rate, the nation’s largest wireless carrier is now positioning the device to all customer types. 

To sweeten the deal, the new campaign features the same BOGO promotion from earlier in the month – buy one Palm Pre Plus or Pixi Plus, and get one Pixi Plus for free after a mail-in rebate.  BOGO offers and an advertising campaign that emphasizes the fact that the device is a feature-packed smartphone worth considering by any individual.  Sounds like a deal to me!

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Via PreCentral

Shortly after Microsoft’s announcement in Barcelona, the company’s YouTube channel was updated with fresh videos of the new mobile OS in action.  Complete with a new user interface, social media integration, and Zune and Xbox support, the new OS is a revolutionary step forward for the company.  Check it out!

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If you were to look at the device above and say “hmm, it looks just like the CLIQ,” you’d be spot on – save for a few small changes.  Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the CLIQ XT features the same 3.1-inch HVGA capacitive display, 5.0-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, MOTOBLUR, and Android 1.5.  Where it differs is the addition of an optical trackpad and the removal of the sliding QWERTY keyboard.

The device will launch on T-Mobile as the CLIQ XT in the US, and QUENCH in other markets.  Expect to see it on Magenta next month.

Via BGR

If you were to look at the device above and say “hmm, it looks just like the CLIQ,” you’d be spot on – save for a few small changes.  Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the CLIQ XT features the same 3.1-inch HVGA capacitive display, 5.0-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, MOTOBLUR, and Android 1.5.  Where it differs is the addition of an optical trackpad and the removal of the sliding QWERTY keyboard.

The device will launch on T-Mobile as the CLIQ XT in the US, and QUENCH in other markets.  Expect to see it on Magenta next month.

Via BGR

If there’s anything to be taken away from Microsoft’s big announcement, it’s that Windows Phone 7 Series is completely new – take any ideas that you have about previous OS versions, and throw them away.  Engadget Mobile has snapped a few pictures of the new operating system, and from first glance, it looks great.  While it’s said to feel slightly similar to Zune’s OS, the overall design and depth is entirely different, featuring tiles, new fonts, updated transition animations, and more.

Check out the pictures, and stay tuned for more updates!

Via Engadget Mobile

Over the past few years, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS has taken quite a hit in light of new OS options like webOS, Apple’s iPhone OS, and Android.  Microsoft must have taken it to heart, as they’ve officially launched Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.  Not only is the name completely new, but the OS is too – Microsoft has re-designed the OS from the ground up, with a completely new user interface and home screen (in other words, no more Start menu).  Realizing the importance of social networking, Windows Phone 7 Series provides integrated contact pages with status updates from multiple networking options.  In true Microsoft fashion, Xbox integration is included, and will offer LIVE games, avatars, and profiles.  Zune integration is there as well, with features similar to the units found on the market today.

Windows Phone 7 Series has quite a few carrier partnerships, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the United States; and Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telstra, Vodafone overseas.  Expect to see hardware from Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba, and Qualcomm.  In a shift from the past strategy, Microsoft is dictating a firm approach with the hardware manufacturers by requiring a very specific set of specifications for Windows Phone 7 Series devices.  Unlike previous Windows versions, these devices will offer a universal “Windows Phone identity.”

This is more than a simple update, this is a major from-the-ground-up overhaul, and it proves that Microsoft is serious about competing in today’s smartphone market space.  More to come as the morning progresses.

Via Engadget Mobile

My friend Glen just sent me an email with the subject, “iPhone makeup kit we saw at kohls.” This photo was attached. That is all.

Sony Ericsson launched three new devices at MWC today, and all of them are variants of previously released phones. Along with the two Xperia X10 minis, SE also gave us Vivaz pro, a side-sliding QWERTY-fied version of the Vivaz, which was announced last month. Vivaz pro will be available in “select markets” starting in Q2 of this year, and the engineers at SE somehow managed to tack that sliding QWERTY board onto the original Vivaz while only adding 2 millimeters to its profile.

Vivaz pro runs Symbian S60 5th edition with a 720 MHz processor and features a bunch of social networking apps to go along with its multimedia pedigree. DLNA and integrated YouTube sharing give you a few wireless ways to get your HD videos off the phone and into your friends’ lives, and an included 8GB microSD card lets you get all SneakerNet if you’d rather transfer your multimedia files the old-fashioned (i.e. faster) way. The device also has an A-GPS chip for location-based services and comes with Google Maps and Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation pre-installed.

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Early reports indicate that the Vivaz shoots some pretty stunning 720p HD video for a cell phone. There’s no reason to think Vivaz pro won’t do the same. But now you get a QWERTY board to make the rest of your smartphone life a bit easier. 

More on Vivaz pro over at SE’s MWC 2010 site. And here’s some specs for ya:

• 3.2″ Display: 320 x 640 pixels, 16:9 nHD touchscreen (TFT), Scratch-resistant
• 720 MHz Processor
• Size: 109 x 52 x 15 mm
• Weight: 117 grams
• Connectivity: 3.5 mm audio jack, TV out (VGA resolution), micro-USB, Wi-Fi
• 8GB microSD card included
• Availability and versions:              

UMTS HSPA 900/2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
 
UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

• Available in selected markets from Q2 2010

I wasn’t able to make it to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, which is too bad because covering the show last February was an amazing experience for me. Luckily we’ve got a friend in Europe who stepped up to be our Man on the Scene for the week. Meet Ewan MacLeod, EuroDog (for the week, anyway).

Ewan is the longtime publisher of Mobile Industry Review, a terrific blog that covers the world of wireless from a European perspective. Which makes sense seeing as Ewan lives in London. MIR is always a great read, as Ewan and his staff know their stuff and pull no punches when it comes to delivering facts and informed opinions on the European mobile industry scene. 

But for as “annoyingly perceptive” as he is when it comes to The Biz, Ewan’s a terrific chap to hang out with. I was lucky enough to be introduced to him last year when he was staying in San Francisco for a spell and we’ve been mates ever since. He even puts up with my lame attempts to toss around British slang in conversation (You caught those, right? No? Go back and re-read this paragraph. Brilliant!)

So stay tuned for Ewan’s hands-on videos with the new devices coming out of Barcelona. And do yourself a favor and check out his work over on Mobile Industry Review in the meantime.

Sony Ericsson announced today two new Androids: The X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro. My first impression, from the images I’ve seen, is that SE has come up with an insanely cool form factor that will present the joy of pocketability and comfort in the hand along side a unique set of problems that will cause quite the dilemma for the smartphone consumer.

Both phones feature 2.5″, QVGA capacitive touch screens; 5.0 MP cams, 600 MHz Qualcomm processors, and will ship with Android 1.6. The display is at 320 x 240, which means the phone will face the same limited app compatibility as HTC’s Tattoo. And while I think it’s great that SE is pimping both a slide-out QWERTY flavor and one that’s kb-free, can you imagine bangin’ out work emails on the Mini standard for one lunch hour? I can’t, and unless Sony Ericsson is sitting on the best voice recognition software known to man, I can’t imagine the Mini will be very text friendly – even for the occasional, brief SMS. Since many apps don’t play nice with QVGA, don’t expect that you’ll have a flurry of viable keyboard replacements at launch. To be fair, I’m sure developers will respond to the increased QVGA Android market with better virtual QWERTYs – possibly some 10-key, T-9 boards that fill most of the screen.

The Mini will be popping up next quarter in a variety of colors while the Pro will come in black and red. Head on over to DroidDog to see the little buggers on video

.

I was poking around the Samsung Mobile World Cogress media site just now looking at Wave’s specs and noticed, there at the way bottom of the page, a listing for the i8520, a nameless superphone running Android 2.1. Whoah. Turns out this is the Halo, and Engadget has confirmation from Samsung Mobile reps that this thing is real and will run Android 2.1.

Seriously, this is superphone territory: 3.7″ Super AMOLED display at WVGA resolution, 8 MP camera with flash, HD video capture, and DivX/Xvid support, 3.5mm audio jack, 802.11 n WiFi, 16GB of storage and microSD slot … and … a built-in projector. Yowza!

And it looks like Halo will run TouchWiz 3.0 atop Android 2.1, giving it a similar look at feel to the Bada OS running on Wave. Makes sense, even if I haven’t much been impressed by TouchWiz + Android to date. But TouchWiz 3.0 does look a bit cleaner than 2.x, so there’s hope here. Right?

Halo will ship in Q3 of this year, but only in Asia and Europe. Maybe we’ll get a US variant later. Maybe.

Specs? Here you go:

[Via: Engadget, Samsung]