Author: Surur

Phandroid came across this internal Verizon slide and of course thought it referred to some random Android device (who keeps track of them these days) but key words like share and social suggests its not that robotic OS that’s the subject of this memo.

That, and the strategic date of this Monday, which just happens to be the 12th April, is enough to tip us off that we are talking about Microsoft’s latest smartphone venture, now known to be “exclusive to America’s Largest and Most Reliable 3G Network.”

Nice to see that at least Verizon is excited by the new devices.

Via Engadget.com

Palm, the forlorn stepchild of the smartphone world, has suddenly become the belle of the ball, with Lenovo and now HTC rumoured to be bidding for the company.

Apparently Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, has been involved in high-level meetings at CTIA, and the whole company is currently involved in due diligence, examining how the smaller smartphone maker will fit in in their structure.

HTC refused to comment on the rumours, while Palm’s CEO Jon Rubinstein said: "If there is a reasonable acquisition proposal, the Board will consider."

Palm is currently worth less than a tenth of HTC’s value, meaning it should be much less than a merger of equals, with HTC able to acquire the company just for cash. Palm’s rescue could be quite expensive however.  HTC will however get a stash of over 1,650 patents, even more than Motorola has in the smartphone arena, making it simply the cost of doing business in the cut-throat smartphone world.

Read more at UDN.com here.

The BGR’s ninjas have again taken advantage of Verizon’s database and extracted information about a new Windows Mobile smartphone for USA’s biggest carrier.

The LG VS750 is a smartphone that has been very long rumoured, and we now finally have some solid information about the handset.  Verizon’s internal systems reveal the handset is a CDMA phone but with world phone capability, is a QWERTY slider with a 3.2 inch WVGA screen and features a 3.2 megapixel camera. 

Given the similar specs, the device will likely be very similar in size and appearance to the LG expo on AT&T.

Read more at BGR here.

PhoneScoop has reviewed the HTC HD2 and they concluded:

The T-Mobile HTC HD2 is the best Windows Mobile phone on the market (though the Touch Pro 2 is no slouch if you need a keyboard). Near the end of this year, Microsoft will release the first Windows Phone 7 devices, but I think the HTC HD2 will hold its own against the newcomers, and I wouldn’t advise buyers to hold out if they find the HD2 appealing. It’s the most polished Windows Phone HTC has produced, with so many details accounted for and surprise features thrown in that they were almost too numerous to count. From the detailed calling screens that show you contact info, messages and Facebook updates for your caller, to the accelerometer gestures to silence the phone or activate the speakerphone, the HTC HD2 represents some of the most innovative thinking of one of the best smartphone makers around. I can’t imagine a first generation phone on Microsoft’s new mobile OS will have the same level of polish and completeness.
It isn’t all great news. The touchscreen doesn’t work as well as I’d like, especially in apps that should take the spotlight on such a large screen, like the Web browser and the GPS maps. There are some cool movie options from BlockBuster, but these are nearly ruined by the horrible, ancient Windows Media Player. The HTC HD2 may be one of the best smartphones for calling, messaging and business tasks, but it still concedes to Apple’s iPhone what the iPhone has always done best, which is entertainment. The HD2 is not a great pick for music, movies or games, and that’s a disappointment considering lush, expansive touchscreen. I’m also disappointed that T-Mobile dropped the Wi-Fi tethering feature I liked so much on the international version of this phone.
So, if you don’t mind putting in a little more effort, in the Web browser interface, the media player, etc, the HTC HD2 is a great phone. It gets so many things right that it’s a joy to use in day to day business. Even in its flaws, it isn’t a bad device, but it could be much better. In the end, the HD2 is an easy phone to recommend for buyers right now, no need to wait for the next big thing . . . and i do mean big.

Read their full review here.

While our last post may make it appear we feel Apple’s latest OS has Microsoft’s soundly beaten there are still some areas where Microsoft, even at this early stage is ahead.

One is the social network integration, which seems Microsoft as more outward facing, embracing multiple social networks suck as Facebook and Flickr. Apple has persistently decided to go it alone, even when faced by the whole industry embracing Facebook for example.

The next is the ability to leverage an existing gaming social network in the form of Xbox Live, which has a pretty fanatical following.

Windows Phone 7 will of course still support more form factors that the iPhone, which is likely locked pretty much into its current shape.

Windows Phone 7 also has some new UI paradigms which seem to be catching on pretty nicely.

Lastly, embracing web technologies like Silverlight and Flash may give Windows Phone 7 developers a leg up in bringing apps rapidly to market.

Are there other advantages I have missed? Let us know below.