Articles

During all the excitement of the 2009 Mobile World Congress, AT&T has quietly acknowledged that it should have a fully ready Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in 2011. AT&T has pledged in the past to introduce the 4G Network in 2010 but, according to Senior Architecture VP Kris Rinne, will see the first phase limited to trials in 2010, with commercial services available the following year. This will put AT&T's 4G Network about a year behind Verizon's 4G network, which is for trials later this year with commercial services planned for 2010.

AT&T doesn't seem too worried about Verizon's time line, maintaining that it can rely on HSPA+ and have the advanced 3G networks reach 20Mbps sometime later this year through software upgrades. The LTE network theoretically is at least five times as fast in downloads, about 100Mbps and has a lower latency that should make multi-layer games, VoIP, and two way calling more practical than on 3G networks.

Speaking of time lines, it's probably safe to say that Apple's future plans for the iPhone could well be a factor here. On the other hand, it's entirely possible that AT&T has no idea what Apple's plans are.

[Read: Electonista.com]

Obviously Windows Mobile 6.5 dominated the bulk of Microsoft's announcements at the start of Mobile World Congress, but we've also seen My Phone and, to a much lesser extent, Marketplace.

But the Windows Mobile Team blog chimed in today, pimping some of the bennies for developers:

• An easily discovered on-device application that is installed on every Windows Mobile 6.5 device, and includes prominent placement on the Start menu.
• Global marketplace distribution (30 countries) with flexible payment options for end users through both credit card and mobile operator payment methods.
• Single source developer-focused web site for sign-up, publishing, and management of applications in the marketplace.
• Transparent set of policies that clearly articulate the types of applications allowed in the store.
• Streamlined, yet flexible workflow for getting applications published to the marketplace.
• Leverage existing Microsoft developer tools, such as Visual Studio, for faster time to market.

Otherwise? Not a whole lot yet. Try to make do with Windows Mobile and My Phone for now, m'kay?

What do you get when you take an Acer DX900 and strip out a few bits? The Acer X960. Gone are the DX900's dual SIMS and G-Sensor, here to stay are quad-band EDGE, tri-band HSDPA, 256 ROM/128 RAM, and the 480x640 screen. The processor goes from a Samsung S3C 6400 to the 6410, and what that means is outside our present knowledge.

While not the powerhouse (at least on paper) that the Acer F900 and M900 are, the X960 may just manage to beat them on battery life (we don't yet know the battery size on any of them) by dint of it's slightly smaller resolution screen. The question we're asking is whether the X960 is really differentiated enough from the F900 (likely by price) to find a market.

Welcome to the party, Acer, now let us know when your stuff will ship and for how much (yeah, and where too).

More pics after the break.

Microsoft broke ground early by unveiling Recite, a searchable voice notes application for Windows Mobile. The application is being labeled a "technology preview," which is basically a demo of what the application can do. While it lacks a lot of features that we expect the final version to have (e.g. delete messages, sort messages, play messages, etc.) the "technology preview" will let you record a note and search through the recordings. Follow the break for a few screen shots and more information on this new application from Microsoft.

We raided the HTC Booth to get a look at the Touch Diamond 2 and sure enough they had it there, riddled with anti-theft gear.  Nevertheless you can get a good feel for the hardware from the pictures.  The screen really is incredible, touch responsiveness was so good you could be forgiven for mistaking it for capacitive (almost).  We're liking the buttons on the bottom and much prefer the zoom bar to the zoom wheel on the previous Touch Diamond.  We suppose we'll get used to this "no dpad" thing in time.

As for the software, it's all here (well, all of it except some of the Touch Pro 2's enhancements). You can see some shots of the new contact-message-collation screen and we even managed to find Windows Mobile underneath all that TouchFlo 3D (it was difficult).  One notable thing: the Diamond 2 takes a page from WinMo 6.5 and does away with the Start Menu and Program Listing completely.  The Start Menu takes you directly to your TF3D list of customizable shortcuts (which, really, is more convenient than those hexagons), from which you can hit "All Programs" to get a text list of your programs.

Bottom line: the Touch Diamond 2 that we handled is impressive.  So impressive that we expect HTC shouldn't have a problem hitting their "Early Q2" launch target.  Also, truth be told, after the TG01 and a few other devices we've handled here, it was a relief to handle an ambitious WinMo Smartphone that didn't require somebody standing by reminding us "It's still in beta, or maybe alpha, you know, it's not ready yet."  The Diamond 2 looks ready.

Yeah yeah, blah blah.  Pics after the break!

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley brought us some inside info on Microsoft's cloud services expected to launch this year, and now she's talking up future versions of Windows Mobile.

This comes hot on the heels of Motorola's CEO stating that Windows Mobile 7 won't launch until 2010, and Foley's sources are saying the same thing. We also get some expectations on Windows Mobile 6.5. From her blog:

While Windows Mobile officials won’t talk about ship-date targets (hmmm… sounds like Windows client), some folks familiar with Microsoft’s plans are talking. Here’s the latest I’m hearing from my sources:

• Windows Mobile 6.5 RTM (release to manufacturing): April 2009
• First Windows Mobile 6.5 devices from cell phone makers: September 2009
• Windows Mobile 7.0 release to testers: November 2009
• First Windows Mobile 7.0 devices from cell phone makers: April 2010

So, we've still a number of months to wait before us mere mortals get our hands on Windows Mobile 6.5, but we're still expecting to get a good look it at Mobile World Congress. And we've got at least another year before Windows Mobile 7 reaches any phones.

With all the 480x800 devices getting announced at MWC09, increasingly it looks like the TG01's differentiation is going to come from the weird UI and the fact that it's sporting that hot new Snapdragon processor.  Well, from those two things and from pretty looks.  Looks which we share with you now, after the break.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, here's what the TG01 has got

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• 3G, Quad-Band Edge
• GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth
• G-Sensor, microSD
• 3MP Camera
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
• 512MB ROM / 256 RAM
• 1100 mAh Battery, 4 hours talk time
• 480x800 WVGA Touchscreen

Photos and impressions after the break

From Sony Ericsson at Mobile World Congress comes word of four new panels for the Xperia X1.

• A new CNN panel keeps you constantly updated with the latest news, sport, or weather and a host of CNN content including access to CNN’s popular citizen journalism tool, ‘i-Report’. Browse information by category, personalise your experience or plug in your location and get instant updates for wherever you are in the world.
• A unique Skype panel brings quick access to Skype on the X1, telling you at a glance which of your friends are online. Browse easily through your contacts and call or instant message them in just a couple of clicks, or customise your handset using the evening, daylight or event based effects.
• For those who just want to have fun, a new Mytopia panel lets you play bingo and poker games with people around the world. With millions of users there is always someone online to play against or you can play by yourself. You can even collect virtual coins and improve your rank by winning live matches.
• For those always on the move, the specially developed ‘On the Road’ panel includes large touch icons and a simple layout. Offering direct access to your music playlists and tracks, navigation tools and easy to use call-handling, this panel will makes your driving convenient and entertaining wherever the road takes you.

The new panels will be available in March. Pretty standard stuff, though the "On the Road" panel sounds cool. Larger buttons for when you need to see things very, very briefly. Not that you'd ever play with your phone in the car.

Full presser [via the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer invited LG exec Skott Ahn up on stage at Mobile World Congress. The two ripped through a couple of showtunes, and then Ahn dropped the bomb — LG's making Windows Mobile it's primary smartphone operating system for the foreseeable future.

We're talking dozens (like, 50 or so) phones over the next three years. They two companies will have joint marketing services, and Ahn joined in on the new company line (which we also heard back at CES): "I'm sure we can take the Windows Phone market to the next level," he said.

We've had the less-than-stellar LG Incite on AT&T now for a while in the states. We're expecting to see at least a few LG Windows Phones (might as well get used to that moniker) here at MWC09.

Full presser after the jump.

Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.5 today.  The software is still not quite ready for release but will go to manufacturers soon and will start arriving on handsets towards the end of 2009. WM6.5 brings all sorts of new features to Windows Mobile Pro (touchscreen) and a handful to Windows Mobile Standard (non-touchscreen). WM Standard saw its big feature update with 6.1, and with Professional plays some catchup with 6.5. As of this writing, it doesn't appear that any current Windows Mobile smartphones will receive an update to WM6.5. Instead, many of the new devices announced at MWC09 will be upgradeable to 6.5.

Overall, you should know that 6.5 matches up pretty well with many of the leaks we've seen in the previous weeks. The emphasis here is "finger-friendly," and it means that you'll be able to leave your stylus in the silo. We have a brand-new Zune-esque Today Screen, a new Hexagon Start Menu, "embiggened" softkey menus, and an all-new version of Pocket Internet Explorer. There also are plenty of small touches throughout, like a new unlock screen that's better than anything else out there.

Still, at the end of the day, 6.5 is definitely not the radical improvement we've all been waiting for with Windows Mobile. There are plenty of improvements, but it's clearly not a game-changer. So as we run down the new features, we won't pull any punches, but don't let the occasional gripe get you down, 6.5 really does look to be a solid release, it's just that deep down it's still Windows Mobile 6. But do note that everything you see here is from an alpha build. So if something looks a little janky, it just might be.

Enough of the preamble, time to get on to the screenshots and features. Read on!

Spotted on a billboard earlier today, the Omnia HD looks to be the final name for the previously seen Acme i9810 (the name sounded a little, ahem, generic to us too).  Now Samsung Central [via] has the official shots of the beast (it's on the left).  

We'll find out tomorrow whether the "HD" in "Omnia HD" truly means that we'll get HDMI Output, 16 gigs of storage, GPS, WiFi, and a 3.5 mm headset jack.  Them's the rumors, we're looking forward to facts.

Oh, and Samsung, just one thing -- we know you're fond of that TouchWiz interface and have been using it to run entire phones instead of just using it as a skin on top of Windows Mobile.  If you do that to the Omnia HD, we just might not recover from the heartbreak.  We'll admit to being a little nervous about it.

Update: Yep, our fears were right on. The Omnia HD's running Symbian. The good news is that our pal Matt over at Nokia Experts is smiling from ear to ear.

Where would the Touch Pro 2 be without a keyboard-less little brother? Adrift, that's where. Adrift without a sibling that sports nearly identical specs, to wit: 

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro
• 3G, quad-band edge
• WiFi, GPS, FM Radio
• Motion sensor
• 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200
• 512ROM/288 RAM
• MicroSD Expansion
• 4.25" x 2.09" x .54"
• 4.15 oz
• 5mp Camera
• 1100 mAh Battery
• 3.2" 480x800 WVGA screen

Right, you guessed it, pretty much identical specs, thinner and cooler form factor. Even better, take a look at the bolded section there — the Diamond 2 drops the onboard memory in favor an an honest-to-god microSD card slot. HTC may not have brought the U.S. the Touch HD, but if it denies us this, too, there will be blood ... continued grumbling. Which brings to availability: Q2 2009 for Europe and Asia, global availability "later in the year." In other words, it should arrive slightly ahead of the Touch Pro 2 and U.S. release seems, well, seems inevitable.

We're a little teary about HTC dropping the facets on the rear of the device, but not that teary. Plus, we're actually pretty excited to see what looks to be touch-area underneath the screen that looks to be a dedicated zoom bar, just as with the Touch Pro 2.

Full press release after the break