Windows Phone News

We ran across an interesting case for your Windows Phone. Gelaskins are a removable cover for protecting and customizing your Windows Phones. I guess it wouldn't qualify as a "case" but it looks as though it will offer some level of protection from scratches and scuffs.

The skin is attached to your phone by 3M adhesive that leaves no residue and allows for repositioning so you can get the most perfect fit possible. The skin has the appropriate cut-outs for microphones, ear speakers, volume keys and the what not.

Gelaskins has a decent selection of skins available for a nice selection of Windows Phones including the Samsung Focus, HTC HD7, HTC Trophy, LG Quantum and the Samsung Omnia 7.  Gelaskins also makes skin covers for laptops, gaming consoles, tablets, and other electronic devices.

If you can't find a skin design that suits your fancy, you can always create a skin from scratch using your own photograph or art work. Most skins will run $14.95 and will include the wallpaper to complete your skin appearance (emailed to you once your skins ship).

For more information, head on over to Gelaskin's website. We've got two skins ordered and we'll get a review up once we get them in hand.

As expected Peter Chou, HTC's CEO held a teleconference to announce his companies partnership with Beats Electronics. The venture is hoped to bring studio quality sound to the HTC smartphones. Which smartphones will benefit from this venture is still a mystery.

HTC is investing $300 million into this venture with Beats, who in turns will work to make the audio quality of smartphones less like a portable television. Jimmy Lovine, Beats Electronics' Chairman, felt that audio components for computers and smartphones were at the manufacturing back end. Digital sound looses so much quality from the studio to the cd to the audio file. Beats Electronics hopes to bring that quality back.

Both Beats and HTC sounded up beat about this venture. While there were no specific details offered on how Beats Electronics will be integrated with HTC phones, the time frame of "later this fall" was referenced. The twenty plus minute teleconference didn't shed much light on this new partnership but both Beats Electronics and HTC definitely came across up beat about this new venture.

So, do you think the two new HTC Mango phones that received BT Certification will have Beats sound? Or will this be a separate line for HTC and will such a line include a Windows Phone?  Hopefully we'll know for certain sooner than later.

*Pictured above is Jimmy Lovine Chairman of Beats Electronics, Peter Chou CEO of HTC, and Beats Electronics' CEO, Dr. Dre.

With the release date coming ever closer and RTM stage being well underway, it's time for us to see more devices in the news.

It seems HTC are preparing two new handsets for the Mango update. We can now see two new devices that have received Bluetooth certification, although we only have model numbers; PI06XXX and PI39XXX. Could one of these be the HTC Mazaa, Eternity, Ignite or Prime? Are you looking forward to more handsets from the manufacturer?

Source: PI06XXX, PI39XXX; via: PocketNow

Lots more information coming out from that HTC Mazaa device running Mango RTM build 7720 that we mentioned yesterday morning.

Cpitt over at XDA received the phone as an award for winning a Microsoft sponsored developer contest. Since then he has posted numerous images and detailed some of the changes on board:

• GPU seems faster - using WP Benchmark, the Mazaa hit 50 FPS vs the HD7 (Mango 7712) at 23 FPS
• Local Scout in RTM 7720 has its own Tile (edit: this is there in 7712, evidently)
• Fishtank on the Mazaa is about 47 fps, where it's only abou 30 on the HD7
• CDMA/GSM dual band

The CDMA/GSM dual band makes this a shoe in for Verizon, though it's doubtful the Mazaa will be released publicly. The faster GPU is potentially a combo of the tweaked RTM 7720 as well as the Adreno 205 GPU chipset that is thought to be on board the Mazaa, giving it a little extra horsepower.

Even though this is basically a revised HTC Trophy, we like where all of this is heading--RTM build of Mango seems fantastic, potentially faster GPU in devices (plus bumping the 30 FPS cap from NoDo) means smoother graphics. We have a good feeling about this fall...

Oh and XDA member lionmilk, who also won one, sold his on eBay for the low-low price of $699.

This is just one of those tease posts since we don't have much to go on, but earlier today, Microsoft's Brandon Watson was able to play with some new Windows Phone. His impression was quite enthusiastic, to say the least, especially in regards to the screen. The worse part about his job is of course he can't share details with us, just yet:

"You know what I hate? Holding a phone I want, but cannot buy and cannot talk about. The worst part about not being able to talk about this #windowsphone is I can't talk about how amazing the screen is. Holy mamma jamma"

Our first guess would be the rumored Samsung Galaxy SII device, shown off by Microsoft a few weeks ago and seen above. That phone, if the specs remain the same, will sport a 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus screen aka the latest screen tech from Sammy. We've actually played with one of those phones back in Barcelona and indeed, it's very impressive. Then again, it may be something else. Twitter'r @ShakeWhyBake asked "4.3 inch OLED? at least give us the size!!!..." to which Watson responded "@ShakeWhyBake If size were all that mattered, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. "

We're still leaning towards the Super AMOLED Plus story here, but Professeur Thibault believes it may be a new screen resolution, speculating on his blog that it's a Super AMOLED HD (1280x720). While that would certainly be awesome, we've heard Microsoft specifically state that 800x480 is all there will be for sometime and we're inclined to believe them. But hey, we like a little mystery too.

Source: @BrandonWatson; via Professeur Thibault

A tipster over at WPSauce sent them a screen shot of a Samsung Omnia 7 sporting WP7 version 7720, which is the RTM version of Mango.  We saw this same version number on the Mango-toting HTC Mazaa that was awarded to a student developer yesterday and is expected to be made available to current WP7 devices this fall.  File this one under "iffy," as the picture cannot be verified and no details have been provided for its context.

In fact, the closer we look at it, the more fake it looks.

Source: WPSauce

We've talked about the Microsoft sponsored student contest here and here before. The winners are to be given brand new Mango devices, which of course raised all sorts of questions e.g. what phone, is Mango RTM'd, etc. Well, we now know the answer to all of those.

Turns out at least one student managed to received the HTC Mazaa, a device mentioned a few times in the past as being the latest "dev phone" for Microsoft employees and we imagine software partners. Featuring a gyroscope for those Mango APIs, the device is similar to the Trophy in many ways.

Over at XDA, one of the student winners has posted a screen shot of his about screen to prove it is what it is. Not bad kid, not bad at all. The phone is even running Mango 7720:

"For those who might be interested. I was one of the 50 lucky winners in the ongoing WPAPPITUP student developer competition, and was promised a Mango phone about a week or so ago. To my surprise I arrived home to find a package from Microsoft waiting for me. Open it up and I find my self a brand new unlocked HTC Mazaa, running Mango 7.10.7720.500.

First impressions the phone is fast, whether it just be the new Mango build or the phone itself I'm not entirely certain. But it runs circles around my HD7. On the same note comparing it to the HD7 it's a lot smaller. It also only has 8gig of internal not upgradable internal memory, which doesn't really cut it for me. However, beggars can't be choosers, and I'm glad to have the phone either way."

Hopefully some more info will be coming forward about this new phone, specifically that Adreno GPU. Very cool.

Source: XDA; via WPSauce

Motorola has had quite the ride, first being on board with Microsoft and Windows Phone then shunning it for an Android-only approach to now, evidently reconsidering using the OS. In between those two position shifts, Moto's stock has steadily declined over the last year (see our salty editorial, or their stocks above), demonstrating that going it alone with Android isn't enough anymore. Fact is, everyone has an Android line in the mobile biz which is why Nokia went with Windows Phone--easier to differentiate yourself as a brand.

Now we're at a point where Moto CEO Sanjay Jha, speaking at the Oppenheimer Technology & Communications Conference, said "I think we're completely open to the notion of Windows as a platform" which is a big change from "I don’t envision us using Microsoft. I would never say never but it’s not something we’re entertaining now." just six months ago.

Still, despite being sued by Microsoft, Jha is still angling for a sweet deal like Nokia has received, gaining more freedom and sway over the hardware and software. To that last notion, we chuckle only because Motorola, you're no Nokia. But hey, we like the change of heart, Jha. Maybe we'll be seeing something in late 2012 from you folks after all. Or not, whichever.

Source: FierceWireless; via ZDNet

In a big gamble by the Symbian-based smartphone giant of the world, Nokia is planning on making some pretty amazing changes in their emerging US market in the near future. According to an interview with AllThingsD, Nokia's plan is to shift all interest in the US and Canada from manufacturing and selling their current lower-end devices and feature phones, to creating a market that revolves around all things Windows Phone 7 and the accessories that go with it.

It's all done in an attempt to restructure the major brand over the next several years to become a superior manufacturer of Windows Phone 7 devices, and from the words of a Nokia spokesperson, it sounds like it'll be one of the final shots the company will have at regaining some footing in the US (and later the world). "The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesn’t matter what we do (elsewhere)."

We've already seen some of the work that Nokia has been doing with WP7 devices in their upcoming (and yet to be announced) "Sea Ray" line, but it looks like we'll soon be hearing a lot more as Nokia is also preparing a marketing blitz to announce upcoming launches. With the largest marketing budget that the company has invested to date, they're looking to rebrand themselves as leaders of not just WP7 devices, but smartphones as a whole.

Of course, Nokia won't be ignoring where most non-smartphone users come from, and rumor has it that WP7 "Tango" is being released with Nokia's low-end smartphone consumers in mind. At ZDnet there is some well-founded speculation on the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft in making these new devices. If Nokia can win over the masses of low-end smartphone owners with a less expensive WP7 device, Microsoft wins too - as writer Mary Jo Foley puts it, "Tango is “all about Nokia” and focused on hitting the lower-price point for Windows Phones that Microsoft and Nokia execs have been promising." This makes sense too since, for the most part, the vastly un-penetrated non-smartphone market is just waiting for cheaper prices to arrive for these mobile computers.

The changes will also include moving their sales force to Sunnyvale, California; which is much closer to the Microsoft Research Campus in Mountain View than their previous locations on the East Coast of North America, but that won't be finished until early next year. For now, get ready to hear more news from Nokia's North American branches. It looks like they'll be bringing us something big to talk about in the near future.

Source: AllThingsD and ZDNet; Via: Engadget