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Yes folks, yet another web browser has slowly crept out from some other company.  This one is called UCWEB. Never heard of it? Neither had we but according to its Wiki it claims it is "...now ranked #1 in the Chinese mobile web browser market, with over 60 million accumulated users and over 10 billion page views per month by November 2008". Gotta be worth a spin!

Lets cut to the chase: UCWEB is in the vein of Opera Mini: it uses servers to compress and reformat full websites to dramatically improve speed and appearance. But UCWEB has waaay more functionality than Opera Mini which is what makes it a fine alternative (plus you don't need finicky Java installed).

Wanna see it in action with a brief tour of its features?  Click the link to get the full scoop with some pics.

The Toshiba TG01 still hasn't gotten into the hands of the consumer (though we're growing more impressed with it every day), and already we're getting wind of its follow-ups, along with a couple other Windows Mobile devices with some exciting features. The shakedown, after the break, from Greek site Techblog: [via]

You've seen our hands-on, you've read our full-on review, and now you can get a Samsung Propel Pro of your very own. It'll cost you $149.99 after contract and rebate. Go and get you some here.

Via Phonescoop

Last month Microsoft posted a job for a Principal Development Manager to work with Windows Mobile 7. A key issue in the listing surrounded "updateability,"which re-enforced what Dieter had talked about in a podcast, namely that Microsoft was focusing on over-ther-air firmware updates.

Now comes a new job posting for a "Lead Software Development Engineer" that bolsters all of this:

Have you wished to see your Windows Mobile phone with new features “magically” show up without you buying a new one? Do you want to see greater and better quality and cool software delivered to your love ones’ Windows phones from just a click? If this is your dream, this is a place for you. Come join us to make this dream into reality! With the mobile industry’s strong growth and several competitors playing in the field, we are going to have a challenging but fun time to show customers what Windows phone can become in the next few years.

We are in Windows Mobile device update team. Our goal is to enable customers to anticipate and enjoy a predictable stream of new and improved capabilities for their Windows Phone via a Device Update service that is worry-free and easy-to-use. Broad scope and impact, deep technologies, engineering challenges, partner interfacing with OEMs and MS internal partners, and fast pace delivery are all part of our charter. In the agile development environment, you will be working with PM/architect/test and partner teams to deliver critical stack of the update solution. You will lead a team of smart developers to solve problems in mobile OS, PC applications, and interacting with web services.

It's too bad that we'll have to wait until Windows Mobile 7 for some FOTA goodness, but it will be interesting to see how application updates are rolled alongwide the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Ars Technica [via MTA]

We're expecting a bevy of Windows Mobile-powered phones to come from LG in the next few years – like, 50 or so – and it looks like one has made an appearance at the WI-Fi Alliance.

Cellpassion [via PhoneArena] says the GW610 will be a Windows phone and sport a 2.0-megapixel camera. Other than that, no details. But we're certainly looking for more from LG soon.

For all you "Halo" fans out there, Microsoft's got something cooking. Exactly what, we're not quite sure, but a recent job listing drops hints at "large-scale testing of the out of game Live experience by gamers across the world."

From the Careerbuilder job listing:

We're looking to blend console, web, and mobile to create an immersive Halo world that follows the dedicated Halo fan wherever they go. We need engineers that can build connected technology while working in a startup environment.

Does that mean Master Chief will be coming to a Windows phone (or, gasp, some other platform) near you? That's not yet clear. But it has been tried in the past, and we know Microsoft's putting more emphasis on gaming with the upcoming Marketplace. We'll keep our heads on a swivel.

Via gamers.com

Google has released an updated version of Google Maps, version 3.0.1.4, which focuses on issues surrounding the Google Latitude feature. For those unfamiliar with Latitude, it is a feature that lets you keep track of your location and shares it with a social network of friends/colleagues.

The fixes include:

• Background location updates: Problems associated with running Latitude in the background have been fixed to allow continuous updating of your location.
• Auto-restart location updates: If for some reason you turn off your phone (battery dies, you hit the power button) Latitude will now automatically restart location updates, when running in the background, whenever power is restored to the phone.
• Force location updates: Manually refreshing your Latitude friends list forces the update of your own location.
• Backlight timing: The backlight behavior now runs according to your system settings. Previously if Latitude was running in the background it had a tendency to keep your backlight on regardless of systems settings.
• Additionally, login errors and other internal errors that effected Latitudes performances were addressed by the update.

The updated version, 3.0.1, can be downloaded here.

Via WMPoweruser