Rumors

September 15th has come and gone with no noticeable movement on a Mango release. Last night, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore tweeted confirmation that it was just another rumor and they've (Microsoft) been saying "Fall". Even though there were several indicators pointing towards the 15th that something was suppose to happen, if it did, it wasn't publicly witnessed.

Belfiore has since tweeted a link to a website (Apples 4 the teacher) that shows when Fall starts (September 23rd). Take it for what it's worth. It could mean a release date, it could mean the release won't happen before the 23rd, or it could be Belfiore driving us all nuts.

The only thing we know for certain is that Mango is really nice, it exists and it will get to everyone eventually. We still are seeing indicators that make us believe Mango's release (in some shape form or fashion) is close and if we have to wait until the 23rd or there after, that's not too long of a wait.

In the meantime, we'll keep an eye out for more bread crumbs from Joe, Brandon and all the other sources and tips we run across and pass it on to you guys to digest. September 23rd is seven days away and we'll know soon enough if it has any meaning beyond the calendar beginning of Fall and a reminder of all those leaves we'll have to rake up in the coming weeks.

source: @joebelfiore thanks goes out to Kenrick for tipping us on this!

This seems to be completely out of the blue, so take it lightly if you will. SamFirmware, the guys that continuously publish leaked ROMs and whatnot have tweeted that Samsung will be looking at leaving Windows Phone and will cease innovating for the platform from 2013 onwards. It seems odd due to the success of Samsung handsets on Microsoft's OS, but let us take a look at the larger picture here.

Could Samsung be focusing on Android? Not sure, they already have solid devices like the Galaxy S II so it could be that they have decided to take bada seriously, especially since with Android they are experiencing legal issues and have to pay Microsoft royalty.

Google will now play a role in hardware as well as software with Android, while Microsoft holds continuous tea parties with Nokia. But they're still two completely different relationships. Manufacturers were sceptical about the Motorola acquisition whereas Acer and others are still pretty excited about the future of WP.

Should this be true, 2013 is still two years away. If the platform really does capture the market by storm with Mango then perhaps Samsung may change their tune. Android (and Google) need Samsung, but it could be that bada will be competing for market as well as WP.

However we look at it this way, Samsung does seem to have a relatively healthy position by supporting both WP and Android, which makes it seem odd that they would choose to pull out from either one of them.

Via: 1800PocketPC

We previously covered rumours surrounding the Samsung i8350 where the leaked road map mentioned that the handset will feature a 3.7" WVGA, 1Ghz processor, running Mango and will be here in October. SamFirmware (a reliable Samsung source) has tweeted that a new device from the manufacturer will feature a 1.4Ghz processor, 3.7" screen and support NFC (near field communication).

So are you interested in the smaller screen and half the amount of RAM?  Could this be one of the "mid-tiered" Tango devices?

Since CEO Stephen Elop confirmed early this month that Nokia was still planning on a Q4 launch of their first WP7 phones, the rumor mill has been cranking.  Friday brought us word that 6 European countries would be the first to see the new devices.  Now, rumor has it, that those 6 nations will have to split up the paltry sum of 125,000 units.  According to a Tweet by Eldar Murtazin, Editor in Chief of Mobile-Review, that is how many handsets Nokia plans to manufacture for Q4.

For Nokia, who has doubled down on WP7 as their smartphone future, 125,000 seems incredibly low, and risky at best.  It invites the question of whether or not this, and other recent rumors, can be trusted.  With the well-being of the company on the line, Nokia has allegedly gone into Apple-mode, keeping their cards close to the vest and clamping down on how much information gets out there.  In a piece he wrote for Slashgear, Chris Davis put it this way:

"Talk to anybody in Nokia, and it’s clear they’re aware of the potential if they can only get the first Windows Phone launch right. That’s why the iron shutters are down around development: as one of the product team told me yesterday, it’s “Apple-style” secrecy right now. Well known industry players are finding their sources inside the company drying up. The 12-18 month long development cycles of before – during which time leaks were pretty much the rule and not the exception – have been clamped down upon, hurried up and shrouded in a new level of secrecy."

It only makes sense that Nokia wants to seal leaks and build anticipation, and Apple has made a way of life out of it.  Through intense secrecy and iron-fisted control, they have been able to create their own media destiny.  The world champs at the bit to get any scrap of information they can, and thus, the hype builds up.  It's a model that Nokia will need to pay off for them as they head into an uncertain make-or-break future.

Sources: Eldar Murtazin, SlashGear; Via: IntoMobile, WPSauce

Images are surfacing across the internet of a mystery Windows Phone from HTC that appears to be sporting a 12mp camera. This just days after rumors surfaced of a 16MP HTC device called 'Bresson'--at least 12MP sounds a bit more realistic. Another interesting revelation from the images is that this camera has RAW support. For those not familiar with RAW image files, they are unprocessed by the camera. JPEG images receive a good deal of "in-camera" processing" while RAW images rely on post-processing from the photo editing software of your choice. I often describe RAW as a digital negative.

While the prospect of a 12mp camera with RAW support is interesting, the screen shots also give rise to some questions. RAW is an image format, why is it not listed under the resolution settings? You also see an Exposure Metering Mode that is set to a frame average. Could this be a bracketing setting (taking a series of the same shot at progressive exposure settings)? 

Granted these screens could be entirely different if this mystery Windows Phone ever sees the light of day but as someone who has spent a good deal of time around a camera, right now these images give me pause.  Unless HTC has moved to a larger sensor, I'm hesistant to get too excited over a 12mp phone camera. You can only fit so many pixels on a sensor and when you pass that mark, image quality begins to suffer.

Plus RAW files are huge compared to JPEG because of the lack of file compression.  It's not uncommon for a RAW file to be 10mb in size and that will require a hefty amount of on-board storage or a removable storage method for this to be practical.

Still, if these images hold true, some of these settings may bring the phone camera closer to the abilities of a stand alone digital camera.

Source: Slashgear Thanks goes out to smoothcrooner for the tip!

There have been some rumblings around internet of users experiencing some issues regarding Contacts on their WP7 phones.  While we haven't experienced them ourselves (Edit: our pal Paul Acevedo has), there seem to be two things happening.

Firstly, people are reporting that Contact tiles are pinned to the Start screen will randomly disappear.  The contacts themselves remain on the phone, but the tiles get removed from the Start screen.  While some of this could be attributed to an unlocked screen being put into a pocket, there are cases where several disappear at once. 

The second bug involves linked contacts.  When you have the same contact in two places, like email and Facebook, WP7 will automatically linked the two.  Allegedly, users have seen these links broken in some cases, be it links made automatically by the OS or ones that have been manually created.

So far, this is all anecdotal, but there are enough cases being talked about that it could point to an actual bug in WP7. 

What say you?  Have you come across any of these issues on your WP7 devices?

Source: WindowsPhoneSecrets

It started with an open letter from financial analyst Adnaan Ahmad, addressed to CEOs Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) and Stephen Elop (Nokia), explaining the mutual benefits that could arise from the two tech titans teaming up.  What came next was a flurry of rumors that it might happen and show of confidence from stock traders.  In the days since Ahmad posted his letter, Nokia's stock prices have risen more than 4%, a sign that those in the market may be trying to show a vote of confidence in Ahmad's wishful thinking.

Though these rumors have been bubbling ever since Elop left his post at Microsoft to take over as Nokia's CEO, Elop said last week that the phone maker might "create and/or join other ecosystems," lending further credence to possibility.  Spokesmen from both companies have refused to comment on the validity of the rumors, but there is speculation from those in the know that Elop is going to announce the news during an upcoming speech on February 11.

Be it true or not, Nokia needs to do something soon.  They have been steadily declining in market share, and according to some recent analytics, have already lost the number one spot to Android. 

Source: New York Times; Via: Seattle Pi Blogs (Nick Eaton)

No shock here, but as the closer we get to Mobile World Congress next month, the more news is leaking out.

Unfortunately, it's still just crumbs from a a giant, delicious Microsoft cake.  Perhaps someday we'll see what that cake is and tastes like. Until then...enjoy these bits:

Stephen Chapman of Microsoft Kitchen (msftkitchen.com) has been finding all sorts of morsels.  For one, Windows Phone 7 will be featured and discussed at Energize IT 2010, a conference for developers.  Its focus will be "...the client to the cloud, this fun-filled demo-intensive exploration will excite you about the possibilities of the Microsoft-based platform".  Sounds right in line with this whole "three screens", mobile and cloud computing system that Microsoft has been slowly edging too.  Looks like it will all be pieced together during that conference.

Likewise, he also managed to get his hands on a Chinese Office 2010 .pdf. On one slide, he found the same image reported earlier, mentioning a Spring release-to-manufactures (RTM) deadline.  The interesting part?  The document is dated December 11, 2009.  Guess those "it's delayed again" headlines were a little premature?

In addition, WMPU has a clip up from Fox News where Microsoft's CFO says what we've been hearing for awhile, that they (Microsoft) will have more say on Windows Mobile 7 in February at Mobile World Congress.  So yeah, confirmation of what we already expected.

Finally, Eldar Murtazin of mobile-review.com, aka the person who everyone keeps citing, even though his info keeps turning out to be off-the-mark, has scribbled some info on his Live Journal.  In fairness, in this post he's citing Evgeny Pavlov, product manager HTC Russia via Twitter, and even Eldar seems a bit skeptical.  Evidently, Mr. Pavlov was twittering some of the minimum specs of Seven.  We won't quote the specs, because it doesn't even make much sense.

But what we want to do is nip this in the bud:  the image to the right is not a screen shot of Windows Phone 7.  Eldar received this from either Mr. Pavlov or someone at HTC. So please don't pass it around speculating.  We have run it by our folks in-the-know and, to quote "Looks like a pretty skin - almost like an iPhone? Not anything like what I have." Of course, you've already figured that out, right savvy readers?

Of course, you are encouraged to doubt our info as well, like the good skeptics you are ;-)  Lets hold off till something more definitive, eh?

A few days ago it was speculated that Microsoft may use the upcoming Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in November to release some code or something about WM7 to those lucky attendees.

Well, to rain on that parade is Microsoft themselves. Mary Jo Foley contacted them directly and a spokesperson responded to her request on the matter thusly:

“As I’m sure you know, Microsoft and its partners are squarely focused on introducing the Windows phone brand through the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 in October [October 6], which includes working closely with ISVs and developers to add even greater value to the Windows Mobile platform and new business opportunities for its mobile channel ecosystem. To properly set your expectations, wanted to let you know that Microsoft is not planning any sessions for PDC that look past the Windows Mobile OS in market at that time.”

As far as PDC goes, Microsoft will be talking about WM6.5 but nothing about the rumored WM6.5.1.

Disappointing, yes.  Surprising?  Not really.  We suppose it is good marketing to concentrate on your current "big thing" and not invalidate all that work by simultaneously making it seem obsolete.

[via ZDNet]