Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Arrives

It's finally here! Head on over to Microsoft's new Windows Phone site for all the details directly from M$.

Looks like there's going to be 10 handsets for 30 countries on October 21 with the United States release slated for November 8^th. The phones are going to be on over 60 cellphone operators with manufacturers Dell, HTC, LF, and Samsung delivering various units. Microsoft has handsets coming in 2011 including the first for Sprint and Verizon.

Here's the lineup announced today:

•             HTC 7 Surround -- The 3.8-inch T8788 with slideout speaker for AT&T and Telus
•             HTC HD7 -- Schubert comes of age as a 4.3-inch HD2 cousin for T-Mobile and beyond
•             HTC 7 Trophy -- the 3.8-inch Spark headed to international carriers
•             HTC 7 Mozart -- another heavily leaked int'l player with 3.7-inch display
•             Dell Venue Pro -- 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider for T-Mobile we broke as Lightning
•             Samsung Focus -- AT&T's 4-inch Super AMOLED slate we broke as Cetus
•             Samsung Omnia 7 -- the i8700 is a 4-inch Super AMOLED jobbie for Europe
•             LG Optimus 7/7Q -- the E900 is the official 3.8-inch global workhorse
•             LG Quantum -- AT&T's 3.5-inch landscape slider first seen as the C900
•             HTC 7 Pro -- a 3.6-inch QWERTY slider for Sprint (2011)

"Glance and Go" is the slogan Microsoft is using for their interface, and looking at the page-like interface with the "tiles" I definitely see where they're going with that. There is a good amount of information available at immediate glance without having to actually open an application like email or Facebook. They announced games and apps today and as time goes on I'm sure this will be a viable mobile platform. Microsoft is pushing cloud computing with this device and the integration with Office alone should make it a contender in the corporate world.

Here's a look at some of the handsets:

HTC Trophy:

LG Optimus:

AT&T's Lineup:

HP: New webOS phones coming early next year

Hmmmm…."phones" as in more than one "phone"?

HP's Senior VP Eric Cador said, "you will see us coming early next year with new phones," when speaking at an industry conference today in Barcelona. I'm excited about the prospect of a new WebOS device and some WebOS 2.0 software so any info I can get from HP concerning Palm is good for me!

Read the full story from Engadget.com. It's not much more than what I've provided here though.

BlackBerry announces PlayBook

The tablet age is fast coming upon us. First Apple's iPad hits the market with great success. Then last week Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab. Leaked videos have hit the net (engadget.com) showing an HP Slate running Windows 7 and talk from HP about a slate that runs WebOS has surfaced since HP bought Palm. Three different tablet possibilities with operating systems from three different companies, and this is just the beginning - competition is great! With the unveiling of Blackberry's tablet today, I think it's safe to say that the age of the tablet is almost completely upon us.

At today's BlackBerry developer's event, RIM announced their tablet: the PlayBook. A 7-inch, 9.7mm thick tablet outputting at 1080p, has e-reader functionality, and features its own BlackBerry Tablet OS. The hardware sounds nice, 1GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a front and rear facing camera. It will run flash 10.1, supports HTML5, and has both HDMI and USB ports. Read more about the tablet as reported by Engadget

Here's the BlackBerry PlayBook in action:




Here are some pictures of the tablets I mentioned:
BlackBerry PlayBook:

Apple iPad:

Samsung Galaxy Tab:

HP Slate / WebOS Tablet Concept design:

Xbox 360 getting USB storage support in Spring 2010 firmware update?

Could this be the dawn of a new era? One where I’m not forced to suffer with a small hard drive because I, like many others, can’t justify the price of a bigger one? Probably not, but the outlook now has a shimmer of light at the end. I’ve been sitting on empty when it comes to available drive space on my 360 for almost a year now and the Spring update might just change that.

Documents have surfaced showing that Microsoft is possibly going to enable USB mass storage support for the 360. This likely means that downloaded Xbox Live and Arcade games, DLC, game videos, demos, installed games and everything else can be saved to an external HDD.

The document says the storage device itself has to be 1GB or more and a system partition of 512MB is required. Seems that the drive will be limited to using 16 GB of space though so speculation still exists that this might just be a large replacement for the memory cards. Other rumors say this might be a way for Microsoft to trim some beef from the console in preparation for a “slim” client similar to the PS3 Slim. Either way, I’m excited for the chance to have additional hard drive space without feeling like I just got violated by Microsoft.

Source: Joystiq.com

BlackBerry OS 3.0 Leaked?

Posted by Engadget on Mar 19th, 2010

This is completely unverified and I’m not sure if this is at all real or just someone design school joker trying to trick the tech community. BBLeaks claims that they are “highly regarded as real from one of our best connects.”

Who knows, but it would be a cool change up for BlackBerry whose OS just seems real out dated.

Leaked Images of New RIM Device

 

BlackBerry Slider? The next Bold maybe? The next Storm?

Here are some leaked images of a new slider type device from RIM. No word on what the device is or when it will be available but clearly they took a cue from Palm on the design.

I’m thinking we can expect a touchscreen and BlackBerry OS 6.0 to be on it.

Read More –>

Windows 7 Series Phone Straight Steals Idea From Palm Pre Ad

 

We all know Microsoft has a reputation of stealing ideas. Weather this is true or not really depends on who you talk to. This is just blatant though.

I guess maybe it’s possible that this is just coincidental but Palm’s ad came out first so they get the credit.

Check out the two ads and judge for yourself:

Here is the Palm Pre ad:

 

And the Series 7 ad:

F-35B supersonic jet's first mid-air hover (video)

Originally posted by Engadget on Mar 18th, 2010

VTOL (Vertical take-off and landing) isn’t anything real new these days, but a jet that can stop what it’s doing and hover in mid-air? Now that’s amazing. The $83 million-plus, F-35B supersonic jet can do just that.

The jet did a usual takeoff and the aircraft hit about 200 knots before the pilot switched into STOVL resulting in a zero airspeed hover 150 feet above the runway. This is the first "mid-air hover" by the aircraft, and if development continues at the pace most of these programs do it should see active service soon.

Sprint confirms Pre and Pixi webOS 1.4 update coming tomorrow -- Engadget

Sprint confirms Pre and Pixi webOS 1.4 update coming tomorrow -- Engadget


According to Engadget, Sprint has confirmed the release of WebOS for tomorrow evening. I can't wait! I'm most looking forward to Flash capability and video recording.

Go Palm!

Internet Web Browser Statistics

A friend of mine posted this on my Facebook wall. It’s a really cool chart showing the market share of internet browsers over the past 8 years. IE and Firefox own a majority but Chrome (my browser of choice) has taken quite a chunk in its short life.

Check it out in all its glory here: http://www.axiis.org/examples/BrowserMarketShare.html 

Introducing the Apple iPad

The wait is over and speculation can now be put to rest. Apple unveiled their newest creation today, the iPad.

 

So the iPad is supposed to be somewhere between the smartphones we all use and a laptop. They say in order to create that category they have to create something that is far better at doing some key tasks…better than a laptop, better than the smartphone. And no…a netbook doesn’t fit this category because netbooks aren’t better than anything.

 

So initially it looks like an exploded iPhone, but the idea is for developers to release apps that have special functionality with the iPad.

It’s .5 inches thin, 1.5 pounds, and sports a 9.7 inch IPS display with full capacitive multitouch. It has a 1 GHz Apple A4 chip and seems to fly through tasks almost flawlessly. Available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB with 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. Has an accelerometer and compass and about 10 hours of batter life with over a month of standby time.

Also comes with built in 3G, with all models unlocked. They have a special deal with AT&T where they’re offering up to 250 MB a month for $14.99, and $29.99 a month for unlimited data. Compared to the average $60 a month for an aircard, that’s pretty good. Plus it’s prepaid so there is no contract and no commitment to AT&T!

They’re taking a crack at the ebook market. The iBooks app looks pretty cool:

And now for pricing:

WiFi models will start shipping in 60 days, and in 90 days for a 3G model.

Not sure if I’m too impressed at what almost seems like just a really big iPod Touch (no camera, no phone). I was really hoping for a full-fledged tablet Mac that runs OSX. We’ll see where this goes. No multitasking?? Seriously?

Read more at: Engadget's live blog

Windows 7 “GodMode”…

…is not very "Godly" at all. The name would have one believe that this unlocks some secret set of features or controls, but really it's just a glorified control panel. Still pretty cool, but that name is ridiculous.

By creating a new folder in Windows 7 and renaming it with a certain text string, users are able to create a single place to do everything from Defrag the hard drive to change the homepage, customize the mouse, change network settings, change battery settings…it's all there.

It is super easy to access GodMode, simply create a new folder and then rename the folder to the following:
"GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}" (without quotes)

Once that is done, the folder's icon will change to the control panel icon and the folder will contain tons of control options. Again, far from what I would consider a true GodMode, but it is definitely an easy way to get to all kinds of controls. Microsoft has been asked for more details on the feature and how it came to be. But so far, the M$ boys are not talking.

3D Games For Palm Pre Are Here!!

The app world for the Palm Pre just got real hot. Earlier today at CES, Palm announced the release of some very good looking games. Now we get to see developers tap into some of the power of the Pre! The Electronic Arts CEO, Travis Boatman was there to talk about the new SDK and show some new apps, including Sims 3 and Need for Speed. The games support full 3D graphics and they look real good. These new apps will be available today.

Source: http://www.precentral.net/palm-brings-games-native-development?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Precentralnet+%28PreCentral.net%29

Palm Introduces 3D Games for webOS

Hot Game Titles from EA, Gameloft, Glu Mobile and Laminar Research Available Today in Palm App Catalog

LAS VEGAS, Jan 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 3D gaming has landed on the Palm^(R) webOS(TM) platform. Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today introduced several graphics-intensive game titles for webOS, from leading game developers EA Mobile(TM), a division of Electronic Arts Inc.; Gameloft; Glu Mobile; and Laminar Research. Demonstrated at Palm's CES event, the games will be available today in the Palm App Catalog for Palm Pre customers.

"We are very excited about the potential of webOS as a platform for mobile 3D gaming," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "This is a key application category, and we've worked closely with some of the leading game developers to deliver a great game experience for our customers."

Seven 3D games were introduced today in the Palm App Catalog for Palm Pre customers:

• "Need for Speed(TM) Undercover" (EA Mobile)
  
• "The Sims(TM) 3" (EA Mobile)
  
• "MONOPOLY(TM)" (EA Mobile)
  
• "Asphalt 5: Elite Racing" (Gameloft)
  
• "Let's Golf!" (Gameloft)
  
• "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
  
• "X-Plane" (Laminar Research)
  

Five other mobile games were also introduced: EA Mobile's "Tetris^(R)," "Sudoku," and "SCRABBLE^(R)," and Gameloft's "The Oregon Trail" and "Brain Challenge."

"Recent improvements to Palm webOS represent major advancements in enabling world-class mobile gaming," said Travis Boatman, vice president of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. "These innovations have allowed us to quickly bring our best IP to the platform."

The developers introducing titles today have had early access to the Palm webOS Plug-in Development Kit (PDK), which extends the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK) with a set of tools, documentation and APIs that let developers write plug-ins for their webOS applications. The PDK lets developers easily integrate C and C++ code into their webOS applications, enabling new functionality, including immersive 3D games. A public beta version of the webOS PDK is scheduled to be available to all developers in March.

"The performance of the platform allowed us to create these great games in a limited timeframe," said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft. "webOS allows us to deliver an outstanding gaming experience, and we look forward to bringing our best games to Palm customers worldwide.""We expect the plug-in model to play an important role in the evolution of the webOS platform, just as plug-ins have with web browsers," said Mitic. "And with this plug-in, we are making it super-simple for developers to bring the hottest games to webOS."

The Palm App Catalog currently offers more than 1,000 webOS applications for download. Palm's unique over-the-air model also makes it easy for customers to get webOS updates and new features delivered directly to their phones. For example, at CES today, Palm announced that video recording, editing and sharing capabilities will soon be available for users of webOS phones. This new video capability will be delivered automatically to current and future Palm Pre(TM) and Palm Pixi(TM) products via an over-the-air update.

Palm also demonstrated Flash content in the browser on a Palm Pre and expects a free Adobe Flash Player 10.1 plug-in to be posted to the Palm App Catalog in the coming months. Palm expects webOS to be one of the first mobile platforms to support the full Flash Player in the web browser.

More information about the webOS PDK is available at the newly updated Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). More information about games for webOS is available at www.palm.com/applications.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm^(R) webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels, and at the Palm online store (www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at www.palm.com.

Palm, Pixi, Pre, Synergy, and webOS are trademarks of Palm, Inc. MONOPOLY and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

SOURCE: Palm, Inc.