News from Smartphone Thoughts

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/02/...-data-packages/

"BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced it will be expanding its portfolio of prepaid offerings to include a new 3G Prepaid data package that lets customers access unlimited data on select 3G Smartphones and Multimedia phones for $30 monthly access. Multimedia phone customers also have the option of selecting a new $10 monthly data package for 25 MB per month ($.20/MB overage). These new prepaid data packages will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Store today and online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning Sept. 28."

Verizon still has Windows Mobile devices (Although perhaps not for long), yet those don't get in on this $30 a month prepaid unlimited data offer. I'm not sure what their reason for snubbing WM here is - I can't imagine it costs them any more money to add it to the other smartphones in their line, and perhaps they just didn't mention the WM devices in the press release. Perhaps some brave soul should test it out when it becomes available!

However it looks like most, if not all, of the Android offerings do (Oh yea, those blackberries and palm devices are eligible too...). Not a bad price if you just want a non-contract data device lying around. Anyone Android-fan going to take Verizion up on their deal?

http://www.wmexperts.com/warnygo-wi...lerts-out-world

"So lets say you're in midtown Manhattan and you notice a building is on fire or something really important happening, you can send a "warny" out and people using the same network and in the area will get the notification/alert on their device. You can also subscribe to your favorite "zones" or areas of interest, for example if you want to follow any "warnies" in your hometown while you are away."

WMExperts has unearthed, from what I can tell, is a unique and somewhat peculiar geolocation-leveraging app for Windows Phone 7. There are not a lot of details on the developer's site yet, but the idea behind the app appears to be that you can send out "warnys", or alerts, from your phone that can be picked up by other phones in nearby proximity, or by phones that are "watching" the area you are sending the warny about or from. Alternatively, you can receive warnys from particular zones that you want to "watch". There are waryns pre-canned for particular topics (like a famous person arriving in a particular area) or you can create your own warny topic. Sound confusing? Well, head over to the link and have a look at the demo video from the developer. The Windows Phone 7 on screen interaction looks interesting (see the maps integration), and the potential is quite intriguing. Do we need more information bombarding our inboxes? Maybe, and if you are a future Windows Phone 7 user you may have to decide.

http://www.wmexperts.com/htc-7-trop...rts+(WMExperts)

"The name is the HTC 7 Trophy and it received approval from the Global Certification Forum (GCF), which is a partnership between OEMs, operators and the test industry to basically certify phones. It's usually a Europe/Asia thing and obviously not the U.S."

WMExperts are speculating that the 7 Trophy will have Windows Phone 7 onboard, but at this stage nobody really knows. On the other hand, the "7" moniker and the release timeline is about right for a WP7 release. Better yet, the original conception of the previous HTC model codenamed Trophy had a front QWERTY keyboard, which would make the 7 Trophy a real departure from the touchscreen-only devices that have been outed so far. Hit the link for further details.

http://www.androidthoughts.com

I'm thrilled to announce the newest member of the Thoughts Media family: Android Thoughts. As you can guess, this site will be covering Android in all it's forms - phones, slates, etc. The site is being led by none other than our very own Jon Westfall; he'll be handling all editorial duties on the site, similar to how Apple Thoughts works. Android has exploded in popularity over the past 12 months, surpassing even the mighty iPhone in terms of daily activations according to some. It made sense to cover Android as part of what we do here at Thoughts Media, but I wanted to find someone who was passionate and interested in all things Android...and that person is Jon Westfall. Please go read his welcome message on the site to find out how Android Thoughts was born - and subscribe to the RSS feed and Twitter stream. And, above all, if you're interested in Android as a platform, contribute, share, comment, and become a part of that new community.

http://gizmodo.com/5625796/microsof...s-are-expensive

"According to Business Insider, Microsoft says that Android's hidden manufacturing costs are much higher than their own $15-per-unit Windows Phone 7 license. They have some very good points, but others are not so good. Here are their arguments..."

Go check out the article and tell me what you think - is Microsoft right? Are the costs of a "free" operating system higher than most people think? I think there's definitely something to be said for an off-the-shelf experience that doesn't require customization to work properly, but thus far, the deficiencies in Android's offering hasn't exactly been slowing down the adoption rate...

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...ufacturing.aspx

Microsoft has officially released Windows Phone 7 to manufacturing. This means that carriers have in their hands a final version that they can use to load onto devices. Unfortunately, we still have no information on exact release dates for Windows Phone 7. Current rumors suggest the release date will be some time in October, but nothing definitive has been discovered.

In addition to information that the OS had been released to manufacturing, Microsoft also revealed that there are multiple small improvements that made it into the released build. One of the more interesting features resolves a problem where Facebook contacts were automatically imported into the phone when a Facebook account is added. Now, Facebook contacts are matched to existing phone contacts and those that aren't found are not added. More Facebook functionality has also been added into final build, such as the ability to comment on contact's walls, and the ability to ‘like' someone's posts. I'm sure that there will be many other small features that are discovered when the phone is finally released.

http://gizmodo.com/5626159/lgs-e900...-7-in-htc-style

We have a name for one of LG's prospective WP7 models - the E900 sports the usual WP7 chassis specs and a 3.7" capacitive screen. It may be just me, but I'm beginning to miss the days when spec hunting used to be fun. With the Microsoft spec lockdown for WP7, there's a numbing sameness to nearly every new handset, irrespective of vendor. While that may be to Microsoft's and WP7's advantage, there're very few ways that manufacturers can differentiate their offerings - witness the fact that they almost all look the same.

http://www.wmexperts.com/att-tilt2-...pdate-available

AT&T and HTC have gotten around to releasing a ROM Update for the Tilt 2. It's apparently the same one that leaked earlier in July, and includes Sense 2.5 and a few hotfixes (download link here). Bear in mind that if you use this, it will wipe your phone clean, so be sure to back up your data first.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...ts-chump-change

"Microsoft is rapidly developing Windows Phone 7, a smart phone platform to compete with iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. It's due this fall, though we don't yet know the dates, prices and carriers. We do know one thing, the launch will be massive. Like billion-dollar massive."

Wilson Rothman, writing on the msnbc.com tech blog Technolog, has postulated that Microsoft might be spending upwards of $1 billion to develop and market the first release of Windows Phone 7. His postulation comes from the consideration of the commentary of various industry people who have speculated on the actual costs. Well known Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet is one such resource.

This figure might at first appear staggering, but it important to consider what it supposedly covers, and unfortunately none of the sources is being too detailed about what that is. So, they might be close to the mark, or off by 50% or more. No one but true Microsoft insiders will know for sure, of course, but if past reports and speculations are of any merit, these significant technology releases cost big, big, bucks. Rumors of the size of contracts issued to marketing companies always seem to get bandied about. In 2008, for example, Microsoft was rumored to have spent $300 million on a consumer product ad campaign. What we do know for sure is that Microsoft has a lot riding on the upcoming release. This could very well make or break them for years, if not forever, in the mobile phone marketplace. Considering that the $1 billion figure covers both development and marketing, I think it could well be close. What do you think?

http://www.wmexperts.com/geolocatio...rts+(WMExperts)

"We've mentioned in the past about 'Orion', the geolocation service/API for Windows Phone 7 which allows developers access to many forms of locating the phone's location extremely quickly."

WMExperts has posted a short article commenting on their expectation that developers will soon be taking advantage of the Windows Phone 7 platform's geolocation service/API to develop interesting game play. The geolocation API allows developers to ascertain the location of the phone, opening up intriguing opportunities for games. One could envisage game play where your phone's physical location could play a role in what you can "see" or have access to. The options are endless. There is a potential downside to geolocation information however - privacy. Your phone's location is often close to your location, so one could infer where you are quite easily. Properly implemented though, this capability can be managed by the end-user giving appropriate permission. It will be interesting to see what sort of game play the developers come up with.

http://www.wmexperts.com/verizons-w...e-end-life-list

Every Windows Mobile device that Verizon is currently offering, including the HTC Touch Pro 2 and the Samsung Omnia 2, will be off the shelf by the first quarter of next year according to a leaked end-of-life document. You can take this one of two ways - either Verizon is completely fed up with Microsoft after the Kin debacle, or they're placing a big bet on Windows Phone 7. I wouldn't lay odds either way. Hit the link for the details.

Curious about what some of the gameplay and graphics will be like on upcoming Windows Phone 7 games? Wonder no more - I've collected a few videos showing what a few of the upcoming games will be like. I've got to say, Harvest looks particularly awesome!

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/24/m...console-gaming/

"So initially we're turn by turn-based," the rep said, referring to the phone-to-phone multiplayer capabilities on day one. "We are working on real-time phone-to-console, likely initially through Wi-Fi -- again, operator networks are sensitive to that. That's not on day one; day one will be turn-by-turn as well as companion-type gaming where you play a level on the phone and it may unlock a level or a weapon or some special achievement on the console game. But, uh yeah -- absolutely working on phone-to-console real-time. That is something we're working on and expect to have in the near future."

The potential of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 gaming hub has had a lot of people intrigued. Its linkage to the Xbox world has already been demonstrated, but until recently we have not had a clear understanding of just how far the integration will go, nor exactly what capabilities will be provided. Some questions are starting to be answered, and new ones stimulated. From the quote above we learn that turn by turn-based game play will be supported initially, but sometime in the not too distant future phone-to-console game play should appear (initially through Wi-Fi). If this is true, then we have some mighty interesting scenarios that could play out, and we could lose a lot of time testing them (well, someone's going to have to do it, and it might as well be you!). Game players out there: is phone-to-console game play a big deal, or is this over-hyped?

We are approaching cable nirvana. Micro USB is becoming fairly standard for charging and synching lots of devices, meaning that we can now leave our giant bundle of cables at home when we travel. This also means that charging cables are pretty much just a commodity item and we just go for what's cheap. So I was pretty excited when I found the Flexicord Mini since it looked to bring something else to the table and really didn’t ask much in return.

The Flexicord Mini is really a simple concept. It's your basic cable, but the insulation is thick and firm and allows you to bend it into a variety of shapes. Besides just being fun, it is great for making a quick and dirty stand for your phone or other small electronic item. I’d been carrying a couple paperclips for just this purpose, but this is better since the rubbery coating will also keep the stand from sliding. The cable has enough material to work with to make a stand that will hold your standard tablet sized phones in either portrait or landscape mode.

Figure 1: Quick and dirty Droid stand.

The construction feels sturdy and my initial impression is that the integrity of the cable should hold up to being repeatedly bent. I tested this with my Droid and it worked fine for both synching and charging. If you have one or more devices that use micro USB, I’d recommend this as a worthy addition to your gear bag. The Flexicord Mini is $11.95 and available through Amazon.com. [Affiliate]

Chris Gohlke is a Contributing Editor for Thoughts Media. He loves roller derby, poker, RPGs, and Sci-Fi and loves to get his hands on real-life tech gadgets. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, USA with his wife and three cats.

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/...eaks-cover-for/

New WP7 models are popping up everywhere now - evidence that there's been a lot of work behind the scenes. This latest from HTC features a kickstand and a slide-out speaker, which ought to make it a decent media player on the go. I seriously doubt that the T8788 moniker will stay for long though.

Product Category: Windows Mobile 6.5.3 SmartphoneManufacturer: HTC Where to buy: ExpansysPrice: $339 USD Unlocked versionSpecifications: From HTC site

Pros:

• Good performance;
• Small and light - fits nicely in your hand and your pocket;
• Capacitive touchscreen is responsive with fluid scrolling;
• Most thoroughly "touch enabled" WM phone yet.

Cons:

• Capacitive buttons on front panel too easy to hit by accident;
• Back cover difficult to remove;
• Doesn't support 3G for AT&T.

Summary: Not too long ago, HTC introduced the HD2, which featured just about everything a Windows Mobile smartphone buyer could ask for. But it also had a couple of characteristics, namely comparatively large size and heavy weight, that didn't thrill some prospective buyers as much. So HTC subsequently introduced the HTC HD Mini in Europe, with the goal provide the bulk of the HD2's capabilities in a smaller and lighter form factor. How successful were they at achieving that goal? Join me as I research that question...

It's interesting to see that some of the most intriguing and sophisticated designs for Windows Phone 6.5.x are coming out just as that version of the OS is about to be superseded. HTC has been very busy coming up with a vast array of designs for the Android OS, while the release of new Windows Phone designs from them has slowed considerably. I'm hoping that they start giving strong support to Windows Phone 7 when it finally becomes available, because the HD Mini is on a par hardware-wise with their Android offerings and that combined with a new, more modern OS might just give the current smartphone sales leaders some real competition.

First Impressions

Upon handling the Mini for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised. I found a device that felt sturdy, lightweight and a perfect fit for my somewhat small hands. I was also pleased to see few of the "form over function" design cues that were evident with my Touch Diamond. As much as I loved that phone, whoever thought that a faceted back was a good idea, well, I hope they've found a different line of work better suited to their questionable judgment.

The HD Mini is a device designed for those who liked everything about the HTC HD2 except its size and weight. Of course, since it's clearly a sibling of the Android-based HTC Aria offered by AT&T, it's unknown if the hardware was truly designed specifically to supplement the HD2 or if it's just a Windows Phone version of a phone intended for multiple platforms. The Mini's dimensions (4.09" x 2.27" x 0.46" or 103.8mm x 57.7mm x 11.7mm) give it a footprint that's a whopping 3.24 sq in or 26% smaller than its big brother. At 3.88 oz. (110 g) with battery, it's also 1.7 oz. (47 g) or 30% lighter than the HD2. I prefer smaller, more pocketable phones, so the Mini's smaller and lighter stature immediately appealed to me.

Of course, since there's no such thing as a free lunch, the Mini has a few scaled back features and specs to go along with its smaller size. First, it should come as no surprise that the screen is smaller, an unavoidable change given a 26% smaller footprint. The HD2 has a huge 4.3" screen, while the Mini makes do with a considerably smaller 3.2" screen. And size isn't the only scaled down aspect of the Mini's screen...it sports a resolution of 480 x 320 vs. the HD2's 800 x 480, giving the Mini a mere 40% of the pixels of the HD2. Other scaled back features include a slower processor, less RAM and no flash for the camera (though they both are rated as 5 megapixel). The Mini does offer ~20% greater battery life, however... there are some benefits to a slower processor and a smaller, lower resolution screen.

In this day and age of 800 x 480 HD2's and 960 x 640 iPhone 4's, the Mini's 480 x 320 screen may sound underwhelming. But any doubts that I had about screen quality went away when I pressed the Mini's power button. As is typical for HTC devices, the screen is beautiful. Extremely bright, crisp and colorful. If I had been forced to guess the resolution of the screen based on appearance, I probably would have said 640 x 480 like my Touch Diamond. So it may not have the highest resolution screen on the market right now, but I doubt that many people would complain after using it.

Hardware Tour

Figure 1: The prevailing standard for WM 6.5.x designs. The capacitive buttons were a bit too easy to activate by accident.

The layout of the front panel provides all of the expected features and controls. Along the top you have the multi-function notification light on the left and the earpiece in the middle. Below the screen you'll find a row of buttons that adhere to the latest and greatest standards for Windows Phones. From left to right you'll find the Talk/Send button, the Home button, the Start button, the Back button and the End button.

For longtime users of Windows Mobile phones, a few things might stand out. First, there is no longer a directional pad, it having been rendered largely redundant by the very sensitive capacitive screen. Second, you'll note that the screen no longer features the Start button that was once ubiquitous on Windows Mobile Professional phones (the most recent previous name for the platform). The dedicated Start button under the screen replaces it. And when you press that button, you're presented with a screen of diagonally arranged icons (similar to that of Windows Phone Standard devices and the main screen of an iPhone) rather than the desktop style fly-out menu of older versions of Windows Mobile.

The buttons are flat and touch sensitive, so you won't be able to operate them by feel. Thankfully, the buttons are always visible, even when their backlighting is off. When the light sensor detects low light conditions, it automatically activates the backlighting. That's an improvement over my Touch Diamond, on which the similar touch activated buttons were invisible when the backlight was off. What's not an improvement, though, is their location and perhaps excessive sensitivity. I was forever pulling up the phone interface by touching the Call/send button by accident, which of course disrupted whatever I was doing. Never had that problem with the TD, even though its front panel buttons were capacitive as well.

Figure 2: The top view. The metallic accent is a nice touch.

The top panel features the power button and a 3.5 mm audio jack. It's looking like HTC has finally abandoned proprietary connectors for good (yay)!

Figure 3: Nothing more than the volume control...

The left side panel features only a single control for volume up and down.

Figure 4: I wonder if Apple will ever discover the benefits of non-proprietary connectors. Probably the only thing they don't benefit is Apple's bottom line for accessory sales.

On the bottom panel, you'll find the microphone and the Sync/Charge connector. Once again, the connector is non-proprietary (Micro USB).

The right side panel is free of any controls, so I didn't take a photo. Imagine the left side without the volume control and you've basically got it.

Figure 5: As usual, HTC tries to inject some style into their phones.

The back cover is black with a matte finish. The phone's speaker and camera lens appear here. There's some nice detailing here, with a combined metal cover for the speaker and surround for the camera lens. Attractively finished screw heads are situated in all 4 corners. These are real screws that hold the phone together, but they appear through holes in the back cover... you don't have to remove them to remove the cover.

Figure 6: Quite the contrast between the exterior and interior colors...

Removing the cover highlights one of the few ergonomic hiccups on the Mini. There's a small indent at the top of the screen into which you insert something (probably a fingernail) to pry the cover off. It takes some work to get the cover to pop off, and I imagine you could easily break a nail and/or ruin a manicure in the process. With all of the nice design touches in evidence in other aspects of the Mini, the rather poor design of the rear cover was disappointing.

Follow-up note: as I was using the Mini, I discovered that the rear cover became easier to use, loosening up a bit. Which brings up a concern about it continuing to do so, becoming too loose. Not a great cover design in any case, IMO.

The last point aside, though, I was impressed with the overall design of the Mini, with high quality materials, tight construction and thoughtful features.

http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=10474

"As you may know, the Omnia Pro 4 was announced in June alongside Omnia Pro 5, two Bada-powered phones (Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro) and Galaxy 3 (I5800). It has a candybar form factor, sporting a full QWERTY keyboard a la BlackBerry and such things as 2.62-inch QVGA touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus, HSPA and WiFi connectivity, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack and a microSD memory card slot. Windows Mobile 6.5.3 is running the show and there's also the Office Mobile 2010 suite pre-installed on the device."

Well, what have we here? Does this image get your motor running? If you are a big Windows Mobile 6.5.3 fan there's no need to wait for Windows Phone 7 to get a brand spanking new and capable smartphone for your busy daily use. Samsung has not forgotten Windows Mobile 6.5.x, and as Mobile Burn has reported, the specs look quite nice for this particular form factor.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/...a-little-dance/

I've got a crick in my neck and my eyes are smarting from watching this blurry video (very obviously taken with a phone camera), but we're treated to a preview of what will be the svelte LG E900. I like the boot-up time - reminds me of when you can actually get Windows Mobile to restart in less than 30 sec, back in the Jurassic Age. There's also what appears to be some custom tiles on the home page, which sadly weren't tried out in the video. But have a look and see for yourself.

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...nch-timing.aspx

"August marks the six-month anniversary of the public unveiling of our next-generation mobile phone, Windows Phone 7. Six months is an interesting bit of time; it can fly by, or it can feel like it's dragging on forever. The gating factor tends to be how much fun you are having. For us on the Windows Phone team, it feels like just yesterday that we first introduced Windows Phone 7 to the world. Now, just a blink of the eye and phones will be on shelves. All of the work of the last six months is certainly paying off, as just about every conversation we have with developers focuses on their strategy for generating more business with Windows Phone 7. It's amazing to see so many inspired developers looking to create experiences for Windows Phone 7. In fact, to date there have been north of 300,000 downloads of the Windows Phone Developer Tools."

Lots of interesting points in Brandon Watson's latest blog piece, here's the basics:

• 300,000 downloads of the WP 7 Developer tools... wow!
• Final tools drop on Sept. 16
• Marketplace starts taking submissions (e.g., opens) in early October!
• Marketplace policies have been updated in preparation.

An exciting time to be a Windows Phone Developer!

http://www.ultrasone.com/index_en.p...22&inhalt_id=22

Ever since the advent of the Walkman, researchers have been warning us that we're all about to go deaf. I don't know if those fears have been realized yet since I still don't hear about scores of the Walkman generation showing up for hearing aids. Maybe people have been heeding the warnings!

Whatever the case, the warnings have hardly abated over the years and there's been new warnings and research that has come out recently that shows that hearing loss in teens is on the rise. This really isn't surprising to me since as we've transitioned to digital music its become trivial to have your entire library of music in your pocket.

The challenge is finding a way to play your music at lower levels and still enjoy it the same. There does come a point where you start to lose things in the music if you can't put the volume high enough. Of course, if you make yourself deaf trying to find all the subtle nuances of your heavy metal, it may end up as a moot point eventually.

Ultrasone says that they have the answer with their S-Logic technology. They claim that it can decrease pressure on your inner ear by up to 40% which is definitely a pretty positive thing. Not only that, but Ultrasone says that because it delivers the sound more naturally, that your listening experience will actually be improved.

Safety and quality come at a price, however. Ultrasone only appears to provide over the ear headphones and all start at over $100 and go up into the thousands. If you're an extreme audiophile who demands the best listening experience and and want to ensure your hearing safety, this could be the answer for you. Its a pretty expensive solution for what is, admittedly, a pretty significant issue.