Mobile
Mobile Technology – Cell phones, ultramobile computing, and more
Too Little, Too Late: Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 finally coming to the U.S.
Jan 11th
Looks like Sony Ericsson’s much-delayed Xperia X2 smartphone might actually come to the U.S. after all, as the X2a model featuring AT&T 3G bands. The Windows Mobile 6.5-powered curve-slider is a follow-up to the earlier, HTC-built X1. While the X2 boasts a marginally larger screen (3.2 vs. 3.0″), it still uses the same antiquated 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200 processor and doesn’t offer anything particularly different as compared to the HTC Touch Pro 2 (which has a much larger, tilting screen), for example.
The X2a will probably arrive in a few months’ time, and likely at an extremely high price (as with the X1a, which sold for $800). We’re not quite sure what Sony Ericsson’s thinking here– by the time this launches, it won’t be even remotely competitive with other high-end smartphones, from the HTC HD2 (which will have launched in the U.S. by then), to the iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre, etc. Nonetheless, if you’re curious, there’s more info up at SonyStyle.
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MS: Windows Mobile 7 not just evolutionary, to “set the bar forward”
Jan 9th
Some more interesting tidbits on Windows Mobile 7 from Robbie Bach (head of the Microsoft division in charge of Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile) at CES yesterday (transcribed here, see the full webcast here):
I think the number one thing we have to do on Windows Mobile going forward is about the experience people have with phones. I don’t think we have a business model problem per-say, I don’t think we have to outstanding challenge outside of the fact that our experience is very skewed towards business users as is not as modern as it needs to be and doesn’t feel straightforward.
So the challenge for us as we come in to 2010, we are going to have new things that we will talk about at Mobile World Congress [...] The first bar people should look at will “Wow the are doing a great job with the product!” and when you look at the product; and I’m quite confident. I have the luxury of having seen it and play with it a little bit. People are going to see something that’s differentiated and something that sets the bar forward. Not in an evolutionary way compared to where we are today but something that feels, look, act and performs completely different.
In the interest of competition, let’s hope Microsoft finally understands what it needs to do to turn Windows Mobile from a stodgy, outdated business OS into a consumer-oriented platform ready to directly take on Android, WebOS, and the iPhone.
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Windows Mobile 7 to be unveiled at MWC next month
Jan 7th
Microsoft looks all set to unveil its long-awaited next-generation OS, Windows Mobile 7, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) next month. Responding to a question about WM7 at today’s CES Financial Analyst Briefing, Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division said that “things will be talked about at MWC,” echoing CEO Steve Ballmer’s earlier remark that “We will have a lot more to say about phones next month at Mobile World Congress.” More info after the break.
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HTC HD2 Confirmed for T-Mobile USA
Jan 6th
Steve Ballmer just confirmed in his CES keynote that HTC’s HD2 will indeed be coming to the US, as a T-Mobile exclusive. The 1 GHz Snapdragon-powered handset should arrive sometime in late February or early March, according to current information. Customized T-Mobile builds of Windows Mobile 6.5 for the HD2 have been floating around on the XDA-Developers forum, but now we have the first official confirmation of the phone’s stateside arrival. HTC followed up on Ballmer’s announcement with a press release, which we’ve printed below.
Sphere: Related ContentHTC HD2 Multi-Touch: A Closer Look
Nov 3rd
HTC’s upcoming new smartphone, the HD2, will be the first Windows Mobile device with a capacitive display. The large 4.3″ LCD features the now-common WVGA (800×480) resolution, but more significantly, includes multi-touch recognition. Windows Mobile cannot process more than one simultaneous screen input, so HTC has created its own software layer for this feature, similar to how it implemented the Zoom Bar and other controls in prior models like the Touch Pro 2, Touch Diamond 2, and others.
In the past, HTC’s software zoom functionality only worked in a few applications- Opera Mobile and HTC’s Album application, for instance. The HD2, however, seems to sport application-independent zoom functionality. It uses the screen buffer (an internally-stored image of what’s currently on screen) and enlarges it (via multiplying the pixels) to result in a zoom effect. While this results in poorer quality (it’s like using the “digital zoom” on a camera), it does enlarge on-screen interface elements– important for Windows Mobile, which still has lots of small controls in various places.
More videos after the break:
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HTC HD2 Coming to T-Mobile USA in Q1 2010?
Oct 14th
A leaked T-Mobile USA presentation slide from late July appears to show the new HTC HD2, promising “mobile entertainment like you have never seen before.” TmoNews reports that the HTC’s new flagship phone, a Windows Mobile 6.5 handset boasting a 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU and a 4.3″ WVGA multi-touch capacitive display, may find its way onto the carrier in the first quarter of 2010, equipped with the company’s 1700 MHz (AWS) band for 3G data. That would be quite a turnaround for T-Mobile users, who have normally been starved of new phones for months or even years on end.
Sphere: Related ContentT-Mobile HTC Touch Pro 2 Unboxing + Initial Impressions
Aug 29th
UPS came by with a special treat this morning– T-Mobile USA’s version of the HTC Touch Pro 2. This is the first Touch Pro 2 to hit our shores, and it makes sense, since T-Mobile customers have been starved of Windows Mobile Professional (touchscreen) devices since the Wing several years ago.
See our unboxing and initial impressions here:
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