Another job posting from Microsoft has been posted today which specifically mentions Windows Phone and Zune Services. Windows Mobile 7 cannot come soon enough, now all Microsoft have to do is unravel the international release of Zune services as up until this point it is a US only service. Thanks to Tom for the tip off.
The full advert is after the break.
No Ozzy Ozbourne in sight this time, but the guys at Mobile Tech Review have put together a video showing us around the just announced Samsung Jack. Key features of the Jack include 256 MB RAM, a 3.2 megapixel camera with video-capture capabilities, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) to connect with home or office networks, and built–in aGPS for use with AT&T Navigator, AT&T Navigator Global Edition and other GPS-based applications for personal and business use.
Take a look at the video after the break.
XDA Guide is the name O2 have given to the HTC Touch Cruise 09. O2 released the handset a while ago in Europe and have just now released it here in the UK. The O2 XDA Guide or Touch Cruise 09 is a nice looking handset with a decent amount of RAM/ROM and is the first handset to have HTC’s ‘Footprints’ feature.
The new HTC Touch Cruise is the first mobile phone to offer HTC Footprints, an application experience that enables people to permanently chronicle their special moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone. Once captured, Footprints provides the ability to take notes and an audio clip of that favourite restaurant or special place while identifying its specific geographical location. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area.
The nice thing about buying an XDA device with GPS from O2 is that they always provide you with a car mount and in-car charger for the handset so that you can use it as an effective in-car Cat Nav.
The HTC Touch Cruise 09 is exclusive to O2 as the XDA Guide – you can’t even buy it in a SIM-free guise in Europe which is a bit of a shame for non-O2 customers.
Steve is putting together the review of the O2 XDA Guide for us at the moment and he’ll have more to say about the Footprints feature. Have a look at the unboxing video below to get a taste of what the handset has to offer.
O2 XDA Guide (HTC Touch Cruise 09) Specification:
Note that in the video I mentioned that the camera was auto-focus where in fact it is fixed-focus.
Posted by: Matt
If you’re planning to be among the first owners of the Palm Pre, you better be an early riser because it seems that there will only be a limited amount of stock available when it goes on sale next month. Here’s a quote from Reuters of Sprint CEO Dan Hesse discussing the Palm Pre:
Who says that iPhone is no good for enterprise mobility? While it is true that Apple stores still are using handheld devices powered by Microsoft Windows, and while it is true that in many enterprises Windows-powered handhelds with integrated bar code scanners are widely used, with iPhone OS 3.0 which offers an interface to hardware accessories – this all might change. Furthermore purely software-based solutions or just apps, are also bringing enterprise mobility to iPhone.
iDcrm costs 200 bucks so it is not an app for everybody, but if your company is using Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Microsoft’s enterprise software for customer relationship management, then this app might come in handy. Here is how it looks like:
I Started Something have uncovered another job advert from Microsoft that reveals a little more confirmation that Zune services are coming with Windows Mobile 7. Lets be honest without them Windows Mobile 7 will not appeal to the consumer which is where it needs to head. Now Microsoft have finally realised that Business types do have a life outside of work and just because you wear a suit doesn’t mean you can’t wear headphones (with a 3.5mm plug) and enjoy music and entertainment on one device.
The key part of the advert asks for someone to “Collaborate with partners such as Outlook Mobile, Database, Zune, Shell, and OS. Deliver detailed specifications for the technical architecture of the system. Help mentor other members on the Dev team.
The full advert is after the break.
Whilst leafing through today’s The Sun newspaper I managed to find an interesting piece. I also found an interesting story 14 pages on regarding the possability that a tag team of BT and 3’s assault on the UK mobile phone market might lower the overall price of mobile phone bills.
I would suggest anyone interesting in taking action should check out www.terminatetherate.org. I have attached a larger scan of the article after the break.
Mobiles.co.uk are listing what was once known as the Omnia HD. Now, rebranded due to the Windows Mobile connection, the Samsung i8910 HD has hit Orange. Pricing is high and only available free on £35 + contracts over a whopping 24 months! These prices are not quite as eye watering as Orange’s website where the cheapest you can get the phone is £97.50!
Sony Ericsson’s Walkman range of phones have been very popular, and with new models coming out fast it’s getting hard to keep up with them! The W715 is aimed at the younger generation but is ideal for anyone who wants a good music phone.
The W715 is exclusive to Vodafone and is a great looking phone. Let’s see if it lives up to our the Walkman range expectations.
The Sony Ericsson W715 Walkman Phone – Exclusive to Vodafone
What’s in the box:
Sony Ericsson W715 specification:
General:
Front – 2.4 inch screen, left and right soft keys, call and end buttons, shortcut/tasks button, clear button and navigation D-pad with the select button in the middle. You can also see Vodafone’s logo at the bottom.
Sony Ericsson W715 – front view
Front (slide open) – The keypad is a simple phone keypad.
Sony Ericsson W715 – slide open
Top – Just one feature on the top which the the ‘Walkman’ button which takes you straight to the music player.
Sony Ericsson W715 – top view
Bottom – The gray plastic part you can see on the bottom is the slide lock for the back cover of the phone.
Sony Ericsson W715 – bottom view
Right – Here you find the dedicated camera button and the up/down rocker button for the volume (and zoom for the camera)
Sony Ericsson W715 – right side
Left – All that is on the left side is the Sony Ericsson proprietary connector port.
Sony Ericsson W715 – left side
Back – You can see where the speaker is located here by the gold grill. You can also the 3.2 MP camera and camera light. Under the back cover is where the sim card, battery and MicroSD are situated.
Sony Ericsson W715 – back view
Highlights:
Lowlights:
Review:
The Sony Ericsson W715 looks great! It’s stylish, relatively slim design and colour immediately makes this Phone appealing. The W715 was made exclusively for Vodafone and is available in this silver colour and is also available in black. It has a robust and expensive feel to it and although a lot slimmer, it reminds me a bit of Nokia’s N95.
The screen is a generous size and the graphics on the screen are clear and sharp. It has a built-in accelerometer which means that the display rotates with the movement of the phone between portrait and landscape modes. This can be switched off if needed. (I mention this as there is a labyrinth-type maze game which is controlled by the movement of the phone and can be near to impossible to play if the screen auto rotates every time you move it!)
I mentioned that the keypad is just an plain phone keypad. Very simple. But, this isn’t a bad thing. I think that it is another stylish touch. It means that there isn’t anything to fussy about the phone, and the colour of the keypad compliments the rest of the phone. The buttons are a good size and nicely spaced which means that texting is easy with minimal “big thumb syndrome”!!
Sony Ericsson W715 – keypad
Obviously the call quality depends on network coverage but from testing it out the sound quality is clear and as expected.
The camera is an average 3.2MP which should be enough to take a decent picture – but, as with quite a few of Sony Ericsson’s phones, you can only used the zoom when in VGA mode. The other thing is that there is only a camera light rather than a flash. The light is not nearly as bright as a flash would be. These things combined somewhat reduces the photo taking capabilities of the phone. But the W715 is a Walkman phone – if you wanted a camera phone from Sony Ericsson you would have gone for one of the Cybershot range!
The phone has many applications and you can see through browsing through these just how much the phone is aimed at the younger generation. One app in particular made me laugh and cringe at the same time! This was call ‘Rock Bobblehead’. This is a strange Elvis lookalike cartoon character which bobs along to the movement of the phone. It’s funny for a few seconds, but then you think that Sony Ericsson could have had a more useful app instead of this one! I can only describe this as a bizarre version of a nodding dog! Moving on though, there are quite a few useful apps and you are also presented with the latest version of the Walkman music player.
Connectivity includes Bluetooth, USB, GPS and a WIFI connection. The WIFI is easy to set up and the Bluetooth obviously supports stereo playback.
Web browsing is easy enough (the accelerometer comes in handy here for landscape viewing) and fast enough when connected via WIFI. Again, the great screen quality can be seen here even though the screen isn’t as big as those on a touch screen phone.
As the phone has been built exclusively for Vodafone there is an application called “Find and Go” which is a Sat Nav bit of software. You have to purchase a licence to use this though. But, even without “Find and Go” you can use the GPS capability and the inbuilt Google maps.
There are a few inbuilt themes, some are animated making the phone a bit more fun, and again takes advantage of the screen quality.
The stereo headphones that come with the phone are of brilliant quality. This seems to be a common theme with the Walkman range and I really like them. The only thing that I know a few people would prefer though would be a standard 3.5mm headphone jack instead of Sony Ericsson’s proprietary port.
Also included is the shake control for skipping tracks, and with SensMe you can create playlists depending on mood and the phone will play the specifics tracks depending on mood. (This all works with the movement of the phone).
Conclusion:
I have always liked Sony Ericsson phones and this one is no different. I love the look and feel of the W715, and again, the sound quality through the stereo headphones is superb. The applications are aimed a bit too much at the younger generation I feel but it doesn’t put me off the phone!
I think Vodafone are onto a winner with the W715, and with the WIFI, GPS and “Find and Go” application they have opened the doors for many other users who may not have been interested in the Walkman phones before.
Reviewed by: Emma
We have mentioned before about the lack of great Twitter clients for Windows Mobile and recently we have seen some good updates to Pocket Twit and now also Twikini.
New in this version is the addition of a public timeline, fast account switching, new themes and lots more, full breakdown of the improvements are after the break.
For the first time Twikini is not free, it will set you back $4.95 but you can still try it out for 14 days before spending your well earned cash on it.
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