Can Windows Mobile 6.5 Reinvent The User Experience?
By Jason Ankeny
Microsoft is expected to formally unveil its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system during next month's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, and already there are more leaks than a secondhand diaper. While the rumors and speculation run the gamut from convincingly credible to wildly unlikely, some cold, hard facts surfaced over the weekend when device manufacturer CompuLab posted screenshots of the OS on its website in conjunction with its new exeda smartphone.
"To demonstrate just how friendly to developers exeda is, CompuLab software team brought-up Windows Mobile 6.5 Alpha on exeda the same day it was released," the website reads, while the accompanying images depict a honeycomb-like application launcher user interface enabling one-touch access to apps including Internet Explorer, Messaging, Calendar and Tasks. The homescreen also boasts a large "X" button in the upper right corner, presumably simplifying application shutdown.
Mobile World Congress should signify a watershed moment for Microsoft's mobile aspirations--CEO Steve Ballmer is keynoting the event, and in addition to WinMo 6.5, the software giant is expected to launch its long-awaited SkyMarket application storefront as well as SkyBox (a new solution that synchronizes mobile device information with the web) and SkyLine (a business version of business version of SkyBox that features hosting support with the Microsoft Exchange configuration).
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Microsoft's mobile communications division senior vice president Andrew Lees said that while Windows Mobile previously appealed to enterprise users, the firm is now more aggressively targeting the consumer demographic dominated by rival Apple's iPhone: "Everyone who is a business person is also a human being," he said. "We want also to do human things like photos, music, communications, IM, texting and social networking."
More specifically, it appears Microsoft will endeavor to simplify the mobile user experience. Lees cites the familiar example of consumers who are unable to figure out how to upload photos from their phones to the web: "What should happen is when you take a picture it should ‘automagically' arrive on your PC and be in the cloud," he said.
"I should be able to fix the red eye on the PC and have it ‘automagically' go back and fix the red eye everywhere else." Lees added that your handset should also know your friends via social networking connections and automatically--excuse me, "automagically"--send them the photo and collect their comments about it. Open source operating systems like Android and Symbian can't offer that kind of integration, Lees argued: "[Handset makers] are going to look around at what their options are and say ‘Is open source going to do all the things I need to do to compete with Windows Mobile?
Is it going to create the social experience, the e-mail experience and all the other experiences people want?'" But Lees doesn't pose the bigger rhetorical question, so I will: Is Windows Mobile 6.5 going to do all the things it needs to do to compete with Mac OS X and BlackBerry? [FierceDeveloper]
Microsoft: Zune Software Coming to Windows Mobile
By Jason Ankeny
Despite Microsoft's repeated denials it plans to release a converged Windows Mobile/Zune multimedia-enabled phone, CEO Steve Ballmer revealed in an interview with CIO that the firm plans to adapt the Zune software platform for implementation in the Windows Mobile OS.
"At the end of the day, one of the big trends is that all content is going digital," Ballmer said. "And if we don't have the software and services that are useful, helpful and valuable for the consumption of music and video, we are sort of not really a player. Now, we built the Zune hardware with the Zune software--and what you'll see more and more over time is that the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc."
Asked by CNET News to clarify Ballmer's remarks, a Microsoft spokesperson said "We've always said that software and services is a key focal point for Zune and it does make sense to extend the Zune experience to other devices. In terms of specific timing we have nothing to announce at the moment."
Strictly speaking, Ballmer's comments do not contradict earlier remarks by Microsoft entertainment and devices division president Robbie Bach, who in a summertime interview with The San Francisco Chronicle maintained the software giant is not working on a converged Zune/Windows Mobile device in spite of rumors to the contrary.
"We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves," Bach said at the time. "Our focus is on the belief that a phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones. We think that is going to continue, and we think Windows Mobile is in a great position to service all those different opportunities."
Additional rumors surfaced in August that Nokia is at work with the Zune team to integrate Zune Marketplace content and services into its handsets. [FierceDeveloper]
Microsoft: Zune software coming to Windows Mobile
By Jason Ankeny
Despite Microsoft's repeated denials it plans to release a converged Windows Mobile/Zune multimedia-enabled phone, CEO Steve Ballmer revealed in an interview with CIO that the firm plans to adapt the Zune software platform for implementation in the Windows Mobile OS. "At the end of the day, one of the big trends is that all content is going digital," Ballmer said. "And if we don't have the software and services that are useful, helpful and valuable for the consumption of music and video, we are sort of not really a player.
Now, we built the Zune hardware with the Zune software--and what you'll see more and more over time is that the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc." Asked by CNET News to clarify Ballmer's remarks, a Microsoft spokesperson said "We've always said that software and services is a key focal point for Zune and it does make sense to extend the Zune experience to other devices. In terms of specific timing we have nothing to announce at the moment."
Strictly speaking, Ballmer's comments do not contradict earlier remarks by Microsoft entertainment and devices division president Robbie Bach, who in a summertime interview with The San Francisco Chronicle maintained the software giant is not working on a converged Zune/Windows Mobile device in spite of rumors to the contrary.
"We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves," Bach said at the time. "Our focus is on the belief that a phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones. We think that is going to continue, and we think Windows Mobile is in a great position to service all those different opportunities."
Additional rumors surfaced in August that Nokia is at work with the Zune team to integrate Zune Marketplace content and services into its handsets. [FierceMobileContent]
The Stylish HTC Touch Cruise
The HTC Touch Cruise is sleek, stylish, and compact, but big on features and with an LCD screen size that gives you an excellent multimedia experience in a mobile device. Featuring HTC’s innovative TouchFLO™ interface, the Touch Cruise is extremely easy to use.
Using ordinary finger gestures, you can quickly browse through e-mails, web pages, messages, music, and images, making navigation a breeze.
Built-in GPS functionality and the included software enable you to find the fastest route to your direction, locate restaurants and services on the way, and never get lost. Avoid traffic and delays, and take detours to visit points of interest and local attractions.
The Touch Cruise will be a Windows Mobile 6 Professional device, and comes with HTC's propriety elegant HTC interface. Running the show on the Touch Cruise is a Qualcomm MSM7200 400MHz processor, coupled with 256MB and 128MB of ROM and RAM respectively.
Simple applications suffer no obvious lag, though you'll be forewarned not to overload it with too much multi-tasking and open applications.
Connections specifications include Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, HSDPA support and also built-in GPS for the traveler in you. If all this sounds familiar, you're right. The Touch Cruise has the power of the TyTN II, sans its QWERTY keypad, which makes it thinner at 15.5mm and lighter at 130g than the TyTN II.
With moderate usage of its Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth capabilities, the Touch Cruise lasted nearly 2 whole days on a full charge, which is in close contention to the TyTN II.
Features:
Full multimedia experience with the large 2.8-inch (TFT LCD) touch screen - Revolutionary TouchFLO™ Version 2.0 touch-screen technology that allows finger-touch scrolling, panning, and photo zooming
- Innovative 3D Touch Cube interface for quick and easy navigation
- Worldwide connectivity (HSDPA/UMTS/GSM/ GPRS/EDGE)
- Quad-band 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz
- Windows Mobile 6 Professional with Direct Push Outlook® e-mail
- Live HTC Home™ featuring time and weather display, quick launcher, and one-touch ring tone settings
- 3.0 megapixel CMOS camera with auto-focus for shooting photos/videos
- A second camera for video calls or self-portraits
- Built-in turn-by-turn GPS navigation with TomTom software offers you a full navigation experience
- Entertainment features including an FM radio, MP3 player, and video playback
- Processor from Qualcomm MSM 7200, 400MHz
- Standby Time Up to 400 hours
- Talk Time Up to 7 hours
- Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0, WLAN 802.11g/b, GPS
- Memory 256MB ROM; 128MB SD RAM
- microSD expandability (SD2.0 compatible)
- Weight 130g (with battery)
- Dimensions 110mm x 58mm x 15.5mm
Sony Ericsson Unveiles New High-end Windows Mobile Phone - Xperia X1
On the eve of the 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson debuted a series of new devices, including the Xperia X1, a high-end Windows Mobile slider phone with a qwerty keyboard and a nine-panel touchscreen interface.
The phone is available in GSM, GPRS and EDGE in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. It is available in UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands.
The phone, which features WiFi connectivity and AGPS capability, will debut in the second half of 2008.
This is the first Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile device -- a surprise since Ericsson is a shareholder in Symbian and has launched 10 phones using the Symbian OS platform. At the press conference last night, Sony Ericsson executives tried to downplay the use of Windows Mobile on its Xperia device, however it caused quite a stir among the media in attendance.
But Xperia X1 isn't the only device Sony Ericsson debuted. The company also announced two new Cybershot phones -- the G702 and the G902. The 702 features a 3.2 megapixel camera while the 902 has a 5 megapixel camera and can store up to 700 photos.
Also new to the Sony Ericsson lineup is a Z770 Web phone, a W980 clamshell music phone that can store 8,000 songs, two G-series phones -- the G700 and G900 which target the Web user -- and two HSPA laptop cards.
Zumobi Signs Distribution Deal With Microsoft
Mobile user experience solutions developer Zumobi announced a partnership with Microsoft, which will distribute the firm's Zooming User Interface and mobile widget platform via Windows Mobile-based devices. The Zumobi UI originated in Microsoft's IP Ventures program under the ZenZui brand.
"Currently shipping on devices from more than 48 device makers with 125 mobile operators in 55 countries, Windows Mobile is one of the most accessible and familiar mobile computing platforms," said Zumobi CEO Eric Hertz in a prepared statement. "This strategic partnership benefits all of our constituencies -- consumers, developers, content providers, carriers and advertisers--and enables us to continue building momentum quickly with our audience of techno-culturists and mobile business users."
More than 140 devices in the marketplace worldwide are already based on Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile-based phones are designed for people to be productive on-the-go, all while having the ability to stay in touch with colleagues and friends.
“As we know, Zumobi is a strong complement to Windows Mobile in that both it and Microsoft offer our customers innovative yet easy ways to access all their information while they’re on the go — making their phone the best companion for their entire life,” added Hertz. Zumobi is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and newer.
Zumobi revolutionizes the way people access, retrieve and share Web-based content on their mobile phones. Through an intuitive, lush user interface, Zumobi allows people to easily “bounce” in and out of snack-sized bits of the entertainment they want and to stay on top of the information they need throughout the day, while offering advertisers a better way to connect with consumers through their mobile phones.
Zumobi offers content from a broad range of mobile widgets or Tiles, including many from partners such as MTV Networks, AccuWeather.com, Traffic.com, FlightStats.com and OTOlabs, who developed Tiles for Vail Resorts and Fox Television’s “Family Guy.” [FierceWireless/FierceDeveloper]
Zumobi Signs Distribution Deal With Microsoft
Mobile user experience solutions developer ZenZui announced a partnership deal with Microsoft, which will distribute the firm's Zooming User Interface (Zumobi UI) and mobile widget platform via Windows Mobile-based devices. The Zumobi UI originated in Microsoft's IP Ventures program under the ZenZui brand.
"Currently shipping on devices from more than 48 device makers with 125 mobile operators in 55 countries, Windows Mobile is one of the most accessible and familiar mobile computing platforms," said Zumobi CEO Eric Hertz in a prepared statement.
"This strategic partnership benefits all of our constituencies -- consumers, developers, content providers, carriers and advertisers -- and enables us to continue building momentum quickly with our audience of techno-culturists and mobile business users," he added.
Today, more than 140 devices in the marketplace worldwide are based on Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile-based phones are designed for people to be productive on-the-go, all while having the ability to stay in touch with colleagues and friends.
Windows Mobile-based phones also include mobile versions of Office Outlook, Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint and Internet Explorer, giving people access to critical business data such as documents, contacts, e-mail, calendar items and tasks. Zumobi is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and newer.
Zumobi revolutionizes the way people access, retrieve and share Web-based content on their mobile phones. Through an intuitive, lush user interface, Zumobi allows people to easily “bounce” in and out of snack-sized bits of the entertainment they want and to stay on top of the information they need throughout the day, while offering advertisers a better way to connect with consumers through their mobile phones.
Zumobi offers content from a broad range of mobile widgets or Tiles, including many from partners such as MTV Networks, AccuWeather.com, Traffic.com, FlightStats.com and OTOlabs, who developed Tiles for Vail Resorts and Fox Television’s “Family Guy.” [FierceWireless]
New Samsung BlackJack II
Samsung BlackJack II will be among the first Windows Mobile 6 devices from AT&T to support Microsoft's System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. The System Center Mobile Device Manager offers companies an end-to-end solution for managing and securing Windows Mobile devices. Employees will also have access to company information and a line of business applications from a single, secure place behind the firewall by using a cutting-edge Mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN).
"Samsung and AT&T are delivering a worthy successor to the wildly popular first generation BlackJack," said Pieter Knook, senior vice president, Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. "Windows Mobile 6 is a great option to those wanting to run errands or take a walk in the park, all while staying in touch with important business and personal matters."
With its glossy black body, smoky glass-like menu keys, and sliver accents on the side, this smart phone is certainly more attractive than the original. The BlackJack II is also slightly heavier (4.1 ounces versus 3.5 ounces) and a tad thicker than its predecessor. That's because a larger 1700-mAh battery offers more than double the BlackJack's talk time. The Windows Mobile 6-powered sequel sports a sexier design and a lot of other improvements, including a beefier battery, more internal memory, and GPS navigation support.
Like most Windows Mobile phones, the BlackJack II offers excellent integration with Outlook and the ability to read and edit e-mail attachments with Office Mobile. AT&T's push-enabled Xpress Mail client did a decent job updating our Inbox, which Windows Mobile 6 makes easy to search.
The included instant messaging application offers support for AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo. It took a relatively brisk 20 seconds for it to sign into Yahoo and load our contact list. We liked that the BlackJack II notified us of incoming messages when we had other apps open.
The BlackJack II offers smoother performance than its predecessor, thanks to Samsung's doubling the amount of memory, to 128MB of RAM from 64MB, and to 256MB of ROM, up from 128MB. The 260-MHz processor (up from 220 MHz) loaded applications pretty quickly, and having multiple programs open didn't slow things down much.
Samsung upped the camera resolution from 1.3 megapixels to 2 megapixels. We were more impressed with the camcorder, which captures 320 x 240-pixel footage. Playback on our notebook looked decent in a small QuickTime window, and the footage is just good enough for YouTube. /pr
O2 Xda Zinc: Fokus ke Produktivitas
Bagi para mobile warrior yang menginginkan peranti mobile office dengan pilihan moda komunikasi suara dan data yang lengkap, PDA phone teranyar lansiran O2, Xda Zinc bisa jadi pilihan.
Menggunakan platform Windows Mobile 5.0, Xda Zinc memadukan kekuatan prosesor Intel Xscale PXA270 520MHz dan Intel Hermon agar aplikasi-aplikasi mobile office dan komunikasi data dapat berjalan mulus. Selain mengusung kemampuan 3G serta GSM/GPRS tri-band, Xda Zinc juga menawarkan kelengkapan komunikasi data nirkabel melalui Bluetooth 2.0 dan Wireless LAN 802.11b/g.
Selain itu, desain Xda Zinc juga mendukung produktivitas dengan menyertakan keyboard QWERTY yang bisa digeser keluar. Dipadukan dengan layar TFT-LCD 2,8 inci dengan 65K warna, pengguna dapat menulis dan membaca email dan SMS, maupun mengedit dokumen-dokumen Word, Excel maupun Powerpoint dengan mudah.
Selain itu, PDA phone ini juga mengusung aplikasi-aplikasi unik, antara lain O2 Phone Plus, O2 Message Plus, dan SMS Backup yang membantu pengguna mengirim atau mengelola komunikasi suara maupun pesan-pesan teksnya, serta O2 Autoconfig yang membantu pengguna menyetel konfigurasi jaringan. /aa
Windows Mobile Available in Opera, Minimo and Deepfish
Even though there is no an official announcement from Opera, but a new beta version of Opera Mobile 8.65 for Windows Mobile is available directly from Opera's download site. It includes a version for Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone devices.
The Minimo team said in its new release that Minimo 0.2 includes a bunch of new features and bug fixes, and adds support for Windows Mobile 5. Minimo has an impressive set of features - JavaScript/AJAX support, RSS feed reader, tabbed browsing and a widget engine, to name a few - but it seems to be having a very hard time gaining traction. In fact, despite the new release, Minimo's future is far from certain.
In December, lead developer Doug Turner announced he would be spending less time on Minimo in the future. On his blog he wrote, "there are lots of browser in the space, the market is tightly control by cellular operators, and the end users aren't using the browser. This will change, but not for a few years."
Microsoft Labs also made waves last week with a very limited beta release of a new browser named Deepfish. Deepfish is a Windows Mobile-only browser that works like a cross between the iPhone's browser and the S60 browser. It uses a proxy to generate a zoom-able web page interface that mimics the appearance of browsing on a desktop. The Deepfish Demo looks great, but the browser is barely usable in its current state: no support for cookies, JavaScript or HTTP POST.
Deepfish Solusi Baru Browsing di Ponsel WinMo
Mungkin juga Microsoft akan menyaingi antarmuka iPhone yang sangat menarik dan mudah digunakan dengan dimunculkannya solusi terbarunya “browsing web” di ponsel yang diberi nama sedikit aneh, Deepfish. Tujuannya agar para pengguna Windows Mobile besutan Microsoft dapat membrowsing situs web secara penuh, tanpa harus menggulung ke bawah dan tanpa kehilangan kecepatannya.
Deepfish mampu menampilkan sebuah halaman web secara penuh di perangkat Windows Mobile dan memungkinkan pengguna membesarkan dan mengecilkan tampilan (zoom in/out) dari berbagai bagian halaman informasi hanya dengan menggunakan joystick.
Deepfish memberikan pengalaman baru membrowsing informasi bergerak, yakni dengan kemampuan menampilkan berbagai dokumen secara penuh dan layout yang kaya di perangkat bergerak yang berlayar kecil, misalnya ponsel. Meski begitu, para pengguna tetap dapat dengan mudah melakukan navigasi ke konten-konten yang diinginkannya tanpa harus menggulung layar per layar, karena tampilan webnya penuh satu layar.
Dengan tampilan seperti itu, Deepfish yang menggunakan pendekatan multi-resolusi dalam membrowsing halaman informasi di web akan menampilkan halaman dalam bentuk kecil (thumbnail) dan hanya yang dikehendaki untuk ditampilkan lebih detil saja yang muncul, sehingga waktu untuk menampilkan halaman menjadi lebih cepat.
Dengan kehadiran Deepfish diperkirakan akan semakin meningkatkan teknologi browsing bergerak yang ada saat ini, yakni karena kemampuannya menampilkan konten sebagaimana pengalaman kita menggunakan komputer desktop, hanya saja layarnya jauh lebih kecil, paling-paling sekitar 3 inci.
Ponsel Baru LG Dilengkapi Fitur Google & Yahoo
Tak berapa lama lagi, para pengguna ponsel akan ditawari setidaknya 10 ponsel LG yang sudah diinstal peranti lunak dari Google. Nantinya, jutaan ponsel LG yang baru akan memiliki kemampuan untuk mengakses berbagai layanan Google, seperti Google Maps, Gmail Mobile dan Blogger Mobile, cukup dengan menekan sebuah ikon di menu aplikasi.
"Perangkat bergerak LG, dikombinasikan dengan Google, akan menyediakan bagi para konsumen akses yang mudah ke berbagai layanan Internet kesukaan mereka meskipun tanpa menggunakan komputer PC. Karenanya, hal itu juga akan semakin memudahkan mereka tetap terhubung meskipun sedang di luar kantor atau dalam perjalanan,” ujar Paul Bae, vice president, perencanaan produk LG Electronics Mobile Communications Co.
Perjanjian kerjasama antara LG dan Google ini telah ditandatangani oleh kedua belah pihak pada pameran 3GSM di Spanyol bulan lalu. Ponsel-ponsel pertama yang akan dikapalkan pada kuartal kedua tahun ini akan memasuki pasar Amerika Utara, Eropa dan Asia.
Selain dengan Google, LG juga bekerjasama dengan Yahoo. Nantinya ponsel-ponsel LG jenis tertentu akan mampu mengakses layanan Yahoo, termasuk Yahoo Go untuk Mobile 2.0, Yahoo Mail dan Yahoo Messenger. LG memang bukan perusahaan pertama yang bekerjasama dengan Google dan Yahoo.
Sebelumnya, Motorola Inc. juga telah menjalin kerjasama dengan kedua perusahaan konten dan penyedia layanan mesin pencari papan atas ini. Pesaing LG, Samsung Electronics Co. belum lama ini telah mengumumkan perjanjian yang sama dengan Google yang berbasis di Mountain View, California.
Menurut data IDC, tahun 2006 LG telah mengapalkan tak kurang dari 64,4 juta ponsel, atau naik 17,3 persen dibandingkan tahun 2005. Dengan jumlah pengapalan sebesar itu, menunjukkan bahwa LG menguasai sekitar 6,3 perrsen pangsa pasar ponsel dunia.
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