Tech News Updates

If you’ve been holding yourself back during these early rounds of the smartphone wars in anticipation of Windows Phone 7 , your wait just got a tiny bit shorter. Today Microsoft is announcing that its fancy new mobile operating system has been released to manufacturing, making the idea of you holding an actual WP7 device in your hands that much closer to reality. The finished product is now rolling out to partners around the world where it will be getting carrier and manufacturer tweaks and additions, and going through the kind of pre-launch testing you would expect for a release of this scale. If you had any doubt that the Windows Phone 7 onslaught was close at hand , feel free to abandon them now. Furthermore, the folks on the 7 team have managed to cram a few last minute goodies into the OS, one of which we’re particularly excited about. As you probably know from our in-depth preview of an early version of the software , we had a lot of issues with overflowing Facebook contacts in our phone. Microsoft has now solved that problem by enabling a contact filter system which looks for pre-existing matches to your Facebook contacts. If it doesn’t find a match, it doesn’t pull that contact into your address book (kind of like how Android filters Facebook friends). It’s a welcome addition and should make the Facebook / Windows Phone 7 combo a lot more palatable to to a lot of people. Furthermore, Microsoft has added functionality into the People Hub which will allow you to “like” someone’s posts, and you’ll be able to comment directly onto someone’s Wall right in the hub. The company has also made tweaks and fixes focusing on feature discoverability (another issue we pointed out in the early look), along with the expected set of polishing and finish you’d expect from a product that’s gone gold master. Windows Phone 7 goes gold master, begins rolling out to partners for final launch preparations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Shameless isn’t even the word for it. While some companies try to get away with calling themselves Nokla or BlockBerry , these Chinese KIRFers have no qualms about copying HTC’s EVO 4G in its entirety (externally, anyhow). Yes, that includes the Sprint insignia and the promise of 4G, both of which are, of course, amusingly untrue. Not only do you not get that supersonic WiMAX radio, you also miss out on Android, as this EVO rides the WinMo 6.5 gravy train. There’s also no 8 megapixel camera, no 720p video, and no mini-HDMI output. But you still get a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 screen and one of the best copy-and-paste KIRF jobs we’ve seen to date. See the back of this skilled imitator after the break. Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: EVO 4G Shanzai edition Keepin’ it real fake: EVO 4G Shanzai edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’re approaching the end of an era — the legacy of Windows Mobile handsets getting spotted running some open sourced OS or another shortly after their release. With Windows Phone 7 on the horizon the HD2 will surely be one of the last, but you can extend that grand tradition just a bit longer by installing your choice of Ubuntu Karmic Koala or Android 2.1. Those builds we reported on earlier have been made available for general consumption and, while installing them certainly doesn’t seem to be entirely risk free, neither of them touch the phone’s internal flash, so you’re never more than a reset away from the comforts of WinMo. If you’re feeling adventurous this weekend, both downloads are on the other end of the source link below. HTC HD2 Android and Ubuntu builds now available for mass consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

How would we like to replace the UI on our Windows Mobile 6.5 phone with the Kin UI? Well, we never really thought about it, we suppose… and frankly, we’re not sure why anyone else did, either. Alas, KinLauncher is here, delivering a pretty authentic Kin-esque home screen but not much else — as soon as you touch anything, you’ll be dumped back into the cold comfort of WinMo (or Sense , as the case may be). It’s available for download, if you’re really into that sort of thing — but if you’d rather enjoy the carnage from a safe distance, there’s a video after the break. Continue reading Kin skin for Windows Mobile 6.5 leads to more questions than answers Kin skin for Windows Mobile 6.5 leads to more questions than answers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Ever since HP CEO Mark Hurd said he wasn’t interested in smartphones , it’s like the company’s been making up for lost time — first by denying the exec’s predilections, and more recently by actually asking us to speculate wildly . Now Palm’s Developer Relations team has reportedly stepped in to confirm that speculation, telling devs that future devices and a new version of webOS are on the way. While there’s no knowing if those devices are smartphones or when we might see them, we’re told to expect a “very exciting” next year. Palm confirms new devices, webOS upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

If you’re still hanging on to the hope that Windows Mobile is going to serve you just fine in the coming years, LG and Verizon have at least one more option for your phone needs — and it’s running 6.5.3 , a first for a US carrier launch. Enter the LG Fathom, a 1GHz touchscreen device with a 3.2-inch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, a microSD slot (for up to 16GB of storage), and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The device will be available for pre-orders on May 27th, with a street date of June 3rd, and will run you $149.99 after a two year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. If you want all the details, just check out the PR after the break. Continue reading LG Fathom gets real with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 on Verizon LG Fathom gets real with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 on Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Ready to customize your custom Windows Mobile skin? HTC’s already thoroughly tricked out Sense UI has received the modding treatment courtesy of Co0kieMonster and his team over at xda-developers , and user feedback has been exultant about the results. What you’re getting with the Home Tab Mod, and particularly in this latest version 1.7, is a litany of custom arrangement options to suit all tastes. Whether you want your weather and expandable appointment list front and center or you prefer extra quick links to your favorite applications and notifications of new calls, messages or emails, you’ll find a layout to suit you. There are even options for loading up the lock screen with Sense elements, if that’s more to your liking, and we’ve grabbed a video walkthrough of the new UI after the break. To get on board, you’ll need a HTC device with Sense 2.5 and the clicking power to hit up the source for the download and full instructions. [Thanks, ran] Continue reading Home Tab Mod 1.7 for Sense 2.5 breathes new life into Windows Mobile (video) Home Tab Mod 1.7 for Sense 2.5 breathes new life into Windows Mobile (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Got a first-gen iPhone with nothing to do and nothing to hope for ? Don’t throw it out just yet, you might be able to recycle it as an extremely fancy readout display for the Redrock Micro “focus control system.” The microRemote is, fundamentally, a focus ring detached from the DSLR it controls. It can operate all by its lonesome, but the big attraction here is adding an iPhone or iPod touch to provide visual clues to the aspiring focus master. You get aperture, zoom, and some focusing assists on the display, and then make your selection using some familiar twirling action on the knob to the side. Starting at around $1,000 this summer, this setup can hardly be considered an impulse buy, but we’re sure somebody somewhere has a usage scenario that would justify the cash layout. Check out the microRemote on video after the break. Continue reading microRemote DSLR focus controller uses iPhone for visual readouts (video) microRemote DSLR focus controller uses iPhone for visual readouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

When dealing with Chinese products that have yet to cross the pond (and are unlikely ever to), you spend a lot of time looking at translated docs, trying to figure out what the hell it is exactly they’re trying to pitch to you. For instance, the Qi U1000 that we caught wind of last September — or its successor, the U2000, pictured above. Looks like a MID, acts like a smartphone, yet someone (or, more likely, something) insists on calling it a “Smartbook.” What we do know is that it’ll run you 2,680 Chinese yuan (roughly $390), and it sports Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, a 624MHz Marvell CPU, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a whopping 5-inch touchscreen. What do you think: Can you handle this much phone? Qi Smartbook U2000 gets WinMo 6.5 upgrade, retains its wide berth originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

If you’ve yet to lose faith in Windows Mobile 6.5, or if you’re holding out hope for community-made Windows Phone 7 patches magically upgrading your OS, here’s another handset for your consideration. Toshiba’s K01 comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon inside and a QWERTY keyboard plus 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen (capacitive) on the outside. Its stroll through the FCC today revealed support for 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/EDGE frequencies, meaning you may get a choice between AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks. So now that we’ve narrowed down the carriers a little bit and certified this WiFi- and Bluetooth-equipped beastie, all that remains is to wait and see if the pricing is sufficiently alluring to entice all those starry-eyed T-Mobile subscribers who keep giving the HD2 lusty looks. Not long to go now. FCC label pictured after the break. Update : Looks like this one is headed to Europe and Asia with test reports indicating support for UMTS Bands I and VIII and some expensive 1900MHz data while roaming North America. Continue reading Toshiba’s QWERTY-equipped K01 slides through the FCC Toshiba’s QWERTY-equipped K01 slides through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink