Saturday, November 5, 2011

Microsoft loosens hardware requirements and camera now optional


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It would appear that Microsoft has relaxed their hardware requirements (on September 23rd) to exclude the camera as a necessity. This would allow lower-end handsets to be brought out at a more affordable price, something we know Nokia wish to do. In fact, these changes are already here. We already know the Lumia 800 has neither a front facing camera nor gyro and the HTC Radar has no compass or gyro on board.

Check out the revised hardware requirements below:

Nokia Drive hacked, takes trip abroad to rival Windows Phones


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While we knew that Nokia Maps would be arriving on the full range of Windows Phone devices, Nokia indicated that its Drive voice navigation feature would stay an Espoo hardware exclusive. Alas, it seems that enthusiastic WinPho meddlers had other ideas, already managing to transplant the Lumia series' voice navigation functionality to Samsung's Omnia 7 -- and presumably any other handsets they'd like. No video proof's been unearthed just yet, but it looks like Nokia's first foray into a shared OS may require a tougher software lock-down.

Metro bus? Metro UI!


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Everyone keeps pleading with Microsoft to advertise and push Windows Phone. Well, it looks like it is starting to happen (and we'll see more Monday). This shot was taken by Josh in downtown Bellevue, about a half mile from the Microsoft Store.

Not a bad idea for a metro bus we suppose. And it sure is eye-catching. Thanks Josh for the pic!

Samsung Focus S confirmed to have no microSD expansion


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We were recently able to confirm the Samsung Focus S only came with 16 GB of storage, but questions still remained about the presence of expandable storage via a microSD card, a feature of the original Samsung Focus.

Documentation and pictures on AT&T’s support website however confirms the absence of any expansion, meaning users are limited to 16 GB of storage after all.

There are still rumours of a 32 GB version, but that is unfortunately likely only wistful thinking.

Nokia Lumia Windows Phones feature Corning Gorilla Glass


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The Nokia Lumia 800 follows suit of the N9 in more ways than one and the glass is no different. The first two Windows Phones from Nokia feature Corning Gorilla Glass, both the 710 and 800. The manufacturer has a long track record in using this glass technology to improve the toughness of the screen. So to recap for the Lumia 800, we have AMOLED, curved glass and Gorilla toughened glass being implemented. The 800 should be fairly resilient when it comes to being flung across a room in rage, or accidentally dropped while out and about. Check out our product review for a walk through.

Though this is interesting news, it's nothing new for Windows Phone. HTC have a number of devices using Gorilla Glass, as well as the Dell Venue Pro and even some LG handsets.

Source: wpcentral.com

Microsoft-approved Windows Phone 7 unlocker goes live


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Let the great Windows Phone 7 unlocking begin! ChevronWP7, the Microsoft-sanctioned Windows Phone unlocker, went live today. The project is aimed at "hobbyist developers," giving owners of WP7 handsets the ability to run and test unsigned apps on their phones. Interested parties need a Windows Live ID and $9 to sign up -- that price'll give you unlimited unlocks on a single phone. You can grab more info and an unlock token at the source link below.

Microsoft readies developer phones for distribution


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One thing Microsoft definitely excels in is developer relations. And getting phones into the hands of would-be devs is a key component for getting more interest and apps on our platform.

From the pic above, we can see Microsoft getting ready to send some more out to those who need 'em. You have to love that kind of support. Plus with Nokia's pledge of 25,000 dev phones, we think we may have this area cornered.

Nokia promises tethering for Lumia 800, points finger of blame at FCC


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Nokia's mission to reclaim smartphone competitiveness with its Windows Phone clan isn't over. We may have bemoaned the lack of data tethering in our Lumia 800 review, but it appears the Finnish phone titan has already announced that it will be coming to its Mango-flavored handsets. The apparent reason behind the inability of its flagship Windows Phone to share its data connectivity at launch was due to the FCC's stringent requirements.

Nokia Teams Up With ST Ericsson For Future Windows Phones


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ST Ericsson today announced its official partnership with Nokia. In the light of the agreement, ST-Ericsson is now selected as a supplier for future devices Nokia plans to introduce with Windows Phone at its core.

Back in may we heard that ST Ericsson dual-core chips might be powering Nokia Windows Phones at one moment in time. We've also heard with that occasion that there are 12 devices planned for 2012 and they might be powered by future versions of the U8500 chip, which is a dual core one. Gilles Delfassy, president and CEO of ST-Ericsson said that "NovaThor platforms continue to gain traction as they enable customers to bring great smartphones to the market".

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Nokia Ad Push Raising Lumia's Profile; 800 Available November 16?


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Nokia product announcements for the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 Windows Phone Mango handsets have gone over in a big way, dominating today's headlines and generating a lot of buzz. It's clear that Nokia is very interested in seeing its first WP7 efforts a success – it certainly has enough at stake – already releasing tons of content showing-off the pair of phones and their capabilities. We're still taking it all in, while Nokia is one step ahead, starting what looks to be a very prominent advertising campaign for the Lumias, and helping to narrow-down when we could expect the phones to arrive.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Steve Ballmer hits back at Android and praises the iPhone


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Google's User Experience Director for Android, Matias Duarte, said about Windows Phone being too forceful everything into a constrained look and feel. While he says that he offers the web, there's no denying that Metro is a beutiful UI and effectively provides content with no pixels wasted to chrome. Even Android took some pointers from Windows Phone (as well as other platforms).

Steve Ballmer, being the legend that he is (see the above image), has lashed back at Android but praises the iPhone to keep it from being a targeted attack. Ballmer mentioned that Android is simply difficult for the user to get into from the off.

Mango update unleashed to everyone


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Eric Hautala is back! With some more good news regarding the Mango roll out, which has now been bumped up to 100%. Everyone is now set to receive the notifications to update their NoDo powered handset (be sure to keep an eye on Where's My Phone Update?), up from 50% only two weeks ago.

The LG Optimus 7 on Telefonica in Spain is now being scheduled, finally. Eric mentions that work is still ongoing, for example with Orange FR where technical difficulties are preventing the network and Windows Phone team from pushing out the update at full speed.

Nokia Windows Phones to use "Pure" Font


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After Long Zheng saw those first press-shots of the Nokia 800 Windows Phone that is expected to be announced next week, he noticed that the images are using Nokia's "Pure" font style for the text as opposed to Microsoft's usual Segoe font originally designed for Windows Phone. As we know, Nokia has special privileges when it comes to modifying the Windows Phone operating system due to their deal with Microsoft. Changing the font to something more in tune with Nokia's branding is a subtle way to really differentiate Nokia's Windows Phones without fragmenting or deterioriating the Windows Phone design too much.

Nokia 800 SeaRay press shots emerge


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Although not exactly revealing, these high resolution renders are supposedly the final look of the Nokia 800 aka SeaRay, which is expected to be announced officially next week in London at Nokia World. The SeaRay, sporting a 3.7" AMOLED screen with a 1.4GHz CPU and 8MP camera, is expected to go on sale in various European countries as early as mid-November.

The renderings here don't show too much new outside of Nokia Navigation and Nokia Musik apps on board, which should be great OEM offerings to those who like the Nokia brand. Other than that, the devices look exactly like the Meego N9, including the same three color schemes of pink, grey and blue.

Steve Ballmer: A "Bunch of New" Nokia Windows Phones Next Week


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Nokia's World event is happening exactly one week from now and Steve Ballmer, while talking at the Web 2.0 Summit, is pretty excited about what the Finnish phone maker has up its sleeves.

Microsoft's CEO was excited to tell the world that Espoo "will have a chance at their Nokia World show next week to show a bunch of new devices running Windows Phone". "It should be pretty good", he said, and he definitely knows more than the rest of us who are expecting two Nokia Windows Phones to see the light of day.

ChevronWP7 Labs Coming In A Few Weeks


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We've heard about the $9 you'll have to pay in order to unlock your Windows Phone with Chevron WP7 (as a nice alternative to the much higher price of a developer account and device unlock). The solution will be called Chevron WP7 Labs and is officially landing soon.

According to the Chevron WP7 blog, Labs is only a few weeks away from launch. It will allow "hobbyist developers to install, run, and debug unsigned applications on their personal Windows Phone" and will cost $9 per token (one token equals one Windows Phone device registration).

Bing Maps On Windows Phone 7 Is Using New Map Scheme


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If you are a heavy Maps user on your Windows Phone you probably noticed that, after opening the application, you are greeted with a new scheme of displaying the map in the "Road" view.

The colors are now matching those on Bing Maps on the Internet (meaning purple for highways and major roads, dark grey for secondary roads, red road name badges, etc.) and the mapping data seems to have been updated with new information (though you might not notice this if you live in an area that was well covered before). Fire up your Maps app on your Windows Phone and let us know how you like the new maps.

Microsoft doles out the dough to Nokia and Samsung, plans Mango marketing bonanza for year's end


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Know who loves it when other OEMs call him big poppa? Ballmer, that's who. So much so that he's opened up the company's coffers to Nokia and Samsung for a holiday blitz of Mango marketing. Hold onto your hats though, it's no carte blanche access to Redmond's Gringotts. According to a report on Mobile Magazine, inside sources claim MS has set aside ₤28 million (about $44 million) for the endeavor, with about ₤20 million of that reserved for Nokia's first Windows Phone 7.5 handset. This joint marketing effort is reportedly a broader extension of the cooperative agreements all parties agreed to, ensuring future WP devices get the media saturation they deserve. So, keep your eyes peeled this upcoming winter. We have a feeling you won't be able to escape the commercial onslaught, anyway.

Microsoft officially launches Windows Phone in India with trio of Mango devices


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You may have already been able to get a Windows Phone device in India without too much trouble, but Microsoft has only just now made things fully official -- complete with Windows Phone Marketplace, voice recognition support, and a trio of Mango devices. That includes just the HTC Radar initially, which will be available next week for the local equivalent of $490, while the Samsung Omnia W and Acer Allegro (believed to be the same as the W4) are set to follow sometime in November. Of the three, the Allegro is said to be the cheapest of the lot, and there's also some reports that it will launch in Europe for €299 (or roughly $400) off-contract. Those curious about the Radar can check out our review from a few days ago.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

iOS 5 vs the Windows Phone Mango update


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We'll just leave this funny little result here from Engadget. Looks like Cupertino has some problems on their hands with lots of "issues" going on tonight. See TiPB for more. (Of course we can't gloat too much, after all, having your servers hammered that much isn't necessarily a bad sign for your market share, is it?)

Oh and if you want, go vote now.

Microsoft officially launches Windows Phone in India with trio of Mango devices


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You may have already been able to get a Windows Phone device in India without too much trouble, but Microsoft has only just now made things fully official -- complete with Windows Phone Marketplace, voice recognition support, and a trio of Mango devices. That includes just the HTC Radar initially, which will be available next week for the local equivalent of $490, while the Samsung Omnia W and Acer Allegro (believed to be the same as the W4) are set to follow sometime in November. Of the three, the Allegro is said to be the cheapest of the lot, and there's also some reports that it will launch in Europe for €299 (or roughly $400) off-contract. Those curious about the Radar can check out our review from a few days ago.

LG Germany confirms a small update for Internet Sharing is coming


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Assuming LG Germany isn't fibbing here, users of the Optimus 7 can expect sometime in the (near) future a small firmware update to enable internet sharing aka tethering. We know the phone's chipset supports the function but since it was a late-added feature to Mango, most OEMs have had only a little time to play with the drivers. Looks like LG though is prepped to enable this for its users, which will involve updating the firmware in a quick and painless fashion.

Lets hope it comes this year.

Microsoft's giving away Windows Phones to those frustrated with BlackBerry


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In another great publicity stunt, Microsoft, via Windows Phone evangelist Ben Rudolph, is giving away 25 Windows Phones to those with the best BlackBerry stories of why they are frustrated with the company and their phones.

In case you didn't know, RIM is undergoing some serious issues right now with their BES Email and BIS service, where customers are experiencing major issues world-wide. It's been so bad that the company had to hold a press conference to address that matter (and which did little to alleviate any concern). Needless to say, this is doing nothing for RIM's image nor their plummeting market share and stock.

WiFi Tethering on handsets and the Dell Venue Pro


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There has been some confusion surrounding tethering (Internet sharing) in Mango, but a list of supported handsets has been compiled over at the XDA Developer forum. OEMs and carriers have the choice to enable tethering for customers should firmware allow it, for example Orange has recently alerted customers to a tethering add-on, but work has begun for workarounds in enabling the feature. Unfortunately, tethering depends on LAN chipset used and we have bad news for Venue Pro owners.

Garmin demos upcoming MobileNavigator for iOS and Android, latest Windows Phone app (video)


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So, get this. We were cruising through the halls of Pepcom's Mobile Focus with a horrible fever and on the brink of delirium. Unsure how much longer we could keep composure, we came upon Navigon's booth. In addition to displaying its brand new Windows Phone application, the company was also showing off its upcoming releases of MobileNavigator for Android and iOS. Fortunately, Navigon's Public Relations Manager, Johan-Till Broer, was kind enough to give us a demo of each app. Among the new features, users will be able to select individual states for local map storage, which goes a long way toward freeing up space.

HTC Titan and Radar coming to Taiwan


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Today HTC announced that its island home of Taiwan will be seeing the HTC Titan and Radar in the very near future. The Titan, HTC's new flagship phone, is set to hit shelves later this month at a retail price of Tw$18,900 ($619.67). The Radar, its lower price point counterpart, is expected in November and will fetch Tw$13,900 ($455.74).

Taiwan joins the expanding Mango marketplace, along with India, who gets official Windows Phone support today. you can bet that both will see their fair share of the bump in marketing recently promised by WP7 phone manufacturers like HTC.

Windows Phones increasing in price on eBay. A new trend?


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Here's some interesting statistics that jive nicely with that earlier Australian report on the HTC Mozart. At least on eBay in the UK demand, as measured by increasing prices, has been on the upswing for the last few weeks for certain Windows Phone models, specifically the HTC Mozart, Dell Venue Pro and HTC 7 Pro--basically the creme of the crop, if you ask us.

The measurements, as graphed above, show a steadily increase in price since early September, just when Mango-fever was picking up. The jump in price is also fairly significant, with the 7 Pro going from an average of £240 to £350 in just 30 days.

Acer Announces Allegro As Its First Windows Phone Mango


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Acer was accepted as an official Windows Phone OEM together with Fujitsu and ZTE at the time when Windows Phone Mango was announced and now the manufacturer is reportedly making its first device running the Redmond platform public.

The Acer Allegro (you might know it as the W4) will land in Europe before Christmas and will be priced around EUR 299 (around $410) unlocked. From the W4 days we remember that the phone will be powered by a Qualcomm MSM8255 chip at 1GHz and have a 3.6-inch WVGA display, five-megapixel camera with auto-focus and 8GB internal storage.

First Nokia 800 ads spotted, announcing the arrival WP7 for Finnish faithful


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Nokia keeps promising that its first Windows Phone 7 device will be shipping by the end of the year and, though the company is cutting it close, we may actually see that vow fulfilled. It's already been caught in spy shots a few times over, but now marketing materials for the Nokia 800 have started to leak out. With Nokia World only a few weeks away, it makes sense that the Finnish manufacturer would want a campaign ready to roll. The ads for what was formerly known only as Sea Ray talk up WP7's social features, with one declaring "Take, tag, sort and share. All in a flash." It's hardly a confirmation, but this is as good as sign as we've seen that Nokia will actually deliver us a little slice of Mango before it's time to buy a new calendar.

AT&T HTC HD7S Reportedly Getting Mango Today


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The Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update roll-out process is going very well according to Microsoft with a relatively quick spreading period over carriers and manufacturers.

According to recent reports users of the HTC HD7S on AT&T will be getting their Mango treat starting today. The information comes from an allegedly leaked internal memo to AT&T staff that states: "On October 11, 2011, Microsoft is scheduled to begin rolling out the new Mango 7720 update to AT&T customers with existing HTC HD7S Windows Phone 7 devices".

Shocker! Microsoft to produce dual-core, LTE Windows Phones, other modern things


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This just in: Microsoft is ready to take the plunge into mobile modernity... at its own pace. During a recent interview with All Things D, Windows Phone President Andy Lees revealed a few details about Redmond's future crop of handsets, which will apparently include both LTE capabilities and dual-core processors. The exec confirmed that LTE-equipped devices are indeed in the pipeline, but declined to specify whether they'd hit the market this year or next. Turns out, Microsoft wants to wait until current LTE networks prove capable of supporting more power-efficient smartphones. "The first LTE phones were big and big [users] of the battery," Lees said. "I think it's possible to do it in a way that is far more efficient, and that's what we will be doing."

Microsoft Hiring To Make Window Phone "The Best Camera"


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Microsoft has plans for making "Window Phone the best camera you will ever own" and for that, the company is looking to hire "great people to bring our big vision to reality".

Windows Phone already introduced camera concepts that were later adopted by Android and iOS-powered phones (like the dedicated camera button, the pocket-to-camera feature) and Microsoft is admitting they want to further improve on the imaging features of the platform; "end-to-end photo and camera experience from the hardware through software level" is the team's focus and Microsoft appears to be preparing for a battle against great camera-phone like the iPhone 4S or some high-end Android devices.

Hawaii Five-O Gets Some New Windows Phones


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Hawaii Five-O is a few episodes into their second season, and along with some new characters, we also see some new Windows Phones. In last week's episode called "Kame'e", we see that SEAL Lt. Commander Joe White (Terry O’Quinn) happens to us an HTC HD7 as his mobile phone and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park) has upgraded to a new device.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Telstra Mango approved as well


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We recently covered Vodafone announcing that they've completed Mango testing and are now awaiting Microsoft's green light for the roll-out to begin. We've now caught wind of Telstra being prepped and ready to release the major update to customers too. So let's throw this news into the cauldron with Taiwan's HTC store upgrade and it could almost be mistaken as a dream. The 'Spring' ETD almost had our eyeballs roll across the floor.

Ballmer: Windows Phones aren't selling very well, but we're not worried


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Microsoft's Steve Ballmer was his usual frank self when he met financial analysts yesterday, admitting that the world isn't yet as keen on Windows Phone as he'd hoped. To be precise, AllThingsD reported him as saying: "We haven't sold quite as many as I would have liked in the first year." His cunning plan? Well, that's easy: make it all Nokia's problem. Or, as he put it: "With Nokia we have a dedicated hardware partner that is all-in on Windows Phones." Indeed, the Finnish manufacturer has now staked far more than Microsoft on the success of this "third ecosystem" and, if its imminent Mango handsets fail to turn things around, we may eventually see Stephen Elop standing behind that silent cash register.

Taiwan launching Mango on September 16th--update only through shops though


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Yesterday morning we mentioned that Windows Phone users in Taiwan are supposedly scheduled to get WP7.5 Mango on the 16th and sure enough, that's true. What's also true is that the update won't be coming via their Zune software but instead they need to take their phone to a supported shop (with an appointment) to have a tech flash the phone. Estimated wait time: 20 minutes.



One such place is the HTC flagship store, which will be opening and taking in people to flash their phones to the Chinese-build of Mango, but users will have to have their phone backed-up themselves. While this may not be the most elegant method, it's a method where Microsoft's infrastructure is obviously still being put in place. And hey, what AT&T user here wouldn't go down to the store tomorrow if it meant getting Mango, amirite?

Source: wpcentral.com

Xbox Live - Collapse! finally falls onto the Marketplace


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Logic puzzles, physics puzzles… It’s been a while since we’ve seen a straight up match-3 puzzle game released to Xbox Live. That changes today, now that Collapse! - the game that sent some of our more hardcore readers into fits of rage - is now available on the Marketplace.

In GameHouse’s Collapse!, lines of colored blocks slowly rise from the bottom of the screen. Players simply tap groups of three or more same-colored blocks to clear them, which in turn causes other blocks to fall or… COLLAPSE!!!1! I’m not being sarcastic; I just wanted to type it that way. Exclamation marks in titles get my adrenaline pumping, ya know? Anyway, the game’s tap-tap rhythm makes it easy to pick up and play on the go. Gamers who need goals and variety aren’t out of luck, as the extensive Adventure mode contains all kinds of twists on the standard gameplay.

When's Mango Going To Get Here?


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Is Windows Phone 7.5 Mango nearly upon us? Some developers think so, and reports have been circulating about instructions from on-high that hint at Mango distribution in what's possibly the very near future.

An anonymous source contacted WPCentral to inform the site about some e-mails he has received from both Microsoft and the unnamed Windows Phone manufacturer whose hardware he had been testing. According to him, the message asks users of the device to back-track to an earlier pre-Mango test version of the phone's software, so that once Microsoft could see how the devices would perform trying to retrieve their updates from its servers.

New Windows Phone 7.5 commercial nails it. Touts Metro Design, elegance. (Plus eBay Live Tile)


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Microsoft finally looks to be hitting their stride. This new web-commercial for developers shows off the elegance, simplicity and drives home the Metro interface. We really like the look of this, even if it's for devs and not necessarily consumers. Still, we could see Microsoft editing this or redoing some parts for TV and they really should--it's a good start to show off their new UI. After all, it's going to be everywhere soon.

HTC Radar Arriving On October 1?


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It looks like Mango could be nearly upon us, with rumors suggesting Microsoft could officially launch the OS any day now. Once that happens, we can expect the floodgates to open and start to see the arrival of all the new Windows Phone hardware we've been hearing about for months and months. One such model will be HTC's Radar, which we've already seen described as "coming soon" to a carrier. Now we may be able to put a date to its release, with one retailer announcing plans to carry the phone beginning October 1.

The UK's Phones 4u made a statement today concerning its sales of the just-announced HTC Sensation XE Android, and its plans to carry the phone in white starting October 1.

Nokia's First Windows Phone To Ship In One Month? [Update]


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The first Nokia Windows Phone -- we just assume it will be the SeaRay but we've heard names like Nokia 703 and 800 too -- is going to ship in the middle of month October, according to recent reports. We initially heard that Nokia is planning a Europe-only launch limited to six countries this year and one month from now allegedly seems to be the date.

The American market will get its Nokia Windows Phone treat around March 2012 and Australia doesn't seem to be in luck either, as Q1 2012 is the timeframe Nokia made public.

Of course, the phone shipping in Europe mid-October is still just a rumor as we've heard nothing official from Nokia. We didn't even hear anything official from Microsoft either, but a Mango launch announcement is expected really soon (tomorrow, according to some rumors).

Belfiore, Watson implore devs to update apps as Mango draws near


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We've been talking about September 15th for awhile now as being the official date for Mango and this morning we had some solid news to confirm that indeed, the launch is close.

Now Microsoft's Joe Belfiore and Brandon Watson are asking devs to upgrade their apps ASAP using the v7.1 SDK--simply recompiling the app using these tools will enable fast-app switching (multitasking) for the huge OS update.

Of course, if Watson and Belfiore are asking devs to do this now, really stressing the timing, it can only mean the update is close. And we have an odd feeling that tomorrow will bring some official announcement on the matter. Stay tuned...

Monday, September 5, 2011

Microsoft’s YouTube app breaks


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I never use Microsoft’s own YouTube app, it being merely a shortcut to Google’s mobile web page and some underlying code to pipe the video stream to the media player.

That would explain why I never noticed that it is no longer working, and according to the tweets above for at least a few days now.

We know some bad blood exists between Google and Microsoft after the later refused to allow Microsoft to build a much better dedicated YouTube app. It seems Google has now managed to break even Microsoft’s limited effort.

Samsung GT-i8350 to be no speed slouch


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In so far as we can trust WP Bench data (which is clearly not always the case) the Samsung GT i8350, which is believed to be the European successor to the Samsung Omnia 7, appears to be a pretty fast device, and significantly faster than the other new 1 Ghz Mango handsets like the Fujitsu IS12T or Acer M310/W4.

The Samsung GT-i8350 or Samsung Omnia W, with a 3.7 inch screen and 5 megapixel camera, is believed to be a relatively low-end handset, but maybe it has some surprises in store for us after all.

Windows Phone 7 Optimism or Delusions ?


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We recently did an article on Windows Phone 7 exceeding the market forecasts. The questions now being asked by market analysts are that if such reports are justified and hold any such expectations or is it simply an oversight by the company ?The reports foretasted by researchers Gartner and IDC, expects a market share of about 20 percent in 2015, however according to Achim Berg, head of Windows Phone marketing they were said conservative. We would expect a company executive to offer public optimism about a product. But the idea of Windows Phone seizing more than 20 percent of the market is a little bit startling, considering the aggressive competition offered by Google Android and Apple’s iPhone, keeping in mind Microsoft’s current smartphone market share, which most third-party analysts believe is on the decline.

Mango update coming from carriers in 2-3 weeks?


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If this screen shot of a conversation with an O2 rep can be believed, the roll-out of the Mango update for Windows Phone 7 may start sooner than we expect.

While we know at the moment that Mango the OS itself is ready, and we have heard from HTC that their customization itself is ready also, we all expect that carriers will be the big stumbling block, delaying the release by months. If the screen shot above is any indication, Microsoft may have finally gotten the carrier’s ducks in a row and may start and finish the roll-out pretty rapidly.

We shall of course cross our fingers.

T-Mobile Samsung Omnia 7 I8700XXKH2 ROM


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SamFirmware has released two unofficial ROMs for the Samsung Omnia 7, one for NoDo and the other for Mango. Check out the listed known features in this post for more info and remember that you flash your Windows Phone at your own risk.

Firmware: I8700XXKD1. (NoDo)
Filesize: 196+/- MB (.rar file)
XX = Europe
K = 2011
D = April
1 = Version
Firmware: I8700XXKH2. (Mango)
Filesize: 355+/- MB (.rar file)
XX = Europe
K = 2011
H = August
2 = Version

Microsoft responds to camera tracking claims


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In a recent law suit Microsoft has been accused of using the camera app to upload device IDs and location data of Windows Phone 7 users, even when they decline the service.

Microsoft has remained relatively silent following this accusation, but has now issues a statement to IBTimes, pleading their innocence.

They say:
Because we do not store unique identifiers with any data transmitted to our location service database by the Windows Phone camera or any other application, the data captured and stored on our location database cannot be correlated to a specific device or user. Any transmission of location data by the Windows Phone camera would not enable Microsoft to identify an individual or ‘track’ his or her movements.”

Mango Multi-Task Toggler in the Works


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Windows Phone 7.5 Mango features new multi-tasking and fast-app switching that will help you quickly switch between recent applications as well as allow certain things to keep running in the background. While there is a spot in the settings for you to selectively choose which apps can run in the background, these new features could still affect your battery life. XDA-Developers user "GoodDayToDie" has decided to make a home-brew Mango app that toggles the multitasking features on and off.

GChat brings Google Talk to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango


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GChat is a Google Talk IM client for Windows Phone 7.5 Mango developed by Luis Hector Chavez which supports:
- Push notifications for messages
- Pinning any of your contacts as a secondary tile, with independent unread message count.
- Off-the-record conversations, with special and delicate handling.

Pre-order HTC Radar & Titan on Clove


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Clove is offering the HTC Radar for £285 (ex. VAT) and the Titan for £498 (inc. VAT) with pre-orders for international shipping. It states that first stock is due early October, which confirms the 15th date set on Amazon. Among the feature icons found on the product page is DLNA, FF camera and more. Looking good!

On a quick funny note, it seems as though one can pick up the Radar for £0.00 including VAT. So the taxation of the product is actually rein-bursting the customer the price. We know it's a mere error but still caused a few giggles.