When many first downloaded the Windows Phone 7 Series developer's tools, there were some complaints that the emulator lacked some of the WP7S features. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon an unlocked version that had all the bells and whistles of WP7S.

From the unlocked emulator, a video walk-through was produced that takes you through various application navigation of WP7S. Including Zune, Office, email, messaging, and the internet browser. A second video reveals a little more on the WP7S settings.

Keep in mind that this is an early build of WP7S and Microsoft is still fine-tuning things. While an emulation, it gives us a little more insight on what we can expect from Windows Phone 7 Series.

You can catch the full ten minute videos here and after the break, a few more screen shots.

[read: TechAU.tv]

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The HTC Imagio just received a seat at the kitchen table to enjoy some home cooking. Home cooked ROM's that is.

PPCGeeks member cmonex has released a Hard-SPL that will enable custom ROMs to be installed on the Imagio.  And it didn't take long for a cooked ROM to surface.

NRGZ28, a popular chef in the cooked ROM community, has already released a Beta version of his popular EnergyROM for the Imagio. The Rom is based of of Windows Mobile 6.5.5 with the option of Sense 2.1 or 2.5.

While custom ROMs aren't for everyone, being able to customize the ROM on the Imagio will only add to this very nice Windows Phone.

[via: wmpoweruser.com]

Windows Phone 7 Series is bringing a lot of attention to MIX10, Microsoft's developer's conference. We are anticipating more information on this new mobile operating system ranging from developer specs to core hardware specs.

To help keep those of us who will not be able to attend next weeks MIX10, Software Logistics has released an application that will help keep everyone up to date with the activities at hand.  The MIX10 Twitter App pulls in tweets (automatically updating every 30 seconds) with the #MIX10 hash tag and delivers it to your Windows Phone. The downside to the app is the links are not live, taking a bit of the zing out of this app.

The MIX10 App is a free download and available through Microsoft's Marketplace on your Windows Phone.

Read: wmpoweruser.com

So called augmented reality programs (see How Stuff Works), which mix the boring real world with the awesome digital, have made their big mobile debut in 2009 (see Layar for Android or the much more useful Google Goggles).

Unfortunately, Windows phones have largely been left out of the mix, though that is starting to change and we hope we see a big push with Windows Phone 7.

Zenitum, a South Korean company who specializes in digital entertainment and the kind of reality/digital mixing found in augmented reality apps, has recently demoed their iKat software. Think Tamagotchi, but its on your phone and walking around, interacting with the real world, as seen in the video after the break.

Now granted, this seems pretty useless, unless you are really bored and/or a 12 year girl. But remember, this is just a demonstration of a their new framework called D-Track (see video). What are the possibilities for useful augmented reality programs for mobile? That's a good question. Sound off in comments with your ideas.

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Google today took the lid of an update for its Windows Mobile YouTube app, taking it up to Version 2.4 and bringing a few new features online.

There are now search suggestions (which you see above), along with "My Account" settings and a new homescreen that's redesigned for larger screens.

Head on over to m.youtube.com/app to download the latest version. [Google Mobile]

Like most modern Windows phones, the LG eXpo (see review) has its share of quirks and niggles.

We addressed the notifications one awhile back and it looks like the fine folks at LG-expo.com have gone even further, making one of those handy all-in-one fixer programs.

Appropriately called Expo/IQ Tweaker, it consists of a large list of fixes and options that you simply check to enable or disable certain features. We'll just highlight the big ones that really make a difference:

• Improve screen sensitivity and touch response
• Enable in-call recording
• Increase IE performance/scrolling
• Enable tethering
• Enable auto-rotation in all programs
• Fix missing sounds and notifications
• Increase KB backlight time

The most important one is the screen sensitivity/touch response, as the screen is a little laggy compared to traditional devices and is by far the biggest complaint about the eXpo. I'm happy to report that these registry tweaks greatly improve the screen in that regard. Likewise, fixing the sounds and notifications was the other big issue and that too works brilliantly here.

You'll need to have .NET CF 3.5 installed and you'll need to register at LG-Expo.com to grab the file. But if you're and LG eXpo fan like myself, you'll definitely want this program.

Kudos to Woodhole and team for the great work!

Microsoft is obviously making a massive commitment to Windows Phone 7 Series on a number of different fronts, as we saw announced at Mobile World Congress.

XNA Game Studio 4.0 is the latest iteration of Microsoft’s developer tool set for Windows PCs, Xbox 360 and Zune. With Version 4, XNA Game Studio gains support for Windows Phone 7 Series, but nixes support for the Zune HD. XNA and Silverlight are the two major new development platforms (new to Windows Phones, anyway) that we will be seeing a lot of going forward, and the two platforms are being discussed in-depth at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week and MIX10 next week. (Look for more from us on that front from TiPB's Rene Ritchie.)

What this means for Windows Phones is that we can expect 3D gaming to be the rule, not the exception. Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that before; but between the high level minimum specifications mandated by Microsoft’s reference chassis, Xbox Live integration and the introduction of XNA Game Studio 4 early enough that developers can get a jump on the Holiday 2010 release of Windows Phone 7 Series I would say that this is pretty much a sure thing.

Throwing that much firepower at the gaming segment makes you wonder if  Microsoft is not just targeting the iPhone/Android market, but also homing in on the PSP/Nintendo DS segment. If Microsoft is able to get similar 3D performance from a Windows Phone as competing mobile gaming consoles, it would have a major leg up because of the media playback and connectivity with other Microsoft services. One thing is for sure: It’s a good time to be a Windows Phone user. [via ZDNet]

For those of you who like reading them there book things on yer phones, but don't like installing the latest Manila/Sense from HTC, you can now just install the standalone reader.

Thanks to Mr.X, with a simple .cab file you can be up and reading various books on your WVGA device with a standalone version of HTC's eReader. (Scan the MS Tag below for direct download).

Going further, Patcat007 over at XDA has compiled 300 free books from ePub. Just download the five .zip archives with all the books, extract to your device and use the free indexer to sort and browse your files.

Not too shabby folks, not bad at all!

Browsing the Internet is one of those things that can be a major draw for people looking to purchase a smartphone, but can be rather hit or miss due to the lack of quality mobile web browsers. For my money, having a choice between which browser you use in different situations can be a deal breaker. Luckily, Windows Mobile has more browser choices than many of its competitors.

Opera has been in the mobile browser game as long as anyone and their browsers are among the best. Opera Mini 5 Beta 2 is the latest and greatest from Opera’s Mini product. Traditionally a Java based application; Opera announced today that Opera Mini 5 is available as a native Windows Mobile application. There are technical reasons why having a native application is preferable over a Java based version. The bottom line is that a native Windows Mobile application should offer better performance, stability, and compatibility across a large array of devices.

My first impression with Opera Mini 5 is that it is FAST, though the rendering engine isn’t perfect. Mini 5 uses server side rendering; meaning that when you request a web page, a server somewhere actually downloads the files and formats it and compresses it before sending it along to your device. This method keeps your data usage to a minimum and doesn’t require as much processing power on your device. The Mini 5 UI is also very similar to what we’ve been playing with on the Opera Mobile 10 betas, which I consider a very clean and usable interface.

More information on the features you can expect from Opera Mini are available from Opera’s site. To download the application, point your mobile browser to http://m.opera.com/next/mini.

Synerge Tech Solutions has released Google Analytics Mobile. As the name implies, Google Analytics Mobile allows you to access your web site's Google Analytic's data directly from your Windows Phone. For those not familiar with Google Analytics, it is a program that tracks your website activity ranging from the number of visits to where your site visitors are located (geographic regions).

Google Analytics Mobile connects directly with Google's servers and offers the data in table, chart or graph forms. The mobile app also has the ability to generate reports from the data in Google Analytics. Synerge Tech Solutions is offering Google Analytics for $4.99 and it is available at the Synerge website.

Read: wmpoweruser.com