We're a little more than a week away from likely finding out what all the Windows Phone Seven (or Windows Mobile 7, or Seven, or whatever) is all about. And that means it's time for more rumors to come crawling out of the woodwork.
After the break, let's tackle the latest batch that was seeded to a couple of sites (Mobile Tech World and PPCGeeks) and what we think of them.
So the iPhone Fanboys Gadget Blogosphere have received their fabled Apple Tablet, known hitherto as the iPad (hit up The iPhone Blog for complete coverage). Featuring a 9.7 inch capacitive display, a 1GHz Apple A4 processor, 802.11n WiFi, and flash storage of 16, 32, or 64GB; the iPad hardware falls somewhere between cell phone and notebook computer.
From the software point of view, the iPad is running a modified version of the iPhone OS. As of now, that means it has most of the same shortcomings as the iPhone including but not limited to lack of multitasking and support for Adobe Flash. To be fair, however, the iPad does support copy and paste (snicker).
What does this mean for the WinMo faithful? The market for devices in the dark void between cell phones and Laptops has been steadily heating up for years, but it seems to be hitting the boiling point in 2010. Already this year we’ve seen Microsoft announcing the slate form factor at CES and Apple releasing the iPad; and that’s not even touching on the major push that Netbooks are getting right now. Even on the Windows Mobile front we’re starting to see devices starting to push the obnoxiously large boundary with the HD2.
Looking at the hardware numbers that have been bandied around in the last week or so in regards to “Seven”, it’s not hard to speculate that perhaps Microsoft already has an eye towards devices with similar hardware running a Windows Mobile based OS. Could Ballmer and Co. be taking a hard look at MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) running Windows Mobile 7? We’ve seen attempts at this in the past, but nothing that ever hit the big time. Here’s hoping that Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona is the turning point in the evolution of Windows Mobile.
Behold, the HD2 that we'll see on T-Mobile. HTC's product page for the device is now live, and we learn that it's getting a memory boost over its European brother. ROM capacity will be 1GB (up from 512MB); and RAM is up from 448MB to 576MB.
An easy answer for the change could be that's what T-Mobile ordered. But that's no fun, is it? A better guess is that in testing Windows Mobile 7 on it -- remember that we're all assuming it's getting WM7 -- a need for more memory was discovered. Either way, it's not a huge bump up, but we're not the types to turn down free RAM. (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)
Since our big story on Seven a few days ago, leaks and information have continued to come forth.
We'll just summarize them all here since nothing is conclusive yet, but there are lots of interesting tidbits:
We're sure that's just the tip of the iceberg and we're expecting a lot more info to come forward in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Everybody, meet Mel. Mel, meet everybody. See, Mel was part of a pretty cool thing Microsoft did leading up to the Professional Developers Conference last year in Los Angeles. A bunch of WinMo devs took a train from Seattle to L.A., and on the 36-hour journey they developed some eco-friendly apps. And Mel, as you can see, introduces himself as a member of the Windows Mobile 7 team. That in and of itself isn't that remarkable -- there surely are tons of people on it. But Mel did out himself before WM7's even been announced, and that makes us smile.
So thanks, Mel. Now check out more on the WinMo Train Race after the break.
Okay everyone, time to put on your rumor helmets (they're like beer helmets, but filled with vodka). Here's what we are hearing about Windows Mobile 7 from various sources (none of which has been announced by Microsoft).
We'll spill the beans on what we're hearing about supposed various versions of Seven, two WM7 devices including full specs (the LG "Apollo" and HTC "Obsession") time-frames and even features.
Oh, Eldar, just what are we going to do with you? The Russian behind Mobile-Review.com apparently got his hands on a very early version of Windows Mobile 7 and talked about it on (where else) Twitter. He mentions that "Zune HD is more simple UI) and that "for WM users it will be a great step ahead. For market it's a copycat of Android 3.1/3.2 [ed. note: Android's currently at Version 2.1] or iPhone" with "a lot of horizontal movements, a lot of additional info by clicks etc."
And the kicker, which you see above, is that it might well not be compatible with current Windows Mobile applications. That's something we've been hearing for a while now -- a clean break from kernels of days (and years) past. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing -- fresh start and all that -- if it's true, it'll be sure to upset a portion of the current cadre of developers. Or, maybe they'll appreciate a clean start, too. Glass half-full and all that. Stay tuned, folks.
Via wmpoweruser
Rumors abound in regards to Windows Mobile 7, HTC's HD2, and Microsoft's purported Chassis 1. Speculation stems from the story that Microsoft has a "reference chassis" for Windows Mobile 7, and the fact that the HD2 is the only device which qualifies based on the rumored hardware requirements.
The latest round of conjecture is based on an XDA post detailing the response that he received when he asked HTC about Windows Mobile 7 for his HD2. The core of HTC's response is as follows.
"What we do it ROM Upgrades from our website, however 6.5 windows mobile has only been out 2 months and windows mobile 7 hasn't even been developed. This wont be out until next november at the earliest. But when it is available it will be a free download."
Overlooking the underwhelming English skills, let's break this down. First of all, HTC does indeed release ROM updates from their website. Windows Mobile 6.5 was released in October, so this is more or less true. The statement that Windows Mobile 7 has not been developed is probably not true, but we can be fairly certain that it is not a finished product at this point. The statement about November is very noncommittal, and doesn't seem to come from anyone with actual knowledge of the timeline. The final statement, that it will be a free download once it is released, is simply in line with HTC offering free updates for their devices. While you could read into the response and take out that HTC is committed to bringing Windows Mobile 7 to the HD2, the response doesn't actually say that in so many words.
My personal prediction is that the HD2 will get Windows Mobile 7, at least unofficially. Until Microsoft shows Windows Mobile 7 to the world, speculation about what devices will get the upgrade is simply speculation. Stay tuned for news out of Mobile World Congress next month.
[via RedmondPie]
We've said it once, we've said it twice, we've said it a bunch of times. Windows Mobile 7 mostly likely will announced at Mobile World Congress next month in Barcelona. And Robbie Bach, president of the entertainment and devices division, recently alluded to as much in an analyst call, says ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley.
Things will be talked about at MWC... I've seen it and played with it, set the bar forward not in (just) an evolutionary way.
So, there you go. Windows Mobile 7 at Mobile World Congress. And we'll be there to bring it all to you.
If you ever need more confirmation that the HTC HD2 was going to get an update to Windows Mobile 7, we'll point you to the facts that (A) The original tweet saying an upgrade was coming was quickly deleted and (B) the above non-denial-denial recently posted by HTC. OK, we get it. That the HD2 might be upgraded to Windows Mobile 7 is "unconfirmed." Sure thing, guys. (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)
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