Tag Archives: T-Mobile

Windows Phone 7: 10 devices, 4 launch hardware partners, 60 mobile carriers in over 30 countries worldwide; coming 10/21 in Europe & Asia, early November in U.S.

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Today Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage in New York City to reveal the final details surrounding the launch of Windows Phone 7.  Microsoft first unveiled their new cell phone operating system in February at Mobile World Congress; next they spotlighted developer support at MIX’10; and most recently they detailed Xbox Live integration.  All there was left to do is reveal launch harware and mobile operator partners and device release dates and pricing.  And that’s exactly what went down today in NYC.

Let’s start with the Windows Phone 7 launch hardware partners and the actual devices you might potentially pick up come this holiday season.  Samsung, LG, HTC, and Dell are collectively bringing ten new devices that will run WP7.  The Samsung Focus (codenamed Cetus) features a 4-inch (480×800) Super AMOLED display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 8GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB.  It’s the thinnest WP7 launch device measuring at 9.9mm (or .3 inches) thin.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S.  The Samsung Omnia 7 features the same 4-inch (480×800) Super AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 8GB of onboard storage.  It will launch with Orange (France and UK), SFR (France), Movistar (Spain), and Deutsch Telekom on November 8.  The LG Quantum (or Optimus 7Q outside the U.S.) features a 3.5 inch (480×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 8GB of onboard storage, a slideout QWERTY keyboard, and it comes preloaded with PlayTo, an app that allows users to wirelessly stream content to DLNA-enabled devices.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S. and with Telstra in Australia.  The LG Optimus 7 features a 3.8 inch (480×800) LCD display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 16GB of onboard storage.  It will launch with Telus (Canada), América Móvil (Mexico), Movistar (Spain), Vodafone (Germany, Italy, Spain and UK), and SingTel (Singapore).

HTC is launching five WP7-powered devices.  The HTC HD7 features a 4.3 inch (480×800) display (it’s the WP7 launch device with the largest display), 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), 16GB of onboard memory, built-in kickstand, and it comes preloaded with Netflix, Slacker,  T-Mobile Family Room (a note-taking sharing app), and a T-Mobile TV entertainment app.  It will launch exclusively with T-Mobile in the U.S. in mid-November and with O2 (UK, Germany, Ireland), Movistar (Spain), SingTel (Singapore), Telstra (Australia), and Bouygues Telecom (France) on October 21.  The HTC 7 Surround features a 3.8 inch (480×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), built-in kickstand, and 8GB of onboard storage.  What makes this device standout from all the others is the slideout speaker that features Dolby Mobile and SRS Surround Sound technologies.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S. and with Telus in Canada.  The HTC 7 Pro will be the first WP7 CDMA device and will launch exclusively with Sprint in the first half of 2011.  It features a 3.6 inch (400×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), 16GB of onboard storage, and a slideout QWERTY keyboard.  Update: The 7 Pro will arrive in Europe “early next year.”  The HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy are two WP7 handsets that will not (initially, at least) not make it to the U.S. market.  They both feature a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, and HD 720p video recording.  Here’s where they differ.  The Mozart features a sleek aluminum unibody construction with a  3.7-inch (480×800) display and 8 megapixel camera with a Xenon flash.  The Trophy, on the other hand, features a slightly larger 3.8 inch (480×800) display and a slightly lesser 5 megapixel camera with LED flash.  The Mozart with launch with Orange (France and UK), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Telstra (Australia) and the Trophy will launch with Vodafone (Australia, Germany, Spain and UK) and SFR (France).

And finally there’s the Dell Venue Pro.  It features a 4.1-inch (480×800) AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor,  5 megapixel camera with flash, and a portrait-designed QWERTY keyboard.  It will launch exclusively with T-Mobile in the U.S.

And that’s a wrap on the hardware discussion.  As you can see, all ten WP7 devices are very similar in terms of internals: the 1GHz processor, the 5 megapixel camera, the 8GB-16GB internal storage, 3.5 inch to 4.3 displays, and the handful of slideout QWERTY keyboard-equipped models.  Through the end of the year, WP7 devices will be exclusive to AT&T and T-Mobile; this leaves a wide gap in the CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) playing field.  By the time Q1 of 2011 rolls around, Microsoft better have deals finalized with the other mobile carriers if they truly want to compete in the competitive smartphone market.  Also, hardware partners will eventually have to up their game with better and differentiating specifications and designs if they want to stay relevant.  HTC is doing a fine job so far with the 7 Surround speaker design the HD7’s large 4.3 inch display.  But for now, the WP7 starting lineup is quite impressive.  The stars are certainly aligning for a successful launch.

In addition to revealing hardware and mobile carrier partners, Microsoft also shared some information regarding software developments.  Though they weren’t specific about the exact number of launch apps for Windows Marketplace, they did show off bunch of promising apps.  They include Twitter, eBay, Fandango, Netflix, Slacker, IMDb, and games such as Tetris, The Sims 3, Monopoly, Need for Speed: Undercover, and The Harvest.  AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega was on hand to show off the AT&T U-verse app.  The app will be preloaded on all AT&T WP7 devices and will allow users to download and watch TV shows on the go.  If you are already a U-verse subscriber at home, accessing and downloading content off the app is free.  You will have the ability to manage your DVR recordings, access TV guide listings and an On Demand library.  If you are not a subscriber, AT&T will offer a $9.99/month plan to watch TV on the go when WP7 launches wide in November.  (Keep in mind, “live” TV is not available; you are simply downloading content to watch now or later.)  In related news, AT&T has confirmed that Xbox 360 owners will have the ability to use their console as a U-verse receiver starting October 15.  New subscribers can order a $99 Xbox installation kit and a technician will load the software onto the console for you; current subscribers will be forced to pay an extra $55 on top of the $99 installation kit to make the switch from set-top box to Xbox.  And here’s one last software tidbit: Microsoft promises a free software update bringing copy-and-paste functionality to all WP7 devices will be pushed out in “early 2011.”  Update: In a statement Microsoft confirms that public beta software will be available for Mac users to sync “select content” with their WP7 device later this year.  Look after the break for the first two WP7 commercials!

Apple, Google, RIM…it’s on.

[Via Engadget, here, here & here; Quantum image via PhoneArena] Continue reading Windows Phone 7: 10 devices, 4 launch hardware partners, 60 mobile carriers in over 30 countries worldwide; coming 10/21 in Europe & Asia, early November in U.S. →

Microsoft Kin is no more, T-Mobile Sidekick discontinued

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Remember Microsoft Kin, the little (smart)dumbphone that could?  Well Microsoft has decided to scrap it and focus entirely on Windows Phone 7.  Here’s the official statement:

“We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned.  Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases.  We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.”

The major reason why Kin is being shut down is sales, or lack thereof.  Though Microsoft never mentioned how many handsets were sold, they neither confirmed nor denied a rumor that a mere 500 Kin devices have sold thus far.  Shortly after slashing the prices of Kin One and Kin Two to $29.99 and $49.99, respectively, Microsoft abruptly made the decision to cancel what was forever rumored as “Project Pink” for good.

Besides terrible sales figures, Engadget has a scoop that pretty much says Kin was doomed from the start.  Internal bickering between two Microsoft employees who had differernt visions for the company’s place in the mobile space ultimately sparked the eventual fall of Kin.  Here’s the short of it: In 2008 Microsoft bought Danger, the company behind the original Sidekick phone.  In collaberation with Danger folk, Microsoft created what was then known as Project Pink.  It was headed by now ex-Microsoft employee J Allard.  Allard envisioned the Kin line of devices and services separate from Windows Mobile, but Windows Mobile head Andy Lees had different plans.  Lees found Kin a distraction from what he believed was more important (the formation of Windows Phone 7), managed to take away Kin from Allard, and that’s when the phone was released into the wild.  It was put out on the market under a Microsoft mobile head who was not one-hundred percent invested in the product.  Hence, it was doomed from the start.

In the end, Microsoft (and Verizon) really didn’t do a great job at pricing and marketing the phone properly.  Kin was aimed at what Microsoft called “generation upload” (aka tweens and teens) who are constantly texting and social networking on Facebook.  The two devices were originally priced at $99 & $49 each, with monthly data plans costing $29.99/month (and that’s on top of a talk plan).  These devices were way out of the price range for the phone’s target demographic.  That’s no way to price a feature phone.  And don’t get me started with that terrible fake hipster marketing campaign!  Anyway, now that Kin is dead I hope that the custom software and services it introduced find their way into Windows Phone 7, as Microsoft promises.  The Kin Loop and Kin Spot made for an interesting take on managing social networks, but it’s the Kin Studio that held the most promise.  The ability to archive all of your phone’s content to the cloud and access it on any PC in a browser is a genius idea, one that I hope gets utilized with WP7 devices. Continue reading Microsoft Kin is no more, T-Mobile Sidekick discontinued →

Google announces Nexus One, Android finds its soulmate

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After a flurry of rumors and leaks, Google has finally stepped into the light and shared with the world the Nexus One “superphone,” a collaborative device with HTC.  Let’s jump straight to the facts, shall we?

The Nexus One sports a 3.7-inch AMOLED display (480×800), 1GHz Snapdragon processor, compass, GPS, accelerometer, light and proximity sensors, stereo Bluetooth, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an LED light source under the trackball for notifications.  It also comes with two mics (one on the bottom, the other on the back) for noise cancellation purposes.  It packs a 1400mAH battery that promises 5 hours of 3G browsing and 7 hours of 3G talk time.  When you order the device you have the option to engrave a custom two-line message on the back, just like Apple lets you do with the iPod classic, touch, and iPhone.

For now, the Nexus One is teamed with T-Mobile and sells for $179 with a new two year contract.  You also have the option to purchase it unlockedfor $529.  It will work on AT&T but without their 3G service because it only supports T-Mobile’s 3G in the US.  It is available today for purchase straight from Google.  Big news is that it’s coming to Verizon Wireless (and Vodafone) this spring.

Obviously the Nexus One runs Google’ Android mobile OS.  What’s so special about it is that it’s the first phone to run version 2.1, a much more polished version of Android 2.0.  2.1 includes live wallpapers, home screen panels, 3D photo galleries, Voice-enabled text fields, and a zippier and more handsome experience.  Unfortunately like the Droid, the Nexus One software does not include multitouch, though it definitely could handle it.  On a different note, Google promises that a future update will allow users to save apps on external storage devices like SD cards.

So what’s the verdict?  After having read many reviews it looks like the Google-HTC Nexus One is the phone to get if you’re all about Android.  It is not an iPhone killer, and Google is quick to point out that that is not the phone’s intention.  Google supports a large ecosystem of different phones, and they welcome the heavy competition the iPhone brings to the table.  So, if you are all for the Android OS, I’d take the Droid on VZ or the Nexus One on T-Mobile.  Of course you could always wait for the latter to make its way to VZ this spring, can’t you?

[Via Engadget & Gizmodo]