There are now over 2400 Windows Phone 7 applications in the Marketplace. However if you don’t have a Windows Phone or the Zune Desktop, but are still interested to see if Windows Phone 7 is for you you need at least to install the Zune desktop software to browse for available applications. Now that is not needed anymore……

A new website has been launched by Paul Willen called MarketplaceBrowser. This site gives everyone easy acces to see and read descriptions of all available applications for the Windows Phone 7 that are currently in the Marketplace.

Potential new Windows Phone users can easily search and discover the apps that will make their future Windows Phone 7 device the device they want.

Even if you have the Zune Software or a Windows Phone 7 this site will give you a better search and discover experience compared to the Zune desktop Marketplace and the Marketplace on your Windows Phone 7 device.

Key Features of MarketplaceBrowser v1.o

• Application Icons.
• Application description.
• Application version number.
• Application Publisher.
• Search on title and keywords.
• Most up to date app listing from the Marketplace compared to others including Bing Visual search.
• Link to Zune Desktop software and or Windows Phone 7 to Try,Install and Buy.
• Categories are listed in full with sub categories.
• Number of applications per (sub) category are listed.
• Screenshots of applications in slideshow format.
• Top 100 listings.
• Featured applications by the Author.

Do it the quick and easy way and only use the Zune desktop client if needed. Go ahead and visit MarketplaceBrowser.com and search and discover all the applications for Windows Phone 7.

For me, I would like to see the following functionality to be added in Version 2. This way I really don’t have to go to the Zune Desktop to find out if it is worth my time opening up the Zune Desktop software and install the app I want:

• Price of the application
• Reviews of the application
• Mobile version of the Website to easy navigate the website on the Windows Phone 7.

The author is looking to steam ahead for Version 2. Let us know what you would like to see added in Marketplacebrowser.com

Recently the first Foursquare client, named WinMoSquare showed up in Microsoft’s Marketplace. For those of you, who don’t know what Foursquare is, here is a brief description of the Foursquare principle:

People use Foursquare to “check-in”, which is a way of telling your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, Foursquare tells your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places – cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

Think of Foursquare as an “urban mix tape.” Foursquare helps you make lists of your favorite things to do and let you share them with friends. Foursquare will keep track of the things you’ve done, help you create To-Do lists and even suggest new experiences to seek out.

Every Foursquare check-in earns you points. Find a new place in your neighborhood? +5 points. Making multiple stops in a night? +2 points. Dragging friends along with you? +1.

If you’ve been to a place more than anyone else, you’ll become “the mayor”… until someone else comes along and steals your title.

WinMoSquare is created by Touchality and after running some beta versions, it can now be found in the Marketplace for free. After “purchasing” it (yes, it’s free!) you can download and install the WinMoSquare client. If you don’t have .Net Compact Framework on your device, it will be downloaded automatically.

After installing the WinMoSquare client, you need to sign in with your Foursquare account you have created at the Foursquare website.

On the Main screen you can view your profile and check your badges, see where your friends are, check in locations, add venues if you are in a new place, adjust some settings and log out from WinMoSquare.

When you want to check-in at a location, the client automatically searches for nearby venues and shows you which venues are closeby. If the location you want to check-in is not on the list, you can create it yourself. Add as many data as possible. When you create a venue, you can always edit the venue-data at the Foursquare website.
You can even tweet your new venue or current location to Twitter or update your Facebook status with it.

In Settings you choose a new theme, enable or disable sound, check your GPS settings and view version information.

Foursquare is a fun way to show your friends where you are and share tips and recommendations with everybody. Compared to other clients (Android and iPhone) WinMoSquare does not use celltower data to pinpoint your location. Instead, it uses GPS, so when indoors it can be a bit hard to get your location. I hope somewhere it the next version it will have celltower-location, so it is able to find your (estimated) location also indoors !

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/6807/winmosquare-foursquare-client-for-windows-mobile-review/feed 3 http://www.mobilityminded.com/6615/windows-marketplace-for-mobile-gets-storage-card-support-and-world-view http://www.mobilityminded.com/6615/windows-marketplace-for-mobile-gets-storage-card-support-and-world-view#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:45:14 +0000 Remo Knops http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=6615

A few days ago Microsoft released an interesting and very welcome upgrade for Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

In the past Windows Marketplace for Mobile has been covered in a sequence of articles (for example Windows Markeplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0 and Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators) that help you to understand the basic concepts and underlying mechanisms of the application store for Windows Phones.

However in this article the focus will be on the new features in the recent upgrade, which supports installation of applications on your storage card and the so called world view, which is a region switcher for all the localized versions of Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

When you open Windows Marketplace for Mobile from the Start Menu on your Windows Phone it automatically checks if there are upgrades for Windows Marketplace for Mobile available for download. Like a few days ago the upgrade is automatically downloaded and installed on your Windows Phone.

If the automatic upgrade mechnism is broken, like it seemed the case past weekend, you simply uninstall Windows Marketplace forMobile and reinstall it from the start menu !

Installing applications from Windows Marketplace for Mobile on your Storage Card

Before this upgrade it was nly possible to install applications from Windows Marketplace for Mobile in the main memory of your Windows Phone. And while the HTC HD2 has an incredible amount of 181 MB of Storage Memory and 337 MB of Program Memory, it are still limited numbers compared to the 8, 16 and even 32 GB storage cards available today.

Furthermore I noticed in the review of OpnMarket 1.0 - A FreewarePocketPC.net Marketplace for Mobile:

“That major difference between OpnMarket and Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you can choose the location of installation in case of OpnMarket. In other words I can choose, which is very familiar when you run a cab-installer, to install the application in the main memory or on the storage card. Unfortunately Windows Marketplace for Mobile doesn’t support installation on the Storage Card, which could result in a clogged main memory.”

In the left screenshot above you can see that the menu item “settings” is added to the menu (which wasn’t there previously). In the settings menu you can easily select the default install location for Windows Marketplace for Mobile from a pull down menu. This option really turned a smile on my face, and with the location set to storage card your device main memory can’t get clogged anymore !!

World View in Windows Marketplace for Mobile

You might remember the article: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile now accessible on the PC“, which emphasized the great power of the three-screens-and-a-cloud-strategy of Microsoft.

“On the bottom of the screen there is another remarkable detail “select catalog“. This is nothing more than a quick menu in which you can easily browse through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile in its localized version. In my case I could visit Windows Marketplace for Mobile Netherlands – Dutch.”

Unfortunately this select catalog option wasn’t available yet on your Windows Phone, until the last upgrade. In the left screenshot above you can see the heading World View in the settings menu. From a pull down menu, similar as setting the default install location, you can select the default catalog to open on the launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. In the right screenshot you can see that I select “United States – English (home)” as the default catalog.

This functionality makes it much easier to explore local applications, or international application which aren’t available in you localized Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

With the recent upgrade of Windows Marketplace for Mobile to version 1.2.1417.0001 Microsoft has raised the bar, and addressed some critical “limitations” in the mobile scenario.

While there are still other options to install an application on your Windows Phone (downloading a cab-file, copying it to your Windows Phone and running the cab-file on your device), installation via Windows Marketplace for Mobile is by far the most user-friendly method.

This upgrade of Windows Marketplace for Mobile cleary shows that even a very large company like Microsoft carefully listenes to the end-users of their mobile products. My compliments for that great mindset, and I hope we can see a lot more end-user driven innovations in the upcoming future !!

What are your thoughts do you like the upgrade or not ? Is there still room for improvement ?

A few days ago I saw the news that the well known website FreewarePocketPC.net, which has a massive database of freeware applications for Windows Phone, launched OpnMarket 1.0 !!

In simple words OpnMarket is a Windows Marketplace for Mobile alternative, 100% aimed at freeware applications and a natural extension of the FreewarePocketPC.net website. On the OpnMarket section of the FreewarePocketPC website you can read the following product description:

“OpnMarket is compatible with most of the Windows Mobile Professional devices with touch-screens, once installed it lets you browse, download and install FREE applications directly on your device. OpnMarket will use you mobile network connection or a WiFi connection to download softwares to your phone. It’s simple, instant and FREE !”

Installation and registration of OpnMarket 1.0

Download the OpnMarket cab-installer from the FreewarePocketPC website via the download button or by scanning the Microsoft Tag with your Windows Phone. You run the cab-installer and let OpnMarket install on your device.

When you open the OpnMarket application via the Windows Mobile Start Menu, a screen is shown where you need to login with FreewarePocketPC account credentials. If you don’t have a FreewarePocketPC account like me you simply hit the “register” button, which is shown in the right screenshot above.

In the registration screen, which you can see in the left screenhot above, you need to fill in three fields:  (1) E-mail, (2) Password, and (3) Full Name. After you have completed this, you hit the register button, and a pop-up will be shown “Thank you for registering”. Furthermore you are automatically logged in! My compliments for the excellent userexperience of on-device account registration, that worked simple and flawless.

Application overview OpnMarket 1.0

The left screenshot above shows you the main screen of OpnMarket, when you are logged in with your account. In the top of the screen you see a row of three green tabs: (1) ”What’s new”, (2) “Most Popular” and (3) “Featured”. By default the what’s new tab is selected.

The major middle part of the screen is taken by a list of freeware applications. On the left of each application entry you can see a graphic, and on the right of the application title you can see a rating system based on a certain number of stars.

In the bottom of the screen you see a toolbar with four buttons: (1) “Showcase”, (2) “Categories”, (3) “Search”, and (4) “My Apps“. As you can see in hte left screenshot above by default the showcase button is active.

The right screenshot above shows you the categories screen, which makes it easier to filter applications based on a category. With the back-button you can go back to the showcase screen.

If you know the application name, you may even choose a more powerful option to find the application. “Search” is included in the third button, and as you can see in the left screenshot above you simply enter a search string and hit the go button. For example you enter the string “screen capture”.

The right screenshot above shows you the My Apps button, which is simply a list of installed applications on your device. In the screenshot this is Iliumsoft Screen Capture application.

Installing freeware on your Windows Phone via OpnMarket 1.0

You may notice in the screenshots above that the “Featured” and “What’s New” lists with applications are almost identical. This is probably caused by the fact that such a short time after the initial launch there are not many rankings done, while the installed userbase is also pretty limited.

However I hit the “Search” button on the bottom, enter the search string “screen capture”, give it a go and switch back to the green ”Most Popular” tab in the top toolbar. As you can see in the right screenshot above the Illiumsoft Screen Capture application is among the first applications. So I decide to install Iliumsoft Screen Capture, by tapping on the Screen Capture list entry.

A new overview screen of Iliumsoft Screen Capture 1.00  is opened, which is shown to you in the right screenshot.At first you have the application title, andthe green back button in the top left corner.  Just below there is a block with an application graphic (left), the number of downloads and rating (right) and a green “Download” button in the middle.

The main part is used for a description of the Iliumsof Screen Capture application, with on the bottom part two green buttons: (1) Reviews, and (2) Write a review. This layout is again very similar to the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, so I continue and tap on the green download button.

Just above the download button, you will see a progress bar that shows you the status of the download. When the download is completed the download button is “changed” into an install button, which is shown in the left screenshot above. You might argue that this is an additional step in the installation process, but it gives you some more control.  However I’m sure I want to install Iliumsoft Screen Capture, and simply hit the install button.

That major difference between OpnMarket and Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you can choose the location of installation in case of OpnMarket. In other words I can choose, which is very familiar when you run a cab-installer, to install the application in the main memory or on the storage card. Unfortunately Windows Marketplace for Mobile doesn’t support installation on the Storage Card, which could result in a clogged main memory.

When Iliumsof Screen Capture is installed, you see can see that the install button is changed into an uninstall button.  Furthermore you can see that Iliumsoft Screen Capture is added to the My Apps tab. I can now enjoy using Iliumsoft Screen Capture.

Concluding thoughts about OpnMarket

On the OpenMarket scetion of the FreewarePocketPC website we can read the following subtitle for the OpnMarket application:

“Instant free downloads for your Windows Mobile phone, enjoy installing applications directly on your device !”

OpnMarket simply does in practice what it tells, and from a strategic perspective it is a great move from FreewarePocketPC.net. It is  a well known website for freeware applications, and with OpnMarket you are not limited to a webbrowser (despite there is a mobile version available).

OpnMarket is a natural extension of the FreewarePocketPC.net database, which is very easy to install and use! Remark the fact that I didn’t have an account before, and did the registration on my Windows Phone. I tested OpnMarket over a Wi-Fi connection on the HTC HD2 and it work very fast and snappy.

Short comparison Windows Marketplace for Mobile and OpnMarket

I would like to start this concluding section with asking you to compare the two screenshots of Windows Marketplace for Mobile and OpnMarket above, and find the differences (if applicable).

All main building blocks are available in Windows Marketplace for Mobile and in OpnMarket, only the user-interface and the arrangement of the building blocks is diferent. OpnMarket has opted for two fixed tool bars with buttons, while in Windows Marketplace for Mobile you need to use the back command via the left softkey to go back to the Marketplace homescreen and choose a different link from there. 

Furthermore both OpnMarket and Windows Marketplace for Mobile are accessible from the PC. FreewarePocketPc started at this browser-side, while Microsoft rolled-out Windows Marketplace for Mobile first and brought it to your webbrowser.  However there are in my opinion two major differences:

1. OpnMarket is 100% aimed at freeware, while Windows Marketplace for Mobile mainly offers non-freeware. As a result Microsoft has put payment and billing mechanisms in place to support on-device purchasing !
2. OpnMarket is only available for Windows Mobile Professional (touch) devices, and therefore doesn’t support Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch) devices. Windows Marketplace for Mobile is offered in a Windows Mobile Standard version, and guarantees that the applications shown in the list are fully compatible with non-touch devices.

OpnMarket is a great application, which helps you to easily browse for and install new freeware applications from FreewarePocketPC.net !

Buienradar is a popular service in the Netherlands for accurate weather forcasts and -almost realtime- weather developments. Buienradar was one of the first applications in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile as announced during the local Windows Phone launch event on October 6th.

In this article I hope to provide an in depth application overview, and cover most features and functionality within the application. 

Installation of Buienradar via Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Buienradar is one of the launching partners present at the Windows Phones launch and is one of the first applications in the localized Dutch Windows Marketplace for Mobile. You simply launch the Windows Marketplace for Mobile via the renewed Start Menu, select most popular, and tap on Buienradar in the list with applications.

A new screen in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is opened with a description of the application, some screenshots and if applicable reviews as well. However you just have to tap the green “install-button” to start the installation process. When this process is finished go open the start menu and select the Buienradar icon from the list to launch the application.

With the recent announcement that Windows Marketplace for Mobile is also accessible from the Windows PC, you could also try this way of installing Buienradar on your Windows Phone.

Buienradar for Windows Mobile – the application reviewed

The left screenshot above shows the main screen of the Buienradar application, which shows the map of the Netherlands. As you can see in the left upper corner you see the time and in the right corner the zoom-level.

The biggest part of the screen area is used for the map and the location of the rain clouds. You can see them as the blue spots above the Netherlands, and based on the rainclouds intesity the will get a different color. Purple clouds means high intesity and heavy rain.

Just below the map you can see a grey toolbar with 5 buttons, of which each represents a different view or -mode in the Buienradar application for Windows Phones. You can see in the left screenshot above the rain cloud information for the Netherlands, while the first button in the toolbar is selected.

If you select the second button in the toolbar you see again the rain cloud information, however now not only for the Netherlands but for complete Western Europe. This overview is shown in the right screenshot above.

The left screenshot above shows the overview, when the third button is selected. You see the sattelite view of the current weather situation of the Netherlands. Despite the fact that there aren’t many rain clouds it is harder to recognize them in the sattelite view. The right screenshot above shows the sattelite view for complete Western Europe (same as the rain cloud overviews earlier in this article).

If you select the fith button in the toolbar, you will get the written weather forecast. In the left screenshot above this is a daily weather forcast, while in the right screenshot you can see a weatherforecast that covers the whole week. With help of the left softkey you can easily switch between those different weather forecasts.

Some interesting general functionality

In all the screenshots above (rain cloud views, sattelite views and written weather forecasts) you see the “menu” label on the right softkey. When you open the menu you can select  either “The Netherlands” or “Belgium” as the standard center of the map in the rain cloud- and sattelite views of the Buienradar application.

Furthermore you can open the about screen from this menu, which is shown in the right screenshot above. You can see that the Buienradar application is freeware, but surprisingl I couldn’t find a build- or version number. Furthermore there is the option to exit the application.

The final cool design aspect of Buienradar that I would like to address it the possibility to switch between a static overview or an animation overview in both the rain cloud- and sattelite views. In the following screenshot below you can see the animation of the rain cloud developments in time.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3VNlLbEi-o

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

Especially in the Netherlands Buienradar is the most popular website to check out the latest and almost instant real time information about rain clouds, their location, their movements and intensity. In addition you can find local temperatures and some interesting predictions as well.

In fact you can get the same information on the Buienradar website, that a professional educated weather forecaster provides to the public. Therefore it is even more interesting that Buienradar has become available on Windows Phones since the initial localized launch of the Dutch Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Do you live in the Netherlands or Belgium and own a Windows Phone, visit the Windows Marketplace for Mobile and try your free copy !

In this article I will cover a “next-step” in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile development. This morning I read an excellent article of Leigh Geary, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of CoolSmartphone.com, where he outlined that Windows Markeplace for Mobile would become accessible from your browser as well.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile was currently -until today- only accessible from your Windows Mobile 6.5 powered smartphone. However you now can simply direct the browser on your pc to the following webaddress:  http://marketplace.windowsphone.com/

1.  Details Windows Marketplace for Mobile on PC

The screenshot above shows an overview of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile homepage. On the right you can see a list with categories to make finding the right application easier. Furthermore you can see  three large blocks:  SHOWCASE, MOST POPULAR and WHAT’S NEW, in which applications are featured.

In the top right corner of the screen you might notice the possibility to select the according operating system Windows Mobile Professional and Windows Mobile Standard. In fact these are a kind of filters, resulting in an overview of applications that are only 100% compatible with the platform you are running.

On the bottom of the screen there is another remarkable detail “select catalog“. This is nothing more than a quick menu in which you can easily browse through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile in its localized version. In my case I could visit Windows Marketplace for Mobile Netherlands – Dutch.

Not only the applications in the localized version of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile might differ, since some developers might choose a local market in line with their business model, but also the product descriptions are in the localized language as well. However most important is that you can have a look at other catalogs as well.

2.  Sign-in on Windows Marketplace for Mobile on PC

In the screenshot above you can see a screenshot of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile Netherlands, and my appologies for the on screen language which is in Dutch. I installed Windows Marketplace for Mobile on my HTC Snap, and you can directly notice in the screenshot that only the Windows Mobile Standard applications after I have signed in. So there is no catalog selector anymore and no option to switch between Windows Mobile Professional and Windows Mobile Standard anymore.

The next link in the top navigation bar is called “Purchase History“, and by clicking on this link it shows me an overview of the applications I have purchased / installed via Windows Marketplace for Mobile on the HTC Snap. It includes all the neccessary details like you can see in the screenshot above.

Right to the the Purchase History link you see the Account Settings option, in which you can edit the account settings. However the first step is that you need to agree with the license agreement and click next. After that you see the Windows Marketplace for Mobile account overview and you can add a creditcard to the Windows Marketplace for Mobile account. The payment mechanism has been covered in the article: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators” and shows similarities with the X-Box and Zune purchase mechanisms.

Futhermore you can see the community-link in the screenshots, which redirects you to the Microsoft Social Forums. Don’t hesitate to dropp a question about your Windows Phone there, since there are knowledgable and experienced people who are more than willing to help you.

Finally as you can see in the screenshot above, a help section or frequently asked questions sections is included as well. This could help you solving some basic questions with Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

The outline in this article clearly shows that Microsoft is working hard to get Windows Marketplace for Mobile to the next phase. And hopefully we will see “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0” soon.

My first impressions with the Windows Marketplace for Mobile being available on the PC are quite ok. The main advantage is that you can view the application-overview on a larger screen, while I’m really happy to browse through other catalogues as well.

I hope we can see this catalogue selector also on the device side as well, making it easy to switch between marketplaces if you speak multiple languages or would like to install a specific application.

Furthermore I’m confident that the people at Microsoft have thought about the scenario where you have multiple devices with Windows Marketplace for Mobile installed on them. I hope the management and installation to a specific device from the PC will hopefully work well in that scenario.

Overall I’m happy to see improvements in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile development, direct by the Microsoft three-screen-strategy.

We have waited long for this device, but finally it’s here. There were a lot of rumors about the HD2, also known as HTC Leo. Some people believed it would be a (killer) Android device and others told us that it would be the first HTC device with the 1 Gigahertz Snapdragon processor and a capacitive screen. The last party was right.

The HTC HD2 has been released to the public with a Snapdragon processor, a large 4,3″ capacitive touchscreen, lots of ROM and RAM and all this in a 11 mm tick housing. Currently there is no other phone with these impressive specifications and comparing it to an iPhone 3GS only reveals that HTC has done a very good job and beats the iPhone in every single way !

1.  First impressions

Let’s have a look at this new device and we’ll start as always with a first impression. Designers at HTC must have thought that you’ll never get a second chance for a first impression. So they added some exciting features to the HD2.

First, it is big ! Bigger than a Touch Pro2 and bigger than a normal HD. In fact it is close to the size of the HTC Universal. When thinking of the Universal, you are thinking about a bulky device, but the HD2 is only 11 millimeters thick ! That is only 1 millimeter less than the first HD, but devices tend to get smaller and smaller and the HD2 is a great example of this. With the size of the devices also comes the huge 4,3″ screen. There is only a small edge besides the screen so it looks like the complete front of the device is a screen.

The HD2 also features the new HTC Sense interface with Twitter integration and Footprints. All this runs on Windows Mobile 6.5 and with the help of a 1 Gigahertz Snapdragon processor, this device is a dream to work with ! There is absolutely no lag at all in any menu or when using the Sense interface. It feels snappier than ever !

The device furthermore features a 3,5″ headphone jack and instead of Mini-USB, there is a Micro-USB connector at the bottom of the HD2. On the backside you will find only the lens of the 5 Megapixel camera. Next to the lens there a two very bright LED’s that should give you sharp and well-lit pictures in the dark. All together, HTC did a great job by packing all these features in one device. There’s only one surprise: No stylus ! But you wont need it because of the capacitive screen. Now let’s get a bit more into detail and see what the exact specifications are.

2.  Specifications of HTC HD2

On the HTC HD2 product page you can find a detail overview with specifications, and you directly notice that this Windows Phone is a powerhouse:

3.  What is in the box ?

Although our HTC HD2 arrived in a white (review) box and only contained a charger, a synchronization cable and a headset, the contents of the retail package are the same with the addition of a manual, a warranty card, a quick start guide and a accessory guide.

You are probably also looking for a screen protector because every HTC device you bought in the past had one in the box, but you won’t find any in the box of your HTC HD2. The reason for this is probably that the screen of the HD2 is made of different material than a normal screen and should be unscratchable, just like the screen of the HTC Hero. Only time will tell if this is the correct assumption. A screen protector could also interfere with the capacitive display and your finger. Therefore it might not react as quick and smooth as without a screen protector.

Chris Davies, Editor from SlashGear, has compiled an unboxing video which provides an additional overview of what is in the HTC HD2 box.

4.  Functional hardware design

After the first impressions and an overview of the items which are included in the box it is time to strongly focus on the functional- and hardware design of the powerhouse.

4.1  Front side of HTC HD2

Of course the first thing everyone will notice is the massive 4.3″ VGA screen, based on capacitive screen technology. The HTC HD2 is, as far as I know, the first Windows Phone which is designed on this capacitive screen technology.

Steve Litchfield, Editor on All About Symbian.com, has written  the article: “Resistive vs Capacitive: the invisible tech war in which both opponents can win?” in which you can find a comparison chart of resistive an capacitive screen technology.

Just above the screen you find a grille behind which you have the front speaker and for example the charging LED. On the left of this grille you find two sensors just below the glass surface. At first the proximity sensor and second the back light sensor.

Below the screen you see one single row of five buttons, with the same layout as we have seen on the HTC Touch2. The front of the HTC HD2 is relatively “clean” compared to other windows phone or in other words a minimalistic design of buttons.

If you look on the screen from a side angle you can see that there is one single flat glass surface, except for the button row and the grille who stand out. However this is some excellent engineering work.

4.2  Right side of HTC HD2

If we have a look at the right side of the HTC HD2, you can see that there is no single button there. You can see how the metal battery cover “snaps” on the sides of the HTC HD2. In the metal battery cover you see a slit where you can put in your finger nail to remove the battery cover.

4.3  Bottom of HTC HD2

The picture above shows the bottom of the HTC HD2, where you can see both the Micro USB port and a 3.5 mm. headphone jack. Some time ago the following article was published: “Micro USB and 3.5 mm headphone jack to become mobile standards ?“, and in fact this is the first HTC device that features both of these standards. Some people might argue in favor of the Mini USB which powered almost every HTC device until the release of the HTC HD2.

4.4  Left side of HTC HD2

On the left side of the HTC HD2 you can just see the dedicated volume control buttons. I’m happy see these buttons in order to change the volume during a voice call, for example when you walk into a noisy environment.

Furthermore you can see that the metal battery cover also snaps around this side of the HTC HD2, but I would like to point you to a detail. The metal battery cover features a contour that perfectly fits/snaps onto the volume control buttons.

4.5  Top of HTC HD2

The picture above shows a perfectly clean topside of the HTC HD2 without any buttons. The topside used to be the place where you could find dedicated power buttons in the past.

4.6  Backside of HTC HD2

The backside of the HTC HD2 is mainly dominated with the brushed metal battery cover. In the upper part you notice a 5 Megapixel camera. Remarkable is the fact the camera lens sticks a few millimeters (+/- 2.5) out the surface of the backside. However there is a minor edge which protects the camera lens from scratching if you put the device on the table.

Furthermore you notice that on the right side of the camera lens, there is a dual LED flash which supports the camera is less light conditions. Despite you can’t compare the camera with a specialized SLR camera it is a nice addition of improvement.

On the left of the camera lens you see the grille of the speaker on the backside.

5.  Detailed look at HTC Sense

The HTC HD2 is the first Windows Phone with HTC Sense installed and has (just like other HTC devices) different tabs. The tabs available in HTC Sense are:  (1) Start, (2) Contacts, (3) Messages, (4) Mail, (5) Internet, (6) Calendar, (7) Stocks, (8) Pictures and Video’s, (9) Music, (10) Weather, (11) Twitter, (12) Footprints, (13) Settings.

All the tabs (except for Start and Settings) can be enabled or disabled, and apart from the Start-tab all the tabs can be re-ordered at your own will.

5.1  Start / Home

The Start Tab shows directly on the top the Carrier. Under the carrier-bar there are several widgets which can’t be turned off (like the Android Sense Widgets).

The most top widget is a widget which shows the current time, the current location and weather information about the current location. When you tab on this widget a separate application within sense opens with 2 tabs:

1. World-Clock application and
2. Alarm-clock application.

The world-clock application shows the time from different places around the world. Of course there is an option to add your own city here. Next to the world clock application there is the “Alarm” tab. The alarm tab has 3 alarms. Each alarm can be set to a specified time and day.

Below the “Time-widget” on the Start Tab there is another widget which shows the date, the next time the alarm will go and the next appointment. When you click on the date you can select an other date and timezone.

The alarm-button brings you to the same “Alarm”-tab described in the widget above. And when you click on the next appointment you go the the “Agenda-tab” of the HTC sense interface.
Below this widgets there are 3 widgets which can be used as a shortcut to an application, contact or a bookmark.

When you swipe your finger up, while you’re in the start-tab 6 more widgets which can be used as a shortcut are shown.

5.2  Contacts

The contacts tab, shows 9 directly access shortcuts to your popular contacts. If you scroll-up you’ll see 6 more shortcuts. So in total in the contacts tab there are 15 contacts which can be set a favorite.

5.3  Messages

The messages tab shows all the text messages. When you’re selecting a message, you’ll see the message tab from the “people-centric communication” like the HTC Touch Pro 2. In this view you get an overview of all the text messages sent from and to this contact.

The people centric communication has been reviewed in the HTC Touch Pro 2 review and is exactly the same on the HD2.

5.4  Mail

The mail tab show all the mailboxes you’ve configured. When you select a message you’ll see the complete message with some additional features, which again we first found in the HTC Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro2. You’re able to go to the people centric communication from the person who wrote you.

5.5  Internet

The Internet tab is different form the HTC Touch Pro2. There seems to be no push-internet available on the HD2. On the top of the internet tab there is a search-bar. In this bar you can enter a search term and push the search button. This will automatically open Google ad gives you the search results.

Under the search bar there is a large button to open the Internet Browser. On default this will open Opera (Although there is also Internet Explorer installed on the device).

Under the internet browser button there are 2 shortcut button in which you can add a favorite website. When you scroll up this tab you’ll find 8 more shortcut buttons to enter favorite websites.

5.6  Calendar

The calendar tab has five different views: Agenda, Day, Week, Month and Year.

The agenda view – gives you a chronological list of items in your agenda.The day-view shows you all the appointments on a specific day, and the weather of the location of you appointments, if these can be retrieved from the internet.
The week-view shows all days of the week, so you can have a good overview of your (work) week.
The month-view shows all the days of the month and shows a little icon on the days that have an appointment set. When you click on a specific day you go to the day-view of the selected day.
The year-view shows all the months. When you select a month, you’ll see the month-view of the selected month. Of course you can than select a day, which brings you to the day-view of the selected day.

5.7  Stocks

The stocks tab shows a list of all the stocks you’re interested in. Stocks can be added, removed or re-ordered.
In the settings of the stocks it is possible to automatically update the stock information with an interval from 5 minutes to 8 hours. It is also possible to select an option that lets you download stock-update information while you’re roaming. The last setting is the color of the stocks when the price of the stocks rise. This can be set to green or to red.

5.8  Pictures and Video’s

The pictures and video’s tab lets you go through the pictures and videos on the device. When you swipe your finger up you’ll see the next picture or video. The pictures and videos tab can be rotated. This view gives you a very nice sleek overview of the pictures and video’s on the HTC HD2.

5.9  Music

The music tab shows all the music on the device. When available the album-art of the device is also shown. In the music tab it is possible to play, pause, and go to the next and previous song. The music tab also has an landscape view. This shows a view very similar to the iPhone’s Coverflow. In the landscape view it is also possible to play and pause the song and skip to the previous and next song.

5.10  Weather

The weather application shows a full-screen overview of the weather. The top part shows the temperature high and low, and the temperature at the moment. Of course it also shows the nice animated weather information when it’s sunny, clouded or when it rains.

The bottom part shows the same information (temperature high, low, and a small picture of the expected weather forecast) for the next four days. When you swipe your finger up the weather of an other location is shown.

5.11  Twitter / HTC Peep

Twitter has grown very fast over the last couple of months. HTC made a decision to add a Twitter tab to their HTC Sense. When you have set your Twitter credentials in the Twitter tab you see your timeline in the tab. At the very top there is an input text field where you can enter a tweet and update your status. The 2 soft keys are “Menu” and “All tweets”. The menu has some shortcuts to the basic twitter functionalities. These menu items are “update timeline”, “new tweet”, “new message”, “update location”, “my profile”, “Settings” and “Search”
All these menu items are self explanatory.
At first it looked like there was no difference in the menu options “new tweet” and “new message”, but it turned out that the option “new message” has a extra input field and you have to add a recipient. The message is send as a Direct Message to the recipient. The twitter tab is strongly connected to the “Peep” application, which is also installed on the HTC HD2.
Also the soft key button “All tweets” brings you in the application called Peep.

Peep has 4 tabs

1) your twitter timeline
2) your @replies
3) your Direct Messages
4) your favorite tweets

The “Menu” soft key in Peep is exactly the same menu as in the Twitter tab.

5.12  Footprints

With footprints it is possible to add meta-data to photo’s. This meta-data includes a rating, Category, GPS-location, Phone number, web-address and more.

The tab Footprints let you flip through the footprints which you created in the past and lets you add new footprints. A particular nice feature of footprint is the integration with Google Maps and CoPilot. Google maps shows the street view (if available at that location) and CoPilot Live lets you navigate to that location.

5.13  Settings

The tab settings gives you a quick access to the most used setting. In this tab you can change the settings of HTC Sense itself but also other phone settings like  Wireless settings, Sound settings and other settings.

6.  Other software highlights

HTC has put a lot of efforts in the HTC Sense interface but there are a lot of additional (third party) applications included as well.

6.1  Wi-Fi-Router

The first highly interesting application, developed by HTC themselves, is the Wi-Fi-Router application. This is a simple one-click solution to turn your Windows Phone into a router. This can be a really helpful application since, in for example a project group working in an out-of-the-office-location can work on a project and stay in touch with the corporate infrastructure, in a simple way.

Windows Mobile was already known for its Internet Sharing application, in which the Windows Phone becomes the modem of your Windows powered notebook. However this Wi-Fi-Router application takes it one step further, and you can easily now share your cellular data connection with others as well.

6.2  WorldCard Mobile

I think the Wi-Fi-Router application already emphasizes that this a well balanced device that is perfectly suited for application in business as well (and I not only mean the Exchange ActiveSync).

HTC has included Worldcard Mobile from PenPower on the HTC HD2, which lets you easily take a picture of a business card via the build-in 5 Megapixel camera, and transforms the information into the details of an Outlook Contact. In other words, take a picture and the contact details are imported into your Windows Phone.

This application normally costs $25,– and is certainly a valuable addition to the HTC HD2.

6.3  JETCET PRINT 5

Another valuable application is the the JETCET PRINT application v5. With this application you can print documents stored on your HTC HD2 to a bluetooth or network printer. On the Westtek website you can read the following product description:

“Experience the best mobile printing solution on the market! JETCET PRINT lets you print documents, photos, email and much more from your Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone. Quickly add printers, browse to files and voila! Print! No more complicated configuration steps or additional software required.”

6.4  Adobe Reader LE

Probably not amazingly shocking is the availability of Adobe Reader LE version 2.5 on the HTC HD2. I must admit that I work a lot with pdf-files, since most of the scientific articles are available in pdf-format. However the massive and ultra clear 4.3″ screen of the HTC HD2 makes it possible to read pdf-files easily, and without hurting your eyes or scrolling like hell.

Again this is an example which shows the versatility of the HTC HD2 and the balance of work and life coming together in one device.

6.5  CoPilot

Also a 14-day trial of the CoPilot navigation software is included on the device, which was also the case on the HTC Touch2 and Touch Pro2.

6.6  Facebook

Some time ago Microsoft release a Facebook application for Windows Phones, to keep track of your Facebook page while on the go. This application is included with almost every Window Mobile 6.5 device, and you might want to check out our detailed review.

7.  Camera- and video use on the HTC HD2

At first I need to start with the remark that there is no dedicated hardware button for starting the camera application on the HTC HD2.

The main reason for this is probably the excellent integration into the HTC Sense GUI, in the pictures and video tab as you may have seen in section 5.8 – A detailed look on HTC Sense.

Furthermore HTC is working for some time on their own camera- and picture album software (to my knowledge from the time the HTC Touch and the HTC Touch dual were released). All these different applications are very well integrated including (shortcuts into) HTC Sense.

In the specification list you can see that the HTC HD2 has a 5 megapixel color camera with Auto focus and Dual LED flashlight. When you start the camera application you can see and hear the auto focus doing its job before taking the picture.

The dual LED flashlight does an “ok” job, because when you are to close to an object you get an overexposed picture. However for an overview picture from “a distance” the flashlight is ok. In fact the pictures in less light conditions are pretty well, but certainly not as good as on a digital SLR camera.

However for a mobile device certainly excellent, and the picture below gives an example of a picture taken outside (without the flash), and on the link below the picture you can open the original sized picture as well.

Click here for the original-sized version

8.  Multitouch on the HTC HD2

One of the new exciting features of the HTC HD2 is multitouch. Multitouch is one of the methods you can use to interact with the screen.

It allows you to use two or more fingers to interact with the HTC HD2 by placing them directly on the screen. Any movements you make with your fingers will create a gesture, which sends a command to the screen. Gestures can be used to rotate or to scale a photo or picture.

When you use the photo gallery on the HTC HD2, you can use your fingertip to browse through the pictures. When you move your finger from right to left across the screen, the next picture will be displayed.

If you see a picture that you want to scale, you can use multitouch, by placing 2 fingertips on the screen and slowly moving them away from each other. This causes the picture to be enlarged. You can reduce it by moving your fingertips in the opposite direction. You can also rotate a picture by placing your fingertip on the screen and slowly make a circle. This will cause the picture to rotate.

You can also use the scale or zoom function in the Opera browser to zoom in or out on web pages. This gives you the advantage to view a website in normal layout and if you want to read an article, just zoom in on that particular part.

Multitouch is a very handy feature on the HTC HD2 and I hope in the future this will enable users to use multitouch more to interact with the device.

9.  Haptic feedback, Proximity Sensor and G-Sensor

The HTC HD2 also features haptic feedback just like the Touch Pro2. This means that the device gives you tactile feedback when you press the screen within TouchFLO 3D. With every screentap you will feel a little vibration that confirms that you have touched the screen. It is enabled by default and cannot be turned off.

The HTC HD2 also features a Proximity Sensor. An extremely cool and useful feature of the HTC HD2. It senses whether the device is being held next to your ear. Once the device is raised up to your ear, the Proximity sensor immediately turns off the screen in order to save battery life. Moving the device away from your ear turns the screen turns on again. PDA screens by nature are one of the biggest battery drains, especially when a screen is as large and bright as this one.

The HTC HD2 has also a built-in G-Sensor. We have seen this feature before in other devices such as the Touch Pro  (2) and Diamond (2). The G-sensor automatically turns the screen to landscape when you turn the device over. This is very useful when you want to type a message in landscape.

However HTC has developed another cool application based on the sensors available in the device, which is a digital compas. A screenshot is shown above (right).

10.  Overall conclusion and wrap-up

In the concluding section of this review we would like to take a different approach and combine three (different) perspectives on the HTC HD2.

Mark Briggeman

Quietly brilliant. I would rather say quite brilliant. I was really impressed when I saw a pre-production version of this new HTC flagship. First I thought it would be to big for my hands, but it fits perfectly. The vivid capacitive 4,3″ screen reacts extremely fast and this is also due to the latest Snapdragon processor. I am more a hardware keyboard user, but a quick demonstration of the onscreen keyboard showed me that I might not need a hardware keybaord anymore.

I now use a Touch Pro2 and I was finding things to compare it with, but to be honest, there weren’t to many. The HD2 is bigger, faster, more stylish and packed with the latest HTC features like HTC Sense with Twitter integration and HTC Footprint. Multitouch is a great addition to this device and makes it even more usable.

HTC is showing again a great new device with a great design and I can’t wait to start using it !

Paul Willen

The HTC HD2 can be named the new flagship from the Windows Phones portfolio from HTC without a hardware keyboard.

The capacitive touchscreens works brilliantly. I think HTC set a new standard with this capacitive touchscreen. Due to the snapdragon chipset, the device is really fast. In fact it feels like it’s the fastest Windows Phone I’ve seen.

In my opinion there is only one thing missing on this device and that is a Large build-in storage. Of course there is a possibility to insert a Micro-SD card, but that needs to be purchased separately. 8 or 16GB internal memory would be great to store some music or video’s on.

Overall I would say this is really the best Windows Phone without a hardware keyboard currently on the market.

Remo Knops

Every mobile technology geek must be excited about this powerhouse fresh from the HTC factory, and so was I during the review process. I was very curious about the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1GHz. The experience is a blazing fast device, and we have done some comparison scenarios with the HTC Touch Pro2.

Furthermore the massive ultra clear 4.3″ capacitive WVGA screen is really awesome. With such an amazing screen you hope even for resolution larger than 800×400. You might recall the example where I could read an article in pdf-format without any problem, so this has really amazed me.

The capacitive technology works really well, and it’s the first Windows (touch) Phone without a stylus -a true milestone in Windows Mobile history. Also the onscreen keyboard, especially in landscape mode works fine, but in my opinion it can’t beat the HTC Snap hardware keyboard.

The HTC HD2 is a very well balanced Windows Phone for various usage scenarios, and with a bulk load of added value not only in terms of technology and hardware but also in terms of software innovations as well. HTC has done an amazing job and set the bars significantly higher.

Overall conclusion:         Quietly Brilliant !

A few short remarks:

At first we haven’t covered one important feature of the HTC HD2 which was announced, which would be the carkit for- and carkit mode on the HTC HD2. Chris Davies, Editor at SlashGear, had a similar experience:

“What we don’t have – and we hear won’t be available until December – is the HTC Car Kit for the HD2, which adds a powered windscreen/dashboard mount, new docking battery cover for the phone itself and automatically kicks it into navigation mode whenever it’s clicked into place.”

Second the received HTC HD2 has a localized Dutch ROM preloaded on the device, so therefore the screenshots consist of Dutch translations. However I honestly do hope that you will be able to get an idea of the device software and its functionality. We plan to exchange these with screenshots of a HTC HD2 with a WWE ROM in the upcoming future.

What we like about the HTC HD2 ?

• Huge screen
• Super fast processor
• HTC Sense
• 3,5″ headphone jack
• Design. Only five buttons on the front panel and a touchscreen is all you need

What we like a little less about the HTC HD2 ?

• Position of the camera lens.  I think the lens will damage quickly because the device rests on it when it is placed on it’s back.
• Again no camera hardware button. I really miss that.
• No Video-out.
• Not a real disadvantage, but switching to Micro-USB requires me to carry an extra cable to charge in the office or on the go. Until now I could perfectly manage that with one Mini-USB cable.

11.  Postscript

HTC’s Quietly Brilliant Campaign focused on HTC HD2

HTC Sense is based on three principles. Make it mine, stay close, and discover the unexpected.

Make It Mine

HTC HD2’s expansive display is like a canvas on which you create a phone that is just right for you. Customize the phone by prioritizing essential features like mail, calendar, messaging, browser and more. Next, with just a tap, put shortcuts to the most important people, favorite websites, or most used application right on the home screen. And if you feel like something is still missing, visit Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, and install fun and useful applications.Your phone doesn’t only reflect your personality; it also tunes into your location. The clock automatically updates to the local time wherever you are. You can see the outside temperature and weather at a glance. And, if you choose the weather wallpaper, you’ll get a brilliantly lifelike animation that lets you virtually feel the sun’s rays or the chill of the breeze without setting a foot outside.

Stay Close

With HTC HD2, communication is focused around people rather than applications, so all of your interactions like email, SMS, phone logs, and even updates from Facebook are all in one place. Right where your instinct tells you to look – next to the photo of the person with whom you want to stay in touch with.In business, a phone call often has the power to prevent a mile-long pile up of inconclusive emails. HTC HD2 makes it simple to go from reading an email to calling the sender. All it takes is a single tap on the large phone icon right from the email. And if you need to get everyone involved in the discussion – just tap next to the images of everyone to create an instant conference call.Forget the challenge of jumping from your calendar to your phone application while trying to find and memorize the number for your next conference call. On HTC HD2, conference call reminders conveniently appear with a big dial button ready for you to press, even the PIN is displayed, so you’ll never miss out on the latest strategy session.

Discover the Unexpected

Some design features of HTC HD2 are far better experienced than can be explained in mere words. Like the ringer volume level that immediately scales down when the phone detects that you have picked it up, or the display that automatically adjusts to the light level in your surroundings and turns off to prevent false screen touches during a call.HTC HD2 is built for pure finger touch control. Zoom in and out of documents, web pages, pictures or emails with just a simple pinch. Type up responses faster and more accurately on the large onscreen keyboard. The capacitive touch experience combined with an interface optimized for the spacious display, lets you easily adjust the settings, set up calendar appointments, browse through photos, and navigate through menus with only the touch of a finger.Carry the HTC HD2 in your pocket and you’ll never have to worry about finding a Wi-Fi access point for your laptop. Your phone simply connects to superfast 3.5G cellular networks and becomes your personal wireless access point – anytime, anywhere.HTC HD2 has you covered when it comes to taking and viewing pictures wherever you may be. The 5 megapixel auto-focus camera is perfect for capturing the beauty of the great outdoors; combined with the dual LED flash it’s also ideal for capturing images in dim conditions. And when you’re ready to move from behind the lens and start sharing your collection, you’ll dazzle your audience with the large beautifully displayed pictures in the new river-flow gallery.

About a week ago, we told you about the Quietly Brilliant campaign from HTC which involves YOU.
HTC has made some great commercials from which you can see one them below.

The HTC Snap is one of the few Windows Mobile Standard devices that received an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5.

In this article I would like to have a look at the Windows Mobile 6.5 improvements for Windows Mobile Standard devices and compare these with the findings of the HTC Touch2 review, with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional pre-loaded on the device.

1.  Homescreen

The left screenshot above shows the todayscreen of the HTC Snap running on Windows Mobile 6.5, while the right screenshot is taken from the HTC Snap review a while ago, at that time powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard. As you can see the changes are marginal, with the only difference is the blue/orange Windows Phones branding (background) vs the green Windows Mobile 6.1 branding.

In addition I could find another minor change in the basic Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard layout of homescreen. An Internet Explorer for Mobile favorites sliding panel has been added. With help of this sliding panel you can quickly access, the mobile favourites directly from your homesreen (without opening the browser first).

However adding this type of sliding panels was already possible under Windows Mobile 6.1, as you can read in the article of Mike Temporale, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of MobileJaw: “Customize the New Sliding Panel Home Screen on Windows Mobile 6.1” There I would personally classify this change as a minor one.

But how does it relate to the new Windows Mobil 6.5 Professional homescreen I have outlined in the “HTC Touch2 review – Windows Mobile 6.5 and TouchFLO 3D combined !”

Matthew Miller, Editor on ZDNet Smartphoes and Cellphones blog, described the new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional homescreen directly after the announcement as:

“The Today screen is the sliding panels we saw on the non-touchscreen Windows Mobile Standard 6.1 devices that finally appears on touch screen devices. IMHO, Microsoft should have rolled this out at the same time as the non-touchscreen version over a year ago. I think this is a pretty functional display, but if you are using a device like the HTC Pure you won’t even see it at first because HTC has their TouchFLO 3D selected by default instead.”

Personally I do think that Matthew Miller makes some excellent points here, but the bottomline is that both implementations of Windows Mobile 6.5 have the same “sliding panels” feeling.

2.  Microsoft MyPhone

Microsoft MyPhone is a free backup- and restore service which is bundled with every Windows Mobile 6.5 device. I do have a Microsoft (Hosted) Exchange account with Sherweb, where I keep my calendar, contacts, e-mails, etc. In addition I use Microsoft MyPhone to backup my “Text Messages”, “Photo’s” and more all within the constraint of the maximum storage amount if 200 MB. I live by the rule to backup to multiple sources and via multiple methods in order to keep my data safe.

On October 6th, the Windows Phones launch day, premium features for Microsoft MyPhone were announced. A more extensive article about the premium service and new features is written by my colleague and good friend Paul Willen.

Another example that I have used Microsoft MyPhone for is the recent migration of my girlfriend’s phone contact data from a Nokia 6300 to a Windows Phone. Now everything the contact data is safely stored in an online environment and it’s easily managable. As I concluded already in the article “Windows Live Mail pushed to Windows Phone” Microsoft MyPhone significantly contributes to a free Exchange-like user experience on your Windows Phone.

3.  Windows Marketplace for Mobile

The second services which is bundled with Windows Moile 6.5 is called Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and is currently only exclusively available on Windows Mobil 6.5 devices. In two articles this service, and its underlying concepts, is covered quite well: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0” and “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators“.

Remarkable is the fact that the Windows Marketplace for Mobile on my HTC Snap is empty, and with help of the readers I’m trying to find out the possible cause. At first the development for third party Windows Mobile Standard is significantly lower that the development for Windows Mobile Professional. Second the Dutch market is relatively small, and therefore it might not interesting for a developer to be included in the Dutch catalogue.  That is my personal reasoning why the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is empty.

Are there any othe HTC Snap owners who can confirm the situation, or have another experience. I’m interested to find out more abot this, so all help is highly appreciated.

4.  Internet Explorer for Mobile

In the ”HTC Snap review – the ultimate messenger ??” I outlined tht Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile was already included in the Windows Mobile 6.1 retail-prodution-ROM at that time. With the upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5 the behavior of Intenet Explorer for Mobile has changed a little, probably aimed at a more similar experience on touch- an non-touch devices.

While there are some slight changes in the Internet Explorer for Mobile GUI (compared to the previous version), the main change is the automatic switching to full screen mode, optimizing the use of the total screen and get rid of the toptaskbar and the soft keys on the bottom of the screen.

I do understand the reasoning behind this change, but it is a matter of personal preferences if you will like it or not. Currently I haven’t made a clear decision, and it might take some time to get used to the new behvior. As you ca see I’m running a head to head comparion with the “old” Opera Mobile browser.

5.  Other “minor” changes (for messaging)

In addition to the improvements desribed in the sections above, I noticed some other changes as well which I would like to highlight shortly. At first the command on the left softkey in Pocket Outlook is changed into “Reply All” which makes more sense for the heavy messengers.

Second it seems that the reply- and forward icons in Pocket Outlook have slightly changed. In addition at the initial set-up of my Hosted Exchange account with Sherweb I noticed in the screen where you can “choose the content you want to synchronize” that in addition to the options “contact”, “calendar”, “e-mail” and “tasks” the option “text messages” is included as well.

Synchronizing “text messages” will be part of the Exchange Server 2010 improvements for Windows Mobile, so I hope that Sherweb will  soon migrate to Microsoft Exchange 2010.

Concluding thoughts on Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard

Let me start the conclusions by comparing the HTC Snap with the HTC Touch2 within the basic Windows Mobile 6.5 perspective / changes. Without any doubt the impact of Windows Mobile 6.5 is more severe for Professional “touch” devices, look for example at the lockscreen, and the new integrated start and settings menu.

The Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the HTC Snap however brings the services Microsoft MyPhone and more timely excusive Windows Marketplace for Mobile to the Windows Mobile Standard platform. I truly love Mirosoft MyPhone and hope to unravel the dynamics of my Windows Marketplace for Mobile findings.

As far as the new behavior of Internet Explorer for Mobile is concerned I haven’t made up my mind. Despite that it offers a more optimal use of the screen and a similar experience as Internet Explorer fo Mobile on the HTC Touch2, it is “different”.

Furthermore HTC has brought some minor improvements in the messaging area and upcoming Microsoft Exchange 2010 updates for Windows Mobile to the HTC Snap as well. Finally you can experience a noticable improvement in the battery life as well.

HTC a great many thanks for delivering the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade and as a result “Quietly Brilliant” finetuning of the HTC Snap, the ultimate messenger !!

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/4855/windows-mobile-6-5-on-the-htc-snap-impressions-and-thoughts/feed 9 http://www.mobilityminded.com/3707/htc-touch2-announced-a-touch-of-control http://www.mobilityminded.com/3707/htc-touch2-announced-a-touch-of-control#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:30:41 +0000 Remo Knops http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=3707

Yesterday the news hit the market that Windows Phones (running Windows Mobile 6.5) will hit the market in less that five weeks. Today HTC has announced the HTC Touch2 with Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-loaded on the device, together with the additional service Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft MyPhone.

HTC Touch2 overview

“The HTC Touch2 ensures that everything is at your fingertips in a compact design that fits comfortably in your hand.  An advanced smartphone with everything you expect and more, the HTC Touch2 includes a variety of HTC enhancements including TouchFLO, an enhanced user interface that includes integrated weather updates and quick touch access to a variety of the most popular applications.  In addition, the Touch2 includes Google Maps for Mobile, YouTube and more.”

Probably you would expect the HTC Touch2 to be a pretty basic (non-flagship) phone, but if you have a detailed look at the HTC Touch2 specification list you need to admit that it is a powerfull device. It certainly has similiar hardware as the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2. Great to see a 3.5 mm headphone jack implemented, to listen to your multimedia.

Looking at the pictures you may notice the next itteration of the TouchFLO interface. The influences from the HTC Sense interface -announced on the Google Android powered HTC Hero- can clearly be seen. Together with Windows Mobile 6.5, Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile, Microsoft MyPhone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile the HTC Touch2 is a very complete but compact Windows Phone.

Availability and pricing

“The HTC Touch2 will initially be available to customers on October 6 with broad availability in a variety of European and Asian markets in early Q4 2009.”

According to the local HTC Touch2 press release the pricepoint will be E299,- without a subscription. This pricepoint positions the HTC Touch2 in the range of the HTC Snap, so a good choice for people who want a HTC “touch” experience or don’t have the need for a keyboard.

I’m really curious if the HTC Touch2 will have an impact on the market that is as large as the original HTC Touch, which passed the 2 million sold units mark “easily”. Is this just a basic device, or is it more advanced, what are your thoughts ??

Stephanie Ferguson has published an article on the Windows Mobile blog “Windows phones are Coming on October 6th!“. While you might remember the first announcement of Windows Mobile 6.5 and Microsoft MyPhone back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year.

A little later on CTIA Wireless Windows Marketplace for Mobile was announced, and this whole bundle of Windows Mobile operating system and complementary services will hit the market upcoming 6th of October.

Basic analysis of “Windows phones are coming on October 6th!” from Stephanie Ferguson

If you followed the news about Windows (Mobile) Phones, it probably is not a big surprise that it is released to the market upcoming fall, but to me the global campain, I will discuss later on,  has the most impact on me personally. But let’s start a little analysis of Stephanie Ferguson’s article:

“When we started work on Windows phones, we met with people all over the world who were likely to buy a smartphone and talked with them about what’s important to them in their phone.”

Excellent that the Microsoft Windows Mobile teams are talking to the people using their smartphones, and balance both concepts of market push and market pull. Looking at the numbers below it is extremely important to interact with the userbase and transform the customer feedback into valuable new product itterations.

“Looking at the U.S. market, for example, we found that about 15 million people in the next year will buy a new smartphone. Of the people we talked to, 74% listed productivity as the top feature they value in their smartphone.”

I count myself in these 74% and for example I’m really looking forward to the productivity- and efficiency improvements that the combination of Windows Mobile 6.5 and Microsoft Exchange 2010 will bring.

“We discovered that most people who carry a Windows phone don’t realize it’s running Windows Mobile. We also heard from many people considering their very first smartphone purchase that they’d very strongly consider a phone running Windows because it’s a brand they know and trust.”

For example on the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2 already feature a visible “Windows”-hardware button, which probably is the first step into the Windows Phone branding.

Impressive global campaign is my biggest surprise !

Mary-Jo Foley, Editor a ZDNet.com, has put some puzzle pieces together about the date in her article: “Windows Mobile 6.5 phones coming October 6“, while supporting evidence for this event-concept in a localized form in the Netherlands, is reported by Mobilyz.com.

“October 6 also happens to be the day of Microsoft’s first-annual consumer-products open house event for invited press and analysts in New York City. Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach is slated to show off Windows Phones, the uber-brand for Windows Mobile phones; the Zune HD; Xbox 360; Windows 7; and Microsoft hardware that will be available for the holidays.”

But here comes the part that has really impressed me. Microsoft implements a truly global campaign in close collaboration with a large number of partners all over the world. It is almost the whole eco-system that is moving in the upcoming months !!

• In North America: Mobile operators AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.
• In Europe: Mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba
• In Latin America: Mobile operator TIM Brazil, and phone manufacturers HTC, LG Electronics and Samsung
• In Asia Pacific: Mobile operators NTT DOCOMO Inc., SOFTBANK Mobile Corp., SK Telecom, Telstra and WILLCOM Inc., and phone manufacturers Acer Inc., HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

I’m really curious what kind of new devices and services the upcoming months will  bring. I will definitely try to keep an eye on these partners above.

Do you remember one of the facts about the Windows Marketplace for Mobile:  “Windows Marketplace will open for application submissions from 29 supported countries July 27th.” ?

Recently two articles about Windows Marketplace for Mobile are published on this website: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0″ and “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators” each with its own focus. The start of accepting submissions from developers and the related developer contest for Windows Marketplace for Mobile are the focus of this article.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile open for application submissions

Todd Brix -Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft- describes it a little different in an article on the Windows Mobile blog:

“Today represents another significant milestone for Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and more importantly, the first big opportunity for developers.”

In the thoughts and conclusion section I will come back on the point if it really is such a big opportunity, if related to the investments to conduct before the start. Todd Brix -Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft- impressed me with a summary of Windows Marketplace for Mobile concept:

“Our strategy for all of this is pretty straightforward; we want to create a global marketplace for Windows Phones where developers and users meet to sell and buy high quality and high value applications that make work easier and life more fulfilling. We’re creating a clear process and new opportunity for developers and ISVs to make money from their investment in innovation.”

The whole process of submitting and aproving as well as the technical details around developing an application for Windows Marketplace for Mobile can be found in references of the original article of Todd Brix on the Windows Mobile blog.

The Race to Market Challenge developer contest

In order to kick off the development and submissions for Windows Marketplace for Mobile Microsoft has organized a developer contest:

“The Race to Market Challenge will reward the developer whose paid application earns the most revenue within the contest period and the developer whose free application is downloaded the most within the contest period.”

But in this developer contest Microsoft is offering some very very awesome cool prizes, namely 4 Microsoft Surface tables (developer edition).

“The Microsoft Surface is a 30-inch tabletop multi-touch display that uses a camera-based vision system to interact with objects placed on its screen and let users grab and move digital content with simple hand gestures and touches. The Surface developer kit includes the Microsoft Surface SDK SP1, Windows Vista Business (SP1), and all other software required to develop and test Microsoft Surface applications.”

 The developer contest “The Race to Market Challenge” runs from launch (which is today) to the end of this year December 31st, 2009.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCvpypcUJI8 

Thoughts and conclusions

At first let me start with concluding that Microsoft is working hard to get the developers back to work with the Windows Mobile platform, since we saw leading Windows Mobile developers adapting multiple platform strategies in the recent history.

Therefore I truely hope that the Windows Marketplace for Mobile brings back the development fun, and that the implementation of both the strategy & concept are according the the description in the article of Todd Brix quoted above.

However I would like to comeback on the point of “first big opportunity for developers”. Close friend and colleague Paul Willen concluded in the article: “Windows Mobile 6.5 Development – What about Developers?” 

“[...] I think its sad to see that a very good developer has to do a great investment before his application can actually become a product in the Marketplace .That’s why I hope Microsoft will re-consider the choice and gives something to starting developers. Something that will make it easier and cheaper to start developing.”

HonestlyI totally agree with him, that the development tools should becom cheaper in order to have no, or a very low threshold to start developing for Windows Mobile. The (almost) free development tools are partly the main drivers for succes, if you look for example to the Android Market.

In order to get young and talented developers onboard of this platform, the development tools are probably more important than the Microsoft Surface tables of the contest, and offer a long term and sustainable solution.

Overall the roll-out and information flow about Windows Marketplace for Mobile are good, and the taken steps certainly make sense to me. I’m looking forward to see the Windows Marketplace for Mobile go live, and test the concept with a Windows Phone.

In this short update I want to share some additional information on the article: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0″. The screenshots show that the Windows Marketplace for Mobile has other cool features in addition to the “business center”. And additional information about the payment mechanism will be provided.

In the related article I was highly impressed with the wide variety of sub-categories in the so called business center, but the majority of applications in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be for the consumer market.

“However Microsoft has a very large number of partners that offer solutions for the business market. The variety of subcategories within the Business Center is a reflection of the breadth of business applications that already exist for Windows Mobile.”

In the video Todd Brix -Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft- explains that the “premium” applications in the business center have the advatage that marketing and field services of Microsoft will be “leveraged” to expose these applications to the market.

In the screenshot some nice additional features can be seen.  Todd Brix explains that one of the challenges in the design is minimizing the complexity of the Marketplace for Mobile.

Therefore we can see a very minimalistic and simple concept, which is intuitive and easy to understand.  On top a search-box can be seen, probably based on Bing for Windows Mobile, to make the Marketplace for Mobile easily searchable.

The “most popular” and “what’s new” give additional information about the recent additions to the Marketplace for Mobile and the ratings are a measure of “quality” of the application.

Furthermore you can see “operator store”. This means that operator-specific applications can also be offered to the end-users in the some store environment of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Furthermore this is also related to the payment mechanism.

“My applications” provides you an overview of the applications you purchased, and which can be downloaded directly over the air onto your Windows Phone to be installed.

In my conclusions in the article “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0″, I still had some questionmarks on the payment mechnism that Microsoft would choose for the direct purchases on the device.

Although here in the Netherlands we don’t have an Xbox Live- or Zune Marketplace, I still do remember the mechanism from iPAQ Choice. There you can buy credits in advance and purchase to applications with these credits. Personally I think Microsoft has a well thought-out solution for the payment-transactions.

“Users will be able to pay via creditcard and directly with their phone bill (with participating mobile operators). In the case of credit cards payments, we use the credit card stored in the user’s Windows Live ID profile. The application purchases are directly charged on the user’s card. This will be the same credit card used for other Microsoft services, such as Xbox Live, Zune Marketplace, etc.”

First I like the idea that there are more than one payment options. Second it’s very convenient that you can purchase in different Marketplaces with one Windows Live ID profile!!

Now that we are talking about the dollars I want to finalize this update that the developer will get 70% of the revenue of the application, according to Todd Brix in the channel9 video. I think this probably a reasonable distribution for the exposure to over 30 milion Windows Phones, but I doubt if this 70-30  rule is also applicable on the premium business center applications.

Back at MWC 2009 Microsoft first announced Windows Marketplace for Mobile, followed by an announcement of partners for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile during CTIA Wireless 2009. At both the annoucements the Marketplace for Mobile was announced just for Windows Mobile 6.5 devices.

Let’s recall some parts of the article:  “Microsoft announces partners in Windows Marketplace for Mobile and more”

“[...] the Windows Marketplace for Mobile seems to be announced -at leat according to the press release- for the next generation of Windows Phone, which simply means Windows Mobile 6.5 devices.”

“Personally I think this is the wrong decision, because the Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 userbase is large, while Windows Mobile 6.5 will be on relative few devices by the end of the year. Windows Marketplace for Mobile should be a downloadable application, that is backwards compatible with Windows Mobile 6.”

However yesterday some great news from the Worldwide Partner Conference was received, that Windows Marketplace for Mobile will support Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0 later this year!! My compliments to Microsoft to reconsider this backwards compatibility.

Chris Ziegler from Engadget Mobile wrote a short article, and also Todd Brix -Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft- wrote an extensive article on the Windows Mobile Team blog.

In the screenshots (I’m not sure if these are mock-ups or not) above you can see some familiar applications like Facebook for Windows Mobile, the Netflix Application and SPB Puzzle. Furthermore you can see clear product categories, which make it easy to search.

Furthermore the screenshots also provide a great overview and wide variety of business-related categories of the “business center”. From law, field service and finance to manufacturing and healthcare.

“To help those millions of business users find what they’re looking for, we’re also unveiling the Windows Marketplace Business Center; a category in Windows Marketplace that will contain mobile business applications across several common industries and line of business functions from leading companies that include Avanade UK, Formotus, Ilium Software, Pyxis Mobile and WebIS.  Business Center is another way for our partners to differentiate themselves and showcase their business applications, while making it easier for users to locate and purchase the latest mobile business tools.”

However lets summarize the Windows Marketplace for Mobile announcements @ Worldwide Partner Conference.

• Application Submission Opens on July 27th: Windows Marketplace will open for application submissions from 29 supported countries July 27th.
• Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 Support: Windows Marketplace will be available for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 by the end of 2009 (in addition to Windows Mobile 6.5 at launch in the fall).
• Business Center: Windows Marketplace will feature a “Business Center” category for business applications.
• Developer Contest: Microsoft will be disclosing the details of a Windows Marketplace developer contest on July 27.”

On channel 9 you can watch a nice video where Todd Brix gives additional background information and you can see some deviceshots as well !

Wrap up

At first I’m very happy to hear that Microsoft has reconsidered to make the Windows Marketplace for Mobile backwards compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0.  Remark my comments above, and look at the great result of this business decision:

“This means that developers will have an opportunity to reach more than 30 million Windows Mobile devices. ”

Honestly I’m really impressed with the  possible impact of the “business center”. The categories in the screenshots really address a lot of important fields in today’s industry. If Microsoft succeeds to fill these categories with great software titles I think they will have a great Marketplace for Mobile up and running by the end of this year.

Finally I’m still curious how the mechanisms for payment, and what options to pay for a certain application will work in practice if you install from you Windows Phone! I hope Microsoft will provide more information about this in the upcoming future.

During the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Windows Mobile 6.5 was announced, however not much information was revealed about the second service: Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Just befor the start of CTIA 2009 Microsoft has a lot of new things to announce:

1. More details on Windows Marketplace for Mobile,
2. Individual customization of the Windows Phone,
3. New ways to connect with friends and family (social networking).

This article looks at al the three key topics in more detail, complemented with some early thoughts.

1.  Windows Marketplace for Mobile

The screenshots above provide a good idea how the Windows Marketplace for  Mobile will look like. The press  release provides a list a of top application developers who commited to the Windows Marketplace for Mobile program. Personally it is good to see such an extensive list, and there are really great developers on this list, which means quality on-board !!

“Companies representing the top-selling categories of mobile applications today signed on to be among the first to offer applications through Windows Marketplace for Mobile. They include AccuWeather.com., The Associated Press, CNBC, Developer One Mobile Software, EA Mobile, Facebook, Gameloft, Glu Mobile, Handmark, Ilium Software Inc., Jeyo Inc., Kinoma, LiteScape, Magmic Games, Melodis Corp., MySpace, Namco Networks, Netflix, Pandora, PhatWare Corp., Resco s.r.o., ShoZu Inc., Sling Media Inc., SBSH Mobile Software, Spb Software, Web Information Solutions Inc. and Zagat Survey.” [ref01]

However the Windows Marketplace for Mobile seems to be announced -at leat according to the press release- for the next generation of Windows Phone, which simply means Windows Mobile 6.5 devices. Personally I think this is the wrong decision, because the Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 userbase is large, while Windows Mobile 6.5 will be on relative few devices by the end of the year. Windows Marketplace for Mobile should be a downloadable application, that is backwards compatible with Windows Mobile 6.

“Resulting applications will provide new and unique gaming, social networking, media, utility and personal productivity experiences for the next generation of Windows phones.” [ref01]

Finally an interesting option is that Mobile Operators can partner with Microsoft on the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The operator can get access to a specific (branded) set of software titels from the whole population of titels on the Marketplace. Although I live in the Netherlands I won a Samsung BlackJack II, which is fully loaded with AT&T custom software. I hope that throught partnering the amount of this specific software is limited so that end-users can add their own prefered software titles.

2. Customized Themes for Windows Mobile 6.5

On the current Windows Mobile devices it is sometimes tricky to personalize the device in terms graphics.  Apple iPhone, Google Android, Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile all serve a specific set of customers. The buying process of a mobile device is becoming more and more comperable with buying a car:  “an emotional purchase”. Microsoft takes the personal representation, customization and individualization of a Windows Phone to the next level !

“Through new partnerships with the Design Museum London and Council of Fashion Designers of America, Microsoft will offer a variety of free* designer themes to help people express their personal style on Windows phones. Microsoft today announced Mizrahi as the first in a series of designers to create exclusive themes, including color palettes and wallpaper.” [ref01]

The Mizrahi designs are shown in the screenshots above.

“In addition, the new Theme Generator will provide people with yet another way to personalize their Windows phone. The Theme Generator, available at http://www.windowsmobile.com later this year, will enable Windows phone users to select pictures from their PC to set as background images, as well as choose colors to personalize their navigation bar, scroll bar and highlighted text. Once finished, their personal theme will be sent to their phone.” [ref01]

This theme generator is a very cool tool to easily personalize your device, and could be combined with the MyPhone Service I wrote about earlier this year, or other services. However currently it seems like the Theme Generator will only support Windows Mobile Professional devices, and not Windows Mobile Standard devices. It’s a fair decision since the whole process of customizing a skinning is totally different, which means two different products and two different development cycles.

3.  Social networking and more

I think the booming of social networking doesn’t need any further explenation.  Screenshots of the new Facebook application are shown above. Microsoft did also three announcements in the social networking area:

“Windows Mobile users will be able to engage and experience some of the most popular global social networks right from their Windows phone, including Facebook, MySpace and Windows Live.

• Microsoft has created a new Facebook application, available for Windows phones for free* in April, that makes it easy for people to capture video on their phone and upload it to Facebook.
• A new MySpace application, available for free* this summer, gives Windows phone customers real-time access to their global MySpace network. LG Electronics Inc. will preload the MySpace application on its Windows phones.
• Microsoft also announced that Windows Live for Mobile will be available for free download this week for customers in 25 languages. Windows Live for Mobile is the company’s mobile suite of Internet services designed specifically to take advantage of the Windows Mobile platform. It includes mobile versions of Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft Live Search and enhanced photo upload capabilities.” [ref01]

The Facebook application will be compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1 and higher. Within the Live services there is some additional good news on the Hotmail-front.

“The company also will launch a new beta version of Windows Live Hotmail available through a mobile Web browser. The release includes a new and improved user interface, navigation enhancements for touch-screen devices, the ability to see full HTML pages within e-mail messages and a new search feature that enables people to find important e-mail messages more easily.” [ref01]

Some personal thoughts

At first I simply CAN’T understand the business reasoning why the Windows Marketplace for Mobile isn’t Windows Mobile 6.0 (and higher) compatible. I had the chance to use the Google Android G1 with the linked Android Marketplace. There I became aware how easy and convenient it is to search for, download and install top applications from one central place without accessing each developers website. This ease of use is also applicable to the CURRENT userbase, since not everyone is an early-adopter or geek buying the latest device.

It is a cool trend to see large companies hooking up with designers from the fashion sector, like HP did for the Vivienne Tam edition of the HP Mini 1000 netbook. The theme generator can become a very cool feature, since sometimes it is not easy to create a theme for your Windows Mobile device.  Furthermore it is a unique service, which no other mobile platform offers (to my knowledge).

Finally social networking is becoming more and more important. And in line with the strategy of using software or services on your pc, in the cloud and on you mobile device, it’s good to see Microsoft developing on this front. Special interest has the Facebook application, as well as the Windows Live Messenger. I like the idea that these programs are offered via download, and can be installed on any device (if compatible of course). This concept should also be applied to IE6 for Mobile, which currently only is available pre-loaded in the Palm Treo Pro ROM. To get your applications out to the large public, your business model needs to outperform competition …

I’m looking forward to the keynote of Mobile Entertainment & Devices President Robbie Bach @ CTIA 2009. Hopefully we can see some very nice live demo’s of the applications and services addressed in this article.

Reference list

1. MICROSOFT PRESSPASS:  Microsoft gains support for next generation Windows Phones
2. THEUNWIRED:  ROADMAP: Microsoft gains support for next generation Windows Phones
3. ENGADGET MOBILE:  Microsoft announces Windows Marketplace partners, tweaked policies, designer WinMo 6.5 themes

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Steve Balmer and Andrew Lees announced Windows Mobile 6.5, together with two additional services:  (1) MyPhone and (2) Windows Marketplace for Mobile. This article will focus on the main changes in Windows Mobile 6.5 and provide some background information together with screenshots.

“Windows phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows phones that break down the barriers between people, information and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.” [ref01]

The first remarkable fact is the naming: “Windows Phones”. Since a phone running the Windows Mobile platform is per definition a MOBILE  device, the term Mobile is absolete. It’s al in the simplicity of the word choice: A phone running Windows. In slightly different words Clinton Fitch’s describes Balmer’s idea’s above:

“Microsoft is working on the concept that people and information are the center of your personal universe, not necessarily a phone, pc or other digital device.  Accessing those people and that information is really what is key – on what you use to access them is somewhat secondary.  To that end you will see with Windows Mobile 6.5 a focus on getting to the information you want to access quicker. Further, you will see more of this information being available in different locations.  You can see some of that now with Live Mesh and with the introduction of My Phone, you will see this vision further develop.” [ref03]

The essence however is to connect the different platforms (PC, Cloud & Phone) and to get quicker acces to your information  With this essence in mind I will guide you through the main area’s of change, and focus on the different aspects shown in the accompanied screenshots. After that I will provide a summary an some initial thoughts about the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

1.  LOCKSCREEN

The first major area of change is the lockscreen, which is shown in the screenshots above ! Research has shown that people want to know three things on the first screen they see on a mobile device: (1) the time, (2) the next appointment, (3) the status of their phone. The latter means the notifications about missed calls, voicemails, new text messages etc. This lockscreen is shown when the device is touched or turned on. If you have enhanced security enabled on your Windows Phone, you probably need to enter the code AFTER this screen. The next appointment and the time are more or less obvious (remark the homescreen of SPB Mobile Shell and the background information I provided in the review of version 2.0). However the phone is locked and the blue box shows the total number of notifications. If you tap or click on the blue notification box, the notifications are split up per type. As an example you have a missed call, than you simple make a sliding gesture to the left or right, which results in the automated action of opening the dailer and calling the “missed call” number.

2.  HOMESCREEN

The second major area of change is the homescreen. I will start to lookback at (1)  the sliding panels which were introduced with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, and (2) the interface of a Zune Player. It looks like bits of both interfaces have com together in the new Windows Mobile 6.5 homescreen design. While the sliding panels were only available on Windows Mobile Standard, this homescreen is rolled out both on Standard and Professional devices.

“The order of the items on the home screen are not movable but you will be able to add web widgets for things like weather.  These widgets will automatically update so you don’t have to tap around to update them, improving the information feed to you.” [ref03]

For the readers among you who hooked up to the livestream of the keynote already saw this homescreen in action during one of the demo’s. Personally I was pleasantly surprised by the speed of the interface on the HTC Touch Pro2 device (Windows Mobile Professional). At this point in time it’s not clear to me if and how this new homescreen will interact with custom userinterfaces like TouchFLO 3D.

3.  START

The third main area of change, and probably the most dramatic is the honeycomb-style start menu. Let’s have a look at a current professional device where you have a folder with programs and a folder with settings. If you install third party applications some get their link in the programs folder, others in the settings folder. With the new Windows Mobile 6.5 start menu both the settings and programs are merged into one single honeycomb-style menu, which is fully customizable. The end-user can manipulate the icons where-ever he or she wants to have it in the list. If you look at the darkened sides of the screen, and not showing additional honey-combs to the left and right a user knows that he cannot scroll to the left or right (and the same applies for scrolling up in the screenshots above).  The start menu isn’t a single-level list, but consists of more levels:

“If, for example, you were to tap on Settings, you would see the Settings menu in this same honeycomb layout with thinks like Bluetooth, Owner Information and so forth occupying the cells of the menu.” [ref03]

The question may remain:  “Why a honey-comb and not a box or a circle ?” There are two arguments which favor for use of the honey-comb design, which came out of Microsofts Research groups. (1) The honey-comb is the optimal area to tap on with your fingerprint (not a box or a circle), in short finger-friendlyness, and (2) The honey-comb design makes it possible to pack relative a large amount of links / icons into the screenspace. The combination of these two arguments results in this easy to use, simple start menu.

4.  BROWSER

The fourth main area of change is the browser:  Internet Explorer 6 (for Mobile). This browser supports flash lite, and is optimized for finger use like you can see in the screenshot above. Cool but very functional features are the zoombar and the breadcrumb, which shows up in the corner during panning accros a webpage. Furthermore Microsoft claims that it’s possible to complete more online transactions on this mobile browser (than on any other mobile browser). Furthermore this browser is based on the (desktop version) Internet Explorer 6, and now brought to the mobile platform.

“One of the questions that many of us MVPs asked was why the version was based on IE 6 when Internet Explorer 8 is near release.  The answer, which makes good sense, is that the vast majority of website were built to the IE 6 standard.  This will make sure the browsing experience more robust for users.” [ref03]

5.  SERVICES

The last area of change is not directly ON the Windows Mobile platform, but consists of the services which INTERACT with the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform. Recently the Microsoft Live Mesh service was introduced, which easily connects and let you share files on the PC, in the cloud and on your phone. This only supports the fact that Microsoft will explore the service domain a little further. During the Micrsoft Mobile World Congress keynote of Steve Balmer and Andrew Lees two additional services were announced:  (1) Microsoft MyPhone, and (2) Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

The MyPhone service was also shown in a demo, and if you are interested you can read more in my article about the MyPhone service. The second service Windows Marketplace wasn’t shown in a demo, nor in any screenshots, so we have to be a little patient to see more on this service.

WRAP UP & FINAL THOUGHTS

This article highlights the main changes that will come to the Windows Mobile platform in the next upcoming release called Windows Mobile 6.5. While there are changes in five main area’s I assume that Microsoft will do a lot more tweaking and finetuning under the hood, for example to increase batterylife. Overall I do think that this is a step in teh right direction, where both the Professional and the Standard platform get the same look and feel, resulting in a more unified platform. Furthermore Microsoft tries to simplify the use, and make it more easer to use (fingerfriendlyness), and for all to get quicker acces to your information. Also the addtional services are good signs, since I think that there is a bright future for services (compared to applications).

A first question might be: Is my phone compatible ?”

HTC’s Touch Diamond 2 and Touch Pro 2, announced today, will be upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5. New enhanced contact integration combined with new Internet capabilities deliver a people-centric approach to mobile communication. HTC’s Touch Diamond 2 features TouchFLO 3D, a sleek and compact design with a large 3.2″ high-resolution wide-screen display, while HTC Touch Pro 2 introduces one of the best-ever mobile productivity experiences on a phone highlighted by HTC’s new Straight Talk technology, an integrated E-Mail, voice and speakerphone experience.

The LG-GM7300 is a stylish, user-friendly phone with features such as one-click E-Mail set up to help people stay connected to the information they care about most. Available first on Windows Mobile 6.1, LG will add a Windows Mobile 6.5 version to the family, complementing an expanded alliance to dramatically increase the number of LG phones running Windows.” [ref01]

A second question could be: When will it be available ?

“The new Windows phones are expected to be available in the second half of 2009.”

While during the keynote we already saw some first impressions during the demo’s. I would like to finalize by asking your opinion about the changes, the direction Windows Mobile is heading, the services and the time frame of the whole development.

Reference list:

1. THE UNWIRED:  Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5 with Marketplace and My Phone Services
2. GEARDIARY:  GearChat Windows Mobile 6.5 Officially Unveiled
3. CLINTONFITCH:  Windows Mobile 6.5
4. MOBILEJAW:  Microsoft Takes the Wraps off Windows Mobile 6.5
5. POCKETPC THOUGHTS:  Windows Mobile 6.5 Screen Shot Walk-Through
6. MICROSOFT:  Microsoft Reveals New Windows® Phones With Marketplace and My Phone Services
7. WINDOWS MOBILE TEAM:  Introducing Windows Marketplace for Mobile