Last week I attended the first edition of the Windows Phone Get Together Event in Utrecht, The Netherlands that was hosted by the local Dutch Windows Phone Team and initiated by two dutch MVP’s Mark Briggeman and Jaap van Ekris. The event is covered in the article ”Windows Phone Get Together Event – Microsoft engaging with end-users !“ and consists of interesting information about Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and Windows Phone 7.

While this has been a truly unique event in many ways, I would like to focus on the announced Windows Phone Forum application that aggregates information from the Dutch Windows Phone Forums, the Blog of the Dutch Windows Phone team and its Twitter feed.

The application has been developed by Halil Yüksel from MobileLayers and commisioned by Microsoft.
Microsoft wants to emphasize that user interaction is very important to them and to make interaction as easy as possible, the forum application was developed, so users can post questions on the forums using their webbrowser and read the answers convenient on their Windows Phones.

Windows Phone Forum application 1.0, a brief application overview

Forum

Here you can see the Windows Phone-Dutch forum, which runs on the Microsoft Social Forums. Below is the first screen when you open the forum application. It quickly retrieves all the forum topics and their answers.

Filters & Sorting

The second button from the left, which includes the F-graphic in the design, provides you the functionality to filter the threads and messages on the Windows Phone forums. When you tap on this button you will get a pop-up that is shown in the left screenshot below, that allows you the select different filters. For example you can choose to just view the most recent threads, or most recent comments. All screenshots are in dutch at this moment. An English version will be soon available I hope.

The third button from the left, the one that includes the S-graphic, is closely related and gives the feature to sort the forum items. Again the overview is provided in a pop-up window, like you can see in the right screenshot above.

The Blog of the Dutch Windows Phone team

The fourth button from the left includes a textballoon graphic and it initiates a download from the blog-articles from the blog of the local Dutch Windows Phone team. For example you can see the articles:

- ” Primeur in Nederland: Samsung Omnia Pro 4″
- ” Windows Phone evenement op 22 juni!”

When you tap on an article, the article will be opened in a new screen, where you can read the complete article using the scrollbar if needed.

Twitter feed

The fifth button from the right, includes the graphic of a bird. The twitter feed of WindowsPhoneNL is downloaded in the application, by tapping on this button.

The last button on the right, with the cross graphic, is simply the button to close the application.

Concluding thoughts

The forum application gives you content aggregation of multiple channels in one application. It would be great to see this extended to other Microsoft products as well.
Now you can read the answers to your own and other questions right from your Windows Phone, read the Blog of the Dutch Windows Phone Team and see their Twitter feed.

In the future, functionality will be increased so that you can answer questions directly from your Windows Phone. This is not possible at the moment yet.
Another useful feature would be an automatic upgrade if a new version of the software becomes available. Currently the application  only supports dutch language, because it specifically aims at the dutch market, but to keep it in line with Windows Phones in English, I would love to see it translated in English.

If the application gets updated or will have new or other functionality, we will keep you updated.

In Part 1 of our review of the Verizon Samsung Omnia II we looked at the device quickly, including what came in the box with the device. Now in part 2 we will be looking more in the different user interfaces (UI) that the Verizon Samsung Omnia II has.

Samsung has their own Samsung TouchWiz UI and a Cube UI. We also will show SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 and the standard Windows Mobile 6.5 user interface on it. The video below is about 10 minutes long but we will give you a view of many options these different User interface’s will have.

As of today the Samsung Omnia II is available at Verizon for $199 after a $100 rebate and a 2-year contract.

Please also see my other Verizon Samung Omnia II video’s

Verizon Samsung Omnia II Review Part 1-Unboxing
Verizon Samsung Omnia II Review Part 3 – Data Input and Swype

A couple of days ago we announced that Verizon would officially release the Samsung Omnia II. This Samsung Omnia II is a Windows Phone running on Windows Mobile 6.5.  Besides that this is a touch screen phone it still comes with a stylus integrated and not like a hanging pencil on the side like the original Omnia. The screen has a ultra-brilliant touch screen WVGA AMOLED display. Swype keyboard input (we’ll get back to that) and some other extras from the Verizon Vcast applications.

The Samsung Omnia II will be available on December 2, 2009 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a 2-year contract.

EDIT: December 2, 2009 ; The Samsung Omnia II is available with Verizon for $199 after a $100 rebate and a 2-year contract.

I will be making some review video’s on different parts of this device, so that you can get a good feel for it.

Below is my first video with the unboxing and my first impressions.

Please also see our other Verizon Samung Omnia II video’s

Verizon Samsung Omnia II Review Part 2 – User Interface
Verizon Samsung Omnia II Review Part 3 – Data Input and Swype

The big suprise of today is the announcement of the new HP iPAQ Glisten. The HP iPAQ Glisten will be available through AT&T in the coming weeks for $229.99 with a 2 year contract with a smartphone data plan. The HP iPAQ Glisten will be only available through the AT&T business, corporate channels or the consumer AT&T ,HP and third party websites. Meaning you can’t see it in a store before you buy it.

The HP iPAQ Glisten looks pretty similar to the Motorola Q9-series. However it will have a touch enabled AMOLED screen.  I think this is the first Windows Phone device with Windows Mobile 6.5 with a full Qwerty keyboard and a touch screen without using a slider.

 

  Press release:

AT&T* and HP (NYSE: HPQ) today announced the upcoming availability of the new HP iPAQ Glisten, a feature-rich 3G world phone that meets the increasing demands of modern mobile professionals. AT&T’s first smartphone with an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen, the HP iPAQ Glisten is loaded with features tailored with the business power user in mind.

Featuring the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, the iPAQ Glisten offers a touch-friendly user interface and improved browser with Flash support. Connections to your favorite people, content and applications are a fingertip away on the redesigned Start Menu, and Internet Explorer Mobile** supports the rich experiences that many Web pages offer for desktop computers.

Users can easily move between work and leisure with advanced mobile e-mail capabilities, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS functionality as well as rich multimedia features and applications. AT&T supports Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a variety of applications.

The iPAQ Glisten features a full QWERTY keyboard and five-way directional pad for fast, easy and accurate messaging including SMS/MMS and e-mail. The touch-enabled AMOLED screen, among the best displays on the market, allows users to easily navigate through menus, windows, and links with the touch of a finger.

“iPAQ Glisten adds to our innovative Windows Phone portfolio,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “It meets the demands of our business customers while boasting a beautiful AMOLED touch screen and a full package of multimedia features.”

“The iPAQ Glisten packs a powerful punch with its multiple input methods, variety of connectivity options, and a familiar, consistent email experience that allows mobile professionals to connect with the people and information that matter most to them,” said Susan Macke, vice president, Marketing, Handheld Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Our strategy for success in growing the iPAQ business and customer base is working with industry leaders, like AT&T and Microsoft, and leveraging our collective strengths in the business and prosumer markets.”

Manage and take control of demanding professional lifestyles
Power users stay more connected with Outlook calendaring, Microsoft Word and Excel as well as the ability to view Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe PDF documents. The HP iPAQ Glisten gives users the ability to manage a single contact list and synchronize them wirelessly or with a PC using a supported e-mail account. It also comes with an integrated inbox that summarizes recent emails, calls, and texts.

In addition, users can take advantage of the built-in speakerphone and enjoy the freedom of hands-free control with Voice Commander, voice recognition software which reads text messages, emails and appointment details and lets users begin messages and dial contacts using simple voice prompts.

Bridge work and social life
Web browsing and streaming video on the HP iPAQ Glisten are fast and enjoyable with the improved Internet Explorer Mobile 6. Users can turn on the built-in Wi-Fi quickly with a dedicated on/off button and enjoy high-speed Internet access – featuring automatic access to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots included at no additional charge with select smartphone data plans.

Users can also connect with friends and colleagues on their favorite social networking sites, including a preloaded Facebook application. Mobile professionals can capture pictures and videos with the 3.1 megapixel camera and view them in brilliant color and clarity or edit them with HP Photosmart Mobile and easily share them via email or on the Web using Snapfish.

Pricing and availability
The HP iPAQ Glisten will be available in the coming weeks for $229.99 (receive a $50 AT&T Promotion Card with two-year agreement, smartphone data plan). The smartphone will be available through AT&T business services, HP corporate sales, small and medium business and consumer Websites at AT&T.com and HP.com as well as through third-party e-commerce sites.

Verizon will be launching the Samsung Omnia II on December 2nd. The Samsung Omnia has been very successful worldwide due to great specifications it had. With a large on-board memory,5 megapixel camera and the almost finger friendly UI the Samsung Omnia was a leader in the Windows Phone line up at that time.

Since then Microsoft has come out with Windows Mobile 6.5 which allows the operating system to be more finger friendly compared to the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. This now allows the standard Windows Phone applications and menu structure to be used in a finger friendly operation besides just the manufactures User Interfaces.

The Samsung Omnia II will be $199.99 on contract after a $100.00 rebate.  The Omnia II will have a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED screen, 8GB of internal memory (some previous omnia ‘s even had 16 GB), 5 mega pixel camera and of course it will be running the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. Samsung will have his own widget gallery available to have easy access on the Widget Tool Bar to your favorite social media places and other favorite places. Samsung will also have a 3D cube UI which we haven’t seen much about yet.

This is a Windows Phone we really want to get our hands on. As I hear many people say now,the Motorola Droid or the Samsung Omnia II ??

Key features:

• 3.7-inch ultra-brilliant touch screen
  • Widescreen WVGA AMOLED (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen results in one of the brightest and clearest displays on a mobile phone in the United States
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology allows customers to input text faster and easier with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard
• Features Windows Mobile 6.5, which keeps customers connected with corporate and personal e-mail and synchronization of schedules and contacts
• Microsoft Office Mobile® enhances productivity with the ability to manage Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® documents
• Enhanced 3D cube user interface
• Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with Opera 9.5 enhanced browser
• One-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets
• Supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, Visual Voice Mail, VZW Tones, VZ Navigator(SM), Mobile IM and Mobile Email

Additional specifications:

• Full messaging suite, including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email
• Access to social networking applications, including YouTube™, Facebook® and MySpace, with Samsung’s unique TouchWiz™ 2.0 user interface
• 5.0 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus and camcorder and decoder with DNSe technology and on-device editing capabilities
• Wi-Fi technology (802.11 b/g)
• Support for Divx and Xvid movie files
• 8 GB internal memory and expandable memory of up to 16 GB with microSD™ memory card (card sold separately)
• Bluetooth® profiles supported: headset (mono and stereo), hands-free (car kits), object push for vCard, basic imaging, phonebook access profiles. Also supports serial port, dial-up networking, object push for vCalendar, file transfer, basic printing and human interface device profiles

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/4307/htc-touch2-review-windows-mobile-6-5-and-touchflo-3d-combined http://www.mobilityminded.com/4307/htc-touch2-review-windows-mobile-6-5-and-touchflo-3d-combined#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:35:53 +0000 Remo Knops http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=4307

Early september 2009 the HTC Touch2 was announced by HTC as their first device with Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-loaded, together with the additional services Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft MyPhone.

During the local Windows Phones launch event on October 6th in Amsterdam, Netherlands the HTC Benelux was present as one of the strong partners of Microsoft Windows Mobile in addition to Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson.

In addition of the local announcement of the HTC HD2 by Mark Moons, HTC Benelux provided MobilityMinded with a HTC Touch2 to experience Windows Mobile 6.5 in combination with TouchFLO 3D. In the following article an in depth review of the HTC Touch2 is conducted, while hardware, functional design as well as software are addressed.

Specifications HTC Touch2

In order to provide an overview of the possibilities of the HTC Touch2, a detailed specification list is shown schematically below:

• Model:  HTC Touch2 (T3333)
• Processor:  Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz
• Operating System:  Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional
• Memory:  512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM
• Dimensions (L x W x T):  104 x 55 x 12.9 mm. (4.1 x 2.16 x 0.51 inches)
• Weight:  110 grams (4 ounces) with battery
• Display:  2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
• Network:  HSPA/WCDMA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz, Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds;  Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.
• Device Control:  Zoom bar
• GPS:  Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity:  Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g, 3.5 mm audio jack, HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
• Camera:  3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Audio:  supported formats AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
• Video:  supported formats WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
• Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, Capacity: 1100 mAh
• Talk time:  Up to 370 minutes for WCDMA / Up to 440 minutes for GSM
• Standby time:  Up to 500 hours for WCDMA / Up to 370 hours for GSM
• Expansion Slot:  microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter:  Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz, DC output: 5V and 1A

In the upcoming hardware section the main hardware pieces and functional design of the HTC Touch2 will be adressed, but some key features are already highlighted in the list above.

Furthermore I would like to recommend an excellent review of Chris Davies, Editor at Slashgear, “HTC Touch2 Windows Phone review“, in which a demo video of Windows Mobile 6.5 can be watched! Let’s start quickly with an in depth look of the HTC Touch2 hardware and design.

1.  HTC Touch2 Hardware

In this first section I would like to have a detailed look at the HTC Touch2 hardware, the content of the retail box in which you get the HTC Touch2 and furthermore discuss the functional design of this Windows Phone.

In the picture above the contents of the HTC Touch2 retail box is shown. In addition to the device itself and the battery, a headset, a sync and charge cable, the wall charging plug and various manuals are included. Although you might find the box small, it is packed with a complete set of hardware (everything an end-user needs).

The picture below shows the front(side) of the HTC Touch2. The upper black part just above the HTC logo is a grille, behind which the charging LED and the front speaker are placed.

The middle part, which looks a little more dark grey is the 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen featuring a 240×320 QVGA resolution. Between the actual screen and the row with keys on the bottom, there is a touch sensitive zoombar, which we also know for the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2.

Below the screen and zoombar there is a row with keys, in a minimalistic design. From the left to the right: (1) the talk button, to start a voice call or pick-up a phonecall (2) a home button, to easily get back to the homescreen (3) a Windows “logo / flag” button, to open the start menu (4) a Back button, which is typical for a Windows Mobile Standard device normally,  and (5) the end button, to end voicecalls.

The material of this bottom part including the keys is of brushed black aluminium. A similar minimalistc key implementation and layout can be seen on the recently announced HTC HD2, which was locally announced a few days ago by Mark Moons (HTC Benelux).

The picture below shows the clean right(side) of the HTC Touch2, while you just see a non-telescopic stylus on the left side in the picture. The middle part of the casing has a chrome finish, while the front and backparts have a metallic silver finish.

The bottom(side) of the HTC Touch2 is shown in the picture below. On the right you can see the non-telescopic stylus again, while in the middle the HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0) port is shown. In comparison with for example the HTC Snap this is the right position for the mini ExtUSB-port. Furthermore I’m happy that the ExtUSB port is not covered with some rubber flap, which makes it easily accessible !

The left(side) of the HTC Touch2 features a set of dedicated volume control buttons (on the left) for turning the volume up and down. In the middle the cover of a microSD™ memory card expansion slot is shown. The microSD card slot is SDHC or SD 2.0 compatible, while it is remarkable that the microSD card slot cover “snaps” under the batterycover.

The top(side) of the HTC Touch2 only features a 3.5 mm audio jack, which is shown in the picture below. I’m really happy that end-users are able to use their own high quality headsets -for example Etymoyic Research ER-4-.

This implementation certainly shows that HTC listenes to the feedback from its users. Some time ago I wrote the article: “Micro USB and 3.5 mm headphone jack to become mobile standards ?” While an HTC employee told Jason Dunn, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of PocketPC Thoughts, that the 3.5 mm. audio jack would become the standard on upcoming HTC devices, I’m really curious if HTC will adapt to the microUSB standard as well.

In addition to the 3.5 mm. audio jack you can see a small groove (slightly out of the middle) which makes it able to easily release the backcover of the HTC Touch2. A very simple but clever solution, that does the job perfectly in everyday practice.

The back(side) of the HTC Touch2 has a metallic silver finish. on the backcover of the HTC Touch2 you notice directly an element with a chrome finish, which protects the 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus. The dark grey slit on the left of the camera is a speaker, which is used when you play music or put the phone in speakermode.

2.  HTC Touch2 Software

I already mentioned in the introduction that the HTC Touch2 is the first device on the market (certainly in the Netherlands) that features Windows Mobile 6.5.

In this section I will have a detailed look at both Windows Mobile 6.5 and the combination with HTC’s TouchFLO 3D user-interface. Finally I would like to show you some additional pre-loaded third party software as well.

REMARK:

The received HTC Touch2 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.

2.1  Windows Mobile 6.5

In February, earlier this year I was able to cover the announcement and key features of Windows Mobile 6.5 in teh article: “MWC 2009: Windows Mobile 6.5 announcement & screenshots” In this paragraph I will look back at the key features of Windows Mobile 6.5 in a step-by-step way.

The left screenshot above shows the lockscreen of the HTC Touch2. This screen not only lets you unlock the HTC Touch2, but you can also take direct one-click action in the case of an incoming e-mail, sms or voicemail. In the right screenshot above you see the basic Windows Mobile 6.5 homescreen layout, with its Microsoft Zune-like influences. This renewed homescreen is to some extend pretty basic, however works well from a functional perspective.

Furthermore the screenshots below show you the new start menu with integrated settings menu, in the renewed honeycomb structure optimized for fingerfriendly use. More extensive background information about the new start menu an be found in the article above.

In addition to the direct touch-related improvements on Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft launched two services as well. Directly after Mobile World Congres the first beta of Microsoft MyPhone was launched, and with the official Windows Phones launch on October 6th Microsoft MyPhone is launched with new premium features! The screenshots below show some on-device screenshots of the Microsoft MyPhone service, which is bundled with every new smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.5

The screenshots below show you some of the new premium features, like “locate your phone on a map” and sharing your pictures on you social networks. A more extensive article about the premium service and new features is written by my colleague and good friend Paul Willen.

The second bundeled service which was launched together with Windows Mobile 6.5 is the service called Windows Marketplace for Mobile -an online application store where you can directly purchase applications on the go-. The screenshots below show you the homescreen and an application specific screen in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

In a sequence of articles I tried to cover different aspects -for example the payment mechanism- of the Microsoft online application store: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0” and “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators“

Arne Hess, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of the::unwired, has written an interesting article as well about a “localization issue” of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Unfortunately I have a similar experience with the local Dutch Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and I truely hope that there will be a fix / solution for this.

2.2  HTC TouchFLO 3D – A detailed view

We all know that HTC has heavily invested in the development of their HTC TouchFLO 3D / HTC Sense userinterface. In the left screenshot above you can see that “only” TouchFLO 3D version 2.0 is included, while for example you can see TouchFLO 3D version 2.1 on the HTC Touch Pro2. You probably directly notice that this version has colored icons in the bottom TouchFLO 3D “navigation” bar. TouchFLO 3D on the HTC Touch2 consists of  11 (!!!) different tabs which will be shown in a step by step overview.

A.  Start

The first tab is labelled “Start” and provides a true overview of your Windows Phone, showing time, weather, your agenda, alarm status and operator. When you push the home button on the bottom of the HTC Touch2 this is the screen you will get, since it gives you the actual status.

B.  Contacts

The left screenshot above shows the second tab called contacts, which is nothing more than a customizable grid in which you can add 12 preferred contacts. It are “just” shortcuts for dailing these contacts, and since this is TouchFLO 3D v2.0 it lacks the people centric communication approach, which was implemented first on the HTC Touch Pro2. If you are used to a certain feature it is hard to live without and, more because it lets you easily switch between the various communication modes.

C.  Messages

The right screenshots above shows you the latest SMS messages, which makes the name of the third tab “Messages” nothing more than a logic choice. With the use of gestures you can easily swipe or flip through the SMS messages, while via the Windows Mobile softkeys you can enter Pocket Outlook, or directly reply to a SMS message.

D.  Mail

The fourth tab is devoted to mail, and analogue as in the messages tab you will get an overview of your last e-mails. However right next to the message you can see a few envelopes, which feature the different configured mail accounts. In this example it my Microsoft (Hosted) Exchange account and the MobilityMinded e-mail account are added on the HTC Touch2, so I can easily switch between accounts and swipe/flip through the different messages. Despite the relative small area the SMS messages and e-mails are very good readable !

E.  Internet

The right screenshot above shows the 5th Internet tab, which lets you easily open the Opera Mobile webbrowser, the YouTube viewer, or any other website which is configured under the favourites in this tab. Later in this review you will read more about the comparison of Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile and Opera Mobile 9.5.

F.  Pictures and Video

The 6th tab in the HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI is called Pictures and Video’s and is closely integrated with HTC’s custom camera- and camcorder applications, as well as their own picture viewer. On the right you see thetouch buttons to open the applications, while you can easily flip through your pictures, in a same way we have seen with e-mails and sms messages.

G.  Music

Tab 7 is dedicated to playing and managing music on your HTC Touch2. Again touch buttons are used to go forward to the next song, or go backward to the previous song, and obvious you can play and stop the current song. However the Music tab is integrated with an Audio Management application that HTC includes on their devices.

H.  Weather

Very helpful and something I use on a daily basis is checking the weather-forecast. Bassed on Accuweather information HTC has developed a really nice weather tab within TouchFLO 3D, which is shown in the left screenshot above. A similar approach is seen for example in the recently launched SPB Mobile Shell 3.5, in which weather forms a significant part of the GUI.

I.  Search on map

I’m not 100% sure if this was already included in TouchFLO 3D on the HTc Touch Pro2, but this tab cleverly combines Google Search and Google Maps. The example text shows the search string “pizzeria in Amsterdam”, and I personally tested with the search text “mcdonalds”. After you hit the search button, your current location is calulated and the nearest options of mcdonalds restaurants are shown in a list view on your device. I have seen a similar concept with Microsoft Live Search and customer-driven features !

J.  Settings

The left screenshot above shows the settings-tab within TouchFLO 3D. It let’s you quickly configure and access the most important settings from you Windows Phone from withint TouchFLO 3D. Even with the improved start menu of Windows Mobile 6.5 the “shortcuts” witthin the settings-tab are one-click faster to access the specified settings.

K.  Programs

The right screenshot above shows the final Progams-tab of TouchFLO 3D. I can configure 18 (!!!) shortcuts to my most used programs, and therefore it helps in everyday life. Although it was not part of TouchFLO 3D on the HTC Touch Pro2 as a separate tab, the concept of this programs-implementation was seen on this device as well.

However if you look back at the released Windows Mobile 6.5 with improved start menu, in which settings and programs are merged, it is a little contradicting to see a HTC implementation which keeps these separated. Furthermore I do think that this might be a field of tension between the standard Windows Mobile 6.5 solution and the custom HTC TouchFLO 3D overlay. Closely related to this topic is also the fact that two browsers are pre-loaded on the HTC Tocuh2, which I will discuss in the section below.

2.3  Additional out-of-the-box software

You already noticed that the HTC Touch2 is a feature rich device, featuring the latest version of Windows Mobile as well as the well developed HTC TouchFLO 3D interface. In addition the HTC Touch2 is packed with a large bundle of third party software, and in this paragraph I will quickly discuss the most important software titles.

At first there are two browsers pre-loaded on the HTC Touch2: (A) the standard browser of Windows Mobile 6.5, which is Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile; and (B) the standard browser of the HTC TouchFLO 3D interface, which is  Opera Mobile v9.5. Both the screenshots below provide some background information about the browsers’ version and buildnumber.

The screenshots below show both the browsers during “normal” use of looking up a website. While at first sight the overview might look the same, the menu’s are a little differently structured, and you can see furthermore that the Opera Mobile browser features a Google search box in the center of the screen so you can easily type in the URL or simply search based on keywords.

You might think “Does it make sense to pre-load two browsers on your Windows Phone?”  Personally I do think it doesn’t, however I do understand the underlying dynamics of the combination Windows Mobile and HTC ThouchFLO 3D which both feature one browser. I honestly hope that in future it becomes more easily to exchange browsers and provide the end-user more choice. In this case it would mean work for both Microsoft and HTC since, Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile should be made available for download by Microsoft, while HTC should include the option within TouchFLO 3D or HTC Sense to “plugin” Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile easily.

Allright enough browser thoughts, lets look at some additional preloaded software. It is not really new, but certainly worthwhile to mention is the included RSS  Hub application. In fact it is the familiar Iliumsoft Newsbreak application, which is included on your device for free. In the right screenshot below an excellent YouTube viewer is shown, and if I’m informed correctly the credits for this application fully are HTC’s development work.

However also a relative simple application like the calculator seems HTC’s development work, and therefore the company adds innovation both in terms of software and hardware. However I must admit that the calculator application is optimized for fingerfriendly use, and it works really well in practice.

New to me is the included MSN Money Widget, which shows me the latest important financial information like the situations on the world’s most important stock exchanges or simply the US Dollar / Euro exchange rate.

The left screenshot below shows a great addition since a PDF reader is not standard in the Microsoft Office Mobile suite. Adobe Reader LE v2.5 is the pre-loaded PDF-reader, and to my experience this is a must have application for business users. So my compliments to HTC for bundling this piece of software with the HTC Touch2.

Finally a 14-day trial of the CoPilot Live Navigation software is included on the HTC Touch2, while similar downloads were made available for the HTC Touch Pro2 in the recent history. I haven’t spent much time testing it, but it is a nice move to include a well known Navigation Suite on the HTC Touch2 so you are ready to go !!

3.  Conclusions and first overall thoughts

After this extensive review addressing the different aspects of the HTC Touch2 I can only concluded that this is a very feature rich device packed with a bulk load of helpful software. Despite the fact that the HTC Touch2 is aimed at the middle end of the market, I strongly believe that it is a very powerful device that gets most things done for a business professional as well.

Furthermore remark that this is the first Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone on the market (in the Netherlands), while Samsung for example announced the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the Omnia II on October 6th as well. I can only compliment HTC for packing a lot of features and connectivity options in a small formfactor, with an excellent combination of Windows Mobile 6.5 and the HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI. For example the lockscreen and the Microsoft MyPhone & Marketplace for Mobile services perfectly complement the HTC TouchFLO 3D interface.

I personally I do miss the people-centric-communication concept, but that is a matter of positioning and pricepoint. Furthermore the HTC Touch2 is also the first device where I can “feel” some tensions between the basic Windows Mobile 6.5- and HTC TouchFLO implementations.

In the review I made some points on these tension fields, but its good to summarize them here:  (1) Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile vs Opera Mobile webbrowser, (2) New Windows Mobile 6.5 start menu vs. Settings and Programs tabs in HTC TouchFLO 3D, (3) the Windows Mobile 6.5 homescreen vs. HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI. I’m curious to see how these tension fields will evolve over time, -and on different devices.

I would like to wrap-up that the HTC Touch2 is an excellent feature rich device that gives you excellent value for money! If you want to make the switch from a classic Nokia 3210, the HTC Touch2 is a perfect step to explore the smartphone market!

Finally I would like to recommend an excellent review of Chris Davies, Editor at Slashgear, “HTC Touch2 Windows Phone review“, in which a demo video of Windows Mobile 6.5 can be watched!

Pricing and availability

“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.”

The great news today, October 6th, is the official announcement of Windows Phones and Windows Mobile 6.5. HTC is one of the leading partners of Microsoft and was present at the local Windows Mobile 6.5 launch event in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Paul Willen has covered the local announcement of the HTC HD2 in the article: “HTC HD2 locally announced by Mark Moons (HTC Benelux)”

In addition to this announcement there was other news as well. While on the Mobile World Congress 2009 it was already announced that HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2 would receive a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade. The announcement from back then is confirmed today, with the cool addition that the HTC Snap will also get a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade as well.

In addition my good friend Paul Willen asked the clever question if HTC Sense (which is fully widgetized on the HTC HD2) would also become available on other devices as well with the upgrade. However the HTC Sense interface will only be available on the HTC HD2, and this could be a missed chance for HTC to broaden their Sense userinterface. What do you think ?

Summarizing the Windows Mobile 6.5 portfolio of HTC devices:

1. HTC Snap (upgrade);
2. HTC Touch Diamond 2 (upgrade);
3. HTC Touch Pro 2 (upgrade);
4. HTC Touch 2 (pre-installed);
5. HTC HD2 (pre-installed);

Finally I’m really happy to see that a large set of devices (already on the market) will receive an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. My compliments for HTC !

UPDATE:

Bellow you can find the official links to the Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM upgrades for HTC Snap and HTC Touch Pro2 on the HTC support website:

• ROM Upgrade (WM6.5) for HTC Touch Pro2 (WWE)
• ROM Upgrade (WM6.5) for HTC Snap (WWE)

Today at the local Windows Phone launch event in Amsterdam, HTC announced a new device called the HTC HD2 (of which the codename is HTC Leo) in addition to the introductions from Windows Mobile 6.5 and Microsoft MyPhone.

Luckily HTC didn’t just announce it, but also had a few HTC HD2 demo units in Amsterdam so we could play a few minutes with this powerhouse.

HTC HD2 hardware

The HTC HD2 is a phone with the largest screen available. A whopping 4,3″ screen with WVGA resolution. Based on my first hand experiences I can only say:  This screen is LARGE! Furthermore the HTC HD2 will be the first Windows Phone with a capacitive touchscreen, which means multitouch.

The HTC HD2 is the first HTC device based on the Snapdragon chipset running at 1 Gigahertz. The device is from what I can judge one of the fastest devices I have ever used. Some more key features from this device are its 5 Megapixel camera with a Dual LED Flashlight, and that again, is something HTC has never done in a device! Five Megapixels and a decent Flash to make nice snapshots in the dark.

For a complete overview of the hardware specifications I would like recommend the specification list on the HTC HD2 product page.

HTC Software on the HTC HD2

The HTC HD2 will be shipped with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5, which makes it the 5th Windows Phone from HTC. Furthermore HTC has replaced the TouchFLO 3D with a Windows Mobile version of HTC’s sense.

HTC Sense user interface was first introduced on the Android powered HTC Hero. The prediction I made back then seems to be true – HTC Sense will eventually become a cross-platform experience to all the HTC users. Just like the Android version of HTC Sense and SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 the Windows Phone version of HTC Sense is completely widgetized. HTC really points to three basic sense thoughts:

1. Make it mine – Personalize you Windows Phone the way you like it
2. Stay Close – Keep all you contacts, E-Mail, SMS and Phonecalls together
3. Discover the unexpected – Basically all the nice Sense features HTC built in and makes you say: “WOW!”

HTC not only drives great innovations in hardware,but certainly invests in software innovations as well.

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

The HTC HD2 is the fastest Windows Phone I have every tried. But not only the speed is impressive. The fact that there is a 5 Megapixel camera with flash, a capacitive touchscreen, and a 1 Gigahertz Processor indicates that this is a really powerful device. The only downside of the device I could see from the few minutes I had it in my hand is it’s width. Using the device with one hand simply isn’t possible (to me) because when I keep the device in my right hand, my thumb doesn’t reach the top-left corner (Start menu) of the device.

Basically the only drawback is that the screen it too big – But who would mention this as a downside of a device??

Pricing and Availability

According to countrymanager Mark Moons the HTC HD2 will be available from the end of this month in Europe and will cost €599,- (without a subscription and including VAT). When the HTC HD2 will be available in the United States is unknown at this moment.

Instant update: It looks like the HD2 will be available in the US in Q1 2010 according to Slashgear:

Meanwhile Peter Chou confirmed to us that HTC are working on a US-spec version of the device, which will cross the Atlantic in time for Q1 2010.  No word on pricing as yet.

Today is the day that Microsoft with carriers are releasing the first devices worldwide with the new Window Mobile 6.5 operating software. As part of their new strategy the are adding a new term to all the phones that will be operating on the Window Mobile Operating systems.

The new term that you will see is: ” Windows Phone “. All these phones will be recognizable now with a Windows Logo on the Home Button for these phones. See the image on the side on the new AT&T Pure and Tilt 2 Respectively the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2. The AT&T Pure was released yesterday with the New Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

The home screen on these HTC devices are are running the HTC Touch Flo.

Our friend Chris Leckness has a great 5 part preview on Windows Mobile 6.5 on MobilitySite.

Part 1- Announcing Windows Mobile 6.5

Part 2 – Our 1st impressions

Part 3 – 50+ Screenshots

Part 4 – Video 1st look

Part 5 – What’s ne in 6.5?

Today will be a huge day with many post around world on many blogs about today’s launch of Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 with some great new added services like the Windows Market Place for Windows Phone and the earlier released MyPhone service.

Make sure to visit our friends located on on the right hand site of our page for many Windows Phone news and posts.

We all know the Xperia X1; Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile device. The X1 became a massive success and Sony Ericsson now announces it’s successor: The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2. Unlike the X1, which is created by HTC, the X2 will be made by a company called Mobinova.

Specifications

The Xperia X2 will be shipped with Windows Mobile 6.5, a 8.1 MegaPixel Camera and 13 pre-loaded Panels.
With it’s 8.1 MegaPixel camera, the X2 is -as far as I know- the only Windows Phone with a camera of that size, which is quite impressive.

Other specifications of the X2 are:

– The X2 has a vibrant 3.2 inch TFT LCD
– Available user flash memory up to 110 MB and we include a 4GB card with every phone; Total flash is 512 MB & RAM 256 MB; the X2 has microSD™ and microSDHC memory card support up to 16GB
– The chipset inside is the Qualcomm 7200A with 3D hardware acceleration through OpenGL ES 1.0

Like the X1 the X2 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard which is good for writing emails and messaging.

“Windows® phones allow people to manage their whole world – from work to home to play – on a single handset,” said Stephanie Ferguson, general manager, product management, Microsoft Corp.  “The XPERIA™ X2 taps the powerful messaging and multimedia capabilities in Windows Mobile® so customers can be in touch, productive and entertained wherever they are.”

Entertainment

The X2 is not only a device for business people. As mentioned above the 8.1 MegaPixel camera and the 3.2″ TFT LCD Display make sure that it is also an entertainment device:

Entertainment is not compromised on XPERIA™ X2. Enjoy amazing multimedia with the 3.2” high resolution touch screen and DVD quality and take advantage of the 8.1 megapixel camera to capture and instantly share experiences with friends and family. Personalise the panels and users can access Facebook™ to upload their party or holiday images and they can chat with friends across the world via Skype

Thoughts & Wrap-up

In my opinion the X2 has the potential to be as successful as the X1.

I think Sony Ericsson has tried to take a good look at the points which could be improved from the X1 and indeed improved it! The screen is larger, which is one of the major downsides of the X1. Also the keyboard looks better than the keyboard of the X1 and of course the Camera is a great improvement.

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/3790/sony-ericsson-xperia-x2-announced/feed 1 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.

SBSH Mobile Software released last week a new update for its best selling news reader application, GoNews Touch for Windows Mobile Touch devices to version 1.1.

“We are excited to be the first touch designed offline newsreader solution available to also provide a touch designed interface for Google Reader accounts with automatic syncing! This was the most wanted feature request from the community since the first GoNews Touch version was released and we are positive that users will be excited to see this included!”

SBSH Mobile Software deserves a compliment being the first developer -as far as I know- to release an RSS feed reader for Windows Phones which offers automatic syncing with Google Reader accounts.

• Google Reader – Automatically sync your Google Reader content, read-state syncing and more!
• Auto Updates – Far better auto-syncing logic and implementation. Use time based or interval based

But SBSH Mobile software also made a lot of additional improvements to the SBSH GoNews Touch application as you can read  in the developer post on the SBSH forum.

• More Gestures – Swipe between articles like a real newspaper, enlarged article view display and more!
• Windows Mobile 6.5 – Code and design improvements for better usability with new WM 6.5 devices
• Usability Improvements – Better Read Status Mark, Improved New Channel Wizard, Redesigned Touch Items, Bug Fixes and Download Speed Improvements.

Cool to see that developers like SBSH Mobile Software are already working hard to get their application Windows Mobile 6.5 “proof”. In order to experience the options and possibilities of SBSH GoNews Touch have a closer look at the description on the product page and the video below provides a good overview:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGDigx3TB8I

Again SBSH Mobile Software deserves a compliment being the first developer -as far as I know- to release an RSS feed reader for Windows Phones which offers automatic syncing with Google Reader accounts.

Therefore I think the Google Reader synchronization is certainly a cool feature to have a closer and more thorough look at in a review. What are your thoughts and field experiences with SBSH GoNews Touch so far?  Who tested the Google Reader synchronization? Would love to hear this information in the comments.

Pricing and availability

GoNews Touch is available for Windows Mobile devices with a touch screen. GoNews Touch costs $14.95 and can be registered via our online store.

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