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Are You Stoked About the Launch of Windows Mobile 6.5?

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:05:03 -0700

There's a new batch of phones on the block, and they're out to steal away some market share from Apple. Launching on October 6, select phones on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint networks will begin running Windows Mobile 6.5 under the "Windows Phone" brand. Windows has seemingly taken a back seat in the cell phone department, with Blackberry, Apple, and Android obviously being the front runners to innovation and integration. I remember using Windows Mobile OS on my old T-Mobile MDA, and I have to be honest - it wasn't one of my favorite mobile experiences to date.

But now, Windows hopes to make a comeback in the mobile market with its newest operating system and Windows Marketplace, where you can browse and purchase apps for your phone. It's yet to be announced which devices will be available to run WM 6.5, but I'm curious to know - are you stoked about the launch this Fall?

Windows Mobile May Get Its Own App Store Soon

GeekSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:30:48 -0700

No doubt, it may be torture some days to not be an iPhone or iPod Touch user and have to read about some cool new Chanel or Netflix app from iPhone's App Store when you're an avowed BlackBerry or Palm smartphone user. Windows Mobile may have its good points, but a cool feature like the App Store is not one of them. . . yet.

CNET reports that Microsoft is rumored to be preparing an application store that will be called "Skymarket" and offer developers the chance to distribute (and make money for) their applications in one place, like the App Store on iTunes.

No more jealousy over the iPhone! Well . . . maybe just less jealousy.

Do You Want to See a Cell Phone From Microsoft?

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:06:54 -0700

The Zune Phone rumor that surfaced in late 2008 obviously didn't come out in 2009 (we got the Zune HD instead), but there is still new Microsoft cell phone news this year.

In the coming months, Microsoft will launch a dual mobile platform strategy - meaning they'll release two versions of Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile 6.5 will launch Oct. 1, and then next February, we'll see a version of it with a touch screen UI. The ultimate goal? To compete with the iPhone's OS and Android.

This news is interesting, sure, but more interesting is that there's still no news about Microsoft making a cell phone. It seems like the right time - Google and Apple are succeeding as handset makers and it's a good time to compete. Do you want Microsoft to make a cell phone?

Daily Tech: Google Sync Comes to the iPhone and Windows Phones

GeekSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:05:11 -0700

Google Sync with push Gmail functionality can now be used on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Windows Mobile devices. - Google Mobile Blog
To compete with Google Docs, Microsoft will soon be launching Office Web Apps - USA Today
Louis Vuitton has just released laptop sleeves with their classic damier canvas design - Chip Chick
Here's how you can use GarageBand to autotune your voice to sound like T-Pain - Download Squad
Amazon is selling AT&T phones for only one cent today, and it'll even waive the activation fee - The Boy Genius Report
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game ever bracket! - GeekSugar

Fashion Designer Themes Coming to All Windows Phones

GeekSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:33:00 -0700

Microsoft must have taken a cue from fashion designer Vivienne Tam, who just announced another new fashionable clutch netbook, because the company is now mixing high fashion with tech thanks to their newest collection of designer themed custom palettes and wallpapers for Windows phones.

On Oct. 6, customers with Windows Mobile 6.5 devices will be able to download fashionable themes from designers including: Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang, Isaac Mizrahi, Rock & Republic, and Ron Arad.

These new themes will be available for free from the Windows Marketplace.

Daily Tech: Windows 7 Only $30 For US College Students

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:25:01 -0700

All you need is a working email address from a university and you can pick up Microsoft 7 for only $30 - Gizmodo
The Motorola Cliq shows off its very first promo video - CrunchGear
The popular ShopSavvy app which is currently available on Android devices is coming to Windows Mobile - The Silicon Alley Insider
Those hot Pentax DSLRs I mentioned yesterday? Well they'll be coming in DYO colors, too! - Engadget
Best Buy is advertising some $199 Nintendo Wii deals - Kotaku
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game ever bracket! - GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Pink and White HTC Heros Pop Up

GeekSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:04:38 -0700

It's rumored that 14 different color combos of HTC Heros are going to be released. - The Boy Genius Report
Forget virtual gifts, Facebook is going to start offering real physical gifts - Switched
AT&T's 3G service in New York and San Francisco areas should be better now - MobileCrunch
Here are 10 things you need for back to school, and five you don't - Gizmodo
Facebook has just launched a new Twitter app that makes it easy to update your Facebook and Twitter pages - Mashable
Thinking of picking up a copy of Windows 7? Here are seven reasons you may want to avoid it - Wired

First Impressions of the HTC Snap

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:04:24 -0700

The HTC Snap has been in stores since the beginning of June, but I wanted to wait until I got my hands on one to give you a run down on its features. At first glance, the HTC Snap has a BlackBerry look to it, more so a BlackBerry Bold than a BlackBerry Curve . . . but when you pick it up, you can definitely tell it isn't a BlackBerry.

If you're a Windows Mobile fan, this bad boy runs Win Mo 6.1, so you can easily sync up your contacts, calendar, and email. And with the one touch access keys, you can get to your camera, messages, and the Internet quickly and effortlessly. Other useful features include a two megapixel camera, a microSD card slot for additional storage, and GPS functionality. I also want to point out that it offers a full QWERTY keyboard with keys that are a tad on the bigger side for those who find BlackBerry's to be difficult to type on.

Thumbs down goes to the fact that it doesn't have WiFi or a regular headphone jack.

You can currently pick one up from Sprint for $150 (give or take your contract situation), or if you're with T-Mobile or Verizon, have a peek at the T-Mobile Dash 3G or the Verizon HTC Ozone, which are basically the same device as the Snap.

View 3 Photos ›

Putting the Palm Pre to the geeksugar Test

GeekSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:44:03 -0700

It's about time, right?! For the geeksugar Palm Pre review, that is. Better late than never in my opinion, so without further adieu, let's get the Pre party started.

I've had the past week to use and abuse this device and if you were anti-Palm before, it's safe to say they've come a long way since the Centro. The Pre is flashy, sexy, and perfectly fit in the palm of my hand. With its nice glossy black exterior, it tends to be fingerprint-prone, but if you switch the back plate with the plain black touchstone compatible back, you should be good to go.

The flip out QWERTY keyboard comes in handy for typing emails and texting (the Pre has copy and paste!), but keys are somewhat small so I tended to use my fingernails for precision. When the keyboard is flipped out, you'll find a nice mirror on the back of the Pre - a mirror that's big enough for quick food in the teeth checks or makeup touch-ups. The Pre's 3.2-megapixel built-in camera takes crystal clear pics, and with the big bright flash, you can take night shots no problem. Also, with Palm's stellar image processing, you can take photos continuously (like a regular camera) since there isn't a shutter lag.

To check out more photos of the Palm Pre, to see what else I thought and to watch a video of it in action read more.

View 14 Photos ›

The screen on the Pre is comparable to the T-Mobile G1's, the iPhone's and the BlackBerry Bold's screen. Color is vibrant and video viewing is impeccable. As you'll see in my video after the jump, scrolling through applications with webOS is similar to the iPhone, but the touchscreen sensitivity isn't always 100 percent accurate. Sometimes it would take me two or three tries before I could launch an app, but it wasn't something that happened every time. What I absolutely loved was the ability to use a slow swipe for the cool Quick Launcher and you can scroll up to discard windows when you were finished with them. No fiddling with small x boxes to close something, just swipe up and it's gone (again, something you'll see me using a lot in the video!). Left swiping acts as your "back" button and web pages, tools, and apps are easily draggable and droppable. Features like texting, placing calls, emailing, etc., were similar to the iPhone. Overall, applications were fairly intuitive, if not easier to use than those on the iPhone. Now for my gripes.

The Cons:

I happened to drop the Palm Pre outside (on cement) and my heart stopped when it was unresponsive. Fortunately, a quick touch of the power button and it was back in action. But, this occurred again (I'm a klutz!) and the same thing happened. Whenever I drop my BlackBerry or iPhone, although a little banged up, they never shut off (or need to be restarted). Also, I noticed that the track for the keyboard was a little off when I tried to flip it out. The phone still works, but on a durability level, I don't know how long it would sustain a few too many falls.
The new iPhone 3G S has video functionality, the Pre sadly does not.
Apple just announced that they might put their foot down on Palm Media Sync, which transfers pics, videos, and tunes to your Pre from iTunes. This would be a major thumbs down for Pre owners.
One Pre accessory I was really excited about using was the touchstone charging device. Except when I got my hands on it, I was saddened to see that it wasn't wireless. And the Pre needed to be placed on it in a very precise manner to actually pick up a charge. Not as sexy as I originally thought, that is for sure.

I'm just skimming the surface on this one, but overall this smartphone deserves four stars for design, sleek interface, ease of use, and camera quality. Hopefully a software upgrade will fix some of my issues with the phone.

AT&T Announces the Samsung Jack Smartphone

GeekSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:11:57 -0700

Gearing up to hit store shelves next Tuesday, the Samsung Jack from AT&T is a nice cross between the BlackJack and BlackJack II except it offers Windows Mobile 6.1, WiFi and a 3.2-megapixel camera. And just like the BlackJack II (and the iPhone), it will work on AT&T's 3G network, so you're guaranteed speedy Internet browsing, emailing, and SMS-ing.

The phone also features video-capture capabilities, GPS-based applications, and all the goodies you'd find in Windows Mobile like the ability to manage Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from your phone. Even better, this phone will only cost $99.99 ($199.99 base price) after a mail-in rebate.

To see all of the phone's bells and whistles, just read more.