As we noted when we first saw the ai.rs video below, the TouchWiz 2.0 UI looks nice, but the resistive touch lag is a shame given the 800Mhz processor.

Key features:
• 3.7-inch ultra-brilliant (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology: input text faster and easier with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, which keeps customers connected with corporate and personal e-mail and synchronization of schedules and contacts
• Microsoft Office Mobile: 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 NavigatorSM, 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 TouchWiz 2.0 user interface
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus and camcorder and decoder with DNSe technology and on-device editing capabilities
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi (no N)
• 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

Available Colors: Black with red accents on the battery cover

As we noted when we first saw the ai.rs video below, the TouchWiz 2.0 UI looks nice, but the resistive touch lag is a shame given the 800Mhz processor. Still, there you have it. Engadget's tipster says the phone will hit telesales, online and retail stores on December 2. [Samsung via Engadget]

Omnia II (I8000) Specification

Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps
EDGE/GPRS 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz
UMTS 900 / 1900 / 2100MHz
Display: 65K WVGA AMOLED Display (3.7", 480 x 800)
Advanced R-type Touch Screen
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Camera: 5 Megapixel CMOS / Auto-Focus /
Dual Power LED / Face Detection / Smile Shot
Mobile Blogging / Geo Tagging / Photo Editor
Audio: Audio Format Support (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
WMDRM, OMA DRM 2.1 / Find Music (Music Recognition)
Bluetooth® Stereo Headset (A2DP)
FM Radio with RDS / 3.5 earjack
Video: Video Format Support (DivX, XviD, H.263,
H.264, WMV9, MPEG4)
Video Recording & Playing (30fps@ D1(720x480))
Video Editing (Trim video, Audio dubbing,
Live dubbing, Add subtitle)
Value Added: A-GPS with Navigation (3D Map) / LBS
TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Mobile Widget / 3D Media Gate
Multi-task manager / 3D Interactive Games
Connectivity:Bluetooth® v 2.0 / USB 2.0 / Wi-Fi
Memory: Internal Memory : 2GB/8GB/16GB
External Memory : microSDHC™ (up to 32GB)
Size: 118 x 60 x 11.9 mm
Battery: Talk time : Up to 10 hours (3G)
Standby time : Up to 430 hours (3G)

Microsoft's take on an app store got off to a timid start, so the accompanying news that the catalog has hit 800 apps is definitely promising, as is the expanded userbase: now that the millions of 6.0 and 6.1 handsets are part of the Marketplace's potential userbase, developers will be more enthusiastic about actually developing for it.

And even if it's not quite up to speed yet, it's a much easier way to find the basics than scavenging the app download hellscape that is the Greater Internet, and some of Microsoft's new codeveloped apps—Facebook, in particular—are pretty great. You can download by pointing your WinMo phone's browser to mp.windowsphone.com. [Windows Team Blog]

The security features are really more like anti-piracy measures, but that's developer stuff—what about us consumers? Well, the new online portal seems like a solid idea, albeit one that implicitly acknowledges that app browsing is not that great on a WinMo 6.5 phone. You can access the portal from any browser, taking advantage of your computer's larger screen and faster loading to find apps that much quicker. They'll be downloaded as soon as you open the Marketplace app on your WinMo device. The site looks nice, too—cleanly organized and easy to use. It's not a substitute for a good on-device app store, but it's a nice feature to have. [Windows Team Blog via Engadget]

It takes all open webpages, applications, and widgets and organizes them in a way that you can easily flick to leaf through the selections. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it seems almost exactly like the card system. With fancy page-flip transitions in between.

Each page of the virtual book is the UI of a service or function of the handheld electronic device. Flipping the pages of the virtual book means browsing and selecting the services and functions provided by the handheld electronic device. This book-like UI enables the user to use and manage these applications, widgets, and web pages in an easy and intuitive way like browsing a conventional printed book. The book-like UI hides the differences among applications, widgets, and web pages so that the handheld electronic device can be accessed through a uniform and convenient UI.

The patent also describes a really cool rolodex-style method of browsing, where the UI collapses apps and pages towards the top and bottom of the screen while expanding the item you're looking at in the middle. Imagine (again with the Palm comparisons) the Pre's calendar, and you'll get the idea.

The Pre might already have a lot of what's described here, but I'm totally cool with HTC ripping it off. Because if anyone can knock this interface out of the park, it's HTC. [UnwiredView via Slashgear]

Warning: Elevator/porno music accompanies this video. It's not NSFW, but we could well see it accompanying material that is.

The Omnia II has a huge AMOLED touchscreen, measuring 3.7 inches, but why Samsung chose to go resistive instead of capacitive for the screen is anyone's guess. Performance in the video seems okay, but the slight lag is disappointing given the Omnia's 800MHz processor. The interface seems nice enough if you're tired of HTC's TouchFLO UI, I guess, and the phone's specs aren't too bad (5MP camera, up to 16GB storage, good video codec support). Overall it should be a fine addition to Verizon's lineup, but it's bound to get overshadowed by the upcoming Android releases. [Ai.rs via Engadget]

As you can see in the video, Ballmer acknowledges that Windows Mobile 6.5 is receiving negative reviews, but I never get him to actually admit that the platform still needs work. He says, "reviews aside," he's happy with what Windows Phones (running 6.5) can do now.

And faced with competition of iPhone, BlackBerry and others, he contends it's currently "kind of a horse race." The only clear leader, market-share wise, is Nokia, and they're losing ground. When I said that Nokia was another developer currently lambasted by reviewers, Ballmer replied:

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what the critics say, it matters what the customers say.

Perhaps given the power of advertising (still mighty, even if it's on the decline), there may still be a way for a product to get positive sales despite negative reviews. But the internet has changed that landscape, and the lines between critic and customer blur more every day. We all share knowledge in order to make better choices. So who, in the end, is this customer, who is so different from the critic? Not anyone who reads Gizmodo, that's for sure.

Stay tuned for more exciting Ballmer moments (and facial expressions) over the next day, and then the full uncut interview video on Friday. Video by Mike Short

Steve Ballmer Exclusive Interview Series:
Part 1: Ballmer Talks Natal, Says Blu-ray Add-On for Xbox Coming
Part 2: Ballmer on the Smartphone Race: "It Doesn't Matter What the Critics Say"
Part 3: Ballmer on Zune: Sometimes You Get It Right The Third Time?

The shots are branded Windows 6.5.1, but as PocketNow says, we know what 6.5.1 looks like and it definitely doesn't share the modern, finger-sized aesthetic of these shots. The screenshots cover basics like the call screen, contacts list, mail, and on-screen keyboard, and all in all it looks substantially more modern (read: Similar to Android, iPhone, WebOS) than WinMo ever has before. Interestingly, the trademark Windows Start button appears to be a no-show: Is this a conscious choice to move away from the WinMo of the past? [PocketNow]

Apparently, these minor improvements (slider, toggle switch, soft keys, pivots) were initially slated for WInMo 6.5.1, but so far they have not shown up in the build. Again, these shots are only a rumor at this point, but some of the elements do seem to be in line with earlier leaks. [WMExperts via WMpoweruser]

Some of the especially jarring UI elements, like the Windows 3.1-esque radio buttons and aging contacts app, have been given a bubbly, antialiased skin, which, like it or not, is at the bare minimum less retro than what was there before. The start menu has been pulled from the top tray to the bottom menu, and the formerly text-based contextual buttons, present since 5.x, have been awkwardly iconified. If 6.5 was elective plastic surgery, 6.5.1 is a new suit.

Microsoft's given no indication as to when 6.5.1 is due to ship, or what the final product will look like—a while back I posed the question to Robbie Bach directly a few weeks back, and it was immediately deflected. Even more to the point, there's no guarantee that it'll ever come out, and that these aren't just escaped beta-chunks, slotted into cooked ROMs by eager homebrewers. Even if 6.5.1 shipped tomorrow, though, to the WinMo fans who've stuck it out this long, it'd be a pittance. [IStartedSomething via Download Squad]

The Browsers: Even if the latest version of Mobile IE isn't spectacular, Window Mobile is still a great OS for browsing the web. Opera Mobile, now in 9.7 beta, renders pages about as well as the best WebKit browsers on the iPhone, Android, and the Pre, and promises compressed rendering for faster pageloads, as well as some Flash support. Skyfire can play back Flash videos without a hiccup. You don't have these kinds of options anywhere else, at least for now. Bolt and Opera Mini both optimize the hell out of your pages, helping them load amazingly quick.

The Hardware: I've seen my fair share of clunky Windows Mobile hardware. I've also seen the OS powering some of the most spectacular handsets in the world, like the Toshiba TG01. Even disregarding the really sexy stuff, the average customer has a lot to choose from, from touchscreen-only devices to sliding QWERTY phones to candybar-style messaging devices. And given some of the latest from HTC, there's plenty more to come.

: There aren't a whole lot of fans of the stock Window Mobile interface. It feels old, to put it gently. Handset manufacturers do all kinds of interesting stuff with alternative interfaces, skinning Windows Mobile until you can barely recognize it. This keeps things interesting, but so do the fantastic third-party shells like SBP Mobile Shell and PointUI Home 2, which anyone can install. These are total transformations you can apply in a matter of seconds, which is basically unique to WinMo.

Tethering: We've been grousing about the lack of tethering on other platforms for a long, long time. All the while, Windows Mobile has had a dedicated settings panel for enabling tethering built right in. [Pic via MakeTechEasier]

Infinite tweaking: Over the last few years, hobbyists have reached deeper into Windows Mobile's guts that it seems Microsoft has, and they've come up with some impressive stuff. Just about anything can be changed swapped out or customized. Want a new onscreen keyboard? A different system font? A entirely new homescreen layout? Deep changes to power management, processor control or memory allocation? Automatic orientation controls for all apps? Voice controls? It's all just a matter of installing a .CAB file or two.

Open apps: This is a double-edged sword. Windows Mobile's new Marketplace doesn't have a whole lot to offer yet, and without a good centralized source, it can be a pain to find apps, to find out if they're compatible, and to get a decent deal. That said, there is literally nobody between you and your apps. If someone wants to make a VoIP app that uses your carrier's network, they can do that. If they want to stream live video over the air, they can do that, too. You might face a reckoning with your carrier, but that's fine: at least it was you choice.

Members at XDA, a cloistered online pit of despair where thousands of obsessed individuals diligently find, execute and post about literally every possible permutation of every conceivable Windows Mobile hack (side note: I love you guys), have ripped the Marketplace installer out of 6.5, and shared it with the world. The Marketplace itself could still use a few months to ripen, but it's far from terrible as is.

The first version, a few days old and in stock form, is here—it seems to work for most folks. The second version's been fiddled with a bit, has been hacked so as to allow app installation on SD storage, which the Marketplace disables by default. Both are simple .CAB downloads, so all you've got to do is throw them on your handset and run them as installers.

Let us know how it works in the comments. [XDA via Pocketnow]

He's not revealing the method for ethical reasons, but anybody wanna fill us in on how these shenanigans work, so hopefully it'll get fixed so developers don't get screwed? [XDA via Engadget]

Q3 financials are in, and they show nothing but pain:

Smartphone maker HTC Corp reported Tuesday an 18% drop in third-quarter net profit... The company, the world's largest maker of phones using Microsoft Corp.'s operating system by shipments, said its net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 fell to NT$5.76 billion (US$179.0 million) from NT$6.99 billion a year earlier.

This is worse than predicted. So OK, let's think: What could it be? Look closely:

The company, the world's largest maker of phones using Microsoft Corp.'s operating system by shipments

Ah, right, this. As much publicity as HTC's Android phones get from the tech press, they're still a Windows Mobile company at their core, a fact which is becoming more ballast than fuel. That, combined with all the money they're spending on changing that, i.e. marketing their Android push, makes being HTC right now a pricey proposition. Pull through, guys! Then you can put Android on the Touch HD2 and we can all go home happy. If that's not your plan, somehow, then kindly sulk off and die. [WSJ]

The Samsung Intrepid is a full QWERTY phone with a 2.5-inch, 320x240 touchscreen, packing ho-hum features like a 3.2MP camera and Wi-Fi. It'll cost $150 with a 2-year contract on Sprint, which seems pretty pricey considering the Palm Pre retails for the same, but could be a decent businessphone if your business happens to be attached to WinMo. It'll be available October 11th. [Laptop Mag, Press Release]

Today, Motorola's Christy Wyatt said that Motorola would be waiting for a next generation version of Windows Mobile before developing a new product for the platform. Instead, the company is focusing on "two strategic platforms"—one of them confirmed to be Android.

But wow, WinMo getting turned down by Motorola is pretty much the equivalent of asking the school's most shunned female outcast to the dance, only to learn that she'd prefer to sit in misery at home rather than dance in public agony with you. [phone scoop via MobileCrunch]

But, from here on out, he says that with Windows Mobile the "pace of innovation is gonna accelerate dramatically going forward" so you're going to see a "set of speedy innovations from us over the next 6, 12, and 18 months."

We really hope so.

The Gadget

Verizon's HTC Imagio is a touchscreen Windows Mobile 6.5 handset, or "Windows Phone," with a healthy, if expected, spec set, iiiiinnncluding!: a 3.6-inch WVGA screen, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD storage expansion (but sadly, no included card). It's also the first smartphone with V CAST Mobile TV, which is a Flo TV-based live streaming TV service that looks and feels a bit like digital cable, phone-ified. Accordingly, it has an adorable kickstand.

The Price

$200 on contract with Verizon, after a $100 rebate

The Hardware

HTC is the Taco Bell of the handset world—they've only got a few ingredients that they put into their long menu of products, but the results are consistently pretty good, if not spectacular. Of the bulging ranks of 528MHz-Qualcomm-based touchscreen handsets, this is one of my favorite permutations. For its size, the Imagio is respectably thin—about as thick as an iPhone, but with a noticeably larger screen—and pleasantly rounded in the rear, with a subdued two-tone backplate accented with a shiny camera bezel and a chrome kickstand.

The front of the device is framed by a perforated grille, which looks and feels pleasantly knobbly, giving the handset a little friction, and a secure feeling in your hand. The bottom row of buttons—call, V CAST, Windows Start Menu, back and end call—are placed a little low to be comfortable to press, but anyone who's used to HTC handset designs won't have any trouble getting around this piece.

Performance is adequate, but since this is the same Qualcomm processor we've been complaining about for months now, and the 256MB of RAM isn't overly generous, it's nothing better than what we've already seen in the likes of the HTC Touch Pro2. HTC's done plenty of work to make TouchFLO run nice'n'smooth, sure, but it really wouldn't hurt to not just make a handset with speedier hardware, but to actually release it in the US.

The Software

I was pretty hard on Windows Mobile 6.5 in my review, but guess what? HTC likes it even less. TouchFLO 3D reaches deeper into the operating system than ever before, to the point that during casual use you can't even tell you're using a Windows Mobile phone.

The Titanium homescreen? Replaced. The new, larger contextual menus? How about prettier HTC versions instead? Mobile Internet Explorer 6? Replaced with Opera Mobile. Virtually every other piece of software that HTC had time to revamp or cover up? Out of sight, out of mind. And for one final kick in the nuts, the new Start Menu, which Microsoft even went so far as to require 6.5 phones to have a dedicated button for? Replaced with a slightly better HTC variant. That, right there, is a better review of Windows Mobile 6.5 than anyone could ever write.

V CAST TV

Based on Flo TV, which probably doesn't mean much to most people, V CAST is a categorically impressive technology. The best way to describe it is that it's like having a digital cable box, complete with live broadcasts of familiar basic cable stations (Comedy Central, CNN, the like), and a familiar program guide interface. Video quality is fair, but definitely watchable, and the experience of flipping through live channels is pretty novel.

As interesting as the underlying technology is, there are a few serious problems. Watching TV is neat and all, but on a mobile device, video on demand would be infinitely more useful. And at $12 or $15 a month, I don't think people will be satisfied with the somewhat anemic channel selection (full listings here).

Moreover, I don't really understand how Verizon expects people to use this. You can't use it on a plane or a subway, so what, trains? During your lunch break at work? There center part in the Venn diagram of times where you might want to watch video content but don't have a computer or TV and times when you can realistically use V CAST is small, as far as I can tell. But if live, basic-cable-esque TV on your phone is something you can see yourself using, this implementation is actually pretty good.

The (Mild) Tragedy

This has been the story for a few years now, and it doesn't look like it's going to change with Windows Mobile 6.5: Handset manufacturers will continue to make the OS bearable to use, and carrier will occasionally grant handsets interesting—if not always useful—services to keep customers' attention. That's exactly what the Imagio does, bonding pleasant hardware design with a heroic salvaging of the phone's interface. At $200 after rebate, it's not a best value by a long shot, but in Verizon's sickly smartphone line, it's not a horrible choice.

I would've liked to end this review on that happy note, but while I was writing it Verizon sabotaged my plan, those scoundrels: Two Android phones will be announced for the network "within weeks," which means that unless you're bound to Windows Mobile either by software, your employer, or, er, extreme loyalty, you'd be best advised to wait a little while. [Verizon]

It's got an appealing design, large screen and minimal branding

Kickstand! Ha!

HTC's done a hell of a job sprucing up Windows Mobile, as always

V CAST TV is technologically interesting, but it's expensive and I'm not really sure how people will use it

Windows Mobile 6.5, y'all

Specs could use a bump; namely the aging 528MHz processor and included storage

$200 isn't a great bargain, and Verizon' got some Android handsets coming down the pike.

Update: It's coming to the US, later. [HTC]

Nothing for the iPhone. "Still a closed device and not much progress there," Adobe told us as they gleefully detailed that Flash was invading basically every other smartphone. Also, we gotta wait until mid-2010 for the full rollout.

But, betas for Windows Mobile and WebOS are coming this year, with Android and Symbian early next, meaning you can get your mobile Hulu on before then. BlackBerry will be a bit longer, since RIM just joined Adobe's Open Screen project. Supposedly, Flash won't run like total garbage on phones, either, like Flash Lite. Fingers crossed, guys!

The GPU acceleration for Flash is the real deal, for sure, though—I watched a Star Trek trailer on YouTube HD on an Nvidia Ion-powered HP Mini 311 output to an external monitor, even, and it ran flawlessly. Which, if you've ever tried to play an HD Flash clip, even on full-fledged systems it molests CPU cycles, so just working on a $400 netbook very nearly deserves applause.

Flash 10.1 has a few other tricks too with full support for multitouch, gestures and accelerometer input—meaning it'd be perfect on the iPhone, if Apple would ever let it through. And make no mistake, Apple is the roadblock there, since Adobe said engineering work has continued (10,000 years later). The fact that full Flash will be on basically every single smartphone platform also makes that pretty clear.

If you want to spin that positively (my coffee cup is half-full, after all) the iPhone is now basically the only place you can go to flee from Flash, which basically covers everything like a pulsating squid thing with icky tentacles and stuff, ceaselessly stretching out to ensnare more. There is no escape. Except the iPhone. (Which kinda makes no Flash a feature, right?)

Oh, and the new Adobe AIR—TweetDeck, the NY Times Reader and other software runs on top of it—will slightly be less abominable, gobbling less memory and acting more like a real application, with USB mass storage support, multitouch and gesture input, and p2p powers for stuff like Skype and gaming.

Bottom line, It's a Flashy world, we just live in it.

Adobe Unveils First Full Flash Player for Mobile Devices and PCs

Close to 50 Open Screen Project Participants Support New Browser Runtime for Multiple Platforms

LOS ANGELES - Oct. 5, 2009 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today unveiled Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices, allowing content created using the Adobe Flash Platform to reach users wherever they are. A public developer beta of the browser-based runtime is expected to be available for Windows® Mobile, Palm® webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year. Public betas for Google® Android™ and Symbian® OS are expected to be available in
early 2010.

In addition, Adobe and RIM announced a joint collaboration to bring Flash Player to Blackberry® smartphones, and Google joined close to 50 other industry players in the Open Screen Project initiative.
Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent runtime release of the Open Screen Project that enables uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and high definition (HD) videos across devices. Using the productive Web programming model of the Flash Platform, the browser-based runtime enables millions of designers and developers to reuse code and assets and reduce the cost of creating, testing and deploying content across different operating systems and browsers. Flash Player 10.1 is easily updateable across all supported platforms to ensure rapid adoption of new innovations that move the Web forward.

The browser-based runtime leverages the power of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) for accelerated video and graphics while conserving battery life and minimizing resource utilization. New mobile-ready features that take advantage of native device capabilities include support for multi-touch, gestures, mobile input models, accelerometer and screen orientation bringing unprecedented creative control and expressiveness to the mobile browsing experience. Flash Player 10.1 will also take advantage of media delivery with HTTP streaming, including integration of content protection powered by Adobe® Flash® Access 2.0. This effort, code-named Zeri, will be an open format based on industry standards and will
provide content publishers, distributors and partners the tools they need to utilize HTTP infrastructures for high-quality media delivery in Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe® AIR® 2.0 software.

"With Flash Player moving to new mobile platforms, users will be able to experience virtually all Flash technology based Web content and applications wherever they are," said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "We are excited about the broad collaboration of close to 50 industry leaders in the Open Screen Project and the ongoing collaboration with 19 out of the top 20 handset manufacturers worldwide. It will be great to see first devices ship with full Flash Player in the first half of next year."

"We are excited to join Adobe and other industry leaders in the Open Screen Project," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of Product Management at Google. "This initiative supports our common goal to move the Web forward as a platform and to spur innovation in the industry through technology such as Adobe Flash."

"Adobe Flash technology provides a key experience on new Windows phones, enabling people to enjoy rich Flash based games, videos and other interactive Web content on the go," said Stephanie Ferguson, general manager, Product Management, Microsoft Corp. "We look forward to bringing in the new capabilities of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to the Windows phone browser when it becomes available."

"Motorola is excited to be one of the first handset manufacturers to ship Android based devices with Flash Player support early next year," said Christy Wyatt, vice president of software applications and ecosystem at Motorola. "As the No.1 platform for video on the Web, uncompromised browsing of Flash technology based content is essential for a rich mobile experience and something users expect from Motorola today."

"As a longtime partner of Adobe, and more than 400 million Nokia phones shipped with existing Flash technology to date, we are excited to see Flash Player becoming a reality for mobile phones and other mobile devices," said Purnima Kochikar, vice president, Forum Nokia. "Nokia is excited about full Flash Player coming to devices and we are committed to supporting Flash Player 10.1 on mobile devices in 2010."

[Adobe]

A 21-year-old woman who lives with her brother and parents on the India side of the disputed India-Pakistani border was in her home when three gunmen burst in demanding food and lodging. The woman's father refused and was attacked and the woman, who was hiding under a bed, attacked the assailant with an ax, and then grabbed his gun as he went down, shooting him dead. Feel free to read the full story, it's pretty intense, and the guy may well have been a major Pakistani terrorist. I'll admit, this has little to do with gadgets, but even you have to agree, ax to AK is one hell of an upgrade. [Telegraph UK via a million tweets]

Speaking of upgrades, anyone who migrates to Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise or Ultimate who's still missing XP can officially virtualize that sweet old OS, says our friend Mary Jo Foley, who reports that the lauded XP Mode has been released to manufacturing, and will be present in time for the Oct. 22 Windows 7 launch. [ZDNet]

This is an example of me scratching my head at the way tech business is conducted. GigaOm reports a scoop that Lenovo will likely pre-install Skype on a bazillion new ThinkPads soon, advertising the VOIP maven in the Start menu, and allowing people to "install and sign up for Skype without downloading the software." In other words, one of these companies is taking money from the other one to turn a perfectly decent free utility into crapware, in hopes that, what, some IT guys won't just go and delete it from their deployed fleet of laptops? Sorry, but there has to be a better way to build brand equity than simply being the app people didn't delete during initial setup. [GigaOm]

Generally we love iSuppli's fat pipeline of sound manufacturer-based information, but this time, I think there's something in the pipe besides info: A report today says that by 2013, Windows Mobile will be in second place behind Symbian in world smartphone market share, following a dip where they drop to third place. Whaaaaaaa? We plan to follow this up, since iSuppli is generally a smart source, and the report seems to be measuring licenses rather than actual user base. Still, I wanted to drop it here, because it's insane-tastic. [iSuppli]

PhoneArena happened upon these shots of the Imagio XV6975, which will allegedly be one of Verizon's first 6.5, or "Windows Phone" handsets come October 6th. And aside from a couple fresh features—the VCast TV streaming, for example, or the dual CDMA/GSM compatibility—this is effectively the same Windows Mobile phone we've been seeing from HTC for a couple years now: it's got a 528Mhz processor, 3.6-inch WVGA screen, microSD expansion, Wi-Fi and TouchFLO 3D.

That's the thing about 6.5—even though Microsoft's staging a massive launch event around October 6th, something they don't usually do for WinMo upgrades, the vast majority of the 30+ handsets Microsoft says it'll have running the OS by the end of the year will look an awful lot like gear you can buy now. Which is fine, I guess! I was just kinda hoping for another Leo, y'know? [PhoneArena]

The Touch Pro2 only has a last-gen Qualcomm chipset and TouchFLO 3D is still running buttery smooth, so we can only imagine how well it'll run with the Leo's 1GHz Snapdragon. The early build of the WinMo skin is available on XDA-Devs, if you want to give it a try. [PocketNow via MobileTechWorld via Engadget]

He says that uberlarge categories—"non-niche" ones, like PCs and phones that sell over 300 million units a year—won't be dominated by a single player. There'll be multiple guys in the game, and he still thinks "the software that's gonna be most popular in those phones is gonna be software that's sold by somebody who doesn't make their own phone."

Yes, this is the same Steve Ballmer who admits Microsoft boned Windows Mobile hard and is about to come out with some Microsoft-branded phones for youngsters. That's just a small of part of an interview that covers lots of ground and is definitely worth watching—it's a view of Ballmer you probably haven't seen before. [TechCrunch]

Twitter user Beninato quotes Ballmer in saying "This will not happen again" and "We've pumped in some new talent," and Pjozefak gives the blockquote in our headline: Microsoft screwed up with Windows Mobile, and it should have already launched. We've seen a few promising bits previews of Windows Mobile, notably the browser in the Zune HD (it's not perfect, but it bodes well), but Windows Mobile has been a stinker for years now and Microsoft had better bust out the big guns to get it right with WinMo 7. [Twitter and Babbling VC via WMPowerUser via MobileTechWorld via Engadget]

The video explains the service in detail but, in a nutshell, Waze maps are entirely user generated. Users can also relay a heads up to others about accidents and other hazardous driving conditions. It even plays a Pac-Man type of game with drivers who are exploring uncharted territory. As you map the area, your car icon will eat up dots and collect points. Apparently, the app also pays attention to your speed to help determine traffic conditions and disable the keyboard to prevent users from typing while driving.

The problem here is that crowd-sourced services have had limited success in the past, so Waze is fighting an uphill battle. But since it is free, it's not like you have anything to lose by giving it a shot. Waze is available for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian and other devices. [Waze via TechCrunch]

These phones are going to be made by Sharp, who'll get to share branding with Microsoft. Sharp produced the Sidekick hardware for Danger, who was bought by Microsoft almost two years ago. Pink will be primarily aimed at the same market as the Sidekick, and the branding and identity for it is highly developed, pointing toward a later stage in the development cycle.

The prior relationship between Danger and Sharp is the only reason we can think of why Microsoft stuck with Sharp for the new phones, and perhaps why they look so much like remixed Sidekicks. (Kind of yucky, that is.) The youth bent is somewhat surprising, if Pink is going to be their big consumer phone play, building off the expertise of Danger and members of the Zune team.

The hardware design has a definite younger feeling: Turtle looks like a chunky child's version of a Palm Pre, while Pure seems like a standard slider, and both are clearly plastic, with an overall sense of roundedness, thanks to lots of soft angles and circular keys.

It's been reported elsewhere that Pink phones will include Zune services, and have its own app store, making it as close to the Zune phone as we may get. We'll see if it's close enough in the coming months, though these are the only facts our source will let us safely publish for now.

These two phones will arrive in November and December, respectively, and should look something like this:

HP Obsidian:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
Bluetooth 2.0
Wi-Fi b,g
QWERTY keyboard
microSD slot
GPS
3.5mm headset jack
Windows Mobile 6.5

LG Monaco:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Wi-Fi b,g
Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
GPS
5 megapixel autofocus camera

In October, a run of Windows Mobile handsets get version 6.5 updates, including the Samsung Jack and upcoming Samsung Epix (which arrives at AT&T in October). [BGR]

According to Boy Genius Report and PPC Geeks, "Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a ‘kill switch' for apps." The current explanation is that if at any point in time an application is unapproved and removed from the store, it'll also go bye-bye from your handset. This is a bit disconcerting when we think about some of the things we've seen with Apple and what we know about Google. Hopefully Microsoft will play nice and have a reasonable process. Like letting us keep the apps we download. [PPC Geeks via Boy Genius Report]

Multitouch has passed Windows Mobile by, mainly on account of the fact that 6.1 doesn't support capacitive screens—the kind needed for multi-finger gestures to register. Even if it did, the OS is far from multitouch-ready.

With the Leo, it looks like HTC's pulled another Hero: They've taken an OS that isn't designed for multitouch out of the box—in this case Windows Mobile 6.5 instead of Android—and added gestures to specific applications themselves: in this case the browser, Google Maps, the photo viewer and the video app. But where else would you want it, honestly?

Best of all, the Leo's 1GHz Snapdragon processor renders pinch zooming waaaay more smoothly than the Hero's dumpier processor, also from Qualcomm, handling multitouch video gestures without a hint of stuttering.

It looks like the Leo isn't just an experiment in hardware porn after all, and that with HTC's help, Windows Mobile 6.5 might not be that bad. [PocketPT via WMPoweruser]

All we've got here are a few images, but they confirm a lot: First of all, this thing does have the 1GHz Qualcomm 8250B processor, 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and will be running Windows Mobile 6.5, otherwise known as Windows Phone. It's thinner than you might expect for such a powerful handset, apparently fulfilling earlier leaks' promises of 11mm thickness. And hey, that weird, un-HTC-like "Pro.Three" branding, complete with "Lorem Ipsum" filler text, is there too. That's one way to designate a prototype, I guess.

What can't really be confirmed from the pictures are some of the juicier specs, like the fact that the alleged 4.3-inch screen is capacitive glass, unlike most of HTC's larger phones, and that the battery is worryingly low 1230MaH unit—a potential dealbreaker for a phone with such a massively huge display to backlight. In any case, the Toshiba TG01 finally has a competitor in the Windows Mobile hardware porn category, so if that's your thing, there are a few more photos at the source. [PDA.pl via WMPoweruser]

Quick experiment: Take this review of the Touch Pro2, and remove all the whining about price. What do you get? A pretty good review! They've even opted for the 3.5mm jack that some other carriers inexplicably didn't. Smart moves, Verizon. Smart moves.

VERIZON WIRELESS INTRODUCES THE HTC TOUCH PRO2

3G Smartphone Offers Global Capabilities

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and BELLEVUE, Wash. – Verizon Wireless and HTC Corporation introduce the HTC Touch Pro2™, a global-capable smartphone designed for the busiest professionals and world travelers. The HTC Touch Pro2 features an extra-large 3.6-inch touch screen that tilts to an optimal viewing angle, an ergonomic slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and an advanced speakerphone with asymmetric speakers and advanced noise suppression to deliver customers a robust productivity experience. Created with the intuitive TouchFLO 3D user interface, data on the HTC Touch Pro2 can be easily accessed with just the touch of a finger.

Available color: Black

Key specifications and features:

· High-speed connectivity over Verizon Wireless' Mobile Broadband network (1x/EV-DO Revision A 800/1900 MHz)

· Global connectivity to allow customers to access e-mail and data in more than 180 destinations and to use the phone for voice calling in more than 220 destinations (GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz WCDMA/HSPA 2100 MHz)

· Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 b/g)

· 3.6 inch WVGA resolution (480 x 800) tilting touch screen

· Advanced speakerphone with noise-cancelling technology

· 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture

· Touch-sensitive zoom bar

· Seamless connectivity with Microsoft® Exchange, Outlook and Office applications with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional

· Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR and A2DP stereo

· Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7600A, 528 MHz

· Memory: 512 MB ROM, 288 MB RAM

· Dimensions: 4.57" x 2.33" x .68" (length x width x height)

· Weight: 6.3 ounces (with standard battery)

· Extended 1500 mAh battery for longer operation times

· Up to 5.3 hours of talk time (CDMA) or up to 13.5 days of standby time (CDMA)

Lifestyle features:

· Linked contact view delivers e-mail, text message, call history, and even Flickr images and Facebook® updates to a single location

· Push Internet technology ensures that favorite Web sites are always ready for viewing at a moment's notice

· 3.5 mm audio jack and stereo Bluetooth support to enjoy multimedia content through a variety of audio equipment

· Optional expandable microSD™ memory with up to 16 GB to store music, video, images, applications and other content

· Built-in GPS for VZ NavigatorSM, VZ NavigatorSM Global and other location-based services and applications

Price and availability:

· The HTC Touch Pro2 will be available for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an e-mail feature or e-mail plan. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· Beginning Friday, customers can order the HTC Touch Pro2 online at www.verizonwireless.com, in business sales channels and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Looks like LinkedIn might be working well for Hand Huang's because his profile certainly caught some attention for this little blurb (emphasis mine):

3. Joining Caesar product development, lead a team to do telephony feature and other applications development. Migrated relative applications from Windows Mobile 6 to Windows Mobile 7

Language: C++
Tools: VS2008, AKU, Platform Builder
Runtime Environment: Windows Mobile 7.0 (Beta)

According to Ars Technica, Huang might not just be fluffing up his resume. The timeframe seems about right for WinMo 7 to hit beta testing since it's been in development for years and there'd been a search for internal testers in the recent months. The timeline Ars lays out based on this information is that testers would truly be seeing the OS in November of this year, while we would see it out in the wild in April of 2010. The dates are loose and based on rumors, but when isn't that the case?

The way I see it is that WinMo 7 is pretty much Microsoft's last hope for a decent mobile OS, so I certainly hope this is true, shortening the time we'll have to endure Windows Mobile 6.5. [Ars Technica]

While the GW550 is mostly aimed at overseas (non-U.S) users, the two mystery phones "will be introduced initially for early adopter customers in Europe, the United States and Asia before being made available globally."

Microsoft's app store for all 6.x WinMo phones arrives on October 6, along with a bunch of Windows Mobile 6.5, more than likely including the new LG models. [Newswire.co.kr]

The hard specs: 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen, 8.1MP camera, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, TV-out. And oh yes, the panels custom interface on top of Windows Mobile is back, though refined, as we saw earlier. It'll be out later this year for 699 euros, so um, not cheap if it ever comes to the US. [Computerbild]

"Interestingly enough, we discovered that most people who carry a Windows phone don't realize it's running Windows Mobile."

Well. I'll just leave it at that. Except to wonder precisely which Windows Mobile 6.5 phones we'll see on Oct. 6—T-Mobile is oddly missing from the list of North American carrier partners—and um, when, dear god, will we see Windows Mobile 7? And please tell me by now they've come up with a better plan than this.

Update: Also opening Oct. 6 is the Windows Marketplace, Microsoft's app store for all 6.X Windows phones, which we're interested to see how it pans out. [Windows Team]

Don't worry guys, you are not alone. T-Mobile received the same abusive price treatment. Oh, and did I mention that this price was on a 2-year contract after a $100 mail in rebate? Even the earliest of adopters are likely to be put off on this one. [BusinessWire via BGR]