But its "address book" is way more useful than the iPhone app's, since it supplies you more instant connections to Facebook contacts via text, email or phone. The icons are nice and shiny, but otherwise it looks like it was beaten by Redmond's mobile ugly stick into the appropriate size for Windows Mobile. Like those fonts! They make my eyes wriggly with icky. [Cnet]

These updates help to overcome the lack of content and control that plagued the earlier release. They have also streamlined the application to make downloads faster—another major sticking point. The download is free, so it is worth a shot regardless—but if you tried it before and were put off, it may be worth revisiting. [Zumobi]

In addition, there's a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi hard switch, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 802.11g Wi-Fi, microSD slot, 256MB memory, EV-DO Rev. A, aGPS (not a real GPS), a 320x320 resolution screen, and front-facing keyboard. The launch date is tentatively April, but this is all based on a guy's posting in a forum, which means it can all be a pack of lies at this point. [WMExperts via TreoNauts]

The Price: Free

The Performance: Zumobi is, in reality, a fancy widget application. So don't be fooled into thinking that this is some sort of robust new browser for Windows Mobile devices. Basically, Zumobi piggybacks on Internet Explorer to provide content for these "tiles" that can range from news content to small apps and games. Zumobi currently falls under the invisible "beta" umbrella of protection, but nonetheless, I found my experience with the platform to be largely frustrating and generally unentertaining (except for the douchebag part in the video).

First of all, Zumobi was a bit on the slow side and it was awkward to navigate the UI with the the T-Mobile Shadow I was using. Selecting and downloading tiles from the online gallery was an easy process, but a manual refresh option to update time-sensitive tiles that provide information like news, sports, and traffic tiles is sorely needed. On the plus side, the developers have assured me that this feature will be arriving post-beta.

I was also frustrated with what I considered to be a cluttered UI. Gray boxes and tiles abound with no real structure or organization. My feeling was that things needed to be cleaned up, and some sort of category driven layout would be necessary as the number of available tiles increased. The developers argued that the boxes were necessary to provide orientation adaptation and a consistent resolution target for the dev community. They also noted that research showed that users wanted to know where things were spatially—and a category driven layout on the users "zoom space" wouldn't work. While I can not pretend that I am in touch with the needs of developers using Zumobi's SDK, I can tell you that a zoom space consisting of 100 tiles arranged willy-nilly would be much harder to navigate than those same tiles broken down into categories (keep in mind that the current zoom space can only accommodate 16 tiles).

The Verdict: Not my cup of tea. I feel that there is potential here, but the execution falls a bit short and the appeal will most likely be confined to those who would enjoy a "novelty" experience as opposed to a hardcore functional browser. However, given the fact that it is free (and the advertising is pretty unobtrusive) it is definitely worth a shot for anyone. Just make sure you have an unlimited data plan. [Zumobi]

The good news is that this has an eight hour battery life and can power your cellphone on the go, plus has USB ports so you can store your data via USB flash drives and not have to burden your phone with it. The price: $499 directly from Celio in March. I don't know—the Palm Foleo wasn't all that bad, even if its use was limited to a very small segment of the market that relied on their smartphones instead of a full-sized laptop to send/receive email and work on documents on the go. The same segment that doesn't have an ultra-portable like an Eee PC.

We can't say whether or not it'll be successful for everyone (unlikely), but for the people whose needs are met by the Mobile Companion, it could be quite nifty. We'll check it out in person at CES. [Celio]

[GPS&Co via Unwired View via New Launches via Uber Gizmo]

If that wasn't interesting enough, the press release states that the phone "will have the ability to become the world's first handheld slot machine, bingo, video poker or black jack device"—although details are scarce on how that sort of functionality might work. No matter how you look at it, a dual-mode GSM/CDMA gambling smartphone aimed at the US market is a little on the weird side. Still, the product should be available now— somewhere for some unknown price. [Product Page via SlipperyBrick via Crunchgear]

This was originally going to be a piece about how Microsoft had no idea what the consumer wanted, where I would explain what I thought Microsoft needed to do to fix it. Oh, I still discuss the flaws, but while talking to the Windows Mobile team, I learned about the next two versions of the mobile OS. Turns out, Microsoft knows exactly what's wrong with the WM platform, and it knows what to do to fix it. Trust me: there's hope on the horizon.

Before I get to the big Windows Mobile fix, it's important to see where it is now. Take a look above at the Windows Mobile Professional (the touchscreen version) and Windows Mobile Standard (the non-touchscreen, usually slimmer version). Got a good look?

The number one biggest problem with Windows Mobile is its UI.

I have no problems with Windows itself, and I work on a Vista PC (along with a Leopard Mac) every single day. WM's problem is that it isn't Windows. Here are a few of the unnecessarily complicated attributes that Windows Mobile doesn't share with desktop Windows:

• It's very hard to multitask. Multitasking is there, and you can run multiple programs at the same time, but everything is "full screen" and there's no easy way to switch between apps. There's no task bar to see what apps are open, and there's no indicator to the user that anything else is open. You actually have to dig into the Start menu, then Settings, then the System tab, then Memory, then the Running Programs tab just to see what's going on! Microsoft fixed this by inserting a dropdown task manager in more recent builds of Windows Mobile 6, but you still can't jump from app to app with ease. Which leads us to...

• Closing a program doesn't really close it. You'd think that pressing the "X" button on an app closes it, but all it does is minimize it. You have to dive into the menus to terminate a program or, on a newer build, go back to the Home/Today screen and close via the top-right icon. Not exactly what we call convenient.

• Different builds work differently. We can see why there are two major versions of Windows Mobile for phones—Professional and Smartphone—since different form factors require different UI philosophies for input. But when you compare the Tablet PC version of Windows with the standard desktop version, there isn't that huge of a difference. If you know how to use one, you should know how to use the other. Not quite so when you switch from the stylus input of Windows Mobile Pro to the D-Pad of Windows Mobile Smartphone. This isn't noticed by the masses, since most people only use one Windows Mobile device, but it is a telling concern. Plus, getting around with that D-Pad sucks.

Beyond OS structural design, the day-to-day usage of Windows Mobile isn't what you'd call "friendly," either. In fact, it'd probably punch you in the face if you even made eye contact. Take dialing, for instance. How can the main purpose of a phone—calling someone—be so hard to do? If you're using a Windows Mobile Professional device, you have a few options, none of which are good:

• You can pull out the stylus to tap in the digits. This requires two hands.

• You can try and use your fingertip to call, which doesn't normally work, so you'll use your fingernail, which does work but, as it results in many misdialed numbers, takes forever.

• You can slide out the keyboard and find the dialpad buried among the QWERTY keys and dial, which requires two hands and intense concentration.

• You can try and bring up the contact list, which takes a long-ass time to scroll through, or you can slide out the keyboard again and search by name. Again, two hands.

• Voice Command has been an option for years, but then again, it kinda works, but it doesn't work well.

• Probably the best way to go is to program your most important numbers into speed dial, as you'll be able to actually talk to the correct person within, say, three button presses.

Compare that to the iPhone, which has just a touchscreen, but gets you to the keypad, your favorites, recent calls or your contact list, all within two key presses of the home screen. Dialing shouldn't be this hard, and the fact that it is just illustrates how bad the rest of the UI is.

These additional visuals should illustrate the fact that Windows Mobile isn't a platform designed for the general public. Even for technically knowledgeable users, there's a gigantic learning curve when picking one up for the first time. Imagine giving one to your parents. Then imagine all the calls you'll get—from their home phone, no less, because they couldn't figure out how to use their new Windows Mobile.

WM's core suite of apps include IE, the SMS client, the email client and Windows Media player; all are sub-par compared other smartphones. There's a reason why the iPhone's browser marketshare is already 0.09% when the entire Windows CE family (which includes Windows Mobile, among other things) is only at 0.06%. Why? It's because nobody wants to go online with that version of IE. They'd rather wait until they get a real computer rather than trudge through WAP decks, insufficiently optimized versions of web pages and hard to use interfaces.

If you're an advanced user, you'll eventually be able to learn how to bypass or augment certain parts of the phone with third-party applications. Going back to the dialer example, the default dialpad has buttons that are way too small to be usable. This isn't unfixable: You simply have to download a new dialer skin, transfer it onto the internal storage or memory card, shove it in the right directory, overwrite some files and restart the phone! What the crap? If you want a nice, full-sized picture of your contact to show up when that person calls you, you'll have to pay $19.99 for another add-on app. If you want to enable certain features, you actually have to go into the registry and manually make changes. Provided, that is, you go out and find a registry editor.

But enough about the software, what about the hardware? Isn't Windows Mobile really slow because it's insufficiently powered? Yes and no. Yes, because there are certain phones like the T-Mobile HTC Wing and the AT&T Tilt that feel like watching old people practicing Tai Chi. Then there's the Sprint HTC Mogul that's fast as lightning and feels more like watching Jet Li destroy a school full of martial arts students. I blame many manufacturers for not juicing up the hardware enough, and I blame carriers for overburdening these phones with too much junk that people aren't asking for, like the AT&T music store or Sprint video shop. (It's a lot like all of that promotional junk that comes pre-loaded on a new computer.) When one phone pisses the pot with lackluster performance, the entire platform gets a bad name.

The matter of fact is, Windows Mobile can do just about anything you'd want it to do. It can edit Office documents, send and receive Exchange email, browse the web, chat on IM, give you turn-by-turn GPS directions, play music, watch videos and so much more. The features are there, but the experience isn't. Turns out, the Windows Mobile team knows it.

Microsoft is working to fix the whole WM platform. Here's how:

Even when using a super sluggish WinMo phone, it's less an example of a manufacturer not meeting the minimum requirements for RAM, ROM and CPU power, and more a problem of software which has not been optimized to run on it. This is often the service provider's fault. For example, two phones with the same 400MHz processor can be totally different depending on how much optimization the provider decides to do. When you're using a slow phone, blame the provider.

On the same token, the Windows Mobile OS team actually does set a minimum hardware requirement for the "core" features of the OS to make sure the user experience is a good one, but the minimum-requirement bar may be set too low. When companies add apps on top of the core, things start to wobble. Product manager Derek Snyder told me that Microsoft will raise the bar for minimum requirements to a level where phones can be loaded with more software without slowing down the most basic of tasks (e.g. sliding open the AT&T Tilt from portrait to landscape mode).

That's not to say Microsoft isn't dodging the problematic UI and the other software shortcomings. Derek admits that, up until now, the team has focused too much on the enterprise side, attracting IT customers with vertically useful features like Exchange support, not on ease of use. Starting from here on out, they're going to be more consumer oriented. "The business stuff has been taken care of," he says.This focus can be clearly seen when you look above at the leaked Windows Mobile 6.1 details we showed you last week. There's an much more streamlined home screen that puts only a few things in your face at once. There's a caller-ID box that lets you easily see who's calling. There's threaded SMS. There's a recent programs list in the Start menu. They are great updates, but they are tweaks, not huge fixes, baby steps toward a goal that may not ultimately be reached until one or two major revisions down the line (read: Windows Mobile 7 or 8).

It is the next version of Windows Mobile that looks promising. First, Microsoft will retool the main suite of applications such as IE, email and SMS. According to them, they will try to bring IE up to par with the iPhone's Safari browser, and deliver "desktop grade" browsing with zooming and scaling and all that good stuff. Then there's the improved music and photo experience, taking what they can from other smartphone designs like Palm, iPhone or Symbian, and integrating it into their own apps. There's talk about doing some sort of collaboration with the Zune team, but that's still up in the air.

I'm holding out for the next, next version of Windows Mobile (WM8). That's the one that will be started completely from scratch, with "new plumbing." This is the version you've been waiting for, implementing a completely redesigned user interface, "revolutionary" features like global search, and new concepts such as automation and connections within the phone, ideas borrowed from other smartphone operating systems. This means that you'll be able to go from viewing a person's address info in his contact card to seeing where he lives in map view in one click. There will be much more of this intuitive flow, and far less digging through menus.

Derek sums it up like this: right now the Windows Mobile user experience is lacking. The features are there, but actually using these features is another story. Normal people can't figure it out. He says it's like using a Creative Zen vs. using an iPod or a Zune. You actually want to use a device that does the work for you, instead of making you do all the work. It took guts for Microsoft to admit what its mobile OS was lacking; we're going to do our part and accept their word that a more robust platform followed eventually by a more headache-free interface is where Windows Mobile really is headed.

Windows Mobile 6.1 pictures courtesy Boy Genius Report; Dialer screen courtesy ZDNet; WM Standard courtesy Into Mobile

Zumobi has also released the beta version of the Zumobi SDK which will allow developers with a basic level of knowledge in JavaScript and SVG to develop and potentially earn money on their tiles. Hit the following links to get started using the Zumobi browser or the SDK. A full press release follows. [Zumobi Beta and Zumobi SDK]

ZUMOBI USHERS IN A NEW AGE OF MOBILE CONTENT AND COMMERCE; BETA NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON WINDOWS MOBILE PHONES

Amazon.com, MTV Networks, The Associated Press, AccuWeather.com, Traffic.com, FlightStats.com and OTOlabs Among Partners Set to Launch Zumobi Tiles Today

SEATTLE - December 14, 2007 - Zumobi today launched the highly anticipated Beta version of its award-winning Zooming User Interface and mobile widget platform. Zumobi can now be downloaded free from the company's Web site: www.Zumobi.com. Content will be available from more than 75 mobile widgets or Tiles, including many from Zumobi launch partners such as Amazon.com, MTV Networks, The Associated Press, AccuWeather.com, Traffic.com, FlightStats.com and OTOlabs, who developed Tiles for Vail Resorts and Fox Television's "Family Guy".

Where to Go For More on Zumobi

* Download and participate in the Beta at www.Zumobi.com
* Check out our newest video at www.Zumobi.com/youtube
* Tune into the latest podcast from company co-founder and Vice President of Product and Services, John SanGiovanni at www.Zumobi.com

"The Zumobi team has been working for over a year to make this product a reality, and we're very excited to launch the first version of our public Beta today," said Zumobi CEO Eric Hertz. "Our partners who have created Zumobi Tiles for the initial Beta have delivered an excellent portfolio of news, entertainment, travel content and more."

Zumobi revolutionizes the way people access, retrieve and share Web-based content on their mobile phones. Through an intuitive, lush user interface, Zumobi allows people to easily "bounce" in and out of snack-sized bits of the entertainment they want and to stay on top of the information they need throughout the day, while offering advertisers a better way to connect with consumers through their mobile phones.

* "We're constantly creating new touch points on-air, online and on handsets that deepen our audiences' engagement with their favorite programming," said Jeremiah Zinn, Senior Vice President of Digital Distribution for MTV Networks. "Zumobi's new platform brings Web 2.0 functionality to wireless devices, and that allows us to create even more experiences for our audiences to stay connected to their favorite music, music news and gaming content."

* "The exciting combination of Zumobi's intuitive interface combined with Traffic.com's nationwide real-time traffic content gives on-the-go consumers the relevant, valuable, engaging user experience they demand," said Barry J. Glick, Vice President, Consumer Markets for NAVTEQ, parent company of Beta partner Traffic.com. "When users download Zumobi to their phones, they'll instantly benefit from the graphical, dynamic interaction with our mobile traffic solutions by making informed decisions about the best time to leave and the fastest way to get there."

* "In these days of air travel challenges, reliable and timely travel data is vital to people on the move," said Meara McLaughlin, Vice President of Conducive Technology, makers of FlightStats.com "The Zumobi platform gives FlightStats.com an exciting new way to connect with travelers on the mobile handset. Whether you are flying yourself or connecting with someone who is, having the right information, delivered in a clear and user-friendly way can make all the difference. We are thrilled to be one of the first Zumobi Tiles in such good company with the other founding Tile partners. We hope that users will check our Tile out when they download Zumobi."

* "Weather is the perfect match for mobile phone users - immediate, personal and location-specific," said Jim Candor, Senior Vice President of New Media for AccuWeather.com. "We're always looking for new and better ways to bring people the weather information they crave. Working with innovative companies like Zumobi helps us deliver a user experience that is quicker and more satisfying than ever before."

* "Mobile marketing has not taken off due to poor quality user experience; consumers are simply not excited to receive ads on the mobile phone," said Mitchel Ahern, Director of Product Management for OTOlabs, a permission-marketing platforms company. "We're very excited to be developing Tile applications for our clients on the Zumobi platform. We believe that by providing branded utility and entertainment as a mobile widget, our clients such as Fox Home Entertainment and Vail Resorts will see higher adoption, deeper engagement and more interaction with their audience."

Accessing the Beta Version of Zumobi
To access the Beta version of Zumobi go to www.Zumobi.com and follow the instructions on the website. The first Beta version of Zumobi is available for phones running Windows Mobile 5 and 6, with Blackberry and selected J2ME compatibility coming early in the second quarter of 2008. A data plan is required, and unlimited data plans are strongly recommended.

Beta Version of Zumobi SDK
Zumobi also unveiled a Beta version of the Zumobi SDK for developers, delivering on the company's promise of an open, device-neutral platform for building and deploying rich content for mobile phones. Developers can download the SDK from http://dev.Zumobi.com. The Zumobi SDK will enable developers to create and showcase their own Tiles. Developers will also be able to share and upload their Tiles to the Zumobi Gallery beginning in the first quarter of 2008.

About Zumobi
Zumobi is the open platform that is reinventing the mobile content experience. A highly-acclaimed innovator in the mobile industry, Zumobi provides developers with a device-neutral platform for building and deploying rich content for mobile phones; enables a better way to connect consumers and the brands that define their lives; delivers a new set of benefits that carriers can offer to their customers; and gives consumers an experience that makes their mobile phones more useful and fun. More information on Zumobi is available at www.Zumobi.com.