MSN Direct has been available for certain devices such as watches and GPS navigators, but it has never found a proper place on a mobile phone. Microsoft is remedying this by launch MSN Direct for Windows Mobile, a home screen plugin and application for Windows Mobile devices (WM5 and over, smartphone devices only so far). At the moment, weather, news and stocks channel are available. Instead of relying on FM transmissions, MSN Direct for Windows Mobile wisely relies on the phone’s data connection such as wi-fi or 3G, allowing you to receive updates in any cities whether you are covered by regular MSN Direct or not.
The interface looks very pleasant, and it integrates well to existing home screens. Pressing left and right while highlighting the plugin will let you scroll between weather, news and stock. Press ok to get more detailed information. There are plenty of third-party options available, but they are not easy to install nor to configure. This new MSN Direct for Windows Mobile is a must install for all users, especially given the fact that it is free.
Point your mobile phone’s browser to http://phone.msndirect.com or go there with regular browser and use ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center on Vista to install the application.
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Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile phone is a gorgeous device featuring a 3 inch touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard. Other features include 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, aGPS, Bluetooth and 4-way key and optical joystick. It should ship in select markets end of this year.
XPERIA X1 debuts the panel interface which is supposed to improve the drab home screen of most Windows Mobile 6 devices.
[Visit official XPERIA X1 page for more details and pics]
T-Mobile has released its first software update for Shadow. Available for free, it features some bug fixes and adds new backgrounds, ringtones and even free music tracks from Dave Matthews Band and Avril Lavigne.
Another new feature is audio postcard where you can take a picture, record a commentary and send it off to your friends.
[Download T-Mobile Shadow Update]
BoyGenius has gotten hold of Motorola Q9, and it looks like it’s loaded with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard!
Noteworthy upgrades include:
- Copy/Paste
- Threaded SMS
- Contact name auto-complete
Go to BoyGeniusReport for 100 (yes, one hundred) pictures of the new OS in action.
Microsoft just released its update for Microsoft Office Mobile 6. Dubbed Office Mobile 6.1, it adds support for Office 2007 file formats as well as the ability to view SmartArt in PowerPoint Mobile and Zip support.
The download is free for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 users who already have Office Mobile on their devices.
[Download Office Mobile 6.1 update here.]
Recently I got rid of my T-Mobile Dash and switched to the all-new T-Mobile Shadow (a.k.a. HTC Juno). As it is a newer model, it features some considerable spec upgrades: both RAM and ROM have been doubled, and while the processor remains the same, this ensures that applications are more responsive, and more applications can be running at the same time. Camera has been upgraded to 2 mega-pixel camera, and the display is in portrait direction, changing to landscape only when you take pictures.
Form factor is much more attractive than Dash, and when you open the slider it reveals a 20-key keyboard that’s made popular by BlackBerry devices: this is about the only downgrade from Dash in terms of hardware as full QWERTY keyboard is much easier to type on. Lack of full keys mean some of the most used symbols such as ‘ and parenthesis are no longer easily retrievable.
T-Mobile Shadow comes in 2 colors which are definitely different from the usual silver and black devices: I opted for copper which looked more professional, and sage is also available. Even though the Shadow doesn’t target the business market, use of Windows Mobile 6 (Standard) means plenty of productivity software as well as Exchange push-email are guaranteed.
i-mate announced 2 new models in its high-end Ultimate line of Windows Mobile devices. Both feature quad-band GSM radio, 802.11G, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0. 9502 has a sliding display revealing a QWERTY keyboard, and 8502 is a more traditional candybar design. Pricing and release dates are as yet unknown.
Mike Singer has updated his useful Weather Watcher Mobile application with the following changes:
- ADDED: “Map” view to display a zoomable radar/satellite map (radar not available in all locations). The map image will zoom in when clicked. See the “Map” section of the Weather Watcher Mobile Options to customize the map settings.
- ADDED: “Add City by Name” item to the menu in the “Cities” section of the Weather Watcher Mobile Options to allow cities to be added by name.
- CHANGED: Tweaked the weather data processing methods to process the weather data faster.
- FIXED: Tweaked the left/right and toggle/arrow key captures to prevent the forecast views from skipping over the next view when navigating with the keys.
- FIXED: The Weather Watcher Mobile Options screens will now scroll up and down if the content does not fit on a single screen.
[Download Weather Watcher Mobile 1.0.2]
Some people have all the luck in the world and can get things before the general public does… gottabemobile.com’s Hugo Ortega reviews HTC Shift, which is a Windows Mobile and UMPC rolled into one. It can boot either Windows Vista or Windows Mobile thanks to its dual processors. Check out the parts 2, 3 and 4 of the 40 minute long video review after the jump:
HTC Shift Video Review - Part 1
Read the rest of this entry »
 Here’s another reason why I won’t be getting an Apple iPhone anytime soon: HTC Omni. Currently available only in the computer rendering, it is rumored to run on Windows Mobile 6 and feature 3G, 4-inch 800×480 display, TV/VGA out, microSD expansion slot, GPS and a large QWERTY keyboard, all the stuffs the iPhone doesn’t have. Of course what HTC WM6 phone would be without Bluetooth and 802.11g…
I hope the final product will look as nice as the rendering, with all the features intact.
