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We were hoping for an announcement of the rumored Courier, the dual screen tablet PC that would take the mobile computer industry by storm. Unfortunately, we had to settle for a regular old single screen tablet PC, though it does feature a touchscreen. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled a new slate PC from HP, complete with Windows 7 and mutli-touch capabilities that will be released later this year. Ballmer described it as “something that’s almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC running Windows 7.” The prototype that he was using was running the Amazon Kindle software.
 
Could this be the Zeen product that HP filed a trademark for not long ago? Coinciding with this announcement from Microsoft, HP yesterday released the TouchSmart tm2, “a powerful, convertible, touch-enabled notebook PC”, and a few new Minis including the Mini 5102 which is also available with a touch-enabled screen. So is this the Zeen? We’re not sure for now, since Microsoft didn’t release a lot of details about the prototype slate PC that Ballmer featured on stage.
 
What we do know is that Microsoft isn’t quite ready to give up just yet. They’re staying on top of the competition by announcing these new tablet PCs and showcasing their own drool-worthy smartphone – the HTC HD2 which will (officially) be coming to T-Mobile. Not only that but Xbox Live is taking on a life of its own and bringing together the features that Microsoft offers through Zune, Windows 7, and Windows Mobile. According to the Microsoft Press Release, Live is a community of users now 20 million strong and about 1/3rd of the time spent on Live is with non-gaming activities. Microsoft is continuing to provide applications like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm, Sky, Canal and Zune so that people can use their Xbox “as a way to stay connected to friends and family.”
 
Another big announcement, Project Natal will be released in time for Christmas this year. Project Natal is Microsoft’s break through gaming experience that requires absolutely no controllers. (The “no controller” part also plays a roll in using features of Live as well.) There is no word yet on the price tag for Natal.
 
Basically, Microsoft is geared up for a war. They’re not backing down in the PC, tablet PC, smartphone, or gaming fields. In fact, they’re stepping it up a notch, offering consumers even more reasons to choose Microsoft. Not only is this nice for you, but it’s also a smart business plan – integrating each feature of the Microsoft experience. It’s not just about having their phone or their music player or their gaming system. It’s about bringing it all together and making everything work together, like an ecosystem.
 
What do you think? Is Microsoft really putting up a heavy fight? Or are they just shelling out products to keep people interested? What about Project Natal? Is it something you would consider purchasing for your Xbox 360? Drop a line in the comments or in our new forums.

We were hoping for an announcement of the rumored Courier, the dual screen tablet PC that would take the mobile computer industry by storm. Unfortunately, we had to settle for a regular old single screen tablet PC, though it does feature a touchscreen. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled a new slate PC from HP, complete with Windows 7 and mutli-touch capabilities that will be released later this year. Ballmer described it as “something that’s almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC running Windows 7.” The prototype that he was using was running the Amazon Kindle software.
 
Could this be the Zeen product that HP filed a trademark for not long ago? Coinciding with this announcement from Microsoft, HP yesterday released the TouchSmart tm2, “a powerful, convertible, touch-enabled notebook PC”, and a few new Minis including the Mini 5102 which is also available with a touch-enabled screen. So is this the Zeen? We’re not sure for now, since Microsoft didn’t release a lot of details about the prototype slate PC that Ballmer featured on stage.
 
What we do know is that Microsoft isn’t quite ready to give up just yet. They’re staying on top of the competition by announcing these new tablet PCs and showcasing their own drool-worthy smartphone – the HTC HD2 which will (officially) be coming to T-Mobile. Not only that but Xbox Live is taking on a life of its own and bringing together the features that Microsoft offers through Zune, Windows 7, and Windows Mobile. According to the Microsoft Press Release, Live is a community of users now 20 million strong and about 1/3rd of the time spent on Live is with non-gaming activities. Microsoft is continuing to provide applications like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm, Sky, Canal and Zune so that people can use their Xbox “as a way to stay connected to friends and family.”
 
Another big announcement, Project Natal will be released in time for Christmas this year. Project Natal is Microsoft’s break through gaming experience that requires absolutely no controllers. (The “no controller” part also plays a roll in using features of Live as well.) There is no word yet on the price tag for Natal.
 
Basically, Microsoft is geared up for a war. They’re not backing down in the PC, tablet PC, smartphone, or gaming fields. In fact, they’re stepping it up a notch, offering consumers even more reasons to choose Microsoft. Not only is this nice for you, but it’s also a smart business plan – integrating each feature of the Microsoft experience. It’s not just about having their phone or their music player or their gaming system. It’s about bringing it all together and making everything work together, like an ecosystem.
 
What do you think? Is Microsoft really putting up a heavy fight? Or are they just shelling out products to keep people interested? What about Project Natal? Is it something you would consider purchasing for your Xbox 360? Drop a line in the comments or in our new forums.

Welcome to 2010 and the first weekly roundup of the mobile phone news stories you may have missed this week.  With the CES show in Las Vegas just getting under way, we should be seeing more than a few new handsets and mobile accessories - speaking of which…

1.  LG Calm Windows Mobile 7 Fears.

During LG’s press event at CES the subject of Windows Mobile 7 came up.  Ever since the news of its delay until at least the end of this year, there have been concerns it may not show up until 2011, however LG have said they are definitely expecting it this year, thus putting various minds at rest.

2.  No More Xperia X2 for the UK.

It has been a long and arduous journey for the Xperia X2, and now it’s looking like it wasn’t really worth it, as Vodafone - who were down as the exclusive network for the phone - have decided not to back it after all.  With no current home for the X2, Sony Ericsson has no choice but to cancel its UK launch entirely.  It’ll be available elsewhere of course, so anyone desperate for the phone will be able to source one, but this news cannot be good for Sony Ericsson, as the X2 represented not only their top-end business smartphone, but their first Windows Mobile 6.5 phone too. (more…)

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

For weeks now, the Google Phone has hogged the spotlight, and it doesn’t look like things are about to change. The first ever Google Phone is already being shipped, sim-free to the USA, UK, Hong-Kong and Singapore, but as yet no carriers are taking it outside of the US.

Google announced that Vodafone will be the frontrunners in the UK market, making it available on the network from March this year. But after immense pressure from various geek squads it looks as though Voda might step the Nexus campaign up a gear and sort us out sooner than expected. A Vodafone spokesperson has said that it’s only going to be ‘a few short weeks’ before they get the Nexus One.

Music to our ears, especially when getting the handset shipped to the UK costs the same as a second hand car. You’re looking at $529 for the phone itself, add to that $30 for DHL shipping plus an optional $20 for a UK charger, then you’ve still got 17.5% VAT - that’s a lot of dosh for a phone, even if it is the first of it’s kind.

So, it looks like Vodafone may be about to step in and save us all some pennies… and just to prove it’s serious there’s even a Google Phone FAQ section on the Voda website, now that’s dedication!

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

Adriana takes a quick look at the huge 4-inch HD widescreen display of the candybar LG phone "the rest of the world" (outside the U.S.) is enjoying: The BL40. Is there reason to be jealous? You be the judge. Filmed live at CES 2010. 

Two new phones were announced by LG today - the LG Lotus Elite and the LG Rumor Touch.

First, the LG Lotus Elite.  Sure, it's not dramatically different from the LG Lotus when it comes to design (still the box design that you either love or hate), but the LG Lotus Elite bumps it up to executive status with a 2.4-inch display (262,000 colors), support for up to 32 GB of external memory (Sprint's not leaving you hanging, though - they offer a 2 GB microSD card in the box), and support for the usual Sprint products and services.  Expect the red version to launch on January 12th for $99 with a new two-year agreement, with a black version available four days later.

Hot on the heels of the LG Lotus Elite, the LG Rumor Touch was announced.  Sporting a 3-inch touchscreen, 2.0-megapixel camera, EVDO Rev. 0, and a full QWERTY keyboard, it's a nice little upgrade to the existing Rumor line.  Pricing is unknown, but expect the device to land at Sprint stores sometime in the quarter.

Think we would leave you hanging when it comes to video footage?  Absolutely not!  Be sure to check out Noah's hands-on video of the LG Rumor Touch!

Via Engadget Mobile

Aaron gets some hands-on time with Sprint's newest 4G product, the Sprint Overdrive.  Sporting 4G WiMAX connectivity, is it worth writing home about?  We'll find out.

Noah goes hands-on with SE's eco-friendly(er) Greenheart phones: Elm and Haze

LG and Sprint rolled out the Rumor Touch - a new touchscreen version of the Rumor messaging phone. Noah checked it out at CES 2010.

This is a strange looking one!  Called the Nokia Mystic, this QWERTY phone first appeared on a Vietnamese website before it was picked up around the world, and it appears to be an evolution of the familiar E71/E72 QWERTY business phone.  What’s most striking though is the central metallic strip containing the call start and end keys, plus the standard D-pad.  This design recalls the old Palm Centro.

At this stage all that we know is in the pictures - the E72 keyboard, a 5 megapixel camera with a flash unit and the Symbian S60 operating system.  Speculation suggests Nokia may unveil the Mystic at the CES Show currently taking place in Las Vegas, however we suspect we’ll find out more at the Nokia event running alongside Mobile World Congress in February.

Our best guess at this stage is that the Mystic will replace the E63, the cheaper alternative to the E71.  If you take a look at the design of the centre panel, it closely resembles the E72 - bar the silver colour - and the optical trackpad has been replaced by the standard D-pad on the Mystic.  We expect all to be revealed soon.

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.