Archive for the ‘winmo’ Category

Ballmer on the Smartphone Race: “It Doesn’t Matter What the Critics Say” [Ballmer Interview]

In this segment of my exclusive interview series with Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, I brought up the sore subject of Windows Mobile 6.5. After defending it, he cited another product that did well but suffers mounting criticism: Nokia smartphones.

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.

Steve Ballmer Exclusive Interview Series:
Part 1: Ballmer Talks Natal, Says Blu-ray Add-On for Xbox Coming

Windows Phone commercial is confusing for a variety of reasons

Okay, so we understand Microsoft is trying hard to rebrand Windows Mobile as Windows Phone with the launch of WinMo 6.5, but this commercial — labeled with AT&T logos in the US but also running unlabeled worldwide — doesn’t seem to do a good job of pointing out that Windows Phone is a platform and not a device. In fact, if we didn’t know better, we’d think that the HTC Pure is, in fact, the “Windows Phone” — even though the dude in the spot is holding a totally different generic device. See how that could be weird for people? It’s almost confusing enough to distract from the jubilant anthropomorphic app icons in tights. Video after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone commercial is confusing for a variety of reasons

Filed under: Cellphones

Windows Phone commercial is confusing for a variety of reasons originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s HD2 gets sized up to the competition

We’ve already seen (and written) plenty on the HD2, and we’ve enjoyed our initial experiences with the device — but now someone has finally sized up the massive, Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone with its touchscreen contemporaries… and the differences are downright shocking. Just take a look at this beast next to Apple’s iPod touch (above) or the company’s own Hero — the displays on the older devices seem dwarfed by the HD2’s 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 WVGA screen. There are lots of other revealing pictures in the writeup, but it’s the side-by-side shots that seem most telling to us — this is certainly the direction we’re headed in for mobile devices. Hit the read link and take a full look for yourself.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC’s HD2 gets sized up to the competition originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait

Can you name them all? Don’t worry, it’s a lot to keep track of. Clockwise we have the HTC Tilt 2 (AT&T), Toshiba TG01 (not announced for US), HTC Imagio (Verizon), HTC Pure (AT&T), Samsung Intrepid (Sprint) and LG GM750 (not announced for US). It’s a pretty diverse roundup, with two QWERTY phones in the mix and an incredible variety of home screens and themes, though all six do house touchscreens — resistive, of course. Check out a super quick meet and greet after the break.

Continue reading Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait

Filed under: Cellphones

Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Mobile 6.5 Comes to Sprint With Samsung’s Intrepid [Windows Mobile]

Though we pronounced Windows Mobile 6.5 anything but intrepid, Samsung is bringing a WinMo 6.5 phone by that name to Sprint. It should be available October 11th, and looks pretty much like Sammy’s old BlackJack line.

The Samsung Intrepid is a full QWERTY phone with a 2.5-inch, 320×240 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]

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