The Boy Genius Report has an interesting snapshot of what appears to be a new upcoming Motorola handset. Dubbed the “Motorola Alexander”, BGR claims the smartphone features Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, a 5 to 8 megapixel camera, a built-in NVIDIA graphics chipset, and assisted GPS. From the angle and appearance, the Alexander appears to be a slim slider phone with a QWERTY keyboard. What’s also interesting is the blurry picture of the user interface. Looks like Motorola did some customization work on the Windows Mobile Today screen. If the Alexander is truly thin, the performance respectable, and the keyboard usable, then Motorola could have a cool phone on their hands. A lot of ifs tho..

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Motorola, Alexander, Windows Mobile Smartphone

Mobility Review has published a video review of the Samsung Omnia smartphone here on their website. The Omnia’s specs are as follows:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
• HSDPA 3G networking support
• 3.2 inch WQVGA display
• Support for DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV, MP4
• Built-in FM radio
• 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Face and smile detection technologies
• Available in 8GB or 16GB storage capacities
• GPS support
• Bluetooth support

Here’s an excerpt from the link:

Based on the most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, Samsung OMNIA gives users a mobile extension to their PC experience, with access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Samung Omnia, Mobility Today, Review

HTC has released a ROM update for the Touch Diamond that adds support for 850MHz which makes the Windows Mobile based phone more compatible to U.S. carrier-based networks. The update is currently available on the English version of the Hong Kong website here. The update also fixes other outstanding issues with the Touch Diamond.

[Check it out via PhoneScoop.com]

Technorati Tags: HTC Touch Diamond, 850MHz

It looks like HP has begun rolling out the new add-ins to their EX470 Windows Home Server systems. My system just notified me about 25 minutes ago that two new add-ins were ready to be installed on my EX470:

Just in case you can’t see the image above, the two add-ins are as follows:

• PVConnect MediaServer for HP MediaSmart - easily share your media among all connected devices.
• McAfee Total Protection Service - automatically protect your home server from the latest virus and spyware threats

To install these add-ins, one has to go to the Add-ins section of the Windows Home Server Settings and then click on the “Available” tab. You’ll see the following:

Of the two add-ins, the McAfee add-in definitely appears to be the most valuable addition to HP EX470 Windows Home Server. There’s nothing like free anti-virus protection for the server if you ask me!

It’s not clear when HP will roll out Power Pack 1 for their MediaSmart servers but I think I’ll probably go ahead and download it directly from Microsoft.

Technorati Tags: HP, EX470 MediaSmart, Windows Home Server, Add-ins, Power Pack 1

Samsung has officially launched the i740 Smartphone handset - at least in the Ukraine. The i740 is a compact Windows Mobile 6.1 based Smartphone featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.8 inch QVGA display, a built-in GPS receiver, optical joystick, tri-band GSM support, built-in FM radio, USB 2.0 support, Bluetooth support, microSD card support, and 150MB of user memory. Unfortunately this smartphone lacks 3G network support.. but hey - at least it’s pretty sweet looking! Prices are expected to be around 285 Euro.

[Check it out via New Launches]

Technorati Tags: Samsung i740, Windows Mobile Smartphone

Microsoft has announced that the latest version of Windows Live Client for Windows Mobile devices is now available for download. All you need to do is point your mobile browser to http://wl.windowsmobile.com/. The new version of Windows Live Client supports the following features:

• Synchronize Live contacts with your contacts on the device
• Synchronize your Live email (msn, hotmail, live)
• View graphics, web links and contact photos in emails
• Respond to emails with voice recordings
• Upload photos to your Windows Live Spaces

Wish I had a Windows Mobile device to test this out with! Do let me know how it goes!

[Check it out via Mobility Today]

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Windows Live Client, Windows Mobile

Heads up Windows Home Server users out there - the Windows Home Server Team has announced that the anticipated Power Pack 1 update has finally been released to manufacturing (RTM). Power Pack 1 is now available via the Microsoft Download Center and will become available via Windows Update sometime in August.  OEM partners selling Windows Home Server systems will update their systems with Power Pack 1 over the coming weeks. HP EX470/475 owners can expect the update soon along with additional enhancements such as enhanced media streaming capabilities from PacketVideo, server-side anti-virus from McAfee, and compatibility with 64 bit home PCs.

General updates and features found in Power Pack 1 include support for PCs running Windows Vista 64 bit OS’s, backup of home server Shared Folders, remote access improvements, more efficient power consumption, and overall better performance. Yes, that infamous data corruption bug is also fixed.

Finally, Microsoft has also updated the Windows Home Server software development kit (SDK) for Power Pack 1.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server, Power Pack 1

MobileWhack is reporting that the Samsung BlackJack III might be coming to the U.S. in the October timeframe. The first carrier to get the BlackJack III? It’s probably a safe bet that AT&T will receive this Windows Mobile smartphone first. Some of the features to be found on the BlackJack III include assisted-GPS, HSDPA support, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Samsung, AT&T, BlackJack III, Windows Mobile

Think Apple’s business is being driven by the iPod and iPhone? Guess again - Apple’s Mac business is alive and well as they’ve announced that 2.4 million Macs were shipped during the third quarter ending June 28th. That represents a 41 percent unit growth and a whopping 43 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. In total, Apple posted amazing revenues of 7.46 billion with a net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion (or $1.19 per diluted share). Compare those numbers to the year-ago quarter which were 5.41 billion and a net quarterly profit of $818 million. Gross profits dipped somewhat - from 36.9 percent to 34.8 percent.

Here are other stats of interest:

• 11 million iPods were sold during the quarter - 12 percent unit growth and seven percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter
• 717,000 iPhones were sold during the quarter compared to 270K in year ago quarter (of course the iPhone had just started sales during the third quarter of last year)

Now here’s where things get interesting. Apple’s CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, decided to warn analysts that 4th quarter gross margins will be negatively affected by a “product transition.” So as News.com points out - let the guessing games begin. What exactly does this product transition mean exactly? Does this lend credence that new notebooks are coming out from Apple? Does this mean product prices are coming down? Does it mean things getting more expensive to manufacture? It’s really anyone’s guess right now (but you can be sure that people will be coming out with their own theories now). For the record though, News.com thinks that Apple will do two things during the fourth quarter: Introduce new Centrino 2 based MacBooks and reduce price for the iPod touch.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Apple, Third Quarter, 2008, Fourth Quarter, Apple iPhone, Mac, iPod Touch

Sprint and Palm have announced that the new Palm Treo 800w is now available for Sprint subscribers. The Treo 800w runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and includes support for EV-DO Rev A data speeds. According to Sprint, the Treo 800w is “Palm’s most business-friendly phone yet.” Features include:

• Full QWERTY keyboard
• Five way navigation controls
• One-touch buttons
• EV-DO Rev A support with download speeds up to 3.1 Mbps
• One-touch Wi-Fi button with support for 802.11 b/g
• Integrated GPS
• Supports Sprint Navigation
• Connects with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007
• Support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology
• Today Screen enhancements
• Dial from the Today screen
• Voicemail controls
• Sprint TV enabled
• Speakerphone
• Built-in 2.0 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth
• 320 x 320 External display
• Memory card slot (microSD)
• 256 MB user memory and 128 MB program memory

The Treo 800w will be available for $249.99 after discounts and a two year contract.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Palm, Sprint, Treo 800w, Windows Smartphone, Windows Moble 6.1 Professional