Windows Live Goes Mobile

The re-launch of the new Windows LIVE is, well, live and part of this includes some significant upgrades to Windows LIVE Mobile. There are a ton of Windows LIVE features you can access for free on your mobile phone now such as; Hotmail, Messenger, Live Search, Live Spaces, Local Search, MSN Mobile, and special features for your Nokia and BlackBerry devices. You can find full features list here.

The really cool part is how it will allow your cell phone to sync-up nicely with the new version of Outlook Connector, so with this new service you basically have the capabilities of an Exchange server… without actually having an Exchange server.

Now, here’s to hoping Windows will bring Live Mesh into the mix and we can have a central mobile platform for all of our social networking and cloud computing needs. I’m looking at you Windows 7!

Not familiar with all the nifty things Windows Live can do for you? Watch this video.

Nokia Buys Symbian and Looks to Linux?

Leave it to Nokia to cause puzzled looks and intrigue in one fell swoop. In continuation of the Barcelona event, Nokia announced that it has officially bought Symbian. Yea, that’s right, Symbian wasn’t actually a part of Nokia, but Nokia did own a big chunk of it. Well, now Nokia owns the whole thing and the world’s largest smart phone manufacturer is the proud owner of an antiquated operating system.

This, on its own, isn’t that big of a news item. Sure it’s a little surprising that it took Nokia this long to actually follow through with the buyout, but it’s not like anyone else was going to pick up Symbian’s operating system. What’s truly interesting is when you combine this announcement with a little tidbit Nokia’s CEO threw in during an interview today.

Evidently, Nokia is interested in using Linux in the future for some of its high-end phones. Why would Nokia buy an operating system and then say that it’s interested in using Linux in the future? That is truly the intriguing part of this equation.

We’ll probably hear more Thursday at the Symbian’s partner meeting, but until then my head will still be running rampant with ideas and possibilities! How awesome would it be if Nokia was able to create an experience similar to the instant-on Linux we’ve seen in netbooks but for your phone. Give me that and I’ll definitely pay $700 for your phone.

Nokia World 08 – Day One Summary

It appears Nokia is kicking things into high gear for 2009 as numerous announcements are being made at its two-day event, Nokia World 08, in Barcelona, Spain. As if the announcement of the N97 wasn’t enough to whet our appetites, Nokia announced a fresh version of Nokia Maps as well as Nokia Messaging.

First, let’s talk about Nokia Maps, which includes “a number of new features such as high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for 216 cities and terrain maps, as well as a new route overview during routing and during drive, the purchasable turn-by-turn car navigation guidance.” In addition, users will find new options such as access to real-time information (camera alerts, safety spots, traffic information, etc.) and Wcities event guides that give real-time information for events and movies in over 450 destinations. Take that Google Maps!

Next, let’s talk about Nokia Messaging. The service is essentially a combination of messaging applications rolled up into what should be a nice, little package. Mobile e-mail, PIM management, Instant Messaging, push delivery services and more are all covered by the new Nokia Messaging product. There also will be an available Web portal into the service that allows users to send and receive e-mail, manage files and more from any Web browser.

As we wrote before, Nokia tops the global market despite its lack of pizzazz here in the states, but with the N97 and day-one updates from Barcelona, it appears they’re poised to make some noise in the West – and we like what we see.

Nokia Announces N97 Touch Phone

For more photos, click here.

Nokia announced its new flagship model N97 touchscreen phone, the company’s second smartphone with touch-sensitive display. With a slide bar QWERTY keyboard, it isn’t as sleek as some of its competitors; however, with cramped and inaccurate touchscreen QWERTY keyboards being a big complaint of the most recent touchscreen smartphones, I think Nokia went in the right direction with the N97. The N97 is set to arrive in the first half of 2009 and word is it will cost you (brace yourself) about $700 before taxes. Of course, we’re always hoping for the price to drop with a standard 2-year contract, but given Nokia’s history of carrier-support with the N-series, it looks like we’ll have to settle for our first-born child.

Specs:

• 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens and DVD-quality video
• 640x360 resolution
• Haptic feedback
• QWERTY keyboard
• Tri-band HSDPA 3g
• Wi-Fi
• AGPS and Stand-alone GPS
• Flash Support and Flash Video!!!
• A whopping 32GB internal memory plus microSD slot for up to 16MB additional memory
• Symbian S60 operating system with fully customizable home screen
  
  
  

Samsung Omnia Review Roundup

Translated from Latin, the name of Samsung's new model means “everything” and its main purpose is to fully satisfy the needs of the modern cell phone user. But, does the latest smartphone live up to its name?

Alright, here are the specs:

• 7.2Mbps HSDPA 2100
• Quadband EDGE
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera
• 3.2-inch capacitive WQVGA touchscreen
• GPS
• Windows Mobile 6.1
• WiFi
• 8 or 16GB of flash with microSD expansion

Thumbs Up :

• The user interface, TouchWiz, gets points for raw usability and functionality.
• Built-in FM radio
• Support for numerous audio and video formats, including Ogg and Xvid
• Browser Opera 9.5 offers solid page rendering, nice zoom and tabs
• Provides haptic feedback with a slight vibration.
• Customized home page widgets

Thumbs Down:

• Samsungs decision to forgo a triband 3G chipset.
• The keys on the QWERTY were too narrow to be reliably and consistently pressed accurately, and auto-correct is frequently wrong.
• Disappointing screen resolution, just 400x200

The basic consensus is, when it comes to WinMo devices this is one of your best options with Verizon. Samsung’s redesigned interface for Windows Mobile’s homescreen offers a much-needed refresh to the antiquating operating system and the out-of-the-box support for Opera is much appreciated. That being said, it is missing 3G, which might be a dealbreaker for quite a few people. Also, for those of you who are very message oriented, this might not be the phone for you due to the cramped keyboard. With the recent $50 drop in pricing, which was a smart move on Samsung’s part, the phone will now cost you $199 with 2-year commitment.

More reviews:

• Engadget
• Gizmodo
• CNet
• Phonearena