Microsoft may be saving most of its
Windows Phone 7 Series news for MIX the week after next (at least that’s what we’ve heard
whispers about), but it looks like it’s still dishing out a few more details beforehand, as evidenced by a short demonstration
Microsoft’s Charlie Kindel gave to
CNET. Nothing major like a confirmation of
HD2 support, but we do get a glimpse of a few apps we haven’t seen before (including a flashlight, level, and weather app — all supposedly “trivial” to build thanks to
XNA and Silverlight), and a look at some new screens for various applications we have seen, including a better look at the Xbox Live
hub. Head on past the break to check out the
video for yourself.
Continue reading Windows Phone 7 Series demo video reveals new apps, screens
Windows Phone 7 Series demo video reveals new apps, screens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve been dying to know more about Microsoft’s Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We’re told Courier will function as a “digital journal,” and it’s designed to be seriously portable: it’s under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn’t much bigger than a 5×7 photo when closed. That’s a lot smaller than we expected — this new picture really puts it into perspective — and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we’re told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we’re taking to mean Windows CE 6.
As we’ve heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We’re also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there’s a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft’s e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is “Q3 / Q4″, and we have no idea how much it’s going to cost, so we’re trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official — call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.
Update: We’ve added a gallery of user interface shots — some of which we’ve seen and some of which are new.
Update 2: We’ve just gotten two full-length HD videos of the interface in action. We’ve seen parts of these before, but there’s some new stuff here that’s quite interesting. Check it below.
Continue reading Microsoft’s Courier ‘digital journal’: exclusive pictures and details (update: video!)
Microsoft’s Courier ‘digital journal’: exclusive pictures and details (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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(AP) — Microsoft Corp. has said its new software for smart phones, Windows Phone 7 series, is a “clean break” with the past. Now it’s clear just how clean that break is: The new phones, expected late this year, won’t run any applications written for older versions of Microsoft’s phone software.