A daily digest of IT news, curated from blogs, forums and news sites around the web each morning. We highlight the key commentary and demystify the real story.
Windows Phone 7 and Android at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona
It's time for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. And Microsoft is proudly showing off its new, oddly-named baby: Windows Phone 7 Series. Handset manufacturers are also tempting us with their wares. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers shiver with an-ti-ci-pation.
Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention more from the bizarre world of Cat Face...
Colin Gibbs is impressed by Windows Phone 7 Series:
Microsoft ... has finally scrapped the cumbersome look and feel of Windows Mobile in favor of a more intuitive, streamlined user interface, and ... is focusing on consumers by emphasizing the personalized nature of mobile phones. ... Windows Phone 7 Series ... is built on the Zune HD interface. ... Microsoft has wisely enlisted the help of industry heavyweights such as Qualcomm and AT&T to help it regain its lost relevance in the ultra-competitive smartphone space.
...
[But] for Microsoft to challenge platforms like Android and iPhone, it will have to address these three primary challenges. ...
Build a better app store. ... Microsoft will have to quickly find a way to build an impressive library of offerings. ...
Build a better brand. ... Microsoft will have to leverage its partnerships and invest heavily in promoting its brand. ...
Understand the mobile web. ... Microsoft must prove that it understands how consumers want to use the web while theyre on the phone.
Poor Joe Wilcox is sick:
Windows Phone 7 Series is a refreshing departure from Windows Mobile -- it demos well, anyway. Microsoft finally is making the kind of commitment necessary to once again be a major competitor. ... [But] What's trendy from Microsoft today could look less appealing come the holidays.
...
[However,] Microsoft is using the time between Windows Phone 7 Series' announcement and availability wisely, For starters, the company plans to woo developers during next month's MIX10 conference. ... [But the] closed Windows Phone 7 Series must woo developers from closed iPhone OS and three open source mobile operating systems -- Android, MeeGo and Symbian 3.
Other rumors test Malatesta's patience:
It seems to have raised more questions than answered. One of these is where does 'Turtle' and 'Pure' fit into all of this new strategy? Are they the first phones to run WP7? Are they just next-gen Sidekicks? ... Whatever these are, they seem to be aiming for a widespread launch with both CDMA and GSM versions.
Laura June and Sean Cooper tag-team Toshiba's tiny toy:
Toshiba's outed its second 1GHz processor-boasting device for the day, this one is known as the K01. This guy is 12.9mm thick, a QWERTY slide out keyboard, and a 4.1-inch, capacitive, OLED touchscreen. The K01 boasts a microSD slot for storage up to 32GB, and runs Windows Mobile 6.5.
...
Exactly what we would've liked to have seen as a complementary set to the TG01. ... With all that real estate, the layout feels just great. ... We also can't help but notice the three buttons (soft touch) across the bottom that could quite easily be skinned for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series.
Taylor Wimberly clenches:
Motorola announced ... the handset makers eighth Android-powered device ... will be called CLIQ XT and be available next month exclusively through T-Mobile USA, while it goes by Quench in other countries. ... This phone is essentially the same hardware of the original CLIQ minus the physical keyboard.
...
[It will] include a version of Flash Lite and the Swype virtual keyboard. Motorola also appears to have baked in their own multitouch. ... WCDMA 850/1900/2100 (for Global) WCDMA 900/1700/2100 (for US), GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (Category 7/8), EDGE Class 12, GPRS Class 12, AGPS.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Deleon goes to the other extreme:
Heres something that caught my interestsomething aside from Windows Phone!is the Vodaphone 150. Its for the developing world. ... Such as India, Turkey (since when are India and Turkey developing countries?), and eight African countries, including Ghana and Kenya. It will launch at well below $15.
...
As mobiles become increasingly important all over the world, its vital to get them into as many hands as possible. Hence, the phones inexpensive. You see, in places outside of ... where people use their phone to play Four Square and post silly videos to Twitter, mobile phones are used to access banking services, medical information ... and other such legitimate outlets.
Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him as @richi on Twitter, or richij on FriendFeed, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itblogwatch@richij.com.
