Developers: All About the Accelerometer in Windows Phone 7

"When Windows Phone 7 is released, users will be able to enjoy the fact that the hardware requirements for the phone include an accelerometer. Some applications are naturally inclined to work well with accelerometer input. Imagine a "Labyrinth" style game where you can now just rotate or tilt the device instead of simulating the tilting of the table using some buttons or sliders? Just rotating the device from portrait to landscape can re-flow the screen in the right orientation without the user selecting their preferred orientation."

Windows Phone 7 hardware requires an accelerometer, and I for one am interested in seeing what developers will do with that requirement. Over at The Windows Phone Developer Blog Dave Edson has written a fairly detailed post about the ways the accelerometer API can be used. The post includes code snippets that illustrate key aspects of the API. Now would also be a great time to get started developing an accelerometer-leveraging application - it appears Windows Phone 7 release day is just around the corner. Get coding!

Windows Phone 7: One Month To Go?

"While the exact date has been up in the air, October and New York have been been assumed to be the time and place for the big launch--after all, it was exactly one year ago (October 6th, 2009) in New York City that Microsoft launched Windows Mobile 6.5 (see our earlier coverage of that, to relive some memories), so it makes sense for them to repeat that event."

WMExperts have picked up a rumour that D-Day is going to be Monday, October 11th for Windows Phone 7, with the hardware hitting the streets later in the month. It's been a looong time coming, and I'm jittery with the waiting. While we've seen some of the devices that will be on hand for the launch, I'm fairly certain there are going to be some surprises (HD3 anyone?). My wallet's waiting, Microsoft!

T-Mobile Begins “Kids Are Free” Promotion

T-mobile announced that until November 2nd, 2010, families wishing to add to qualifying two-line family plans can get up to three lines added for free. This will eliminate the monthly voice and messaging charges for the three lines until 2012. Additional fees and taxes are applicable, including a $1.41 per line/month regulatory programs fee (not to mention activation fees). This sounds like a great deal for those families wanting to stay connected. Data charges are separate however, and those charges will add up if parents spring for those new Windows or Android smartphones.

HTC Press Event Scheduled

According to Smarthouse.com.au (and confirmed on Twitter), HTC will reveal multiple devices at a press conference in London on September 15th, 2010. Among the rumored devices to be released is the much anticipated HTC HD3. While the probability of the HD3 being announced is high, the odds that the rumored specs are accurate is not. The rumored device is said to have 4.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen (with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels), a dual core 1.5GHz ARM-based processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, Wi-Fi, 4G, an 8-megapixel camera with two LED flashes, HDMI port and HD recording capabilities, a 1800mAh battery, all in a 10mm thick enclosure. As amazing as this sounds, there is no evidence that any of these specs are legitimate. We will have to wait until the event on the 15th to find out.

Let Us Now Start Wild Speculation Regarding Launch Date

"Microsoft UK has announced, via Twitter, a "special event" on October 5th in London for developers in which the company will talk about "Windows Azure, Windows 7 and the soon-to-be-released Windows Phone 7 and IE9". Interestingly Steve Ballmer will introduce the opening keynote for the special event and it will be held in the large International Conference Centre (the G20 was held there last year and Microsoft has used the venue before)."

Want some rampant rumor and speculation to add to your Tuesday? Here's a twitter post that's got some sites a flutter wondering if we're going to hear Fearless Leader Steve B. say something about the launch, or maybe announce the launch, or maybe use the word launch, at this MS Tech Days event. WP7 is about the worst kept secret at this point, with ads coming out and devices given to a select few. So does it really matter when the "launch" announcement comes? What I think we all want to know is "When will I be able to walk down to the store and buy one?!?"

Now Windows Phone 7 Is Complete - It Has A Fart App

Yes, I know Windows Phone went Gold last week as the platform was released to manufacturing, putting it in the hands of carriers and handset makers, but in the modern world of smartphones, that isn't enough. Rest assured though the platform is now complete as we have an announcement that a fart app called Simply Farts and allows you to compose a fartaciluar piece on the fart piano interface.

Windows Phone 7 users won't have to play number two to the other big smartphone platforms. Check out the video at the source link below. It's a gas.

Windows Phone 7 Development: Aussie Viewpoint

"The impending launch of Windows Phone 7 handsets before Christmas period represents another rich option for Australian mobile application and game developers. But what is it like developing for the new Microsoft platform?"

ITWire has a nice interview with a number of Aussie developers who have embarked on Windows Phone 7 development. Their impression? A nice and relatively straight-forward platform to develop for. Amongst the things that have attracted the developers has been the desire to get building mobile applications as they see the overall market growing, the impression that it would be fairly easy to build on the Windows Phone 7 platform, and the relative speed with which they could develop their apps. Hit the Read link to pop over to the ITWire site and read the full interview.

First Windows Phone 7 Ad Hits The Waves

The symbology is stirking: out of the desert a revolution is coming. The hype is only just beginning, and this one's a good start. Let us know what you think.

LG Optimus 7 To Feature DLNA

LG's Optimus 7, now making the rounds as a developer handset, will feature DLNA onboard when it ships as a WP7 production set. For those of us who aren't quite up to date on the latest ion consumer electronics technology (like me), DLNA offers a simple, mostly trouble-free way of sharing your media across different devices - think bluetooth or wifi, but without jumping through the hoops (more detail here). Anyone here who's intrigued by this capability?

Verizon Offers Prepaid Data for Android, Sorry Windows Mobile

"BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced it will be expanding its portfolio of prepaid offerings to include a new 3G Prepaid data package that lets customers access unlimited data on select 3G Smartphones and Multimedia phones for $30 monthly access. Multimedia phone customers also have the option of selecting a new $10 monthly data package for 25 MB per month ($.20/MB overage). These new prepaid data packages will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Store today and online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning Sept. 28."

Verizon still has Windows Mobile devices (Although perhaps not for long), yet those don't get in on this $30 a month prepaid unlimited data offer. I'm not sure what their reason for snubbing WM here is - I can't imagine it costs them any more money to add it to the other smartphones in their line, and perhaps they just didn't mention the WM devices in the press release. Perhaps some brave soul should test it out when it becomes available!

However it looks like most, if not all, of the Android offerings do (Oh yea, those blackberries and palm devices are eligible too...). Not a bad price if you just want a non-contract data device lying around. Anyone Android-fan going to take Verizion up on their deal?

Warnygo: Peculiar Windows Phone 7 App/Service

"So lets say you're in midtown Manhattan and you notice a building is on fire or something really important happening, you can send a "warny" out and people using the same network and in the area will get the notification/alert on their device. You can also subscribe to your favorite "zones" or areas of interest, for example if you want to follow any "warnies" in your hometown while you are away."

WMExperts has unearthed, from what I can tell, is a unique and somewhat peculiar geolocation-leveraging app for Windows Phone 7. There are not a lot of details on the developer's site yet, but the idea behind the app appears to be that you can send out "warnys", or alerts, from your phone that can be picked up by other phones in nearby proximity, or by phones that are "watching" the area you are sending the warny about or from. Alternatively, you can receive warnys from particular zones that you want to "watch". There are waryns pre-canned for particular topics (like a famous person arriving in a particular area) or you can create your own warny topic. Sound confusing? Well, head over to the link and have a look at the demo video from the developer. The Windows Phone 7 on screen interaction looks interesting (see the maps integration), and the potential is quite intriguing. Do we need more information bombarding our inboxes? Maybe, and if you are a future Windows Phone 7 user you may have to decide.

HTC 7 Trophy With WP7 for Europe?

"The name is the HTC 7 Trophy and it received approval from the Global Certification Forum (GCF), which is a partnership between OEMs, operators and the test industry to basically certify phones. It's usually a Europe/Asia thing and obviously not the U.S."

WMExperts are speculating that the 7 Trophy will have Windows Phone 7 onboard, but at this stage nobody really knows. On the other hand, the "7" moniker and the release timeline is about right for a WP7 release. Better yet, the original conception of the previous HTC model codenamed Trophy had a front QWERTY keyboard, which would make the 7 Trophy a real departure from the touchscreen-only devices that have been outed so far. Hit the link for further details.

Please Welcome Android Thoughts to the Thoughts Media Network

I'm thrilled to announce the newest member of the Thoughts Media family: Android Thoughts. As you can guess, this site will be covering Android in all it's forms - phones, slates, etc. The site is being led by none other than our very own Jon Westfall; he'll be handling all editorial duties on the site, similar to how Apple Thoughts works. Android has exploded in popularity over the past 12 months, surpassing even the mighty iPhone in terms of daily activations according to some. It made sense to cover Android as part of what we do here at Thoughts Media, but I wanted to find someone who was passionate and interested in all things Android...and that person is Jon Westfall. Please go read his welcome message on the site to find out how Android Thoughts was born - and subscribe to the RSS feed and Twitter stream. And, above all, if you're interested in Android as a platform, contribute, share, comment, and become a part of that new community.

Microsoft Says the Hidden Costs of Android Are Expensive

"According to Business Insider, Microsoft says that Android's hidden manufacturing costs are much higher than their own $15-per-unit Windows Phone 7 license. They have some very good points, but others are not so good. Here are their arguments..."

Go check out the article and tell me what you think - is Microsoft right? Are the costs of a "free" operating system higher than most people think? I think there's definitely something to be said for an off-the-shelf experience that doesn't require customization to work properly, but thus far, the deficiencies in Android's offering hasn't exactly been slowing down the adoption rate...

Windows Phone 7 Has Gone Gold

Microsoft has officially released Windows Phone 7 to manufacturing. This means that carriers have in their hands a final version that they can use to load onto devices. Unfortunately, we still have no information on exact release dates for Windows Phone 7. Current rumors suggest the release date will be some time in October, but nothing definitive has been discovered.

In addition to information that the OS had been released to manufacturing, Microsoft also revealed that there are multiple small improvements that made it into the released build. One of the more interesting features resolves a problem where Facebook contacts were automatically imported into the phone when a Facebook account is added. Now, Facebook contacts are matched to existing phone contacts and those that aren't found are not added. More Facebook functionality has also been added into final build, such as the ability to comment on contact's walls, and the ability to ‘like' someone's posts. I'm sure that there will be many other small features that are discovered when the phone is finally released.

LG E900 With WP7

We have a name for one of LG's prospective WP7 models - the E900 sports the usual WP7 chassis specs and a 3.7" capacitive screen. It may be just me, but I'm beginning to miss the days when spec hunting used to be fun. With the Microsoft spec lockdown for WP7, there's a numbing sameness to nearly every new handset, irrespective of vendor. While that may be to Microsoft's and WP7's advantage, there're very few ways that manufacturers can differentiate their offerings - witness the fact that they almost all look the same.

AT&T Tilt 2 Gets ROM Update

AT&T and HTC have gotten around to releasing a ROM Update for the Tilt 2. It's apparently the same one that leaked earlier in July, and includes Sense 2.5 and a few hotfixes (download link here). Bear in mind that if you use this, it will wipe your phone clean, so be sure to back up your data first.

Does $1B Seem About Right to Develop and Market Release 1 of Windows Phone 7?

"Microsoft is rapidly developing Windows Phone 7, a smart phone platform to compete with iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. It's due this fall, though we don't yet know the dates, prices and carriers. We do know one thing, the launch will be massive. Like billion-dollar massive."

Wilson Rothman, writing on the msnbc.com tech blog Technolog, has postulated that Microsoft might be spending upwards of $1 billion to develop and market the first release of Windows Phone 7. His postulation comes from the consideration of the commentary of various industry people who have speculated on the actual costs. Well known Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet is one such resource.

This figure might at first appear staggering, but it important to consider what it supposedly covers, and unfortunately none of the sources is being too detailed about what that is. So, they might be close to the mark, or off by 50% or more. No one but true Microsoft insiders will know for sure, of course, but if past reports and speculations are of any merit, these significant technology releases cost big, big, bucks. Rumors of the size of contracts issued to marketing companies always seem to get bandied about. In 2008, for example, Microsoft was rumored to have spent $300 million on a consumer product ad campaign. What we do know for sure is that Microsoft has a lot riding on the upcoming release. This could very well make or break them for years, if not forever, in the mobile phone marketplace. Considering that the $1 billion figure covers both development and marketing, I think it could well be close. What do you think?

Windows Phone 7's Geolocation Capability Opens Interesting Opportunities for Game Developers

"We've mentioned in the past about 'Orion', the geolocation service/API for Windows Phone 7 which allows developers access to many forms of locating the phone's location extremely quickly."

WMExperts has posted a short article commenting on their expectation that developers will soon be taking advantage of the Windows Phone 7 platform's geolocation service/API to develop interesting game play. The geolocation API allows developers to ascertain the location of the phone, opening up intriguing opportunities for games. One could envisage game play where your phone's physical location could play a role in what you can "see" or have access to. The options are endless. There is a potential downside to geolocation information however - privacy. Your phone's location is often close to your location, so one could infer where you are quite easily. Properly implemented though, this capability can be managed by the end-user giving appropriate permission. It will be interesting to see what sort of game play the developers come up with.

Verizon Clearing The Deck

Every Windows Mobile device that Verizon is currently offering, including the HTC Touch Pro 2 and the Samsung Omnia 2, will be off the shelf by the first quarter of next year according to a leaked end-of-life document. You can take this one of two ways - either Verizon is completely fed up with Microsoft after the Kin debacle, or they're placing a big bet on Windows Phone 7. I wouldn't lay odds either way. Hit the link for the details.

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