Microsoft Pushes the Gaming Envelope with Windows Phone 7

As you already know, Windows Phone 7 will have a Games hub featuring Xbox Live. Today, at Gamescom in Germany, Microsoft announced the first wave of games titles and features launching on Windows Phone 7 this fall. You can expect to see games from companies like PopCap, Namco, Gameloft, and of course, Microsoft Gaming Studios (MGS), as well as content from smaller indie studios. In terms of titles, you can expect Halo Waypoint, Guitar Hero 5, Splinter Cell Conviction, Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, and classic gaming titles like Frogger, and Bejeweled.

When it comes to features, you can expect to create and change your avatar, view and compare achievements with your friends, view online and gaming status of friends on Xbox or Windows Phone, and earn achievements exclusively available on Windows Phone titles. The last point is really interesting to those achievement happy folks. Games like Halo Waypoint will have achievements that will only be available when playing on Windows Phone 7 devices.

The image above is a screen shot from a game called “The Harvest” from MGS. Click the image to see it in all it’s glory (800×480). You have to admit, that looks really good for a mobile game.

Complete press release available after the break.

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Free Windows Phone 7 Devices for All…

Before you get too excited, I should clarify that it’s free Windows Phone 7 devices for all Microsoft employee’s and now interns at Microsoft have been added to that list.

Last week, it was announced that Microsoft will make devices running their latest mobile operating system available to all their employees as they are launched in each market around the world. They’re not the first to do this, both Apple and Google did the same with their devices.  Yesterday, while talking with interns, Ballmer was asked if Microsoft interns would also be receiving a free Windows Phone 7 device.  Ballmer replied “Recruiting doesn’t have the budget, but I do. So, yes!”

It’s a smart move to outfit the interns with devices because they will be returning to school after the term expires with a new Windows Phone 7 device to show off.

(source = Gizmodo)

LG to Launch Windows Phone 7 Device by End of September

In 2009 at Mobile World Congress, LG Electronics made a big commitment to use Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system on the majority of their devices over the coming years. To date we haven’t seen much result from that announcement, but all that could change before the end of this year. According to an article from PCWorld, Ken Hong who is the LG representative for LG in Seoul, said “We have a deep relationship with Microsoft so expect to have a couple by the end of this year”.

Pictures of one of the LG smartphones has already been posted on a number of blogs – including MobileJaw. According to LG, this device is ready to be released. There was no indication when that particular device will be released, however LG did say that they will launch their first smartphone with Windows Phone 7 by the end of September.

Microsoft has been very reserved when it comes to dates for the release of Windows Phone 7. They’ve continued to stick with the “Holiday 2010” line that was used back in the Mobile World Congress announcement. A September release is a little before the holiday season by my standards, but I’m not going to complain.

Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview Drops

Microsoft has begun to ship Windows Phone 7 hardware to developer partners loaded with the latest Technical Preview of the OS. This is the first real time that Windows Phone 7 has been left to it’s own in the wild. In the past, you may have had a chance to see and play with it, but always with a Microsoft rep along side and you never had much of a chance to really get into things. All that’s changed now.

Matt Miller from ZDNet, has posted an exhaustive 8 page review with 90 images, and 6 videos showing you the in’s and out’s of Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system. Engadget has also posted their thoughts on the new release, although it’s not nearly as in-depth, it’s still a great read with plenty of information about the platform.

Their has been a lot of mixed emotion over the design and styling of Windows Phone 7. I find the design to be a nice alternate from what we’ve seen for so long now. And seeing it populated with real user information, like the shot above with Matt Miller’s details spread throughout, helps to bring it all together. At a quick glance you can get all the details on what matters to you and drill down on the section you’re interested in. I’m looking forward to getting a hands on with Windows Phone 7 soon!

Grab yourself a drink and settle in. It’s going to take you a little time to read through all the details posted on Windows Phone 7.  Once you’ve gone over it all, let us know your thoughts.

Windows Phone 7 Takes 4th Place in Top 25 Most Innovative Products

“Reinventing yourself isn’t easy, yet that’s what Microsoft did with Windows Phone 7, its slick new mobile operating system. Microsoft took its aging, stodgy Windows Mobile OS, reserved mainly for business users, and built something new from the ground up. The end result: an intuitive new platform that pushes the user—instead of apps—into the limelight.”Laptop Magazine has flagged Microsoft’s efforts in the mobile space with the upcoming Windows Phone 7, as 4th place in the 25 Most Innovative Products of 2010. And when you consider that the new operating system isn’t even shipping yet, that’s a pretty impressive thing.

Devices are expecting to be available for “holiday 2010” according to Microsoft. We’ll keep bringing you more details as they become available.

You can check out the complete list of 25 items over at Laptop Magazine. Take a look at the top 10 and let us know if you agree with the list.

Source = WMExperts

Price and Shipping Details Leak for Xbox 360’s Project Natal

Yes, I know this doesn’t really fall under the typical mobile related content we post here, but Project Natal is just so freaking cool that I can’t resist talking about it. And thanks to Edge-Online’s trusted source, Project Natal will ship on October 26 and at a cost of $149. That won’t be the only way to get your hands on the motion camera, as it will be bundled with the arcade console. So for $299 you can pick up an Xbox 360 plus the new motion camera.

Keep in mind that these details are not from Microsoft, so the date may change and same goes with the price. We should get some official announcement next month at E3.

Source = GearLive

Going In-Depth on Microsoft’s KIN Devices with the Millers

Earlier this week I told you about how Matt Miller from ZDNet’s Smartphones and Cell Phones Blog has handed out the KIN One and KIN Two to his daughters to get a teen perspective on the device. They provided some initial thoughts and then were told to use the devices for a couple days. Now Matt’s back and has posted the feedback he received. Microsoft’s new KIN devices is targeted at a younger audience, which is why this review is a great way to get some real world feedback.

I won’t share the results here.  You’ll have to head over and read the full review, which includes an interview and direct feedback from his daughters. The results are different than what you have seen with any of the other reviews (at least the one’s I’ve seen).

KIN One and Two were available last week for ordering online and as of today, they are available to purchase directly from your Verizon store for $49.99 and $99.99. Or you can learn more by checking out the KIN website.

First Thoughts on KIN from the Millers

Back in middle of April, Microsoft announced a new pair of mobile devices targeted at teens – KIN One and KIN Two. While the devices are powered by Windows Phone, they are vastly different. These devices are focused at the social or upload generation – Teens and early twenty-somethings. But when the device reviews started to hit the street early last week, they seemed to indicate that the device fell short in a number of ways. The question is, does the device really fall short, or is it just the people reviewing the device can’t connect with the target audience? Matt Miller from Smartphones and Cell Phones blog over at ZDNet, has taken a different approach. Instead of his usual test, he has provided the devices to his two teenage girls to use over the next week.  Their unboxing and initial impressions of the device are posted over at ZDNet, with more to come as they continue to use the devices.

I really like the looks of both KIN devices and really want to like the devices, but I’m concerned that Microsoft and Verizon may have missed the target audience based on the projected monthly costs for the devices. Matt’s approach should provide some good insight into what the target audience thinks about these devices. I’m looking forward to seeing the follow-up articles on this. I’m also looking forward to seeing KIN launched in other countries, even if it won’t happen in the next few months.  

Nokia Files Patent Suite Against Apple, Again

On Friday, Nokia filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple Inc in regards to the iPhone and iPad products. This is the 5th complaint between Nokia and Apple over the course of the last year. Nokia claims that Apple has infringed on 10 different patents and is demanding royalties be paid on the more than 51 million iPhonas / iPads that have been sold to date.

There’s been a lot of focus on patents lately and it’s likely that this will only get worse as key players continue to battle for dominance in what will be the new computing frontier. Apple filed against HTC, HTC licensed a number of Microsoft patents, and HP buys Palm partly to gain control of Palm’s patents. Industry analysts are predicting that worldwide shipments of converged mobile devices (smartphones) will exceed 390 million by 2013. Because of that, all of the major players are working to position themselves in an attempt to control the lion share of the mobile market. Controlling the operating system used on those devices, or being the hardware manufacturer that produces the majority share of those 390 million devices will not only mean incredible revenues, but also a significant amount of power over the mobile industry – in much the same way Microsoft did with the PC many years ago.

So how does Nokia’s actions effect mobile users today? It doesn’t. This issue is before the court and will take years to resolve, and when it is resolved, most likely the court will order one company to pay the other company and maybe stop selling the devices. But that won’t effect those people that already have a device. So continue to enjoy your phone or buy that new one you’ve been looking at and don’t let all the patent fuss get in your way.

Microsoft Kills Courier Project

If you’ve not heard about Microsoft’s Courier project, then you don’t have to worry about this post. But for those of us that have hear about it and were interested in what it offered, it’s a sad day.  The Courier was a new approach from Microsoft, with a unique hinged dual screen configuration the Courier would act almost like a book. You could fold it open and then write on a page. But that’s just scratching the surface of what it had to offer.

It doesn’t matter anymore, as Microsoft has put the brakes on that project. They have stated that the technology used in the Courier will find its way into other projects within Microsoft. But what’s that really mean? In short, don’t hold your breath or cash for anything anytime soon.

It seemed like Microsoft had turned the corner and was actually back on their game – Windows Phone 7, Project Natal, KIN, and Courier. All or which offered amazing potential to take the company in a new and different direction. I expect my next laptop/netbook/slate will be Android based.

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