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Google is definitely putting some solid work into its Mobile mapping application these days. We have a feeling it will eventually come to a point where Google makes paid navigation services obsolete (especially subscription services such as Nokia Maps) and it will likely be sooner rather than later. We can’t imagine a better native navigation candidate for Android, can you? In the meantime, new features continue to roll out at a surprising pace and the application seemingly becomes more comprehensive each day. Our last post covered Google’s voice search pilot available on certain BlackBerry devices and now Google has introduced mass transit directions on its S60 and Windows Mobile versions of Google Maps. Released yesterday, version 2.2 can be downloaded and installed by pointing your mobile browser to google.com/gmm. The version provides access to transit directions in over 50 cities around the world and surely more will follow. The usefulness of this new functionality is fairly obvious, especially for those who travel often. Mass transit had already been incorporated into the BlackBerry and Java versions of Google Maps so now we get to sit back, relax and wait to see what the mobile Maps team comes up with next.

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This thing hasn’t been out for more a week, and already Palm and Sprint have issued an update that enables a significant new feature. A new page over at the Palm support site has just gone live, noting the availability of a new patch that brings full voice dialing over Bluetooth support to Palm’s new king of the hill Treo 800w. Oddly absent from the first shipment of handsets, it’s still good to see both Palm and Sprint taking a proactive approach to delivering new features to their customers. Then again, both of these companies need all the help they can get to retain subscribers and users respectively, so any little bit might be too little too late.

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The Zune Phone has been rumored for about as long as we can remember, but Microsoft has been doing their best to squash any and all rumors related to it’s possible existence and/or development. Just today, however, the company’s CEO Steve “I Heart Beer” Ballmer made a subtle reference to a possible change of course that could result in some form of Microsoft branded handset. In an all-points bulletin sent out to Microsoft employees, the CEO said:

“We’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences.”

Hmm. Nothing explicit about a Zune phone in here, but it’s certainly a marked shift from the company’s current software-only attitude towards handset development.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Barring the relatively annoying Sarah Austin / Flixwagon “controvery” of the past few days, no mobile streaming video service gets as much coverage as Qik. It seems like the Qik client fell into all the right hands early in its release as celwebrities all over the blogosphere fell in love. Despite the fact that Qik was in private beta, it seems like everyone managed to get their hands on it. Qik didn’t have the most features and it didn’t have the prettiest UI, but it had buzz and buzz is everything. Fast forward to today and Qik has continued to maintain much of its early momentum as it shows off a restyled website, new handset compatibility and the announcement that Qik is now available to the world as a public beta. No, the iPhone version isn’t quite ready for the public yet, but a handful of Windows Mobile handsets are now supported along with a variety of newer S60 handsets including the E66, E71, N78 and N96. So if you’ve been wanting to check out Qik but couldn’t find a version compatible with your phone, or you’re one of 12 people around the world who couldn’t find their way into the closed beta, hit the read link and you’ll be streaming in no time.

[Via AAS]

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It’s been so long that we almost stopped caring, but HTC and Sprint have come through to deliver a welcome update to the Sprint Touch. Unofficial versions of this firmware have been floating around the web for quite some time, but if you’re the sort that doesn’t like to color outside of the lines, you’ll be happy to know that the official Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade for the Sprint Touch is now available directly from the HTC website. The changes and enhancements that come along with the WM 6.1 upgrade are old hat by now, but we’d still suggest updating your handset if you have the chance, as you’ll reap the benefits of EV-DO Rev. A, enhanced GPS functionality, an OEM version of Opera, and more. Hit the jump for more info!

[Via WMExperts]

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News of the latest build of Opera’s ever-popular Opera Mobile browser has been floating around for a while now as anticipation grew. Now it’s here and well, it’s looking really good. Opera has given version 9.5b a pretty extensive overhaul both inside and out. Some highlights from Opera’s site:

• Pan and zoom - Using the same technology found in Opera Mini, Opera Mobile 9.5 defaults to full Web page viewing and allows users to pan and zoom into their desired content in just a few clicks.
• Save pages and/or images - With a click, simply save your selected content and send via email or MMS to your friends.
• Improved user interface - Opera has completely renovated its mobile UI. Cleaner and more intuitive, the new UI is designed for quick and easy navigation.
• Improved standards support - Opera remains steadfast in its commitment to make the Web accessible for all. Opera Mobile 9.5 is the most standards-compliant mobile browser available. It is based on Opera’s latest core rendering engine, Presto 2.1.
• Faster - Opera has always been among the fastest browsers — if not the fastest — available. Opera Mobile 9.5 beta continues this fine tradition with noticeable speed improvements over Opera Mobile 8.65 and IE Mobile.

There are a whole bunch of known bugs in this early release and of course Opera asks that you notify them of any additional issues you might discover via the Opera Mobile forum. In terms of future plans for this latest release Opera lists widget support, Opera link, gears and Symbian support. In the meantime, if you’re packing a Windows Mobile device you need to install this asap. Compared to Internet Explorer Mobile, umm, actually just about anything is better than Internet Explorer Mobile.

[Via adonismobile]

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Earlier this month we told you about a great service from a company called PhoneTag. Competing with the likes of SpinVox Voicemail-to-Text and GotVoice G2 Voicemail-to-Text, PhoneTag provides a service that converts your voicemails to text and delivers them to your handset. No longer do you need to dial into a voicemail system to listen to your voicemails; just read them! We like that there are several companies offering this service as competition is rarely a bad thing for the consumer. Amidst it all however, there is something special that sets PhoneTag apart from the pack: SimulSays. SimulSays is PhoneTag’s beta application for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile that combines that best of both worlds - think iPhone Visual Voicemail with integrated voicemail transcriptions! You see a list of all of your calls and associated voicemail audio files are automatically downloaded to the phone. The list however, also includes the first line of each voicemail transcription. Select any message in the list and you’ll be brought to a screen with the full transcription and a player that will allow you to listen to the message if you so chose. Yep, best of both worlds! SimulSays is free for PhoneTag customers and the pricing breaks down like this:

• Tag per message: $0.35/message
• Tag40 (40 transcriptions/month): $9.95
• TagUnlimited (unlimited transcriptions/month): $29.95

PhoneTag offers a free 7 day trial to make sure you’re game before you start paying, but wait! BGR readers can have a special extended 30 day trial period so that there’s absolutely no doubt before you start forking over that hard-earned cash. To get the party started just hit the read link below and sign up. Then from your mobile browser, go to mobile.simulsays.com to download the latest beta and you’re good. Note that PhoneTag can be used with any handset while the SimulSays beta app is limited to the Blackberry Curve (AT&T), 8800 (AT&T or T-Mobile), Pearl (AT&T or T-Mobile) and any Windows Mobile Smartphone.

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Some things in life don’t go according to plan — at least not in software development. We knew when we announced a release date before we finished development that a showstopper bug might be found that could alter the actual date we release the beta. 

We’re disappointed to delay, but fixing these bugs will improve the experience with our beta and let you fully test the browser.

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Sure, the Samsung i760 may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but there’s nothing like a little OS refresh and added functionality to breathe new life into an aging dinosaur. Originally scheduled for a June launch, Verizon has officially released the Windows Mobile 6.1 update for is i760 handset. There’s nothing as sexy as EV-DO Rev. A support in there, but if the following list of improvements don’t get you excited about your oddly-shaped slide out QWERTY mobile companion, then we’re pretty sure there’s no hope left for you:

• Applied, several Bluetooth improvements (updated BT DUN profile, improved scanning)
• Applied, support for YouTube videos
• Applied, Qualcomm patch
• Fixed, memory leakage by replacing POOM API
• Fixed, notification malfunction under certain conditions
• Fixed, certain conditions prevented delivery of MMS
• Added, MEID support (included in BC04 MR)
• Added, WLAN chipset enhancement (included in BC04 MR)

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• Get notifications sent directly to your home screen
• Set your status
• Approve friend requests
• View Group/Event invites
• Check your wall and inbox
• Send your friends messages, pokes, and wall posts

Basic stuff, but still nice to have if you’re a Facebook addict currently tethered to your Windows Mobile handset.

[Via WMExperts]

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If you’ll recall from our recent review of HTC’s new Touch Diamond handset, we were initially a bit underwhelmed by the performance of the company’s new Touch FLO 3D touch screen interface. The unit that HTC sent us was remarkably sluggish, responding rather tepidly to our best efforts and wrangling it into submission. Turns out we weren’t alone in our observations, and it seems there was some basis to our claim. According to HTC, the test units were sent out with a pre-release version of the ROM that had been let loose without some much-needed final adjustments. Acknowledging their error, HTC recently distributed the official ROM to us. We’re happy to report that the new firmware breathes life into the handset’s interface. Sure, it’s not the most responsive phone we’ve ever used, but everything seems to move much more quickly, making the Touch Diamond a wholly usable handset, which isn’t something we would have said about the first version of the ROM. Furthermore, HTC plans to have yet another ROM revision out by the end of this month, so anyone that might have been turned off by our initial impressions should certainly consider giving this one another look.

That’s what our AT&T boys in blue are sayin’! Want some details on it? Well, it’s rumored to have all the usual AT&T stuff like AT&T Music, AT&T Video, AT&T Navigator, and more. But, it’s also going to have AT&T Mobile TV, too. The other specs are pretty well know: a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device with a 5 megapixel camera with face detection, quad-band EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, 3.2″ WQVGA touch screen (sadly it’s 240×400), Bluetooth, and either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory. We’re working on some press shots for y’all, but in the meantime, go on and keep comparing it to the iPhone 3G…

Thanks, Omie!

This is a happy, happy day for any AIM addicts toting around a Windows Mobile device. There are 3rd party solutions (JiveTalk, what up!), but it’s always comforting to get a piece of software directly from the source. AOL has finally released an updated AIM client, and boy does it look sexy! We’re giving it a go right now but sadly, it doesn’t look as if we’ll get file transfers at the moment. Let’s hope this feature makes it way into the final build as it is still in beta. It also is said to be compatible with just about every Windows Mobile device — Standard or Professional, 5 or 6. Anyone looking to give it a try? Hit us up and let us know what the verdict is!

[Via XDA-Developers]

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This one strikes us as a bit fishy, especially considering the impending arrival of the Palm Treo 800w, but word on the street is that the aging Treo 700wx is set to receive a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade. Great news, but even more suspicious is that the upgrade specifically mentions WM 6.0, leaving out any trace of the current generation WM 6.1 version that is currently making the rounds. The rumor also conspicuously leaves out any mention of an update for Sprint users, referring only to a Verizon rollout. We suppose time will tell all, but until we actually see this thing hit the streets, we’re remaining skeptical. In the meantime, it looks like if you don’t to wait, you can unofficially get Windows Mobile 6.0 running on your Treo 700wx.

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If you’ll recall from our recent review of HTC’s new flagship Touch Diamond, we were a bit underwhelmed by the GUI’s overall responsiveness and performance. Sure, it’s a beautiful new way to navigate the doldrums of the Windows Mobile interface, but what good are appearances if there’s nothing underneath to back it up? Apparently, HTC has taken note of the TouchFLO 3D issues and has incorporated a number of fixes into a new ROM version that is now shipping with every European-spec Diamond to hit the shelves. The company hasn’t spoken to any sort of specific tweaks or changes they made, but initial subjective reports seem to favor the new firmware over the original version, with users reporting a faster, more responsive experience. Unfortunately, all of this is a moot point for American users hoping to get their hands on a compatible version of the phone, but at least we can rest assured that by the time it does officially land on our shores, many of the early kinks will have been worked out.

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Now that we’ve had some time to spend with the XPERIA X1, we’re going to break down the various features and give you our in-depth review. We’ll continue to update this post as we use the device more, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what’s at hand — a brand new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1! Full review is after the jump. Pictures will be added shortly.

Screen:

With a 800×480 VGA screen, you can’t really go wrong right? Right. We’ve got to say off the top that this is the best-looking screen we’ve ever seen on a Windows Mobile device. It puts all the others to shame. It’s not just that the screen has an amazing resolution, it’s that the screen is vibrant and clear as day. If your vision isn’t top notch you might have to increase the font size in settings because it gets a little small with that super high-res. Sunlight couldn’t phase it either as we had no problem using it on the go outside.

Audio quality

We didn’t put the speakers through our normal tests just yet to be honest. We tried a couple MP3s and they sounded good, not great. The speaker volume in general could have been a little louder and the sound could have sounded a little fuller. Speakerphone was the same. We’ll report back with more detailed findings.

Notification lights

If you’ve seen the Sidekick LX, you’ll know what we’re talking about. There are 4 independant notification lights on the four corners of the X1. These are LED lights that change through various colors. Unlike the Sidekick, you have complete control over the notification settings. Only want people to think you’ve got a UFO in your pocket when you’re getting a text message? No problem. There’s a lot to choose from to suit your own needs. The lights offer a nice touch and weren’t too over-powering and bright which we were afraid of. The kids will love it.

Call quality

Calls came in and out with crystal clear quality. The ear speaker was plently loud and the party on the other end said we sounded like we were on a land line.

Data Connectivity

Name something you’d like to see in a mobile device… HSDPA? Wi-Fi? GPS? The X1 has all of it. T-Mobile USA lovers will also be overjoyed at the fact that an AWS 1700MHz version is coming. Our unit had the 850MHz/1900MHz US 3G bands so we were rockin’ over HSDPA just fine. In fact, web browsing was abnormally fast. We didn’t find much of a difference between browsing over Wi-Fi or HSDPA. That’s probably due to the bottleneck of the phone in general, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Build quality

Another winner for Sony Ericsson. While the device isn’t the lightest phone on the market, we think it’s build quality is almost second-to-none. Maybe even iPhone status. It’s just so sturdy and well put together. We have to give HTC some mad props on this one. Could you please try and incorporate some of this newfound metal addition into some of your devices HTC? Please. The sliding mechanism was fantastic even though the device isn’t a normal “flat” slider. Major points for build quality.

Usability factor

This could be subjective depending on your view of Windows Mobile, but we found the X1 to be on par or better than any Windows Mobile device we’ve used. Baring the keyboard issue, (see below) there wasn’t anything that hindered us from taking full advantage of the device. When closed, the device gives you access to all necessary shortcuts on the bottom front of the unit. Slide it open and you’ve got access to everything you could want. People have wrote us and asked about how it is to use the phone when the QWERTY keyboard doesn’t have directional keys, but they’ve overlooked something — the optical joystick. This works wonderfully well and doesn’t have a learning curve. It’s a natural extension of what we’ve been forced to use in the past. There was a “cursor” menu in settings but no cursor showed up on the screen. You also have full control over the sensitivity of the optical joystick. Making phone calls was comfortable and we didn’t have any issues with people hearing us or us hearing them.

Keyboard

The keyboard is a sensitive area for many people. Anyone who follows us know we take it very seriously — we put them all through the ringer! So, it pains us to report, that at least with our particular unit, the keyboard wasn’t great. It didn’t take time to get used to it, it just didnt perform like the way we had hoped. The reason is because the keys almost are completely flush with the case and don’t give good tactile feedback when pressed. Odly enough, the spacebar was actually ok. It faired the best out of all of them. We understand why there really is no travel in the keys — there is a huge sliding mechanism right over them — but we would have liked to see a little more feedback when typing. They have this triangular pattern on top which does make it easy to feel them, but you don’t get a good response when actually pressing them down. The backlight on the QWERTY ‘board successfully helped us find the keys when it was nightime, but that still didn’t help when typing. We said this before, but if we had to compare the keyboard to anything, it would be Sony’s UX-series computers. It’s the same exact thing.

If you asked the general public what the #1 Windows Mobile device they’re waiting for, you’d probably lose count of how many times people said XPERIA. Sony Ericcson, for the first time, has entered into the Windows Mobile market, and our first impressions? Wow. You really couldn’t throw better specs on this thing if you tried. From your local flavor of UMTS/HSDPA, to an optical joystick (fire!), to a whopping 800×480 VGA screen, and even cool funky notification lights, this thing is packed! Let’s not forget the physical design of the device as it’s one of the coolest and hippest-looking phones we’ve seen in a very long time. Since our unit isn’t a production version, the software runs a little slow. Even so, in most tasks, it performs very well. We can’t wait to play with a final production unit. It has us that impressed! One major flaw, though… Do you really want to know? The keyboard! Listen guys, if you’re going to throw on a QWERTY, at least make sure it’s worth having, ok? Not to say that this keyboardis absolutely terrible, but it’s one of the worst. Think Sony UX computer, for those of you that have one or have used one. The sliding mechanism comes right ontop of the keys, and thus, the keys don’t travel a lot when pressed. They give little to no feedback despite having a cool triangular design. We’re putting together our review, but in the meantime, you know where the goodies are!

Click on over to our Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 gallery!

BGR’s favorite mobile streaming video client is coming to Windows Mobile. That’s right, folks. Today Qik launched a very limited Alpha test of a new streaming video client for the Samsung Blackjack and Motorola Q. Qik, for those that have been living under a rock for the past 6 months, is a media client that allows you to stream live video from your 3G-capable mobile handset. It’s been available for S60-capable Nokia handset for quite some time, but this is the first time Qik has ventured outside of their Symbian safe-haven. We’ll let you know how the new client as soon as we get a chance to give it a spin, but in the mean time you might want to start brainstorming some clever ways to broadcast live video to your friends and family.

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The Samsung i770 may be the talk of the town at the moment, but it looks like the current i760 might be getting a little bit of love before it gets phased out. Rumor has it that the i760 will be the recipient of a fresh Windows Mobile 6.1 update sometime this month. Carriers are beginning to roll out the 6.1 updates in earnest, so this seems entirely plausible, though we don’t have any specifics in terms of an actual date. We’re still betting on the upcoming i770 as the real prize in Verizon’s future lineup, but this should hold you over until you can get your hands on the new model.

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We’ve brought you spy shots, and today we’ve got the full spec sheet to round out the package. Keep in mind that most of this is subject to change/speculation, but everything on here looks legitimate enough:

• 14 mm in thickness, width 60 mm and length 113 mm
• GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6
• aGPS
• Wi-FI b/g
• 320×320 screen, touch panel
• micro-SD slot under the battery
• 2 MP camera
• 1500 mAh battery
• A micro-USB connector for both power and sync
• Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256 MB NAND-Flash (> 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM
• Windows Mobile Pro 6.1

This all looks good, but our earlier info indicated 100 MB of RAM, so we’re not sure what to believe. Either way, Wi-Fi, GPS, and HSDPA are nothing to laugh about, and we’re glad Palm has finally decided to abandon their bulky proprietary power connector in favor of the more svelte micro-USB standard.

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The long wait is over. HTC and Best Buy are finally getting ready to make the North American version of the HTC Touch Dual available to U.S. customers. The handset will be on sale at Best Buy retail locations, on the Best Buy website, and through any specialized Best Buy Mobile store. The big news here is that the Touch Dual will come complete with Windows Mobile 6.1, making it one of the first handsets on the market to sport the revamped operating system. Other highlights include HSDPA, 2 megapixel camera, and HTC’s soon-to-be-obsolete TouchFLO interface. Expect to shell out $549 before tax.

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The long, cold wait for an official HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile 6.1 build will soon be over. According to several sources, HTC is in the final stages of preparing an official firmware update. The revamped OS will be made available for HTC branded devices sometime over the next several days, with an AT&T version for the Tilt coming sometime after that. Nothing unexpected in the actual update, with threaded SMS, a Getting Started Wizard, and modest performance improvements topping the list of changes. We’d still recommend loading this one up, however, so stay tuned for the upcoming official launch.

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While this post might be reserved for aretheystillreallyinbusiness.com, we thought we’d be doing a disservice to public humanity if we didn’t run this. The first shot is of the Palm Treo 800w by his lonesome, and the second shot has the 800w in the middle of a Samsung Upstage, and a PPC-6800. Check them both out after the jump!

This one is a long shot but crazier things have surely happened. A new promo video from Sony Ericsson is now making its way across the internet. Many people who have seen the video are jumping to the conclusion that the handset featured in it is none other than the XPERIA X2. Sure, it is possible that the second model from the XPERIA line is leaked before the first model is even released. It’s happened before. What people have failed to mention so far however, is that the video actually depicts two entirely different handsets. The device being used by the girl in this video (pictured center above) clearly omits the three buttons along the bottom of the “X2″ being used by the guy. Also, it looks like the handset is sporting a front-facing camera and a light sensor above the ear speaker; both missing from the guy’s phone. Can we assume that the girl’s handset in the video is the X3? Then again, these could just be mock-ups built by the producers of the video. If that’s the case, Sony Ericsson should think about bringing this producer on board because those phones look pretty sweet. Hit the read link for the full video.

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Eager to get your hands on the newly revamped HTC Advantage 7510? You’re going to have to resort to the gray market, at least for the time being. HTC has decided not to distribute the new “handset” in America. So sad. Truth be told, we’re not entirely sold on the redesign, with an altered keyboard design that appears to leave a little to be desired in the ergonomics department. The reason for the ban is that the handset runs off of the Qualcomm chipset that has been banned in the US pending litigation. As there hasn’t been much progress on the chipset ban, we won’t hold our breath for an impending 7510 release stateside.

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….albeit a bit late for the many Palm faithful that have jumped ship for more exciting waters. Those that have remained, however, have a little bit to look forward to. The Palm 800w is set to be the first Palm device with Wi-Fi, GPS, and EV-DO Rev. A, all of which should be supported and available out of the box. As far as looks go, the handset appears to be a cross between a Centro and a 750, which is either great or disappointing, depending on your preference. We should see this hit Sprint sometime in the next month or two, hopefully sporting Windows Mobile 6.1. But for reals, though, is anything going to actually run out and get this thing?

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Yeah, we know. There have been a long string of seemingly official Sprint Mogul ROM leaks. Given the history, you shouldn’t get your hopes up too high, but it’s still a good step to see this in the wild. A new version of the Sprint Mogul Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM has leaked within the DEV community. The new firmware, ROM version 3.49 and radio version 3.39.10, is being billed as an "almost official but still beta" release. Among the many updates include HTC’s new large Start Menu, Sprint TV (finally), subjectively faster response time, and a bit more, all running atop Windows Mobile 6.1. We’re hearing June 1st as a possible drop date, but we’ll believe it when we see it.

[Via WMExperts]

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They must have some pretty good stuff up in WA these days. Unless Microsoft plans to conjure up some serious dough and buy Nokia, this just isn’t going to happen. During a period of time that will be looked back on as a turning point in the history of mobile device platforms, Microsoft is pulling a Babe Ruth and pointing toward the stands. Just one problem though - the Sultan of Swat was a dominant force to be reckoned with when he did it. Microsoft on the other hand is currently batting around .130 with Rookie of the Year Apple threatening to take their spot in the line up. Ok, ok; we’re taking the baseball analogies a bit too far… Managing Director of Microsoft ODM embedded devices Eddie Wu has stated that Microsoft expects Windows Mobile-powered devices to account for 40% of the global smartphone market by mid-fiscal year, 2012. Hmm. Wu also states that the company is focusing on Windows Mobile 6.1 in 2008 and has no plans to release version 7 until next year. This is in direct contradiction of course, with the MWg roadmap we told you about last week. Normally we would believe a higher-up at Microsoft but considering the 40% prediction, we’re not sure what to think.

[Via IntoMobile]

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