One of the things we’re most excited to see at Mobile World Congress 2010 is the unveiling of the Windows Mobile 7 platform from Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT). Ever since the iPhone came on the scene and showed the world just how horribly behind the times Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system had become, we’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about what to expect in the revamped WM7. They’ve mostly painted WinMo 7 in a positive light, but the latest rumor chops our excitement down a notch. Word on the street suggests that Microsoft will not allow multi-tasking in Windows Mobile 7. That means you can only actively use one mobile app at a time, much like the iPhone OS.

The rumor goes on to mention that Windows Mobile 7 will allow apps to be “paused,” rather than allowing them to continue running in the background. That pretty much means Windows Mobile 7 will allow apps to save their current state when the user closes them or switches to another app. When the “paused” app is reactivated, the user will see the app exactly as they had left it – text intact, cursors in the same place, document scrolled to the same position, and maps pointing to where you left off. The rumor also makes mention of a push notification system, similar to the way iPhone apps notify iPhone users of updates even when the apps are not running.

There are a lot of things about the iPhone OS that we’d love to see in WM7. There’s the intuitive interface, the finger-friendly buttons and menus, the lack of a stylus. Microsoft would do well to emulate Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone OS on those fronts. But, when it comes to multi-tasking, we’d rather see Microsoft going down a different road. Push notifications are great, but they’re still a compromise. Allowing apps to save their state (pause) is handy, but still not the same as allowing apps to run in the background. Granted, multi-tasking is resource intensive, but seeing as how it’s already 2010 and we’re not flying around in spaceships or eating food made by replicators, it’d be nice to at least have a Windows Phone that can multi-task.

As for the user interface, Microsoft is rumored to be using design elements from its Zune HD interface. The interface is codenamed “Metro” and is said to be clean and soulful. It’s this interface that Microsoft will unveil at MWC. Unfortunately, we’re also hearing that apps will only be allowed to install through official channels, like Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The days of side-loading apps on your Windows Phone might soon come to an abrupt end.

We’ll know more next week, at Microsoft’s press conference in Barcelona. Make sure to keep an eye on IntoMobile, we’ll be coming to you live from Mobile World Congress with complete coverage of the event!

[Via: PPCGeeks]

ALK Technologies today announced the availability of Premium Live Services for CoPilot Live v8 customers using Windows Mobile and Android smartphones. In addition, all CoPilot Live v8 customers across all platforms will be able to access Local Internet search from directly within the app for free.

A range of Premium Live Services is now available for all platforms, including:

• Live Traffic information – High quality, constantly updated traffic information about your route with automatic warnings and re-routing. Avoid stressful delays and always be informed on route conditions with CoPilot Live’s real-time traffic service.
• Live Fuel Prices – CoPilot Live v8 can instantly guide you to the closest – or the cheapest – petrol station near your current location. Spend less. The new Fuel Price service in v8 can help you find the cheapest petrol station nearby or on-route. So whether you are running on empty or want to fill up without emptying your pocket, let CoPilot Live lead the way.

Real-Time Traffic and Live Fuel are available as Premium Service package for £19.99 to purchase as upgrades through CoPilot Live Central 2.0 desktop software or CoPilot e-store. For iPhone users, it’s available as in-app purchase. Existing Windows Mobile and Android users can find out how to upgrade to free Local Search by visiting the CoPilot site. CoPilot Live iPhone customers will receive access to Free Live Local Search in a forthcoming update via iTunes.

While we’re waiting for the official Foursquare client for Windows Mobile, a third-party app has been spotted. It’s called WinMoSquare and it comes with check-ins support, and of course the ability to add your location and peek in as to where your friends are.

However, there is no leaderboard, and you can’t find (or add for that matter) new friends. On the other hand, it’s worth noting WinMoSquare is still in beta and the developer, Anand Iyer, is looking forward to add new features as soon as Foursquare exposes more of its APIS.

In the meantime, if you own a Windows Mobile smartphone and the above sounds enticing enough, hop over to this page to download WinMoSquare.

[Via: jkOnTheRun]

Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE)’s Xperia X2 is being rolled out, and the fine folks at SE have shared their plans for software upgrades. Come March, Windows Mobile 6.5.1 and 6.5.2 upgrades will be released, and will include video calling, FM radio, faster GPS locking, and overall stability improvements. Then in May, the X2 will get Windows Mobile 6.5.3, which made its first appearance at CES last month. And what about the elusive Windows Mobile 7? Looks like X2 buyers will be out of luck – Sony Ericsson says that 7 won’t support the hardware. The new OS will run on an ancient i-Mate just fine, so why can’t the X2 handle it? Pre-release rumours even rumbled about the X2 being capable of the upgrade. Even without 7, the X2 is a pretty impressive device: 8 megapixel camera, 3.2” WVGA OLED touchscreen, custom-built Panels interface, and 512 MB RAM, it’s just that 7 really would have been the icing on the cake. Check out our hands-on for a closer look at the X2. 

[via Xperiancers]

The HTC Trophy made its first appearance in December in a leak containing a bunch of other T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)-bound devices, The picture included was a little blurry, and some of the specs weren’t included, but luckily we’ve got a clearer picture now. We already know the Trophy will be packing a 3” 480 X 272 screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband (900/2100 MHz) 7.2 Mbps HSPA, Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s 600 MHz MSM 7227 processor, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a 1300 mAh battery. We now know that the display will be touch-sensitive (in addition to the trackball navigation), and rock Windows Mobile 6.5 with TouchLO 3D. So far, the Trophy seems like a slightly-upgraded Snap, mainly with a nicer display and better camera. The built-in business card scanner and overall style pegs the Trophy as an enterprise device, and considering WinMo’s current progress in that market, it’s easy to see HTC duking it out with RIM with devices like this.

[via PhoneArena]

HTC continues with its “fix all bugs” policy and has released a new update for the Touch2 smartphone. After the update, you will be able to set an MP3 as a ringtone for incoming calls. Strange – I thought that feature comes built-in with all Windows Mobile phones. Guess I was wrong…

Anyway, your Touch2 should run ROM version which is less than or equal to 1.33.XXX.X. If that’s the way, hop over to this page for additional information and download instructions.

Earlier today Sony Ericsson announced the Aspen, the first official Windows Mobile smartphone to run version 6.5.3 of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s mobile operating system. What’s different compared to other versions of Windows Mobile? Mary-Jo Foley from All About Microsoft, arguably the best Microsoft related blogger out there, went ahead and asked Microsoft and without any hesitation they sent her this list:

Ease of Use features

* Capacitive touchscreen support
* Platform to enable multitouch
* Touch controls throughout system (no need for stylus)
* Consistent Navigation
* Horizontal scroll bar replaces tabs (think settings>system>about
screen)
* Magnifier brings touch support to legacy applications
* Simplified out-of-box experience with fewer steps
* Drag and drop icons on Start Screen

IE Browser Performance

* Page load time decreased
* Memory management improved
* Pan & flick gestures smoothed
* Zoom & rotation speed increased

Quality and Customer Satisfaction features

* Updated runtime tools (.NET CF 3.5, SQL CE 3.1)
* Arabic read/write document support
* Watson (error reporting) improvements and bug fixes

Not the most exciting update, but capacitive touch screen support is a big one. Lots of people complain about resistive screens, so this should shut them up. With only 13 more days until Mobile World Congress, we’re still left wondering what Windows Mobile 7 might bring to the table. Will it give Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) that swift kick in the ass they deserve?

Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) have just announced the Win-Mo powered ‘Aspen’. The device is the latest in its line of ‘GreenHeart’ eco-friendly handsets. For companies looking to make a more environmentally friendly decision, the Aspen will be worth a look. That is, if Win-Mo is their thing. Key features of the Aspen include a 3.2MP camera (with 4x zoom), Bluetooth stereo (A2DP), Exchange ActiveSync support, 3.5mm audio jack, A-GPS, micro USB, microSD expansion to 16GB, WiFi, 2.4″ 240×320 QVGA display and more. Oh, and it comes out of the box pre-installed with Windows Mobile 6.5.3. No pricing details have been released yet, but look for the Aspen to arrive in your choice of black or silver at some point in Q2.

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In the lead up to Mobile World Congress, there’s been a lot of talk about Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) bringing their latest and greatest Windows Mobile creation to Barcelona – Windows Mobile 7. But, as close as we are to MWC, we still have almost no idea what to expect with the revamped mobile operating system that Microsoft is betting on saving what’s left of their Windows Mobile brand. At this point, we have little more to go on that these purportedly leaked mockups of the Windows Mobile 7 user experience concept.

The concepts come from Jeremiah Whitaker, a freelance user experience designer who has reportedly worked for Microsoft in the recent past. He goes on to say that:

NDA dictates I keep this vague. For a leading cell platform I created UX flows of common controls and usages. After client review I created flash demos. Those demo’s were then reviewed and passed on to SectionSeven development to create interactive prototypes”.

SectionSeven is a development firm that’s supposed to have a working relationship with Microsoft. But, it’s not clear how much of SectionSeven’s work will be used in Windows Mobile 7, or if the UX designs outlined in these mockups were even passed on for use in WM7.

Be they real or just another fake leak, the UX concepts show one prominent interaction method that caught our attention. Multi-touch gestures are included in these UX designs!

We’re crossing our fingers for multi-touch support in WinMo7. We already know the new platform will require capacitive touchscreens, which bodes well for multi-touch. Stay tuned, we’ll bring you live coverage of Mobile World Congress from the Fira de Barcelona showfloor!

[Via: the::unwired]

It’s good to see HTC releasing new updates for its phones all the time. One device they seem especially eager to keep bug-free is the Windows Mobile-powered HD2, which recently got two additional updates.

The first one is called “Digital Picture Enhancement” and once installed, it ensures every picture is captured in the clearest digital quality.

The second update deals with SD cards, allowing the HD2 to properly read the amount of free space on a storage card. Additionally, it also enhances support for some sizes of storage cards.

As always, we advise you to keep your devices up to date. Click on these two links to grab the two updates mentioned above…