New Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones Coming in October

The Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system will be released Oct. 6 for new and existing mobile phones. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless will have new phones from a variety of manufacturers. An analyst called the new Windows Mobile 6.5 "mostly a rebranding" and said the variety of manufacturers blurs branding for Microsoft and Google's Android.

The first phones with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system will be released Oct. 6. Microsoft said the new devices will feature improved interfaces, better browsing, and access to such services as Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone.

The worldwide rollout will include new hardware as well as existing models. In North America, new Windows Mobile phones will be released by wireless operators AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless, and from manufacturers HP, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba.

Marketplace, My Phone

Microsoft said the new Internet Explorer Mobile browser has been redesigned and carries a new engine as well as built-in support for Adobe Flash Lite. The redesign will make it easier to do such things as check in for a flight, pay bills, or find directions, according to the software giant.

Two new mobile services will be launched. Windows Marketplace for Mobile will provide a centralized location for finding and downloading "approved and certified" applications. Although Microsoft has said it has more than 20,000 applications for Windows Mobile devices, many users may not have noticed, because the apps have been scattered across a variety of outlets. This follows the trend of mobile platforms to create their own App Store, following the highly successful model of Apple's iPhone.

By Barry Levine

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Dell CEO Hints at Small Internet Device Like a Smartphone

Dell may "have smaller mobile Internet devices or smartphones," CEO Michael Dell says. There are rumors that Dell might jump into the smartphone market by buying Palm, which needs cash and is soon to release the Palm Pre. An analyst suggested Dell might consider a new Internet device. Apple, Inc. is rumored to be planning a similar device.

Michael Dell may have been speaking from halfway around the world, but the voice of the CEO for a $20 billion company carries a long way. The topic was small-screen devices and specifically smartphones, a market with which Dell has flirted with but never quite taken the plunge. But Dell said that may change.

"It is true that we are exploring smaller-screen devices," he said. "We don't have any announcements to share today, but stay tuned, as when we have new news we will share that with you."

By Frederick Lane 
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Second Android Phone Is More Elegant than T-Mobile G1

HTC insists the HTC Magic mobile phone for Vodafone is better than its original Android-powered T-Mobile G1 handset. Reviews of the Magic are mixed, but an analyst says the appearance and operating system are improved. He called the G1 the Apple, Inc. iPhone for the poor man. More Android mobile phones are likely.

It's certainly not the G2, but is it a far cry from the T-Mobile G1? HTC is insisting its second Android-powered smartphone, dubbed Magic, is a much-improved model.

Vodafone and HTC unveiled the phone on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

"The Magic is a better-looking phone than the G1. The form factor is more elegant," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "At the margins, that will attract people. All things being equal, some people will choose a phone with the physical keyboard. But my sense is that a lot of people would prefer this phone. It is a refinement of the first version."

The HTC Magic offers a variety of mobile Internet capabilities, beginning with an Android-optimized Webkit browser. As would be expected, it also features Google applications, Google Maps and Google Search as well as favorites like YouTube. The Android Market lets consumers download games and applications over Vodafone's network.

The Android platform is backed by Google, and although the reviews on the phone are mixed, Sterling said there are improvements in both the physical appearance and the operating system that may cause Vodafone customers to upgrade. "The G1 was sort of the poor man's iPhone," he said. "That's not the case with the Magic. It has a slicker appearance as well as technology improvements."

By Jennifer LeClaire
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Apple Reportedly Asked Google To Avoid Multi-Touch

The first Android-based smartphone, the T-Mobile G1, reportedly doesn't have multi-touch capabilities because Apple, Inc. asked Google not to implement that feature. Reportedly the Android team was relieved to avoid an Apple patent lawsuit. But Palm, which has many former Apple employees, went ahead with multi-touch on its Pre smartphone By Frederick Lane http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=64612&full_skip=1

IBM Lotus Applications On Tap For BlackBerry Smartphones

BlackBerry users will have access to a wider range of IBM (NYSE:IBM) Lotus collaboration applications under plans announced at Lotusphere Monday by IBM Lotus and Research In Motion.

IBM Lotus and RIM will offer Lotus collaboration software and development tools for RIM (NSDQ:RIMM)'s popular BlackBerry smartphones, the companies said. The new capabilities are slated to debut throughout the year.

Speaking at a press conference at Lotusphere, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said the work the two companies are undertaking marked "a quantum jump" in combining mobile communications with multimedia software.

In the second quarter BlackBerry users will gain access to documents produced using the Lotus Symphony personal productivity applications: Support for spreadsheets and presentations will be added at a later date. Also available by mid-year will be a BlackBerry client for the Lotus Connections social networking application that will give BlackBerry owners access to activities, communities and blogs.

The companies are also developing software based on the Lotus Quickr 2.0 content management application that will let BlackBerry users find, access and share Quickr-product content such as documents, videos and photos. And the two companies are developing BlackBerry support for the IBM Lotus Domino Designer and XPages development tools, making it easier for developers to build smartphone software. Both technologies will be available in the second half of 2009.

Balsillie also said BlackBerry smartphones would support Lotus Domino 8.5, the latest release of the Lotus collaboration and communication platform.

By Rick Whiting, ChannelWeb