Last week Wayne and I had the opportunity to sit in on an NDA workshop discussing the new and updated features of Windows Mobile 6.5. Wayne got hung up and couldn’t attend (pesky day job getting in the way, again!), but I was able to sit in an hear a bit about 6.5 and Marketplace, Microsoft’s new software store for Windows Phones.

Those of you who read our GearChat back in February will recognize many of the new 6.5 screens, and yes – the Zune-like interface is still present.

Continue Reading

According to DigiTimes, more than 30 smartphones running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 from a total of over 15 handset vendors are to be launched before the end of 2009, says Benjamin Tan, senior director, GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China.

Continue Reading

[Ed note: This review is being simultaneously posted on Gear Diary and Just Another Mobile Monday.]

Quite often HTC will release several versions of a single model, and depending upon whether you buy an unlocked or carrier subsidized version, you might end up with very different features. Such is the case with their new QWERTY Windows Mobile Smartphone, the Snap. I was sent their unlocked European version, and Doug received the US Specific Sprint branded device; my comments will appear in black, and Doug’s will be in blue italics.

The Unlocked HTC Snap (European Version)

The first thing that impressed me about the Snap was its sleek design; it’s the heir apparent to the popular HTC Dash, but it manages to pack even more Smartphone goodness into an even more compact package. The Snap is roughly the size of an iPhone 3Gs, measuring approximately 4.6″ tall x 2.4″ wide x 0.5″ thick, and weighing just over 4 ounces.

Since almost everyone knows the rough dimensions of the iPhone, I’ve included photos of the Snap with an iPhone 3G S in the gallery for comparison.

Continue Reading

Continue Reading

Web site Phonearena.com has a copy of a new rebate form that seems to show the HTC Touch Pro2, Snap and BlackBerry Tour as becoming eligible for US Cellular rebates as of today July 17. Seems logical that sometime between now and the rebate’s expiration date (November 12) that we’ll see this trio appear on that carrier. Or then again maybe they’ll just extend the rebate expiration. We’ll watch and wait – until then you can read the full story below.

Continue Reading

Mobility Minded has posted a very detailed review on the  HTC Snap.   It looks like the successor to the Excalibur/Dash packs quite a punch with Windows Mobile 6.1 and a blazing Qualcomm MSM 7225 processor, running at 528 MHz.  Also noteworthy is the 1500 mAh battery, which should give you up to 2 days of use without needing to charge up the Snap. Continue Reading

[This is a joint review between Doug Goldring of JAMM and Judie Lipsett of Gear Diary; it will appear simultaneously on both sites. Doug's comments are in black, and Judie's are blue italics]

The last time I used a non-touch screen version of Windows Mobile was the Motorola Q.  It ran Windows Mobile 5, and I quickly learned that the interface was nothing short of terrible.  That phone lasted about a week before I declared the phone completely unusable and gave it away to a friend.  That was then.  This is now: Windows Mobile 6.1.  And a lot has changed.

I’ve been using the operating system formerly known as Smartphone for years, starting with the HTC  Tornado (I-Mate SP5m) in 2005. That was followed by the Motorola Q, the HTC STR TRK, the  HTC 710 (Vox), the Samsung Blackjack, the Motorola Q9, the Samsung SGH-i620 , the Samsung Blackjack II, the Treo 500v, the  HTC S740 – AKA Rose, and more recently the Pantech Matrix Pro.

I have never felt that even the earliest Smartphone interface was terrible, in fact I generally found Smartphone to be a rock solid OS when compared to Pocket PC, as it required far fewer restarts. Over the years I have enjoyed watching the Smartphone (now called Standard) platform mature. With that said, I think that your bad experience with Smartphone was due to the Motorola Q being such a dog.

So, right off the bat, you can see that Judie and I are coming at this from completely different perspectives.  Anyway, I decided the time had come to give a non-touch screen device another try.  And what better device to check out than the HTC S740?

I agree that for anyone unsure of whether a non-touch Windows Mobile phone would work for them, the S740 is a great place to start.

Let’s take a look.

Continue Reading

Update: The winner of the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro is breley. We appreciate everyone who entered, and we would like to remind you that there are many more opportunities to win coming up on Gear Diary!

Continue Reading

Starting today, Gear Diary and 25 other websites are participating in a massive Matrix Pro smartphone giveaway. Each site will run their own competition with their own rules. You can enter as many of the giveaways at as many of the individual sites as you would like.

Up for grabs is a brand new AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro smartphone and a $100 gift card that can be used towards your account or to purchase accessories from AT&T.

Continue Reading

This morning at CTIA, HTC announced the all new Windows Standard Phone, the HTC Snap (US version is the S522). This is the true successor to the very popular HTC Dash and sports some impressive specifications, a sleek new look and a pretty darn cool story behind it.

Continue Reading

I was perusing USBFever.com for some G1 accessories, and I came across this dongle that can work with my G1 or any HTC phone.  This adapter lets you use your regular or HTC headphones while charging your phone from the Mini-B USB charger.

Continue Reading

Julie and I have been using the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro for a while, and it is time to share our experiences with this Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition smartphone. This review will be appearing on Gear Diary and The Gadgeteer; before reading further, you might want to start with my First Impressions of the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro.

My comments are in black, Julie’s are in blue italics.

Continue Reading

The new Pantech Matrix Pro is a chunky and solidly built little smartphone, offered exclusively by AT&T. Measuring 4.17″ tall x 2.0″ wide x 0.85″ thick and weighing 5.34 ounces, it might be easy to dismiss this little beast as too thick and too heavy. But just like a story with a surprise twist at the end, there is more to this quad-band Windows Mobile Standard 6.1 device than first assumed.

Continue Reading

Here is HP’s newest Voice Messenger, a Windows Mobile Standard (non-touchscreen) device that continues the iPAQ brand, albeit without the touchscreen. Don’t get me started on how much I miss the iPAQs of yore… Continue Reading

LG is also busting out the non-touchscreen goodness, with this intriguing new candybar; take a look at the new HQ. I don’t have nearly enough details on this device, but here’s what I’ve got…

Continue Reading