Would you like to win a HTC HD Mini?

Then you may well be in luck, MoDaCo and superetrader are giving two handsets away... and entering couldn't be easier!

Entry 1 (superetrader) - simply visit the superetrader website and sign up for their newsletter. That's it... you're in the draw!

Entry 2 (MoDaCo) - each follower of @modaco, @modacoandroid and @paulobrien will get 1 entry into our draw, so follow all 3 for the best chance to win. In addition, you can receive another entry by clicking the 'tweet' option to the right of this post.

Simple eh?

The terms and conditions of the MoDaCo portion of the competition are as follows:

• The judge's decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into.
• One winner will receive a new UK supplied, unlocked HTC HD Mini. Worldwide postage is included, the recipient will be responsible for any incurred custom fees.
• The competition is open until 00:00 am on 2nd August 2010 BST.
• The winner will be contacted via Twitter Direct Message and must respond within 7 days, otherwise an alternative winner will be drawn.
• Automated / bulk entries will be disqualified

Good luck!

P

When Buzz launched, it was only available for devices running Android 2.0+ and iPhone. Not any more! Today we’re a releasing an XHTML version of the Buzz website which can be accessed from many other mobile devices, including those running Android pre-2.0, Blackberry, Nokia S60, and most importantly Windows Mobile.

Okay so it is not a fully fledged Google Buzz Application for Windows mobile but it does mean you can keep up with the Buzz stream on your Windows Mobile Device.

Just type buzz.google.com in your browser. Then when you log in using your password, you will be able to view the stream of buzz posts, post publicly or privately, comment or like a post, and more. On the BlackBerry platform, you can also enable location through your browser settings. This will allow you to get to the Nearby view, where you’ll find geo-tagged posts near you. In addition, you can tag your post with your location. Please note that location features might not work on some devices.

[Via Google Mobile Blog]

MoDaCo's very own Sector has begun tweaking the HTC HD2, and has just released a newer version of the SRS WOWHD application, to help you get the sound settings just right.

It's been released and tested on the HTC HD2 and allows you to adjust and tweak 3DEffect, Boost Sound, Bass, Treble and save them to Presets.

Instructions:
1. Install the CAB to \Device.
2. DO NOT ACCESS THE PROGRAM.
3. Soft reset your device.
4. Access it's settings from Settings -> System -> SRS WOWHD or Start -> SRS WOWHD

Version 2.1 change log:
+ Ideal settings for better listening experience thanks to donalgodon.
+ Internal stereo stays on after restart.
+ Added shortcut to Programs and changed icon to both Start/Programs and Settings/System locations, thanks to VeEuzUKY.

You might need to tweak it a bit to match your preferable profile. Please share your settings.

TouchTwit has just been updated to version 1.7. This version adds retweet, location and lists, along with bug fixes. moTweets, Twikini and TouchTwit are the 3 Windows Mobile Clients I've been using, and monitoring the development of.

Which of these do you prefer?

Changes in v1.7 (May 20, 2010):

- "Could not verify signature"-bug fixed
- crash caused by big avatar bitmaps fixed
- displaying the api-call limit
- search history added (combobox in the search form)
- retweet-api now supported
- location-api now supported
- lists-api now supported
- more-menu has a new design
- now its possible to upload PNG’s
- GPS fetching bug fixed
- alternative-scroll-mode bug fixed
- copy-, paste- and select all-functions in all textboxes
- trend-parser optimized
- video-service changed to TwitVid.com
- clean cache function added
- new statistical functions:
* Show all people you are following, but who are not following you.
* These people are following you, but you are not following them back.
* These people are following you, and you are following them back.

TouchTwit can be downloaded from Windows Marketplace.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network that connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. If you rely on LinkedIn, you will love this.

LinkedIn for Windows Mobile/Phone is currently at version 0.8.5 and it is a free Windows Mobile/Phone client which allows you to access your LinkedIn account while on the go, using your Device and Data plan or WiFi. You need to download and install the application to your Device and upon first run, it will bring up your Internet Browser (IE or Opera) and navigate to the LinkedIn page where you will have to enter your credentials. LinkedIn will then ask you to allow or reject the authentication of the client you've just installed, offering you a code which you need to enter in the LinkedIn for Windows Mobile app. From there on here's what you get (quote):

- Network updates
- See your profile.
- Browse your own connections.
- See the profile of your connections.
- Search for people by name.
- Update your own status.

The program requires the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 in order to run.

[Via: PocketNow & linkedinmobile.codeplex.com]

HTC's Twitter client, Peep, does not automatically shorten URLs. ShortenMobile is a small background program that watches the clipboard of the device and automatically shortens the URLs for you.

Currently implemented url shortening services:

* bit.ly
* tinyurl.com
* snipurl.com
* is.gd

How to use:

* Install the cab file
* Open ShortenMobile from StartMenu
* Activate the checkbox "Run at startup"
* Click on Hide-Softkey
* Copy any url (including "http://" at the beginning) to the clipboard
* The shortened url is available in the clipboard after the confirmation dialog has been shown

Download Here

[Via Pocket Now]

Chris and I are proud to present the MoDaCo Mobile Week Episode 41 - Post MWC 2010!

Sharing our views, activities and the news in this week's mobile world.

In this weeks ~50 minute edition, recently rebranded as the MoDaCo Mobile Week, we're talking about:

• Our superetrader.co.uk sponsored device - the Motorola Milestone
• The HTC HD Mini
• The HTC Legend
• The HTC Desire
• The Samsung Wave
• The Samsung Halo

...as well as our usual number of tangents!

To coincide with the Motorola Milestone as the MoDaCo Mobile Week featured device, Superetrader are offering the Milestone with a dock, carry case and pack of 6 screen protectors included at a fanastic price of £375.99! This deal is for podcast listeners only, visit the offer page for more details!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Enjoy!

You can listen to this weeks show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-fourtyone.mp3

Chris and I are proud to present a special episode of the MoDaCo Mobile Week discussing the Windows Phone 7 Series launch!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Or post back on the official topic here!

Enjoy!

You can listen to the show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-wp7s.mp3

Microsoft's new attack on the mobile space - Windows Phone 7 Series - is now official!

Steve Ballmer has just been on stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and i'll be updating this topic with all the details on the new OS and all the related announcements from around the web. I'll also be posting my own thoughts and Chris and I will be recording a special WP7S edition podcast this evening.

Please feel free to call in to the show to share your thoughts - you can leave us a message on 01379 888101 (UK) or +44 1379 888101 (outside UK).

What is it?

'Windows Phone 7 Series' is the next iteration of Windows Mobile. You know how WM in the past has been successive iterations of an increasingly ageing platform with only limited change and innovation? Well, not any more. Windows Phone 7 is a ground up rebuild of the Operating System. You know how we've all moaned for years about the wasted opportunities in product synergy for things like XBox Live (promised years ago), Zune et al on mobile? Well, forget about that... WP7S is all about exploiting those synergies.

Forget everything you know about Windows Mobile / Windows Phone, everything is different. The tagline for the product is 'Designed for Life in Motion'. WP7S is designed around a simple layout based upon 'live tiles'. The Start screen (or home screen as we would historically have referred to it) shows a scrollable view of the tiles, which update in real time to show content - in stark contrast to other mobile OS' paradigms of 'static icons to launch an application'. For example, creating a live tile of a friend provides an up to date view of all relevant data about that person - status updates, pictures, messages etc.

With WP7S, Microsoft is very specifically mandating the hardware requirements for devices, including the hardware button configuration. Every WP7S phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for search (Bing), which itself will be optimised to provide intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results, depending on the type of query. Every device has a big, touch, capacitive screen. Au-revoir WM Standard. Sort of...

Central to WP7S is the concept of hubs. Hubs draw in content from different sources into a single place to provide a unified view. Out of the box default hubs are...

Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:

• People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
• Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.
• Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
• Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
• Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
• Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

It all looked fast and smooth, if not overly full of eye-candy. Was it smoke and mirrors?

Probably not! Microsoft has simplified the UI (they call it 'less chrome'), making it look attractive without being overly busy or complex. As well as providing a clean look this means that, coupled with the powerful hardware mandated in the chassis design, the whole experience should be smooth and fast. Which is good.

Now, a chunk of the guts of WP7S clearly comes from Zune, and this comes with a significant benefit. No more ActiveSync. No more Windows Mobile Device Center. Your WP7S series device will be managed using the Zune software, which IMHO is quite excellent. This is GOOD NEWS!

Will my old apps etc. work?

We don't know yet, but I suspect not. Microsoft is expected to announce a WP7S SDK to developers at the Mix10 conference in March. Nobody knows what this consists of yet but I suspect it'll be a hugely upgraded release of the Compact Framework coupled with (PLEASE MS!) a version of Visual Studio tailored to WP7S development with a much lower cost of entry than what is available today. We'll know more in about a month, but Microsoft absolutely needs to woo developers, particularly if legacy apps do turn out to be incompatible.

When can we have it?

Microsoft has announce 'holiday season 2010' as the target date for Windows Phone, and it's a pretty safe bet that they'll hit that date. Come Christmas, you'll be unpacking a WP7 device in your stocking.

Which manufacturers are building the devices?

HTC have already announced their support for WP7 and in the press conference today Microsoft reeled off all the big names you'd expect as WP7 licencees. They include Dell(!), Garmin-Asus, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm. Operator partners include AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

If Microsoft are prescribing such a unique UI and also mandate specific hardware features, where is the differentiation for HTC et al?

This is a good question, and a very interesting one. The simple answer is - we don't know yet. I imagine that device manufacturers will be able to have slightly different hardware design (albeit broadly conforming to a chassis spec), customised colour of the UI, their own tiles and their own hubs. What I don't expect to see is wholescale skinning of the UI as we've seen with Sense / TouchFlo 3D. A WP7S phone will be unmistakable from the moment you pick it up.

So that's it for Windows Mobile 6.x and non touchscreen devices then?

Well, no, not exactly. Steve said on stage that Microsoft would continue to develop Windows Mobile 6.x. Whether this will be a business class OS, a OS for lower spec devices or become purely an OS for non touch devices, it remains to be seen.

Now how about some random facts?

OK, since you asked!

It has multitouch - 4 point multitouch is mandated in the hardware, as is a WVGA screen. It runs a version of the IE8 engine for browsing (it seemed very fast!). The text rendering uses a technique called 'sub pixel rendering' for excellent readability even when zoomed far out.

P

Resources

Microsoft

- Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Series
- Windows Phone 7 Series official site
- Additional video / multimedia content
- "Life in Motion" Drives Development of New Windows Phone 7 Series
- Video replay of Steve Ballmer's Press Conference Launch

Partners

- HTC to deliver portfolio of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series phones

Well they say a picture tells a thousand words, and this leaked image of the as-yet unannounced Touch HD Mini from HTC certainly fullfils the requirement!

Specs according to Infosyncworld are set to include a 3.2" HVGA screen, 5Mpix camera, WinMo 6.5.3, HTC TouchFlo 3D / aka Sense and a 3.5mm jack. It'll have quadband GSM and Euro 3G. A little bundle of media-tastic joy!

We have some updates for you from our friends at Devicewire, who are trying some new things on their site atm (not to mention dropping their prices)!

• Prices have been dropped on a number of items, for example the HTC Hero (White) was £357.99 – Now Only £314.95 and
  HTC Touch Diamond2 was £321.99 – Now Only £274.95 (bargain!)
• The cost of delivery we have is now reduced from £7.95 to only £6.95. All in stock device orders are sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery, Pre 1pm.
• A freephone number is now available, alonside the previous 0870 number. Devicewire can now be reached on 0800 198 0000.
• Google Checkout is currently being trialled as a payment method
• You can now live chat to a representative online, using the link on the right hand side of the homepage.

All positive improvements i'm sure you'll agree, in addition to existing offers such as price matching. Nice work @devicewire!

P

Chris and I are proud to present the MoDaCo Mobile Week Episode 40 - The software buzz!

Sharing our views, activities and the news in this week's mobile world.

In this weeks ~45 minute edition, recently rebranded as the MoDaCo Mobile Week, we're talking about:

• Our superetrader.co.uk sponsored device - the Motorola Milestone
• The Archos 5 with Android
• Google Buzz
• The SlingPlayer update
• The Resco Explorer update
• LastPass and MoDaCo Plus

...as well as our usual number of tangents!

To coincide with the Motorola Milestone as the MoDaCo Mobile Week featured device, Superetrader are offering the Milestone with a dock, carry case and pack of 6 screen protectors included at the standard £389.99 price! This deal is for podcast listeners only, visit the offer page for more details!

As with all our shows, this episode is available in standard MP3 format or as an enhanced M4A format with chapters, images and links for use on an iPod or in iTunes - we are currently having issues with the enhanced version upload, this will follow soon. You can get the podcast in the following ways:

• Direct download from the downloads section of the site
• Via iTunes (search for MoDaCo!)
• Via RSS with enclosures - simply add http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcast (regular) or http://feeds.feedburner.com/MoDaCoPodcastEnhanced (enhanced) to the reader of your choice

Your feedback is really valuable and will tell us whether it is worth our while to continue running the podcasts! Do you listen? What do you like? What do you not like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below, or on the phone in number answerphone (which you can also use for questions for the podcast), or rate us on iTunes!

The phone in number is:

UK: 01379 888 101 NON UK: +44 1379 888 101

You can also leave a voicemail via Skype by calling:

skype user "modaco"

Enjoy!

You can listen to this weeks show here:



Link for enclosure purposes: http://angel.modaco.com/podcast/mmw-fourty.mp3

Here are this week's news from Mobiholics!

This week's '7 in 7 on Mobiholics'

As mentioned in a previous post CoPilot was due to add Text to Speech and Live Traffic services to CoPilot 8.

Well it's just been spotted that both the Text-to-Speech and Premium Live Services are now available!

"TTS" is just £3.59 for the lifetime of your product and the "Premium Live Services" subscription is £19.99 for 12 months for UK and N. Ireland.

Simply log into CoPilot Central or purchase on their website.

Thanks to jonlad for spotting it

Here are this week's news from Mobiholics!

This week's '7 in 7 on Mobiholics'