An Idea in Motion - Nokia W8 (Windows Mobile Phone 7)

Nokia and Microsoft today announced plans to form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem.

Nokia and Microsoft intend to jointly create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivalled choice and opportunity. As each company would focus on its core competencies, the partnership would create the opportunity for rapid time to market execution. Additionally, Nokia and Microsoft plan to work together to integrate key assets and create completely new service offerings, while extending established products and services to new markets.

Under the proposed partnership:

•	Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.
•	Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia would contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.
•	Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
•	Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
•	Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience
•	Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
•	Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.
•	Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

“Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience,” Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. “Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It’s now a three-horse race.”

“I am excited about this partnership with Nokia,” said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale.The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.”

Read more »

A New Beginning - Windows 8

With wild anticipation, let’s say that after the success of Windows 7, why would so many people expect more from Windows 8? why should Windows 8 come out so soon after Windows 7. After all, many companies, believe it or not, have not moved to Windows 7. They are either stuck on Vista, or on XP. It may come as a shock, but a lot of companies are not with the cutting edge of technology. They don’t have the money to upgrade the software and or hardware, or the money to upgrade the skills of their IT staff. So they are stuck behind an ancient Operating System, which makes do.
But we’ve been hearing rumors about Windows 8 coming out in 2012. Maybe, maybe not. But what do people want from such a new Operating system. Well, here is a Windows 8 wish list.

A New Beginning

New Welcome screen

A new User Interface similar to the Windows phone 7 has been seen in the latest builds of Windows 8; this would mark a distinct introduction to the computer’s use.

‘Modern’ Task Manager

A colleague wrote about this yesterday. So let me just add, with new screen features and statistics about usage, it should be a different utility vehicle.
Portable Workspaces
You may be able to put Windows 8 OS on a USB stick. This would be a portable development.
Aero auto-colorization
A new feature that reacts to the most prominent color of the Windows wallpaper.

Hybrid Booting

Core operating system files are ‘put to sleep’ which enables the startup time to be significantly reduced.

Simple system ‘reset’

When needed, you can reset the OS to it’s default settings.
Ribbons in Windows Explorer
Ribbons which are prominent in Office 2010, will change the interface look
ARM processor ‘tablet support’
ARM is a a low-power processor which allows devices to run longer on batteries and it will be available on Win8.

Genuine center
You will now be able to organize  your Windows licences with this center.

Cloud-based roaming profiles

With cloud operations becoming more frequent, it would only stand to reason that they would be available in the Windows 8.

Push notifications

This is similar to or is expected to be similar to the Windows Phone 7 push notification.
Improved disk cleanup
Cleaning your disk or Operating system by removing junk files will be easier and automatic.
‘Modern Reader’ PDF support
PDF files will have a new reader, and perhaps editor functionality.

Internet Explorer 10

Continue to enhance IE with a new version that competes easier with Chrome, and Firefox.

Internet Explorer ‘Immersive’

A slimmed down version of the browser will feel and look like the phone version.
SmartScreen file filter
SmartScreen filters out spam or bad links based on community responses.

Windows App Store

Get files, updates, and Apps from the Windows App Store.

History Vault

This will replace the Backup and Restore feature in Windows 7

Step-by-step install

The install wizard will be made easier to use for novices to work with.

ISO mounting

Users will be able to use ISO images and burn them as needed.

Native wake on LAN

Even if your PC is hibernating or turned off, a network push through will be able to turn it back on.

Webcam application

Users will be able to use their web cam with the new User Interface. They will be able start and stop videos, capture images immediately or after a short delay.
Summary
Windows 8 comes at a time when there is a lot of push for implementing many new technologies into an old system. Operating Systems still control the computer and interface with the CPU. But with the advent of apps, and how they changed the mobile technology, the impact is now felt on PC’s and OS’s to break from the past and enter a new era of PC and user interaction. One thing is for sure, the next generation of Operating Systems will not look like the last generation.

Read more »

Change of Heart Sony Ericsson...? Sony Xperia X10 Expected Update - Android Gingerbread 2.3.3

And just when all X10 users had lost hope in further releases of the Android O/S, Sony revisits the situation only to prove a success at re-engineering the Andoird Gingerbread platform and enhancing it to meet the requirements for the Xperia X10.

After lots of interaction and discussion, by far the most intense discussions lately were around Xperia^TM X10 Android upgrades. It was earlier stated that Sony Ericsson did not have plans for a further upgrade of the Xperia^TM X10 beyond Android 2.1 Éclair, which was correct at the time.
However, I am happy to inform you that this has changed.

Sony Ericsson now plans to bring an upgrade to Android Gingerbread for the Xperia^TM X10 to generic trade kits end Q2 / early Q3 this year.
The great work on 2011 products Xperia^TM PLAY, Xperia^TM arc and Xperia^TM neo actually enabled Sony Ericsson to start the work in a special project bringing Gingerbread to the Xperia^TM X10.
I believe this is good news to many of you out there and I am sure you have many questions around this. I’ve tried to list answers to the ones that came to my mind below. More details will come closer to launch but let me know in the comments section if I missed any questions. I’ll do my very best to find out and follow-up!


Why are you doing this upgrade?
In addition, the development of the software for the new 2011 range of Xperia phones gave us a solution that made it possible to deliver Gingerbread on Xperia^TM X10.


When will the upgrade be available for me?
The roll-out is planned to start end Q2/early Q3 this year. Today, Xperia^TM X10 is available in the market both in generic trade version and in versions customized for operators. Due to the resources available in this special project, we will focus on delivering trade versions of the software.  Regarding possible customized operators kit we will have to get back with more information on this at a later stage. But we want to be very clear already at this stage on the fact that some of you may not get this upgrade.   


What are the components of this upgrade and what are the major differences from the 2.1 version of Xperia^TM X10?
In short, we plan to bring similar software and functionality to Xperia^TM X10 as we have in our new 2011 Xperia smartphones. Our ambition is to provide the majority of functionality of the Gingerbread platform, as well as the Sony Ericsson specific User Experience and features. The final scope of the software is still a work in progress. We will get back with more details closer to launch in end Q2 / early Q3 this year.


Will any functionality from the previous software version disappear by doing this upgrade?
Yes – the work is still ongoing so details will be communicated closer to launch but these are the current expected limitations:

• The current plan is that the Xperia^TM X10 will get the Android standard Camera user interface and therefore features like e.g. face recognition, smile shutter etc will be lost.
• Moxier is replaced by the gingerbread native EAS functionality.
• Mediascape is being replaced by the media experience widgets and music player included in our new 2011 products.
• DRM keys for protected content on your phone will be lost in the upgrade process.
• The Sony Ericsson Backup and Restore client is not supported in the Gingerbread version and will therefore be lost.
• Support for bi-directional languages will be reduced compared to the latest version of the 2.1 version of the Xperia^TM X10.

What are the major differences between 2.3 on Xperia^TM X10 and 2.3 on your 2011 range, for example Xperia arc?
In short, the intention is that the Xperia X10 will receive similar software and functionality that we have in our new 2011 Xperia smartphones. The current ambition is to provide the majority of functionality of the Gingerbread platform, as well as the Sony Ericsson specific UI and features that are not  restricted by hardware limitations (for example no HDMI out). The final scope of the software is still work in progress but we are working to minimize the differences. We will get back with more details closer to launch.


How do I get this upgrade?
The upgrade will only be available through our PC-based upgrade clients. I.e. it cannot be done over the air.


Can I go back to the 2.1 version if I am not happy with the upgrade?
No – our upgrade solutions do not support downgrading.


Will I lose any content or settings by doing the upgrade?
Yes – All your personal content and settings stored in the phone will be lost in the process. You will have to make sure that you have stored your information somewhere else. Note that the Sony Ericsson Backup and Restore client will not be included in the Gingerbread version, therefore we recommend using a 3^rd party backup application if you don’t have your data stored in other places than your phone. Content stored on your memory card is not affected by the upgrade, except DRM protected content since keys will be lost.


Why have you stated before that the 2.1 version would be the final upgrade to the Xperia^TM X10?
We didn’t plan to upgrade Xperia^TM X10 beyond Android version 2.1 and our communication reflected this. However, that plan changed but we didn’t want to communicate this until we were sure that we would be able to deliver a good user experience with Gingerbread on Xperia^TM X10.


Why didn’t you inform about this upgrade until now?
As a company we strive to be as open as possible in channels such as this product blog. We have been focusing on delivering our 2011 Xperia products on the latest Android platform for smartphones. In parallel we have investigated what of those efforts could be re-used for an upgrade of the Xperia X10. Our ambition all along has been to inform about this as soon as we concluded that we could deliver a good user experience with Gingerbread on Xperia^TM X10, which we now feel confident we can do.


Why did you bypass the 2.2 upgrade?
Our focus has been on Gingerbread. The work we have been doing on Gingerbread for our products launching in 2011 has given us a solution that made it possible to deliver Gingerbread on Xperia^TM X10.


Will you upgrade the Xperia^TM X10 mini, mini pro and Xperia^TM X8 to 2.3?
No, we have no such plans. We have had to prioritize our resources and have therefore focused on delivering the upgrade to Xperia^TM X10.


Will you continue to upgrade Xperia^TM X10 beyond Gingerbread 2.3?
No.


Is the upgrade based on Android version 2.3.2 or 2.3.3?
The Xperia^TM X10 Gingerbread release will be released on Android 2.3.3


Those were some of the questions posed to SONY ERICSSON.

Read more »

The Next Step to Mobile Technology...

Next Step – Xperia™ arc » Xperia arc

Read more »

A Class of its very own... Sony Ericsson XPERIA ARC.

SPEC SHEET:

• The CPU and GPU specs are: MSM8255 at 1 GHz with Adreno 205.
• The music player does have an equalizer, my current software has 10 different genre based presets.
• It does not have a front facing camera.
• Mediascape is removed in its earlier form and has changed into a customizable widget based “media pane” (as shown briefly in the video)
• It’s too early to officially give detailed comments around specific later Android versions for Xperia^TM arc during its lifecycle but the changes we have made to our way of working with Android puts us in a good position to make sure that Xperia arc will get later versions in a timely manner.
• I’ve seen articles around higher numbers than 2.3 being seen in the display of Xperia arc phones – As I have been informed that is due to a misconfiguration in some samples and nothing to get too excited about really, sorry.
• It does have two microphones which will be used for noise suppression during phone calls.
• The camera LED flash is possible to put in four different modes; Auto, Fill-flash, Red-eye Reduction & Off.
• It does have full multi touch support, I just tried a similar multi touch test app as I did in the video on the X10 and at least in that app it accepts 4 simultaneous touch points without any issues with X- and Y-axis or such things. I will try to get confirmation on final specs in regards to multi touch.
• It does support wi-fi up to the 802.11n mode.

Now my friends over in Sony Ericsson's customer service team, they have started to push out their material around new phones.
For those of you new to Android or the Xperia range there lots of goodies around the basics and the different features over at their youtube channel at www.youtube.com/sonyericssonsupport
Many of these videos go more into details about specific features and help you find answers to common questions. You also find videos made for your specific phone in the Support Application in your phone. You find that  in the application tray or by clicking the Support Widget on the rightmost desktop pane. (As shown in the picture above with the headline “Experience More”)
I know that many of you here are very much in the know on how to use your phones but for those of you a bit new to Android or our Xperia range these can hopefully assist quite a bit. Perhaps some of you have suggestions on what you think we should educate more around? If so, please let me know in the comments section. One big advantage of having this kind of dynamic support application is that we can update the content in it to help out with things we find many consumers have questions around.
If you need support in any way don’t ever hesitate to contact your local Sony Ericsson support center or find your way over to our support forum at talk.sonyericsson.com.

Read more »

iPod - The Missing Manual

iPod: The Missing Manual

With iPod and iTunes, Apple’s gotten the world hooked on portable music, pictures, and videos. One thing they haven’t delivered, though, is an easy guide for getting the most from your sleek little entertainment center. Enter iPod: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition-a book as breathtaking and satisfying as its subject.
Our latest edition thoroughly covers the redesigned iPod Nanos, the video iPod, the tiny Shuffle and the overhauled iTunes 7. Each custom-designed page sports easy-to-follow color graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance on the most useful things your iPod can do. Topics include:

• Out of the box and into your ears. Learn how to install iTunes, load music on your iPod, and how to get rid of that dang, flashing “Do not disconnect” message.
• Bopping around the iPod. Whether you’ve got a tiny Shuffle or a big-screen model you’ll learn everything from turning your iPod off and on to charging your iPod without a computer. Special coverage for iPod owners with trickster friends: How to reset the iPod’s menus to English if they’ve been changed to, say, Korean.
• In tune with iTunes. iTunes can do far more than your father’s jukebox. Learn how to pick and choose which parts of your iTunes library loads onto your iPod, how to move your sacred iTunes Folder to a bigger hard drive, and how to add album covers to your growing collection.
• The power of the ‘Pod. Download movies, play photo slideshows, find cool podcasts, and more: this book shows you how to unleash all your iPod’s power.

iPod is simply the best music player available, and this is the manual that should have come with it.

Read more »