Pocketables

Windows Marketplace now available for WinMo 6.0 and 6.1

After the release of Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Marketplace for Mobile at the beginning of October, users of phones running WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 have been eagerly waiting for news of when their devices would be able to join the Windows Marketplace party. Support for the older OS to access the app store by the end of this year was originally confirmed in July.

Microsoft have now announced the availability of the service to all WinMo 6.x users, with around 90% of the apps compatible with the older OS versions and support for both free and paid titles. WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 users simply need to access http://mp.windowsphone.com/ from their phone's browser to download the Windows Marketplace for Mobile app. For users in the US, an alternative method is to fill in this form and have the direct download link sent to your phone by text message.

[The Windows Blog via SlashGear]

HTC HD2 launches in Europe and Asia, confirmed for early 2010 in US

One of the most highly anticipated smartphones since it was unveiled, HTC has announced that the HD2 is now shipping in Taiwan and the European markets. It will also become available throughout Asia in the coming month. Notably for our US-based readers, the company has confirmed the handset's availability for the US market in early 2010 with a major US carrier rumored to be T-Mobile.

Viewed by many as the latest ace in the Windows Mobile family in the onslaught of Android and the iPhone, the HD2 features many firsts for a WinMo smartphone. These include a 4.3" capacitive touch screen supporting multi-touch gestures, the HTC Sense user interface, and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor powering it all in a very slim, sleek package. The team over at Engadget have a brief hands-on feature with lots of great photos that I'm sure anyone who's interested in the HD2 has already viewed multiple times.

Although personally I have been less interested in WinMo devices in the past, there is no doubt that the HD2 is a very compelling piece of hardware with awesome specifications, especially with the Sense UI greatly streamlining the user experience and that stunning multi-touch screen. The smartphone space is getting increasingly interesting and competitive with the Motorola Droid, Xperia X10 and HTC HD2 joining the fray, and based on the announcement it sounds like the X10 and HD2 will be going head-to-head come Q1 2010. We would love to hear your thoughts on which one takes your interest!

Could the HTC HD2 be the best phone ever?

Over the past month or so, there have been numerous postings across the web about the HTC HD2 (aka Leo), which is the successor to the Touch HD smartphone that was never released here in the US. Because of this, I never paid real close attention to the forthcoming HD2, figuring I would never see an American-spec version of it.

Looks like I was wrong, because according to the guys over at SlashGear, HTC CEO Peter Chou has confirmed a Q1 2010 launch. While most people in Europe will be able to pick up an HD2 within the next month or so, we'll have to remain patient for a bit longer, and that will be hard to do because the HD2 is looking like it could possibly be the best phone ever. Yes, those are strong words, but HTC is clearly on a hot streak and packing everything it can into this phone, with the exception of the kitchen sink.

Windows Mobile 6.5 takes center stage for now

After months of leaked screenshots and rumors, Microsoft officially opened the curtain and lit the stage for Windows Mobile 6.5 (aka Windows phone) today. While the new operating system is supposedly just a stop-gap until Windows Mobile 7 comes out next year, there are some welcome improvements and changes that show Microsoft is not ceding the mobile market to Google and Apple just yet.

Along with some new devices that were launched concurrently with WinMo 6.5, the battle in the smartphone arena is really starting to get interesting, and the line that separates these handsets from MIDs continues to blur even further.

What you might not know about the Samsung Mondi

While an official list of specs can tell you a lot about a device, the best way to truly get a feel for something and understand its nuances is to spend some serious quality time with it. Sure, playing with a display model at a store or checking it out at an event can often be the basis of a purchasing decision, but it's often only after you've taken a device home and used it for a considerable amount of time that you really get to know it.

It's been a few weeks since I unboxed my Samsung Mondi and shared my reasons for buying it, so I've since logged in hours upon hours of use on the Windows Mobile 6.1 slider. I doubt that I will ever know every single thing there is to know about the unit, but I definitely learned some things from my usage so far that aren't mentioned in the published specs, product manuals, or those early misinformed reviews. And if the devil is in the details and you're on the fence about spending $450 on a MID that isn't a phone and offers WiMAX and WiFi connectivity but nothing in between, then you might want to read on.

No subsidy offered for Samsung Mondi purchased with two-year contract

Although Samsung neglected to mention pricing in the press release announcing the retail availability of its Windows Mobile 6.1-running Mondi WiMAX MID, it quickly became known that the unsubsidized price was $449.99 (as evidenced by the LetsTalk.com order page and my receipt) and that committing to a two-year Clear WiMAX contract would lower the hardware cost to $349.

A $100 subsidy is already rather pathetic, but how about no subsidy at all?

After being tipped off by a reader in Las Vegas who told me that Best Buy is selling the Mondi for $500 without a contract and Clear is selling it for $450 with one, I headed over to Clear's website and pretended to live in an area with WiMAX coverage so I could get through the order process.

And as you can see from the screen capture, the Samsung Mondi I bought (and am really enjoying!) contract-free for $449.99 (reasons for the purchase here) is indeed being sold with a two-year commitment for the very same $449.99.

Thanks, Don!

Why I bought the Samsung Mondi (SWD-M100)

While I was waiting for my Samsung Mondi last week, I read a number of early-thoughts articles and reviews of the device from mainstream media sites to get a glimpse of what to expect when mine arrived. Rather than fuel my excitement for its delivery, however, they left me feeling rather frustrated, not because the device wasn't being lavished with praise but because the writers didn't seem to understand the point of the Mondi or the MID product category in general.

When it wasn't being called a phone (which it isn't), the Mondi was declared to be "dead right out of the gate" and criticized for sporting a "form factor nobody wants" because it's apparently too big to fit into your pocket. The device was also accused of being unable to replace a phone or a laptop, making it "convenient for nothing" and therefore just an "expensive novelty."

Samsung Mondi size comparisons

Size comparisons are one of my favorite kinds of gadget photos to take, so the first thing I did after the Samsung Mondi unboxing shoot was to bring in a handful of other mobile devices and have them pose with the new addition to the family. I made some obvious choices as well as a few random ones to put the compact slider into what I hope is relatable context.

Unboxing the Samsung Mondi (SWD-M100)

The Samsung Mondi mobile internet tablet that I've spent the last week obsessing over finally arrived today and was given no time to settle in before being put into my light tent for a lengthy photo shoot. I have a lot to say about the device (particularly in response to some of the early opinions/reviews), as well as a round of size comparison shots to share, but I'll save that for another time and take you through the unboxing first.

Waiting for Samsung Mondi MID delivery worsens gadget OCD

When I purchased the Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID on Tuesday, the day it became available on LetsTalk.com, my order status showed an estimated delivery date of Friday, July 24th, also known as tomorrow.

LetsTalk follows a three-step process in its shipping procedure: Picking & Packing, Ready to Ship, and Shipped. I was told by a customer representative, who I needed to call for a rather extensive ID confirmation, that an email would notify me when the warehouse fulfilled my order. So when I woke up the next day (yesterday) and found no shipment notification in my inbox, I decided to check on the order status myself.

The Mondi was in the "picking" portion of the Picking & Packing stage and was now showing an estimated delivery date of Monday, July 27th. Knowing full well what happens to my gadget lust when I have to wait longer than expected, my obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked into gear and I began checking the order status page incessantly. Did it ship yet? How 'bout now? What about now?