Windows Mobile 7 Is All Bing

Microsoft may have made a largish mistake by making Bing the sole provider of search on the nextgen Windows Mobile platform. Apparently Greg Sullivan, senior product manager for Microsoft, has said “the search engine has been heavily integrated into the OS, so it would be hard to offer an alternative.” What this means is not only is Bing the default choice for search, it is also the only choice for search.
As long as Bing is up to the task, and from my experience it isn’t, then their shouldn’t be a problem. If you aren’t happy with Bing, give it a few months and every other search engine will sue them into submission.

Via [BGR]

Zune Pass Comming To Eager Poms

While Netflix makes the move to Canada, another all you can eat service is busting out of its red, white and blue prison. This time it is the highly desirable Zune Pass service.
Zune pass gives you unlimited music, but with the bonus of getting to keep a hand full of songs every month. With Windows Mobile 7  arriving soon and it having a familiar Zune like interface it makes sense to have the same services.
Its first stop will be the UK. I wouldn’t be surprised if the scope was to widen considerably, especially with that September release date rushing up fast.

Via [Engadget]

HTC HD3 Leak To Good To Be True

The leaked spec’s for the rumoured HTC HD3 are so good that they are impossible for me to believe. Start with an almost borderless 4.5-inch AMOLED screen (800×1280), 1.5Ghz Snapdragon, 1 GB of memory, HDMI, 8mp dual flash camera, 3G/4G support and the ability to cure cancer/erectile dysfunction.
With spec’s like those it would be a massive leap over the current wish-wash of superphones. It looks like I will definitely be looking forward to the Windows Mobile 7 release after all.

Via [Mobility Site]

Microsoft Instaload Makes Battery’s Dumb

Microsoft Instaload is to batteries what MacOSX is to Windows 7. Maybe that is a little harsh, but it seems that Microsoft is changing the way we use your standard single charge batteries for the easier.
Instaload, which supports CR123, AA, AAA, C or D size batteries, replaces the standard + or – with a +-. Now all Microsoft needs is a few large partners, and this technology may last longer then Kin.
On a side note, anyone who makes technology that is so simple that it makes sense definitely needs to be promoted at Microsoft.

Via [Gizmodo]

Microsoft Gets Bored Kills Kin

Microsoft apparently aren’t getting enough bad press, so they have decided to kill the very new platform they have been selling for only a couple of months. The platform I am talking about is the underwhelming Kin One and Kin Two, the socially orientated feature phones.
While It didn’t appear that the Kin was a strong selling device, it is unfortunate that as soon as Microsoft didn’t see a future it killed the device. Ultimately it is not good press to show people that if you get bored with a platform you could simply cut it off. It gets worse when you are considering on releasing a new mobile platform in the next few months.
Rest in peace Kin, we barely knew thee.

Via [Windows Phone Thoughts]

Xbox To Beat PS3 At Media Game

Zune Market Place may be the best reason to buy a Zune over an iPod. It will now also be a compelling reason to buy a Xbox 360 over a Playstation 3 with Microsoft bringing its 7 million tracks instantly to any Zune subscriber with an Xbox.
Another good move from Microsoft which is sure to hurt a company (Sony) who own one of the biggest record labels in the world (SMG).

Via [Engadget]

New Xbox 360 Announced

Xbox 360 has just evolved to a much more compelling device. All the things that people argued should have been available from release are now pretty much added (a couple of years late).
From built in wireless (wireless N), large 250gb hdd and much smaller physical size (including a smaller and lighter power brick). All this and the console is also quieter then the old (because it now has 1 large fan instead of the old 2 smaller fans).
While it will still play all the same old games in the same familiar way, it is does it will a tad more style (and with a built in HDMI port). They are shipping to retailers as we speak and will be priced at around the old Elite pricing (or around the same as the PS3).

Via [Gizmodo]

Tech Needs A New Champion

Once upon a time technology companies pushed innovation instead of marketing. They pushed quality to a higher premium and were rewarded with customer loyalty. Now the opposite is happening. People buy the cheapest shit they can buy, knowing that it will probably break. That is except for a few companies, the biggest of which is Apple.
Apple make almost high quality devices. They focus heavily on how much they can get for the least given. They know they need to innovate, but only to a degree. They hide the hard facts, and use marketing talk to baffle the rest of us.
That is fine, but it is disappointing that Apple can’t be more transparent. They tell you stories such as their A4 is unique and built by Apple. Sure they might have tweaked the design, but it isn’t original Apple. It is an ARM architecture with some Samsung parts tacked on and then tweaked for performance vs power-drain.
Even with that, there is little to fault Apple. They don’t say a price or feature and then change it later. They tell you what you are getting and don’t give you an ounce more or less. No surprises just exactly what you ordered.
That seems to be the opposite with some Android devices. They really try and deliver, but have small flaws or hardware that is well under-specs for the software running on top. It gives you an inconsistent experience, and will push more non tech buyers to the Apple way of doing things.
It isn’t just the mobile operating system, it is the desktop OS as well. Apple don’t use the desktop OS on tablets, they created a new one. They don’t use their desktop OS on small low performance PC’s, they ask you to spend more. They know that there is some cases where things just don’t work. Something Microsoft is learning in the hardest way possible.
We need another Champion in the technology sector. Someone who makes quality and transparent devices, that constantly push boundaries. Someone who is willing to experiment, but always delivers consistently to the consumer. Most important someone who makes devices that last, and aren’t planning on the resale of devices in the next upgrade.
I know I am asking a lot, but the market speaks. More people buy Apple over the competitors, even if the price is higher. They have certain expectations of Apple, and Apple deliver, which is more then I can say for companies like Sony, Samsung and HTC.
Apple creates fanboys out of tech journalists for good reason, because they make better devices then majority of the competition. Don’t take my words for it, read the reviews and look at the sales.
I am hoping that the big boys will pick up their game soon, because I really don’t want to like Apple.

Cheaper Zune Pass Zoon

Microsoft have said they are considering lowering the cost of Zune Pass to better compete with Realnetworks and Apple. That means that on top of getting unlimited music and 10 unDRMed tracks a month, you also might get it for cheaper then the current $14.99 a month.
Last time I checked Apple don’t offer a subscription style service, unless of course Microsoft know something we don’t…. Anyway, if Zune Pass wants to convert more of the people who pirate their music instead of buying it, cheaper isn’t a bad place to start.

Via [Gizmodo]

Zune Gets Real Homebrew Finally

The Zune HD is a beautiful device by all accounts. It is slightly smaller then a iPod Toucb, but with considerably better insides (the screen isn’t bad either). The problem has been is Microsoft owns it, and have decided to only allow there own app’s which are few and far between. That has changed today with the release of the new OpenZDK toolkit.
What it means is you can now develop apps on top of the Zune firmware, with no limitations from the XNA platform. While it is brand new and has zero apps available, it could allow development of emulators and other useful tools that you would never have seen on your Zune in the past.
The kit is available now, and there is a forum where submissions will be available (when there are some). I recommend jumping over to Zune Boards for more info. Word of warning, development is very young, so expect a lot of rebooting of Zune.

Via [Gizmodo]