TamsPPC – the PocketPC Blog

HTC’s Touch Diamond II was never intended to run Windows Mobile 6.1 for a longer period of time: a windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade was announced at the moment it drops.

Even though Windows Mobile 6.1 seems to be an afterthought to some extent, HTC nevertheless is committed to releasing updates. The latest hotfix fixes the following:

There is a Start Recording option on the Menu but during a voice call it can not be used. This function is not supported on the HTC Touch Diamond2. Please download this hotfix to remove the menu option.

As we are looking at a hotfix here, there is no need to back up your data. However, it means that it must be reinstalled after a hard reset…

Further information can be had at the URL below:
http://www.htc.com/europe/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=249&cat=0&dl_id=583

The black XPERIA X2 has popped up a few times in the past – the three images below hit us via jjlifeblog:

As of now, no new information is available – stay tuned!

Verizon vowed to unlock the GPS module on its Touch Pro, Samsung Omnia and Saga handsets in December 2008 – so far, none of the three promised ROM upgrades has materialized.

Fortunately, Verizon seems to be on its way to fulfill the promise – the lines below hit us via PhoneNews:

The update, firmware version 1.08, adds the long-awaited unlocked GPS support. PhoneNews.com previously reported that Verizon agreed to unlock GPS on the Samsung Saga, Samsung Omnia, and HTC Touch Pro. This is the first of three official updates that will make good on that promise, made last year.

…

PhoneNews.com is offering the firmware update, ahead of its availability on Verizon’s servers. We can verify that the update has been approved by all relevant parties (PCD, HTC, and Verizon).

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Samsung’s Omnia series has seen quite a bit of turmoil over the last months: the company initially declared that it would abandon Windows Mobile, but then rowed back (due to their dependence on Microsoft’s desktop operating systems).

A Lithuanian online retailer has now leaked the picture on the left – GsmArena claims the following specs:

…The Samsung Omnia2 sports a 3.7-inch WVGA TFT resistive touchscreen, 8.1 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and VGA@30fps video recording, 150 MB internal memory, a Qualcomm processor and a microSD card slot. The connectivity includes all you may need as usual – 3G support, Bluetooth, miniUSB, GPS and Wi-Fi.

Rumors speculate that the Windows Mobile OS on board (purportedly 6.1) will be heavily customized and will bear the Samsung’s TouchWiz styling with deep menu restyling…

The YouTube video below is said to show the Omnia2’s custom UI:

As of now, no further information is available – let’s stay tuned to see how the event on the 15th goes…

Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X2 has been pictured quite a few times – and we now have something which somewhat resembles the specs of the critter. Enjoy:

-8.1mpx auto focus, VGA @ 30fps (MP4 HQ)
-3.5´ WVGA OLED (increased from 3.0 from X1)
-GPS, aGPS
-Accelerometer
-Faster processor
-512 RAM
-Custom Windows Mobile 6.5 (SE engineers customized Win6.5 which runs very. very speedy. in par with iphone and better in some cases)
-XPERIA Panels are modified with plenty of innovative features (PS3 remote play being one of them)
-Upgrading to Windows Mobile 7 is supported by Xperia panels

The poster at mobile-review goes on to claim that the device will be cheaper than the Nokia N97 – which would be too good to be true…

Sony Ericsson’s R3A update can well be considered the final ROM update the X1 will ever receive – no word has leaked about a Windows Mobile 6.5 update for the critter as of this writing.

Fortunately, we are not alone – the boys at xda-developers have created the custom ROM pictured below:

Hit the URL below for the full scoop – and stay tuned for further info as I plan to update my critter in the near future:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=509891

The two images below hit us via fanklub.se (oh, the surprise) – and show the XPERIA X2 yet again:

Not much further information is available as of this writing: except for the info that the critter is likely to have an 8.1MP camera…

A thread on MeizuMe.com has just been opened with the following (highly interesting) specs, which – according to them – are the ones found in the Meizu M8 3G:

Networks: TD-SCDMA (M8-G3) and WCDMA (M8-W) – both 3G networks

Dimensions: 112mm x 59mm x 10,5mm (H x W x T)

Processor: Samsung C100 or C110 (800 Mhz or 1 Ghz)

Display: 3.54″ (50×75 mm, 2:3 ratio), 16600K colors, 720×480 pixel resolution

PC Interface: USB 2.0 Ultra Fast Data Transfer

Flash Memory: 8 or 16 GB of flash NAND

System Memory: More than 256 MB memory (not yet specified)

Operating System: Meizu OS aka Mymobile (Based on Windows CE 6.0)

Video Playback: AVI, FLV, MPEG-2, RM(VB), WMV, MPEG-4/H.263/H.264 at 30FPS

Camera: 5 megapixel with LED flash

Battery: not yet specified

Support For:
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Line-out
* Built-in GPS
* Multi-touch

Additional Features:
* Light sensor
* Tilt and movement sensor

As of now, not much more is known about the next generation of Meizu’s iPhone clone – but we will probably know more in March 2010, as that is the “planned release date” of the box…

Acer has been in and out of the Windows Mobile game for quite some time – their last announcement at the MWC showed that they want to get back into the show, and want to do so with force.

The Taiwanese web site eprice has compiled a lovely gallery showing all of Acer’s upcoming devices in action at an Acer booth – hit the link below for the full scoop:
http://www.eprice.com.tw/mobile/talk/?prod_id=102&tid=4140420

TamsPPC covered O2 Germany’s (Telefonica’s) TG01-related plans some time ago – we now know a bit more about the critter/ First of all, the box will drop “in the next few days”. Price-wise, the box will be available on contract…and furthermore with an option called “My handy”.

This means that you pay 20 euros upfront, and then 17.5 Euros per month for 24 months (total price is ). However, you get the (probably SIM-locked) box immediately…and are NOT obliged to remain on an O2 contract.

Unfortunately, we still have no shots showing whether the device will be branded or not – O2 provides the images below:

In case you don’t trust me, hit this link to see the boxen…

P.S. Further information on the Toshiba TG01 can be had in our MWC coverage…

Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 is not quite starting to show signs of age yet – but as the manufacturer is known for its extremely long product cycles, seeing them work on a successor is comforting.

The image below hits us via Engadget Mobile:

According to them, the authenticity of the image is unproven:

A tipster tells us that the device you’re looking at here is Sony Ericsson’s codename “Vulcan” — better known as the X2 — which would presumably replace the X1 at some point in the next few days, weeks, months, or years. Though the picture’s small, you can clearly make out the X Panel button in the lower left of the phone’s front and a Windows key in the upper left of the keyboard, which adds a dose of credibility -
…

I personally think that this could very well be the next device for one simple reason: the X1 already is very very good except for its mediocre keyboard. This prototype seems to fix just that…

BrightHand’s mindshare stats are one of the few benchmarks which tend to get published every month – they measure the interest exhibited by members of the mobile device forum, you guessed it, BrightHand.

The latest issue covers May – the rankings are as follows (figure in brackets=April’s rank):

1. Nokia E63 (4)
2. Nokia E71 (5)
3. BlackBerry Curve 8330 (3)
4. HTC Touch Pro 2 (1)
5. Samsung Impression (2)
6. Nokia N97 (new)
7. LG Incite (10)
8. RIM BlackBerry Storm 9530 (6)
9. Palm Pre (new)
10. BlackBerry Bold (returning)

Breaking this down by operating systems, we see RIM and Symbian leading Windows Mobile with a 3-3-2 advantage. The remaining spaces are occupied by a WebOS device and a dumbphone – iPhones are nowhere to be seen…

After Palm gave up on the 68k processor when moving to OS5, the mobile computing platform was dominated by ARM processors. Intel originally was the one and only supplier; but companies like Samsung and QualComm quickly followed suite.

QualComm has now managed to take the performance crown with its new QSD8650A processor. It runs at 1.3GhZ, and furthermore consumes less power than its predecessors clocked at 1GhZ:

… The new Snapdragon QSD8650A™ chipset – scheduled for sampling before the end of 2009 – offers significant performance improvements including a 1.3 GHz processor for 30 percent higher performance as well as enhanced multimedia and 2D/3D graphics. Utilizing 45nm technology also allows power consumption improvements such as up to 30 percent lower dynamic power than previous-generation Snapdragon products and an unmatched standby power of less than 10 millwatts.

Now that we have the specs above, it’s time for a little predicting: I am pretty positive that we won’t see this CPU in any devices until Q2 or even Q3 2010…

Further information can be had here…

P.S. The image doesn’t show the newly-announced CPU, as QualComm did not share any images so far. It instead shows a Microchip PIC16F84a in a TamoggeTalk doerchen2 prototype…

HTC’s Touch Pro 2 is anxiously awaited by all these unhappy with the XPERIA’s keyboard – unfortunately, reviews of it have not been available so far. This has now changed though…my long-term friend Shaun McGill brings along the following verdict:

It is very easy when you have reviewed many HTC devices to get battle weary and to just look at each one as a slight variation on the previous models, and this is true of many of them. The Touch Pro2 does feel like a Touch HD squeezed into a TyTN II and this is most definitely a good thing.

It is a power users dream, but one which will also suit people who need to keep in contact throughout the day and thus it covers many of the areas power users want in a smartphone. It does not have the finesse of an iPhone, but then again nothing does. It does, however, offer top of the range features in almost every area.

Of course specifications are not everything, but it is to some people and the Pro2 feels like it will fit perfectly into the hands of anyone who has the slightest inkling towards Windows Mobile.

Further information can be had in his extremely detailed write-up, which can be accessed via the links below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Don’t ask me where the boys from PocketNow.com’s got their Touch Pro 2 from – but they have just released the unboxing video below:

As usual: keep your fingers off for at least another month or two for a significant discount…