Today at MIX10, Microsoft Corp. showcased advancements in its platform technologies that enable the developer and designer community to deliver compelling user experiences across a broad set of devices. Building on the excitement of the recently announced Windows Phone 7 Series, Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president, .NET Developer Platform, and Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president, Windows Phone Program Management, detailed the opportunity for developers to use proven technologies such as Microsoft Silverlight and the XNA Framework to build new mobile applications and 3-D Games.
“As the browser, server, Web and devices evolve, a focus on delivering consistently great user experiences has become paramount,” Guthrie said. “By extending our familiar platform technologies and tools to phones, Microsoft is delivering the premier application development experience across a variety of devices and form factors.”
Motorola, Inc. today announced a global alliance with Microsoft Corp. to deploy Bing services on Motorola devices powered by Android. This new offering, launching in China on smartphones in Q1, will provide consumers a choice when using search and map functions on their Android-based devices.
With this collaboration, consumers will enjoy a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on their mobile browser and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration. By enabling users to customize their devices and select their own Search provider, Motorola, with help from Microsoft, is expanding the capabilities and range of services currently offered in the marketplace and opening the doors for increased personalization.
Microsoft today announced the first official Bing App for iPhone and iPod Touch available at the Apple App Store, from your computer at iTunes, or go to m.bing.com and you be will redirected to the app store. The app is free.
The Bing App includes voice search (currently available on Windows phones or BlackBerry already) which works well for map locations as well as traditional web search. For example, if you can say “San Francisco weather,” for a quick result, or a full address for a map or directions.
The Bing app also will automatically will find your location. You can also easily discover a new spots by category such as restaurants, banks, theaters and choose whether you want walking or driving directions.
The Bing app includes smooth mapping action. Swipe through each step of the directions, and check out how fast the map pans and zooms.
Opera Mobile 10 beta (unveiled earlier this month) for Windows Mobile phones is now available for immediate download on a smartphone near you. This version for Windows Mobile users elevates mobile browsing to a desktop-like experience, helping people to search, socialize and stay connected while on-the-go.
The Opera Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile looks and feels similar to the Opera 10 desktop browser and Opera Mini 5 beta. Opera is creating more cohesion between its products by introducing a unified look across many of its platforms. Opera maintains its powerful arsenal of features in this beta, including Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, a password manager and its super, server-side compressor, Opera Turbo.
“We are unifying our products, so that users get the same experience, no matter the device or which particular Opera browser they are using,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. “With Opera Mobile 10, we are raising the expectations of how a a mobile browser should perform. Today, users require a browser as powerful as the Web, one that can handle their daily tasks as well as their computers. That’s Opera.”
Microsoft announced today that Windows Marketplace is now available for phones running Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 with a supporting data plan. Marketplace was available for the new Windows phones with Windows Mobile 6.5. This allows Microsoft to offer the benefits of Marketplace to even more people, and give Windows phone developers the opportunity to reach more than 30 million devices worldwide.
To get Marketplace for a Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.1 based device, users need to point their phone’s browser to http://mp.windowsphone.com to start the download process; from the Web, users can visit http://windowsphone.com/getmarketplace. Then browse and shop a wide range of quality applications for work and play; roughly 90% of the apps in our catalogue already support Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices.
JiWire, the leading Mobile Audience Media company that reaches 20 million unique users per month through its Wi-Fi advertising channel, today announced that Bing, Microsoft Corp.’s decision engine, launched a new advertising campaign with JiWire’s Ads for Access program that allows Wi-Fi users the opportunity to perform a Bing search in exchange for free Wi-Fi. This nationwide campaign is running in premium Wi-Fi hotspots in airports and hotels reaching business travelers and affluent consumers.
Initial results show the Bing Wi-Fi media campaign is significantly increasing consumer attention with an average engagement rate of almost 30% across the Ads for Access program, with some locations performing as high as 45 percent. In addition, consumers are returning to Bing to perform multiple searches during their same session.
Microsoft today announced the release of an update to Bing for mobile browser at m.bing.com. Bing for Mobile browser now includes a NFL feature where if you type a team or player, you will see upcoming games, stats and scores. While the game is on you can get real time updates of the plays. This feature is only available in the U.S. Additionally, now you can also check flight status by entering the airline and flight number to get the latest arrival and departure times.
For touch phone owners in the U.S. Bing has a new version of Bing for high-resolution touch devices. Bing has optimized the touch navigation to make the most of your phone, and added a new Movies feature. Search for Movies in your city, and you’ll see the movies playing nearby, show times, trailers, overviews, and video clips.
Microsoft and Google have signed agreements with Twitter to allow Tweets in Google's and Bing's search results. Microsoft has signed an agreement with Facebook to allow Facebook updates in Bing's search results. It's expected that Google will also make a similar deal with Facebook.
According to Marissa Mayer of Google, "We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information."
T-Mobile and Microsoft has reported that they have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. They plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after the data have been validated. T-Mobile and Microsoft will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.
The data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users and if your Sidekick account was among those affected, continue to log into T-Mobile forums for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. The next update will be posted on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.
T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, recently announced that personal information stored on Sidekicks, such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos, is almost certainly lost due to a server failure at Microsoft/Danger.
Teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, T-Mobile wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ.
Giorgio Armani announces the new Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5. The stylish smartphone is designed by Giorgio Armani himself as he did with the first Giorgio Armani Samsung mobile in 2007 and the Emporio Armani Samsung “Night Effect” mobile in 2008.
In 2009, the new smartphone makes its debut with more powerful functions and superior usability. The next rendition of this style and technology partnership includes a Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5, a unique two step tilt hinge form factor with both full touch screen and QWERTY keyboard hybrid, and a stunning 3.5 inch Ultra Brilliant AMOLED full touch screen.
The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone is part of an innovative brand alliance of portable electronics and household products by Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, and Samsung Electronics. This phone stands out due to the innovative blend of Giorgio Armani’s refined style and Samsung Electronics’ cutting-edge technology. The smartphone features a unique two step 30-degree tilt hinge form factor does not compromise its sophisticated design for higher usability.
Microsoft today unveiled a new generation of phones from leading manufacturers and mobile operators that offer an intuitive user interface, powerful Web browsing, and access to an online library of downloadable services and applications. Windows phones, a new brand for phones running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system, are now available in retail stores worldwide in a broad range of styles and prices.
The new phones were shown at press events in New York, hosted by Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division, and in Paris, where Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer showed off the new Windows phones.
They also announced the availability of two key services platforms for the new phones:
AT&T today announced the upcoming availability of the HTC Tilt 2 and the HTC PURE with Windows Mobile 6.5. The HTC PURE delivers a touch screen experience in an alluring, compact form factor, and the HTC Tilt 2 features the convenience of a tilting touch screen combined with the practicality of a slide out full QWERTY keyboard.
Powered by the nation's fastest 3G network and the Windows phone platform, the HTC Tilt 2 and HTC PURE deliver an enhanced TouchFLO 3D interface on a large vibrant touch screen that makes navigation intuitive and rich while enabling smooth access to desktop like web browsing. Both devices embody HTC's approach to put people at the center of the communications experience by providing full access to voice, text, or email in a single contact view, regardless of whether voice, text or email was used. This view can be accessed from the contact card or in the in-call screen during a phone conversation, ensuring the latest conversations are always at hand.
The video below highlights Microsoft’s Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play video games for the Xbox 360 with no controller. Project Natal is the future of playing video games, which is similar to the existing Nintendo Wii but way more advanced and best of all it requires no controller. You will be able to play games where you can kick, hit, catch or trap things with voice recognition and even scan objects into the game. This may definitely be a Nintendo Wii killer app.
Before Natal is launched, Microsoft announced it would add ways for players to connect with Facebook, Twitter and other social networks via the Xbox this fall. Way to go Microsoft!
Microsoft has not announced any release date or price, however, development kits have been sent to partnering studios. So it seems Project Natal is still a work in process. For more information about Project Natal visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal.
Video: Project Natal Xbox 360 (Nintendo Wii Killer App)
Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows phones will be widely available at retail stores worldwide on Oct. 6, 2009. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone.
“A Windows phone gives people a single phone that works for their whole life, keeping them connected to the people and information they care most about by harnessing the power of the PC, phone and Web,” said Todd Peters, corporate vice president of the Mobile Communications Marketing Group at Microsoft.
Microsoft has released the Bing iPhone and Mac SDK. It is now available for download on CodePlex, open source under the Microsoft Public License (MS-PL). The SDK provides the ability to easily query Bing from within Cocoa or Cocoa Touch application, perform both synchronous and asynchronous queries and search Bing for Web, Image, Video, News, and Phonebook results.
Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft OneApp, a new software application that enables feature phones, commonly found in emerging markets, to access mobile apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, and other popular apps and games. The result is a better mobile experience for the many people around the world who want to do more with the phones they already own. (See intro video to the right)
OneApp complements Microsoft’s existing mobile strategy by bringing mobile apps and services to feature phones in emerging markets. Launching first with Blue Label Telecoms in South Africa, OneApp will be used as part of the new and upcoming release of its mibli consumer mobile service.As a result of a strategic relationship with Blue Label Telecoms, mibli, powered by Microsoft OneApp, will ship with more than a dozen new mobile apps.
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