Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"As far as I'm aware, the "connectors" and "Unified Storage" referred to here is a new concept for WM7. Unfortunately the job description doesn't go into any details, but in the context of communications, I'm predicting it's a new framework designed to handle all the communication storage needs on a phone in a single, structured and open-access system...If my prediction is correction, as opposed to the current method where each application has its own proprietary storage model (ex. Outlook Mobile, Facebook application, Twitter applications), this new framework would allow applications to store and retrieve any communications data on the phone in a consistent and managed manner, allowing for far richer integration."

We know that Windows Mobile 7 will be a big step forward from the past, and here's a hint as to what may be in store beyond a new UI and multitouch interface. Ironic what a "simple" job ad can reveal - especially about the potential for Zune intregation. Will all this come to pass? Hard to say for sure, but it's fun to speculate. Read on for more!

"The iZel is a totally unique and innovative way to support your device for hands free use. Its remarkable design supports a wide range of the world's most popular devices. It has a clever method for adapting its shape to landscape or portrait orientations and it is easily adjusted to position your screen for the optimal viewing angle. Best of all, it folds flat and travels easily. The iZel's durable construction is made possible by using a sophisticated slip-resistant elastomer that helps to keep your device in its place and looking new. Use the iZel when you want to watch a video, make a hands-free call, monitor your email, surf the web, or to simply use your device as a digital picture frame."

This is certainly one way to go about things, but it seems a bit larger than what I want to carry around. Personally, I keep a few paperclips in my bag and just make myself a quick stand on the few occasions that I need one.

"Instead of having two separate teams work on possibly related devices, it seems that Microsoft is merging its Zune user interface team with the team that works on Windows Mobile. If this rumor holds up to be true, it could very well mean that the first ZunePhone won't be running on its own platform. Instead, the Zune-ness will "simply" be integrated into Windows Mobile."

Unless you live in a bubble you've probably notice a slight buzz over the past couple weeks in regards to the Microsoft project under the codename of Pink. First speculation was that it was a Zune Phone, a direct iPhone competitor. I personally have ignored this rumor mongering. Its possible that one day Microsoft could release a device like that. And then everyone who latches onto every rumor will seem like a genius for predicting it. Of course the same people predict it every 6 - 12 months so eventually they might be right.

Now that that the rumor has been debunked again, the speculation has gone is in a million different directions. I am not going to try and guess what Microsoft is doing. We're going to potentially find out at CES anyway. What I find more interesting is the rumor above from Mobile Magazine. While I can't vouch for its veracity any more than a Zune phone rumor, at least its something different!

This is something I've wanted to see myself. I've been using the Windows Mobile platform since it was Pocket PC 2002, starting with the HP Jornada 565. At one time the interface was the best thing out there, at least in my opinion. While I don't necessarily think the interface is actually bad today, despite all of the criticism it gets, its definitely old and clunky. Its not the best thing out there anymore. And after 7 years of the Windows Mobile platform, just a week ago I took a big leap and went from the T-Mobile Wing to the T-Mobile G1. Even I've left and while I hope to see Windows Mobile take enough advances that I'll reconsider the move it would take a total overhaul of the OS. So I hope this rumor is true.

What do you get for headphones for under $65? Let's compare two options, one of them twice as expensive as the other. Is that a fair comparison? $65 is affordable for most people who purchase something capable of digital audio playback, so I think it's fair game. I was using my set of Ultimate Ears' Metro.fi 2 earphones ($62.99 from Amazon.com) this morning, and I decided to throw the Zune Premium Headphones into the mix - you know, the ones that come with the Zune 80, but not the Zune 120 - and I was quite disappointed with how poor the Zune headphones sounded. I normally wouldn't criticize free headphones that come with a player, because it's always my advice to toss them and buy a good pair of headphones, but in this case the premium headphones are a product normally sold separately for $39.99 MSRP (retailing for $30 from Amazon) so I think they're fair game for comparison - especially now that there's no modern Zune that includes them. Read more...

"We've heard Microsoft make vague references for some time about a Zune-like experience involving non-Zune devices (Windows Mobile phones, Xboxen), and it looks like they may be making real moves in that direction. A recent job posting from Redmond for a 'Software Development Engineer in Test' calls on someone who 'dream[s] about having a mobile phone based entertainment experience powered by a unified entertainment service across devices such as Zune, Xbox and PC.' Someone, the ad reads, who will, 'create a 'Connected Entertainment' experience, realized through the Zune service, that spans multiple devices such as Zune, Xbox, PC and Mobile phones.'"

When I read this the first thing that pops into my head is "It is about time they started focusing on convergence!" I mean, seriously, how long have we been in the 21st century now? This is basic stuff we were promised whenever someone mentioned the future! This, and flying cars, and we all know those aren't being created anytime soon so why not just give us the one basic thing that is well within the grasp of technology? Well I'm glad the good folks at Microsoft are starting to realize this as well. Better late than never I always say. I am really excited and looking forward to Microsoft and mobility in 2009. With the new 3rd generation Zunes right around the corner and the awesome features they will bring, as well as the rumblings of Windows Mobile 7 devices out in consumer hands around Q1 of next year, it really is starting to look like 2009 will be the year Microsoft comes out swinging!

What if filling up on Microsoft Points was as easy as picking up your phone and having the cost added to your phone bill? That's how it is for NTT DoCoMo users in Japan, and hopefully, that's just a starting point.

If Microsoft is working with other carriers to make this available around the world, great. If not, they probably should. A vast majority of Xbox Live Marketplace and Zune Marketplace users probably have a mobile device of some sort - some have their reasons against directly linking their Windows Live ID and credit card together, while others don't always want to make the trek to their local store to pick up one of the many Microsoft Points cards on offer, so this third option makes a lot of sense.

"In the first two weeks of 2008 the number of people consuming my personal podcast with the Zune is WAY up. Over all my show download numbers are up about 15%. This is the largest growth my show has seen in a very long time. What this proves is that when you put Podcast front and center in the Zune Interface like the Zune team has, and make it a integral part of the Zune MarketPlace people are bound to check podcast out. Where Apple has largely failed in iTunes is that they have made podcast hard to find and a buried feature within the iTunes Interface. Today it is nearly impossible to find content that is fresh, the iTunes podcast interface is a wasteland of thousands of podfaded shows and huge numbers of single podcast episodes put up by network marketer�s."


(Sorry about the tiny image, I couldn't find anything bigger!)

Over at RawVoice, there is an incredibly interesting article up about recent podcasting trends and the Zune. In this instance users of the Zune and Zune Marketplace software make up 21.3% of their listeners! This might not seem like a lot, but take iTunes for instance, whose user base makes up only 38.7% of their listeners. Now seeing how the new Zune software and hardware has only been on the streets for a few months now, compared to the many years iTunes has been around, it appears that Apple might have to start taking the "little media player that could" a bit more seriously. Who knows, old Stevie might just take a look at this and declare that all of the Zune Marketplace users have joined good old Robbie Bach in a round a drinks, since you know, being a drunk is the only reason why anyone would want a Zune. Read more...

"A gaming system including handheld devices and console devices has variable functionality and processing performance as determined by the number of components in the system. Gaming components can be combined wirelessly, by wired connections (e.g., via a docking station), or a combination thereof. The processing capabilities and functionality of each gaming component in a combination are augmented by the processing capabilities and functionality of other gaming components in the combination. To take advantage of another gaming components processing capabilities and memory capacity, each gaming component is capable of utilizing another gaming component to process gaming applications. Further, each gaming component is capable of rendering audio and/or video information provided by another gaming component. Also, a gaming component is capable of utilizing another gaming component as an adjunct processor."



This patent filed by Microsoft isn't a reference to Live Anywhere, but something much more. It suggests that one hardware component of a gaming ecosystem can utilize the processing capabilities of another connected component to fulfill a task. Imagine using your Pocket PC as a display or your Zune as a controller for your Xbox 360. Of course, all this is highly theoretical, and patents should always be taken with a grain of salt - at least, until they materialize. Your thoughts on the whole thing?

Today was the official launch day of Microsoft's Zune digital media player and music service. It all went off with a bang - concerts were held in major US cities, Bill Gates gave his Zune to an audience member as a gift, and our own Jason Dunn made the trek over to Seattle to pick up five Zunes and a couple of accessories. Head over to Zune Thoughts for all the latest news, and also be on the lookout for Jason's detailed review, which is set to appear later tonight. In a few days time, we'll be giving away a Zune and a few other goodies, so be sure to register a Zune Thoughts account and post once to be authenticated, so that you'll be ready for the contest.

"Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday a Zune-branded phone is part of its future plans to expand in the digital music market, now dominated by Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod. "A Zune phone is definitely part of the future of this brand," Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for Zune, told reporters at a news conference. He did not give specific details."

Bomb...dropped. A Zune phone? That sure came out of left field - what about Windows Mobile and Smartphones? If the Zune brand is a Microsoft "we build it" solution, that means Chris Stephenson is saying that Microsoft is going to build their own phones. That's one wild concept when you consider the impact it might have on Windows Mobile, all the partners Microsoft has, the carriers, and everyone else invested in the current offering. What about Photon, the next-generation version of Windows Mobile? This simple statement from Chris Stepheson is a bombshell - and it spawns dozens of questions.

My five-minutes-of-thinking-about-it take? Windows Mobile will continue moving forward, and Photon will stay on track. The Zune phone will be a narrow solution specifically aimed at the music-loving phone users, and be 100% entertainment-centric, lacking in the personal information management goodies we've come to expect from Windows Mobile phones. It will have a great media experience, but will be closer to a feature phone than a real Smartphone. In fact, I'm guessing it will be application-locked just like Portable Media Centers are - meaning no third party applications can be installed on it. So, in some ways, it will just be a really slick "dumbphone".

I asked a Microsoft spokesperson for an official response, and here's what he said: "Zune is all about connecting people to their music. It makes sense that Zune could be a part of a phone experience. But there has been no determination of how that will be executed or when it will happen."

Microsoft has officially unveiled the Zune digital media player today, so if you're interested in learning more, head on over to Zune Thoughts.

I wanted to announce the official launch of the newest Thoughts Media Inc. community site: Zune Thoughts!My introductory post over at Zune Thoughts explains why I'm launching a site about Microsoft's Zune project, so I won't repeat that here. What I do hope, though, is that if you have an interest in Zune, you'll become an active participant in the community at that site. There's never a harder moment for a community than when it's just getting started, and I definitely need all of your help in getting it off the ground. We're also looking for Contributing Editors for that site, so if that appeals to you, get involved and I'll be watching for people that stand out.A few words about the layout of Zune Thoughts: as you can tell, it's far from finished. We have placeholders everywhere, and the front page is missing many of the "hooks" into the forums such as recent posts, top stories, etc. The biggest change is the site layout: you'll notice we shifted the columns around and now have a more content-focused layout where the new posts are right at the top left part of the main body of the page. We're seeing how this "feels", and if we (and you) like it, that layout will be replicated one by one to the other Thoughts Media sites.You'll notice we went with a fixed-width option for the site, which some people love and some people...don't. ;-) We've yet to add two things to the layout: one, a CSS-based "switch" that will allow you to toggle between fixed width (what it is now) and relative width (meaning it will fill up the width of your screen). We're also going to add something I think is really slick: a fourth column on the right that will have more site functionality and info. The cool part is that this column will simply pop into existence when the browser width is wider than 1000 pixels. So depending on your browser width, you'll get more or less info on your screen. Stop by Zune Thoughts and join the countdown to launch!

I wanted to announce the official launch of the newest Thoughts Media Inc. community site: Zune Thoughts!My introductory post over at Zune Thoughts explains why I'm launching a site about Microsoft's Zune project, so I won't repeat that here. What I do hope, though, is that if you have an interest in Zune, you'll become an active participant in the community at that site. There's never a harder moment for a community than when it's just getting started, and I definitely need all of your help in getting it off the ground. We're also looking for Contributing Editors for that site, so if that appeals to you, get involved and I'll be watching for people that stand out.A few words about the layout of Zune Thoughts: as you can tell, it's far from finished. We have placeholders everywhere, and the front page is missing many of the "hooks" into the forums such as recent posts, top stories, etc. The biggest change is the site layout: you'll notice we shifted the columns around and now have a more content-focused layout where the new posts are right at the top left part of the main body of the page. We're seeing how this "feels", and if we (and you) like it, that layout will be replicated one by one to the other Thoughts Media sites.You'll notice we went with a fixed-width option for the site, which some people love and some people...don't. ;-) We've yet to add two things to the layout: one, a CSS-based "switch" that will allow you to toggle between fixed width (what it is now) and relative width (meaning it will fill up the width of your screen). We're also going to add something I think is really slick: a fourth column on the right that will have more site functionality and info. The cool part is that this column will simply pop into existence when the browser width is wider than 1000 pixels. So depending on your browser width, you'll get more or less info on your screen. Stop by Zune Thoughts and join the countdown to launch!