Tag Archives: phone

Talkin’ Windows Phone 7 Series gaming with Microsoft at GDC

We already got a look at Microsoft's little XNA show-and-tell as relates to Windows Phone 7 Series, but our colleague Andrew Yoon over at Joystiq had a chance for longer sit-down with Xbox Live general manager Ron Pessner and XNA Game Studio manager Michael Klucher at GDC today, and he's been kind enough to share the interview with us. The main topic of conversation was the company's plans regarding Xbox LIve and, specifically, how it would be integrating it into Windows Phone 7 Series. And believe us, there was plenty to discuss -- including the sweet science of porting games from Zune HD to 7 Series phones ("it's 90, 95 percent code reuse... in an hour or couple of hours, we're taking games that were written for Zune HD and putting them on the phone"), the importance of maintaining a consistent gameplay experience amongst different hardware, and the reasoning behind limiting devices to asynchronous multiplayer. What are you waiting for? Hit the source link to embark on this miraculous journey of discovery. Talkin' Windows Phone 7 Series gaming with Microsoft at GDC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper uses a Droid…. and a Jitterbug

Sure, you read reviews and take recommendations from friends before you buy a new cellphone, but have you ever stopped to consider what the inventor of the cellphone uses on a daily basis? C-SPAN has, and recently took the opportunity to ask the man himself, Marty Cooper, that very question during a wide-ranging interview. While Cooper said that he has used an iPhone previously, he recently passed it on to his grandson in favor of a Motorola Droid , which he says he chose because he wanted to get more experience with Android. But that's not all, Cooper also revealed that he carries a Jitterbug as well for when he just wants to make phone calls. Surprising for a pioneer of mobile technology? Not exactly, as Cooper actually co-founded Jitterbug with his wife, who he credits with inventing the phone. Head on past the break to watch the complete interview. Continue reading Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper uses a Droid.... and a Jitterbug Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper uses a Droid.... and a Jitterbug originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Is it Legal to Record Phone Calls? [Ask Lifehacker]

Dear Lifehacker, I get bad customer service from companies time and again over the phone, and I'd like to record these calls so I have proof. I've also heard this might be illegal—are there any legal problems associated with this? More
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Driven to Distraction: Distracted Driving in Ambulances and Police Cruisers

Lawmakers are trying to get drivers to stop texting and talking on the phone, but police officers and paramedics are required to use an array of dashboard gadgets.
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Motorola CLIQ XT hands-on

We know you've barely recovered from our Devour review , but Moto just threw another Blur-ified phone in our laps this afternoon - the CLIQ XT . We've been playing around with the Android 1.5-based, Flash Lite -supported, multitouch-capable handset for the last couple of hours -- but before we grace you with our first impressions, just a fair warning: we don't yet know the price of the new T-Mobile Android handset, though Motorola did promise us that it will hit shelves this month. With that said, hit the break for a quick rundown of our early thoughts. Gallery: Motorola CLIQ XT with MotoBlur hands-on Continue reading Motorola CLIQ XT hands-on Motorola CLIQ XT hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Texters Should Park the Car, Take the Bus

Taking public transit wouldn't just decrease our carbon footprint — it'd also end all that fiddling with the phone while driving, an insanely dangerous problem.
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Zune HD2 Will Be Like iPod Touch for Windows Phone 7 (Read: Apps! Also, Zune HD Is For Suckers) [Rumor]

Sorry, everybody who bought a Zune HD! You screwed up. It won't be a part of the XNA Game Studio 4.0 party—meaning it won't play those new mobile Xbox Live games for Windows Phone 7 —unlike the Zune HD2 . It's through MIcrosoft's XNA Game Studio 4.0 that developers get access to the Xbox Live goodness, using Gamer Services APIs. And that's not in the cards for the plain old Zune HD, according to Microsoft's Klucher: "Development for the Zune and Zune HD will continue to exist in XNA Game Studio 3.1, however, in XNA Game Studio 4.0, we're encouraging you to migrate your games over to the Windows Phone 7 Series platform." That's where the Zune HD2 comes in, which Mary Jo Foley hears is in the pipe, and "will be similar to an iPod Touch," and could ship as early as this year. In other words, it'll presumably be a part of that " Windows Phone 7 Series platform" and run Windows Phone 7 apps. Which is what Microsoft will need—as many devices as possible running WP7 apps to give the platform a running start, and a wide base of them that don't require carrier contracts isn't a bad idea. Like Steve Jobs once supposedly referred to the iPod touch as "training wheels for the iPhone," devices running around with Xbox Live games and Zune music, getting people hooked on the platform early, the people who aren't quite ready for a full phone (though maybe that's where the mysterious Project Pink comes in), is almost a necessity, really. But, uh, everybody who already bought a Zune HD, especially in the past month. Um, yeah. Sorry, but we told you this could happen . [ ZDNet ]
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Steve Jobs’ Threatening Phone Call to Sun CEO Revealed [Blockquote]

According to Jonathan Schwartz —then Sun's CEO—that's what Steve Jobs told him over the phone after Sun presented Looking Glass , a desktop concept similar to Mac OS X's. After that, Schwartz put Steve in his place: "Steve, I was just watching your last presentation, and Keynote looks identical to Concurrence – do you own that IP?" Concurrence was a presentation product built by Lighthouse Design, a company I'd help to found and which Sun acquired in 1996. Lighthouse built applications for NeXTSTEP, the Unix based operating system whose core would become the foundation for all Mac products after Apple acquired NeXT in 1996. Steve had used Concurrence for years, and as Apple built their own presentation tool, it was obvious where they'd found inspiration. "And last I checked, MacOS is now built on Unix. I think Sun has a few OS patents, too." Steve was silent. And probably foaming at the mouth, and wanting to send Luca Brasi to get Jonathan brand new cement shoes. Even while Apple uses BSD as the basis for Mac OS X, I bet Jobs realized the stupidity of his call, realizing that Sun had a very strong IP portfolio, and plenty of ammo to fight Apple back. Something that HTC—or Google, for that matter—, when it comes to phones, don't have. [ Johnathan Schwartz via Silicon Alley Insider ]
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T-Mobile invites us to ‘come experience the HTC HD2′ on March 16; release on the 24th? (update: or 23rd!)

Like clockwork, we've just been dropped a line by T-Mobile USA asking us to join them for a very special media event to check out the HTC HD2 -- "a larger than life entertainment powerhouse" -- in fabulous New York City on the evening of March 16. That lines up nicely with the company's earlier assurances that we'd see a launch in March -- but what day in March, exactly? Well, we're hearing from a number of tipsters (including trusted sources) that the 24th is the day this thing breaks loose at retail, so set your watches and calendars accordingly -- assuming you haven't been wooed into Windows Phone 7 Series' tender, loving grasp, that is. Update: MobiTV -- which has an app bundled with T-Mobile's version of the HD2 -- says the HD2 is launching on the 23rd , and frankly, they're probably in a position to know. Thanks, Stephen! T-Mobile invites us to 'come experience the HTC HD2' on March 16; release on the 24th? (update: or 23rd!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Pivot Shows Again that Microsoft Is Kicking Serious Ass [Web]

According to Microsoft, Pivot's "a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online," enabling "spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of [invisible] patterns and links." According to me, it's awesome. Pivot allows you to create and access data collections made from massive amounts of web information in a visual way. It keeps the same interface independently of the content of the collection, allowing you to dive in the data with ease, zoom out, reorder the collection in any way you want, filter data with one click, and establish relationships between different data sets with ease. To do this, it uses meta-information within an open XML structure to make those collections—which vary in complexity. Then it allows the user to manipulate the data view using Seadragon , a display technology specifically designed to move around titanic amounts of data and graphics in real time. Like Windows Phone 7 or Natal , Pivot shows that Microsoft is using those research doublons in creating truly amazing stuff these days. Download and try it in your PC now. Unfortunately, there's no Mac OS X version yet. [ Microsoft Pivot ]
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