Pocket PC Central News Center

Microsoft will begin shipping Windows 7 on October 22.  But today through July 11 in the United States and Canada, you can pre-order the Windows 7 operating system for as little as $49.

Like Vista, Windows 7 will be available in several flavors.  Windows 7 Home Premium is the edition most Vista users will likely want to upgrade to, but Windows 7 Professional (which includes an XP virtual machine) may be a better upgrade for some business users. 

The Home Premium upgrade discounted price is $49, but increase to $119 after the pre-order sale ends. The Professional upgrade pre-order price is $99, but will cost $199 post-discount.

We’ve been using Windows 7 (the Beta and the Release Candidate) for a few months and are very impressed by how solid it is even in the testing phase.  If you’re a Vista user and don’t plan on buying a new PC in the next year or so, get in on this 50% off sale before it’s over!

Today we expected Apple to announce a new iPhone (or two), news of the Palm Pre’s initial sales and other all-around Monday-ness – we didn’t expect a fresh new version of Opera Mobile for Windows Mobile, but that’s exactly what we got.

Opera Mobile 9.7 beta adds Opera Turbo, a server-size compression technology (à la Skyfire) that shrinks requested data before sending it to your handset; this saves time, particularly if you’re on a slower connection (EDGE) and is designed to make the mobile Web a bit more speedy.  It also decreases the amount of bandwidth required to browse the web up to 80%.  That’s good if you have a limited amount of bandwidth per month on your data plan.

In our quick test of 9.7, we certainly felt the speed increase; pages loaded quickly, panning and zooming was smoother and less jerky, and the entire experience feels more desktop-esque.

View a more complete list of Opera Mobile 9.7’s features or download the new version.

Sony Ericsson has released a new ROM update for the XPERIA X1 Windows Mobile touchscreen smartphone. 

The update address touch response issues, updates the Media Panel and contains various fixes and patches for the X1.

To get the update, download and install the Update Service software, then run the utility to check for applicable updates for your smartphone.

Thanks to Kara for the heads-up.

We’ve been watching Skyfire for what seems like ages.  And, today, we’re happy to report that the Windows Mobile version of the browser is no longer in beta; v1.0 is ready to roll (and download).

For those who don’t know, Skyfire is a mobile web browser that works with its own servers to do the heavy lifting – Ajax, Flash, Silverlight, etc. – off-device, then the server sends the finished product to your smartphone. This model has several advantages, chief among them the ability to interact with Web 2.0 sites like Hulu, Twitter and Facebook.

Skyfire works with smartphones running Windows Mobile 5 & 6, and both non-touchscreen and touchscreen interfaces.  It’s also free, so head over to http://get.skyfire.com and give it a try.
 

Samsung has released a ROM update for the Samsung Epix SGH-i907 Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Smartphone.  This update is recommended by Samsung.

From Samsung:

The software update contains several patches that addresses or implement new functions as outlined below:

”Slog Dump” Fix: On certain circumstances, the handset may report a “Slog Dump” error message. This software provides an update to the network layer which prevents the problem from occurring.

Missed Email Audio Notifications: A previously released cab file for notifications is included in ID1. This enables the EPIX to provide audible notifications alerts for your emails when the device enters an unattended power saving mode.

Outlook Notes SSP Support: The update contains the ability to synchronize the popular Notes feature available within Microsoft Outlook.

Find out more @ the AT&T Mobility Answer Center…

Spb Mobile Shell has long been one of our favorite UI replacement options for Windows Mobile.  Unlike so many of the alternatives, Mobile Shell offers a Windows Mobile-esque look that doesn’t make Windows Mobile proper feel to alien when you run other software.

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 adds widgets, Facebook integration, management options for wireless connectivity and ringtones, a 3D carousel for choosing an activity, a task manager and more.  Check out the video below to see Mobile Shell 3.0 in action.

Current Mobile Shell users can upgrade at a reduced cost, and first time users are, of course, welcome.

Buy from Handango before the end of the day and save 15% with code SPB15.

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Mozilla has just released the first beta of Fennec, a mobile version of the company’s popular Firefox web browser. The new beta isn’t Windows Mobile-ready quite yet, but its arrival only one month after the pre-alpha shows that Mozilla is moving forward at breakneck speeds to update and release their new mobile web solution.

Fennec v1.0b1 (beta 1) is chock-full of improvements, including faster panning, zooming and application start time, support for plug-ins, and the addition of TraceMonkey, a JavaScript engine.

At present, beta 1 of Fennec is only available for the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, but if you’re anxious to see what you can expect from Firefox Mobile, you can also download a Windows version and take a test drive.

There’s no word yet on when we can expect to see a Fennec beta for Windows Mobile, but we’re (of course) hoping that it’s sooner rather than later. 

In this economic climate, saving money is key. Thankfully, one of our favorite Windows Mobile software houses seems to agree, as they have bundled five of their most popular WinMo titles into a single purchase, Communications Suite. 

Version 1.8 includes updated, finger-friendly applications and $30 in combined savings. The suite contains Winterface (a UI update for Windows Mobile), FunContact (a contacts management alternative with a touch-friendly interface), SMS-Chat (a threaded SMS manager), ZoomBoard (a finger-friendly soft keyboard add-on) and Weather (self explanatory).

Learn more about VITO’s Communications Suite v1.8 and download a free trial…

For the first time in months, the fine folks at Opera has made a new version of their Opera Mobile 9.5 web browser publically available for download. The new version, v9.51b2, is called a Technology Preview (read: still in the testing phase), and is compatible with Windows Mobile 5 & 6 touchscreen devices.

The primary advertised change in the new version is compatibility with Google Gears.  On PCs, Gears allows users to store online data locally for offline viewing; in the mobile world “Gears is perfect for creating a better user experience by allowing applications to cache data more efficiently, so you can cut down on bandwidth, and carry out processes discreetly in the background,” according to the accompanying release post on the Opera web site. 

In order for the new Gears feature to work, you’ll need to install Google Gears for Windows Mobile.  A .CAB installer can be downloaded here:

http://gears.google.com/?platform=wince-opera.

Quick testing of version 9.51b2 showed it to be somewhat speedier than previous versions, both in terms of basic rendering speed and in zooming in and out.  But there are still bugs and Flash support has not yet been added. 

While we’re not exactly blown away by this new version, we still think Opera Mobile 9.5 is the best of the third-party alternative browsers for Windows Mobile (which include Iris and SkyFire) and it is light-years ahead of IE Mobile. If you’re interested, you can download the Technical Preview here.

According to Neowin, Microsoft will take the wraps off a new version of Windows Mobile, an over-the-air syncing service and an on-device software store at next month’s Mobile World Conference (MWC).

Windows Mobile 6.5 has long been expected to debut at MWC, and Neowin confirms that this is likely to happen and also says those leaked WM6.5 screenshots (seen left) that we first saw in November are, in fact, reflective of the new OS.

SkyBox is a wireless syncing service somewhat similar to Apple’s MobileMe.  With SkyBox you can sync your Windows Mobile handset’s contacts, email, photos, calendar entries, etc., with Microsoft Cloud-based services.  We’re not exactly sure how this will work, but such a service would be a great addition to the OS.  Neowin reports that SkyBox may also work with non-Windows Mobile devices.

SkyMarket will be a mobile marketplace for Windows Mobile applications, allowing users to find and install third-party software right from their handheld.

You should, of course, treat this information as rumor until it is confirmed by another source or until MWC gets going in February.

A new version of Live Search Mobile has been released by Microsoft.  Version 4.0 adds several new features to the free program, one of our favorites here at PPCC.

LocateMe allows you to view your location either by GPS positioning data or cell phone tower triangulation.  Bird’s Eye View, which is similar to Google Street View, is a new way the program provides for viewing maps. Sadly, this feature isn’t available everywhere.

Other features include predictive text for typed searches and Mixed Query which allows you to search for locations in cities other than the one in which you are currently located.

You can download the latest version of Live Search Mobile, which works with Windows Mobile 5 or later (and select BlackBerry devices), right from your handheld at http://wls.live.com.

Spb Software has updated one of its most popular Windows Mobile applications, Spb Weather, to version 2.0.  The new version includes a touch friendly UI, forecast data from Foreca (MSN’s weather data provider), updated/expanded city listings and an animated 3D globe with forecast data.

Spb Weather 2.0 is designed for Windows Mobile touchscreen smartphones and will run on Windows Mobile 5 and 6.

Download Spb Weather 2.0 or browse other Weather Software for Touchscreen Windows Mobile Smartphones & PDAs.

“Conduits Technologies, Inc., announced today the release of Pocket Player 4.0, an alternative media player for Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC and Smartphone. Pocket Player aims to satisfy consumers who demand more from a dynamic media player on a mobile device, and recently won Best Audio at the 2008 Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards for its Pocket PC and Smartphone editions.

Pocket Player 4.0 introduces AAC and M4A playback and podcast subscriptions, as well as enhanced MP3 support and other improvements. Pocket Player 4.0 is fully compatible with all Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6, and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.”

Download Pocket Player 4.0

from Conduits Press Release

Google has released a new version of Google Maps for Mobile for Windows Mobile.  Version 2.3 adds Street View, Walking Directions, and My Location (shows your current location on the map with or without GPS).

Google Maps for Mobile works a lot like Google Maps on your computer: find locations, select map or satellite view, get driving directions, view traffic data, etc. Click here on your PC to find out more, or point your mobile web browser to…

m.google.com/maps

…to download Google Maps for Mobile v2.3 directly to your Windows Mobile phone.

Skype v2.5 Beta for Windows Mobile has been posted on the Skype web site for download. Available in both non-touchscreen and touchscreen versions, Skype 2.5 for Windows Mobile features improved sound quality and better stability, along with improve screen resolution support. 

Find out more here.