As reported earlier in the month, Windows Phone Starter Edition will be a budget option for smartphone makers still looking to run a Windows-powered mobile OS.

Based on Windows Mobile 6 rather than Windows Phone 7, the point of this Starter Edition will be to make a Windows OS for smartphones available to a wider user base, including those “in new and emerging markets.”

Two versions of Windows Phone Starter will be made available to OEMs: one with Office Mobile included and one without.  Starter will not include 3G HSDPA data support, according to reports, but will support EV-DO.

This move essentially allows Windows Mobile 6.5 to live on as a budget OS option.  Mary-Jo Foley of ZDNet also reports that companies will be launching devices with Windows Phone Starter Edition later this year.  We’ve also seen references to Windows Mobile 6 living on as Windows Phone Classic, but have yet to get word from Microsoft on this point.

According to Neowin, March 23 is the day a Verizon Wireless version of the Google Nexus One will begin shipping. It is unclear from the story whether Verizon will be selling its Nexus One directly or if the CDMA version will only be sold through Google’s current retail portal.

This information is not official and was given to Neowin by “a Google worker who wishes to remain anonymous.”  But we do know that the Nexus One has always been destined for Verizon Wireless.

Adobe AIR is a runtime environment that’s brought us a few pretty interesting (and visually impressive) applications over the past couple of years.  Perhaps the most attractive aspect of AIR is that it’s cross-platform, so developers can write apps for AIR that users running Windows, the Mac OS, or Linux can download and enjoy.

Now Adobe is working on getting AIR on mobile devices. And this could be important since such an environment running on multiple device types (Android, Windows Phone, etc.) could make cross-platform software design and distribution a simpler process.

It’s easy to imagine AIR coming to Windows Mobile (or Windows Phone 7) smartphones, and to Android devices (as shown below), but Apple allowing Adobe AIR – an application that could conceivably allow users to bypass the App Store – on the iPhone or iPad just doesn’t seem like a safe bet at this point.

Take a look at the video below to see AIR apps running on the Android-powered Motorola Droid, or for more information on Adobe AIR, visit the Adobe AIR web page.

via Download Squad

This year is gearing up to be a good one if you’re an AT&T customer looking for Android-powered phones.  The thus-far-Android-shy carrier will be supporting and/or selling at least two top-tier Android handsets within the next few months.

First, Google will launch an AT&T 3G-friendly version of the Nexus One later this year.  And as if that weren’t enough for Android fans, new information suggests the wireless carrier will also launch its own version of the HTC Desire in or around June.

The Desire is a recently-announced Nexus One sibling powered by the same 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. Other features include a 3.7” AMOLED touchscreen, 576MB of RAM, GPS, a 5MP autofocus camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android 2.1.

Because of its close relationship with Apple, AT&T remains the only one of the major four U.S. wireless carriers to not offer Android phones to its customers.  That will change on March 7, when AT&T launches the CLIQ variant, the Motorola Backflip.

External keyboards are popular accessories with many smartphone users, and we often receive email from people looking for the right keyboard to add to this smartphone or that.  One of the products we’ve recommended for some time, the Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard, remains a popular choice for Windows Mobile users.

But what about Android smartphones?  Is there an external keyboard for the newest members of the smartphone club? 

There are ways to use standard Bluetooth keyboards – whether designed with smartphones in mind or not – with Android devices, but designed-for-Android keyboards are still pretty much no-shows.  But Freedom’s latest mobile keyboard, the Freedom Pro, will be among the first to get Android support, a move which is expected next month.

So if you’ve been pondering adding a fold-out keyboard to your Droid or CLIQ, the wait should be short.

(The Freedom Pro Bluetooth Keyboard already supports Windows Mobile 5.x-6.x devices, BlackBerry OS 4.0+ and Symbian 60 and UIQ3 smartphones.)

Well, it’s not a Windows Phone 7 Series model, but today HTC took the wraps off a new Windows Mobile handset: the HD mini. 

The HTC HD mini is a smaller version of the HD2 Überphone, which is coming to T-Mobile in the spring.  The smaller form factor does come with compromises: the HD mini has a slower processor (600MHz v. the HD2’s 1GHz) and a smaller 3.2-inch HVGA display.  Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G wireless data connectivity, Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro with HTC Sense, 512MB of flash storage, 384MB of RAM, a 1200mAh Li-Ion battery, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

There was no official release date for the HD mini included in the press release, but you can expect the handset to hit the U.S. sometime after April.

You can read the full HTC press release after the jump.

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Microsoft has been losing ground in the smartphone market for some time.  Faced with game-changing advancements from Apple and Google in the last two years, the software giant has needed to do something entirely different with their mobile OS to become competitive again. 

To that end, today Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 Series, a redesign and rebranding of Windows Mobile.

The Windows Mobile 7 UI has been radically altered throughout the OS.  The new interface is Zune inspired and filled with high-contrast, customizable tiles (seen left) that slide and move around the screen.  The tiles can represent alerts (new email, text messages), applications, feeds from social networks, contacts, etc. 

There are no more tiny drop-down menus that are frustratingly difficult to tap.  Everything has been enlarged for easy finger selection.

Multi-touch is now part of the OS out of the box, offering better views and control of maps, photos, web pages, etc.    The web browser has been replaced with a new, IE-based application, and includes a new font-rendering technology known as “pixel positioning”.

Continue reading »

The latest version of the Opera Mobile web browser has been released for Windows Mobile devices. 

Version 10.3 adds support for non-touchscreen Windows Mobile smartphones (WM Standard), Flash Lite 3.1 support, Opera bookmark sync (if you happen to use Opera on your PC or Mac), automatic touch-to-dial phone number linking, and general fixes.

Visit the Opera Mobile web site for more information, or to download the new browser directly to your Windows Phone, go to m.opera.com from your smartphone’s web browser.

Sony Ericsson has a new Windows Phone lined up for 2010: the Sony Ericsson Aspen. 

The Aspen runs the latest version of Windows Mobile, v6.5.3, and will debut sometime in Q2 2010.  Features include a QVGA touchscreen display, a 3.2MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a microSDHC flash memory slot.  While the Aspen will be released in “select markets,” the Sony Ericsson did not state whether one of those markets would be the United States.

Learn more about the Sony Ericsson Aspen or read the Sony Ericsson Aspen Press Release.

Looking for a case that lets you open and tilt your Touch Pro 2’s screen?  The Body Glove Rubberized Shell Case does just that.  While protecting your Touch Pro 2, it also gives you a detachable belt clip / kickstand for using your smartphone or watching video on a flat surface.

The case has openings for volume buttons, speakers, the charging port, the camera lens and, of course, the touchscreen.

Available for Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile versions.

Body Glove Shell Case for T-Mobile Touch Pro 2

Body Glove Shell Case for Verizon Touch Pro 2

Body Glove Shell Case for Sprint Touch Pro 2