The Samsung Focus S is the top dog in the Korean company’s Windows Phone lineup. It is the bigger brother of the Samsung Focus Flash in AT&T’s smartphone lineup.

The term “bigger” is almost entirely related to size here. Due to Microsoft’s tight hardware restrictions for their Windows Phone platform, the line between a flagship and a budget device is quite thin. Thus, the Focus S and Focus Flash share chipsets and CPUs. The differences between the two are in the screen size, built-in memory, and the camera units – here the Focus S is better equipped.

The Samsung Focus S, despite being a new release, should look quite familiar to you. In a rather clever fashion, Samsung’s designers have decided to shape the device as a twin to the highly successful I9100 Galaxy S II – not a bad idea given the fact that the Android powered handset is still selling like hotcakes.
As always, we’ll kick the review off with the key features of the Samsung Focus S, followed by its main disadvantages.

Key Features
4.3" 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus screen with WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA (14.4 Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps)
Windows Phone 7.5 operating system
Ability to uninstall wireless provider’s proprietary apps out of the box
1.4 GHz Scorpion CPU, 512MB RAM, Snapdragon chipset
8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging; 1.3MP front unit
720p video recording (the OS does not allow higher resolution yet)
A number of Samsung proprietary apps, including a capable photo editor
Bing Maps with free navigation
16GB of built-in storage
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
Standard microUSB port (charging)
Wi-Fi b/g/n; DLNA support; Wi-Fi hotspot capable
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
Accelerometer for screen auto rotation
FM radio with RDS
Office document editor
Built-in A-GPS receiver
Voice-to-text functionality

Main disadvantages
No system-wide file manager
Non-expandable memory
No Bluetooth file transfers
No USB mass storage mode
Limited third-party apps availability
No Flash (nor Silverlight) support in the browser
Too dependent on Zune software for file management and syncing
No DivX/XviD video support (automatic transcoding provided by Zune software, but lowers quality)

We’ve already encountered Windows Phone 7.5 Mango on several occasions. The OS has significantly matured with the latest update – it is now a viable alternative for those, who don’t want to go down the iOS or Android road.

Sadly however, Microsoft’s creation leaves no room for customization. You get the same experience, regarding of the device you’re using it on. This means that it is up to the hardware of the respective devices to win the potential consumer over – a welcome news for the Samsung Focus S, given its Galaxy S II pedigree.


source: gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Samsung Focus S review: Different kind of flagship

The Nokia Lumia 800 was released just couple of weeks ago and the Finnish company already rushes a software update for its first Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

The software update should roll out completely over the next two weeks in the countries blessed with Lumia 800's availability. As with any update this one brings some notable performance and usability goodies such as:

• Improved charging
• Voicemail notification improvement
• Replying to mail improved for Microsoft Exchange 2003 users
• Improved display switching in bright light
• Improved audio quality

The software will be made available through Microsoft Zune and will roll-out on stages, because of simultaneous download limitations. Another update is expected to hit the Lumia 800 in the first months of 2012 with another batch of improvements and fixes.


source : conversations.nokia.com

READ MORE - Software update for Nokia Lumia 800 now up online and ready

Mango, a.k.a. Windows Phone 7.1, is served - along with 500 new features. Multitasking is among them, as is much deeper social networking integration, improved message handling and more.

The WP 7.1 update will be shipping on new phones this fall and it will be made available to existing Windows Phone 7 users for free at the same time. And there will be new devices to come - aside from the widely publicized deal with Nokia, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE will be making Windows Phone 7.1 devices too. Nokia also confirmed their first Windows Phone devices will come with this edition of WP7, so the features listed below will be available on those phones as well.

We recently heard Nokia's WP7 phones will use ST-Ericsson's dual-core CPUs, however Microsoft today confirmed they are sticking with Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPUs for the new batch of smartphones. While that's not bad, we'd really like to see custom SoC solutions from manufacturers. With all the same hardware, manufacturers will find it really hard to differentiate their products but we guess, it makes sense from the software development point of view. It just remains to be seen whether Nokia will be the only maker to use chips of its own choice.

Getting back to the promised changes, Microsoft has added a long list of supported languages to greatly expand the reach of Windows Phone to new countries. The limited language localization offered so far has been cited as one of the reasons for the somewhat poor WP7 track record.

Multitasking is, of course, one of the most hotly expected features. It uses a card interface to switch between apps, very similar to what we've seen in WebOS.
Messaging is done on threads, combining various services - within a single conversation you can switch between SMS, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger seamlessly. Now that's new. We like innovation like that though the actual implementation by the users will be tricky, that's for sure.

Other messaging changes promise you will be able to dictate your messages or have an incoming text read to you, thanks to the text-to-speech and speech-to-text features.

Twitter and LinkedIn has joined the social networking prowess of Windows Phone too and Facebook check-in functionality as well as face tagging in photos are built-in. You can pin whole groups of people as live tiles and monitor updates from people in the group or message the whole group right from your Start screen.
Live tiles are improved in general - they will display much more info than their v7.0 counterparts.

App connect helps third-party apps integrate into the Hubs of Windows Phone 7.1 to enhance the core experience of the phone. Apps will also be included in search results, making search in Mango much more context aware and hopefully useful. Check out our coverage on the new search features here.

Internet Explorer 9 is coming with the Mango update too (it's based on the capable desktop browser). IE9 for Windows Phone 7.1 supports hardware acceleration.
Bing services have been extended - Bing Vision (think Google Goggles), Music Search and Voice offer new ways to search the web. A curious new feature, called Quick Cards, will give you instant access to key information (including related apps) whenever you search for a product, place, event or movie.
Local scout will help you find what you need nearby - shops, restaurants or activities will be recommended in an "easy-to-use guide".


source : microsoft.com

READ MORE - Windows Phone 7.1, a.k.a. Mango, goes official, here's what's new

The CEO of ST-Ericsson got chatty in front of Forbes and said that Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 devices will be powered by the U8500 dual-core CPU and its successors will go on to power Windows Phone 8 phones too.

So far, Windows Phone 7 devices have been exclusively powered by Qualcomm chipsets (due to Microsoft’s limiting guidelines, which were revised recently). ST-Ericsson’s CEO however says that they will be one of two chip suppliers for Nokia’s WP7 phones (he didn’t who the other was).

The first Nokia devices will use the dual-core U8500 chipset, which has been seen running at 1.2GHz. Things might change by the time these devices come out, but they look to be the first dual-core Windows Phone 7 handsets.

The CEO also said that over the course of 2012 Nokia will release 12 Windows Phone 7 devices that will be based on future versions of the U8500 chipset. He also believes that ST-Ericsson will be a key supplier for Windows Phone 8, yep that's 8.

The Mango update is v7.5, so Windows Phone 8 is already very likely in the works (and the rumor mill suggests that it and Windows 8 will be closely related).

The U8500 has a powerful Mali-400 GPU, the same as on the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II.

READ MORE - Nokia's WP7 phones to use U8500 dual-core 1.2GHz chipsets?

Mobile Review's one-man Nokia rumor mill Eldar Murtazin has pushed out some details regarding the first fruits from the 'Microkia' (Microsoft/Nokia) team up, in the form of two new devices bearing the names W7 and W8.

Not only are they not exactly the most original names but the devices in question will apparently resemble the Nokia X7 and the N8 respectively.

Nokia apparently already has one working Windows Phone prototype in their possession, the W7. This X7 lookalike differs from it's Symbian sibling by its WVGA display, 8MP camera with autofocus and a Qualcomm QSD8250 Chipset. This (or something very similar to this) is most likely going to be the company's first WP7 device. Nokia targets availability by Q4 of this year, but there's a good chance that it might take until Q1 of 2012 to see it in action. In its current state the W7 is quite reminiscent of the HTC Mozart in terms of functionality, at least.

The followup to the W7 is naturally, the W8 and there is far greater speculation as this device won't be making an appearance until Q2 2012. However plans to make this a flagship imaging handset mean it has to have a strong skill set to stand out from the crowd. Using the N8 as the basis this one is said to pack a 12MP camera, a Qualcomm dual-core CPU and an Adreno 320 GPU. Specs are most likely going to change before the official release, but this one certainly looks promising.

In total Nokia plan to push 12 new devices out across 2012 (whether this includes the W7 is unclear) with mentions of the third and fourth WP7 handsets in the lineup consisting of a QWERTY candybar with a touchscreen, akin to the E71 or E6, and a 'cheap' touchscreen device probably mimicking the abilities of the W7 but featuring lesser build quality, and weaker imaging capabilities.

It seems they could try to make a bigger impression with some completely fresh designs to really shout about the birth of the WP7 Nokia but what we actually receive could still impress. Perhaps the concept they mocked up for MWC 2011, (a concept that so well embodied both Nokia and WP7) will make a reappearance as something more tangible soon.


source : gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Nokia W7 and W8 will lead the Windows Phone 7 march

Pameran tahunan Consumer Electronics Sow (CES) bulan depan di AS diperkirakan akan menjadi ajang perang tablet yang kini sedang populer. Microsoft pun dikabarkan bakal membuat kejutan dengan mengumumkan versi Windows terbaru yang khusus dirancang untuk perangkat tablet.

Rencana tersebut diungkap situs web Bloomberg dan Wall Street Journal, Rabu (22/12/2010) kemarin. Sistem operasi tersebut juga akan mendukung perangkat-perangkat yang bekerja dengan prosesor ARM. Sebelumnya, Microsoft sudah memiliki satu versi Windows yang bekerja di prosesor buatan ARM yakni Windows CE, namun software ini sudah lama sekali umurnya.

Generasi terbaru Windows CE yang dimaksud ada kemungkinan versi yang diberi nama Windows Embedded Compact 7. Pada Juni lalu, Microsoft sempat mengungkapkan bahwa peluncuran sistem operasi yang ditujukan untuk perangkat set top box dan slate (tablet) itu akan dilakukan awal 2011.

Microsoft belum menjawab mengenai spekulasi ini. Belum ada konfirmasi apakah, sistem opersi yang disiapkan untuk yablet adalah turunan Windows 7 atau benar-benar sistem operasi baru. Yang pasti, pada Juli 2010, Microsoft telah menandatangani lisensi dengan ARM. Bahkan, Microsoft diperkenankan mendesain chip berbasis ARM seperti chip A4 buatan Apple yang dirancang untuk iPad.

Platform chip buatan ARM memang dikenal irit energi sehingga ideal untuk perangkat genggam dan bergerak yang tergantung pada daya tahan baterai. Vendor smartphone dan tablet kini banyak yang menggunakannya termasuk Apple.


source : tekno.kompas.com

READ MORE - Microsoft Siapkan Versi Windows untuk Tablet

WASHINGTON - Microsoft berencana untuk menghadirkan kembali ponsel pintar terbarunya yang berbasis Windows. Smartphone tersebut diperkirakan akan dijual pada 11 Oktober nanti.

Straits Times melansir berita ini dari Harian Wall Street Journal, Jumat (1/10/2010). Dikabarkan, smartphone dengan sistem operasi Windows tersebut akan dijual secara eksklusif bekerja sama dengan AT&T.

Perusahaan software terbesar di dunia itu akan menjual tiga jenis smartphone berbasis Windows Phone 7 dari berbagai merek, yaitu LG , Samsung dan HTC. AT&T sendiri dikabarkan akan menjualnya lebih dulu, yaitu pada 8 November nanti.

Sistem operasi Windows memang telah kehilangan pamor setelah Apple dengan gencar meluncurkan iPhone. Bahkan posisi OS mobile Microsoft semakin tergencet oleh kehadiran platform Blackberry RIM dan Android Google. Peluncuran ponsel Windows ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan kemballi pangsa pasar OS Mobile Microsoft.

Menurut firma riset Gartner, pangsa pasar sistem operasi Microsoft di dunia tahun ini akan turun mencapai 4,7 persen. Padahal tahun lalu pangsa pasarnya sempat mencapai 8,7 persen.

Bulan Juni lalu, Microsoft mengatakan telah menghentikan pengembangan ponsel pintarnya yang bernama Kin. Microsoft lebih memilih fokus sebagai penyedia software ketimbang mengembangkan handset.

Namun rumor ini masih belum bisa dipastikan. Pasalnya Wall Street Journal pun hanya mengutip pernyataan ini dari sumber mereka di Microsoft. Namun saat dihubungi AFP, pihak Microsoft menolak untuk berkomentar mengenai rumor dan spekulasi.


source : http://techno.okezone.com

READ MORE - Ponsel Windows Bakal Dipasarkan 11 Oktober

HELSINKI - Kepindahan Stephen Elop ke Nokia diprediksi sebagai langkah awal Nokia untuk bekerjasama dengan Microsoft. Pasalnya, Elop adalah orang yang memiliki pengalaman dan hubungan baik dengan Microsoft. Elop pernah menjabat sebagai senior eksekutif Microsoft selama beberapa tahun.

Elop diyakini akan melakukan terobosan di Nokia dengan mengembangkan ponsel berbasis Windows Phone 7. Sistem operasi (OS) terbaru Microsoft ini akan disandingkan dengan OS yang selama ini menjadi andalan Nokia, Symbian.

Pengembangan ponsel berbasis Windows Phone 7 ini diungkapkan seorang sumber terpercaya yang dikutip VentureBeat, Jumat (24/9/2010).

"Nokia mencoba untuk mengadopsi Windows Phone 7 sebagai kunci strategi untuk memenangi persaingan dengan vendor lain dengan berbagai macam OS mulai dari iOS hingga Android," kata sumber tersebut.

Beberapa bulan terakhir Microsoft memang gencar membidik sejumlah produsen ponsel agar mengadopsi Windows Phone7. Vendor yang telah memastikan memproduksi ponsel berbasis Windows Phone diantaranya HTC, Samsung dan LG. Sedangkan 'sekutu' lama Microsoft, HP menyatakan takkan menggunakan OS tersebut.

Langkah Nokia saat ini, baru terfokus pada ponsel terbarunya Nokia N8. Pekan lalu, ketika meluncurkan N8, perusahaan itu mengatakan telah menerima pre-order tertinggi sepanjang sejarah online dan telah ditandatangani sampai dengan 100 operator nirkabel untuk menawarkannya.

N8 dilengkapi dengan kamera 12 megapiksel dan kemampuan video definisi tinggi, tetapi analis tidak berpikir itu akan mampu mengalahhkan iPhone 4 milik Apple 4. N8 akan dijual dengan harga USD482 belum pajak di Eropa.


source : http://techno.okezone.com

READ MORE - Akankah Nokia Kembangkan Ponsel Windows Phone 7?