E-Z Life

Here’s a fun tidbit we just learned from Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore: in order to focus Windows Phone 7 Series on the idea of best serving end users, the team actually created two fictional targets consumers named “Miles” and “Anna,” a pair of married 38-year old “life maximizers” who demand the most from their devices. Yes, it’s a little strange and hilariously specific on the surface — Anna just scaled back her PR job to part-time so she can take care of the kids! Miles like to take pictures and use Facebook to share them with his parents in Europe! — but it makes a certain amount of sense: Microsoft says it’s trying to create a device that appeals to someone with both a work Exchange account and personal Gmail account, someone who needs to get work done but also wants to play 3D games, and it thinks that if Miles and Anna are happy, chances are a lot of other customer segments will satisfied as well. Of course, this is almost exactly the same message we’ve heard from Palm about the Pre, but at least Microsoft’s ideal users aren’t a creepy alien lady or a mom from the 50s — and they have a much better reason to Bing their way through the WP7S UI.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 Series targeted at 38 year-old ‘life maximizers’

Windows Phone 7 Series targeted at 38 year-old ‘life maximizers’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news, HTC HD2 owners: Microsoft has finally come right out and confirmed our suspicions that the mighty HTC HD2 won’t be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 Series. Joe Belfiore just told us that the HD2 is “not compliant with the Windows Phone 7 Series hardware specifications,” which should end any of the lingering doubt that’s clouded this issue since MWC. That certainly puts a damper on the HD2′s upcoming launch on T-Mobile, but hey — every Microsoft employee here at MIX is carrying one, so it’s clearly the WinMo handset to get until it’s eclipsed by 7 late in the year. Pour one out for the king, friends.

Confirmed: HTC HD2 will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 series originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s driving home the point that developers are going to know exactly what kind of hardware they’re targeting as they whip up Windows Phone 7 Series apps — and naturally, a biggie is screen resolution since that affects how UI elements are going to be placed, how cool they can look, and how small they can realistically be. In a session at MIX10, Microsoft’s Charlie Kindel has laid down the law that WP7S will be 800 x 480 — just 800 x 480 — at launch, a message we heard at MWC last month, but the new tidbit here is that there’ll be 480 x 320 in the pipe for an unannounced later date. All devices will have precisely the same amount of available RAM and the same capacitive touch capability, and as we’ve already know, manufacturers will be able to tack on a keyboard if they like.

Windows Phone 7 Series will be WVGA only at launch, HVGA later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Windows_Phone_7_Series_already_has_a_cool_app_Ballmer_doll’; You could argue that Steve Ballmer’s classic “developers, developers, developers” mantra is more important to the success of Windows Phone 7 Series than of any other product in recent Microsoft history, so it comes as no surprise that he’s pulled it out of his hat one more time for MIX10 today. Demoing how easy it is to take advantage of the platform’s many rapid-development features, the team showed off a gangly Silverlight version of the big guy in lieu of the real deal (apparently he had a scheduling conflict and couldn’t be around for the event). Ballmer actually recorded a “developers, developers, developers!” rant just for the app, which the visage chants incessantly; you can adjust voice pitch and throw the doll around with a few flicks of the hand. Scary? Yes, yet somehow, we’d pay $0.99 for it. Follow the break for video.

Continue reading Ballmer’s visage evoked for ‘developers, developers, developers’ demo app on Windows Phone 7 Series

Ballmer’s visage evoked for ‘developers, developers, developers’ demo app on Windows Phone 7 Series originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s that time again — the Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th at 5pm! We’ll be joined by Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Lab and OLPC project for what’s sure to be a rousing conversation. What’s more, we’ll have Joystiq’s Chris Grant on hand and Sony’s Senior Researcher Dr. Richard Marks will be showing off the PlayStation Move… and we’ll be letting some lucky audience members demo it live on the show! You’ll be meeting our new investigative correspondent Rick Karr and we’ll have more of the classic Engadget Show shenanigans that you love so much. You can also look forward to some chiptune goodness from minusbaby, as well as visuals from notendo. We’ll be streaming the whole thing direct to you via the internet, but we’ll be doing some major giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person if you can. If for some reason you live in not-New York, hit up the stream and tweet comments directly to the show!

The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:30PM on Saturday, doors will open for seating at 4:30PM, and the show begins at 5PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

Sprint is also offering 50 guaranteed tickets to the Engadget Show taping to the first 50 entrants who text “ENGADGET” to 467467 or enter online. Standard text messaging rates apply. Click here for the Official Rules and see how to enter online.

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

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Continue reading The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!

The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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