Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts

Microsoft to make cheap phones “smarter” with OneApp

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Microsoft to make cheap phones “smarter” with OneAppStandard non-“smart” phones will be able to run applications such as Twitter or Facebook all thanks to Microsoft’s new unveiled technology.

Called ‘OneApp’, the software can be simply downloaded like any ringtone on to your ‘standard’ phone. Instead of having an application store offered by a huge range of networks and manufacturers, OneApp will include a typical set of apps all determined by operators.

Instead of the applications being stored and maintained by the users, it will all be done by the operators. This is to cover for the deficiency of processing power and memory in ordinary non-smart phones, as these phones are limited in running applications.

Microsoft's senior director of mobile product management, Tim McDonough said "What we're letting you do is get access to the applications and services you want from a device you already own." He also added in saying “If you don't own a PC, or you share a PC, your mobile phone may be your first or only computing device.”

The first operator to run OneApp will be Blue Label Telecom in South Africa offering great applications for Windows Live Messenger, Facebook and Twitter.

These applications will be able to be tweaked by application developers for different regions. Instead of adjusting the software per handset, it will be made a whole lot simpler by merely adjusting the software using OneApp.

The goal for OneApp is to unlock the potential of feature phones, for people to enjoy a better mobile experience with their existing phones.

For more information, head over to their website: http://www.microsoft.com/oneapp/

Zune HD vs. iPod Touch: Who will win?

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The days are being counted down slowly, and most people can’t wait until they get their little hands on the upcoming Zune HD. But there is still a reasonably big question that many people are asking themselves. Will the Zune HD be able to take down or even take on the iPod touch? One thing’s for sure, the iPod touch is up for some severe competition.

Microsoft has done a great job with the new Zune HD with the overall design and features of the Zune. With the Zune HD rumours being leaked all the way from April until now, there should be enough pieces of the puzzle to have a good comparison between the two.

Pricing

A few days ago Amazon leaked the pricing for the Zune HD pre-orders. The 16GB Zune HD will set you back $220 while the 32GB model will cost you $290. Microsoft knows that it will have a hard time trying to compete with the iPod touch, so it set the price $79 lower than the 16GB iPod touch and $109 lower for the 32GB version.

Screen Display

The Zune HD features a 3.3 inch OLED touch screen display, 0.2 inches smaller than the iPod Touch’s. But the Zune HD has a slight advantage over the iPod touch, featuring display technology that doesn’t require a backlit light to function, therefore sucking less juice out of it.

Connectivity

It comes with Wi-Fi including music streaming; while the iPod Touch can’t exactly do it straight from the box, it can stream music over Bluetooth (A2DP). The sort of Bluetooth technology the Zune HD will incorporate is yet to be found out. Compared to the iPod Touch, the Zune HD boasts the HD radio tuner and the ability to connect it to TV’s (via a dock sold separately) and play High Definition video files.

Applications & Music

Apple has thousands upon thousands of applications for the iPod Touch and more growing every day. The chance that Microsoft has of switching customers from the App store to the Zune Marketplace seems quite dim. This is not saying that it will be a total failure, but it needs the community. Who else makes those applications for iPod Touch? If Microsoft can get the Zune to have as many applications and as many app developers as Apple have, there should be no reason why the Zune HD can’t take over.

Apple sells its songs individually, while Zune Marketplace will use a subscription method which in our opinion is a much enhanced way of selling music. For the gaming part, even Nintendo has been put to shame with the iPod Touch’s gaming applications that are out now. We can only hope that the powerful NVIDIA Tegra processor in the player will be better than the existing iPod Touch’s or at least as good. Fingers crossed that it will be a good gaming platform.

Internet Browsing

The Zune HD will also have included an Internet Browser, a specially designed version of Internet Explorer Mobile. But again, it has to compete with Safari Mobile that is praised for its swift page rendering.

Conclusion

Both the Zune HD and the iPod touch have their advantages and their disadvantages. They are very similar indeed, although because of the slightly lower price range and slightly improved features, the Zune HD should have a smooth road ahead. Little is known just yet about the battery life just yet, but one thing is for sure, Apple watch out, there’s a new media player in town! As for the rest of us, we can hardly keep our mouths shut about the Zune HD, only a few sleepless nights left folks!

The Zune HD Showcased at Best Buy

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The Zune HD Showcased at Best BuyWe all got a peep at how the outer packaging for the Zune HD looks like, but now we head for the main course. Inside the box is the Zune HD of course, with the same nice hard glass screen as the Zune 120. It will also come with a number of games, but with a chunky selection of games and applications that will be available at launch time.

It is also confirmed that it will come with the same headphones as the Zune 120 did, huge fold-out instructions, and a USB cable. Hit the picture above for full pics and even video coverage of the Zune HD provided by Zune Spring.

Is this the real Zune HD box?

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One tweetster managed to get a camera out and snap a picture of the supposed Zune HD box. With the username ‘crazyphoneguy’, he states that “This is going to be the box for the new Zune HD”. But do you think this is the real deal? We don't know about you, but we have our hopes up, and think it's the real McCoy.