windows-phone
Tired of your Windows Phone 7 device sending and receiving random bouts of data ? Well, Microsoft is, too — and they’ve started to reach some conclusions from that investigation opened a few days ago. Apparently, there’s a “third party” that’s responsible for the misbehavior, and Redmond’s already reached out to help ‘em make the necessary fixes; the story isn’t necessarily over, though, because they’re still “investigating additional potential root causes,” which we presume could involve the operating system itself. As for the third party, it seems a “small” number of customers are affected, which probably explains why it’s taken this long for the complaints to come to a rolling boil. Here’s the full statement: “We have determined that a third-party solution commonly accessed from Windows Phones is configured in a manner that potentially causes larger than expected data downloads. We are in contact with the third party to assist them in making the necessary fixes, and are also pursuing potential workarounds to address the configuration issue in case those are needed. At this point in our investigation, we believe this is responsible for most of the reported incidents. We are investigating additional potential root causes for the remainder of the reports. A small (low single-digit) percentage of Windows Phone customers have reported being affected. We are continuing to investigate this issue and will update with additional information and guidance as it becomes available.” Microsoft tracks down ‘phantom data’ bug in Windows Phone 7, points finger at unnamed third party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Category : Gadgets
Perhaps if there was some sort of Brundlefly-style gadget mix-up five years ago, the outcome would look like this: an HTC Hermes jammed inside a GameBoy Advance housing. This prototype, presented by Windows Phone Hacker, features some fun changes that make it feel more like your beloved handheld gaming console, and less like your dated Windows Mobile Pocket PC, including a startup GIF animation of the original GameBoy Advance boot screen, custom software that keeps the OS in landscape mode, and custom notifications and ringtones from the Mario games. Also included is PocketGBA emulator for playing GameBoy Advance ROMs on the phone itself. Of course, this is just the beginning of the project: we look forward to seeing a version where the buttons work! In the meantime, check out the thing in action after the break. [Thanks, Juan] Continue reading GameBoy Advance Phone caught in the wild (by the guy who built it) GameBoy Advance Phone caught in the wild (by the guy who built it) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Category : Gadgets
There has been a lot of discussion in the Windows Media Center community about the product’s death. The theory is that Microsoft is throwing in the towel, focusing on the Xbox 360 and intends to let the best DVR software available become stale — or worse, eliminate it from future versions of Windows altogether. After watching the Ballmer keynote at CES last week , it was hard not to get on this train as we all watched the 360, Windows Phone 7, and Windows highlighted on stage. But then something happened when the show floor opened: Windows embedded products were highlighted in private meetings and elsewhere. There was a buzz around Media Center embedded and even a price and ship date ; meanwhile, home theater PCs got no love. So after years of trying, it appears that all hopes that HTPCs will ever emerge from their niche status are gone, but the same can not be said for Windows Media Center. Continue reading The home theater PC is dead, long live Windows Media Center The home theater PC is dead, long live Windows Media Center originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Category : Gadgets
As has been discussed before , Windows Phone 7 is set to release a major update later this year, but it appears that the boys in Redmond may finally be ready to send out an OS refresh that will substantially improve the existing WP7 user experience. First and foremost, copy and paste is included, which given how long we’ve been waiting for that functionality, would be more than enough to appease the majority. The update, however, also promises significantly lower load times for third-party apps due to improvements made in memory management. We don’t have details on the specific tweaks made, but generally, the changes allot more memory for pre-loading applications to hasten things significantly. Who knows when users will receive the upgrade, but here’s hoping it’s sooner rather than later. Peep the video after the break to see just how much faster you’ll get to start honing your Fruit Ninja skills when the mood strikes. Continue reading WP7 update with faster app load times, copy and paste is real; release date remains nebulous WP7 update with faster app load times, copy and paste is real; release date remains nebulous originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Category : Gadgets
Last we heard of the HTC 7 Pro, it was taking a casual stroll through O2 Germany’s website , throwing around boasts that it’ll be on sale come January 2011. Well, guess what? That promise has just been reiterated by O2′s German Twitter stream, which says that the 7 Pro will be on sale next week for an unsubsidized price of €569 ($735). That’s available via O2′s usual MyHandy payment plan, where you dish out €29 in advance and then pay off the phone in equal monthly payments over two years. We can’t imagine HTC leaving the rest of the world sitting idly by, twiddling their QWERTY keyboard-loving thumbs, so look out for this WP7 handset to filter through to your local market some time soon. [Thanks, Mario] Continue reading HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany ‘next week,’ priced at €569 HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany ‘next week,’ priced at €569 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Category : Gadgets
