Windows Phone SDK 7.1 goes gold, seven new languages in tow

Mango developers across the globe now have reason to hunker down and bring their apps up to snuff for Windows Phone 7.5. Microsoft has released version 7.1 of its SDK, which means no more coding with beta tools. In addition to the handful of bug fixes and a final spit-shine to the tooling experience, coders will discover the software has been localized to support nine languages, which includes English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Traditional Chinese. Redmond is also taking the opportunity to remind programmers that now is an excellent time to check into the App Hub and cross-submit applications into any additional markets where you wish to sell their wares. You've got the tools, folks, now it's time to make it rain.

Windows Phone SDK 7.1 goes gold, seven new languages in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Virgin Mobile announces LG Optimus Slider, sneakily postpones data throttling until 2012

Virgin Mobile was originally intending to celebrate the new month by flipping the switch on throttled data, but it decided to push those plans back and announce a couple new phones instead. The prepaid carrier announced the upcoming launch of the LG Optimus Slider (note: it's not the Optimus Note) and the HTC Wildfire S in October and, in the same press release, nonchalantly mentioned that it would delay reducing throughput speeds for heavy users until sometime next year. No word on why this came about, but we'll take good news whenever we can get it. The LG Optimus Slider is an Android 2.3 device with a 3.2-inch HVGA display, a 3.2MP camera and 1,500mAh battery, and will be available online beginning October 16th for $200 and in Sprint stores October 30th. The HTC Wildfire S will show up in silver at Best Buy and in white at Radio Shack starting October 23rd, and can be yours for $200 as well. We can imagine which announcement you're most excited for. Check out both press releases in their glory after the break.

Continue reading Virgin Mobile announces LG Optimus Slider, sneakily postpones data throttling until 2012

Virgin Mobile announces LG Optimus Slider, sneakily postpones data throttling until 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kodak's Waterproof Playfull records your pool parties in 720p, lets you relive that belly flop

Do you like to play rough? Good, then this Kodak's for you. Up for pre-order on the imaging company's website, is an update to the Playfull we got eyes-on with at CES earlier this year -- except this handheld camera's waterproof, as well as dustproof and drop-proof (although, only "onto plywood"). The slim 720p shooter weighs in at about 85 grams and sports a 2-inch LCD display, HDMI out, pop-out USB 2.0 and an SD card slot expandable up to 32GB. Kodak's offering this pocket and pool-friendly portable in mid to late October with a premium $120 price tag set for the black version, and the white at a lesser $100. If your high-end smartphone's just not cutting the HD-recording mustard, go ahead and hit up that source link below.

Kodak's Waterproof Playfull records your pool parties in 720p, lets you relive that belly flop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sony PS Vita caps 3G downloads at 20MB, encourages extensive mini play

Just two months to go, and gamers of the Sony persuasion can get their thumbs-on the PS Vita. While we were getting comfy with the available list of this PSP successor's dos and don'ts, out comes further info to rain on our anticipated PlayStation Suite parade. According to a report from ASCII, game downloads over 3G connections will be limited to a max of 20MB. What does that mean for you, prospective buyer? Well, kiss that 500 - 600 strong library of PSP titles goodbye, and say hello to a catalog of minis. Sure, you could always hook up to some decent WiFi to purchase and play those old favorites uninterrupted, but that kind of defeats this portable's on-the-go design. Rest assured, this download cap could still change before the handheld launches in the US and UK. And anyway, you didn't think you were going to get far on that three to five hour charge, now did you?

Sony PS Vita caps 3G downloads at 20MB, encourages extensive mini play originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 2011

This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 26, 2011:

• Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena]


• The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola]


• Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless]


• The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2]


• Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid]


• NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia]


• Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)]


• In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors]


• Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow]


• Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow]


• Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fiddy Cent gets into the headphone game with SYNC by 50, countdown to Ford lawsuit begins... now

Well, after the termination of 50 Cent's alignment with Sleek, it was only a matter time before the rapper's SMS Audio company filled the void. (After all, how do you know your cans are quality if they haven't been endorsed by a man who was shot nine times and survived.) We don't know when the wireless SYNC by 50 headphones will arrive or how much they'll cost, but you can bet the part-time actor and entrepreneur will be making the rounds, trying to sell us on the 40mm driver, 50-foot range, "professionally tuned digital EQ" and noise cancellation. While the integrated music controls are nice, our favorite feature might be the ability to connect four sets of SYNCs to the same source. Check out the gallery below and a few choice specs from the data sheet after the break.

Gallery: SYNC by 50

Continue reading Fiddy Cent gets into the headphone game with SYNC by 50, countdown to Ford lawsuit begins... now

Fiddy Cent gets into the headphone game with SYNC by 50, countdown to Ford lawsuit begins... now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nokia developing 'Meltemi' OS for feature phones?

Although Nokia still hopes Windows Phone will round out a "three-horse race" with iOS and Android, it's said to be cooking up an entirely new operating system aimed at lower-end handsets. According to the Wall Street Journal, the OS (codenamed "Meltemi") is meant to cement Nokia's top dog status in emerging markets, where feature phones remain king. Makes sense: low-end phones accounted for 47 percent of the company's device-and-services earnings in the second quarter. We're not sure if the adage "when one door closes, another one opens" exactly applies here, but either way, it looks like we've hardly seen the end of software updates out of Suomi.

Nokia developing 'Meltemi' OS for feature phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.