Here you go, folks, an official statement from Redmond itself on the perennial Windows Phone 7 Series / copy-and-paste discussion. First and foremost, from the onset, there will be no copy and paste in the traditional sense; Microsoft is hoping to bypass the issue by integrating into the OS contextual, single-tap instances for viewing an address on a map (let's hope it has some good recognition algorithms here), doing Bing searches based on highlighted terms, dial a phone number, and so on. But the book isn't entirely closed here, apparently, as the statement goes on to say the company "will continue to improve our feature set over time based on what we hear." We've also got a statement regarding the hacked emulator, to which a representative told us, "we have been very clear that [it] is based on early code and is not reflective of the final user experience," which is a nice way of saying don't get your hopes up on those fun little surprises (task manager, anyone?). Full statements after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 series 'will not initially offer copy and paste,' case-specific actions integrated into OS

Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 series 'will not initially offer copy and paste,' case-specific actions integrated into OS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint had promised a first-quarter update for its Touch Pro2 way back in January, and sure enough, it's delivered the Windows Mobile 6.5 boost right on time. It might not have as much punch now that we know everything there is to know about Windows Phone 7 Series, of course, but it's still a pretty big deal -- the Touch Pro2 remains one of the best Microsoft-powered phones you can buy in the States, and unlike AT&T's Tilt2, it launched with that grubby old WinMo 6.1. It's available now, complete with Sense "enhancements" and a variety of bug fixes -- so if you've got one of these bad boys in your pocket, it seems like a must-grab.

Sprint's HTC Touch Pro2 gets official Windows Mobile 6.5 update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Oh Palm. Just a little over a year ago your future seemed so bright, so renewed. You walked away from CES 2009 reborn, held aloft by a completely innovative new mobile operating system, a striking piece of hardware, and a feeling amongst the press and investors that you were back in the game and playing to win. Now, less than a year and a half later, you've nearly returned to the dark and desperate place you'd found yourself in at the end of 2008; a rapidly declining mindshare, the bottom falling out of your stock, and bad dips in phone sales. All of it is leaving you backed into a corner where the common perception now is that you've got to sell to survive at all. So what went wrong? How did such a promising launch lead to such a disappointing reality? And how can you wrestle your way back from the brink yet again? Is that even an option?

In 2007 the editors of Engadget penned an impassioned open letter to the company, pleading for many of the changes we eventually saw at Palm. This isn't a follow-up, but it's very much in the spirit. We're going to take a look at the missteps that put the company in its current spot, and talk about what we think can pull it back out. Palm, it's time for a little tough love... again.

Continue reading Palm: this is your survival guide

Palm: this is your survival guide originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Canada's Public Mobile -- one of the wireless start-ups to benefit from the country's AWS spectrum auction -- has started detailing its launch plans this week behind its contemporaries at WIND Mobile and Mobilicity. These guys are being totally forthcoming about the fact that they're targeting the lower end of the market, a segment they claim to be "underserved" by the big guys (we're sure Koodo, Fido, and Virgin would all disagree) -- even going so far as to make their launch announcement in an area of Toronto ominously described as "hardscrabble." So what's the deal? Stores are open immediately to the tune of 15 in Toronto and another 10 in Montreal, the only markets Public Mobile says it's going to target for now, with service launching in mid-May to the tune of CAD $40 (about $39) a month for unlimited talk and text. That's great pricing, but obviously, great pricing means nothing without a great network to go along with -- so we'll see how this shakes out in a few weeks' time.

Public Mobile launching in mid-May: 'you're not going to see us at Yorkville' originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

There’s no hiding the fact that when you get something new, the first thing you want to do is open up the box, pop in the battery (if it needs a battery), and then turn that thing on and start going about your business. What you don’t want, is to turn on that said device, and find out that you’ve got some information-jacking malware botnet program running on it. That’s a bad day. That’s exactly what happened to several thousand folks who had recently picked up a Vodafone Spain HTC Magic, the wireless carrier has recently admitted.

The Mariposa botnet agent has officially infected somewhere in the ballpark of 3,000 handsets, the company affirmed to Spanish media on Thursday. The company had met with their Iberian branch, along with representatives from Panda Security, who actually caught the malware infraction right from the start. Vodafone Spain provided an HTC Magic to a representative from the company to test, and that’s when all this trouble first started, back at the beginning of March. While Mariposa is the big name being tossed around right now, it seems that other strains of malware were also found on many of the HTC Magics. How was the information-stealing program finding its way onto the phones? Through the SD cards. A second infection was also confirmed before the announcement earlier this week, when a handset found its way to a security consultant with S21Sec.

Vodafone Spain is now in the works of replacing 3,000 MicroSD cards. Not because they think it’s a precautionary measure, but because they’ve fully admitted that 3,000 devices are more than likely infected. Thankfully, Vodafone itself is investigating the situation, and so far has found that the event is a “localized” one, and not spreading across other Vodafone Europe handsets. This is definitely shocking news, but we’re glad that the wireless carrier is admitting to the problem, and doing what they need to do to fix the situation. Hopefully they can root out the source, and prevent anything like this happening again.

[via The Register]

---

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Vodafone Spain launch HTC Magic today
• HTC HD2 set for Vodafone Spain launch in December
• Microvision set to ship Show WX pico laser projector in US
• Microvision SHOWWX laser pico-projector turns up at Vodafone Spain
• 100,000 PCs wiped as malware pulls “Kill OS” trigger

While the iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta has been out since the official announcement of Apple’s iPad, developers haven’t been able to actually submit their applications anywhere. Apple has given them plenty of time to make the best applications they can, for the specific reason that they don’t want buggy software marring the release of their legendary tablet device. This is a sound strategy, but now the floodgates are open, and developers can officially submit their applications to the App Store.

The kicker is, is that if you want to have your application ready to go for the April 3rd launch, you need to have your application submitted to the App Store by March 27th. That’s not a big difference from the official launch, so Apple must be cracking down on the application approval process, as well as vetting which applications are actually worth launching. We’re hoping that we see a healthy number of iPad applications ready to go for launch, because as much as we love to play with those 150,000 other applications, we want to see what the iPad is really capable of. (Even if that will take some time to actually see.)

If you’re a developer, then you got the email telling you the good news. Hopefully you’ve got the next best app, as we all know that making it to that coveted number one spot in the App Store is one of those lofty goals that all developers make for themselves. May we suggest a groundbreaking game that takes full advantage of the hardware specifications of the iPad? While we’re perfectly excited about that first iPad game shown off, we are very excited to see the potential shown off by the developers out there.

[via Apple]

---

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Apple iPad up for preorder now
• Apple iPad Keyboard Dock won’t ship until mid-April
• Apple iPad accessory delays lengthening
• Wintek fingered as cause of iPad delay
• iPad shortage after “unspecified production problem” tips analyst

The push for 3D TV is definitely going full force, and therefore seeing an announcement like this is only a little bit surprising. We are a bit shocked to see it happening so soon, especially considering that 3D TVs aren’t really that common yet, but apparently Sky thinks it’s perfect timing. In fact, they’ve got April 3rd pegged for the official unveiling of their 3D service, which lines up with a pretty big football match on the same day.

Sky 3D is exactly as it sounds. It’s Europe’s first 3D TV channel, designed specifically to watch 3D entertainment. That’s the meaning of its entire existence, in fact. So what’s got Sky so amped for the upcoming 3D revolution? Football, naturally. They’ve got the official hard launch of the 3D TV service lined up with the Manchester United vs Chelsea Barclays Premiere League match, which should see quite a few viewers(/sarcasm). Sky is offering the service a little bit before April 3rd, so customers can add it to their service at no extra cost to their already paid-for top channels. They also want you to get used to the 3D experience, by offering viewers some free preview content.

Luckily, Sky 3D is compatible with all new 3D TVs, and it even works with both “passive” and “active” 3D formats. After the initial Man United vs Chelsea match, Sky will offer up an additional 5 Premiere League matches; which will then be followed up by some documentaries, and a full range of movies, sports, and entertainment pieces. They’re obviously pushing for the 3D revolution, and as long as they’ve got the content to support it, this is not a bad thing. Just remember, you need a 3D TV, along with Sky+ HD service to really take advantage of it.

[via HD TV Lounge]

---

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Nokia N810 with WiMAX dropping April 1st?
• Nexus One arriving to Vodafone UK in April
• BlackBerry App World launching at CTIA
• Nokia Aeon gets suspicious Dutch listing: early April Fools likely
• Sony sets April release for DualShock 3, announces new PS3 bundle

It’s a pretty common belief that geeks all over the world have these crazy, intricate fantasies and fetishes. After all, they don’t get out much, right? And Japan is a hotbed for those kinds of antics, as we clearly see in this little story here. It made us laugh a little, and we can’t help but praise the fact that some companies out there are willing to do just about anything to raise whatever it is they need to raise.

In the case of the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway Co. and the Kashima Rinkai Tetsudo Co. train lines, we get maids. Yes, you read that correctly. Maids, in full “maid attire,” for an entire weekend! The Ibaraki prefecture trains are doing this, simply put, because they need more riders. They’re hoping that the inclusion of “traditional maid service,” with the full get-up and what not, will do just that. This isn’t the first time that maids have been featured in a ruse such as this. In fact, Maid Taxis were a big hit, until the crazy amount of Otaku (people with an obsessive interest in something. Like maids.) rendered the service unusable.

The train services need more riders, and we get that, so using something as a maid service to get the extra money isn’t bad. We’re just hoping they’ve got the train lines ready for the extra bodies, because surely the Otaku are going to come out in droves. Of course, they probably need some sun and fresh air, so this is probably a great thing for them, just as much as it is for the train lines. We’ll have to wait and see if this goes beyond just a weekend service.

[via Inventor Spot]

---

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• WAAV’s AirBox X2 will provide free Wi-Fi on Boston’s commuter trains
• Japan’s bullet trains will have Wi-Fi in march
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed dated for September
• New Force Unleashed DS info revealed
• Logitech announces the Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel for Wii

Vodafone Spain replacing microSD cards on 3,000 virus-infected handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

So we're in the middle of testing our Sony Ericsson X10 here -- stay tuned for that review, by the way -- and in the course of flipping through the settings, we noticed something strange: it's reporting two 3G MicroCells nearby. Now, to the best of our knowledge, you can't buy a MicroCell in these parts -- sales are still strictly limited to a small handful of test markets -- but it makes you wonder. For what it's worth, SE shipped the phone with a GoPhone SIM, but we're not sure whether that makes a difference. We're looking into the situation and we'll report more as soon as we have it.

AT&T 3G MicroCell service spotted in Chicago? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments