The Toshiba TG01, a Windows Mobile smartphone with Toshiba’s own UI, is expected to be released in the UK on July 9. The TG01 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor and the custom interface completely buffers the user from the old Windows Mobile underpinnings. The TG01 has a big 4.1-inch touch screen, GPS, UMTS/ HSPA and Wi-Fi all packed in a svelte 9.9 mm case. No word if or when we might see this in the old U. S. of A.

Image courtesy Slashgear

(via Slashgear)

The Skype folks seem to release new versions of the VoIP program all the time on one platform or another. That would exclude Windows Mobile, as they seem to sit on versions for a very long time. Those of you who use Skype on your WinMo phone should note that Skype 3.0 has gone gold and is available for download.

This new version adds two features that users have long requested: file sharing and SMS texting. Skype is available in either a version to install from a PC or a downloadable CAB file for installation direct from the phone.

Image Credit: Mobility Site

The Mozilla team has extended Fennec, their mobile browser, to Windows Mobile devices with a second alpha version now available. Although there are a few other great third-party browser options for WinMo, I have high hopes for Fennec. The browser makes great use of the small screen by adding virtual space off-screen, both on the left and right sides of the display. Fennec is also designed to work with Mozilla’s Weave project, which synchronizes the browser experience between computers and handheld devices.

This latest alpha build cleans up some features and bugs, according to the release notes:

• Improved panning performance
• Newly designed theme
• Improved add-on support
• Improved UI polish

The prior alpha version already had these handy bits:

• Bookmarks, including tags
• Smart URL bar (”awesome bar”)
• Tabbed browsing with thumbnail images
• Integrated Web search – built into the URL bar
• Easy access to multiple search engine
• Maximize content by auto-hiding controls and URL bar
• Password manager
• Popup blocker
• Searchable download manager
• Preferences pane
• Add-ons manager, including ability to directly find and install add-ons

Sounds like a pretty complete browser for an alpha to me. Mobility Site took the latest version for a ride on an AT&T Tilt and found some issues with zooming and some other UI controls, but your mileage may vary. Fennec requires Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional or better, but you can also install it to a Mac, PC or Linux box to kick the tires.

Celio is making their REDFLY device a little more price competitive, possibly the result of the low-cost netbook market. The REDFLY looks similar to today’s netbooks, but leverages your existing Windows Mobile smartphone for processing, applications and connectivity. We’ve used the various REDFLY models and they’re ideal for a WinMo handset owner that wants a full keyboard and larger screen.

The 8-inch REDFLY C8N, which sports an 8-hour battery life, can now be had for $249, $50 less than the MSRP The slightly smaller REDFLY C7 offers a 7-inch screen and five hours of battery life and is now priced at $199, a $30 savings. That $30 difference was occasionally available as a $30 rebate in the past, but Celio has now adopted $199 as an “everyday” price.

In chatting with the Celio folks, I asked about their plans beyond Windows Mobile. As of now, they’re still leaning towards support for BlackBerry devices before the end of the year. After that, Android is a potential candidate, although plans can obviously change. This approach makes sense to me since Google’s mobile OS is gaining momentum with new devices, firmware updates and customized user interface changes.

HTC is the largest maker of smartphones in the world after Nokia, and the company behind many of the most popular phones in the Android and Windows Mobile markets. HTC has today unveiled the HTC Hero smartphone with the new HTC Sense interface.

The HTC Hero, which is Android-based, is a thin touch phone with no physical keyboard. The Hero has a 3.2-inch HVGA screen that follows in the footsteps of the new iPhone 3GS with an anti-smudge coating to reduce fingerprints. HTC has included a 5 MP auto-focus camera.

The Hero looks like a solid entry in the Android phone camp but what sets it apart from other phones is the new interface, called HTC Sense. This interface is customizable and it designed for touch operation. HTC is indicating it will be the company’s new interface going forward, used on multiple products in the future. We may have been right on the money with our analysis in the past that pointed out that HTC is removing the OS from the interface. I wouldn’t be surprised to see HTC Sense become a cross-platform interface for HTC phones, whether they are Android-based or have Windows Mobile under the hood.

The HTC Hero will be available in Europe in July and in Asia later this summer. A North American version will be out later this year.

UPDATE: Engadget points out that this is not a “Google Experience” Android phone which means that it will not be possible to download apps firmware updates over the air. Bummer as that is one of the big strengths of Android.

Image Credit: Boy Genius Report

Did anyone else expect to see the alleged versatility of the HTC Ozone? I sure didn’t. The Ozone is an HTC Snap variant that’s apparently hitting Verizon Wireless within the next 2-4 weeks. Not only is a CDMA version of the 3G-totin’ Snap, but some internal docs that surfaced on BGR show plenty more to like.

Based on the docs, the Ozone will be a “world phone,” meaning that it works on the U.S. CDMA/EVDO Rev. A standards, but also works with GSM, GPRS and EDGE. Making the Windows Mobile 6.1 handset even more appealing, at least to me, is the Modem Link option shown on the docs. That adds a whole new layer to the Ozone by using the phone as a 3G USB or Bluetooth modem. I suspect that feature will cost extra, but I wouldn’t expect it to be more than $30 a month. And unlike many other Verizon handsets of the past, GPS should be enabled and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi is included. Unfortunately, like other HTC Snap handhelds, you lose the trackball function. It looks like Verizon wanted a custom directional pad instead.

In my mind, this is exactly the type of package Verizon needs to offer in a handset. Too often, features are disabled or missing. And hot phones that hit other carriers often don’t appear on Verizon’s network until months and months go by. Looks like the Ozone is snapping them into a more competitive mode.

Mobile browsers have been around for a long time and have evolved from pretty sucky to providing the “real” Internet in your hand. Taking a look around the mobile browser world there is one observation that is hard to argue against — WebKit browsers are so far ahead of the pack that the rest had better catch up. I’ve played with all of the browsers out there and the WebKit browsers beat the rest hands down when it comes to creating a browsing experience that rivals one on the desktop. If that is the objective, then those browsers not using WebKit had better get busy.

iPhone, Palm Pre

WebKit is the open-source base for the best mobile browsers in the market. Just look at the browser on the Palm Pre, Android, and of course the iPhone, and you have to agree that WebKit is the cat’s meow. The other browsers out there don’t come close to putting full, complicated web pages on the small phone screen. Opera Mobile tries hard but still falls short.

Now I wouldn’t go as far as Gizmodo and state that all other browsers had better adopt WebKit or go away. There are better mobile browsers, like Opera Mini, for non-touchscreen phones that are faster on those types of phones and optimized for using phone buttons to control. There are also server-based browsers like Skyfire that are pretty darn good, too. Competition is always a good thing and it’s better to have choices out there. Mozilla is hard at work on the Fennec browser which will add spice to the mobile web, too.

I wouldn’t say that all developers working on mobile browsers should stop what they’re doing and adopt WebKit for their product. Only the developers can know how much sense that makes or not. But I will state emphatically that your target is very well-defined with WebKit and you’d better catch up or pass it pretty soon. So far, everything else falls short.

UMPC Portal is reporting that NVIDIA is concentrating on Tegra-powered smartbooks running Windows CE, as Android is not ready for laptop devices. This is surprising, to say the least, as Windows CE has not been popular for powering big-screen devices. While Windows CE is a more mature (read aging) OS, most apps in the Windows Mobile ecosystem don’t run on Windows CE, so I’m not sure what the gain is for NVIDIA. Why is NVIDIA reaching for Windows CE over Android? ComputerWorld interviewed NVIDIA Mobile Business Unit GM Mike Rayfield, who provided the company’s thought process:

Nvidia chose to work with Windows CE first, said Rayfield, because it “is a rock-solid operating system that has been shipped billions of times.”

Windows CE also has a “low memory footprint and a good collection of apps,” Rayfield said.

He said Nvidia is also improving Tegra for use on Windows Mobile, a close variant of Windows CE, for ARM-based smartphones.

Nvidia is working with Google to accelerate Android, which is based on Linux, when running on Tegra hardware. But it will be about a year before that delivers for smartbooks, due to existing limitations in Android, he said.

So it looks like those wanting to see an Android smartbook running the NVIDIA Tegra will have at least a year to wait. I’m not sure if a Windows CE smartbook is going to set the world on fire no matter what NVIDIA may think.

T-Mobile officially tipped us off that the successor to one of my favorite Windows Mobile handsets is landing next month. The T-Mobile Dash 3G drops in July, and I’m wishing I had a T-Mo SIM to try out the new Dash 3G. Back in the day, I loved my original Dash due to its very usable QWERTY keyboard, slim profile and light weight. The new Dash 3G (aka: HTC Snap, shown) maintains or improves all of these features, from what I saw of the device at CTIA, and adds speedy 3G wireless broadband.

The Dash 3G runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and supplements the 3G with Wi-Fi. Gone is the directional pad, which is replaced with a trackball. Last I checked, the Dash 3G got a boost over the original in most innards as well:

My only wish for the Dash 3G is that it can be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 in the future. While we won’t see the Dash 3G until July, you can catch a nice video overview now of an unlocked HTC Snap and comparison to the original Dash over at Smartphone Thoughts.

HTC is making the best Windows Mobile phones today. Its Touch and Touch Pro lines of Windows Mobile phones have pushed the limits of the aging phone OS and brought it into the modern age. The hardware of the HTC phones is impressive, but the TouchFLO 3D interface is the magic that makes the Touch lines hot sellers. This interface is dazzling to look at and works extremely well by touch, which is a hot consumer item. HTC has almost totally separated the user interface from the Windows Mobile platform.

HTC has done such a good job with the TouchFLO 3D interface that it has effectively separated the UI from the operating system. Sure, there are technical things under the hood (the operating system), but the average consumer doesn’t care about them. TouchFLO has become the de facto face of HTC Windows Mobile phones, at least the most innovative and popular ones. This is good for consumers, and great for HTC, but not so good for Microsoft. What is stopping HTC from porting TouchFLO to the Android platform?

HTC is the first and biggest maker of Android phones. It produced the T-Mobile G1 and the upcoming myTouch. What if it produced an Android phone with a TouchFLO interface? It would effectively remove Windows Mobile from the equation and still have a phone that looked like one to consumers. It would have the marketing buzz of being a “modern” phone with Android inside — a Windows Mobile phone without Windows Mobile. It is certainly food for thought for this geek.