The smartphone sector is one of the fastest moving sectors in the mobile tech space. New phones appear almost daily, and the resultant race for the latest and greatest is a hectic one. Savvy consumers may be the only ones concerned about technical details such as OS version installed on a given phone, but it can make a big difference when it comes time to make a purchase. It is not always a given that smartphone X will get the next big OS upgrade, and even if it does the timing of said upgrade is not always fast. That leads to the question — how fast is fast enough for smartphone upgrades?

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The week marches on and today being Saturday means it is time to recap the recent happenings in the world of Windows Mobile. It was a quiet week on the Windows Mobile front, perhaps the hoopla with the launch of the Droid and Palm Pixi kept WinMo providers quiet until it all blew over. The Windows Marketplace for Mobile turned the lights on for business, making a place for Windows phone owners to go for the latest and greatest in apps for WinMo. Phones with the Windows Marketplace app get purchased apps pushed OTA to the phone. The Marketplace is confined to Windows phones running WM6.5 currently, but Microsoft confirmed it would be available for WM6.0 and 6.1 later this month.

Windows Mobile 7 is the upcoming version of the mobile OS that everyone, including Microsoft, is expecting to help bring the smartphone platform up to speed competitively. WM7 is long overdue, even Ballmer thinks so, and according to those in the know it is still on track for a release during the third quarter of 2010. That’s almost a year away, and I wonder how far the competition will go in that time. WM7 could be obsolete before it’s even released.

Looking for a Windows Mobile software experience like Apple’s iTunes App Store or Amazon’s Kindle store? Then you’ll want to hit Microsoft’s new online Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which just gained new features. The website now makes it an easier to scour the store for applications and directly buy software. Any purchase made online is sent to your Windows Phone or Windows Mobile device over the air — you’ll need to run the Windows Marketplace client on your handset for the wireless magic to happen. That makes it pretty easy to buy and install titles.

I definitely like the idea of a web-based store as opposed to the iTunes client software approach used by Apple — you can access this store from just about any computer. In fact, based on my hands on experience with the Marketplace on a Windows Phone, I’d probably use the online store over the handset store, but that’s just me. I’m curious — who’s using the store on the handset and who prefers the marketplace on a bigger screen?

Along with the storefront update, Microsoft also confirmed that Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices will gain access to the Marketplace later this month. That information isn’t new, but it’s a nice confirmation that everything is still on track for those oldies but goodies.

Microsoft just released Windows Mobile 6.5 last month, but already, there’s talk of testing Windows Mobile 7. That might explain why 6.5 is more of a minor bump after all the time between it and the prior version. WMPowerUser caught wind of the “Maldives” WinMo 7 tester program, allegedly slated for the first quarter of 2010. Now by “tester program” I mean testing by handset manufacturers, not for average Joes and Janes. And there’s no indication that Windows Mobile 7 will hit any earlier than the third quarter of 2010. But it’s a positive sign as other mobile operating systems have caught up to, and in many ways passed, Windows Mobile over the last two years alone.

The big question in my mind isn’t where Windows Mobile 7 will be when it arrives, but rather, where will all of its competitors be at that time. Apple appears to be on a major release schedule each June or July with updated handsets and new operating system features. Google is proving that it can press the gas pedal with Android updates, too — not long after version 1.6 hit the air, we saw a flashier version 2.0 arrive. Nokia’s first Maemo phone is now shipping, but updates for that platform have no history to form a basis. BlackBerry also continues to move forward and, of course, some of us are still waiting for more great things from Palm.

Three quarters of a year can be a lifetime for mobile devices, so my hope is that Microsoft debuts something that’s ahead of its time with Windows Mobile 7.

Windows Mobile gets no respect from smartphone makers, with a number of them already deserting the phone OS for alternatives. An investment note claims that consumer electronics giant Samsung is also scaling back the phones it will produce using WinMo. HMC Investment Securities analyst Greg Noh says that Samsung’s phone line will drop from 80 percent WinMo currently, to 50 percent next year and down to 20 percent in 2012.

Samsung is expected to increase its use of Android to 30 percent of its product line next year, and keep its usage at that level. The usage of Symbian on Samsung phones will drop to just a few percent, with dropping it entirely planned for 2011.

The analyst goes on to claim that Samsung is developing its own smartphone OS, and it will start appearing on its phones next year. The new proprietary OS usage will expand to gradually encompass half of Samsung’s product line.

“If accurate, the switch in strategy may reflect a combined larger exodus away from Windows Mobile for those major firms that still use the platform. HTC, the largest single Windows Mobile device maker, has already been rumored as switching more than half of its 2010 phones to Android. LG has signed a pact with Microsoft to make Windows Mobile phones but even now has introduced its first Android phone and is said by HMC to be extending its use significantly more.”

The week marches on and today being Saturday means it is time to recap the recent happenings in the world of Windows Mobile. HTC continues to dominate the Windows Mobile world with the confirmation this week that the HD2 will be coming to the U. S. in early 2010. The company was not willing to commit to the pricing nor the carrier that will be selling the HD2.

The HD2 is looking to be the WinMo phone to beat with the best hardware configuration currently available. The Snapdragon processor running at 1 GHz wrapped in a casing that is thin and light start the magic. The large display coupled with the first WinMo-powered capacitive digitizer round out the offering, and make it easy to understand why enthusiasts find the HD2 to be the phone of the hour. An extensive review of the HD2 at Mobility Minded covers every aspect of the phone, and is a must-read for anyone trying to understand why the phone has tech enthusiasts buzzing.

The folks at Modaco understand that some folks have to see things for themselves and have published an extensive video demonstration of the HD2. You’ll need to set aside a full 44 minutes to watch the whole thing, but the video covers every aspect of the phone, including the new HTC Sense interface that drives the HD2. The video clearly demonstrates that HTC has made complete operation of the phone finger-friendly, something they had to do to make Windows Mobile 6.5 work with that capacitive digitizer. No stylus is required to use this bad boy thanks to HTC Sense.

Say what? Did you read that headline correctly? I believe that you did, and it is befuddling to say the least. Microsoft has signed an agreement with BSquare giving them the international rights to distribute and support Windows Mobile products, including Windows Mobile 6.5.

“Microsoft is pleased to announce Bsquare as the first distributor for the Mobile Indirect Channel initiative. Microsoft continues to enrich and expand its Windows Mobile ecosystem and build upon the stability, reliability, performance and richness of Windows Mobile,” said Daren Mancini, general manager in the OEM division at Microsoft. “As developers and OEMs expand the number of mobile applications, services and devices, Microsoft is taking a new approach to sell and support Windows Mobile to a broader base of both consumer- and enterprise-focused Windows Mobile customers. Bsquare is uniquely positioned to leverage its deep knowledge of the Windows Mobile operating system, ecosystem and marketplace and serve the broader base of customers with its consultative approach.”

It is too early to gauge the implications of the agreement, but it may indicate Microsoft is positioning itself to produce Windows phone hardware directly. Having an outside company handling the software platform would give Microsoft a buffer from potential partner complaints of competing with licensees. Microsoft has not stated they will produce phone hardware, but it has been rumored for some time.

The full press release is after the jump.

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The HTC HD2 is definitely looking like the best-equipped smartphone, superphone, app phone, phone out there, without doubt. The large screen and powerful Snapdragon processor make the HD2 the phone to beat, hardware-wise.

Mobility Minded has published an extensive review that gets my tech lust going into overdrive. The HTC Sense UI coupled with Windows Mobile 6.5 looks phenomenal, and their findings about the performance of the HD2 were outstanding. They give the most comprehensive look at the Sense interface I have seen, and it is impressive how deep HTC has ingrained it into the operation of the phone.

The HD2 has some interesting utilities, such as the Wi-Fi router app and the Worldcard app that snaps photos of business cards and converts them to Outlook contacts. There is even a way to wirelessly print from the phone to a Bluetooth or network printer.

Check out the review to see why the HTC HD2 is a phone I really want to get in hand. The review conclusion sums it up well (emphasis theirs):

The HTC HD2 is a very well balanced Windows Phone for various usage scenarios, and with a bulk load of added value not only in terms of technology and hardware but also in terms of software innovations as well. HTC has done an amazing job and set the bars significantly higher.

We’ve already heard that the top-tier Windows phone, the HTC HD2, would be coming to the U.S. in early 2010, and having received word from HTC, it is now official. The HD2 is soon to be available in Europe and Asia. HTC cannot confirm at this time pricing or which carrier in the U.S. will carry the HD2.

The HD2 is the thin smartphone with the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor running that gorgeous 4.3-inch screen that houses the first WinMo capacitive digitizer. The HD2 is easily looking like the WinMo phone to have, and it will be very interesting to see which U.S. carrier picks it up.

I was asked about the ability to remotely access a Windows computer from a BlackBerry, and I admit I wasn’t up to speed on what solutions are available. I have tested various methods in the past, but I don’t access my PC desktops through a phone as a rule. It is not easy working with a large desktop on a small phone screen, but those who need this ability find it very useful. I know some system support folks who do this regularly, and it often saves them a trip to sit down in front of the computer. I started searching around the web for such a solution, and found the Remote Desktop Manager Plus (RDM+) from SHAPE Services that looks pretty useful.

RDM+ does indeed work with certain BlackBerry models (Storm included), but there are clients for other phones too. There are client apps for the iPhone/ iPod Touch, Windows Mobile, Java phones and the old Palm OS. There is no Android nor WebOS version that I could find. There is also a client to allow remotely connecting via another web-connected computer.

The program consists of one of the clients, and a host application for the computer to be remotely accessed. The host can work with any flavor of Windows, 7 included, and there is a Mac version. This means you can effectively work with any Mac or Windows computer, from almost any phone. That is a very powerful combination, and it looks to be a viable utility for those needing remote access from anywhere. I have not used it myself, but would love to hear from those who are using RDM+. The program is an expensive $40, but there is no subscription and this price includes all future upgrades.