Microsoft doesn’t intend to launch Windows Phone 7 without a large selection of useful software to run on the new devices.  Today at MIX10, the company announced a list of software and Web companies who are currently onboard and busily working on Windows Phone 7 apps.

The list is fairly long and available at Engadget Mobile, but some of the companies that caught our eye include EA Mobile, Photobucket, Pandora, Shazam, Sling Media, Fandango, Citrix, the AP, and IMDB.

Between now and Windows Phone 7’s launch near the end of the year, this list of software partners will continue to grow.  And before long we should begin seeing some of this software demoed.

Windows 7 has been running on PCs for nearly five months now (longer if you count beta and RC versions), and each passing week brings more messages from users with questions and concerns regarding syncing the new OS with Windows Mobile smartphones and Classic Pocket PCs.

In order to address some of the most frequent questions we receive, we’ve posted a new article in the Windows Mobile Help Center designed to sort out general Windows 7 and Windows Mobile confusion, including topics about syncing, software, OS compatibility, Outlook requirements and more. 

Read: Windows 7 and Pocket PCs, Windows Mobile Smartphone Help, FAQ & Solutions

AT&T Mobility has held out on offering Android-powered phones, presumably because of its exclusivity agreement with Apple vis-à-vis the iPhone.  But today the carrier begins offering its first Android smartphone, the Motorola Backflip. 

The Backflip is a Motorola CLIQ variant.  The two handsets share most of the same specs and features, but the Backflip has a somewhat novel design.  Rather than the traditional slide-to-hide QWERTY keyboard form factor, the Backflip’s keyboard is the phone’s back piece.  To use the keyboard, the screen folds out and back.

The Motorola Backflip is $99 with a two-year service agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate.

Visit the Motorola Backflip Information Center…

UPDATE: LetsTalk.com has the Motorola Backflip on sale free at checkout with a $50 mail-in rebate on top of that.

We have it on good authority that the T-Mobile HTC HD2 smartphone will launch on or around Wednesday, March 24th for $199.  This information comes from a trusted source who is already using the HD2.  We certainly hope it proves true.

The $199 price is, of course, after a two-year service agreement.  Our source did not know the unsubsidized price (though it would likely be in the neighborhood of $500), nor were we told whether $199 is after a mail-in rebate or at checkout. 

The HD2 is one of the most anticipated Windows Mobile smartphones in years, and features a huge 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen. 

Thanks, K!

As reported earlier in the month, Windows Phone Starter Edition will be a budget option for smartphone makers still looking to run a Windows-powered mobile OS.

Based on Windows Mobile 6 rather than Windows Phone 7, the point of this Starter Edition will be to make a Windows OS for smartphones available to a wider user base, including those “in new and emerging markets.”

Two versions of Windows Phone Starter will be made available to OEMs: one with Office Mobile included and one without.  Starter will not include 3G HSDPA data support, according to reports, but will support EV-DO.

This move essentially allows Windows Mobile 6.5 to live on as a budget OS option.  Mary-Jo Foley of ZDNet also reports that companies will be launching devices with Windows Phone Starter Edition later this year.  We’ve also seen references to Windows Mobile 6 living on as Windows Phone Classic, but have yet to get word from Microsoft on this point.

According to Neowin, March 23 is the day a Verizon Wireless version of the Google Nexus One will begin shipping. It is unclear from the story whether Verizon will be selling its Nexus One directly or if the CDMA version will only be sold through Google’s current retail portal.

This information is not official and was given to Neowin by “a Google worker who wishes to remain anonymous.”  But we do know that the Nexus One has always been destined for Verizon Wireless.

Adobe AIR is a runtime environment that’s brought us a few pretty interesting (and visually impressive) applications over the past couple of years.  Perhaps the most attractive aspect of AIR is that it’s cross-platform, so developers can write apps for AIR that users running Windows, the Mac OS, or Linux can download and enjoy.

Now Adobe is working on getting AIR on mobile devices. And this could be important since such an environment running on multiple device types (Android, Windows Phone, etc.) could make cross-platform software design and distribution a simpler process.

It’s easy to imagine AIR coming to Windows Mobile (or Windows Phone 7) smartphones, and to Android devices (as shown below), but Apple allowing Adobe AIR – an application that could conceivably allow users to bypass the App Store – on the iPhone or iPad just doesn’t seem like a safe bet at this point.

Take a look at the video below to see AIR apps running on the Android-powered Motorola Droid, or for more information on Adobe AIR, visit the Adobe AIR web page.

via Download Squad

This year is gearing up to be a good one if you’re an AT&T customer looking for Android-powered phones.  The thus-far-Android-shy carrier will be supporting and/or selling at least two top-tier Android handsets within the next few months.

First, Google will launch an AT&T 3G-friendly version of the Nexus One later this year.  And as if that weren’t enough for Android fans, new information suggests the wireless carrier will also launch its own version of the HTC Desire in or around June.

The Desire is a recently-announced Nexus One sibling powered by the same 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. Other features include a 3.7” AMOLED touchscreen, 576MB of RAM, GPS, a 5MP autofocus camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android 2.1.

Because of its close relationship with Apple, AT&T remains the only one of the major four U.S. wireless carriers to not offer Android phones to its customers.  That will change on March 7, when AT&T launches the CLIQ variant, the Motorola Backflip.

External keyboards are popular accessories with many smartphone users, and we often receive email from people looking for the right keyboard to add to this smartphone or that.  One of the products we’ve recommended for some time, the Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard, remains a popular choice for Windows Mobile users.

But what about Android smartphones?  Is there an external keyboard for the newest members of the smartphone club? 

There are ways to use standard Bluetooth keyboards – whether designed with smartphones in mind or not – with Android devices, but designed-for-Android keyboards are still pretty much no-shows.  But Freedom’s latest mobile keyboard, the Freedom Pro, will be among the first to get Android support, a move which is expected next month.

So if you’ve been pondering adding a fold-out keyboard to your Droid or CLIQ, the wait should be short.

(The Freedom Pro Bluetooth Keyboard already supports Windows Mobile 5.x-6.x devices, BlackBerry OS 4.0+ and Symbian 60 and UIQ3 smartphones.)

Well, it’s not a Windows Phone 7 Series model, but today HTC took the wraps off a new Windows Mobile handset: the HD mini. 

The HTC HD mini is a smaller version of the HD2 Überphone, which is coming to T-Mobile in the spring.  The smaller form factor does come with compromises: the HD mini has a slower processor (600MHz v. the HD2’s 1GHz) and a smaller 3.2-inch HVGA display.  Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G wireless data connectivity, Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro with HTC Sense, 512MB of flash storage, 384MB of RAM, a 1200mAh Li-Ion battery, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

There was no official release date for the HD mini included in the press release, but you can expect the handset to hit the U.S. sometime after April.

You can read the full HTC press release after the jump.

HTC HD MINI provides HTC HD2 experience in compact design

BARCELONA, Mobile World Congress – February 16, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced the HTC HD mini, an HTC Sense-based Windows Phone focused on delivering the popular experience of the HTC HD2 in a more compact design.

“The demand for the HTC HD2 has exceeded our expectations, and the HTC HD mini fulfills a desire from some customers to bring the capabilities and experience of the HTC HD2 to a more compact design,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “The integration of HTC Sense and Windows Phone on HD mini and HD2 gives customers an additional choice for an advanced Windows Mobile phone that is sleek, well crafted and easy to use.”

The HTC HD mini sports a high degree of usability along with its own unique and beautiful design. Precision fasteners used to assemble the phone are externally visible, displaying a high level of craftsmanship rarely found in mobile phones. And the strong design ethos continues under the battery cover where a bright yellow internal structure, offers an unexpected surprise when the phone is opened. 

The HTC HD mini utilises [sic] HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the center by making the phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were developed by observing and listening to how people live and communicate. These core tenets of Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected continue to be the key to the new HTC Sense experience. 

Like the HTC HD2, the HTC HD mini continues the same focus on people-centric communication with complete Outlook integration as well as a smart view of your personal communication.  HD mini helps you stay close to the important friends and colleagues in your life by providing a single contact view that displays individual communication snapshots of your conversations regardless of whether it was a call, text, status update or email. HTC’s Windows-based Twitter application, HTC Peep, is also included.

HTC HD mini includes capacitive touch for viewing, zooming and resizing websites, Microsoft® Office files, PDF documents and pictures easier with just a pinch of your fingers.  HD mini also includes a variety of sensors including a proximity sensor that is used to prevent false screen touches when the phone is picked up to answer or make a call.  A light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the display.  Leveraging its 3G broadband connectivity, the HTC HD mini also offers personal Wi-Fi anywhere for your computer or other devices. The HD mini can also be further enhanced to reflect your needs and style by downloading a variety of applications from the Windows® Marketplace for Mobile.