HTC has posted an info page for the upcoming T-Mobile version of the HD2 Windows Phone.  Aside from giving us our first look at the T-Mobile branded handset, it also reveals updated memory capacities beyond those of the non-U.S. versions of the HD2.

The RAM, system memory, and the flash ROM, file storage, have each received a capacity boost.  The RAM has been increased from 448MB to 576MB.  More interestingly, the ROM has been doubled to 1GB.

Why make these changes?  Most likely to accommodate the version of Windows Mobile 7 expected to be made available for the T-Mobile HD2 later this year.

In addition to its internal memory, the T-Mobile HD2 will also ship with a 16GB microSDHC flash memory card.

Ever installed an app on your Android phone that you wanted to get rid of tout de suite?  Us too.

That’s why we’ve posted a new Android Help Center article detailing the process for uninstalling unwanted software apps in the Android OS.

Read: How to Remove / Uninstall Software Apps in Android

WMExperts has posted a fascinating article concerning Microsoft’s possible plans for Windows Mobile 7.  In it, the author makes several new assertions, including the idea that two different versions of the operating system will be released, and one well before the other.

Based on information provided by “several sources,” WMExperts believes Windows Mobile 7 will come in two flavors. 

The first, a somewhat barebones version, Business Edition (BE), is designed to be run with a large amount of OEM customization and add-on software.  This would make sense given some manufacturers’ history of UI enhancements (like HTC’s TouchFLO, Sense).  Windows Mobile 7 BE, lacking some of the features and eye candy of its sibling, would also be ready to deploy sooner.  This, the article states, is the version that will be made available for the HTC HD2 later this year. 

But it’s the second version of 7, Media Edition (ME), that’s the real story. 

According to the post, this version will be aimed squarely at consumers – and iPhone and Android handsets.  Features are said to include Zune-like media controls (duh), Silverlight, XBox Live support, built-in social networking functionality, and more.  ME is reportedly still under heavy construction, and will likely not be ready for primetime until late this year or Q1 2011.  However, the author believes ME will be shown off next month at MWC as a “tease.”

The article also covers some of the Windows phone hardware we can expect to see later this year that’s designed to run WM7, “Orion,” a cloud-supported GPS system, and more. Head over and read the entire post for the most interesting Windows Mobile 7 rumors yet.

Keep in mind that very little of the information in the story has been confirmed. 

Compatibility with 32GB microSD cards has been referenced in countless smartphone spec sheets over the past 18 months or so, but so far we’ve not seen any microSD cards with capacities larger than 16GB.  We’ve waited impatiently for the promised doubling of capacity since the first 32GB mention in 2008.

And it now seems that wait is almost over. 

Samsung has developed a new process for manufacturing higher-capacity memory chips and plans to begin mass production of 32GB microSDHC flash memory cards next month.

“The 32GB microSD card … stacks eight 32Gb NAND components and a card controller. The industry’s highest capacity, production-ready microSD card is enabled by the use of Samsung’s advanced 30-nm class 32Gb NAND flash memory technology.”

Source: Samsung Press Release

Nature abhors a vacuum, and that goes double for tech news types.  When supplied with little or no information, the talking heads will fill the void with any ol’ thing, baseless rumors and guesses being, more often than not, the medium of choice. And, like an anthropologist lecturing on peoples eons-dead, they deliver their speculation with absolute confidence. 

And that’s fine – hell, it’s even entertaining – but we usually leave the wild speculation to others.  That said, we also like to keep you updated on the latest specumation making the rounds whenever it seems credible.

The latest comes from Gizmodo, which has some interesting ideas on Windows Mobile in the new year.  In a nutshell, the story states that Windows Mobile 7 will indeed be shown at the MWC in February, that the OS will ship sometime in late 2010, and that there will be – contrary to recent reports – support for at least some WinMo 6.x applications, probably via emulation.

Each of these assertions seems reasonable given what we’ve been told over the last several months, but we won’t know anything for sure until mid-year.  Even if Microsoft shows off 7 in February (and we think they will, in some form at least), changes will come between then and year’s end.  The legacy support for existing third-party apps seems the most suspect, although new, fast mobile CPUs could make this a possibility. 

We can’t imagine Zune media components not being part of the mix, and there will surely be significant UI changes.  There could also be Minority Report-style gesture controls, Windows XP emulators, a Bluetooth neural interface and…

Wild speculation.  So tempting.

T-Mobile has released – a bit earlier than expected – the Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional OS upgrade for their version of the HTC Touch Pro 2 Windows Phone.

To get the update, click this link, enter your Touch Pro 2’s IEMI, download the installer and you’re good to go.  Just remember: Windows Mobile OS updates wipe data on the device and return it to factory specs condition. 

Be sure you’re synced, backed-up, etc., etc.

Just days after word came that we would all be getting our first look at Windows Mobile 7 next month at the MWC, BSN is reporting that the mobile OS has “definitely” been delayed until next year.

Definitely?  Or Definitely, maybe?

The story cites “representatives” from Lenovo, nVidia, HTC, Microsoft, etc., but doesn’t provide specific quotes from named or unnamed reps.

While the story may turn out to be true, it seems inconceivable that Microsoft wouldn’t be able to finalize the OS by the end of 2010 given A) the company’s resources, B) the time they’ve already had to work on WinMo7 and C) the 11+ months left in the year. 

The story goes on to state that some manufacturers are retooling planned WinMo handsets to run Google’s Android OS.  This wouldn’t be much of a leap even if 2010 is still the year for Windows Mobile 7’s release, as Android 2.1 is ready to roll and updates are coming fast and furious.

Rumors of delay are nothing new, but we hope this one proves incorrect, or at the very least misleading.  Microsoft could finalize WinMo7 in late 2010 with the OS showing up on devices beginning in early 2011.  This wouldn’t be so much of a delay as the reality of the way Microsoft’s mobile OS releases unfold. 

But if it is accurate, it’ll be only the latest in a long line of inexplicable behavior from the folks in Redmond where Windows Mobile is concerned.

via DownloadSquad

First, we’d like to thank everyone who has sent in questions to help build our Android Help Center.  We’ve received hundreds of messages and they’ve each helped us construct the newest section of the site which is still under development.

Of the questions we’ve received, a large number have focused on Android media solutions, in particular music and video.  With respect to video, most questions centered on how to get a movie from a DVD onto an Android handheld.

So, we’ve begun work on a new Help Center Guide to highlight the software available to encode DVD video in Android-friendly video files.   At this time, the relevant software is listed in the guide along with brief descriptions and download links.  Over the coming weeks, we’ll add tutorials and/or tips for using each solution, so stay tuned.  Also, if you have any questions about what we’ve posted.

Read: Android DVD Movie Converter Software Guide

Microsoft has been sitting out the smartphone OS wars since they began in 2007. Today’s Windows Mobile 6.5, while a modest improvement over its predecessor, just doesn’t compare to Google’s Android or the iPhone OS (at least in terms of most users’ evolving expectations) and its release did little to shore up Microsoft’s position in the smartphone market.

But it seems the guys and gals at Microsoft are getting ready to fire their first shot against their mobile competitors. 

Engadget Mobile is reporting that Robert Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, recently informed analysts that Windows Mobile 7 would be making its first public appearance at the Mobile World Congress in mid-February. 

Windows Mobile 7 has been described by some as a complete reboot of the WinMo OS, with a new UI and significantly updated (or rewritten) underpinnings.  We hope so.  The new operating system has long been expected to be released in late 2010, but this statement by Bach is the first from a Microsoft bigwig as to when we can expect our first glimpse of exactly what Microsoft has up its sleeve.

For the sake of Microsoft’s smartphone future, the next version of Windows Mobile had better wow all but the most biased onlookers.

We’ve known for some time that the HTC HD2 Windows Phone would be coming to the United States at some point in early 2010.  Today we learned that A) “some point” is the spring, and B) it’ll be T-Mobile that makes it happen.

Early this morning, T-Mobile announced that it will be the exclusive carrier of the HTC HD2 in the States.  There was no firm date of release given, but the HD2 will come sometime in April or May most likely.  Features include a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen and the full range of wireless tech.

“… the HTC HD2 adds up to be not only an amazing device, but an amazing experience as well,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “The HTC HD2 is a Windows phone that has already been enthusiastically received in Europe and Asia, and we are excited to bring this highly anticipated device to the U.S., exclusively through T-Mobile USA.”

If you can’t wait for T-Mobile’s U.S. version of the HD2, you can purchase this Windows Phone unlocked from Amazon.com or eBay.

Learn more about the T-Mobile HTC HD2 Windows Phone…