We reported earlier that Windows Mobile users would not be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7, now we know the real reason. Windows Phone is a complete overhaul and a new phone operating system. Apps created for Windows Mobile will not work on Windows Phone.

In a blog entry, Microsoft's Charlie Kindle,  Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, noted that Windows Phone 7 Series is different from "what we've done in the phone space before and it's different from other phones..The Windows Phone 7 Series developer platform is as different as the new user experience. It's fresh. It's pure. And it's powerful."

The development Windows Phone 7 developer experience builds upon

• .NET
• Silverlight
• XNA platform
• Microsoft's developer tools.
• Web 2.0 standards.

T-Mobile will offer the Nokia 5230 Nuron, a smartphone with apps, maps with turn-by-turn directions, and more.

The Nokia Nuron has dynamic Web browsing on a 3.2" touch screen. The device is also the first pre-loaded with Ovi Maps, a free turn-by-turn navigation solution from Nokia, and the first to have the Ovi Store pre-loaded, giving consumers access to thousands of compelling applications and games. The Nokia Nuron is expected to be available in the coming weeks exclusively from T-Mobile.

Nokia Nuron Specs:

• GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900.
• WCDMA 1700/2100.
• 2 megapixel camera with 3X digital zoom and video recording.
• Bluetooth 2.0.
• aGPS and Ovi maps with turn by turn directions and maps for US, Canada, and Mexico.
• Ovi Store pre-installed.
• MicroSD expansion (up to 16GB).
• 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor.
• White on White color with changeable colored battery covers.

The future of smartphones, look less like a clamshell, more like the Palm Pre and Nexus One according to these recent reports.  There are a number of smartphone devices being retired, a photo shows a new form factor for BlackBerry and the next 'Nexus One" is at the FCC and it is suspected to be for Verizon.

Leaked documents revealed the BlackBerry Flip (the only clamshell BlackBerry), BlackBerry Storm(the first BlackBerry touchscreen)  and BlackBerry Curve 8830 are now considered "Current devices with limited or no remaining shipments from the vendor." Other dying devices are the popular Samsung Omnia and Samsung Saga.

An unnamed source has posted photos of a next generation BlackBerry that is a portrait slider, somewhat like the Palm Pre.   If  you look at the photo the top portion looks like the BlackBerry Storm, suggesting a possible touchscreen too. 

Skype will not give you free Wi-Fi  or 3G calls when it comes to Verizon smartphones including BlackBerry and Droid..  The upcoming Skype service uses Verizon's circuit switched voice network not 3G and doesn't work on Wi-Fi reports DSL Reports.

GigaOm, reported that the Skype deal is exclusive and won't be offered by other U.S. carriers.

The deal, my sources tell me, is an exclusive partnership between the two that will last for a period of 2-3 years. No other U.S. carrier is going to get a similar Skype offering - which also bolsters my theory that Skype can help Verizon distinguish itself amongst smartphone offerings, especially the iPhone.

The Skype mobile app for Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans lets customers

• make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on America's most reliable wireless network.
• call international phone numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates.
• send and receive instant messages to other Skype users.
  
• remain always connected with the ability to see friends' online presence.

If you are thinking about getting the Motorola Devour when it comes out from Verizon, in March, you may want to watch this video filmed at Motorola. The most striking feature demonstrated is the wireless Motorola Phone Portal, that allows you to see what's on the Moto Devour from your computer and perform functions.

The video shows how the Motorola Devour uses Android 1.6 (Donut).  The Motorola Devour is side slider with dedicated-number QWERTY keyboard. with half VGA screen.

The Motorola BACKFLIP will go on sale from AT&T on March 7. We don't know if you'll flip over backwards for the new Android phone from AT&T the Motorola BACKFLIP, but you can use it with the back of your hand which comes in very handy. The QWERTY keyboard is on the back of this flipping phone. You can also unfold it so that it works like a picture frame, making it easier to view movies.
Another super handy feature the BACKFLIP is MOTOBLUR socia lnetworking syncing and networking through widget of email, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, Picasa, work and personal e-mail, and Last.fm

BACKFLIP features a unique form-factor with an original reverse flip design, spacious keyboard and BACKTRACK touch panel, allowing the display to be hands-free while one's fingers work behind the screen.

BACKFLIP comes with a full HTML browser that can be viewed on the 3.1" high-res, touch screen display and makes use of 7.2 HSPA 3G technology on the nation's fastest 3G network. Other features include a 5 megapixel camera with video capture, Wi-Fi and GPS.
It is the first Android phone from AT&T

Acer announced the Acer Liquid e, the new version of the already well known Liquid smartphone.

Acer Liquid e features the latest Android 2.1 Operating System, high definition screen, Liquid e is the state-of-the-art for multimedia, web browsing, and social media integration. It also has  a3.5" high-definition capacitive touch screen.

The Acer Liquid e offers high-definition video playback or streaming, gaming and browsing smoothly rich-content internet sites.

T-Mobile's CTO Cole Broadman confirmed at Mobile World Congress that T-Mobile will exclusively launch the HTC HD2 and called it "HTC's first entertainment device."

The HTC HD2 has a 4.3-inch WVGA multitouch screen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor running Windows Phone 6.5 (aka Windows Mobile) topped off with the HTC TouchFlo 3D.

The HTC HD2 smartphone also has GPS functionality with turn-by-turn directions from TeleNav GPS Navigator, a pre-installed 16 GB microSD card, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a  5 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED flash. The virtual keyboard will use Swype predictive wording.

The HTC HD2 will run on on T-Mobile's HSPA 7.2 network, not the new HSPA+ currently in the works.

Motorola wants to quench users thirst for Android, their new Android phone is the the QUENCH with MOTOBLUR which will be called the CLIQ XT in the U.S.

The CLIQ XT is a 3.1 touchscreen that features pinch and zoom, a touchpad, and  Adobe Flash Lite for full web browsing. It has a new media player, 5.0 megapixel camera, 3G,  Wi-Fi access, aGPS and stereo Bluetooth.

Messaging is made easier on CLIQ XT with the combination of MOTOBLUR features, a palm and pocket-friendly design and Swype, a new feature that makes responding to messages and entering text easier than ever. 

MOTOBLUR keeps happenings, messages, news feeds and more readily available for browsing and responding on the customizable home screen. Contact information, such as email addresses, profile pictures and phone numbers, is automatically synced whenever the details change online, so there’s no need to manually update.

Yesterday, at Mobile World Congress, Samung launched their fist smartphone based on their Bada operating system, the Samsung Wave (S8500).

The Samsung Wave swims with features that include a 3.3-inch AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) touchscreen display and a pushed Social Hub that combines email, IMS and social networking services. Hubs are very popular, there's a social hub on Windows Phone 7 also.

The Samsung Wave has a 5 megapixel camera, shows HD Video (1280 x 720) plays music and an FM radio. The Samsung Wave offers Bluetooth, microSD (up to 32 Gb) and 1 Ghz processor.

The Samsung Wave also comes with the third version of Samsung's TouchWiz UI that integrates messaging, contacts and calendar events There is also 720p high definition video recording ,3.5mm jack, 1500 mAh battery and HSDPA/WiFi b/g/n support.

The first looks and reviews show it to be a lot like like the Samsung Omnia II or Samsung Jet. The final review notes one commenter comes down to how many apps will be afloat in the Bada app ocean.  The odds are still favored for the iPhone and bookies think that the Samsung Wave will be a hit. Of course Wireless and Mobile News will release a Review of Reviews of the Samsung Wave after it ships and comes ashore.

Today, at Mobile World Congress, Microsoft revealed their take on smartphone operating systems for WindowsPhones, Windows Phone 7 Series a complete overhaul to Windows Mobile.

They say it is whole new fresh look integrates Xbox LIVE games, Zune music and video. Partners have already started building phones; customers will be able to buy the first phones  by holiday 2010.

Windows Phone 7 has a new holistic design system. On the Start screen, dynamically updated "live tiles" show users real-time content directly. Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a friend's latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.

Every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for Bing, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone.

Garmin-Asus also announced another Windows Phone the Garmin-Asus M10. The M10 keeps professionals connected with business and personal contacts, email, calendar and IM, in addition to featuring preloaded mobile navigation from Garmin.

The Garmin-Asus M10 runs the latest version of Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile 6.5.3 features upgrades that enhance user experience and provides access to Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which offers a vast number of Windows phone applications for download. The M10 has a sleek design with a 3.5-inch WVGA display and a finger-friendly user interface. The Billboard feature displays the most important information so users can review all at one glance. An intuitive 3D Task Manager also allows users to switch easily between running applications. Keeping the phone responsive and the navigation smooth are 512 RAM and 512 ROM, while 4GB of Flash memory provides ample storage for multimedia and data.

The comScore MobiLens  for September and December 2009. has been released.

The report showed Motorola to be the top handset manufacturer with 23.5 percent market share. RIM's BlackBerry smartphones had the lead in smartphone platforms with 41.6 percent market share.

Tips to Brace Your Wireless Communications Cell Phones and Smartphones for the Cold

Wireless phones or PDAs can be life savers in winter. Verizon Wireless offered the following tips to prepare wireless phones to work best when
it's cold outside:

• Charge phones or PDAs frequently. Cold temperatures can run down the phone's battery charge more quickly. Use a car charger to keep the phone's
  charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic on icy or snowy roads.
• Handle your handset with care. The display screen can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time.
• Keep your phone in a warm place; avoid leaving it in an outside pocket or backpack or in the car overnight. Prolonged exposure to the cold may affect the phone's display screen. When outside in the cold weather, carry your phone in an inside jacket pocket, keeping it close to your body for warmth.
• Check your phone's signal strength in a non-emergency situation to know where the signal is strong and where it's not.
• Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers -- police, fire and rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends and co-workers; etc. -- and program them into your phone. Add highway department and school numbers to check for local road and school closings and "no tow"orders.
• You can be prepared before heading outside by checking weather, traffic and news reports available on most wireless phones.

Meanwhile The Balitmore Sun asked readers to post pics of their pets in the snow.  Last night was definitely a three-dog-night.

No matter what carrier you have or your phone type you can stay tuned into the Super Bowl on your phone.  Here's a list of some ways you can get game information;

SPRINT CUSTOMERS
Sprint's NFL Mobile Live: Available exclusively on more than 100 Sprint mobile devices, this premier Sprint mobile application will give users in-depth playoff and Super Bowl XLIV analysis, game highlights and news from NFL Network, NFL.com, SB Nation and ProFootballTalk.com including:


A live round-the-clock stream of NFL Network featuring extensive coverage of the playoffs, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, including all the official Super Bowl press conferences carried live.

Follow your favorite NFL players and NFL personalities on Twitter with a live feed of tweets.

Google has launched new controls that enable enterprise administrators to help ensure corporate policy enforcement across a range of mobile devices for Google Sync for iPhone, Nokia E series, and Windows Mobile devices. Google Sync enables Google Apps users to access and sync mail, calendar, and contacts from their mobile device to the Google cloud.

With this change, Google Apps Premier and Education Edition administrators will be able to manage their users' iPhone, Nokia E series and Windows Mobile devices right from the Google Apps administrative control panel, without deploying any additional software or having to manage dedicated enterprise mobile servers.

These new mobile device management capabilities will allow administrators to:

Customer care performance scores are considerably higher among wireless customers with additional plan features and Verizon ranked highest in the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study- Volume 1.

J.D. Power goes into all the details of customer service by wireless carriers that sell cell phones and smartphones. There has been a reduction in billing problems mainly due to more customers with unlimited plans. Smartphone owners contacted their carrier more often and required more retail care.

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in wireless customer care performance for a second consecutive time with a score of 753. Verizon Wireless performs particularly well when contacts are resolved through phone calls to CSRs and visits to wireless retail stores. In both phone calls and in-person visits, Verizon Wireless service representatives perform well with regard to identifying customer problems quickly and resolving them efficiently. T-Mobile follows closely in the rankings with a score of 752 and performs particularly well among calls that originate in the ARS channel and are then transferred to a live service representative. 

The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:

• The rate of customers that report having contacted their carrier's care units has decreased by 3 percent during the past six months, with  AT&T and Verizon customers stating particularly low contact rates.
• During the past six months, the number of customer contacts pertaining to credit issues such as overdue balances and credit extensions has increased by 50 percent.
• Despite owning phones with more complicated feature sets, wireless customers with smartphones do not rate customer care performance much lower than those with traditional mobile phones (735 vs. 741, respectively). However, smartphone owners, compared to traditional phone owners, are significantly more likely to have contacted their carrier with an issue during the past six months (49% vs. 40%, respectively) and it is less likely the issue was resolved on the first contact via telephone (74% vs. 77%, respectively). Regarding retail store contacts, smartphone owners also require more than three additional minutes to resolve their issues than do owners of traditional phones.
• Sixteen percent of customer phone contacts result from proactive calls or text messages originated by the wireless carrier. This has proven to be an effective way of limiting some potential issues from escalating, as customers who contact their carrier after receiving these communications are more satisfied (751, on average) than customers who do not receive proactive contact from their carrier (738).

There' a green business smartphone coming from Sony Ericsson, the Aspen.  It's part of the Sony Ericsson GreenHeart portfolio, Sony Ericsson Aspen, allows easy multi-tasking combining a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. Organize and adapt panels to change during the day and use Slide View for quick access to common features. It's got a handy curved (human curvature) designed so that it fits in hands nicely.

It's a Windows mobile smartphone (Windows Mobile 6.5.3), therefore the Sony Ericsson Aspen, allows users to view and edit office files. The QWERTY keyboard is made for fast and easy typing. Simple email set up allows for a maximized messaging experience on the go. Secure the phone's contents through the Microsoft MyPhone service, which remotely erases phone data when the handset is lost or stolen.

The Sony Ericsson Aspen has access to social networks and quick and easy access to media files. It includes a-GPS, Google Maps and snap pictures with the 3.2megapixel camera.

"Sony Ericsson Aspen™ is the business phone with a conscience, perfect for any consumer or company who want to make a green choice in their daily work life." Said Quentin Cordier, Global Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson.

There is another Android smartphone coming to Verizon, the new Motorola Devour which Verizon hopes, will be devoured by socially-networking, texting and web hungry customers. The Motorola Devour is a soically oriented Droid and is expected to cost less than its brother.

The Motorola Devour is a slider Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad,  and preinstalled 8 Gigbyte microSD card. It's the first Verizon smartphone to come with MOTOBLUR, Motorola's unique Android-poweredsolution to sync contacts from work and personal e-mail services, including Gmail, with posts, messages, photos and more from popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. With MOTOBLUR, content is automatically delivered to the home screen and fed into easy-to-manage streams.

MOTOBLUR offers back-up and security of contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone's fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.

AdMob released its December 2009 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report on regional changes in manufacturer and smartphone Operating System (OS) share.
 

Remember AdMob data is based on the usage of mobile sites and apps, which is very different than if you were to look at estimates of device sales from Gartner, IDC, or you. AdMob currently serves ads into iPhone, Android, and webOS applications.

• Although smartphones represented only 14% of mobile devices shipped in 2009,  smartphones generated 39% of worldwide traffic on the AdMob network in 2009.
• Android traffic in the AdMob network has grown dramatically over the last year in North America and Western Europe. In Q4 2008, traffic from Android devices represented
  only 1% of overall smartphone traffic, compared to 16% in Q4 2009.
• Symbian is the most popular operating system in Africa and Asia, and continues to have a significant market share in Eastern Europe and Latin America.