The Windows Phone 7 launch is coming soon – expect to see many many ads from Redmond, Washington touting the glory of Windows 7. Microsoft is expected to spend over $500 million on marketing at launch. Windows Phone UK is partnering with Secret Cinema to bring “a new level of connectivity” to the Secret Cinema experience and raise awareness of Windows Phone 7.

Check out the quick teaser video below.

You interested ? How about Xbox Live on the Windows Phone 7 platform? Check it:

[via windowsphone7.com]

The Xperia X10 by Sony Ericsson was the company’s first Android handset. The Xperia x10 is packed with many high-end features including: 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch display, 8-megapixel camera, in addition to all the connectivity one would expect in a smartphone.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has a large 4-inch screen, making it easy to view and watch content. There seems to be a continued trend towards the huge screens. If the X10 is too big for you, there is a smaller form factor available in the Sony X10 Mini.

But the big selling point of the Xperia x10 is the big, bold screen. It is not as big as the EVO 4G display, but it does provide ample space.

Xperia X10 also comes with a 8-megapixel camera. The camera is very good at capturing shots in nearly any light level. It is not quite DSLR quality, but there are many other sub-par camera versions out there today.

Sony Ericsson had the goal to make their software be a key feature and the company did put a lot of hard work into their customized UI.

For example, part of the phone’s software is Mediascape, which can access images, video and music content from the web, as well as from the device, for a more integrated viewing and sharing experience. Users can “view photos taken on the device as well as [their] Facebook and Picasa web albums,” reads a statement about the device. “Or, when listening to a favorite song on their phone[s], [users can] press Sony Ericsson’s infinite button to access related content about the artist pulled from the phone’s memory as well as albums, songs and video content from YouTube and search results from Google,” it explains.

Another software feature is Timescape, which creates a chronological interface for social updates and actions. It draws data from Facebook, Twitter, photo sites, e-mail accounts, SMS messages and more. Items can be viewed in a scrolling menu, or the user can see a screen of all updates and communications from a single user or source.

x10 Pros:

• Stylish overall design with a nice looks and feel
• Solid battery life for a smartphone with a large screen size
• Jam packed with many high-end features such as the 8-megapixel camera
• Custom UI is quite visually appealing. The camera and other multimedia are top notch as well

x10 Cons:

• Android 1.6, (that’s right folks, an update to 2.1 or even Froyo 2.2 is not expected initially)
• Not a fan of needing to remove the battery to swap out the microSD card
• Custom UI software causes device to be very sluggish

Before the time of the iPhone I used to be completely entranced by the quality and functionality of Sony Ericsson smartphones. This Xperia X10 is seriously peaking my interest…

The Xperia device will be available beginning August 15 and will cost $149.99 with a two-year AT&T service agreement and data plan.

[image via | summarized via]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Unboxing the AT&T Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (mobilecrunch.com)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Launching on AT&T August 15th (androidcommunity.com)

Founded in 2005, the European brand Bellperre recently unveiled its new luxury cell phone.

The Bellperre luxury phone is well defined by its distinctive elegant lines, its timeless European design, as well as utilizing only the finest authentic materials. The new phone’s frame has been precision crafted out of one single piece of metal and offers the perfect grip, as its features a one-of-a-kind notch that is carved all around the sleek metal frame. Take that iPhone !!

The cell phone’s steel buttons are subtly shaped in line with the main design.

The glass window has been made of sapphire crystal, which of course is famous for its scratch resistance.

The leather and frame are finished by hard protective coatings against the most critical circumstances.

To go with all this attention to detail and high quality, Bellperre offers the ability to the customize your own phone. Bellperre offers this unique service that assures a design for every taste and lifestyle, male or female.

The solid metal frame and steel buttons are available in various pure authentic finishes, including polished silver, brushed steel, 18K rosé gold or a 24K yellow gold finish.

The leather collection represents the highest possible grade and contains 125 genuine leather options.

Select from modest classic leathers like black buffalo or brown lizard, or choose vibrant colors and textures like pink crocodile, red shark or even genuine ostrich leather. Way too fancy for me.

Here are the specs that really matter:

• GSM QUAD BAND, HSDPA
• 5 Megapixel Camera, autofocus, LED flash
• 80 language options
• Cyrillic, Chinese and Arabic keypads optional
• Size: 111 x 45 x 11.2 mm, 135 gr (inc. battery)
• 2.2 inch Display, 16 Million colors, 240 x 320 pixels
• 400 hours Standby, 5 hours Talk time
• GPS navigation, Accelerometer sensor
• Stereo Bluetooth, FM radio, Video recorder / player
• Vibration, Hands free calling, Noise cancellation
• E-mail support, SMS (T9), MMS, IM
• Outlook synchronization, Organizer

For additional product information, visit: www.bellperre.com

[via]

OTTAWA (AFP) – Queen Elizabeth II received a BlackBerry handset as a gift on Monday while touring the Canadian headquarters of its maker, Research in Motion.

The monarch is said to be a fan of the popular smartphones, ever since her her son, Prince Andrew, introduced her to them a few years ago.

Company co-founder Mike Lazaridis presented queen with the most current model, the BlackBerry Bold 9700, personalized with an image of area school children offering her flowers.

Dressed in a creme-colored hat and a white smock, Elizabeth was also given a rare glimpse inside the Waterloo, Ontario factory where the devices are made.

The site was described in pool reports as a cavernous, white room dotted with spotless workstations and large automated machines.

The polished floors are marked with yellow stickers warning people that they are entering an “electrostatic sensitive” area. The smocks worn by the queen and her entourage, including by a red-clad Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer over his uniform, guard against electrostatic shocks.

Canada’s titular head of state was greeted inside by dozens of workers in blue smocks who would normally be busy on their computers designing and making the latest smartphones.

According to a spokeswoman for RIM, it was the first time media have been allowed on RIM’s workfloor.

[via]

It’s making its way around the interweb that the recently launched Microsoft Kin phones are being shelved. According to an Engadget report, sources close to Microsoft state that Andy Lees has rolled Kin into the Windows Phone 7 team and has canceled the existing product’s launch later this year in Europe on news that sales weren’t as strong as expected.

Here’s Microsoft’s official statement:

“We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.”

Interestingly, CNET is reporting that Roz Ho — the exec who masterminded Kin under the codename “Pink” following Microsoft’s acquisition of Danger — will “oversee” her team’s move over to Windows Phone 7 before taking a to-be-determined role elsewhere in the company.

In case you did blink, here’s a product review that the good folks at PhoneArena did of the Kin One and Kin Two back in May.

With me being an iPhone devotee, I don’t really have an opinion on this Kin device. I saw the commercials and wasn’t really impressed with the overall design.

Did any of you Verizon subscribers get one of these? If so, how do you feel about the untimely demise of the Kin?