The guys at MobileTechWorld appear to have got their hands on some WinMo 7 specs which includes talk that the browsing experience is currently “better/faster” than the iPhone 3G and that Microsoft is “aiming towards” the 3GS. While that all sounds impressive, we fully expect an iPhone 4 to be on the horizon by the time Windows Mobile 7 hits the streets.

PPCGeeks believes they have come across similar WinMo 7 details which they describe as “truly amazing information” regarding the mobile OS update.

It seems while we probably won’t see a Zune phone, Windows Mobile 7 is likely to sport an interface “very similar” to the Zune HD interface, and will feature a UI, codenamed METRO that has been described as “very clean, “soulful” and “alive.”

Not so good news perhaps is that the OS does not appear to support multitasking, which means applications will be paused in the background. There is no sign of Flash support, or NETCF backwards compatibility with older applications, however there are “high hopes” of adding the latter to WinMo 7 eventually.

There looks like there will be room for Xbox integration with the ability to purchase games, Zune integration and a try before you buy setup in Marketplace.

While there…

It’s the new summer ritual: Apple announces a new iPhone, chock-full of alluring new features, and folks line up to buy it at Apple and AT&T stores.

This happened again last month with the iPhone 3GS. It’s got a significant software update, a handful of new capabilities and dozens of other small improvements. But there are some subtle differences to the scenario this time that are giving iPhone fans pause.

The previous model, the iPhone 3G, was a megahit. It sold an estimated 15 million units since its July 2008 release through March 2009 — based on Apple’s quarterly financial statements — and its 8-gigabyte version is still available for $99.

The 3G was a huge leap over the original iPhone, bringing access to faster 3G data networks and the advent of the iTunes App Store, which now contains a mind-boggling 50,000 applications for the iPhone.

The release of the 3GS was a more subdued affair. Yes, there were lines when it was launched on June 19, but nothing like the 3G’s circus.

Now, iPhone users are typically an enthusiastic lot. The vast majority love the phone and would love to have the latest model.

And the iPhone 3GS is an excellent phone, a definite step…

Smartphone maker HTC will begin selling the Hero,
its new “Google phone,” in July –
competing in the increasingly crowded smartphone market with Apple’s iPhone 3G S and Palm’s Pre.

The Taiwan-based company said the Hero is the first Google phone with its new “Sense” customized user interface.

The new phone has bevelled edges and an angled bottom contoured to fit against the face.

It features a 3.2-inch touch screen, coated with Teflon for smudge resistance, a built-in 5.0-megapixel auto-focus camera, GPS with digital compas and access to popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to view status updates and share photos.

The smartphone also has a dedicated search button to search through Twitter, locate people in the contact list and find emails in the inbox.

“The HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to the people and accessing your important information,” said Peter Chou, HTC’s chief executive. “Sense is a distinct experience created to make HTC phones more simple for people to use.”

The HTC Hero is available in Europe starting in July, Asia in the summer and North America later in 2009.

When I filled up the iPhone with mobile apps, one of the first apps that I downloaded and put on the iPhone home screen was the Google app. Since Google is the homepage on all the PCs and laptops that I work on, I assumed my behaviour on the iPhone would be similar to the computer. I was wrong.

Once I downloaded a fleet of useful iPhone apps, I quickly discovered that I used Google far less on the iPhone than I do on a computer  — even over Wi-Fi and even when doing many of the same activities. That is partly due to the fact that mobile search needs to improve, but it is also do to the nature of the smartphone itself.

When I’m sitting at a computer, I typically use Google at least two to three times per hour. It is usually the first place I go to get information. Google is not as much of a sleuth as it is a concierge. For example, when I’m pulling up a site, I often don’t use a bookmark or type the URL into the address bar. It is just quicker to open my Google homepage and type in the company…

Soon after the iPhone OS 3.0 beta was released, developers were quick to find data strings which hinted at Apple’s future hardware plans for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

One of those data strings made reference to “iPhone 2,1″, which is largely believed to be Apple’s method of numerically labeling the next iPhone model. To put it into context, the original iPhone was referenced as “iPhone 1,1″ while the upgraded iPhone 3G was referenced as “iPhone 1,2″. Interestingly, when Apple makes a significant hardware upgrade, the first number in the string increases. Relatively minor hardware upgrades result in the second number in the string increasing. Needless to say, the upcoming iPhone upgrade is going to be a doozy, with a number of rumored improvements such as a higher quality camera lens with auto-focus, and video recording capabilities.

Now, developers have unearthed images from within the iPhone 3.0 SDK which are titled “iPhone 2,1″. But before you jump out of your seat with excitement, there doesn’t seem to be anything too noteworthy about the photos. As a matter of fact, the pictures, if accurate, indicate that the upcoming iPhone model will look almost exactly like the current iPhone 3G. Of note, the iPhone…