Apple I- Phone

Microsoft OneNote, note-taking app is now available for Android. This app enables you to capture all your notes and to-dos on the go. The iPhone app was launched last January and the iPad app was launched last December.

Features of Microsoft OneNote Mobile for Android

Create notes with text, pictures, and bullets.Make and manage to-do lists with checkboxes.Keep your notes in sync using free Microsoft SkyDrive and also edit and manage them from virtually anywhereOffline access to your notesOption to sync notebooks only over a Wi-Fi connectionBuilt-in spelling checkerSupport for external hyperlinksThe  free version of OneNote Mobile for Android lets you access, create and edit up to 500 notes.  You can upgrade OneNote Mobile for Android to unlimited use through an in-app purchase for unlimited access. Windows Live ID is required to use the app.Download Microsoft OneNote Mobile for Android (2.3 or above) from the Android Market for free. Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. His current phone is Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. You can follow him on Twitter @ssrivatsan and on Google+

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So here we are, day three of my look into what the biggest players in the smartphone world will, or possibly should do in 2012.

We’ve already covered Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone, with both set for exciting and challenging times ahead of them, but what about the noisy neighbor. What about Microsoft?

Microsoft Windows Phone

2011 was a big year for Microsoft. With the launch of Windows Phone 7 and the subsequent deal with Nokia allowing the Finnish firm to become a major WP7 partner, Microsoft saw its new mobile OS take a leap forward both in availability and usability. Windows Phone 7.5, Mango, brought with it a selection of features which many believed should have been present from day one, and coupled with the new hardware from Nokia the early days of 2012 have already started well.

The issue facing Microsoft is a very similar one to that of Google, and that is attracting developers to a platform which is currently lacking in grad-A titles. Take Xbox LIVE as a prime example.

The big advantage that Microsoft has over its rivals is the deep integration with the Xbox gaming platform that Xbox LIVE should bring. Being able to tie mobile gaming into the home gaming space could potentially open up a whole market for Windows Phone, with gamers flocking to the platform in order to get the most out of the games they play on their Xbox 360s. Throw in some top-class multiplayer gaming through Xbox LIVE on a smartphone, and things could get really interesting.

Apple itself has recognized the importance of building a community around gaming on the go, with Game Center aiming to do what Xbox LIVE did for the Xbox. As is so often the case with Apple however, things seem to have gone very quiet on that front, with Game Center becoming stagnant and never really hitting the heights we had all hoped. In Xbox LIVE, Microsoft has the opportunity to take things one step further, and actually make gaming on a smartphone a real experience that hardcore gamers want to get into.

I would expect 2012 to be the year that Microsoft really takes the bull by the horns with Windows Phone, with WP8 possibly on the agenda during the first half of the year. With the existing hardware specifications beginning to get a little long in the tooth – Microsoft tells hardware partners what specifications WP7 handsets need to meet – I fully expect a new reference design to be announced alongside Windows Phone 8, giving the whole platform a nudge forward in the specification arms race that Android is currently winning.

Many would argue that Windows Phone does not need the super-fast, dual-core chips that Android phones are sporting, but if games are to be the platform’s biggest weapon; then developers are going to need more power to work with. Hence, new hardware.

I’ve got high hopes for Windows Phone this year, but if Microsoft does not hit all the right notes during the next twelve months, I would argue that we can all but write the company off for this generation.

Just as we did with the previous one.

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Over at the Microsoft Canada page under the Windows Phone Mango app challenge , MS seems to have accidentally posted the name and some details of Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phone devices.

“The type of Windows Phone 7.5 will vary and will be selected at Microsoft’s choosing (examples include Samsung Yukon, Samsung Wembley, NOKIA Searay and NOKIA Sabre). Wireless carrier and wireless service not included. Activation terms and conditions are at the sole discretion of the phone manufacturer and wireless carrier.”

WP Central  reports that the phone will come with a micro SIM slot and a 3.7? display. This could be a slightly lower end WP Mango device by Nokia. More information is expected regarding the same at Nokia World , the Espoo based company’s annual event. FoneArena will be reporting live from the event.

[Via - WP Central]

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If the latest patents awarded to Microsoft are to be believed then the company might be working on modular hardware for its Windows Phone based smartphones.

The patent shows how a slide out bay might be used to hotswap between a gamepad , keyboard and even a rechargeable battery pack. Some of the modules could even function wirelessly. One such use case scenario mentioned is that of a screen which works as a wireless handset or a media remote. Can we expect some of these innovations make their way to the Nokia , WP7 partnership ? We sure do hope so as Nokia is known for making really good hardware.

[Via - Unwired View]

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A few days ago, we reported that Samsung will be launching the WP7 version of Galaxy S II and it will be Samsung’s first ever Mango device and guess what? Microsoft officially unveiled the Samsung upcoming device during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner conference this Tuesday and the device looks a lot like the SGS2. As you can in the image above, it features three traditional WP7 buttons (Home, Back, Search) and you can see it’s running on WP7. The device is thin and beautiful like the SGS2 and it seems that it features the same Super AMOLED display. Microsoft didn’t tell us about the specs of the device but I hope it will be cleared soon when they will officially launch WP7 devices in September.

This device will come as a successor to Omnia 7 which is considered as one of the best WP7 devices available in the market. As SGS2 is rocking the Android world at the moment, I am sure that this device will be one of the most anticipated Mango devices. Microsoft’s Andy Lee also confirmed that HTC, Acer, LG, ZTE, and Fujitsu will also launch new WP7 devices this year. So anyone out there looking forward to the WP7 brother of SGS2?

Read

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We told you yesterday that Microsoft will officially reveal the next version of WP7 which is known as Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, we also told you about a rumor that there will be new phones, but actually the rumor was just false. The event was all about software and there was no sign of any device, but still we got a lot of information out of it. With Mango, Microsoft is focusing on communication, apps and Internet.

Microsoft also announced that Nokia first WP7 device will come with Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, and they also said that they are already working on a Nokia WP7 device and it’s currently in lab. They didn’t tell us when it’s coming out, but as we heard that Microsoft will launch Mango equipped devices later this year, you can expect Nokia first ever WP7 device around holiday time or early next year. Well, as we know that Nokia and Microsoft are in a partnership, and Nokia is the biggest hardware maker. My personal guess is that Nokia will produce the first ever WP7 device running on Mango, I am just saying so don’t believe in my words.

Microsoft also announced 3 new Windows Phone 7 hardware partners and they are Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE. All of them are leading companies, and Nokia also joined the OEM list a few months ago. So now there are a total of 7 OEMs and the names are HTC, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE. Someone is missing from the list right? Yes, you are right, Dell is missing from the list. When asked Microsoft about Dell, they asked people to “stay tuned”. It looks like Dell isn’t satisfied with their WP7 sales and that’s why they are abandoning it? Well, Michael Dell told Wall Street Journal that they want to focus on its enterprise market instead of consumer market.

Before the event goes live, Microsoft Romania fully revealed all the features of Windows Phone 7.1. So check out all the features below and don’t forget to check out the videos after the break to have a look on some of the main features of Mango.

A. Communications, with information organized around a person or a group:
- the ability to toggle between Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger Chat and Messages, all in one conversation
- Contact groups can be turned into personalized Live Tiles for a quick glance of recent status updates as well as a fast way of interacting right from the Start screen
- Twitter integration as well as LinkedIn integration with Contacts
- Facebook check-ins with better face detection and easy tagging
- Linked inbox for combining several accounts with grouped messages and conversation view
- Hands-free messaging with speech-to-text and text-to-speech

B. Applications
- Multitasking with some applications having the ability to run in the background. The user can easily toggle between them
- Improved Dynamic Live Tiles allow for easy information retrieval and update without the need for the corresponding app to be open
- Applications will be featured on Search results and Hubs and will be displayed when necessary

C. Internet
- Internet Explorer 9 brings PC browser power to your smartphone with HTML 5 and hardware acceleration
- Local Scout gives you local recommendations for restaurants, shops, activities in your vicinity while displaying them in an easy to read manner
- Improved Bing featuring Bing Vision, Music Search and Voice for easily recognizing images, tags, songs and your speech
- Quick Cards will bring you a relevant summary and applications while searching for a product, movie, event or place.

D. The Ecosystem
The platform and ecosystem will be further improved by welcoming three new hardware partners: Acer, Fujitsu Ltd and ZTE. These OEMs committed to delivering Windows Phones on a global scale by the end of this year.

E. Windows Phone Beta Tools
The new Mango Tools for developers will go live on Microsoft’s page in the upcoming 24 hours for developers to download and use to create a new generation of Mango apps and games that will take advantage of the new features introduced.

There’s still a lot more to Windows Phone 7 Mango and its more than 500 features it will bring but these are the most noteworthy among all. Let’s wait and see these in action as well as hear the others from Microsoft itself at today’s Mango Launch Event.

Best thing among all? It’s coming to a Windows Phone near you at the beginning of this autumn! Hopefully carriers will do a great job at testing and Microsoft at pushing it out in time. Might not have to wait for the Holiday season to grab it after all!

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It seems that Microsoft is set to announce the first update to its new Windows Phone 7 OS during CES (Consumer Electronics Show). The update will most likely hit carrier branded handsets by February.

The update should bring in the copy and paste function which we had earlier told you about. Apart from the copy and aste function, support for Qualcomm 7×30 chipset, a CDMA location stack and a number of other fixes are said to be included.

The second update with codename “Mango” will roll out later during the year and will be more of an upgrade rather than an update. This update will bring major changes including Internet Explorer 9, Trident 5 rendering engine, HTML 5, Silverlight and gesture support.

via SlashGear

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