In addition to Windows Mobile 7, the platform, Steve Ballmer unleashed nine shiny new phones from various companies such as Samsung and HTC on the world today, and called them Windows Phone 7. Three of the phones will be sold through AT&T in the US next month. Stephen Fry, a self-avowed Mac fan, has this to say about the phone at a launch event in London: “When I got one of these (phones) my first feeling was it’s fun to play with. I have felt enormous pleasure using this phone,” Fry said. “Yes, I love Apple, but I’m not a monotheist. I want biodiversity in this market and all of us that love it should welcome…

You need a computer you can take anywhere, a laptop designed for life on the site or the road. You need it to be shock-resistant, but you want it to have power. For you, good news, with Panasonic today updating some of the models in its Toughbook laptop range. The Toughbook CF-52 now runs on the Intel Core i5 (up to 2.53GHz) processor and includes 2GB RAM and up to a 250GB shock-mounted hard drive. It also has a bevy of wireless connectivity options. We like that this machine’s been drop and spill-tested and features a magnesium alloy case (with a weird-looking but sturdy carry handle). There’s even…

Déjà Vu All Over Again For anyone who’s been around long enough to remember the epic battles for desktop supremacy waged between Apple Computer and Microsoft in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the current situation in the smartphone market has more than a hint of déjà vu.  The players have changed -although Apple is at the center of the comparison in both cases- but the battle lines are once again over proprietary hardware and software. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is fanatical about controlling all aspects of his products and every product the company releases reflects that insistence.  Apple…