The success of the iPod touch and iPhone as a gaming platform was a bit of a shock to everyone, even Apple. But now everyone sees the potential, the race is on to see whether it will be Sony or Microsoft that brings their console success to a phone first. Engadget posted a story last week about a Sony Ericsson phone rumored to run Android 3 as a platform for mobile gaming. This week Microsoft is talking about Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7, with titles including Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero. An impressive lineup for sure. There will be over 60 titles available at launch,…

Microsoft’s mobile division is in a pickle. And not one of those really tasty pickles, all crisp and the perfect mix of sour, sharp and savory. No, this is a pretty crappy pickle to be in. See, Apple, Google and RIM are all established in the smartphone space. They need to be, given that mobile search revenue is soaring, app sales are booming and hardware makers are raking in cash hand over fist. These people make pickles your Polish grandmother would be jealous of. So Microsoft cannot afford to sit mobile out. On the flip side, coming in to compete against those three and others like Nokia (who, I hear,…

Now that the developer tools and unlocked beta’s are out in the wild, we’re starting to see more details of the intriguingly un-iPhone-like Windows Phone 7 platform. While less polished and elegant that iPhone OS, Windows Phone 7 is bold and blocky, offering a refreshing reprieve from the glossy, rounded corners of the iPhone wannabe world. This latest video is a demonstration of the Associated Press app which showcases the platform’s screen transitions and 3D capability. The catch is that this is all being demonstrated inside an emulator. It’s one thing to have a cool interface run smoothly…

I’m probably not one of Microsoft’s biggest critics, but I’m certainly no fan. I was however pleasantly surprised when they announced Windows Phone Series 7 back in February. Apple might be riding high in the mobile world right now, but the one thing that will ensure Apple remains sharply focused is strong competition. Microsoft has been plunging the depths of mobile user interface with Windows Mobile, the single least innovative, ugliest and poorest performing of all mobile platforms, so it’s announcement of a new mobile platform that isn’t built around the concept of squeezing MS Office…

Following Monday’s look at Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has released emulation software for those who want to explore the new interface of the OS. The emulator is available at the Microsoft Download center and includes emulation software alongside games and app development and Silverlight code. Interestingly the software lacks support for copy-&-paste and multitasking, which both seem unusual to the good folk at techi.com….

Like Apple’s iPhone, Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Phone 7 devices won’t support full multitasking in order to preserve battery life. Google’s Android OS and Palm’s WebOS both support multitasking. This means users can run multiple third-party apps at the same time as the core integrated services. However, users have complained at the impact of this on battery life. …