Windows Phone has over 25,000 apps already and the rate of growth is slowly increasing. With Nokia signing on Windows Phone 7 platform is picking up steam in both popularity and functionality. Engadget, for those who don’t already know, is a high profile tech blog taking in the hottest news from the world of technical advancement.

Engadget has its own Windows Phone 7 app with which you can get the mobile news as well as HD , as well as podcasts and videos.

Windows Marketplace for mobile is already on board with Windows Mobile 6.5. Now the phase 2 is set to occur in November making the marketplace available for Windows mobile 6.0 and Windows Mobile 6.1.

This phase will include coming of a feature called ‘geo-selector’ allowing download of multi-country applications, i.e., a user will be benefitted not only by the applications available for his country, but by those available in other nations as well.

Via unwiredview

HTC HD2 gets a new camaraderie- Vodafone Spain. Vodafone made an official announcement regarding the multi-touch device entering Spain. The speculation for release is seen in December. The phone running HTC Sense UI is projected more of a business smartphone than a personal one.

Have a glimpse at the press release:

Specs

“Vodafone has launched the HTC HD2 smartphone in Spain. HTC’s first Windows smartphone running the HTC Sense interface runs on a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and Windows 6.5 OS and provides access to the Windows Marketplace for applications. The slim handset features a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 5 megapixel camera, HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS. Other features include HTC Peep for Twitter, Microsoft Exchange sync and access to the Microsoft My Phone service for storage.”

About the availability

“Starting December, Vodafone Spain will offer the HTC HD2 smartphone exclusively for business customers. Users will be able to acquire the HTC HD2 handset at Vodafone shops across Spain, along with a Vodafone mobile internet tariff plan subscription. Customers can opt for Vodafone’s Real Mail package available for EUR 15 per month, or for the Windows Mobile E-mail service with a monthly fee of EUR 22.”

Via Slashgear

AT&T gets its first Windows Mobile 6.5 phone for sale and before the official release of the new OS. HTC Diamond 2 presented as HTC Pure by AT&T is on the floors of AT&T at $150 with a 2-yr contract and after a $50 rebate. The same price rebate is available on HTC Tilt 2(codified version of HTC Touch Pro2)  as well, making it cost around $300 with a 2-yr agreement. The Tilt 2 release is said to be in the queue for a bit more weeks.

The Touch Flo 3D and the new mobile OS are the highlights of the devices. AT&T’s official site is updating itself for now.

Have a look at some tit-bits from the press release:

Marketplace

AT&T will support Windows Marketplace for Mobile in 2009 for access to a variety of applications on new AT&T devices, including the HTC PURE and HTC Tilt 2. Additionally, AT&T customers’ purchases from Windows Marketplace can be added to their monthly statements. After Microsoft delivers Windows Marketplace later this year for other versions of Windows Mobile, AT&T will make it available to customers using those versions.

Windows Mobile 6.5

Windows Mobile 6.5 received several upgrades that enhance ease-of-use, such as a touch-friendly user interface and improved browser with Flash support. Content and applications are just a fingertip away on the redesigned Start Menu and Internet Explorer Mobile will support the rich experiences that many Web pages offer for desktop computers.

HTC Tilt 2
Designed for the business professional, the HTC Tilt 2 is designed with distinct style and strength while delivering the most powerful productivity experience available on a mobile phone. The HTC Tilt 2 features a high-resolution 3.6-inch widescreen WVGA display which can be easily tilted for an expanded viewing area and a large QWERTY keyboard, which is optimized for heavy email use. A quality speakerphone experience is enabled by dual speakers and dual microphones with advanced noise cancellation, and HTC’s Straight Talk™ which allows for simplified conference calling and activation of the speakerphone by simply turning over the device. The HTC Tilt 2 also features a 3.2 megapixel camera.

HTC PURE
Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D experience, the all touch screen HTC PURE offers an advanced touch experience that is optimized for one-hand use, which further evolves the compact smartphone design. Incorporating a large, brilliant 3.2-inch WVGA touch screen, the HTC PURE is crafted to fit perfectly into the hand and accentuates one’s sense of style. With a crisp advanced five megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture, expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the HTC PURE brings many of the most sophisticated features to a broad consumer audience looking for the professional benefits of a smartphone, without sacrificing size, looks or functionality.

Pricing and Availability
The HTC PURE is available at AT&T retail stores nationwide and online at www.wireless.att.com for $149.99. The HTC Tilt 2, will be available in the following weeks for $299.99. (For the HTC PURE, pay $199.99 and receive $50 mail-in-rebate, for the HTC Tilt 2, pay $349.99 and receive a $50 mail-in-rebate. Two-year agreement on a minimum $69.99 plan required.)

Small business customers also can subscribe to AT&T’s new, industry-first BusinessTalk voice plans, which start at $60 a month for five users and 700 Anytime Minutes and can be expanded for $9.99 a line to accommodate up to 40 users and 20,000 Anytime Minutes. AT&T Music, AT&T Navigator, Video Share, Push-To-Talk and MobiTV all require separate monthly subscriptions.

Read the full release here.

Via Engadgetmobile

According to this PDF released by Microsoft, the restrictions on the type of applications have increased even further. Microsoft has mentioned twelve  points which may annoy some developers esp the number 8 one, which says that you cannot develop an application which changes the default browser, search client, or media player on the device.

Here are the twelve points:

1. Applications that are or distribute alternate marketplaces for content types (applications,games, themes etc.) that are sold or otherwise distributed through Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

2. Applications that link to, incent users to download, or otherwise promote alternate marketplaces for content types that are sold or otherwise distributed through Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

3. Applications that promote or link users to a website, or contain functionality within the application itself, which encourages or requires the user to purchase or pay to upgrade the application outside of Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

4. Applications that enable VoIP (Voice over IP) services over a mobile operator network.

5. Applications that sell, link to, or otherwise promote mobile voice plans.

6. Applications that display advertising that does not meet the Microsoft Advertising Creative Acceptance Policy Guide http://advertising.microsoft.com/creative-specs.

7. Applications that replace, remove or modify the default dialer, SMS, or MMS interface.

8. Applications that change the default browser, search client, or media player on the device.

9. Applications with an OTA (over the air) download >10 MB.

10. Applications that run code outside Microsoft runtimes (native, managed, and widgets)

11. Applications that publish a user’s location information to any other person without first having received the user’s express permission (opt-in) to do so, and that do not provide the user a means of opting out of having their location information published.

12. Applications that publish a user’s data from their mobile device to any other person without first having received the user’s express permission (opt-in) to do so, and that do not provide the user a means of opting out of having their data published. A “user’s data” includes, without limit,contacts, photos, SMS or other text communication, browsing history, location information, and other data either stored on the mobile device or stored in the “cloud” but accessible from the mobile device

[via msmobiles]