Verizon bonanza: Droid X2, Revolution, Trophy, and Xperia Play hit Big Red today

Verizon is seriously diversifying its portfolio today with the official in-store launch of four new smartphones. Three of them roll up in Android gear, though they all have major selling points beyond Google's software. LG's Revolution is the sole LTE-capable handset of the bunch, bringing with it a 4.3-inch screen and pre-installed Netflix for $250. The Droid X2 undercuts it on price, at $200, but doubles the core count with its Tegra 2 processor and ramps up resolution to qHD (960 x 540). Gaming aficionados can spend the same amount on the Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson, which offers a slideout gamepad and unique PlayStation Certified status. Bringing up the rear is HTC's well-traveled Trophy, a 3.7-inch Windows Phone that accepts it's a little late to the party and therefore slices $50 off its asking price, with a $150 levy before the obligatory two-year contract. What say you -- buy, try, or keep waiting?

Verizon (Droid X2), (Revolution), (Xperia Play), (Trophy)

Microsoft to launch web-based Windows Phone Marketplace alongside 'Mango'

We're not quite sure why Microsoft didn't make mention of it during its big event yesterday, but the company has now confirmed that its forthcoming "Mango" update will also bring with it another significant addition to the Windows Phone scene: a web-based Marketplace. That will of course let you browse and buy apps right from your favorite web browser, and then have them installed on your phone over-the-air ("via SMS or email," apparently). You'll also be able to take advantage of various social networking tie-ins to share apps with your friends, and the Marketplace will hang onto your download history so you can easily reinstall all of your apps if you switch phones -- and, yes, you can count on plenty of Bing integration as well.

Update: Microsoft got in touch with us to clear up some of the confusion about how apps are actually delivered to the phone. It says it expects the vast majority of customers to install apps OTA in a single step using its regular notification system. SMS would only be used in instances where that service is not already turned on, and in that case there would still be "no links or added engagement on the phone." Customers can also choose to send themselves an email with a link to the app but, again, it expects most folks to simply let apps install in the background.

Windows Phone Developer Blog

Windows Phone Mango augmented reality hands-on

We're still waiting to get our first big bite of the full Mango experience after this morning's liveblog, but we were able to get a quick hands-on with a few of the apps making use of the operating system's new features. Chief among them is the History Channel app, which is making use of the augmented reality features that have been enabled. Using the internal gyro and accelerometer the device was able to overlay landmarks, which with a tap can be added to the phones home screen -- you know, in case you really want to know what's up at the Brooklyn Bridge. We also got a look at the updated Weather Channel app, which will not identify cloud types using any augmented reality trickery, but will give you quick and easy access to what's up -- and about to start falling. Check out the pics below, and get ready for a video after the break.

Weather Channel and History Channel apps for Windows Phone Mango (hands-on)

Qualcomm confirms its Snapdragon processor will power 'new generation of Windows Phone' devices

We'd heard some rumblings ST-Ericsson might be moving in on its turf with Nokia's Windows Phone devices, but Qualcomm has now reasserted that it's still the main game in town. Following the big Mango announcement this morning, Qualcomm confirmed that Microsoft has chosen it to bring a "new generation of Windows Phone handsets exclusively featuring Qualcomm's second generation Snapdragon mobile processors to market." The company's executive vice president, Steve Mollenkopf, further went on to say that Qualcomm is "excited about this next Windows Phone Mango release," and that it will "leverage the synergy of our highly integrated second generation Snapdragon solution and Microsoft's Windows Phone software." Leveraging synergy, what more could you ask for?

Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone VIP preview event!

10:45AM Looks like we're done! Mango's looking sweet and we're off to go get a taste!

10:44AM What's coming now? Some loud music, apparently.

10:44AM Again, reminding that the SDK is out now, new phones and new OS coming this fall.

10:43AM Apparently Nokia Mango devices already exist, are already being tested, somewhere in a lab... somewhere...

10:43AM Windows Phone Mango will be the release that is used for the first Nokia Windows Phones.

10:42AM And there's one big one in the middle: Nokia.

10:42AM Also, new partners: Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE.

10:42AM Confirmation that Samsung, LG, and HTC will be deploying new phones.

10:41AM Also coming in the version will be greater international support. The "addressable market" for Mango is four times larger, but no specifics about what new languages will make that possible.

10:41AM We're still calling things Mango here, by the way. No word on whether this will be 7.1 or 7.5 yet. We'd previously heard the former.

10:40AM And mad women, of course.

10:40AM Mango tools are available now, at least, so developers can start having fun and coding like madmen.

10:39AM Our hearts, alight for a moment, just sunk again.

10:39AM ...and that was followed up by saying that it will be delivered wirelessly to devices this fall.

10:39AM Okay, we were just told you will "not have to wait" for Mango...

10:39AM Sadly, they're not going to list them all now.

10:38AM Demo over and again we're being reminded there are 500 features coming in Mango.

10:37AM Really quick, nicely integrated, and potentially very useful. But does it work this well if you scan something a bit more obscure? We'll find out later.

10:37AM He scanned the cover of the Miley Cyrus biography (which really pulls at your heart strings, btw) and, with a tap, was right in the Kindle Store.

10:36AM It instantly delivers results. You don't need to submit, don't need to wait, just hit the result you want and bing it takes you there.

10:36AM No typing required, no speaking, just hit the eye icon and hover your camera over whatever you want to search for.

10:35AM Search time again. Visual Search now.

10:35AM We can get a list of events that are coming up, when they're coming. Oooh, Josh Groban.

10:35AM Time to go to MSG -- the place, not the seasoning.

10:34AM Yes, no longer will you be tethered to those giant printed maps, you can now squint at your phone!

10:33AM Tap one and you get a quick card for the location. He picked the Manhattan Mall and, with a tap, you can now get a map inside the mall.

10:33AM Restaurants, tours, farmers markets, dive bars...

10:33AM Another new experience: Local Scout. You can see all the stuff to do around you in one view.

10:32AM Now we're looking up restaurant reviews. Again with the food stuff. Getting hungry over here...

10:32AM Now you do. Thanks, IMDB -- and Windows Phone Mango.

10:32AM Did you know Sean Penn was going to be in Water for Elephants?

10:32AM One tap later we're right into the app, looking at reviews, parental guids, and trivia.

10:31AM It's using a feature called App Connect, handing off from a search result right into the IMDB app.

10:31AM Search by title, it shows you showtimes. Old hat -- but now you can get a lot more info in cards.

10:31AM Okay, now we're showing some location-related searches, looking for a movie.

10:30AM WP7? 30 fps. Bam. This is obviously the ideal phone for speed readers.

10:30AM Okay, we're running an HTML5 benchmark, Speed Reading. The Torch = 5fps, the Charge is about 10, and the iPhone hasn't started yet...

10:29AM Guess which one's going to search faster? We can't wait to find out.

10:29AM Okay, we now have a BBerry Torch, iPhone 4, and the Droid Charge up on the prompter -- all lined up in a row next to a Mango device.

10:28AM Time to Bing, yo!

10:28AM Time to talk search again, Derek's back for another demo, blending search into the OS itself.

10:28AM Like, you know, a nice pair of gloves!

10:27AM Now IE9 on the browser will "tailor the web to your palm."

10:27AM Time to talk browsing. IE9 is on deck, "widely regarded as the leading desktop browser." Their words, note. Their words.

10:26AM Which probably means they're out wandering the pasture somewhere.

10:26AM Andy's back, reminding us that third-party apps have been "freed from their silos."

10:25AM Nobody wants to hear that Captain Jack went on a weekend bender before your Sunday red-eye.

10:25AM Wow, you can even see the menu, the movie selection, and the captain's name. Doesn't look like you can link to his Facebook profile, which might be for the best.

10:24AM Ooh, 3D walkthrough of the plane to pick your seat. Gratuitous use of polygons!

10:24AM That sounds lovely if you fly BA a lot, but how about the integration we were hearing so much about a moment ago? Would be lovely to do this on all airlines...

10:23AM Tap it and you naturally jump in and see all your upcoming flights, get updates, see your seat, etc.

10:23AM There's a live tile for the app, which gives time and date and other details.

10:23AM Okay, looking at a British Airways app now. Who's up for a little Eurotripping?

10:22AM Gaming will be a "really social experience" -- just like the Xbox 360.

10:22AM We'll ask later.

10:21AM Well, his avatar does anyway. Not sure if he does.

10:21AM Oh, look, he dressed like his avatar. And he has a pet monkey.

10:21AM You can now jump out of a game quickly and back in again without losing your progress.

10:19AM Okay, getting into Xbox. Now some fun stuff.

10:19AM Numbers, data, excitement.

10:19AM Looking at a spreadsheet now inside Office, pulled down from SkyDrive.

10:18AM Or, you know, not tag it if your friends would rather not be associated with your socially mild misdeeds.

10:18AM We saw a bit of Pictures before, and now we're seeing how you can upload to Facebook. It has face detection right in there so you can tag it and send it.

10:17AM We'll be looking at Pictures, Office, and Xbox hubs.

10:17AM Derek is back, looking at how apps will integrate into the hubs.

10:17AM Andy Lees is saying the disconnect from one application to the next is like "walking through the front door" when trying to go from the living room to the kitchen.

10:16AM "With other smartphones, applications are just silos -- you're presented with a grid of icons and a sea of applications."

10:15AM Now that we've got that down, let's talk apps!

10:15AM Creating a delicious, delightful mango tart.

10:14AM We're being reminded that all of this is built into the OS. We still haven't seen a single app outside of the core experience. Facebook, Exchange, Twitter, LinkedIn, all baked right in there.

10:14AM Never touched the phone, which might make texting while driving a little safer... but only a little.

10:13AM He just received a text while listening to music and the phone read it to him. He spoke the response and it converted it to text.

10:13AM Text to speech and voice recognition getting some screen time.

10:12AM Calendar integration time, which now shows Facebook events too, meaning you can make sure that 5:00 concall ends before your 6:00 binge with buds at the bar.

10:12AM He's talking up "rich information management tools" of the device, like flagging an e-mail as do not forward.

10:11AM Totally.

10:11AM Note here from Bill Gates: "You owe me $10." Totally not a fake e-mail.

10:10AM Okay, e-mail time.

10:10AM You can reply with a text and it'll show up in the same conversation window. Nice!

10:10AM Threads now handle communications across messaging platforms. Get a Facebook message but don't respond before your BFF heads off to work? No problem.

10:09AM Type "you're" it suggests "fired" -- maybe. If it's Trump's phone.

10:09AM Type "happy" it suggests "birthday."

10:08AM Showing off a smarter keyboard, "much more intuitive typing experience" here that predicts the next word for you.

10:08AM He's specifically calling out BBM, calling this a much more open system thanks to its compatibility with Live Messenger and Facebook Chat.

10:07AM It automatically pulls pictures of those tagged in the group, which helps you re-live all those more enjoyable times, even when you're stuck in a basement, like we kind of are now.

10:07AM There's a new feature called Groups, letting you bunch related people together into a grid. Live Tiles light up, flip around.

10:06AM Your friend who changes their profile pic every time the weather changes? You'll be seeing a lot of them.

10:06AM Now on the People Hub you'll see pictures from all the social networks, whatever they're uploading, all integrated together.

10:05AM Twitter and LinkedIn are now integrated, so you can see what's up with your buds and your office mates at the same time.

10:05AM Notifications are being pushed into "smarter" live tiles up front, letting you know what's going on even when you have you own thing going on.

10:05AM "We wanted to set people at the center of our focus by bringing people forward."

10:04AM Demo time!

10:04AM Derek Snyder is up now, Senior Project Manager.

10:04AM Yeah, that's you.

10:04AM The problem, he says, is that doing this through a bunch of apps is disjointed. Mango has a "people-centric approach" that ties it around the most important thing.

10:03AM You know, the inane stuff that gives us a reason to exist.

10:03AM We're hearing about the evolution of the phone now, how it's less about actually talking and more about doing things like taking pictures, tagging, sharing.

10:03AM There are three big aspects here: communications (with friends and family), software (apps and such) and internet (you know, the 'tubes).

10:02AM Mango is to "make the smartphone smarter and easier"

10:02AM "We wanted to provide innovation and choice without fragmentation and frustration" -- burn!

10:01AM His job? To deliver a set of "complete experiences" -- something we think we'll be hearing a lot about tonight.

10:00AM Andy Lees from Microsoft is up on stage, talking about a crowded market.

10:00AM And here we go!

10:00AM This is a particularly small event, maybe 40 - 50 people in here.

9:57AM Listening to some light folksy pop. Lifting the mood as we slowly sink into these cushions.

9:52AM And we're in! Seated in perhaps the most comfortable chairs we've ever had the honor of liveblogging from.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 VIP Preview Event is when you'll finally find what's coming next for Microsoft's biggest little operating system yet. Are you ready? Sure you are. Come, join us at the times below

04:00 - Hawaii
07:00 - Pacific
08:00 - Mountain
09:00 - Central
10:00 - Eastern
15:00 - London
16:00 - Paris
18:00 - Moscow
22:00 - Perth
22:00 - Shenzhen
23:00 - Tokyo
00:00 - Sydney (May 25th)