posted Mar 1st 2011 8:49PM 
Back in June at Computex, Microsoft announced the successor to Windows CE -- Windows Embedded Compact 7 – and it's finally hitting the general availability mark today. The guys in Redmond posted a 180-day trial of the final WEC7 bits yesterday, and while it is unclear when it was released to manufacturers, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes that the digital signature on the bits is February 19th. So, what does it all mean? Well, you'll definitely want to check out our Windows Embedded Compact 7 explained post, but we should start seeing the new OS powering phones (don't forget WP7 is built on the Win CE kernel), medical devices, retail systems, and maybe even some tablets soon. As for the latter category, you may rememeber that we saw that WEC7 prototype tablet above at Computex, however while some like ASUS promised early on that it would use the software for its EP101TC, it quickly ditched that idea and went with Android. Our guess is that will be the case for most out there, but the lightweight OS, which now can run on ARM V7 architecture, has built-in support for Silverlight for Windows Embedded and Flash 10.1, clearly has advantages over Windows 7 on tablets at the moment. Hit the source link for some more details, and we'll make sure to keep an eye out for new devices running the new wordy OS. This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Tired of using the default browser on your smart phone to browse Engadget? Got a thing for Firefox? Great, 'cause Mozilla just pushed out the fifth beta of Firefox 4 for mobile. You might be familiar with the on-the-go version of Mozilla's creation, but if not, here's your chance to grab the latest (and probably) the most stable build to date. In addition to the Android and Maemo version, the company has released a Fennec build for use on Windows, OS X and Linux.
In spite of HP's strong assurances to the contrary, the 
Verizon just began trials of its Home Phone Connect service in New York and Connecticut in December, but it looks like it's already ironed out any kinks there might have been, as it's now made the service available across the entire U.S. As with the trial, it will run you $19.99 a month for unlimited domestic calling or $9.99 a month to share minutes on your existing family plan, each option of which will let you make calls using any old landline phone that's connected to the Home Phone Connect base station (included for free with a two-year contract). You'll also, of course, get all the usual features you'd expect from a phone service, including caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, voice mail, and 911 service. Hit up the source link below for all of the fine print.
Wish you had your Xoom tablet already? Yeah, us too. We can't get you there, but thanks to Droid Live you can at least pore over every page of the thing's manual. 64 pages, actually, covering everything from how to turn it on to, well, how to turn it off again. Looking for other excitement? You'll find a hipster on a bench on page 10, what appears to be Joanna Newsom on page 30, and a disgustingly happy couple on page 33. Oh, and lots and lots of details bout Honeycomb too. Check it out!