WP7 Handsets Cheaper To Make Than Ever: Hitting $200 Mark Soon

Part of the reason everyone's so excited to see what Nokia brings to the Windows Phone table is that we've heard the manufacturer will put a focus on producing some very affordable WP7-running models, some targeted for release in markets where the operating system has yet to make appreciable penetration. Just how cheap are we talking, though? Microsoft's Andy Lees recently discussed the state of WP7 hardware, and offered some insight into what such devices may cost.

According to Lees, we're about to see WindowsPhone smartphones reach a point where they're costing roughly half as much to produce as they did when the platform first launched. That means that in a few months, hardware will be coming out that has cost its manufacturer somewhere in the area of $220 to make. Lees doesn't mention Nokiaby name, but that's immediately where our thoughts go when we're talking future, cheap WP7 gear. We've already heard that such devices may arrive with the release of the next Tango update, and the recent rumor we heard of support for devices with lower-res 480x320 displays seems to support that idea. Lees says that the plan is to break the $200 mark.

Of course, cost to manufacture doesn't directly translate to retail cost, but the implication is that we'll see prices drop. That could mean affordable off-contract devices in markets where pre-paid lines are popular. While Microsoft stands to make less money in such an event, as its licensing fees are tied to device pricing, hopefully the volume of sales will balance things out.

As an aside, Lees also mentioned that Microsoft is firmly committed to using Qualcomm chips for its platform, with no plans to support other companies' silicon anytime soon. 

Editorial: Is Siri Useful? (Video)

After having spent a week with Siri on my iPhone 4S, I've gotten to know the useful and the not-so-useful aspects of Apple's "digital personal assistant". Today, Siri is quite limited because it can't interface with third party apps, nor can it carry on a real human conversation. When it's able to do these two things, which is likely to be not too far away, the usefulness of Siri will increase dramatically. Imagine Siri being able to call your doctor for you to make an appointment, or having Siri buy something from Amazon on your behalf. The possibilities are endless.

Porsche Design BlackBerry Making October 27 Debut

Back in early September, right when we were still in the middle of the recent onslaught of BlackBerryOS 7 devices arriving, a decidedly odd-looking BlackBerry model surfaced in a few pics, supposedly the BlackBerry 9980. Just a few days later, some video of the handset arrived, along with word that it was going by the code name Knight and would feature Porsche branding. Now, notice has gone out from Porsche Design that it plans to unveil its latest efforts with RIM on October 27, and unless it has other models it's secretly been working on, we're almost certainly talking about the debut of the 9980.

When we showed you the 9980 last month, your opinions on the phone were mixed, though definitely leaning towards the negative. After all, the 9980 is a striking departure from RIM-designedBlackBerry models. Instead of smooth lines and soft, rounded features, the Porsche phone has an aggressive metallic facade and harsh angles. Those choices don't appear to resonate with many BlackBerry fans, but if you're looking for a unique phone that will get you noticed, this might be one smartphone worth considering.

We've seen the 9980 running BlackBerry OS 7, and it certainly seems like it should be based on 9900 hardware, but we've yet to get any confirmation of its specs. Hopefully, we'll get the full picture of the handset in a week's time. 

How To Keep Siri From Becoming a Security Issue

We've seen how useful Siri can be (and a few waysto have some fun with it), but should you also be worried about it? It seems that, when not properly configured, Siri has the potential to open up your iPhone to a lockscreen vulnerability, potentially giving an unauthorized user the ability to accessyour phone.

Even if you protect your lockscreen with a passcode, it's possible to interact with Siri without needing to enter in the code. While that may not give someone looking to cause trouble with your phone quite the same level of access to the OS as the right code would, Siri is powerful enough that there's still plenty someone could manage to do without your permission.

We can understand why you might want immediate access to Siri from the lockscreen, explaining why this functionality is present, but it seems to defeat the point of setting a code in the first place. The good news that it's a snap to disable; just turn Siri off from your lockscreen preferences. You give up a little convenience in the process, but you'd be keeping your phone that much more secure. 

Andy Rubin Doesn't Believe Your Phone Should Be An Assistant

Apple managed to really stir things up with its Siri voice-enabled personal assistant on the iPhone 4Sand, after Microsoft's Andy Lees find the service "not super useful", it's Andy Rubin's time to not be overwhelmed by Siri.

The Android Chief doesn't believe "that your phoneshould be an assistant" and said in an interview that "your phone is a tool for communicating. You shouldn't be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone".

Siri is most definitely one of the main selling points of the new iPhone 4S (aside from the new cameraand chip) but Rubin thinks a phone should be used to talk to other people rather than talking to the device itself. "We’ll see how pervasive it gets".