The results are in. Click on to see who won the Samsung Omnia!

Windows Mobile has support for many mail protocols, including POP3, IMAP, and DeltaSync, the protocol behind Windows Live, Live Mail, and Hotmail. For non-smartphones trying to access Hotmail or Live Mail, the task may be harder unless there is DeltaSync support. Now, Microsoft is trying to simplify your access to your Microsoft email accounts; the firm has finished rolling out POP3 support for its Live Mail and Hotmail users. According to Ars Technica, you can enter the following settings:

POP server: pop3.live.com
POP SSL required? Yes
User name: Your Windows Live ID, for example yourname@hotmail.com
Password: The password you usually use to sign in to Hotmail or Windows Live
SMTP server: smtp.live.com
Authentication required? Yes (this matches your POP username and password)
TLS/SSL required? Yes

Native DeltaSync support for Hotmail and LiveMail offered by clients like Outlook Mobile on Windows Mobile, Outlook and Outlook Express is still more powerful, but if you occasionally switch to a non-smartphone over the weekend, this may be a nice compromise.

It turns out that there may be an impersonator lurking around disrupting Windows Mobile communities. In response to an article that was posted this morning about Microsoft demanding that Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM images that were cooked unofficially be taken down, our own Microsoft MVP Adam Z. Lein spotted that the guy responsible for the letter to XDA-Developers may be a fraud, as was posted on PPCGeeks.

A similar hoax had occurred before at msmobiles in regards to Windows Mobile 6.5 screenshots. In the cease and desist letter to msmobiles, the gentleman claiming to be with Microsoft's legal department asked the site to remove screenshots of the forthcoming operating system. The letter was sent after Microsoft had publicly announced and shown the very screenshots at Mobile World Congress 2009. According to msmobiles: "In any case, if it is genuine action on behalf of Microsoft, it is a case of extreme incompetence that this guy is showing because he is requesting removal of pictures of something that has been officially announced few days earlier." It should also be noted that pocketnow.com had posted screenshots and news of Windows Mobile 6.5 before, during, and after Microsoft's Mobile World Congress announcement and we did not receive a cease and desist letter.

The community over at msmobiles performed some additional investigations and found that the gentlemam, James Young, sent emails originating from IP addresses in London and not from Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington, leading many to believe that he is not connected with the software giant. Additionally, emails were sent from internet2@microsoft-antipiracy.com, and not at a "@microsoft.com" email address.

Whatever the case may be, other forum members in our original post here at pocketnow.com made mention that only the Windows Mobile 6.5 cooked ROM made by ROM chef Da_G was affected and 6.5 ROMs for other HTC-made devices were seemingly okay.

A preliminary smartphone leak from AT&T; was obtained by Engadget Mobile with a few misprints, including errors for a prominent Nokia smartphone and one from Samsung. Regarding the Samsung error, the leak printed "BlackJack II" but the device already exists on AT&T;'s network, leading Engadget Mobile to speculate that the leak may have referenced a BlackJack III instead. Relatively few information is available, though the device is slated for a May 9th launch with a 3-megapixel camera.

Considering that AT&T; has differentiated the candybar QWERTY devices from Samsung into two brands (BlackJack for non-touch and Epix for touchscreen), it is likely that the rumored BlackJack III will be another non-touchscreen device sporting Windows Mobile 6.5. Perhaps, this could be a rebrand (and retooled for North American frequency support) of the uninspiring Samsung C6625 model number, which was originally slated for Europe. Anyone got any thoughts or speculations on what the BlackJack III will look like?

For additional details of what the Samsung C6625, you can visit PDAdb.net. PDAdb.net provides specs and additional information on smartphones and is one of the largest phone information repositories on the internet.

Update: Please see Microsoft Impersonator Sends Fraudulent Letters, Disrupts Community for the latest.

If you've enjoyed ports of Windows Mobile 6.5 on your device from cooked ROMs, then you better stick with it and not flash to something else. Microsoft has now thrown down the gauntlet, issuing legal notices to sites like XDA-Developers to pull down ported Windows Mobile 6.5 ROMs, according to Fuze Mobility.

The issue here is really a double edged sword. On one hand, Microsoft is protecting its intellectual property and its partners by shutting down cooked ROMs. One can conceivably argue that Microsoft is really protecting the consumer as well; cooked ROMs can cause havoc on devices and Microsoft said that the only Windows Mobile 6.5-ready hardware will bear the Start button. On the other hand, there are few people as passionate about Windows Mobile as other platforms, like the iPhone, BlackBerry with famed CrackBerry addicts, and Android. Communities like XDA-Developers breed passion through dedication as "ROM chefs" try to improve on what Microsoft and its partners do, offering tweaks, enhancements, and improved functionality of basic functions of released devices--in this case, HTC-made devices. Often times, ROM chefs will have a dedicated following and simple hack jobs will create brand loyalty for Windows Mobile.

What's really at stake? So far only Windows Mobile 6.5 links have been taken down, but any version of Windows Mobile cooked over at XDA-Developers and similar sites may be at stake. I am not sure that the issue of piracy is as relevant here as it is with desktop programs; many will load cooked ROMs with OSes that aren't designed for their hardware to see what it can do. However, many of those people will continue to upgrade hardware. Because of the upgrade pattern, Microsoft has mostly turned a blind eye to the issue, rarely posting legal notices. Is Microsoft's latest action piracy protection or consumer protection?

Imagine one of the most detrimental events has occurred, your Windows Phone has been stolen. What do you do now? What happens if they get a hold of your sensitive information? Where will you find $500+ to purchase a replacement phone?

No need to worry anymore, with GuardMobile, created by MASPware, you can now initiate an alarm and lock the device, locate your device (GPS receiver is required), do a hard reset remotely to erase all data, place a callback to overhear the thief and acquire their phone number. The program runs silently in the background and cannot be removed without the PIN, works only with touchscreen devices running Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.1. There is a trial version available and the full version costs around $15 USD regularly but MASPware is having a %50 off sale through their website. For even more phone security check out Brandon's first look of Flexilis.

The MSN Mobile site has usually been very light on content. Normally you might find about 3 videos that you can watch, and they haven't been updated for months. Thankfully, the site has been recently updated and offers much more content.

Of special interest is the new MSN Videos section which offers lots more content including both high quality or low quality streaming as well as a video download option. The videos will play in the native Windows Media Player, which is great, and with the download option, you can save a bunch to your internal device memory for playback whenever you feel like it without having to be connected to the internet!

Visit home.mobile.msn.com on your mobile device to see the new site.

With AOL messaging client AIM dominating the IM space, many have forgotten about ICQ, also an AOL product. However, according to The Best Digital, AOL is breathing new life into the aging IM client for Windows Mobile. If work has you on ICQ and you need to be in contact, then you can grab the early beta from AOL.

New mobile carrier Zer01 Mobile will offer $70 unlimited voice and data package that will utilize three of HTC's phones--the Diamond, Touch 3G and the TyTN II. Customers can also bring in their own GSM-unlocked devices to the carrier, including the iPhone 3G in the future.

Zer01 works with roaming agreements on AT&T; and T-Mobile in the USA and offers domestic unlimited for $70 and international unlimited to forty specified countries for $10 more, though none of the calls will be routed through GSM. All calls will be handed through a VOIP system on Zer01 servers. Initially, only Windows Mobile phones will be supported, though additional platforms will be added.

According to Electronista, A handset on the network is assigned a fixed IP address that provides a VPN tunnel to Zer01's servers, where the traffic is managed to prevent overload on the cellular networks. "It's our own VPN, and we're actually providing the data the customer is using," Piilani added. The company avoids data caps by using established interconnect agreements.

Although the company isn't a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) like Virgin Mobile in the US (which also acquired Helio) and the now defunct Amp'D Mobile, it is still dependent on towers from other GSM carriers in the US. It'd be interesting to see how the firm handles areas where AT&T; has no 3G and service may fall back to EDGE or on a T-Mobile spectrum as current devices capable of AT&T; 3G are not compatible with T-Mobile's nascent AWS 3G network, and vice versa. Moreover, the proposition for low-cost unlimited data and voice may not exist other than network size due to roaming agreements as T-Mobile had recently begun offering unlimited voice for $50. Add on another $20 for data and you've got Zer01 matched for domestic calls and data. However, the international plan will be a cost saver for those who make frequent calls to any one of the forty countries supported by Zer01.

You can learn more about the plans and the startup at Zer01 Mobile.

We're curious - what's your current daily driver? Drop your answer in the comments.

Google had bought a free calling service called Grand Central some time ago. Grand Central gives users a local telephone number for free; users can give out that number to friends, family, and co-workers. When other people call that number, it can ring your home, cell, and work phone all at once, which is useful in areas where you might not have the best cellular reception or want to preserve minutes. Now, Google is about to unleash a revised service, called Google Voice, which folds in all the beautiful Grand Central features and adds some more, all for free.

According to ZDNet, Google Voice will provide the following services:

-Call screening - Announce and screen callers
-Listen in - Listen before taking a call
-Block calls - Keep unwanted callers at bay
-SMS - Send, receive, and store SMS
-Place calls - Call US numbers for free
-Taking calls - Answer on any of your phones
-Phone routing - Phones ring based on who calls
-Forwarding phones - Add phones and decide which ring
-Voicemail transcripts - Read what your voicemail says
-Listen to voicemail - Check online or from your phone
-Notifications - Receive voicemails via email or SMS
-Personalize greeting - Vary greetings by caller
-Share voicemail - Forward or download voicemails
-Conference calling - Join people into a single call
-Call record - Record calls and store them online
-Call switch - Switch phones during a call
-Mobile site - View your inbox from your mobile
-GOOG-411 - Check directory assistance
-Manage groups - Set preferences by group

Currently, Google is slowly migrating Grand Central customers first and will later add Google users who wish to sign up. At the time of this posting, my Grand Central account is not yet available for upgrading to Google Voice.

Hopefully Google will update Grand Central in a way so that the Google Voice will be able to email the voicemail as a WAV or MP3 file to a registered email account. Previously, with Grand Central, an email link was sent and once clicked, the voicemail could be played in a Flash 10-capable browser.

The beautiful thing is that the new Google Voice service will also provide you with an email transcript of your voicemail, a service that costs a monthly subscription fees on rival offerings like CallWave, which we had previously reviewed.

Hit the break for more videos of the service

This one went under the radar at MWC 2009, but kudos to Hungarian site MobileArena for spotting it. It looks like the Gigabyte M1220 may turn out to be the second thinnest Windows Mobile device ever...beaten only by the original Motorola Q (by a mere .1 mm). The Windows Mobile 6.5-based device is running with a 528MHz CPU with 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM, plus has a full QWERTY on the front. It's sporting a unique Flash-based user interface, but sadly does so with a 2.4" QVGA touchscreen display. Beyond that, it includes the usual goods like WiFi, HSDPA/HSUPA, aGPS, and dual cameras. It's expected to hit Europe around September of 2009. For even more specs, check out PDAdb.net.