Seattle Snippets: Windows Phone, Expedia, Bungie Aerospace

Fresh Mangoes: HTC, the handset maker with North American headquarters in Bellevue, WA, has unveiled its first phones running on Microsoft’s new “Mango” version of the Windows Phone operating system.

The phones are named the Titan and the Radar—guess which one is bigger—and gadget geeks can check out a thorough demo via Engadget, which features a hands-on video tour. The phones are headed for the overseas markets first, starting next month. Windows Phone VP Joe Belfiore was particularly excited about one feature:

Unfollow: Meanwhile, Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) has been sued in federal court here in Seattle by a Michigan resident who claims the company tracks Windows Phone users’ locations through a phone’s camera software, even after consumers explicity reject sharing of that data. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status, but a judge has made no ruling on that request yet. Microsoft has declined comment to various media outlets, which is standard procedure in legal cases, especially fresh ones.

Traveling On: Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]) chief financial officer Michael Adler plans to step down after six years minding the company’s numbers. In a news release, Expedia said senior vice president of corporate development Mark Okerstrom would take over the CFO’s job. Expedia said Adler would remain during a transition that includes completing its spin-off of Newton, MA-based TripAdvisor into a separate public company.

Game Ahoy: Bungie Aerospace, the iconic console game developer’s new mobile and social imprint, has released its first title: “Crimson Steam Pirates.” The game was developed by industry veteran Jordan Weisman’s Harebrained Schemes, and built using Moai, the mobile platform from Seattle startup Zipline Games.

Author: Curt Woodward

Curt covered technology and innovation in the Boston area for Xconomy. He previously worked in Xconomy’s Seattle bureau and continued some coverage of Seattle-area tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft. Curt joined Xconomy in February 2011 after nearly nine years with The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He worked in three states and covered a wide variety of beats for the AP, including business, law, politics, government, and general mayhem. A native Washingtonian, Curt earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. As a past president of the state's Capitol Correspondents Association, he led efforts to expand statehouse press credentialing to online news outlets for the first time.