Devs can’t be bothered with Nokia’s Windows Phone – report
Interest in building applications for the current generation of Windows phones from Nokia has plummeted among developers.
Just a quarter of developers are very interested in developing apps for Windows Phone 7 devices compared to 37 per cent in the second quarter of this year, according to the latest Mobile Developer Report from IDC and Appcelerator.
The drop is blamed on "somewhat disappointing" sales of Windows Phone 7 handsets and Nokia's "widely reported competitive challenges".
Nokia sold four million Lumias in the second quarter of 2012, down 20 per cent from the year before. Read more...
Nokia releases Windows Phone update for Lumia 800 and 710
Nokia has started rolling out a Windows Phone software update for the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710, which includes Wi-Fi tethering and a feature that silences incoming calls and messages when the phone is turned face down, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Owners of the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 may not be getting Windows Phone 8, but that doesn't mean new features won't be added to the smartphones.
Just like on other smartphone operating systems, Wi-Fi tethering -- or Internet sharing as Nokia calls it -- turns the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Users can share their mobile Internet connection over Wi-Fi with up to five other mobile devices or computers, according to Nokia. Read more...
Netflix updates Windows Phone, Xbox 360 apps
In order to attract more subscribers to the streaming video service on Netflix, development teams have rolled out improved versions of the Netflix application on mobile and gaming platforms this week.
Announced within the official Netflix blog this week, the streaming video development team has upgraded the mobile application for Windows Phone as well as the Netflix application for the Xbox 360. In addition to a variety of performance tweaks for the Windows Phone platform to reduce crashes and increase responsiveness, the updated mobile app now allows subscribers to choose their local language and view subtitles when watching a film or television series through the streaming service. As of today’s update, Netflix has also made the mobile application available in the United Kingdom, Ireland and all countries located within Latin America. The application can be downloaded for free through the Windows Phone Marketplace, but requires a monthly subscription to activate the service. Read more...
Nokia launches low-end Windows phone and a 38-megapixel camera phone
Nokia focused on its low-end phone offerings at Mobile World Congress on Monday, a year after announcing it would try to boost its smartphone sales by giving up its home-grown operating system in favor of Windows Phone.
It introduced a new, low-end Lumia phone, three new phones designed for emerging markets, a new Symbian phone that can take 38-megapixel photos, and a handful of new services to run primarily on Lumia phones.
The Lumia 610 will be Nokia's lowest-priced Windows Phone yet. The company did not say where it expected to launch the phones, but said they'd likely retail at a!189 (US$254) and be available in the second quarter.
"Now we're able to cover a range of needs and price points," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of smart devices for Nokia. The Lumia 610 is the fourth phone in the series. Read more...
Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone move: Changes at the top
Getting a read on how well Microsoft Windows Phone has been doing has been tricky in recent months, with each indication of momentum seemingly offset with one or more negative market share or news reports. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's memo sent within the company Monday and published publicly by Microsoft indicates Windows Phone 7 probably isn't living up to Microsoft's expectations.
Ballmer (see full memo below) announced this week that Andy Lees is being replaced as head of the Windows Phone Division by Terry Myerson, who led engineering efforts on Microsoft's latest bid to succeed on the mobile front. Lees is being moved to "a new role working for me [Ballmer] on a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8." Read more...
Microsoft pushes Windows Phone Mango out to Japan
The next version of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango, is with device manufacturers and looks like it will hit Japanese shelves in September, with the rest of the world having to wait a little longer.
Version 7.5 of Windows Phone is being touted as a proper version 1, a grown-up version that finally brings multi-tasking to the platform as well as some interface improvements and integrated services. Mango was officially released to manufacturers on Tuesday, according to the Microsoft blog, and KDDI wasted no time announcing that it would be launching the first Mango handset in Japan by September. Read more...
Microsoft staffing secretive Windows Phone project
Microsoft is working on a secretive new project in its Windows Phone division, according to a job description it posted over the weekend.
The description, for a software development engineer in test, gives few hints about the project.
"We are a team working on a top secret project inside the Windows Phone division. Our mission...GO BIG! DISRUPT THE MARKET!" the job description reads.
The advertisement says the project involves the first version of a new feature set and the group will complete planning for the features in a month. Read more...
Video shows first Nokia Windows Phone
The first Windows Phone from Nokia is code-named Sea Ray, comes with an 8-megapixel camera and uses the Mango version of Microsoft's OS, according to a video sent to Hungarian website Technet.hu.
The video, which seems to come from an internal meeting, starts with Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop saying that the industrial design of the MeeGo-based N9, which was announced earlier this week, will live on, and he asks the audience to put away their cameras and turn off all recording devices because what he is about to show is "super-confidential." He then takes out the Mango-based Sea Ray, a functional Windows device that has a screen protected by Gorilla glass, a pillow-shaped back, and an 8-megapixel camera, according to Elop. Read more...
Higher Prices for Phone 7 Apps Will Be Encouraged
Even with hundreds of new features built into an upcoming update of Windows Phone 7 and new device partners, Microsoft seems to understand that it's all about the apps. After the software giant showed off its Mango update this week, an executive said the company will encourage more developers to create applications for the Windows Phone Marketplace by allowing higher prices.
"I'd rather developers sell fewer than a million downloads and get to a million dollars," Brandon Watson, director of an apps developer program for Microsoft, told Bloomberg News during an interview in Helsinki. "If we can support a higher price point, that's good for developers." Read more...
Microsoft’s mobile software gets HTC, ZTE lift
Microsoft's new Windows Phone platform won instant support from major manufacturers on Wednesday when China's ZTE and Taiwan's HTC Corp pledged to launch smartphones running the software.
The software giant had stepped up its push into the cellphone market a day earlier with the launch of the new Windows Phone software, code-named Mango. It hopes a host of new features will help it close the gap on smartphone leaders Google Inc and Apple Inc.
Microsoft has struggled for years to gain support from mobile phone manufacturers. All vendors in total sold just 1.6 million Windows Phones last quarter, giving it a market share of below 2 percent. Google and Apple together control more than 50 percent of the smartphone market. Read more...