Hasta La Gadget!

While some might have scoffed at Nokia’s Windows Phone efforts at the start, especially when many were wondering why they chose Windows Phone instead of the more popular Android platform, it looks like slowly but surely Nokia is proving the naysayers wrong. In a recent report released by the IDC (via The Wall Street Journal), it seems that over in Italy, Nokia’s Lumia handsets have been outselling the iPhone, which some consider to be one of the phones to beat.

The report states that Nokia has been a 17% YOY (year on year) increase in smartphone sales and is actually ranked number two in terms of being a smartphone vendor, with Samsung taking first place, and with Apple trailing behind.  Nokia’s success is probably not as prolific as Samsung or Apple, and it seems that while Apple and Samsung are making waves with their high-end smartphones like the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S4, Nokia has been doing it with their low-end handset, the Lumia 520 which actually accounts for 27% of Windows Phone 8 devices around the world.

Of course this news is not only great for Nokia, which many did not expect to do well, but also great for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform in general as it continues to gain more ground. What do you guys think? Any of our readers in Europe agree with the IDC’s report?

Nokia Outselling iPhone In Italy, According To IDC Report original content from Ubergizmo.

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought a free TV streaming service for Bell subscribers, the arrival of NFL Mobile to BlackBerry 10 and little bit of Windows Phone love from General Motors. These stories and more await. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that’s happening in the mobile world for this week of August 19th, 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Yesterday we reported on a rumor that Microsoft was testing the next build of Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8.1 which has also been referred to as the GDR3 update. Well according to the folks at Nokia Power User, they claim to have received a screenshot from one of their sources which supposedly shows us the settings menu of the GDR3 update as pictured above. So what’s with the weird “Lumia Bittersweet Shimmer” name? Well that’s apparently the codename for the next Windows Phone update and is also one of the colors used to describe one of Crayola’s crayons.

Given that the previous Windows Phone 8 update was codenamed “Amber”, we guess it looks like Microsoft could be moving alphabetically in naming their future updates. In any case the screenshot really doesn’t tell us much although it does reveal some of the features we might be able to expect. Then again this is hardly the most official screenshot we’ve seen and anyone with  experience in Microsoft Paint could easily put something similar out, so do take it with a grain of salt for now. At the same time we wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft was indeed working on and testing the next Windows Phone update, but as to whether this screenshot is a part of it remains a little sketchy.

Alleged Windows Phone GDR3 “Bittersweet Shimmer” Screenshot Leaked original content from Ubergizmo.

Instagram has not yet made an official app appearance over on the Windows Phone platform, and lately, you could say that Instagram have gotten rather paranoid, where they are going to lay the smack down on apps that use “Insta” or “Gram” in their names. I suppose you can read about their reasons for doing so, but on to happier news this time around. Nokia executive VP Chris Weber, in his recent visit to Thailand where he reiterated the Finnish smartphone manufacturer’s goal to overtake Samsung as the global leader in mobile phone market share, also did mention that the Windows Phone Store would be welcoming the Instagram app in due time.

I would say that this has been a long time in coming, since Instagram’s absence on the Windows Phone platform has led to a bunch of third party substitutes released, where most of them are unable to upload images to Instagram after Instagram decided to prevent direct third party uploads to its site. Well, do you think that Instagram on Windows Phone will help Nokia achieve this lofty goal of theirs, that is to overtake Samsung when they are at the top of their game? Only time will tell.

Nokia Executive Claims Instagram Will Arrive On Windows Phone Soon original content from Ubergizmo.

Microsoft announced new data from IDC indicating that Windows Phone is the second-most-used mobile platform in Latin America. It would be simple to dismiss it as a minor victory in a secondary market, but the news is in fact a validation of Windows Phone’s strategy to grow its install base and accelerate its unit shipment growth.

Microsoft, obviously proud of the silver medal, reported the data, saying that “in one year, the operating system went from fourth to second place,” and that “there was 12 percent growth compared to the previous quarter.”

The context for this is twofold: Microsoft is gunning for volume while its low-cost handsets resonate in emerging markets, and while Windows Phone’s global aggregate market share is low, the platform is able to find traction in at least one hemisphere.

The news that Windows Phone is second place in Latin America is not a surprise, given the recent and steep sales volume of the Nokia Lumia 520 handset. The cheap device has quickly become the most popular Windows Phone handset, spanking earlier title holders, and not slowing down in its ascent.

The quick shift in Windows Phone market share in Latin America mirrors closely the rise of the Lumia 520 in the past few months, during which time — according to data from AdDuplex – its sales accelerated. Without too much mental stress, it isn’t hard to lash the trends together and deduce that Lumia 520 sales are helping to drive Latin American market share.

Microsoft implies as much: “In Latin America, there are more than 20 countries where the Windows Phone range of devices is available, from low-end smartphones, such as the Nokia Lumia 520 […].” Does this matter? Yes, and more than merely implying that Microsoft’s long, expensive, and somewhat lumpen mobile efforts are finally paying off, but also that the strategy behind its bets is sound.

Nokia, as chief OEM partner, gave Microsoft avenues to secondary markets that it could not have hoped to build or foster itself. And those secondary markets appear to be driving unit volume for Windows Phone.

So Microsoft wants to reach all markets, with devices from the Lumia 520 to the almost comically ostentatious Lumia 1020, but it appears that its cheaper phones in developing economies are for now providing it with the sort of growth it has long sought.

Top Image Credit: Vernon Chan