Microsoft is letting the world of Windows Phone 7 (not to be confused with Windows Phone 8) know today that it’s time to move on. With Windows Phone 8 being released to smartphones for just under a year, Microsoft has decided that it was time to stop development on their top video chat app Skype. […]
With iOS and Android firmly holding their ground as the top two smartphone platforms, many argue that there is room for a third platform as well. The tussle for that place is between BlackBerry and Windows Phone, both have been working quite hard to get their platforms off the ground. Nokia has pledged unwavering support to Microsoft and its Lumia range of smartphones are testimony enough. According to AdDuplex, a Windows Phone app advertisement firm, the Nokia Lumia 920 is the best selling Windows Phone around the world.
Of the entire Windows Phone market, Nokia reigns on 80%, thanks to its Lumia smartphones. Nokia Lumia 920 sits at the top with 14% of the entire Windows Phone market share with the Lumia 800 coming in second place. The margin between both of the isn’t that much, in fact when rounded off both of these devices have 14% share of the entire market. Windows Phone 8 is also gaining share over Windows Phone 7, growing almost 5% last month. According to a latest report Windows Phone 8 adoption rate has reached 12% last month, putting it in a position to overtake Windows Phone 7 only a couple of months down the road.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: WhatsApp Denies Google Sale, Foxconn Allegedly Fired Workers WIth Suicidal Tendencies, 
We know you can never get enough of app deals, and Microsoft seems to be pretty adamant about that too, which is why they have announced what they’re calling “Red Stripe Deals,” where they’ll be putting a select number of apps and games on sale every Thursday. And no, they aren’t talking about the cheap Jamaican beer.
Each week, the Windows Store will feature three new apps for the Red Stripe Deals each week. Each week, there will “typically” be one Xbox game, one indie game, and one top-rated app, all of which will be marked down by at least 50% of the original price. Microsoft says that Red Stripe name comes from the red stripe that you’ll see on the apps that are on sale for that week.
What does Microsoft have on sale this week? The inaugural Red Stripe collection features Runtastic Pro, Assassin’s Creed: Altairs Chronicles HD, and King Oddball — all of which are just $0.99 each. These three apps/games will only be discounted for a week, so grab them now before next Thursday rolls around.
Windows Phone 8 has seen a lot of neat apps and games come its way as of late. Just recently, Temple Run was released on Windows Phone 8, as was Pandora, which comes with no ads until 2014, which is usually a feature only granted to paying subscribers of the music-streaming service. Now, Windows Phone 8 users get the deal exclusively.
Microsoft announces weekly “Red Stripe Deals” on apps and games is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Just how well do you think that Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform is doing at the moment? Well, we know for sure that they are not going to overtake the two 800 lbs gorillas at the moment, namely iOS and Android, but it sure as heck has a fighting chance to remain in third position, with the only real competition around being the BlackBerry 10 operating system that was introduced earlier this year alongside some of the newer BlackBerry devices. According to Microsoft’s VP of Corporate Communications, Frank Shaw, he cited a report by the IDC that stated how Windows Phone has already outsold the iPhone in seven markets, while the BlackBerry has been slain in 26 markets.
Of course, there was no mention just which of these 7 and 26 markets, respectively, were the ones with Windows Phone in front, but surely it oozes with a glimmer of hope that Windows Phone is a platform that is certainly gaining its fair share of traction among those who are tired of the iOS and Android formats?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Translate Offline Support For 50 Languages , Gmail For iOS Updated To 2.1, Brings New Navigational Functionality, 
Nokia has announced via its Conversations blog that the long-awaited Windows Phone 7.8 update, which brings a few of the features from Windows Phone 8 to older hardware, has begun rolling out as promised to owners of Nokia 510, 610, 710, 800 and 900 owners and will continue to do so over the next few weeks through February, pending operator approval.
Features included in the update include the ability to resize Live (and inert) tiles on the home screen, new options for configuring the lock screen like fetching a changing daily background image from Bing and child lock features, and additional theme colors, as well as new languages. It’s not a huge step up, but it is a way to breathe new life into older devices left out in the cold in the wake of Windows Phone 8′s arrival, and that might bring some comfort to buyers of devices who were looking for something new.
Owners of one of the devices listed above should get notified via their smartphones once their carrier has approved the update and it’s available to install. Notifications must be on for this to happen, Nokia points out, which is managed via “Settings > Phone Update > Notify me when updates are found.”
Nokia is the first confirmed manufacturer to announce the rollout, but other OEM partners including HTC are said to be getting the update by month’s end as well, so keep an eye out if you’re running these older devices.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Record $54.5 billion in revenue, 47.8 Million iPhones and 22.9 Million iPads sold…
Chalk up another potential win for AMD. The latest report on the next PlayStation console…
Pebble has just informed backers that the very first orders will begin shipping today…
The decline in desktop PC sales is beginning to ripple throughout the industry…
This year the Microsoft team working with developers for Windows Phone 8 have made a grand effort in getting not just a massive amount of apps into the market, but high quality apps at that – hitting a 75,000 market inside 2012. This number was assured this week by Microsoft official Todd Brix on the Windows Phone Developer Blog where they’ve also let it be known that the Windows Phone market has had over 300,000 app updates inside 2012 as well. This addition of 75,000 apps to the market has more than doubled the catalog size compared to the total at the end of 2011.
While the sheer bulk still belongs to Android and iOS for app market size, it would appear that Windows Phone 8 has had a real positive effect on the confidence of the app developer in general. Many of the most well-known apps are now on all three platforms and a massive amount of top brands and services have been coerced by the launch of Windows 8 to create their own Windows Phone 8 presence as well.
Additional affirmations from Brix include the fact that Windows Phone customers now download, buy, and use more apps than at any time in Windows Phone’s history – or at least as long as Windows Phone 7 has been around (right around 2 years). Microsoft assures us that Windows Phone users now download 54 apps each on average “to personalize their phone experience around the people and information they care about most.” This popularity rings true with a series of news blasts that have appeared over the past few weeks that we’re sure not just Microsoft is happy to have seen:
Let us know how you’re experiencing Windows Phone 8 at this very moment. Do you use Windows Phone 7 or 8 yourself, or does anyone around you use a Windows Phone 7 or 8 device?
Windows Phone market doubles in size in 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Windows Phone 8 might be out in full force now, but the Windows Phone 7 series is still carrying on and will see an update to version 7.8 sometime early next year, according to Microsoft. The update will include resizable Live Tiles and new lock screen options. Microsoft says that the update will roll out “to as many devices as possible.”
Unfortunately, not all existing Windows Phone 7.5 handsets will receive the update, but most existing users can expect an update to version 7.8 that will bridge the gap between their device and new devices running Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system. WP7 users are upset as it is, since they won’t be able to get WP8 on their current devices, so it’s crucial that Microsoft roll out the update in a timely manner.
Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Phone, Terry Myerson, said that “new models running Windows Phone 7.8 are beginning to launch in many countries around the world,” which means that there will technically be Windows Phone 7.8 devices out in the wild, but the update for existing customers won’t be ready to roll out until early next year.
Other features of Windows Phone 7.8 include 20 new theme and accent colors, new lock screen features that can display the Bing Picture of the Day, and an “A1B2C3″ PIN/password challenge to prevent accidental device wipes on phones connected to Exchange accounts. While I’m sure most WP7 users would love to have WP8, WP7.8 seems to be a good compromise.
Windows Phone 7.8 due in early 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nokia Transport just received an update, adding segmented route maps and more specific directions for those crucial moments when you need to know precisely what to do. This comes in addition to a redesign that updated the interface for a more intuitive, easy-to-take-in experience. The update is for Windows Phone 7 and 8, as well as Symbian.
Windows Phone 7 and 8 users get the most feature changes, gaining a segmented map that offers a more detailed image of a route. There’s a plan-ahead feature, allowing users to view routes and select route plans by entering a future travel date and destination. Users can toggle distances between miles and kilometers, depending on preference, and can view departure times by seeing how much time is left or the exact time something is scheduled to leave. In addition, users can easily pull up route history, or delete history if you need to keep your journeys private.
Symbian users get a different kind of update, with an overall improved user experience and search function. In addition, there’s the new ability to get over-the-air coverage updates, removing the need to download a fresh app whenever an area extension is pushed out. The new app is in beta, and is available via Nokia Beta Labs.
Nokia Transport presently covers over 550 cities and 53 countries, and, according to the company, “is constantly growing.” You can find out if the mapping/navigation platform covers an area you’re interested in by visiting Nokia’s comprehensive coverage page on its website. The company is actively soliciting feedback on the updates, so if you have an opinion to voice, head over to the company’s @heremaps Twitter feed.
[via Nokia]
Nokia Transport updated for Windows Phone 7 and 8 and Symbian is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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