Hasta La Gadget!

Kantar’s numbers have always been relatively kind to Windows Phone. Well, at least as kind as any numbers can be, we suppose. That trend continues with the recent report that Microsoft’s smartphone platform has crossed the double digit mark in market share in parts of Europe. Specifically, it has hit 10.8 percent in France and 12 percent in Great Britain. Things are not quite as rosy across the rest of the continent, but Windows Phone does own a cumulative 9.2 percent of the field in the “big five European markets”: Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Of course, that’s still a distant third to iOS and Android, the latter of which owns a staggering 70.1 percent of the market, according to Kantar. BlackBerry, on the other hand, is continuing its stunning free fall, dropping to just 2.4 percent in those same five markets, just ahead of the nebulous “other.”

There haven’t been too many other exciting changes in the smartphone and carrier landscape over the last three months. But, if you want to take a gander at some more numbers, you’ll find them at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: Kantar (docx)

@evleaks is at it again. This time the prolific leaker has blasted out two screen grabs of an app called Storyteller, which made a Live Tile-cameo in the alleged screencap of a Nokia Bandit, an oversized Windows Phone 8 device. The app appears to be a Windows 8 and WP photo album that lets users sift through images by timeline, favorites and shared, or browse them on a map. A close look at the top right of the application meant for larger devices reveals a “My tablet” menu, suggesting it boasts integration with slates. Given that @evleaks mentions Bandit, Espoo’s long-rumored Sirius pad and October 22nd event date, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see new hardware — and at least one new app — this fall.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Nokia

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Source: @evleaks

We’ve already had a peek at the back of Nokia’s reported Lumia 1520 spinoff for Verizon. Today, we may be looking at the front: frequent tipster @evleaks has posted what’s claimed to be a press image of the Lumia 929. While the 929 render hasn’t been directly linked to the earlier photo, the abundance of home screen tiles hints at an equally large phone with the 1520’s Windows Phone GDR3 software. It may not be as big as the 1520 itself, though. An RM-927 phone recently reached the FCC with both Verizon LTE and dimensions only slightly larger than the Lumia 625. If it represents the 929, the carrier may be using a roughly 5-inch screen instead of the 1520’s rumored 6-inch display. Whatever we’re looking at, there’s a chance that we’ll see more of it on October 22nd.

Update: “Popular demand” had persuaded @evleaks to post a press image of the phone’s backside (viewable after the break), which looks identical to the leaked shot we saw earlier this month.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia, Verizon

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Via: WMPoweruser

Source: @evleaks (1), (2)

Well, isn’t this convenient? Rumors have circulated that Nokia was delaying the Lumia 1520 launch beyond late September, and the company has just teased an “innovation reinvented” event on October 22nd. The company isn’t giving many clues, although the desert skiing image is curious — we’re wondering if the press gathering may take place in a similarly exotic venue. Wherever the event takes place, you know we’ll be there.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia

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Source: Nokia (Twitter)

The Windows Phone Store might not be as big as Apple’s App Store or Google Play, but Redmond claims it’s showing decent growth. According to WP Store General Manager Todd Brix, the platform has surpassed 9 million transactions of combined app and in-app purchases per day. That’s a total of 270 million per month, or 70 million more than what was reported in June. Ballmer and Co. want those numbers to grow even more, of course, so they’ve streamlined payments from carriers, making sure they’re eligible for payout after 30 days. While that might entice more devs to dip their toes in the platform, you’ll first be seeing more ads than new apps — the company will start issuing unique device IDs to new advertising partners. It claims the UDIDs aren’t linked to particular devices and won’t give out identifiable information, but if you still feel unsafe or don’t want to be served targeted ads, you can always opt out.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog