Mar 31

Microsoft details Windows Phone 7 by the numbers: 11,500 apps, 36,000 developers

Posted in: app, apps, Microsoft, statistics, stats, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7
We’ve already seen a fair number of Windows Phone 7 stats, but Microsoft’s now gone and provided a proper retrospective for the first anniversary of its debut at the MIX10 conference last year. The standout figure, as usual, is the number of apps, which now stands at 11,500 — a number that Microsoft is quick to point out it’s not “artificially inflating” by listing wallpapers as a category, or boosting by adding competitor’s apps to increase “tonnage.” Microsoft also notes that while the Windows Phone Developer Tools have been downloaded 1.5 million times, it’s choosing instead to focus on the number of AppHub community members as a more accurate measure of the number of developers for the platform — they now total 36,000. It’s also revealed that Windows Phone 7 users download twelve apps each month on average, that it’s currently adding 1,200 new developers this week, and that 1,100 of the apps in the Marketplace are ad-supported and generating revenue with its Ad Control platform. Hit up the source link below for the rest of the stats.

Microsoft details Windows Phone 7 by the numbers: 11,500 apps, 36,000 developers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 31

The Windows Phone 7 Number That Matters: One Billion

Posted in: Microsoft, Today's Chili, windows phone 7
Thumbnail image for HTC HD7 with Windows Phone 7.jpg

IDC issued a reportedly recently, predicted that, by 2015, Windows Phone will be the world’s second most popular mobile operating system, trailing only Google’s Android. Most of us in the industry were a bit baffled by the news, of course, largely citing Windows Phone 7’s lukewarm sales figures as the basis for disbelief.

Last night, perhaps not coincidentally, Windows Phone senior director Brandon Wilson wrote a post for The Windows Phone Developer Blog titled “A Year Later–The Windows Phone 7 Numbers That Matter.” According to Wilson, “When considering the various measures of progress over the last year, we tend to focus on the third party developers who have built so many amazing apps and games for the platform.”
He goes on to cite the number of times that Windows Phone Developer Tools has been downloaded (1.5 million), the number of members of AppHub who are also members of the Windows Phone developer community (36,000), and the number of apps available for the platform (11,500). For that latter number, Wilson insists, “we have always been focused on quality over quantity.”
But really, there’s one number that will determine Windows Phone 7’s success above all others: one billion. That’s the amount, in dollars, that Microsoft reportedly paid to ensure that Windows Phone 7 will be implemented on the next generation of Nokia handsets. Nokia, while not exactly a powerhouse in the US, is still the biggest manufacturer of smartphones in the world. If anything is going to determine Microsoft’s success in the mobile space, it’s that. 
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Mar 30

NoDo Windows Phone 7 update hits the Venue Pro, Dell update to follow

Posted in: software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, update, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7
Well, it looks like Venue Pro owners will be getting not one but two software updates in the near future. Dell has just confirmed that the much-anticipated NoDo Windows Phone 7 update has begun rolling out to devices today, and also announced that a separate update of its own will be “coming later.” NoDo, of course, adds copy and paste functionality among some other updates and tweaks, while the Dell update is only said to have “more fixes.” Feel free to let us know how the update works out for you in comments.

NoDo Windows Phone 7 update hits the Venue Pro, Dell update to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BGR  |  source@LionelatDell (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 30

Windows Phone No. 2 Smartphone OS By 2015 – Report

Posted in: Android, Microsoft, Today's Chili, windows phone 7
HTC HD7 with Windows Phone 7.jpg

I certainly did a bit of a double take on seeing this bit of news. The prediction comes from IDC. The analyst group snuck it onto the end of a press released titled “IDC Forecasts Worldwide Smartphone Market to Grow by Nearly 50% in 2011,” which was issued yesterday. 

After outlining the titular growth, the company adds this gem from IDC analyst Ramon Llamas: “By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.”
Microsoft’s attempt to reinvent its mobile strategy got off to a bit of a rough start, by most accounts, but it’s the recent deal struck with Nokia that gives IDC so much confidence in the company’s ability to grow its global mobile offerings at such an enormous rate in the next four years. 
Also from Llamas, “Up until the launch of Windows Phone 7 last year, Microsoft has steadily lost market share while other operating systems have brought forth new and appealing experiences. The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform.”
Android currently leads global market share at 39.5 percent, according to IDC’s numbers. The organization expects that number to be at 45.5 in 2015. Microsoft is in a distant fifth at 5.5 percent. That number is expected to jump to 20.9 percent in the next four years.
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Mar 30

Microsoft job posting teases Windows Phone Mobile Studio, requires thinking cap to grok

Posted in: cloud, Microsoft, mobile os, MobileOs, Music, rumor, Software, storage, Today's Chili, ui, Windows, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7, zune

A conclusion for Captain Obvious to draw, this is not. As with most mega-corp job postings, the wording in Microsoft’s latest is just obfuscated enough to keep us guessing, but a few key phrases have us (as well as ZDNet‘s Mary-Jo Foley) on edge waiting for the next big thing in cloud storage. Judging by the rousing reception seen by Amazon’s Cloud Drive, we’re guessing that the folks in Redmond haven’t forgotten completely about Kin’s one positive feature: Kin Studio. Based on a new job request, there’s a Windows Phone Mobile Studio brewing, and the leading thought is that this is really Kin Studio… but for WP7 devices. Granted, this may be nothing at all like it sounds — we could be looking at a future home for apps, or simply another aspect of Zune that’ll make music management a wee bit easier. That said, we’d love to see Microsoft bust out a world-class streaming / storage service for its mobile platform, and you can bet we’ll be prying for details at MIX next month.

Microsoft job posting teases Windows Phone Mobile Studio, requires thinking cap to grok originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 29

Windows Phone 7 getting NFC payments in next update?

Posted in: Microsoft, nfc, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is still catching up to the competition in terms of apps and basic features, but when it comes to mobile payments it might not be left in the dust — Bloomberg has two anonymous sources who say that Microsoft will outfit the next version of Windows Phone 7 with software support for near-field communications, and bake NFC tech into WP7 smartphones as early as this year. As we heard earlier this week, Google’s reportedly working on a similar plan, complete with partnerships in the credit card space, RIM may or may not be arguing with carriers over its Bank of America trial, and the general consensus around the water cooler is that Apple won’t be pursuing contactless payments this year. Yes, it’s an exciting time to work in industries that rely solely on money changing hands.

Windows Phone 7 getting NFC payments in next update? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 29

HTC HD7 finally gets NoDo, WP7 users revel in the splendor of copy / paste

Posted in: HTC, Microsoft, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, t-mobile, TMobile, Today's Chili, update, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Last week, Microsoft released a NoDo update schedule for all of its WP7 devices, and it looks like T-Mobile’s sticking to the plan. That’s right folks, T-Mobile’s HTC HD7 owners are officially the first to get a crack at the OTA NoDo download through the Zune software. T-Mo announced on its Twitter feed and website forum that the update has commenced, and our tipsters confirm that some have indeed already received the new software. The announcement states that users will only start getting the update today, and will get a pop-up notification telling them when its available. So if you haven’t yet been hit with your dose of NoDo, rest assured that help is on the way.

Update: Quick clarification, T-Mobile customers will be getting OTA notifications, but must download the update using Microsoft’s Zune software.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC HD7 finally gets NoDo, WP7 users revel in the splendor of copy / paste originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceT-Mobile Forums, @TMobile (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 29

IDC fails to learn from previous mistakes, issues 2015 smartphone predictions

Posted in: Android, ios, market, market share, marketshare, mobile os, MobileOs, os, smartphone, symbian, Today's Chili, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7

The stat guardians at IDC are among the most reliable sources for keeping track of the latest developments in the smartphone market, but we’ve got to say their forecasts haven’t always benefited from the same accuracy. It’s with this disclaimer that we present you the world of 2015 as seen through the IDC prism. In just four years’ time, says the data, Windows Phone 7 (or whatever version it reaches by then) will have ascended to occupy a fifth of the market and second spot overall behind Android, whose leading position is expected to stabilize somewhere around the 45 percent mark. Apple and RIM are projected to hold steady with shares close to where they are today. It has to be humbling for the IDC, which predicted Symbian would continue to dominate all the way into 2013, to now have to foretell of its almost complete extinction (a mere 0.2 percent) and total irrelevance in the smartphone market. Alas, while the new prediction sounds very reasonable today, four years of unknown unknowns is a mighty long time to try and forecast through, and we have a feeling we’ll be looking back and chuckling at this within a few short months — probably (hopefully!) in the midst of a massive webOS revival.

Continue reading IDC fails to learn from previous mistakes, issues 2015 smartphone predictions

IDC fails to learn from previous mistakes, issues 2015 smartphone predictions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 24

Microsoft serves up a ‘NoDo’ update schedule for Windows Phone 7 devices

Posted in: firmware, Microsoft, mobile os, MobileOs, os, Software, Today's Chili, update, upgrade, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Where is your Windows Phone 7 “NoDo” update? That’s the question Microsoft is aiming to answer with a new spreadsheet it has cobbled together to detail the software status of all WP7 handsets released so far. A February preparatory patch and the long-anticipated first proper upgrade to the OS, herein titled merely “March update,” are sat side by side, with a set of delivery states under them for each WP7 phone. Things aren’t looking awesome in the US, where AT&T’s batch is still undergoing carrier testing and T-Mobile’s pair of phones are “scheduling” (which Microsoft says takes no more than 10 days), but news is better overseas, where most have received the February OTA and are mere days away from the final NoDo goodness. Sprint’s HTC Arrive and AT&T’s upcoming HD7S will both have that software preloaded, so at least new buyers won’t have to fret unduly.

[Thanks, Arty]

Microsoft serves up a ‘NoDo’ update schedule for Windows Phone 7 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMicrosoft (USA), (International)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 23

Microsoft Begins Windows Phone 7 “NoDo” Update

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, mobile, Today's Chili, windows phone 7

Winrumors - WP7 Update

Windows Phone 7 users, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. After fits and starts, Microsoft is finally beginning the wide-scale rollout of its first major update to the mobile platform, including the ability to copy/paste, startup and shutdown speed improvements, faster app access to phone memory so your apps launch faster, and more. 
The update, called “NoDo,” has already begin hitting some WP7 phones, according to a post at WinRumors. Un-branded Windows Phones will get the update first, and while Microsoft says they’ve released the update to wireless carriers to push to carrier-branded phones, it’s up to them to release or block the update from their users.  Unfortunately, that means that most North American WP7 owners will have to wait until their carrier pushes the update down to them. 
The update also includes some improvements to phone performance over Wi-Fi, updates to the on-board Outlook client, and an update to the Windows Phone Marketplace so users can more easily search for and find the apps they want to install. Considering some of the previous issues carriers have had with Windows Phone 7 updates, it would make sense if they’re a little hesitant to open the floodgates, but with WP7 owners clamoring for it, it’s just a matter of time.
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