Hasta La Gadget!

AllThingsD is reporting that Microsoft is replacing Andy Lees as head of its Windows Phone division… sort of. It looks like Terry Myerson, who has headed up engineering efforts for the group, will take over many of Lees’ responsibilities, though, he won’t be inheriting his title. At least not just yet. In a memo seen by AllThingsD, Ballmer announced that Lees would be taking on a new position with the company, though it’s not entirely clear what that might be — describing it only as “time-critical” and “focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8.” (So, it’s safe to assume he’s not becoming a janitor.) The shakeup isn’t terribly surprising, especially considering the CEO’s own admission that Windows Phone 7 was not performing as well as expected in the market.

The division’s interim leader, Myerson, has been with Microsoft since 1997 and previously headed up the team in charge of Exchange. For now he will continue to report to Lees, who will remain the president of the Windows Phone group, even if that is in name only.

Microsoft replaces Andy Lees as Windows Phone head originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor to power Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm’s grip

ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor to power Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm’s grip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not quite sure what’s going on here: you see, Lenovo’s been cosying up to Android for its smartphones and tablets all this time, so we were a bit surprised when one of its product managers posted some photos of a Windows Phone-powered handset (even Engadget makes an appearance). More interestingly, this mysterious phone looks identical to the upcoming Lenovo LePhone S2, which features a heavily customized Android 2.3.4, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chip, 480 x 800 display, eight-megapixel camera (with 720p recording) and a smaller plus lighter body than its predecessor. PCPOP’s done a brief preview of the S2 Android if you’re curious.

But the bigger story here is that if Lenovo is indeed developing a Windows Phone Mango device for the Chinese market (and remember that Lenovo has yet to market its smartphones outside China), then this S2 variant could be the first of its kind that gets the blessing from the Chinese authorities. Right now Windows Phone has a tight Facebook and Twitter integration, both of which are unfortunately banned by the Great Firewall; and additionally, even the Windows Phone Marketplace had fallen victim to the system for unknown reasons back in August. Of course, Windows Phone’s China penetration could be just a matter of time anyway, but it’ll be interesting to see what compromises Microsoft will have made to keep the authorities happy — Nokia will surely need this to keep a good shape in China.

On the other hand, given the common hardware compatibility between the two mobile OSes, there’s also a good chance that this strange device is merely the work of some curious engineers at Lenovo — you know, much like the Android-powered Nokia prototype spotted in June. If this is indeed the truth then let our bubbles burst.

Lenovo’s upcoming LePhone S2 seen running Android as well as Windows Phone, looks confused originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been concentrating on which Windows Phones are coming out this fall, here’s two more to add to your meditating mind: the Samsung Focus S and its little brother, the Focus Flash, are heading to AT&T on November 6th, according to AT&T’s Facebook page. The Focus S, brandishing its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.4GHz single-core CPU, front-facing cam and 8MP shooter, will be up for grabs at $200; the Flash, meanwhile, can be yours for $50 and still offers the same processor with a smaller 3.7-inch Super AMOLED display, front-facing cam and a 5MP rear camera. Get ready, get set…

[Thanks, Neil]

Samsung Focus S, Focus Flash geared up for a November 6th release originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On this edition of As The Smartphone World Turns…, we’ve got Samsung violently snatching victory from the jaws of Apple, claiming its spot at the top of global smartphone vendors once more. Dramatics aside, the latest shipment figures tallied up by Strategy Analytics are showing that worldwide smartphone shipments are up 44 percent year-over-year, reaching a staggering 117 million units in Q3 2011. Digging into that a bit, we’re told that Samsung has overtaken Apple from a units-shipped standpoint, with Sammy moving 28 million smartphones and claiming 24 percent of the market share. If you’ll recall, Apple briefly grabbed hold of numero uno last quarter, but has now fallen a rung with 15 percent of the global pie. Of course, things could be dramatically different when we see Q4 2011 figures roll out — remember, Q3 2011 was the last quarter in a long string with the aging iPhone 4 as Apple’s “newest” device. Stranger still, Nokia is slotted third with just 14 percent of the global share, representing a precipitous drop from 33 percent a year ago. Similarly, Nokia’s fortunes are apt to change with both the N9 finally out and its spate of Windows Phone devices heading out in short order. Hop on past the break for the full breakdown.

Continue reading Samsung claims top spot in global smartphone shipments for Q3 2011, Apple slips to number two

Samsung claims top spot in global smartphone shipments for Q3 2011, Apple slips to number two originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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