Items tagged with Windows Phone 7
A joint study between Microsoft Research and Purdue University has taken a look at how smartphone applications handle power consumption and come to some damning conclusions where energy efficiency is concerned. This is an issue that's become more important as smartphone specs have skyrocketed without a similar increase in battery life. The paper only considers devices running Android and Windows Mobile, but this isn't a problem that's unique to that platform; Apple's iPhone 4S suffered from battery life issues for months after release, while the new iPad is ~10% heavier than the old thanks to the need for a heavier battery to power the device's screen. The new iPad's battery holds 67% more power...
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Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has a long way to go before it truly challenges Android and iOS for mobile dominance, but after a bit of a rocky start, it might be starting to hit its stride. According to All About Windows Phone (AAWP), one of the go-to blogs for Windows Phone app statistics, the Windows Phone Marketplace now has more than 50,000 apps and games. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Windows Phone Marketplace was home to 50,126 apps and growing at a clip of 265 new items per day. Over 17,000 were added in the last three months, and more than 8,000 in the last 30 days. "The 50,000 mark, which has been reached sooner than we estimated, is a key milestone, but more important is the accelerating...
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For whatever reason, Nokia's leaving America in a trail of dust when it comes to Windows Phone 7. The Lumia 800, the company's new flagship handset, is launching overseas first, with America not seeing any of their WP7 phones until 2012. Nokia fans in the USA are understandably bummed about the whole ordeal, but Nokia insists that they're trying to roll this out in a controlled fashion, with each market getting very intentional treatment. This is probably shorthand for saying that Nokia has to work with the carriers in the States to launch their phone, which isn't exactly the case elsewhere. But if 2012 just feels too far away, there's good news. The Lumia 800, in unlocked off-contract form,...
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Microsoft's general counsel and deputy general counsel (Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez) have co-written a new blog entry detailing Microsoft's latest licensing achievement. Yesterday's broad cross-licensing agreement with Compal Electronics means that Microsoft has now negotiated licensing terms with the ODMs (original Device Manufacturers) that build over half the Android devices on the market. The team writes: "Amidst continuing clamor about uncertainty and litigation relating to smartphone patents, we're putting in place a series of agreements that are reasonable and fair to both sides. Our agreements ensure respect and reasonable compensation for Microsoft's inventions and patent portfolio....
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So, this is interesting. While Samsung and Apple are spending untold amounts of money on legal battles across the globe, Samsung has decided to not wage those same wars with another tech monolith: Microsoft. Microsoft has been on a warpath of late, tracking down companies (mostly who sell Android-based products) that touch Microsoft's patents in one way or another. This way, Microsoft rakes in royalties for products they don't even sell. It's a wild situation, truth be told, and it's a little insane to think that most every Android device sold benefits Microsoft in one way or another. Must be nice to be king. At any rate, Samsung was in Microsoft's sights as well, and the two companies announced...
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With Mango hitting devices this week, the flood of handsets designed specifically for Microsoft's next-gen build of WP7 has begun. T-Mobile USA is first in line, with the new HTC Radar 4G sailing their way in a glistening white outfit. It's the carrier's first Windows Phone capable of 4G speeds (HSPA+, in this case), also boasting a 3.8" touch display, a virtual QWERTY keyboard, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Internet Explorer 9 and a 5MP rear camera with LED flash. The carrier isn't doling out a price or release date, but it'll be out before the holidays. So, is this the white handset of your dreams? Or is the presume white iPhone 5 still calling your name? T-Mobile Announces Upcoming Availability...
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Say hello to a different kind of fruit: Mango. While the news of late has focused on Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 launch, Microsoft has some news of their own on the mobile OS front. Windows Phone 7.5 is the first major overhaul of the system since the (more basic) NoDo updates began to roll out a few months ago, and starting this week, WP7 users should begin to see the v7.5 update roll their way. Microsoft claims that this release has a "people-first" attitude, and there's focus on multitasking, more integrated apps, primo mobile Web browsing, and powerful and personalized tools, like integrated social networking and conversation threads, for connecting with the people in our lives. The update...
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Whoever said that all new superphones had to be powered by Android? Exactly. Samsung has placed all of that noise from the ongoing Apple patent battles on hold for a moment, long enough to launch a Windows Phone 7 device that will certainly make waves across the industry. The Omnia family is gaining another member with the Omnia W, their first smartphone to be based on Mango. The company's prior WP7 offers were long before the newest version of the software, and users have been eager as ever to get their hands on the newest iteration. Like some other high-powered Samsung handsets, this one also has a 3.7" Super AMOLED display, an enriched content and social communication experience enabled by...
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Show of hands, how many of you own a Windows Phone 7 device? Anyone? Truth be told, we didn't expect to see many hands, because everyone's enamored with Android and iOS. The numbers bear that out, and even Steve Ballmer can't ignore them, who admits Microsoft's smartphone platform isn't lighting up the sales charts. "We haven't sold quite as many as I would have liked in the first year," Ballmer said at the company's financial analyst meeting, according to All Things D. The HTC TItan is a Windows Phone Mango smartphone that will show up later this year That doesn't mean Microsoft is willing to throw in the towel. Ballmer says big things are coming to the Windows Phone platform, including DirectX...
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While for many Xbox users it only seems like just yesterday that the New Xbox Experience dashboard update was released, followed recently by another update for the release of the Kinect. Now, in preparation for the new Xbox Live features announced this past E3, Microsoft will be releasing yet another stylish new update. The new update, pictured below, will be launching this fall with faster content browsing and faster navigation with Kinect-enabled speech commands. The improvements are aimed at making the dashboard easier for users to browse with the ever-expanding library of content on Xbox Live, including live sporting events from ESPN and Youtube, later this year. “It’s about making...
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Looking for Mango? AT&T has it coming hot and heavy. While this week is all about Windows 8, as Microsoft's BUILD Conference starts tomorrow, the company's mobile OS is still of the utmost importance for MS' future. Windows Phone 7.5, the first major overhaul since NoDo, is all set to roll out to major carriers, with AT&T being a major partner here in the United States. Today, the carrier is introducing three new 4G devices in 4Q -- including the Samsung Focus S, HTC Titan, and Samsung Focus Flash. All three will run Mango, and furthermore, AT&T will start updating existing Windows Phones (HTC HD7S, Samsung Focus, LG Quantum, and HTC Surround) to Windows Phone 7.5 (“Mango”)...
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HTC recently revealed two new Windows Phones that will be coming to carriers later this year. These two new phones run on the latest version of Windows Phone, known as Mango. The HTC TITAN is the higher-end model of the two new phones. This phone has a 1.5GHz processor and 16GB of storage with 512MB of RAM. It features a 4.7-inch screen with a slim 9.9mm brushed aluminum shell. The TITAN also has front- and rear-facing cameras. The second phone HTC revealed is the HTC Radar. It has a 1GHz processor, 8GB of internal memory, and 512MB of RAM. This smartphone features an aluminum unibody shell as well as front- and rear- facing cameras. The phones are scheduled to be available in October beginning...
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Thanks to a leaked image, we're learning more about an upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango smartphone known as the HTC Omega. Based on the picture, the Omega will be a white and silver handset. It appears to have an aluminum construction. Omega is likely a codename. Reports suggest the phone could be known as the HTC Radar when it ships with a carrier. The smartphone is expected to have a 3.8-inch SLCD display, 1.5GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM, DLNA compatibility, and micro-HDMI output. The phone is also expected to feature an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and a front-facing camera. HTC has a press event scheduled for September 1. We're expecting the Omega...
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Windows Phone 7 was supposed to reverse Microsoft's declining market share, prove that the company was capable of designing a product that could stand against the best Android and Apple had to offer, and re-establish the company as a major player in the smartphone space. Despite generally positive reviews, WP7 has failed to improve Redmond's mobile fortunes; the company's share of the mobile market fell significantly in Q2 2011. The latest comScore data indicates that the total US smartphone market grew eight percent in the second quarter for a total of 78.5M smartphone owners. Despite this, Microsoft's piece of the pie shrank by nearly 23 percent. The graph below shows the changes in standing...
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