Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Microsoft has created BING navigation app for Windows Mobile, adding all the right features to it. The app has been taken for a test drive. While there’s nothing too shocking or surprising, it looks like the voice input works well, and the turn-by-turn directions seem to be at least up to par with your average navigation device — it even has a few nice touches like being able to tap on the screen to repeat the instructions. The app is available for free download.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/13/bing-turn-by-turn-navigation-for-windows-mobile-gets-taken-for-a/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
It is no surprise that Apple’s iPhone OS has been at the top of the mobile web space game since 2008. The company’s market share at one point approached 70% of the mobile web, and showed no signs of slowing down — until now.
According to AdMob, Mobile Metrics Report for Feb 2010, Apple’s iPhone leads the pack for mobile Internet usage amongst smartphone platforms around the world—but the surprise is how fast Android is growing: from a 2 percent share in February 2009 to a 24 percent share in February 2010.
RIM’s BlackBerry platform accounted for only about 4 percent of mobile Internet traffic to Admob’s network in February. (Windows Mobile managed a 2 percent showing.)
Sources:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/admob-android-showing-strong-growth/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/29/stats-iphone-os-is-still-king-of-the-mobile-web-space-but-andr/
http://erictric.com/2010/03/29/android-approaching-iphone-os-in-mobile-web-market-share/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Mozilla is ceasing its browser-development work for Windows Mobile phones, since Microsoft has no plans to further the platform. However, Mozilla has no plans to develop the browser for Windows Phone 7 series either.
Microsoft has said applications for Windows Phone 7 Series will have to be written in XNA or Silverlight, rather than running as native code on Windows Phone 7 Series devices. The only exceptions so far seem to be for Microsoft’s own applications and possibly some tie-ins for carrier partners. Speculation also has Microsoft working with Adobe to offer a native version of Flash for Windows Phone 7 Series devices.
Because Microsoft has decided to close its development to native apps, Mozilla won’t be able to provide Firefox for Windows 7 Series.
Sources:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=5654&tag=wrapper;col1
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/mozilla-halts-firefox-on-windows-mobile/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Microsoft’s Eric Rudder, speaking at TechEd Middle East, showed off a game developed in Visual Studio as a singular project (with 90% shared code) that plays on Windows with a keyboard, a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype device with accelerometer and touch controls, and the Xbox 360 with the Xbox gamepad. Interestingly, not only is the development cross-platform friendly, but the game itself (a simple Indiana Jones platformer was demoed) saves its place and lets you resume from that spot on whichever platform you happen to pick up.
Sources:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/windows-phone-7-series-demo-video-reveals-new-apps-screens/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/06/microsoft-shows-off-single-game-running-on-windows-windows-phon/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Microsoft employees have confirmed that current Windows Mobile 6.5 devices do not meet the minimum hardware requirements for the new Windows Phone 7 Series operating system, and subsequently aren’t eligible for upgrade when the new OS launches later this year.
It has been stressed that Microsoft won’t be giving up on Windows Mobile 6.5 devices entirely. The OS will be rebranded as “Windows Phone Classic” once Phone 7 Series launches and will be targeted at budget-conscious buyers and enterprise users who rely on legacy WinMo 6 apps.
Source:
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
During The Engadget Show, Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman pulled a little surprise by bringing out LG’s Windows Phone 7 Series pre-production prototype. It has a QWERTY slider, which is the first branded Windows Phone 7 Series device the world’s ever seen.
It’s just a little thicker than an iPhone or Nexus One, with a dedicated hardware camera, volume, and power buttons in addition to the back, home, and search buttons dictated by Windows Phone 7 Series. There is also a 5 megapixel camera with a flash on the back, along with a headphone jack.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/27/exclusive-lgs-windows-phone-7-series-early-prototype-unveiled/
Weekend Mobile Industry Snippets!
It looks like Windows Mobile 6.5 will live on as the basis of Windows Phone Starter Edition. It has now been confirmed, designed to be a cheaper alternative for developing and emerging markets, much like Windows 7 Starter on the desktop, and it’ll come in versions with and without Office Mobile preloaded when it ships on devices later this year.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/26/confirmed-windows-mobile-6-5-to-become-windows-phone-starter-ed/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Microsoft has released an updated version of its Marketplace for Mobile application for WinMo 6.0 and up recently that makes a few key changes – the marketplace will now allow for app installs straight to memory cards, a critical capability for devices that don’t have large storage built in. There are also deep links to app product pages, user-selectable regional stores, Russian support, and the list goes on. It seems like a must-have upgrade for anyone on a 6.x device.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/22/windows-marketplace-tweaked-installs-to-storage-cards-now-possi/
Weekend Mobile Industry Snippets!
LG has told the press at MWC that it will not be developing its own smartphone platform “at least for the next two to three years.” They feel that companies should focus on what they do well, and that LG will narrow its operation down to producing electronics and leaving the software side to the geeks over at Google and Microsoft.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/19/lg-not-interested-in-proprietary-smartphone-os-likes-android-an/
Daily Mobile Industry Snippets!
Windows Mobile 6.5.3 would continue its less chic existence, but words came that it will be rebranded as Windows Phone Classic. The name change will most likely not take effect until the 7 series devices start hitting the market in end 2010.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/17/windows-mobile-6-5-to-be-redubbed-windows-phone-classic/
