There is some encouraging news today for current Windows Phone owners who want to know whether their current device will be upgradeable to the next major version of Windows Phone (Windows Phone 8 / Apollo). Past rumours were not hopeful but Microsoft developer evangelist Nuno Silva was far more positive and decisive in an interview with Zwame, a Portuguese mobile […]
Microsoft
Microsoft announces Windows 8 editions including Windows RT for ARM devices
Microsoft today officially announced the name of its next Windows operating system version as well as the names for the different editions. Three editions will be available: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will available for x86 processors (both 32 and 64 bit). They will be joined by Windows RT which will come pre-installed on PCs and tablets powered by […]
Microsoft Windows Phone roadmap leaked?
Microsoft’s roadmaps for Windows, Windows Phone, Office and other products have been revealed after they surfaced on the Microsoft Partner Network where they could be downloaded with a logon. The three charts, dated December 2011, reveal Microsoft’s plans into 2014. They are quite vague though. The Windows Phone timeline reveals little but a “future investments” milestone in late 2012 likely […]
Microsoft confirms Windows Phone 7.5 apps will run on Windows Phone 8
This may not exactly be the news that current Windows Phone 7.5 device owners are looking for but it does answer a related question: Will current Windows Phone 7.x applications run on Windows Phone 8? In a recent blog entry, Microsoft confirmed that they would (their emphasis): With regard to existing applications: today’s Windows Phone applications and games will run […]
Rumour: Microsoft to invest US$3.5 billion in RIM
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins recently said that the company is conducting a “comprehensive review of strategic opportunities” and that any and all options, including a complete sale, were on the table for the company as it struggles to remain relevant in the mobile device space. A rumour today suggests that one potential saviour cold be Microsoft. According to Benzinga‘s sources, […]
Microsoft urged to give more design leeway in Windows Phone 8
Citing its usual “industry sources,” Digitimes is reporting that handset manufacturers are urging Microsoft to loosen its design rules for the upcoming Windows Phone 8 release. They are looking for more flexibility in modifying applications and the user interface to create greater differentiation between devices. This lack of differentiation has apparently made it more difficult to market devices. The report […]
Android to eclipse Windows for smart connected devices by 2016
The latest IDC report suggests that Android will surpass Windows as the dominant operating system for all smart connected devices (which includes PCs, media tablets and smartphones) by 2016. Combined shipments of this class of devices reached 916 million units in 2011 and is expected to climb to 1.84 billion units by 2016. “Whether it’s consumers looking for a phone […]
Microsoft and Nokia announce Windows Phone university app development program
Underlying the importance of a strong app market to support a mobile operating system, Microsoft and Nokia will each invest up to €9 million (about US$12 million) over the next three years in a new mobile application development program at Aalto University in Finland. The AppCampus program will focus on Windows Phone as well as Nokia’s Symbian and Series 40 […]