Nielsen's Q3 numbers are out: Android's still atop the OS chain, Apple remains number one manufacturer - http://www.engadget.com

Nielsen's Q3 numbers are out: Android's still atop the OS chain, Apple remains number one manufacturer - http://www.engadget.com

By Brad Molen posted Nov 29th 2011 2:04PM

Another quarter has come and gone, and you know what that means: Nielsen ratings are out again. The latest batch of numbers don't reveal anything wildly new, but they're still just as telling nonetheless: 44 percent of mobile subscribers in the US use a smartphone in the US. Of those, 71 percent are in possession of an Android device or an iPhone. Additionally, 56 percent of all phone purchases during the third quarter were smartphones. And -- this probably won't come as a surprise to anyone -- at a decisive 42 percent, Android remains the number one smartphone OS while Apple is still perched firmly on top as the leading manufacturer (28 percent). Check out the source link below and graph above for more of the tiny details.

Windows 8 public beta set to arrive February 2012, allegedly- www.gsmarena.com

Windows 8 public beta set to arrive February 2012, allegedly - www.gsmarena.com

December 2nd, 2011 byJohnny

Citing sources close to Microsoft, TheNextWeb, claims that the Windows 8 public beta is set for release in February 2012.

There’s nothing set in stone so, you know, don’t hold your breath until we hear something official. Still it doesn’t seem that unlikely as Windows 8 is expected in 2012 anyway and the MWC 2012 is a big event, a fitting place for presenting a converged desktop/mobile OS. The next iteration of Microsoft’s OS will be the first to be designed to work on both desktops and mobile devices like tablets.

If you’re keen to try out the new Metro UI on your PC (or Mac) you can check out this article for download links. It’s free to try and works pretty much fine and without major hiccups. It’s also pretty easy to install, hopefully taking less of your precious time too.

Cyan Nokia Lumia 800 hits Three UK - GSMArena.com news

Cyan Nokia Lumia 800 hits Three UK - GSMArena.com news

25 November, 2011

If you like the Nokia Lumia 800, but find its primary black color a bit too conservative for your taste, we've got some great news for you. The cyan version of the WP smartphone just went on sale at the UK carrier Three.
The news was confirmed by the company's official Twitter account, but its official website still doesn't mention anything about a cyan Lumia 800. So, if you want to get yourself a shiny new cyan unit, you'd have to visit one of Three's brick and mortar stores.
But for the different color of the non-painted plastic unibody, the cyan Lumia 800 is identical to its black sibling. There are no changes to either the materials used or the internals of the device, but we guess the color change is enough to make it targeted at quite different audience.
It's yet unclear when the other carriers will get the cyan and pink versions of the Lumia 800, but those should come up soon enough.

4.3-Inch Nokia Lumia 900 Gets Leaked By Nokia (Video) - www.techcrunch.com

Jordan Crook

It’s only been a couple weeks since Nokia debuted their first Windows Phones, but today we’re getting something a little less official. The Nokia Lumia 900 has found its way to YouTube thanks to none other than Nokia themselves. Apparently the Finnish phone maker posted a video to court developers, promising them the combination of “Nokia’s stunning hardware” and “a dynamic Microsoft OS.”

Nokia World 2011: Live coverage - GSMArena.com

Nokia World 2011: Live coverage - GSMArena.com

GSMArena team, 25 October 2011.

• Nokia Lumia 800 specs
• User opinions and reviews
• Comments (86)

Introduction

Today marked the beginning of the Windows Phone era for Nokia. The company announced to make the Micorosft platform its primary OS just before the MWC in February, but it's only now, at Nokia World that it finally had actual products to show us.
The Nokia CEO, Steven Elop, stepped on stage and unveiled the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. The Lumia 800 borrows the Nokia N9 unibody design and comes with a 3.7" ClearBlack AMOLED, a 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU, 512 MB of RAM and 16GB of storage under the hood.

Nokia 800 Sun coming up on Wednesday, will there be more? - GSMArena.com news

Nokia 800 Sun coming up on Wednesday, will there be more? - GSMArena.com news

24 October, 2011

So, Nokia World starts in a couple of days in London, and the world is expecting to see Nokia's first Windows Phone-based smartphones. The Finns announced they are switching to the Microsoft platform in February, but only now are we going to see an actual device, resulting from this partnership.



What to expect on the event then?

WP Nokia 800 Sun official photos surface, N9 meets its long-lost twin - GSMArena.com news

WP Nokia 800 Sun official photos surface, N9 meets its long-lost twin - GSMArena.com news

10 October, 2011 

 

Just over two weeks before Nokia World kicks off and the Finnish company unveils its first WP smartphones, we got official photos of one of them. Promo materials of Nokia 800, which was previously rumored as Lumia just popped up, confirming that it will be one of the Nokia smartphones to appear at the event.
As you can see, the Nokia 800 body is almost identical to that of the Nokia N9. We've been playing with MeeGo-running flagship of the Finns for the past few days and we cannot see any reason why using the same design on a WP7 smartphone would be a bad idea.

Nokia WP7-powered Sea Ray, Sabre and Ace specs leak - GSMArena.com news

Nokia WP7-powered Sea Ray, Sabre and Ace specs leak - GSMArena.com news

03 October, 2011 

With Nokia World just around the corner (October 26-27), rumors about the long sought-after WP7-smartphones of the Finns are starting to intensify. Today we got a particularly juicy bit of online gossip, which claims to reveal the specs of the first three Nokia WP7 smartphones.

Nokia Ace

The most interesting of the bunch is codenamed Nokia Ace and will, reportedly, come with a 4.3" ClearBlack AMOLED, 1.4GHz CPU and 16GB of internal storage. The Ace will also features an 8MP autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss-certified lens, HSPA+ connectivity and an ample 1800 mAh battery.

Windows Phone Mango update coming in a couple of weeks- www.gsmarena.com

Windows Phone Mango update coming in a couple of weeks - www.gsmarena.com

September 22nd, 2011 byJohnny

The much anticipated WP 7.5 update – Mango is scheduled to start rolling out in a week or two says Eric Hautala (General Manager, Customer Experience Engineering at Microsoft).

When the update is released users will also get some model-specific software from the manufacturers of their smartphones. That is required as Mango is tuned to work with each phone and its apps perfectly. The update is said to arrive in the next couple of weeks .

Eric Hautala also advises users to get the updated versions of Windows Phone 7 connector for Mac and Zune for PC, which have received a number of update-related improvements. He did address the issue of non-official firmwares, which he advises users to stand clear of, as they interfere with updates. Phones with unofficial software versions may be unable to receive the real Mango when it rolls out.

Stephen Elop: First Nokia WP devices to come in Q4 2011 - GSMArena.com news

Stephen Elop: First Nokia WP devices to come in Q4 2011 - GSMArena.com news

14 September, 2011 

While in China negotiating business with major operators there Stephen Elop has went on record in an interview saying that the first Nokia Windows Phone devices will become available in Q4. He also added that availability will occur in a rollout that Nokia will sequence - one country after another.



This is great news and certainly clarifies yesterday's pseudo-official rumor that we'll have to wait until Q1 of 2012 - it now looks as though that concerns Australia only.
Elop also confirmed that his visit to China is in part concerned with negotiating the launch of the WP7 Nokia devices there, although he didn't specify as to which exactly.

Microsoft Shows Off Tango Video Chat App On The HTC Titan - www.techcrunch.com

Jordan Crook

I’ve liked Windows Phone Mango since I first laid eyes on it, but the truth of the matter is that most of the features being implemented are merely catching up to competing platforms.

Microsoft unveils Windows 8, the next major release of its computer OS - www.gsmarena.com

Microsoft unveils Windows 8, the next major release of its computer OS - www.gsmarena.com

September 13th, 2011 byJohnny

Today at its developer-focused BUILD conference Microsoft is showcasing (currently) the latest major release of its wide-spread Windows OS – dubbed Windows 8. It features a new UI – Metro Style, which looks like an overgrown version of its WP7 for smartphones, improvements on performance, security, privacy and reliability, and more.

Windows 8 tries to substitute what we do with a mouse and keyboard with touch swipe gestures, while at the same time still providing the same experience if you want to go the peripheral way. The new Metro UI features the all-too-familiar live tiles from Windows Phone 7, which are implemented in the Metro UI’s Start Screen. This screen unites all of your live tiles, widgets, apps, people, content and more. It’s basically your main homescreen.

Leaked slide shows Nokia 703 Windows Phone 7 handset - GSMArena.com news

Leaked slide shows Nokia 703 Windows Phone 7 handset - GSMArena.com news

31 August, 2011 

 

So, is this finally it - Nokia's first Windows Phone 7 handset? Could be - it's allegedly from a presentation for a carrier and shows a device very much like the Sea Ray (it showed up on video too).

It's called Nokia 703.

How your phone betrays your location - www.techradar.com

Explained: Your phone transmits your location to anyone equipped to listen

Mobile phones News

By Julian Bucknall

The way cell towers work can give a fairly accurate idea of where you are, even if you're not making a call

"What's an azimuth?" my wife asked. For some reason, visions of naval battles came to mind. Cannons being aimed, orders shouted, shots fired, smoke and billowing sails.

Other than that, I couldn't come up with much. There was nothing for it but to check Wikipedia, where I learned that it's a direction for a projection of an object (usually a star) in 3D space onto a reference plane. So, in summary, a direction.

At this point, it's best to understand what my wife does for a living. She's a Deputy District Attorney, a prosecutor, in the Fourth Judicial District in Colorado. For a long while, she's headed up the Special Victims Unit (SVU, just like on the telly) in the office, prosecuting cases where the victims are the very young, very old, or those who need special help.

Samsung roadmap leaks again, adds a WP7 handset to the mix - GSMArena.com news

Samsung roadmap leaks again, adds a WP7 handset to the mix - GSMArena.com news

18 August, 2011

Last week a few bits and pieces of the Samsung smartphone roadmap leaked and now we add more pieces to the puzzle.
We just got the expected release dates for most of the smartphones and the two tablets as well as a whole new addition to the Samsung lineup that will, reportedly, be running on Windows Phone 7.
So obviously Samsung hasn't given up on Windows Phone 7 just yet and it will be releasing the I8350 Omnia W sometimes this year. It will probably be running WP7 Mango on a 1GHz CPU and will be built around a 3.7" display. The rest of the Omnia W features that we know at this stage include a 5 MP camera, WiFi and GPS.
Here's what the whole picture looks like, now that we've added the extra info. The numbers in brackets show the target release week for each of the handsets. Make note, we're currently in the 33rd week of 2011.

Android smartphones

Samsung I9250 (W48) - 4.65" SuperAMOLED of HD resolution (1280x720 pixels), Android Ice Cream sandwich, 5 MP camera.

Gartner Q2 report: Nokia still top smartphone maker - GSMArena.com news

Gartner Q2 report: Nokia still top smartphone maker - GSMArena.com news

12 August, 2011 

Gartner released their report on the mobile phone world in the second quarter and have something very interesting in their numbers - Nokia is sill number one in smartphones, rather than third as other analysts have stated.
The difference comes from which numbers are taken into account - others counted the number of units shipped and not the number of units purchased by end users, which is exactly what Gartner was looking at.

Rumor: Windows Phone 7 Mango is coming 1 September - GSMArena.com news

Rumor: Windows Phone 7 Mango is coming 1 September - GSMArena.com news

12 August, 2011

Windows Phone 7 Mango was released to manufacturers about three weeks ago and it seems that testing is going well. Sources now claim that the first major update for Microsoft's new mobile OS is going to become publicly available on 1 September.
The first big update for WP7 was NoDo and its roll out wasn’t as smooth as Microsoft would have liked, despite releasing a very minor update first that was supposed to set the ground for NoDo.
Hopefully, this time everyone has done their job as the rumored 1 September deadline is approaching fast. It's a well picked time for an update, just in time for IFA (2-7 September), which will have major manufacturers gathered and showing their new devices.

First look at Windows Phone 7 Mango impresses - www.gigaom.com

First look at Windows Phone 7 Mango impresses - www.gigaom.com

By Kevin C. Tofel Aug. 12, 2011, 12:45pm PT

The next major software update for Microsoft Windows Phone 7, codenamed Mango, is complete. Microsoft handed over the Mango update to its carrier and hardware partners on July 26, although there’s no announced date for when existing WP7 smartphones will see the software. Nor are there any official release dates for new phones that will run on Mango: Yes, I’m looking at you Nokia.

Nokia To Kill Symbian Efforts In North America - www.techcrunch.com

Chris Velazco

 

If you were to sit down and look at all the devices Nokia has for sale in the United States, you may come away thinking that they weren’t in the business of making impressive devices. With only a few exceptions, Nokia’s domestic offerings are low-end, S40-powered talk-and-texters — hardly what one would expect from the self-proclaimed “world leader” of the cell phone industry.

It seems as though the higher-ups at Nokia are starting to feel the same way. Instead of sullying the image of their North American operation, they have announced their intention to kill their low-cost Symbian business in an interview with AllThingsD. Instead, they’re putting all of their resources into one big push with Windows Phone 7.

comScore reports on marker and OS marketshare in the US for Q2 - GSMArena.com news

comScore reports on marker and OS marketshare in the US for Q2 - GSMArena.com news

05 August, 2011

comScore released their report on the mobile phone market in the US for the second quarter of this year. They found that Android is pulling ahead of iOS and that those are the only two OSes that didn’t lose market share.
Samsung is solidifying its place as the top phone maker in the US (note: counting both feature phones and smartphones) with 25.3%, up 0.8% compared to the previous quarter. Apple overtook RIM in Q2 and now sits in 4th place. Apple also grew the most quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), a full percent, reaching 8.9% of market share.