microsoft

The Windows Phone Store (previously the Windows Phone Marketplace) has been growing at a fairly steady rate since the platform launched back in 2010. The number of apps and games available to consumers to download (both free and paid) is still increasing, and the platform has passed the 100,000 app milestone.

Since Windows Phone is a smaller ecosystem than both iOS and Android, is it worth investing in app and game development? According to data from EEDAR's 2012 Mobile Syndicated Reports, Windows Phone is actually a valid option for developers when it comes to monetisation. According to the reports, Windows Phone users spend more funds in the Store than users on competing platforms.

UK retailer Phones4u has announced (via press release distributed today) that the company will be holding several Windows Phone 8 events in selected stores across the UK. The launch events, partnering with Microsoft, will take place in three key Phones4u stores this week - Market Street, Manchester; Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brimingham; and Metro Centre, Gateshead.

It's common knowledge that the Microsoft Kin family of handsets suffered from a short life and quick death, with the hardware only being available for a matter of weeks. The poor devices never really saw the light of day when Microsoft's somewhat 'hip' mobile phones launched back in 2010.

Issues ranged from the hardware being too expensive to having too few apps and being slow and sluggish. Internal videos have now been published that show focus groups testing the Kin (using pre-production units that reportedly changed very little from the shipping product). It doesn't look good at all for the ill-fated devices.

The first Microsoft Store in Canada has opened at Yorkdale Mall, Toronto. The brick and mortar store will provide Microsoft with the capacity to accommodate consumers inside a specially crafted experience to ensure everyone gets the most out of what the company has to offer - whether it be Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, cloud services, Office, Xbox and more.

The co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak was interviewed at TEDx Brussels by TechCrunch, where the technological genius was asked how he felt about the advances Microsoft is making in both the PC and smartphone markets. So how does Wozniak view the new Microsoft? He's worried for Apple, and for good reason.

Ever since Microsoft first announced to the world their intentions to “re-imagine” Windows it has been a rather wild ride. Their new touch screen user interface, WinRT wasn't just radical for its looks, it ushered in a totally new apps eco system while simultaneously sending the Start Menu to the technology grave yard.

The changes to the OS ran deep and Microsoft had been busy readying Windows 8/RT to run on the highly power efficient ARM processors. Their plans for that became clearer when they shocked the technology world by announcing their own tablet computer, the Surface. With the changes to Windows came a new declaration that Microsoft re-position themselves as a Devices and Services company. They have built their eco system and the next logical step has been to control the hardware that uses it. The culmination of their efforts in re-imagining Windows and becoming a devices and services company can we seen best in one single product, their Surface tablet running Windows RT.

Microsoft is set to spend an incredible amount of money marketing both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. The former is the next version of the company's desktop OS, while Windows Phone 8 is the new release that is hoped to help bring Microsoft into the mobile market with a respectable share of the pie. The Sun has reported that Microsoft has snapped up multiple big names to help push the mobile platform.

We don't enjoy relaying news such as this, but it appears as though Volt Link, an app enabling Windows Phone owners who are OnStar subscribers (www.onstar.com) to access actions and functionality using the handset, will no longer be supported or available on Windows Phone.

The developer has revealed to a Windows Phone Central reader that a cease and desist letter was sent by GM/OnStar, requesting the immediate withdrawal of the app from the Store.