smartphone

Latest figures published by market research group Kantar has revealed that Windows Phone is on the rise across the board, excluding a number of markets where sales remain low. The Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S are all high-end smartphones that will be pushing the platform forward in 2013 with potential marketshare gain in multiple locations, but how has the platform progressed through 2012?

Microsoft have now officially unveiled their new music service. Simply called Xbox Music, it's going to begin rolling out tomorrow. 

Designed to replace the Zune services of old, Xbox Music will bring with it new capabilities and eventual availability on other platforms in the coming year.

Amazon & Android. New competition or just hype?

Amazon, the online retailer we all know and love, are testing a smartphone. According to reports, sources within companies who supply hardware for Amazon's upcoming handset have confirmed that testing of said device is already underway, with production set to take place later this year or early 2013.

With what we've seen with the Kindle Fire tablet, it's a strong possibility that the online giant could well be using Google's Android OS to power their new hardware, which could then be sold under the Kindle brand. What's interesting to note, probably only from a Windows Phone point-of-view, is that Brandon Watson is currently at Amazon working away on the Kindle. Could he be collaborating with the company on a new smartphone after leaving Microsoft?

The WSJ reports that Amazon's smartphone has a display size sitting in the region between 4 and 5 inches - a perfect size to compete with the likes of the TITAN II and Galaxy S 3. It'll be interesting should Amazon choose to go with Android and launch a smartphone, since the platform is pack full of competitive companies, not to mention the established iPhone, BlackBerries, Windows Phones, etc. 

But what if they didn't choose Android? Let's not forget about Mozilla's Firefox OS. A 2013 smartphone release would fit in with Mozilla's plans for world domination kicking off next year. Then again, as we've asked before, will Firefox OS actually take off? It wouldn't make sense for Amazon to put eggs in a basket that's yet to prove itself.

We'll be sure to keep a close eye on the online retailer. What do you guys think of Amazon's plans? Let us know in the comments.

Source: WSJ, via: ITProPortal

Nielsen has announced that half of all mobile subscribers in the U.S. now own a smartphone. Comparing February 2012, where the lines for both feature phones and smartphones meet in the above graph, with February last year we can clearly see a massive jump from just 38%. That's an average increase of smartphone owners by 1% per-month.

With low-end, affordable Android and Windows Phones, consumers are now able to hop onto the smartphone train without breaking the bank balance. As technology continuously evolves and social networking becomes more prominent in our lives, more mobile phone owners are looking at ways to stay in touch with friends and family that doesn't require either texting or calling.

"More than two-thirds of those who acquired a new mobile device in the last three months chose a smartphone over a feature phone."

According to Nielsen's marketshare data (for the U.S.), Android still runs the show with a 48% hold of the market. iOS is at a comfortable 32%, RIM struggles on with 12%, and Windows Phone is lost somewhere among the "other" 8%. While many could look at this negatively, this data is prior to Nokia and AT&T's upcoming marketing blitz for the Lumia 900, which is set to available on April 8th.

With the steady rate of consumers acquiring smartphones, now is the time for Nokia to push through the Lumia family of handsets to capture the market, and Microsoft needs to be behind them throwing surplus dosh away at every opportunity.

Via: BGR

The marketing research company Comscore has released the numbers from a July 2010 survey that breaks down smartphone OS usage in the U.S. and European markets.  The numbers have Windows Mobile holding it's own and in some cases, well ahead of Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices.

Nokia still dominates the European market representing more than half of the smartphones in use. However, Nokia share of the European market has slid 14.4% since last year likely due to the increase shares of Android and iPhone.

Windows Phones did the best in Spain and Italy, taking second place behind Nokia with 11.9% and 11.4% of those markets respectively.  The worst came with the U.K. market with Windows Phones coming in last at 7.1%.

Comparatively, in the U.S., Blackberry remains on top with 39.3% of the market with Windows Mobile coming in behind the iPhone (23.8%) and Android (17%) at 11.8% of the market.

It will be interesting to see how Windows Phone 7 will impact this survey when it is conducted next year. Will Microsoft see market gains with the new Windows Phones? Shortening the gaps between competing Operating Systems or increasing the lead?

via: wmpoweruser.com

This is how we love starting off our day — more he said/she said Dell news! So the other day investment analyst Shaw Wu (who gets no love from Daring Fireball) said that Dell shopped two smartphones around to carriers — one a Windows Mobile phone, the other Android. The carriers promptly turned their noses up and sent Dell back to the drawing board.

Today, DigiTimes reports that's just not so.

Dell will not delay the launch of its new smartphone lineup and is on schedule to release devices in line with its internal roadmap, company CEO Michael Dell said recently in Taipei. However Dell did not publicly divulge any details indicating when products are scheduled for release.

Whom to believe? It's anyone's guess. But since everyone seems to know what Dell's up to in the smartphone market, we'll throw our guess into the ring as well. And we're pretty sure you can take it to the bank:

Dell will release some sort of technology in the next few months. It will involve circuit boards, memory chips, a button or two, and more than likely will be painted black. It might make phone calls. It might not.

You heard it here first, folks.

Just what *is* that? Is it a phone? Is it a Mobile Internet Device? Is it some sort of crazy communications module left behind by the alien invasion? Nobody's quite sure. But what the Boy Genius reportedly does know is that this is some device that Acer is going to show off in a couple of weeks at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

At this point, your guess is as good as ours as to whether this thing will run Windows Mobile, Android, or something else entirely. We keep squinting at that crazy keyboard to try to find some WinMo telltale, but all we keep seeing is a sailboat. Is that really some weird swiveling screen? Or is it detachable? Feel free to speculate on your own in the comments.

Microsoft has applied for a patent for a device that could well turn your future smartphone into your next desktop PC.

Unwired View tracked down the documents for a "Smart Interface System for Mobile Commications Devices."

A universal smart interface and peripheral management system for portable devices such as mobile phones. The smart system includes a connector interface that connects peripherals to a phone and/or personal digital assistant (PDA), through the smart system. The smart system includes a cradle for receiving a cell phone and interfacing the phone to external systems such as peripherals, networks and other systems through a USB hub and other suitable connector interfaces. The peripheral devices to which the smart system can interface include, but are not limited to, large displays (e.g., television), external monitors, input devices such as mice and keyboards, external storage devices, and networks (wired and/or wireless). The smart system also facilitates connectivity to large display systems such as TVs, computer displays and monitors.

The "Smart System" would have its own operating system, CPU and RAM and would work inconjunction with your phone, unlike mobile companions such as the Celio Redfly, which rely solely on your phone for processing power.

Undoubtedly this would still be a long ways off. But with the advent of Tegra processors and graphics power, this coiuld well be more than vaporware.

Get the lowdown on the patent here.