windows mobile

And you thought this day would never come. The official release of Opera Mobile 10 is now available for Windows Mobile, marking the end of several long beta periods. If you still need to see what you're getting into, check out our video review of the Opera Mobile 10 beta. Then head on over to Opera and get your download on. [Opera Mobile]

One of the hurdles Microsoft faces in making a success out of Windows Phone 7 Series is winning over the software developers.

Microsoft may be able to establish consistency with regards to the WP7S hardware but if you don't have functional software to put on the phone, it won't survive for long. To do so, Microsoft needs to garner the support of developers, large and small. Microsoft's willingness to tackle the fragmentation that Windows phones has historically possessed is a step in the right direction but there's still plenty of work needed to be done. 

Follow the link to read more.

This is sort of out of left field, but evidently Skype has discontinued and pulled the Skype Mobile software for Windows phones.

Why? They sort of answer in their FAQ, but to be honest it is more of a dodge:

Unfortunately, Skype Lite – a version of Skype for your mobile phone – and Skype for Windows Mobile are no longer available for download from our site.

We’ve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience – much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones. Our focus is on providing a rich user experience that allows you to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype and low cost calls as easily on the move as you do at your desktop.

We felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience.

Fair enough and we actually agree. Skype for Windows Mobile was really a huge program (~10MB) that ate a lot of resources. Granted, it did offer nearly the "full Skype experience" but at processing cost.

For Skype/VOIP, we here at WMExperts have always found Fring a much better alternative.

Still, Skype is obviously begging the question with their response: are they going to, you know, release a new version that is much more awesome and built better? Or are they just pulling it and wiping their hands altogether of Windows phone?

For the time being, you can still download and use Skype here. Or if on your phone, just scan the MS Tag to the right to direct download (11.7MB!) 

[WMPhone.de via WMPoweruser]

Windows Phone 7 Series is official, and so ends the Windows Mobile era. You undoubtedly have questions, and we have answers. So here we go.

• The usual suspects are lined up around the block for Windows Phone 7 Series, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc.
• Manufacturers include Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc.
• The first phones are expected to be available by the 2010 holiday season.
• Xbox Live and Zune are coming to the phone. But don't even think about calling it an Xbox phone or a Xune phone.
• The Zune ecosystem is going international (finally!), as is the desktop software.
• The Windows Phone 7 Series experience is based around a series of "hubs." The hubs include "People," "Pictures," "Games," "Music and video," "Marketplace" and "Office."
• The Windows Mobile name is no more. Gone. Kaput.
• Bing is front and center, as you'd expect.

And so we've reached the end of the third annual Smartphone Round Robin. Windows Mobile and the HTC Touch Pro 2 and HD2 were given the what-for by the other Smartphone Experts editors over the past couple of months. We laughed. We cried. We saw some pretty damn cool phones.

Let's take a look back at what they had to say ...

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much at Microsoft's CES booth that we hadn't seen before. The HTC HD2 and yesterday's official announcement that it will be available "this spring" on T-Mobile was on the tip of everyone's tongues. But other than that, there were no new Windows phones announced.

We did take a spin with Ford Sync, which is Microsoft's system that will pair just about any device -- Bluetooth or otherwise -- with a new Ford or Mercury vehicle. Voice commands are the key to the whole thing, so you keep your hands on the wheel.

The Zune guys were more than happy to hear that we're hoping to see Zune software integrated into Windows Mobile in the next year or so. But we could get neither them nor the Windows phone folks to spill the beans as to what might or might not be coming in Windows Mobile 7.

Awkward moment of the morning: Our pal Rene Ritchie from The iPhone Blog hits up the Bing team to ask about the Bing iPhone app. And they'd never heard of it.

Photos of the exploits after the break.

Market Share by Net Application is a company that analyzes website traffic and generates a trend analysis based on this activity. While there are many naysayers about how successful Windows Mobile 6.5 has been, Market Share's latest trends analysis may put some of the "Windows Mobile is dead" comments to rest.

From November to December 2009, Windows Mobile experienced a 50% increase in web traffic measured by Market Share. Windows Mobile jumped from a .04% share of the traffic to .06%. The growth is second only to the Android OS. The iPhone remains at the top of the heap, claiming .44% of the traffic, with Symbian pulling in .23% of the traffic.

There was no explanation for the increase, but the increase could be a sign that a)Windows Mobile 6.5 is more successful and inviting than many thought b) Microsoft's advertising campaign for Windows Mobile is more successful than first thought or b) the spike is device related. We are seeing more powerful Windows phones hitting the market (LG Expo and HTC HD2) that improve Windows Mobile's browsing capabilities.

Regardless of the reason behind this spike, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues into this new year.

Via WMPoweruser

What could we possibly have to say about Apple and the iPhone that hasn't been said countless times already? Plenty. Given that Apple has spent the past year largely consolidating its power in the mobile space, and Microsoft has spent the past year making many wonder if they're going to continue in the mobile space, it's fitting that we take a look at the two here in the second week of the third annual Smartphone Round Robin.

There will be no talk of iPhone killers.

There will be no talk of the death of Windows Mobile.

OK, there may be a little. Keep reading for more.

Update: Addendum

AdMob, which, "serves ads for more than 15,000 mobile Web sites and applications around the world," recently released its October smartphone numbers. [pdf link] And as expected, Windows Mobile isn't exactly causing anyone to faint. The most damning chart shows Windows Mobile with a mere 4 percent of requests (as in hits) from smartphones, compared to 5 percent from WebOS, 12 percent from BlackBerries, 20 percent from Android and a whopping 55 percent from the iPhone.

Really, that's no great surprise. And we'd expect Windows Mobile's numbers to tick up a bit over the November, December and January, after the flurry of phones that hit the market upon launch of Windows Mobile 6.5.

But what's even more intriguing to us is the breakdown of Windows Mobile phones (these aren't Windows phones, as they're not running WinMO 6.5). Take a look at the chart below.

The most recent phones on there: The HTC Snap, at No. 20, with 0.9 percent share of requests. A couple versions of the Samsung Omnia come in at Nos. 6-7, and the Treo Pro's at No. 9. The HTC Touch Pro is at No. 1, and we have to remind ourselves it's not THAT old, but still ... There are some aging (as in gray hair and hearing aids) devices on that list.

And that says to us a couple of things:

1. You guys and gals love your Windows Mobile phones. So much so that you're still rocking last year's (and beyond) devices. Good for you.

2. You have some tough choices ahead of you. Windows Mobile 7 still hasn't been officially announced, and we still don't know exactly what to expect (other than much better hardware). So, to upgrade, or not to upgrade. We'll revisit that soon. In the meantime, sort things out in the comments.