Windows Mobile

Microsoft brings SkyDrive cloud storage to iTunes Store

Microsoft is bringing its Internet storage service, SkyDrive, to iTunes, as well as to the Windows Phone marketplace.

The free app, launched today, lets users tap into their Web repository to retrieve documents, notes, photos, and videos. SkyDrive is one of a growing list of apps from Microsoft to make their way into the iTunes Store, including Bing, Messenger, and OneNote, which was launched as an iPad app yesterday.

"We believe you should have access to your personal content no matter which device you use," wrote Mike Torres, group program manager of Microsoft's SkyDrive Devices and Roaming … Read more

Microsoft's exec shuffle may signal Windows code unification

It'd be easy to look at the organizational shift atop the Windows Phone division today and attribute it to lower-than-expected device sales.

It's true that Windows Phone has barely made a dent in the smartphone marketplace, capturing just 1.5 percent of the worldwide market, according to Gartner. Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged during Microsoft's financial analyst meeting in September that the company hasn't sold "quite as many [Windows Phone devices] probably as I would have hoped."

But former Windows Phone boss Andy Lees' new, vaguely described job seems to suggest something bigger … Read more

Windows Phone Marketplace hits 40,000-app mark

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is apparently growing in popularity among app developers.

The software giant's Windows Phone Marketplace now hosts more than 40,000 apps and games from more than 10,000 different publishers, according to a study conducted by All About Windows Phone. About 33 percent of those apps were added in the past 90 days.

Of the submissions made during the past month, 85 percent were apps, while 15 percent were games. Some 68 percent of those were free downloads, 23 percent were paid, and 9 percent were paid after the initial free trial period.

Apps … Read more

Nokia exec: Windows 8 tablet due in June

Nokia will add a Windows 8 tablet to its product line in June 2012, a French newspaper reported in an interview with the head of Nokia in France.

"In June 2012, we will have a tablet running Windows 8," Paul Amsellem told Les Echos in a story published yesterday.

Such a move would make some sense. Android and iOS span phones and tablets, but Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system doesn't. Ignoring the tablet market would shut Nokia out of a major growth industry, though, and Microsoft is the obvious partner--even if it means Nokia must wrestle … Read more

Microsoft holding Windows Phone 'backstage' event Nov. 7

It looks like Microsoft is gearing up for another big Windows Phone event.

The company just sent out invitations for a "backstage" event held in New York on November 7. Microsoft's Windows Phone team, including Andy Lees and Joe Belfiore, along with other partners will be on hand to discuss the platform.

Interestingly, Microsoft is hinting at a significant announcement.

"That's not the only big thing Windows Phone has planned..." the invitation reads.

The event will be held in the New Yorker hotel in midtown Manhattan, with an additional "unique experience" held … Read more

Nokia confines Windows Phone launch to 'select countries'

Nokia is excited about Windows Phone--but rather than a grand global launch, the Finnish company said today it will launch its first phones using Microsoft's mobile operating system only in selected markets this year.

Given Nokia's global scale and the Windows Phone's pivotal importance to the company, that measured debut might come as a surprise. But Chief Executive Stephen Elop defended the plan while talking to analysts after Nokia reported better-than-expected financial results today.

"We are being very deliberate in the sequence. It is a significant shift in the organization for how we sell and how … Read more

Mango now flowing to most Windows Phone users

Microsoft's Mango update is now fully ripe and available for almost all Windows Phone users.

The company confirmed yesterday via its Windows Phone blog that it's now made Mango available to "nearly everyone in the current delivery pool," meaning that Windows Phone 7.5 is being delivered across most of the major carriers in the U.S. and abroad.

As one example, Microsoft said it's now deploying Mango to LG Optimus 7 phones carried by Telefonica in Spain.

The company acknowledged that some carriers are still testing the update for a few phones but promised … Read more

Windows Phone 7.5 users: Our keyboards keep disappearing

Mango may have been bitten by its first big bug.

Users who have upgraded to the version 7.5 of Microsoft's Windows Phone are complaining that their keyboards randomly disappear or fail to appear when needed. Both Twitter and the XDA Developers forum have received a swarm of messages from Mango users reporting the glitch.

Apparently, people will either touch the input field only to find that the keyboard fails to pop up or be typing an e-mail or IM or other text, and the keyboard will suddenly vanish. The issue appears to be affecting a fair number of … Read more

Windows Phone chief dumps on iPhone, Android

Hurtling a couple of digs against Apple and Android, Windows Phone chief Andy Lees is naturally playing up the ripeness of Microsoft's Mango with a variety of phones expected for the holiday season.

Speaking with The Seattle Times yesterday, Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone division, said he believes Apple missed an opportunity with the iPhone 4S. Comparing the new iPhone with Mango-enabled Windows Phone devices, Lees expressed surprise that Apple didn't give consumers more choice in terms of the hardware.

Those consumers apparently don't see eye-to-eye with Lees. This morning, Apple announced that it logged … Read more

Mango available for half of all Windows Phone users

Half of all Windows Phone users can now take a bite of Mango.

In a blog post published yesterday, Eric Hautala, general manager of customer experience engineering for Microsoft's Windows Phone, said the update to Windows Phone 7.5, aka Mango, has been proceeding smoothly, prompting the company to open the tap so that 50 percent of all users can now grab it over the air.

Microsoft launched the update a week ago across an array of countries and carriers, targeting just about every Windows Phone model on the market. Users apparently have been rushing to move to Mango … Read more