Windows Mobile

Android is still the No. 1 choice of current and future smartphone owners, but Windows Phone 7 has been kicking up more interest among prospective phone buyers, says a report released yesterday by NPD Group.

Among all smartphone operating systems, Android generated interest among 63 percent of consumers, more than any other mobile OS, according to NPD's Connected Intelligence (PDF), a service that analyzes connected devices, access, and content. As just a single example, one-third of BlackBerry smartphone owners are eyeing an Android phone as their next purchase.

And though Google's OS has accounted for almost half of … Read more

AVG is sticking by its new antivirus software for Windows Phone despite a flurry of complaints and a decision by Microsoft to remove the app from the Marketplace.

Launched a week ago, the app by AVG was designed to detect and remove viruses on Windows Phone devices. But after a couple of external experts noted that there are presently no viruses on Windows Phone and that the software seemed to violate guidelines by capturing certain private data, Microsoft pulled the app from its online store late last week.

Responding to Microsoft's move, AVG's Chief Technology Officer Yuval Ben-Itzhak … Read more

Microsoft has pulled a new AVG antivirus app from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Brandon Watson, Microsoft's director of developer experience for Windows Phone, confirmed yesterday in a tweet that the app had been removed based on research done by two external experts and that the company had started its own investigation.

Launched earlier this week, AVG's new antivirus app for Windows Phone quickly triggered concerns among users, according to enthusiast site WinRumors. Digging into the app's codebase, Justin Angel, a former Microsoft employee, and Rafael Rivera, a self-proclaimed Windows hacker and author of the Within Windows blog, … Read more

Microsoft struck two new patent-protection deals with hardware makers seeking to avoid being sued for using Google's Android and Chrome operating systems.

Acer signed a licensing deal with Microsoft that includes "broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for Acer's tablets and smartphones running the Android platform," Microsoft said in a press release. Acer's Iconia Tab, among other devices, runs Android.

"We are pleased that Acer is taking advantage of our industry-wide licensing program established to help companies address Android's IP issues," said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel … Read more

Microsoft has dismissed critics who say that Windows Phone 7 is too little too late and that the company has missed its opportunity to be the kind of operating system powerhouse in smartphones that it has been in PCs. "Au contraire," say the Redmondians, "we are still early in the game."

At least in the U.S., the critics can point to early validation. According to NPD's Mobile Phone Track, 58 percent of the handsets sold to consumers in the second quarter of 2011 were smartphones. Android, aided by a presence on all four major U.S. carries, maintains a commanding lead in the marketplace, while iOS is now an option for Verizon customers, as well as the dominant operating system at AT&T. Windows Phone, on the other hand, continues to languish at about 2 percent of the market and hasn't moved much since its debut.

Among those looking to purchase smartphones in the next six months, Android and iOS are still the favored choices as well. According to the "Connected Operating System Survey" conducted by NPD Connected Intelligence, though, Windows Phone 7 is driving interest.

Eleven percent of those planning to purchase a smartphone said they are most interested in Windows Phone 7. If they follow through, that could result in a jump in Windows Phone 7's market share. In contrast, 8 percent said they are most interested in a BlackBerry, and 6 percent say they didn't know.

The survey also found 44 percent of those who planned to purchase a smartphone in the next six months had Windows Phone 7 in their consideration set, which is markedly larger than the 33 who say that they were considering a BlackBerry.

What can Microsoft do to close the sizeable gap between those who are considering Windows Phone 7 and those who have identified it as their leading choice? … Read more

Windows Phone has officially reached 30,000 apps in its marketplace, according to a Microsoft blog.

Dropping the news yesterday in the Windows Phone developer blog, Todd Brix, senior director of Windows Phone Marketplace, added that the "nearly 30,000 Windows Phone app and game titles available today will also run on Mango."

The first major upgrade to Windows Phone, Mango was provided to device manufacturers about a month ago. An official release is being eyed for this fall.

Since its debut toward the end of last year, the Windows Phone Marketplace has seen steady growth in the … Read more

Just a day after Hewlett-Packard announced plans to discontinue its WebOS operations, Microsoft made a play for the developers who created applications for the operating system.

Brandon Watson, the director of developer experience for Windows Phone, tweeted this afternoon that Microsoft would provide free phones, developer tools and training to help any published WebOS developers make the switch to Windows Phone. Watson wrote that the company will give those developers "what you need to be successful."

Of course, like WebOS, Windows Phone trails Google's Android and Apple's iOS in the mobile device operating system market. Any … Read more

The chrome-domed exec Microsoft put in charge of rallying independent software developers to its Windows Phone platform is leaving the company to launch his own start-up.

Charlie Kindel, a 21-year veteran of Microsoft, announced his departure on his personal blog and included his going away e-mail sent to his colleagues.

"I'm not yet ready to disclose details about the new venture but I can say I will be staying in the Seattle area to build it," Kindel wrote on his blog. "It has to do with sports, advertising, mobile, social networking, and, of course, the cloud.&… Read more

Microsoft's Windows Phone sales for 2011 are "abysmal," according to a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published last Friday.

Diving through Microsoft's annual report released late last month, the news site came up with a revenue figure of $613 million for the full fiscal year, which includes Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Zune, Mediaroom, Surface, and hardware.

Remove the sales kicked in by the Zune and the other non-mobile items, and Microsoft's mobile operating systems actually delivered less than $613 million.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request from CNET for comment on the … Read more